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Chapter 1 Jingle Bells and Egyptian Calls I rolled over in bed, momentarily looking up at the sunroof through my droopy lids. I saw the sun peeking over the edge of the windowsill; searching for me. Once he had found my thin frame lying on the bed he excitedly tried to wake me up. I stubbornly rolled over, burying my face into my pillow. The sun, relentless in his endeavor to get me to start my day, came out from behind the window’s edge and let his light fill my room full force. I sighed; there was no way I was getting back to bed. I sat up, stretching my arms and back. A small spurt of energy filled my body. I got out of bed, getting dressed in a simple black, sleeveless, cotton shirt and jeans. Walking over to the other window in my room, I looked at the village below the hill.
My name is Osiris. I’m 18 years old and I live in a small studio shop at the edge of a small modern village near a forest. I lived alone, after the death of my uncle who was the only relative that was willing to take care of me. My mother died when I was born. My father, he blamed me for my mother’s death and walked out the door never to be seen again. I guess it never really bothered me that I lived with my uncle. Sure there were the times my uncle would bring home some random woman and neither of them could truly think clearly. At those times I knew from experience to stay away so I would hole myself up in my room watching random movies, mostly cartoons about daring Princes that saved a Princess, until they would fall asleep.
Once I started living on my own I found myself going into town a lot. Most of the people were kind; I mean I guess life just wouldn’t be life without a few bullies to get you down. Today was no different; I decided to go into town for some groceries and supplies. I pulled on my shoes and a blue jacket, running a hand through my blue hair. I walked out the door and instantly bumped into someone. I hoped to God that it wasn’t one of my old high school nemesis’ I had just walked into. If it came to a fight it usually ended with me either running for my life or pinned against a wall and of course my 5’5” height didn’t help.
“Shit, I’m so sorry,” I said, looking up at the person, “I wasn’t paying attention.”
I half expected an angry face and a pounding to follow. Instead a pale, friendly face with white hair and blue eyes smiled back.
“It’s okay, Osi. I should have knocked first.”
“Oh, Akira! Did you need a piece done or just visiting?” Akira was one of my closest friend, ah… who am I kidding he was actually my only friend. He and I had known each other since…forever. He and I had similar tastes and interests (except for clothes, he always sported a jacket with multi colored dots on it and a necklace with a golden Christmas jingle bell). Oh and did I mention he was really tall like almost 6’. He also happened to be my best customer and where he put all those paintings was beyond me. X3
“Actually, I just came by to see if you needed some help with anything. I was free today,” Akira replied. I smiled; somehow he always knew when you needed something.
“As a matter of fact, yeah. I could use some help with a few things. I was just heading into town for some groceries and supplies.”
We walked down to the market; Akira, or Aki for short, helped me reach the things I needed from the top shelves of the store (I swear that they put everything short people need on the top shelf just to watch us struggle on the cameras sometimes). I bought some groceries as well as painting supplies for some of the commissions I had back home. When we left the store Aki insisted I let him carry most of the stuff, to which I always would balk when he does. Of course he would then just grab the stuff from me and lift the items out of my reach until I gave up. I still remember how in middle school I had to buy a bag of dirt for a science experiment, which explains why I still garden today, and he had grabbed it from me. The bag weighed at least forty pounds and he just dangled it out of my reach like it was nothing more than a pillow.
“Hey Aki, do you want to stay for dinner? I mean there’s plenty of food for the both of us,” I asked when we got to my house. He nodded smiling,
“Sounds good to me,” he replied. I giggled as he ducked under the doorway to clear it after he had already hit his head on the trim.
“Sorry Aki, I guess my house wasn’t made for people at your height,” I teased.
“Oh you mean like how you weren’t allowed on those rides at the fair because you were too short,” he responded with a laugh.
“Hey! I’m not short, you’re just tall,” I said pouting while putting the groceries away. I heard him laugh and mumble something but with the sound of the running freezer right in my ear I missed what he said…probably for the best.Splendorman’s POV Once again I had donned the appearance of the young man know around town as Akira. Of course because of me being well…me, I still had certain qualities that were not quite normal. The hair was white as snow and my skin remained pale. My normal polka-dotted suit turned into a polka-dotted jacket and the bells that usually hung from my tentacles now converged into a single gold bell around my neck. I had done this for about sixteen years. That was when I met Osiris wondering around the woods at the back of her house. I didn’t know quite how to react to the little thing that took a fancy to being adventurous. Honestly she peaked my interest and I really didn’t want something to happen to her, aka my brother Slender and some of the other creepypastas. Ever since I made it my job to protect her even though it seemed my housemates meant to leave her alone. Now I was just her friend, her only friend. I could never understand why there weren’t any others and why Osi seemed to be the one in trouble, humans were so complicated like that.
After I had helped Osiris with shopping and had teased her by taking the bags I knew were heavy for her away, we had returned to her house verging between the outskirts of the civilized town and the forest domain of the creepypastas.
“Hey Aki, do you want to stay for dinner? I mean there’s plenty of food for the both of us,” she asked. I had eaten with her before at the various restraints around town and had even eaten with her at the loathsome cafeteria at her past school. I had never eaten dinner at her house (not saying I hadn’t been in her house before but just never ate inside). I smiled at the new experience and nodded my head.
“Sounds good to me,” I said as I proceeded to follow her inside.
WHAP! SHIT! My head hit the trim to the front door. I forgot about my height again. I ducked this time to clear the frame. I heard Osiris giggle and turned to her.
“Sorry Aki, I guess my house wasn’t made for people at your height,” she said. I could hear the annotations in her voice; she was teasing me.
“Oh you mean like how you weren’t allowed on those rides at the fair because you were too short,” I responded deciding to play along in the game. I laughed when her lip stuck out at me in an obvious pout.
“Hey! I’m not short, you’re just tall,” she said while putting the groceries away. I laughed again as I started heading to her studio.
“Yep, keep telling yourself that kiddo,” I mumbled. She didn’t respond to the comment so I assumed she hadn’t heard. I walked into her studio, something I was allowed to do as her close friend, and look at her progress on her paintings. I noticed how some seemed finished while others were barely begun. Uncharacteristically this had been going on for a month. I knew Osiris never touched one of her works until she felt an epiphany and she never stopped working on a painting until she felt that it had become a masterpiece. I loved seeing her paintings and watching her paint them, sometimes I would even be the model. Of course I’d have to later buy all those pictures from her, which I didn’t mind. I mean it wasn’t like I didn’t have space to put them back at the creepypasta mansion. My eyes flitted across the various paintings until the lighted on one I hadn’t seen before. I stared at it for a few moments. It was a portrait of someone; a prince it looked like but oddly enough it was left unfinished. By unfinished I mean there was no face. It was just blank. My mind wondered over what it could mean before I decided to bring it up to Osi.
“I noticed you’ve started a new portrait,” I said as I entered the kitchen again. Osiris was standing over the stove cooking what appeared to be soup. I wished she could afford better than always having to eat soup. It never had any flavor, although I do tend to eat odd stuff myself so who am I to judge.
“Hmm…what new portrait?”
“You know the one of the prince or general, whoever he is.”
“Oh, that one. I’ve actually had that around for a few years now. Honestly, I never intended for anyone to see it,” she said shyly.
“I’m sorry, should I have not seen it,” I said hastily.
“It’s okay, I gave you permission to see my paintings finished or not.”
“Soooo…any particular reason that one isn’t finished,” I asked as casually as I could.
“Not really, it’s actually a silly reason,” she said nervously.
“I won’t laugh, you know that,” I said my curiousity peeking.
“Well,” she said turning her head away embarrassed, “the piece was supposed to be called Prince Charming. When I was little and scared I used to watch movies about a princes and princesses where they always had a happy ending. So I created the piece as kind of a reminder of those times but once I got to the face I realized how I hadn’t met anyone I felt would fit…”
“Ah, I see, that makes sense,” I said. I actually should have guessed it was something like that after all I was often with her when she watched those movies, making sure that no harm would come to her. I remembered how there was one night that her uncle came home smelling worse than when Jeff came back form his hunts covered in dried gunk from his unlucky victims. I myself didn’t care for those type of things I had found that I could take care of my monthly ‘instincts’ by cooking or gardening. That also was thanks to Osiris when I had helped her back in her middle school years with a science experiment. Anyway when her uncle came home one night unable to find someone to spend the night with he had tried to…well you know…with Osiris, who was only 10 at the time. Thank goodness I happened to be wondering the woods close enough to here her scream. I had ripped the man off of her just in time and made my strength known. After that I was with her every night that her uncle went out. Needless to say he never tried it again and in the morning seemed extremely sorry for what he had almost done. Osi has no recollection of those events since I wiped them from her memory. Sometimes I hated the man and wished I could kill him but I knew it would only result in Osiris being taken away and probably placed in some type of hell hole of a foster family.
“Soup’s done,” she said as she took some up into a bowl.
“Smells good,” I said as I sat down at the table, taking my jacket off in the process (I didn’t want to get it dirty and yes I had a polka-dotted shirt on).
“Well what are you waiting for, let’s eat,” she said happily. I nodded and scooped some of the steamy liquid into my mouth.
