Chapter 17

 I woke up to the sound of the door opening. I sat up and struggled to open my eyes fully. Finally after a while I could see just fine and I saw a figure in a beige turtle neck jacket. I looked up and saw a mask with black eyes and lips and I smiled once I recognized them. "Masky!" I said, joyfully. I got off of the bed and hugged him. "It's good to see you Elizabeth," he said in his small voice. I pulled back and said, "Are you okay? Last I saw of you, you hit yourself on a rock and passed out." He seemed to go quiet and then he suddenly fell to his knees and bent over, bowing. I looked at him awkwardly as he started muttering "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" over and over again. I giggled and patted his back. "It's okay Masky. I forgive you." He looked up at me and said, "B-but I didn't save you. I failed to rescue you. You must hate me!" I laughed nervously and added, "But I don't. I'm alive aren't I? That's all that matters right?" 

I heard him sniff and wondered if he was actually crying just now. I can't tell because of the mask. He said, "Yes, you're alive. That's good. That's good right?" I nodded and gave him a smile. He laughed nervously and said, "Okay! I'm just very happy to see you in good condition Elizabeth." 

"Call me Ellie," I told him, "I don't want you to bother calling me by my full name." He nodded and said, "Of course Elizabe-I mean...Ellie." I smiled and helped him up. We both sat on the bed I was sleeping on and looked at Jeff. He was still sleeping. I hope the sedative wears off soon. I want to talk to him. "I see Jeff had gone out of control?" Masky spoke up. I nodded and he sighed. "It's definitely not the first time..." he added. I clutched my shirt and mumbled, "I was scared." He looked at me and pulled me into his embrace. I leaned on his chest and closed my eyes. "Hopefully this does not happen again," Masky said and rubbed my head gently. I nodded and opened my eyes. I looked at Jeff again. I want him to wake up already. I don't just want to talk to him, I NEED to talk to him. 

Masky let me go and said, "I'm came here to see if you were okay. I see you are and now I just want to know if you're hungry. I'm sure you are." I nodded and jumped up at the thought of food. He lead me out of the laboratory. As I walked out I looked back at Jeff. I hope he doesn't wake up while I'm gone. I want to be there when he does. We walked through hallways and then down the stairs. In the small corridor there was a doorway leading to a medium sized room. I walked in and saw it was the kitchen. And it looks like I wasn't the only one hungry. Everyone was inside, sitting at a table either eating or just chatting casually. As soon as I walked in everyone stopped what they were doing to look at me. I felt uncomfortable and awkwardly walked with Masky to get breakfast. It was really quiet so I'm guessing they are still looking at me. 

Masky gave me a plate of fluffy pancakes and scrambled eggs that looked very tempting. I thought about eating at the table everyone was at but then it would be really awkward and I knew I wouldn't be able to eat. But I had no other choice as Masky pulled a seat up for me. I sat down quietly and looked at everyone and blushed. This is so weird. I managed to mumble, "Good morning." They all said "Good morning" in unison and they went back to doing what they were doing. I blinked in surprise but then disregarded it and ate my breakfast. Masky was talking with Hoodie and laughing. I saw he was eating cheesecake again. I giggled to myself. He really does love the stuff. I felt something touch my leg and I looked under the table to see Sally. She looked up at me and smiled cutely. She handed me a small object then crawled away to go bug Ben. I looked at the object and saw it was a 'My Little pony' figurine. I think this one was Fluttershy? Yeah, Fluttershy. I did always like this pony the most for some reason. She's just a cute little shy pony. Like Masky, only he's not a pony. 

I placed the figurine next to my plate on the table and kept eating. Once I was done I put my plate away and washed it. I have the habit of doing this, even if I'm not in my own home. I took the Fluttershy figurine and put it my pocket. I didn't really know what to do but go sit in the living room. I sat in silence and thought about my parents. I'm worried for them. I bet my mother is crying and my father is distraught. I felt my throat tighten and I felt like I was going to throw up. I quickly found a bathroom and locked the door. I didn't throw up though, even if the feeling was there. I'm sure it's because of my anxiety. I sighed and looked in the mirror. I looked at my blue eyes and thought of my mom. When something like this happens she's the one that takes it hard. She balls her eyes out for days. That time when I was lost in the woods while playing games with kids she was totally devastated. I thought of her blue eyes full of tears. Her beautiful face contorted into a look of sadness and concern. I hope she's okay. I'm sure dad is helping her through this. He always does. 