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Chapter 2 A Lively NightOsiris POV Well after Akira and I finished our soup he stuck around till everything was cleaned up. He then set out for wherever his house was before the darkness of night was able to set in. I was never invited over to his house for anything and had never even seen it. I remember that one time in high school I asked him why, to which he merely replied that it would be a bad idea. After Aki had left I walked around my house for a bit searching for something to do, not quite feeling ready for bed. I found myself standing in my studio staring at the painting that had been commissioned by the mayor for his wife. I studied it before mixing some paints together to make light purple. I then dipped my brush into the paint and added it to the canvas. The picture depicted a man and a woman sitting under a tree in the middle of spring. I was adding lavender flowers to the serene setting. When I had finished I stepped back expecting to be proud and finally finished with the piece. Instead I looked at it and had the same aching feeling that something was missing. This had been going on for over a month now and honestly it was beginning to get frustrating. I sighed and went to clean up my tools. “When did painting become such a chore,” I asked aloud to no one in particular as I washed the paint out of my brush. I used to love anything to do with art but ever since my uncle’s death last year it seemed I just didn’t have any passion for it anymore. Sometimes I thought about taking a break from it all but if I wanted to survive I had to keep at it. I really enjoyed Aki’s visits lately because it gave me an excuse to get out for a while. I put my utensils away and walked toward the stairs to my room. As I reached the bottom of the stairs I noticed that Akira had left his jacket on the dining room chair. It was already nearing midnight and was pitch black outside. The village spoke of how in the dark unknown dangers would roam waiting for unsuspecting passers. The unfortunate victim would then be found in the morning many times mutilated but always dead. I didn’t really believe the rumors but I still didn’t go out after dark. I decided to hold on to the jacket till Aki could come pick it up. I looked down at my hands and saw them trembling. In fact it wasn’t just my hands, my entire body was shivering from the cold air that had somehow found its way into the house. I walked over to my heater and turned it up a couple of notches. As soon as it had clicked on I wrapped a warm blanket around my body and sat down in front of one of the vents in my living room. I turned on my television and watched my favorite movie from when I was growing up. It was a cartoon about how a country girl had become imprisoned by a beast living in the forest in order to rescue her father from the creature. The girl then fell in love with the monster as his emotional walls broke down for her. I watched the story unfold smiling.THUD! I paused my movie immediately at the noise and went to the door, where the sound had come from.Jeff’s POV “Damn it Offender!” I yelled at the tall creature draped around my shoulders, “you just had to go to the mayor’s house. What the hell did you think was going to happen?!” I ran, dragging the injured slender brother as best as I could. Offender had once again gotten himself and me into a shit load of trouble with one of his hair brained schemes. So here we were bleeding, running for our lives while trying to avoid detection. I turned down the street where our forest lay at the end. If only I could make it to the forest we could then use the trees to hide until the other creepypastas would come. “THIS WAY! OVER HERE!” I could hear the mayor yell to the mob. “SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!” I looked down at Offenderman to see him pointing at the house sitting between the two worlds. I dragged him up to the porch and hid as well as I could into the shadows. Apparently I had made more noise than I thought because the door to the cabin opened. I quickly slipped on my hood and placed a hand on my knife in case anything happened. To my surprise a young girl peeked out from the crack in the door, looking around in bewilderment. She spotted Offender and me standing there. A moment later she threw open the door. “HOLY RA! What happened,” she asked. She hooked an arm under the other side of Offenderman and coaxed us both inside before I had any chance to react. Next thing I knew we were sitting in her living room, wrapped in warm blankets and she was fixing some food in the kitchen for us. I was shocked to say in the least.Osiris POV “HOLY RA! What happened,” I half yelled when I saw two men on my porch. Both were covered in blood and seemed severely injured. I hooked my arm around the one who seemed the worse off of the two and brought them inside. I sat them down in my living room making sure to wrap them in something warm before rushing to the kitchen looking for my first aid kit and some food. I warmed up some of the leftover soup I had and brought out some medicine and bandages. When I had walked back out I saw the tall stranger sitting on the couch where I had left him staring blankly at the television screen. Where had the other gone…wait, staring blankly? It then hit me that the man on my couch had no eyes, no ears, and no nose, only a mouth. He seemed to realize that I was staring at him because he turned his head to look at me. I backed up out of surprise, tripping on the second blanket. I fell backward only to be caught by the second stranger. He had taken off his hood and I could now see his face. He had scars around his mouth forming a permanent smile. At least I thought they were scars until he began to speak.Jeff’s POV When I had recovered from shock I decided to check out the house for any information it could give me on our apparent savior. I quietly got up from my seat and walked into the neighboring room. The room was filled with what seemed like hundreds of paintings and painting utensils. The paintings were well done and some seemed like they were the most beautiful things I had ever seen but that the artist had deemed them unfinished. I studied the skill finding it strangely familiar until my eyes fell on a portrait of a prince or general with a blank face. It suddenly struck me where I had seen the type of skill before, Splendor. There were tons of times he came home dressed as a human boy carrying a painting. This girl must have some connection with him…and I had just left the world’s biggest pervert alone in her living room! I quickly made my way back just in time to catch her from falling backward. She stared up at me, I hadn’t realized that my hood had fallen down. “Are you okay,” I asked. Her face turned to one of surprise when I spoke. “Yo-yo-your mouth…” It was then that I realized that my face was on full display. I pushed her back onto her feet and quickly pulled my hood back on. She seemed to continue freaking out and I could tell that a scream was beginning to creep up on her. “Calm down, we’re not going to hurt you,” I heard Offenderman interject. He remained on the couch and made no effort to move. I sat down myself and wrapped the blanket around me. We really didn’t need to make another scene after what had just happened. The girl stared back and forth between us for a moment or two before shaking her head and picking up the medical supplies she had dropped. She seemed a bit calmer now. “I’m s-sorry about freaking out like that, I guess I was just surprised,” she said. I fell into shock once again. Who the hell was this girl?“That’s alright, we don’t exactly fit under the category as ‘normal’ looking,” I heard Offenderman say.Huh, well there’s a first…he wasn’t flirting.“Anymore than you can only fall under the category of ‘beautiful’ my dear.” Nevermind… “Who am I to define what normal is supposed to be,” she replied with a small smile. Seriously, who the f*** was this girl?! She treated our wounds, which Offenders had already begun to seal up and heal (lucky… mine wouldn’t have that chance until we got back to the mansion). After we were both treated she sat us down at the table in the kitchen. I spotted a polka-dotted jacket hanging from the back of one of the chairs. Yep, she definitely knew Splendor. “I know it’s not much but it’s currently all I have to offer you guys for food.” I looked down at the liquidy substance in front of me quizzically. It didn’t smell bad but it tasted rather bland unlike the food we ate back at the mansion. Still this girl was offering us some of her food that she didn’t seem to have a lot of. So I downed the soup so I wouldn’t offend. “So…” I started casually, “who are you?”Offenderman’s POV (OH GAWD this is scary X3) “So…who are you?” I nearly face palmed at his insensitive question. I mean, sure, I wanted to know who she was…for obvious reasons but to just go and ask the person you’re the guest of?! I’d have a talk with him once we had gotten back home. You’d think that a couple a hundred years of living would have taught him more manners or at least how to be suave! “Osiris,” she replied. ‘Osiris’ how odd of a name for this village yet it sounded somewhat familiar… “My name is Jeff. I apologize for our intrusion.” Well may be under that tough assassin exterior there were some manners afterall. “I’m Se…uh, Smexy,” I corrected myself. Last thing I wanted was for her to freak out all over again because of my real name. ‘Sexual Offender’ definitely left nothing to the imagination and had gotten me into some trouble in the past so I preferred using my nick/pet name. It usually kept me out of problematic situations at least. Speaking of situations I admit that sneaking into the mayor’s house without worrying about security was a bad idea. Imagine my surprise when I found myself staring down two Dobermans only to be hit in the side with a bullet. I had jumped out of the window where Jeff was waiting for me and we started to book it out of there. Of course I tried teleporting but the strain of my wounds and Jeff’s extra weight proved to be too much for me. It was a matter of quick thinking and small kindness that we were safe now. “Nice to meet you both and I really don’t mind. What happened to you two though?” PFFFT! I wasn’t expecting that question. I sprayed my mouthful of soup in shock. Oh great! I now made a mess and fool of myself twice in one night. I guess I was having one of those days, not to mention I was going to wake up really sore tomorrow…unless…NO! Stop it! I sucked in a deep breath. “S-sorry, here allow me to clean that,” I said grabbing some paper towels off the cabinet. I mopped up the mess while I did my best to explain what had happened without setting her off. In truth, I lied. “We were just walking around when this group of thugs started chasing us. We lost them and ducked onto your porch to hide, my dear.” “Osi.” “What?” “You can call me Osi it’s what my friend calls me.” “Very well Osi it is then,” I replied. ‘Osi’ now there was a nickname I liked. ‘Osi’ it was so quick and easy to say and fun too. My mind began to imagine scenarios of when I could use it. ‘Hey Osi,’ when I see her walking around town. ‘Good job Osi,’ when she would do something and show it to me. ‘OSI,’ when she and I would climax in bed. Wait, what? Aw, frig not again… I was in no mood to have my head in my dick after the events of tonight. I had to find some way to calm myself and fast. “Um…could I please have some cold water,” I asked. Osi nodded and quickly filled up a cup of ice water for me. I downed the cool liquid and thanked her. “Was the soup too hot?” “Not at all, Osi. I just felt a little dehydrated is all from the blood loss and running,” I said having to come up with an excuse fast. “Liar,” Jeff said in his head knowing that I could hear his thoughts. I stared at him for a moment, frowning. He seemed to get the message cause he remained quiet.Osiris POV (whew, glad that’s over X3) I didn’t know why I felt comfortable around Jeff and Smexy. It just felt…familiar. Admittedly I was surprised at Smexy’s reaction to my question and I wasn’t too confident he was telling me the full truth. Still if life taught me one thing, it was to never judge a book by its cover, in this case my guests’ appearances. “Was the soup too hot,” I asked a little concerned. “Not at all, Osi. I just felt a little dehydrated is all from the blood loss and running.” “I hope this doesn’t sound too weird Smexy…but you actually remind me of my friend.”
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Chapter 3Offenderman’s POV “REALLY? I-I do?” I was a little surprised at her comment. Who was this friend she kept talking about? Would he prove to be competition later? At the same time though I couldn’t help but feel a little flattered, here I was a stranger and Osi already felt comfortable. She was definitely an odd one. Sure she reacted a bit to Jeff and I’s faces when we first arrived but she never once flinched or screamed. Although if she had Jeff probably would have slit her throat. I was glad it didn’t have to come to that. “I know it sounds really silly but there’s just something familiar…” “Well duh, they’re brothers,” I heard Jeff’s thoughts intrude. BROTHERS! This girl already was familiar with one of my brothers? Which one? It was then that I noticed the polka-dotted jacket hanging on the back of one of the chairs. Splendor, that has to be who she knew. It suddenly dawned on me that we had been sitting in a ticking time bomb. No way Splendor would return home without his jacket otherwise Trenderman would have a fit. He would be coming back any minute. Knock-knock-knock-knock. I was slightly panicking at this point. Osi went to answer the door and thanks to Jeff and I’s wounds there was no way we were going anywhere fast. I just sat at the table knowing that the shit was about to hit the fan. Either it was the mob coming to kill us or my brother coming to pick up his jacket. Any way you look at it we were screwed. I almost prayed to face the mob rather than my brother’s wrath. “Oh, hey Akira, I wasn’t expecting you to come back for your jacket until tomorrow,” Osi said. CRAP! F***ING SHIT! I quickly grabbed Jeff and pulled him under the table with me. “Well, it is setting into fall so it’s a little nippy out there for just a T-shirt,” I heard the all too familiar voice of my brother reply. “The kitchen’s a bit of a mess at the moment…” Osi started with an excuse. Good girl. “Nonsense, I helped you clean it up earlier.” The voices grew and I could see his long legs coming into the kitchen closely followed by the shapely beauties belonging to Osi. “I’m just gonna grab my jacket and head for home if…Jeff…Offender?” The cover was blown and so were any chances of escape. I looked up at my brother and gave the best smile I could. “Uhh…what’s up bro?” “OFFENDER!” He growled and before I even had a chance to avoid him I was tackled to the ground.Splendorman’s POV I was shocked to find the mischievous duo in Osiris’ kitchen. “Jeff…Offender?” Offenderman just looked up at me with one of his ‘innocent’ smiles. “Uhh…what’s up bro?” he asked sounding like he had just been caught. My anger boiled up at the very thought that he possibly had tried anything with Osiris. “OFFENDER!” I yelled lunging at him. I tackled him to the ground, pinning him in place. “HOW DARE YOU, YOU-YOU DICK HEADED SON OF A BITCH!” “W-wait! I didn’t even do anything! I swear!” Offenderman squirmed trying to break free from my bounds. “Don’t lie to me,” I spat. My mind and eyesight were clouded with rage. I then felt something tug on one of my red tentacles as if with all its might. I turned, growling at the intruder expecting to see Jeff. Instead I saw Osiris trying to pry me off. “AKI! He’s telling the truth! He and Jeff were really hurt when I found them.” Osiris’ calm, resolute voice resonated within me. My rage broke enough for reason to once again take hold of my mind. I stared at my brother, who I still had pinned and then at Jeff. They both were covered in blood and dirt. Their clothes were rent and bandages peeked through the gaping holes. The first thing that struck me was that I had gotten angry for nothing; the second thing to hit me was that I had dropped my human likeness in front of Osiris. Way to go Splendor!Osiris’ POV “Well isn’t this fun,” said Jeff right before taking a sip of tea from his cup. We had been sitting at the table for a while now in total silence. “Shut up Jeff,” growled both brothers. “Ummmm…. Akira can I speak with you for a second,” I asked. I earned the stares of everyone with my question. Akira nodded solemnly before we walked into the other room. “What’s up Os…OW,” said Akira as I slapped him on the arm since I couldn’t reach his face, “what was that for!” “Don’t give me that! I mean seriously you’ve been lying to me all these years!” I was pissed. I didn’t care if he was some tall monster/creature that could have destroyed me in an instant. My anger clouded my judgment. “I know, I know but…it was for your own protection. I wanted to be your friend but I couldn’t go around like this.” “BULLSHIT! What the hell made you think that?!” “You did…” “I never said that!” “Yes you did, it was the night we became best friends.” “What the hell does the night at the county fair have to do with this?!” “No it was…never mind.” “What aren’t you telling me now?” Akira was avoiding my question. His whole demeanor changed. I didn’t like this side of my best friend but I didn’t feel it was fair that he was keeping secrets from me. He averted his face. “It’s nothing…” “It isn’t nothing, tell me Aki.” “It was the night I rescued you from your uncle,” he shouted. I was taken aback. “What,” was all I could squeak.Splendorman’s POV SHIT! I really screwed up this time. I had let the idea of the very memory I didn’t want her to remember to slip out of my mouth. I could be stubborn and refuse to tell her but I also knew that I would never win. Osiris’ stubbornness was enough to rival my own brother, Slender’s. “It’s nothing…” I started trying to avoid the question before my patience expired. “It isn’t nothing, tell me Aki!” “It was the night I rescued you from your uncle,” I practically shouted, patience spent. “What,” Osiris squeaked backing up slightly. “That same night that you and I had met at the county fair I was in the forest walking. I heard you scream and teleported into your bedroom just in time to throw your uncle off of you. He had come home alone and drunk. You recognized me almost immediately from the fair. You fell into my arms, crying from the events that transpired. My anger boiled against your uncle but you made me promise not to kill him. However, you also made me promise to stay with you the best I could especially on those nights your uncle came home in a drunken stupor. It was soon after that we came up with the guise of me becoming Akira and I …I…I wiped your memory of that night,” I explained avoiding eye contact.
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Chapter 4 Offenderman’s POV I listened in on the conversation between my brother and Osiris carefully. So apparently I wasn’t the only one to get in trouble around here. I smirked slightly only to hear Splendor shout something. Wait, what about Osiris’ uncle? I teleported myself behind the wall so I could eavesdrop better on the conversation. “What are you doing,” asked Jeff sneaking beside me. I put my finger to my lips to quiet him before listening in again. ““That same night that you and I had met at the county fair I was in the forest walking. I heard you scream and teleported into your bedroom just in time to throw your uncle off of you. He had come home alone and drunk. You recognized me almost immediately from the fair. You fell into my arms, crying from the events that transpired. My anger boiled against your uncle but you made me promise not to kill him. However, you also made me promise to stay with you the best I could especially on those nights your uncle came home in a drunken stupor. It was soon after that we came up with the guise of me becoming Akira and I …I…I wiped your memory of that night,” Splendor explained. Now everything mad sense; the costume, the paintings, and the countless days and nights he spent away from the mansion. All of that was for Osi’s sake. I couldn’t blame him. My anger began to rise just listening to Splendor tell the story. Who does that to a child?! “F***ING BASTARD!” I heard Jeff state low enough so the two on the other side of the wall wouldn’t hear him. I turned to him and nodded solemnly in agreement. I was glad now that I hadn’t let my dick run away with my thoughts. It would’ve only added to this hidden pain and gotten me in more trouble. I heard Osiris and Splendor shuffling and quickly teleported Jeff and I back to our seats; we then went about acting as if nothing ever happened. Thank God for my quick healing abilities. Soon Osiris and Splendor walked back into the kitchen. “Osiris told me that as long as the Creepypastas are on their best behavior they are more than welcome,” Splendor announced.Jeff POV “Best behavior?” “It means no killing or random acts of violence and destruction. Osiris still very much lives in the world of the humans and she shouldn’t have to jump through hoops on our account. She also is a painter by profession. Every piece she has is eventually going to be sold for money and therefore need to remain intact,” Splendor explained to me. I remembered the paintings I saw lying in the studio and nodded. Like anyone would want to destroy them they were beautiful like me. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! We all turned in the direction of the sound. SHIT! Had the mob figured out where we had hid? Osiris motioned for us to remain quiet. Yeah, like I was planning on singing and dancing in front of a f***ing firing squad. “Quick, go upstairs,” she whispered. Splendor nodded and before I knew it the three of us appeared in the upstairs hall. We crouched in the shadows of the hall, listening.Osiris POV My heart was pounding as I approached the door. I had sent the others upstairs where hopefully they could remain unseen by anyone else. “Who is it?” “Mayor Ricky Carl, you okay Osiris?” I opened the door and walked out making sure to close the door behind me. I looked out and saw that the mob had apparently cleared away to where the only ones left were the mayor and a handful of others. “Oh hello, Mr. Mayor. I had already closed the shop for the night but if you’re wanting to check up on your painting I’d be glad to bring it out,” I said cheerfully. “That’ll be alright. We actually came over to make sure you were okay. Earlier tonight we had someone try breaking into my home. The culprit took off over to this side of town and a neighbor called stating that they had heard a cry from your house as well as a crash.” “Hmmm…” I feigned my ignorance, “oh that… yes well, I tripped over a blanket that had fallen onto the floor. I must’ve yelped when I did and I did make a bit of a mess with the miscellaneous things that fell with me onto the floor. I can assure you that I am quite alright.” “I’m glad. Well goodnight then, I’ll come over sometime tomorrow to check up on the painting and…sorry for bothering you.” The mayor turned and walked away closely followed by the few accompanying him. I waved to them before entering back into my house. As soon as my door was closed I let out a sigh of relief. “What’s shakin’ Osiris?” “Nickoli!” I jumped. Nickoli was the son of the mayor. He was always the most popular guy in town and coupled as a bully. So you can imagine my shock in finding him standing in front of me. “What the hell?!”Jeff’s POV “What the hell?!” I heard Osiris practically shout. I saw Splendor tense. I placed a hand on his arm. “Geez you just can’t go sneaking up on people,” came Osiris voice again. “You used to love it when I did that back in high school.” “I don’t recall getting crammed into a locker being enjoyable.” GRRRrrr… Splendor almost was at his thresholds of tolerance. His red tendrils began to peak through his shirt trying to break the cloth. SHIT! If he loses his temper then we’re all doomed. I felt a stretch in my mind. It was being read by one of the brothers. I noticed Splendor calm slightly. “You’re right. I can’t let my temper cloud my judgment. It’s just that I know that voice. It belongs to Nickoli the mayor’s son he’s a real bitch when his father isn’t there,” Splendor breathed.Osiris’ POV “Geez you can’t go sneaking up on people,” I snapped. Why was he here? “You used to love it when I did that back in high school,” he smirked, shrugging his shoulders. He turned around and began inspecting some of the artwork on the walls. The memories of the tortures I endured in high school came flooding in. I breathed in and let the breath back out slowly. “I don’t recall getting crammed into a locker being enjoyable.” “Awww come on you can’t still be mad about that can ya?” I mean that was never me doing it,” he said. “You never stopped it and you always watched.” “Okay I admit that was a dick move.” He moved down the entry hall into the kitchen. I followed him trying to keep him distracted at the same time something was up with him. Nickoli never apologized and he was still acting like the jerk he always had been. My eyes left him momentarily to notice Akira’s polka-dot jacket still draped on the back of one of the chairs. “You know Osiris I’ve been noticing a few things lately. The first is that there have been sightings of strange creatures, monsters if you will.” “O-oh?” “Mmm-hmm. The people of the town are becoming unsettled by these phenomena I’m a bit worried they may slip into hysteria. Your uncle was the first to recognize these and he had been working on researching them.” “Is that so? I don’t really recall him ever showing an interest in monsters.” In truth I did remember my uncle being away from the house more and more during his last months. When he had been found dead he was in the middle of our woods but there were no marks on him. He was proclaimed dead from heart failure due to his excessive drinking. Next to his body was a journal full of symbols. I just put it into his study and locked the door. While he was alive I had never been allowed in there. Could it be that those symbols actually meant something? I would have to talk to Akira later about it. “What were the other things you noticed,” I said trying to get him off the topic. “The second thing I noticed ties into the true reason why I am here,” he said as he began to walk toward me. I backed up right into the back door. How did I walk over onto the other side of the room without realizing it? Nickoli didn’t stop approaching until he was in my face, or rather his chest was. Damn my height! He curled a finger under my chin and lifted my head till our eyes were level. What the hell?! I was cornered; I didn’t like where this situation was heading either. I looked at his face. Was it just me or did his smile look more sadistic than normal? “You’re probably the most beautiful and accomplished woman in this small town. Did you know the people have been rumoring of you and I becoming a quote unquote ‘item’?” “Oh really,” I asked sarcastically. Now I really hated where this was heading. I started feeling around on the door for the knob. “Mmmm… Perhaps you and I could go to the county fair this year together, what do you think?” He leaned in preparing to kiss me. Just then my hand found the knob. “I think…NO,” I said as I quickly opened the door keeping in step with it. Nickoli fell through the doorway and tumbled down the outside stairs. “I’m sorry but I don’t appreciate it when people intend to force me into conforming to their preferences,” I said, “besides the county fair is when I am able to do the most business. I won’t be attending for fun. Goodnight.” “I bet if it was Akira you’d go,” Nickoli snapped angrily. “Possibly but I would rather kiss a rabid dog than go on a date with an egotistical moron such as you,” I stated before slamming the door.
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Chapter 5Nickoli’s POV Osiris slammed the door behind her. Heh, spunky little thing isn’t she? I picked myself up off the ground, dusting my pants. She was the only one to ever resist me, which made me want her even more. As long as Akira was around though I knew that’d never happen. I started to walk away when I heard voices coming from inside the cabin. What? It was almost midnight who could she be talking to? I crept up to the kitchen window and peaked in. WHAT THE F***?! Osiris was speaking with three figures. The first one appeared normal enough apart from the pale color of his skin and his horribly mangled face. The other two looked like they were straight from a science fiction movie. They were tall about 6’ or may be 7’. The taller of the two had a face like one of those masks you see for symbolizing drama and was dressed in polka dots. The shorter only had a mouth on his face and wore a black trenchcoat with a fedora. Both of their skins were pure white. There was something very familiar about the drama mask faced one. I stared at him trying to find a memory but soon saw Osiris looking toward the window. I ducked down quickly running away from the cabin. “So the rumors were true, there really are monsters!”Offender’s POV I heard this ‘Nickoli’ stating his interest in Osi. How dare he?! I had already become fascinated with this young woman. Also I could tell that neither Splendor nor Osiris were thrilled about this intruder. I wanted to teleport down there and tear the fool apart but knew I shouldn’t. “Perhaps you and I could go to the county fair this year together. What do you think,” Nickoli’s muffled voice asked. I stretched my mind out to hear their thoughts. I found Nickoli’s mind first. I was disgusted with what I found but I realized how similar our minds were. Full of thoughts of women and ways of getting into their *ahem* panties. It was like looking into a mirror except my obsession was necessary for my daily survival and his was merely a pass time. “Good she has nowhere to run. She can’t resist me for long. She will be mine,” Nickoli’s thoughts drifted up. I frowned before my telepathy reached Osiris. “OH RA! I’m cornered, what do I do? What do I do?! He’s…he’s getting closer!” My head rattled with the intensity of her thoughts. I growled lowly. I teleported downstairs leaving Splendor and Jeff back in the upstairs hall. I didn’t care about the consequences anymore. I was going to rip that little, no-account perv’ in half. I reached the kitchen just in time to see Osiris opening the back door and stepping out of the way of Nickoli’s falling form. I was surprised to say in the least at her quick thinking and fast reflexes. I heard Nickoli’s body thump down the stairs. I let my arms down, retracting my yellow tendrils. Osiris was no doubt in full control of the situation. She stood in the doorway with her arms apparently crossed (I say apparently because I could only see her back). Man, did she look good. Her legs were fit and shapely, her buttocks nice and round, and her waist was just perfect for holding onto. To top off the goddess body she had a pixie cut that just made her look adorable and…. wait. There is something radiating off of her like an aura. It didn’t feel negative but it sure wasn’t positive either. How odd? Usually only certain individuals have that within the creepypasta realm but Osiris was… well… human. “I’m sorry but I don’t appreciate it when people intend to force me into conforming into their preferences. Besides the county fair is when I am able to do the most business so I will not be attending for fun. Goodnight,” she stated. Oh yeah, Osiris was a painter. Hmm…what if she had help selling her works? I could still end up spending time with her. Perfect! “I bet if it was Akira you’d go,” the dick-head snapped. Osiris tensed at those words. The aura around her increased and began to feel dangerous. I backed up a couple of steps out of precaution. I could sense that whatever this was Osiris was holding it back as much as she could. “Possibly,” she said forcefully, “but then again I’d rather go with a rabid dog than an egotistical moron such as you!” Ouch! That comment stung a bit since I cannot deny I did share some similarity to the ‘moron’ sitting outside. She slammed the door, locking it behind her. She breathed heavily for a few moments. I stayed where I was until the aura disappeared. “That…that was…” I stumbled when she had looked up at me. I was at a loss for words. Osiris was completely different from the other humans I had encountered. “That was f***ing awesome,” Jeff said as he walked passed me.Jeff’s POV When we noticed that Offender had left the hallway we had been hiding in, Splendor immediately grabbed me and teleported us downstairs. Hopefully Offender hadn’t done anything stupid to get us in trouble again. We found Offenderman watching Osirs pull a quick door trick, ridding us of the intruder. I heard Osiris and Nickoli exchange some banter but failed to understand much of the conversation. She ended by yelling, “I’d rather go with a rabid dog than an egotistical moron such as you!” She slammed the door and leaned against it. She was breathing pretty hard but she eventually looked up at us. “That…that was…” Offenderman breathed. Oh my f***ing god, he was stunned and at a loss for words. I had never seen Offenderman like that. I gotta say it was f***ing hilarious. Despite the fact of how much I was enjoying seeing Offender struck dumb my attention returned to Osiris. “That was f***ing awesome,” I said walking past my dumbfounded superior. “I thought I asked you guys to hide upstairs?” “Yeeeeaaaah…about that,” I said scratching the back of my head. “I believe it was my fault actually. I lost a bit of my temper and was worried about your safety,” said Offenderman. Wait did he just apologize? Was this another one of his gimmicks?Osiris POV I looked at the group of three in my kitchen as I steadily recovered from Nickoli’s assault. For some strange reason I felt worn out like I had just ran a mile. “Didn’t I ask you guys to hide upstairs?” I wasn’t worried about myself but if there was the small possibility that Nickoli had seen them it wouldn’t take long for rumor to spread. I knew that our small town, as modern as it is, was still closed-minded. There would surely be a mob out hunting for monsters if word got out. Yet my uncle apparently used to talk about them all the time and no one ever believed him. Oh that reminds me, “Before I forget, Nickoli mentioned something about my uncle knowing about you guys. So I’m guessing you didn’t erase his memory of that night.” “Well…I wanted to make sure he’d leave you alone. In all fairness though he did already know about our existence,” Aki said solemnly. “Yeah, Slender’s the one to thank for tha- oomph,” mumbled Offender, receiving an almost immediate elbow to the stomach from his brother. “Huh,” I asked. Who was this ‘Slender?’ There was something familiar about his name yet I couldn’t quite place it. I felt a faint burn on my left shoulder but it disappeared as soon as it came. “Look Osiris, Slenderman is dangerous. Don’t get involved with him. Please avoid him as much as possible,” said Akira. It was at that moment I felt like I was being watched. I turned to the window. I saw a blur of something go by but when I looked out I could see nothing. “Is everything okay?” asked Offenderman. “I thought I saw something but I don’t see anything now,” I replied as I continued scanning the outside surroundings. It was then that I noticed a faint tall, black figure standing on the outskirts of the forest. Whatever it was soon vanished back into the trees. There was very little doubt in my mind that the figure was none other than the notorious Slenderman. “You don’t think someone spotted us here do you,” asked Jeff. I turned away from the window and we looked at each other with somber faces. Only time would tell.
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Chapter 6Osiris’ POV I thankfully haven’t heard anything about the other night. I was even beginning to think I imagined seeing something outside of my window. I still hadn’t told Akira, or Splendy (I still don’t know what to call him) about my uncle’s journal. However, with the county fair approaching I really needed to focus on preparations and it wasn’t easy. I had random creepypastas showing up all night and me running my shop all day. The reason for the pastas was Splendorman. Now that I knew about their existence Splendor was like a giddy child constantly bringing someone new for me to meet. It was sweet but some of the pastas were frightening. It wasn’t so much of looks as it was things they did. One particular pasta, Jack, wore a blue mask. He had no eyes to speak of and there was a constant black substance coming from his sockets. What struck me so much about him was his strange obsession with kidneys. I found out later from Jeff that Jack, or EJ, would take peoples kidneys and eat them for survival. So unlike many of the other creepypastas living at the Slender mansion, who have been able to find a new means of channeling their violent behaviors into new venues, EJ needed a substitute that could help him live. Even though I was promised by the two Slenders that I would be completely safe, it goes without saying that I spent quite a few mornings waking up and checking for any incisions. None ever occurred. Beside Splendor’s frequent visits I also found Offender, or Smexy, spending quite a bit of time at my cabin. Of course during the day he would change his appearance like Splendor had. He was always looking for some way to help and boy did I need it. I enjoyed the company and friends but I still felt like I couldn’t paint. My frustration grew and my patience kept getting thinner and thinner until one day it snapped. “SHIT!” I slammed my fist down on the table. My bottles of paint jiggled almost quaking at my wrath. “Osi, are you okay,” Offender asked poking his head into my study, concern with over his near featureless face. “Yeah…just frustrated,” I said walking away from the painting before my temper had a chance to show again. “Hmmm?” “With the painting, Smexy.” “Oh.” I dared not try to ponder what he thought I meant. I just can’t understand it. I used to paint like crazy but now it just felt empty and infuriating. “Perhaps taking a break from painting might help,” Offender said. “I would if it wasn’t for the fact that my entire income is based upon it,” I said. I sat down and put my head in my hands. “What if you tried something different?” Offender put a hand on my shoulder. “I guess I could try,” I said. I really didn’t know what to do. I used to be able to draw back in high school. I guess I could give that a try again. “Why don’t you do something relaxing before you get back to work,” suggested Offender. “Okay,” I breathed. I got up and grabbing my jacket walked into the cabin’s backyard.Offenderman’s POV “SHIT,” yelled Osiris when I heard a large bang from the painting room. I stuck my head in carefully to check. I hadn’t forgotten about that night when she had that dangerous aura encompassing her. “Osi, are you okay?” “Yeah just frustrated,” Osiris replied. Really? Osiris didn’t strike me as one to become sexually frustrated. Although, she definitely proved to be different from the typical girls I met. She was a curiousity, that’s for sure. She turned her head to look at me. She was standing with her left side facing me. Both of her arms were raised, her fingers were entwined in her hair. She was leaning on one leg and the other was slightly bent. She looked nothing less than picturesque. Damn it she looked sexy like that! I drank in the sight get lost in my thoughts. “Hmmm.” “With the painting, Smexy,” she said. I shook my head back into reality. Aw man! I did it again. “Oh,” I thought for a bit, rubbing the back of my neck, “perhaps taking a break from painting might help,” I suggested. “I would if it wasn’t for the fact that my entire income is based upon it.” Osiris sat down in one of the chairs in the kitchen, her head in her hands. I hated seeing her like this. “What if you tried something different,” I asked cautiously as I gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head, resting her chin on her arms. “I guess I could try,” she said softly. I had said something helpful that was solely for her! I never did that but it felt…good. Let’s try to repeat this… “Why don’t you do something relaxing before you get back to work,” I said. SHIT! That sounded horrible. I sounded like a parent talking to their child. “Okay,” Osiris breathed. Wait! That helped too?! S-she even was smiling as she got up. I watched as she put on a jacket and walked outside. Huh…I guess she likes walks.Osiris POV I walked through the woods behind my cabin, enjoying the fresh crisp air and sounds of nature. I was always drawn to areas like this. Somehow I felt free and calm. I closed my eyes briefly letting my body guide itself down the trail it new all too well. It was quiet, if fact it was silent. There were no birds calling or other nature sounds. All that could be heard were my own steps and breathing. The woods now felt cold and eerie. I..it… felt off. I frowned as I continued down the path. SNAP! My eyes shot open at the sound of a twig breaking from behind me. I turned swiftly jumping away from a giant claw swiping where my throat would have been. The paw hit me leaving four semi-deep cuts across my chest. The impact sent me flying to the side. I grunted at the pain and attempted to move away from my hairy attacker. I saw it drop down onto all fours and begin sniffing on the ground for a clue of my whereabouts. I sat still trying to be as quiet as possible. The cuts in my chest stung and my eyes teared up making it hard to see clearly. I blinked away the fluid enough to see that my furry assailant was nothing other than a grizzly bear. “SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! I’m going be mauled by a bear and die,” I thought. I stood as still as I could knowing that running would only instigate the creature and weaken my condition. The giant fur ball continued to sniff around but got closer and closer to where I sat on the ground. I hoped that it would fail in its investigation and just lumber off but it just kept coming. Soon I was staring down his long nose into his dilated eyes. I dared not to move, not even breathe. “RAAAAAH!” Something roared off to my left. The bear’s head turned away from our staring contest looking at whatever had made the sound. It growled menacingly only to be met by an even deeper, more threatening one. I suddenly felt something wrap around my waist. I was lifted and pulled sharply from the bear’s reach. At the same time I saw a black, yellow, and white blur knock into the bear. “OSIRIS, DON’T LOOK,” a familiar voice said seeming to come from the blur. I couldn’t help but look to see who spoke. “Offender?!” There he was in the most monstrous form I had ever seen. All of his yellow tendrils were out, swinging around him angrily as if they each had a mind of their own. His mouth was opened wide showing an upper and lower set of long, sharp teeth. His jaw was open so much it looked like a snake’s when it is about to swallow it’s prey whole. His vacant eyebrow line was knit ferociously into a frown. Offender was on all fours despite his human-like anatomy. Everything about him looked like it was straight from a horror movie. The bear clawed and bit Offender, who did the same, drawing black blood from every wound it made. Eventually Offender was able to grab hold of the bear's jaw using his tendrils to repress the giant claws. He began to pull, which soon began to fill the air with the horrible sound of joints beginning to snap and pop. I turned away, closing my eyes, from the sight as a large crack and the ripping of flesh reverberated through the forest. I could hear heavy breathing before there was the sound of footsteps approaching me. I drew myself tighter into a ball. He…he just ripped a full grown grizzly in half. The scene of those wild tendrils and sharp teeth replayed over and over again in my mind. I shuddered as I heard Offender bend down next to me. “Osi?” I didn’t move. “Osiris look at me,” the voice said more forcefully. I only scrunched up more with a small whimper of pain and fear. I felt pressure on my shoulders forcing me to face the speaker. My eyes remained shut. I was scared what they might see. I did not want to see him in that monstrous form again. No, no, no, no, no, no, n… “Osiris please, just (soft sigh) please look at me,” the voice was softer and almost pleading this time. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Offender back to his normal self. I looked down realizing that he was carrying me. We were already miles away from the gory scene. “Are you all right?” “Yes…” I said slowly, “…t-thank you.” Offender’s mouth upturned into a small smile. “Don’t mention it kiddo just don’t walk in the woods by yourself; there are far worse dangers that hide in there.” “I promise to be more careful,” I said. The cut on my chest began to throb with pain but I felt too weak and drained of energy to do anything. My eyes soon involuntarily closed and I was soon asleep in his huge warm arms. All the while I could hear a sound radiate from Offender’s chest like a loud purring.Narrator’s POV (Nyeh, and you thought I wasn’t here ;P) The sound of ripping flesh echoed through the air of the forest. The tall victor breathed heavily as his form returned to its less threatening self. He walked slowly over to the shrunken body of the girl. He picked her up carefully, quickl walking away from the ugly cadaver halves. Neither was aware that the whole scene had been watched by two shadows hidden away in the forest. One shadow made sure to keep his frail human form hidden. He had a wicked smirk on his face as his eyes shown red. He quickly snaked off into the forest. “Hmmm…” The other was tall and watched the whole thing with distinct interest but was totally unaware of the other shadow’s presence. He approached the scene and picked up a single patch of cloth from the forest floor near where the girl had been previous. He turned it over in his white hands, studying it. His non-present eyes would have set it on fire if they could. “Osiris…was it?”
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Chapter 7Osiris’ POV When I finally woke up I was in my cabin. There was a fire going in the fireplace. I could feel something warm and wet moving across my chest. Drowsily I peered down to see a yellow squirming object slowly rolling over my wounds leaving a translucent goo behind. I expected it to sting but instead there was nothing. In fact the cuts began to close up and heal. “Wha…what?” “Shhh…try not to move. Your wounds haven’t closed fully,” came a familiar voice next to my ear. I looked to see Offender beside me. It was his tongue that was healing my gashes. I watched until he had finished. There were no signs I had ever been wounded after he was done. “How…how did you do that?” “Hmmm…my saliva, it has the ability to heal most wounds, as long as they are not critical. I’ve had that ability for as long as I can remember,” Offender replied as he grabbed a towel and began wiping away the excess liquid from my chest and his face. “How do you feel?” “I feel fine, thank you,” I said, slightly blushing. Offender smiled softly. He gathered me back into his arms. There was a purring sound that erupted from his chest. It was extremely calming. “Why did you rescue me?”Offender’s POV “Why did you rescue me?” The question struck me like a sharp slap to the face. Funny you’d think I’d be used to that feeling by now. Truth was I didn’t really know why I felt compelled to rush to her aid. I never had done that for anyone I had been interested in before. Really I avoided those kind of fights, it was never really worth it in my mind. So why did I rescue Osiris? Well, I know Splendor would have been really pissed if I hadn’t but I could have handled that. Hmmm…I looked down and stared into her eyes. There was familiarity in them as well as mystery. “You intrigue me for starters but I believe the biggest reason is that there is something about you that made me care.” She closed her eyes and snuggled into my chest. I smiled as she once again relaxed and fell asleep. I gathered her into my arms, nuzzling her head with where my nose would have been. “Honestly, I’m glad you entered into our lives,” I said. I then made myself comfortable on the couch and soon fell asleep. . . . . . The next morning I woke up still on the couch. I sighed bringing in my arms trying to go back to sleep but there was nothing in them now. Osiris was gone! I started awake and immediately searched for her. Why was I so worried? I didn’t understand my feelings all I knew was that I had to find Osiris. I peeked into her studio and saw her sitting in her seat working. I sighed in relief before entering the room.Osiris’ POV My hand flew across the paper soon remembering its old skill. I looked at the final product. It was a bit sloppy for my taste but it was a good start and also sellable at the fair. I brushed some of my hair from my face, no doubt smudging some charcoal on it in the process. “So you’re drawing instead now?” I turned to see Offender standing behind me. I smiled at him. “Yeah…honestly I’m finding this to be much better,” I replied. “That’s good. Think you’ll have enough to sell at the fair?” “Definitely, I was able to make three drawings this morning,” I said standing up to place my newest picture with the others, “if I keep this up I should have plenty to sell by the time the fair rolls around next month.” “I’m glad. Have you by any chance had breakfast yet?” I turned around and blushed slightly. I hoped he didn’t notice the heat swelling in my cheeks. “Actually I haven’t. Guess I was too excited to get started, heh-eh,” I admitted. “Ummm…that’s okay I’ll fix some right now while you get cleaned up,” he said quickly turning away from me. Clean up? I looked down to see that I was still in the pajamas I had changed into sometime in the middle of the night. “Eeep!” I ran out of the room to change upstairs, my blush deepening. Oh gosh I can’t believe I did that!Offender’s POV Osiris blushed lightly when she had admitted to not eating breakfast. It was cute along with the charcoal smudges she had on her face. She was in some kind of sleepwear. It was a t-shirt that was extra long. My gaze traveled lower enjoying the view of her. I then realized that she was only wearing a pair of undies under her shirt. I could feel myself being aroused. I had to turn quickly away to hide my reaction. “Ummm…that’s okay I’ll fix some right now while you get cleaned up,” I said. There was a slight pause before Osiris made an adorable noise of shock and she immediately departed with the sound of pattering feet. I let out a breath that I had been unintentionally holding. Oh boy! I looked down to see that my miniature had taken refuge in a tent made from my pants that poked out from under my jacket. FUCKIN’ HELL!Narrator’s POV “Where is it? Where is it?” A suited figure searched frantically through the collection of books on the shelves. He pulled out a book and studied the cover. “N-no, that’s not it…gah…I know it’s here somewhere!” He continued to shift through, peering at each binding. He sometimes would pull out a book and look at its cover. He would then shake his head with a grumble and drop the book on the ground. Frustrated, finally, the tall figure slumped into his armchair with his head in his hands. “I don’t understand it, I know that I filed that book away as soon as father handed it to me. I haven’t touched it since then, so why can’t I find it?!”He rubbed his bald head trying to calm down and think.“Slender!”The figure started nearly falling out of his chair.“Have you found it yet?”“Sorry father, not yet…it isn’t where I had last put it.”“And where was that,” said a blank faced man that appeared from the shadows behind Slenderman.“Filed on the bookshelf immediately after you handed it to me.”“And it’s not there?”Slender shook his head solemnly. Suddenly he was grabbed gruffly by his back collar and hoisted up to the other’s face. His feet dangled in the air by a good three feet.“That book held some of the biggest secrets that no one should ever discover,” the father stated harshly. His voice laced with menace and worry. He sighed after a moment of silent tension passed between them. He then set down his son carefully. He cleared his throat.“Nevermind, we’ll search for it later but in the meantime we have something just as important to tend to.” The taller figure then pulled out a piece of cloth from his pocket.“She’s alive and here.”. . . . . . Elsewhere in the small town there was a commotion at the mayor’s house but the mayor wasn’t home only one solitary figure. CRASH! The young body of a man picked himself up from the ground. Blood trickled down from the left side of his nose. “Grrrh…you’re not helping me like you had promised,” he said. He gripped his head with a jolt as if in pain. “Quiet fool! There are more things in play here than you know! You will have everything you want soon enough!” “Oh really! When will that be, you demon?!” “Patience is a virtue, my dear host. Soon Osiris will be yours.”
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Chapter 8Osiris’ POV “Whew, that should be all of it,” I said happily. I closed the lid to the trunk and climbed in the car next to Splendor and Offender’s other brother Trenderman. He liked fashion. Splendy and Smexy both thought it’d be a good idea if he stopped by to help me dress for the fair. I didn’t really know why by I went along with it. Trender really knows his stuff, I mean for once I felt…pretty. When I walked out of the room Offender was sitting on the couch. He shot a look at me and I could see a slight purple tinge appear on his face before he had turned back to the tv in the corner. Trender started the car and began to back up to turn around. He stopped abruptly and looked around the car. “Ooops, almost forgot. Is everyone in their illusion form?” “Yeh,” said Offender, “can you go already we’re gonna still have to set all these up at the fair.” “G-going to t-the fair is g-going to b-be fun,” said Toby from the back. “Are you sure Slender isn’t going to mind his proxies being missing?” “They work too hard Osi,” replied Splendor with a wink, “I think it’d be good for them to get out aside from missions all the time.” “I still don’t know about this,” said Hoodie. “Yeah I mean we’re keeping this human a secret. I don’t think we’ll be able to either. It’s not like he can’t get into our heads,” mused Masky out loud. Everyone looked at me worryingly. I smiled as best as I could. I was a bit worried too, not quite scared but definitely cautious. “I’ll be careful guys, I mean my uncle knew about your existence and nothing happened so…” Trender continued to drive on to the fair but all the Slenders and I remained quiet for the remainder of the trip. To be honest the only ones that actually talked was Toby, who constantly pestered Masky with questions when he thought it was worth answering. . . . . . When we got to the fair everyone helped me set up a booth in the reserved spot. After I was all ready the proxy boys went off to enjoy the rides, food, and games. Of course before they headed out Splendor gave them a stern warning that they had to stick together but also absolutely no weapons or killing. They left the weapons in the minivan. Splendor, disguised as Akira, eventually went to wander around and show Trender everything. Again the tall man had become nothing but a big kid, it was adorable to see him so excited. “Smexy, you know you can go join them if you want to?” “Nah kid, I’ll stick with you and give ya a hand. I’ve actually been to these things before…all around the world actually,” he said looking into the distance. “Really?” “Yeh,” he leaned back in his chair, propping up his feet on the table,” honestly I think the best Chinese New Year in Hong Kong.” “You were in Hong Kong? Why?” Offender’s relaxed mood stiffened. I don’t think he was expecting that question. I didn’t know everything about Offender, especially why he had that name in the first place. “Ummm…”Offenderman’s POV (okay this slightly concerning that this is getting easier D: ) “Ummm…” What was I going to say? ‘Ah yes I was in Hong Kong cause I had a fucking erection I wanted to get rid of!’ She’d never talk to me again and probably slap me right there on the spot. Most women had that response when I was honest about what I do. So I had learned quickly to fib. “I was there on business.” It wasn’t a very good fib. I probably could have done better. “Hmmm…” Oh boy, there it was, she was figuring something out already. Damn, women were smart. In resent years I had to start seeking easier release. There were even a few times I had resorted to more violent means…I didn’t like using that method though. “Offender, I’m not an idiot.” “I didn’t say you were,” I defended. “No but you’re acting like I am.” “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come off that way…” “Smexy do you have that name because it’s your character?” “W-why would you say that kid?” SHIT! I was losing control of the situation. “So I’m guessing that the business in Hong Kong was because you were looking for someone who…uh…wanted to ya know…” “Have sex.” Osiris’ cheeks turned a bright red when I finished her sentence. It was cute when they were that shade but this was a bit serious. “(sigh) You’re a smart one Osi. Yeah, that’s why I was in Hong Kong.” “So that night I first met you and Jeff were you…” “No, no, no, not you. I had never seen you before then. I…uh…” I leaned a bit closer to her ear, “I was actually trying for the mayor’s wife.” “Pffft! HAHAHAHA!” I was a bit surprised at Osiris’ reaction at that. It wasn’t negative like I thought it’d be. “So let me get this straight. You tried to sneak in but ended up setting off his security and then had everyone searching for you?” “Yeh,” I replied with a slight smile, “wouldn’t necessarily be the first time either though.” “Well I guess you learned how serious he is about his security now…Offender, I have another question though,” she said calming down from her laughing fit. “What’s that kid?” “You sound like a very independent person and it seems to me that you probably don’t live at the mansion. So my question is, why did you stay?” “To be honest…it’s because of you. It’s been awhile since I have had someone I could call a friend besides those crazy kooks back at the mansion.” I tousled her hair a bit. She giggled before grabbing my hand. “You know Trender spent a good hour trying to fix my hair.” “He’ll get over it,” I said with a smirk. “Ummm…I have one last question. Did you ever think about…uhm… you know what nevermind.” “Did I ever think of you in that way you mean?” “I-it’s a stupid question,” she said running her hand through her messed up hair. “N-no it’s valid (deep breath) and yes I had, originally…BUT I never acted on it. I valued our friendship more. You see when I usually ‘pleasure’ myself I end up leaving the person behind without any trace or remembrance of me ever being there. So the evidence that you still know who I am and the even bigger fact that I’m here with you back up my claim. I’m interested in you for many reasons. The last time that happened was 7 years ago. I had stayed with the person till they were ready to move on leaving me behind.” “Oh, that’s awful. How could someone do that to you?” “The person cared about me but when it’s your time…I guess that’s it. Heh, she gave me the building she lived in, which is a fairly large one in New York City. I was able to convert the lower levels into a refined club that has become quite popular. It has an apartment on the top level where I live when I’m not abroad.” “Oh, so that’s where you live.” “Heh, thought there were no more questions?” “Wasn’t meant to be one,” Osi said a bit sullen. I looked over at Osiris lifting my fedora to see her better. I could see the tears collecting at the edge of her eyes. “Uh, kiddo? You okay?” “Ye-yeah, it’s just that I understand how it feels to loose someone you care about.” We ended up falling silent after that. Within a few minutes, however, we started to get customers. The busy pace practically erased the existence of our conversation. I was a bit glad we had stopped talking about the past. My memories, of what I could actually remember, were painful. I had awoken in the middle of a forest, wrapped around a small human child. I couldn’t remember anything, heck I didn’t even know I had brothers then. I had wandered for some time caring for the kid then we found a farm where the owner took us in. She taught me a few things like how to speak English and a bit of math. The neighboring humans, however shunned me, hated me almost. I never understood why. Then there was the fire…I was able to escape but as far as I knew the kid and owner both were killed. After that I traveled from place to place even more so after I hit puberty. Then there was Norma the lady I had told Osiris about…she was an old lady that took me in and forgave me, no matter what I did. She was an odd one but the only one that cared. Heh, wasn’t kidding about them being painful…I didn’t want to remember but I knew there was something I was missing from my mind, the memories from before the forest…10 years ago.Narrator’s POV Osiris was successful in selling a few of her works. The night was still young and despite the setting sun things were beginning to heat up. “Hello there hot stuff.” “Ugh,” sighed Osiris disgustedly. “Hey, Egg-head she has a name,” said Offenderman. “Who’s the fedora guy over here?” “My name is Berkley, not that it’s any of you business you rude son of a …mayor?” Just then the mayor walked up joining his son’s side. He was smiling and seemed happy that the fair was going well. “Good evening Ms. Osiris, how goes your business?” “Well, thank you Mr. Mayor,” Osiris responded with a smile. “I’m glad my dear. My wife loves the painting you did for her.” “Good,” Osiris looked happy but she was really distracted by the rude womanizer in front of her, Nickoli. He was wearing a shit-eating grin on his face as Offender stood there trying to reign in his anger, his fists clenched tightly. Both of them had their eyes locked on the other. “Look at all these drawings. I have to say dear child that this must be your true medium. They truly are amazing sketches and the concepts are very interesting to say the least.” “Uh thank you...” “You must’ve been working so hard the last few weeks,” interjected Nickoli, “why don’t you enjoy the fair for a bit?” “I’ve never been much of a carnival rides/games person…” “Nonsense dear child everyone should have some fun every once in a while,” said the mayor. He grabbed Osiris’ hand and pulled her around the booth. Somehow in the exchange she and Nickoli ended up holding hands. Offender’s fists clenched even more turning his knuckles white. “I-I need to be at my booth to sell my pictures,” said Osiris quickly. “I insist you take a break Osiris. Your friend can go with you as well if he’d like. You can show him what this town does for fun.”Offender’s POV “I insist you take a break Osiris. Your friend can go with you as well if he’d like. You can show him what this town does for fun.” No way in hell was I going to leave Osiris alone with that bastard. “What about my booth?” “I can watch it for you…” said Masky, walking up; “I think I’ve had my fill for the night.” Masky, you and I will have strong words later! “Are you sure, Tim? I wouldn’t want you having to spend your few minutes of off time working.” “Really it’s no problem. I kind of want some off time from Toby to be honest…Hoodie is taking him on all the rides.” Well I couldn’t blame the proxy about that. Toby was good at one thing, being an annoyance. In fact he’s the reason why Slenderman doesn’t want me alone with his proxies. Since the first time I met Toby he immediately ticked me off and well…I think the rest goes without saying. “I don’t know…” “Awww, come on Osiris have some fun for a change,” Nickoli said beginning to drag her away from the table. I frowned and followed after them making sure I kept up. I knew Masky would do a good job. Neither Osiris nor I enjoyed being with that brat. Any fun we could have had was sucked away.Slenderman’s POV “Father, why are we here?” It was confusing having to disguise as a human and attend one of their festivities. The carnival was extremely crowded and people were constantly bumping into me. My illusion form took a lot of energy to keep up. “I was informed that she would be here at the fair. We have to find her soon. The spell allowing her to stay in human form is getting weak. I am afraid that it will soon break and there will be nothing to hide her from him.” “She’s here! Why of all places to be…” “She’s a professional artist. She came to sell her works. You know Osiris was always a hard worker.” “Hmph, don’t you mean O-51-R-15?” SLAP! My cheek burned at the impact as my head turned to the side. I rubbed my cheek, slightly cowering from my elder. “Don’t you EVER refer to her like that again!” “I don’t understand why you hate that so much. They were our names…” “(Sigh) My son, I know that you all went through that and that you’re the oldest to have endured all of it. Please know that although G and I could not erase what happened we both loved you, all of you. G may be gone but as long as I am here no one, especially not him, will ever harm any of you again,” the taller being placed his hands on my shoulders and touched his forehead to mine. He then brought me into a short, firm hug. “Now let’s go find Osiris.” “Alright.” We walked through the crowds again. I began to look closer at the booths but so far they were mostly food vendors. “Gah,” I voiced as once again someone bumped into me, “excuse me?” “Yeah, you better be, weirdo!” My brows furrowed as I stared down the person. It was some young male. He was unshaven and was clearly a member of the so-called ‘tough’ crowd. Something then caught my attention. The male was carrying a framed sketch of a tall, slender figure. “Hmmm…” I followed him a little ways until he ducked into a more remote, dark area of the carnival. I watched as he stopped and then proceeded to take the picture from the frame. He then got something from his pocket and looked as if he started writing on the unsheathed parchment. “Excuse me, sir,” I said. The man started, pulling a knife from his other pocket quite suddenly. “Who the fuck are you?!” He then lunged at me. Wrong choice human! I dropped my illusion and instantly pinned the human down with little effort. “It’s not very polite to attack someone.” “Wh-what are you?” “Someone you should co-operate with if you have anything to value. Now where did you get that picture from,” I said stiffly as I pointed to the parchment. “From a booth,” he said frantically. “Which booth?” “It’s left of the next popcorn stand, right before you enter the rides area!” I dropped him and walked over to pick up the sketch. As I held it in my hand I could see that the figure was actually a skeleton with scars on his face. It was G! This had to have been done by O-51~I mean Osiris. I looked for the name on the page and saw that it had been sloppily crossed out and a new name scribbled above it. I turned to the sorry excuse for a human barely picking himself off of the ground. “You know this is stealing!” “Look bud I’m sorry. Let’s just forget this ever happened. You can even keep the sketch.” “Hmmm…” “What?” “I’m debating whether or not you’re worth my time or energy to teach a lesson. Normally I would just let this be but…you were just trying to steal from someone very special to me. So I think it’s safe to say that you are going to have a BAD time!”
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Chapter9Slender's POV "Slender, where are-" "I'm here," I said stepping from the ally. The picture was neatly tucked under my arm. I pulled down and fixed my sleeves as I walked out of the alley and toward my father. "Take a look at this." I handed him the parchment. "What is it?" "A sketch, she's close." "How did you get this?" "I got it from an asshole," I said glancing back at the ally. "Slender, language...where is this person?" "Lying in that alley back there. He pulled a knife on me when I caught him trying to change the name on the sketch. He'll get picked up by the police later. Look who the picture is." Father opened the paper and stared at it. "G?!" "Exactly."Osiris' POV "I feel kinda bad for ditching him like that." "We didn't ditch him. If anything he ditched us. Honestly, I'm for once thankful for faulty carnival food, " said Offender. We were on a ride waiting for it to start. Nickoli had left us to run to the bathroom almost half an hour ago. He told us not to wait for him and Offender immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me away. "He looked really sick though," I said. "The guy makes me sick. I don't like the way he treats you or my brother." "Still I don't wish sickness on anyone. Especially if it means that they have to got a doctor." "You don't like doctors?" "No, I d-don't really know why," I said. I avoided them when I could. My uncle had told me that there were a few times I actually fought tooth and nail to not go to the doctor and continued to do so even inside the doctor office. Why though? "Alright ladies and gentlemen please keep your hands and feet in the ride at all times," said the announcer. "I don't see any straps..." "This ride doesn't need them," I said. "So...what...now?" "Just wait and see," I said with a smile. The ride then began to spin.Slender's POV "M-Masky?!" What the hell was he doing running a booth at a carnival? "Uuuuhhh, boss?" "What are you doing here," I asked angrily. My proxies were never supposed to be out in the open on their own. There could still be some humans hunting them. "Splendor invited us to the carnival. He said you wouldn't mind," said Masky. I could tell he was uneasy. I sighed, I know I could be harsh but it was alway for their protection. It's why I try so hard to rehabilitate the oddities I have living under my roof so they can stay safe when they do have to come in contact with humanity. "I don't mind any of you taking time off...I just prefer knowing about it. What if something happened?" "Wait, you said 'we' who els is here," asked father. "The other proxies and the brothers. Splendor and Trender headed out into the carnival earlier. I took over for Offender and Osi-- eh.," Masky cut off his sentence. I knew exactly who he was protecting. "What about Osiris and Offender," I asked putting him at ease. "So you already know about her then?" "Yes, there is more to Osiris than meets the eye, Masky. She may be in trouble if we don't get to her in time," explained my father. "The last I saw of them, they were dragged into the fair by the mayor's son."Narrator's POV Somewhere in the fair grounds in a locked men's bathroom. A young man looked at his mutated reflection in the mirror. "What the hell was that for?! I finally had her in my arms and you pulled me away!" "Fool, did you not realize that the one calling himself, Berkley, is none other than the creature you saw rip that large bear apart," said his horned doppleganger. "Then just find a way to ditch him!" "You have NO understanding of these matters." The reflection changed slightly to the face of a skeleton with scars on either side of his face. One pointed upward while the other ran to his mouth. Both eyes glowed a different color, one blue and the other yellow. It mumbled something incoherent. "N-no, John! Hurry!" "Wha-what?!" "Grrr..." The image in the mirror raised its hand to its head as the original face came back into view. "What was that," shouted Nickoli. "That's none of your concern human. Hmmm...however, this situation is proving to be quite interesting. I have to visit an old friend. Do NOT leave this room until I return if you value your soul!" "But-gah, he's gone." . . . . . A void is defined as something empty and lifeless as this place used to be. It is dark now meaning there must be a source of some light and pigment to this place if it appears as the color black. For one knows that color cannot exist without light and a void is not supposed to have anything within it. This is where I have lived. I do not know how long I have been trapped in this existence since there is no time here. Unfortunately, I have not lived here alone and now the other dweller of this place has come to visit me. "Being rather vocal lately haven't we old friend," the demon asked. I did not answer. He checked the invisible magic lines that bound me in place. I grimaced when he took my chin into his hand. "Tell me, what has got you so excited that I once again had to restrain you with force?" Again I refused to say anything. I could telll he was getting irritated. Suddendly he grabbed my head harshly. "If you won't tell me of your own will, I'll find out myself!" A mixture of pain and magic shot through my skull. I tried to fight against the attack but my reserves were already low. "Grrr... No stop! Ahhgn..." Eventually he found the memory he was looking for and backed away from me, his hands still glowing. "So," he said extinguishing his hands, "Object 51-Remnant 15 is alive. I was wondering why there was so much interest in this human. That was offly smart of you and that faceless idiot to hide her all this time with soul shields." "Zalgo, leave them alone," I said exhausetedly. "Hate to you old boy just as things were getting interesting but I have an experiment to finish. Surely as a fellow scientist you can understand that." He then left the Void. The bonds that held me melted away, no longer offering me the support to stand. I fell to my knees, crying. "I-I'm so sorry. I failed, I failed all of you." . . . . .Offender's POV Never again would I ride that. I had nearly lost the contents of my stomach, along with a bit of my pride. "How did we survive that?! The floor gave way and we were spinning practically upside down!" "Centrifical force held us to the wall," Osiris said. "A-kad-da, what now?" "Heh-he. The speed from spinning produced a pressure on our bodies to move us outward but since there was the wall it merely pinned us in place so even though we were turned every which way and had no floor to stand on we didn't budge." "Wow..." "Guess you could say we were 'pressured' into it." "Was that a pun?" "Yeah, it was probably pretty dumb, wasn't it?" "What? No it was actually funny. I just didn't know you like that kind of thing." "I like cracking jokes a lot but only around people I know and trust is all. Up till now that's only been Akira." Geez! I'm really not the trustworthy type, I mean there had been multiple times I had wanted to grab Osiris and satisfy my own pleasures. We only knew each other for a few months and she still didn't really know anything about me. Why of all people would she trust me? "Hey, why don't we ride the Ferris wheel next?" "Eh, uh, sure thing kid, anthing to get over the physics experiment back there." I grinned when my joke was met with her laughs. "It wasn't that bad." "Whatever you say kiddo, whatever you say." We walked over to the next ride and waited to board.Narrator's POV "Human, we have to hurry and find that girl of yours," said Zalgo reappearing in the mirror. "So you're back are you? I only entered this deal because I thought I needed the the help and ya know what? Everytime you have interviened it hasn't helped at all. Honestly, I'm doing better without you," said Nickoli nonchalantly as he leaned against the bathroom wall. "What are you babbling on about this time?" "The deal's off man. I have no reason to waste my time-" "Ha, ha, ha, ha!" "What's so funny you demon?!" Nickoli straightened up and stared at the figure in the mirror. "Whatever made you believe that you were the one in charge?" Nickoli's eyes widened as he slowly backed away from the mirror, heading for the door. "Think you can escape? Fool, you can't run from the inevitible!" Zalgo broke into a fit of laughter just as he disappeared from sight. Nickoli panicked and bolted for the door. He pulled at the handle with all his might but to no avail. Suddenly a bright burst of light errupted from the mirror. The force of energy that it brought broke every mirror and blasted the stall doors open in the small bathroom. The light took on the shape of a dark oozing ball, which then rammed into Nickoli's chest. The impact knocked the human into the wall, where it immediately crumpled to the floor. There was an eerie pause. The only sounds to be heard were the sounds of stray pieces of broken mirror that dropped to the ground and the creaking of the stall door hinges. Finally the body's right arm began to move, then the other. Soon came the legs and slowly the body rose to its feet. It looked at its hands before grasping the wall for support. "Been awhile since I had a body to inhabit. The poor idiot...but sacrifices are expected in light of greater advancement. Hmmm," he said getting his barings, "I need to get to Object 51 before that slender bastard does." He opened the door and shakily walked out. "Come on Z, one foot in front of the other," he thought, "now, if I were Object 49-Remnant 10 where would I be? The subject always did tend to exhibit more sexual tendencies so more than likely he'd be somewhere 'romantic.' In that case the most cliche match would be the Ferris wheel."Splendor's POV "Isn't this fun?" "It's definitely interesting to see everything humans do for fun. We never really did have much as kids did we?" "Don't be like that, Trender," I said looking at him, "I mean we had eachother all those tough years and then afterwards we had G and dad. They made life better for us." "Yeah, guess you're right about that one. Splendor, do you ever miss G," my brother asked. I pondered the question. I really never gave my past much thought, rather I preferred not to. It was depressing and I wished I could cover up those memories completely. "Well..." "Splendor, Trender?!" "Dad?" Father walked up with Slender close behind. I was surprised to see them both here. Oh no, did they run into the proxies, did they know about Osiris? "I'm glad we found you two. Slender already sent the boys home," said Dad. Welp, that answered that question. "Speaking of which Splendor please refrain from sneaking them from the mansion. It's my job to protect them and I can't do that if I don't bloody know where they are," interjected Slender. As he spoke he put me in an instant headlock. I looked up at him and nodded. "I understand bro, I'll ask your permission next time. Ummm...Slender...would you-" "I'm only going to ask this once bro and I want a straight answer." Oh no here it comes. "How long have you known Osiris?" "Who?" I was lying of course, albeit horribly. "Splendor please, we don't have time for this. It's for her own safety that we have to know. (sigh) Osiris is afore known Object 51-Remnantant 15," father said. "What?! I...I've known her for a very long time, years. I don't really know exactly how many." "Can you approximate," Splendor asked as he released my head. I rubbed the back of my neck. "Hmmm...8-10 years I think but it could have been longer. She was still a kid when we had become friends." "Has she ever exhibited any strange behaviors?" "Well, her hair has always been electric blue and she never truly reacted to our true forms. Neither is really a normal human characteristic." "And nothing else?" I shook my head. Why was he asking? "Hmmm...it may be slowly breaking down rather collapsing all at once," father said rubbing his chin. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! Our heads snapped toward the direction of the screams. The people of the fair were frantically running every which way. The chaos seemed to originate from one single ride. "Quick the Ferris Wheel!"Osiris' POV "It's so pretty up here," I said. I kicked my feet back and forth as I leaned on the bar with my elbows. "Sure is, who knew how small this town really was but all that forest sure is amazing. Look at that sunset," said Offender. He leaned forward on the bar too. "I guess we're just alway so busy that we never really notice." I felt a twinge in my chest. It had been happening a lot lately. As well as other oddities. My nightmares increased, I would lose my temper sometimes, even my body seemed stronger than usual. I had a nagging feeling that wouldn't leave me alone. "Hey, Offender?" "What's up kiddo," he replied. "H-have you ever gotten the feeling your life is...a lie?" "What do you mean Osiris?" He looked at me in shock. "Like you're living a life but you don't fit into it as if you had merely been thrown into a person's body..." "Hmmm...I've always felt a little out of place but I don't think that's what you're refe-" "Hey Osiris!" We both looked down toward the faint yell. Nickoli stood at the base of the ferris wheel, waving up at us. I was surprised we able to hear him at all with how high we were. "Oh great, it's the punk," mumbled Offender. Honestly I wasn't thrilled to see him either. "We'll meet up with you when the ride is over," yelled Offender. Nickoli looked as if he said something but neither of us could understand what he said. "What," I yelled. Nickoli's body suddenly disappeared. "Wait where did.." "I don't like this kiddo." Offender's tone turned dark. "BOO!" I jumped as Nickoli emerged from a portal of sorts directly behind us. "What the ...how?" "I had said, 'I'll come to you.' Nice choice for an overrated ride Berkley. The view's pretty good but I know a better one, Osiris wanna see it?" "No thanks, I'm content here," I said. Something was different about Nickoli. Well, I mean the guy did just teleport from one place to the next, but something deep down in me was awakened by his presence. I felt danger, pain, and saddness resonate from him when it had never happened before. "You don't want to see a better view?" "I like this ride." "Ha, you're not even moving," he said smugly. He placed a hand on my shoulder "Fuck off, Nickoli!" My impulses took over and I slapped him in the face. Why? Why did I do that? "Who said I was Nickoli?" He turned back to me and at that moment I noticed his eyes were a bright red and glowing. I heard a large snap before feeling Offender's arm wrap around my torso. He had dropped his illusion form and was getting ready to jump. "Offender are you cra-AAAAAAAAH!" I was sure we were going to die. I covered my eyes, not wanting to see the oncoming collision of demise. The collision never came, though. I cautiously uncovered my eyes to see we had safely made it to the ground. Offender had apparently broken the fall with his tendrils. I saw the people begin to flee from fear. "Stay behind me!" I did as I was told. What was going on? "Tsk, tsk, tsk, really Object 50-Remnant 3. I thought you had been trained better." Nickoli's body appeared in front of us. "Don't call me that!" "'O-object' like a science experiment," I asked looking up at Offender. "Just hand over Osiris," it said. Me, why did they want me?! "Never!" Offender's finger's sharpened as his tendrils began to wave around like angered serpents. "Still think you're some kind of hero?" Nickoli smiled evilly, his teeth had changed to where now he had fangs. He lifted his hand as flames instantly surrounded it. He threw a fire ball at Offender. "Offender look out!" I pushed him out of the way. The flaming sphere hit my shoulder; the impact sending my body a little ways from where Offender had landed.. "Osiris!"Offender's POV Osiris pushed me out of the way of the oncoming attack. I saw her absorb the impact, landing a few feet from me. "Osiris!" I scrambled to my feet. I had to get to her. "Nah-ah-ah, I don't think so my little failed experiment," our assialant said. Suddenly I couldn't move. My eyes darted over to him only to see that his attack had changed. Blue magic! Only two people I knew could use that: father and... "Zalgo," I growled. He smirked before throwing me into one of the nearby vendors. The supports for the structure fell on top of me pinning me in place. I watched as Zalgo turned his attack on Osiris. Why? Why would Zalgo want her? He drew Osiris close to him. "Well, well, well, Object 51-Remnant 15 it's been a long time but it seems you have finally returned to me." O51-R15! How could I have been so stupid to have not realized?! Osiris was the child I thought had been lost in those flames years ago! "Put me the hell down! I am not an object and I definitely do not belong to you!" "Grown rather defiant over the years haven't we. No matter, I'll soon knock that out of you. I think our first order of business is to get rid of that ridiculous illusion form." Zalgo grabbed a glowing blue object directly in front of Osiris' chest. It looked like an upside down heart, Osi's soul! "NO," I yelled when she screamed from the pain Zalgo's hand inflicted. I kicked and writhed to free myself from my constraints but only to have my efforts prove fruitless. Osiris' appearance changed. Her hair disappeared and her hair became white; I could swear she also got thinner. "Kid?" "Put her down Zalgo!" "Dad," I said. When did he get here? I saw that all my brothers were with him. Slender lifted the beams off of me, helping me to my feet.Osiris' POV Somehow the imposter had pulled me closer to him. He gripped onto something that apeared to be and upside down heart floating in front of my chest. What is that?! His grip tightened and I heard a cracking sound, like glass. Immediately a shot of the most horrible pain went through my body. That was the last thing I remember. . . . . . "Osiris," called a voice in the darkness. "Huh, who's there?" "My how you have grown." "How do you know me?" I saw a tall, skeleton-like figure...scratch that he was a skeleton! "Hmmm...I should have figured you wouldn't remember me." "W-wait...y-you're name...it was 'Gaster' wasn't it?" I could only remember small, fuzzy pockets about him. I couldn't really make much out of them except that I could feel happiness mixed saddness surrounding those memories. "Gasp." "D-did I say something wrong?!" "N-no, dear child, I just haven't heard anyone say my name in a long time." "Where are we?" "This place is called the Void, it's where Zalgo and I fell years ago." "The Void? How did I get here then?" "Currently your soul is seeking out a means to heal, however, it was in Zalgo's control when the soul shield was destroyed. Since your soul has a connection to me it apparently found some way to use Zalgo's Void link to find it's way in. Your essence will remain here until you wake up." "Oh," I said. It was still confusing to understand. He placed a hand gently on my shoulder as we sat to talk in the vast empty space.