I kept looking at my eyes and thought about that time at the lake. I didn't like my eyes. I still don't. I don't hate them completely but I just have a bad feeling towards them. I sighed and washed my face with water. I watched the faucet run the water into the marble sink. I washed my face some more then stopped. I dried myself and looked back into the mirror. For a split second I thought I saw my eyes turn into a deep red. I blinked and when I looked back they were back to blue. Maybe I was hallucinating that. Maybe I just don't like my blue eyes that much. I ignored the fact that that just happened and walked out of the bathroom. I head back to the laboratory to check on Jeff. I walk in and see he's still asleep. I sigh and walk over to his bedside. I held his hand and brushed his hair back. I leaned my head on his chest and felt it rise and fall steadily. I'm not an impatient person most of the time but I really can't wait much longer. 

Then I hear him snort loudly and then jerk awake. "Jesus Christo...! Where am I?" he mumbled. I looked up and smiled. Without hesitation I hugged him and said, "I'm so glad you're awake!" He seemed to be surprised by my joy but then he relaxed. "Hey there, Sunshine," he muttered and I felt my heart ache with pleasure at him saying that. I looked at him and he said, "I'm sorry." I gave him a sympathetic look and said, "It's okay."

"No...it's not okay," he said, "I didn't know what got into me. Sally had knocked me out with a rock while I wasn't looking and when I came back around the first thing on my mind was you. I got worried and angry. I didn't want them to take you away. I nearly destroyed the place in my own blind rage. It was like I was thinking of you but then I wasn't. In a way I was being selfish. But when it comes to you I can't help but just be selfish! I want you to be safe. I want you to be happy. That's all I want. And I'm sorry for not doing that. You mean everything to me..." After realizing what he just said he went quiet and blushed. "Well, ya know, in a protective kind of way," he babbled on, "so...what I'm trying to say is that if I lose you...I might lose myself. And I know what happens when I do. I care about you Ellie. I don't want to feel guilty about not being able to protect you. It'll just kill me inside. And I shouldn't get angry like that either. It'll distract me from you. I promise to never scare you like that again." 

I couldn't help but start to cry. I snuggled my head into his neck and sobbed silently. I was trembling badly. Eventually I stopped and looked down at him. "Don't cry Ellie," he said. Now that just made me cry even more. Dammit. "I would hold you but I'm kind of stuck here," he said and I couldn't help but giggle. I undid his straps. Once he was released he sat up and hugged me tight. I sobbed into his hoodie and let him cradle me. He let me go and wiped a tear away with his thumb. "Don't cry," he said, "it makes your big blue ocean eyes look horrible." He put some emphasis on horrible and I laughed. "They're already horrible without me crying," I said. He shook his head and said, "What are you talking about? They're amazing." 

"They're weird."

"You're weird."

"Your face is weird."

"Your momma's weird."

"I know she is," I joked and we both laughed. He held my face in his hands and said, "But they're fine. Why would you not like them? I like them." I smiled and replied, "That's your opinion."

"Well my opinion is right. I say they are amazing and that's final," he said. I blushed as he smirked and leaned in. He kissed my cheek longingly then moved up to kiss my temple. My face felt warm from blushing so much and my chest was tight from trying to hold back. I wrapped my hands around the back of his neck and leaned into him. He moved his head into my neck and he whispered, "You want me to strap you down to this bed and see where things go?" I shoved him back and blushed insanely. "Hell no!" I exclaimed nervously. He chuckled and gave me a smug look. "You sure? It could be fun." 

"No!" I said and walked away. "Why not?" he whined. I turned around and said, "Because I still want to stay innocent for as long as I can!" He laughed and started following me out of the room. He would occasionally catch up and blow air down my neck. I would shake and slap his shoulder every time. I went downstairs and we ran into Jack. When he saw me he looked away and stiffened. I was wondering what was wrong with him until Jeff bellowed, "Jackeh!!!" 

"Oh god..." Jack muttered as Jeff tackle hugged him. "Wazzup man!" Jeff shouted in excitement and Jack only groaned. He looked at me, surely pleading for help inside. "All right lay off him," I told Jeff and he pouted. But he listened anyway and let go of Jack. He thanked me and I nodded. There was a tension between us. There was something on his mind and I knew it. I was going to ask him what it was when he suddenly said, "I'm really sorry." I looked at him, confused and asked, "Why are you sorry?" 

He shifted in his spot and mumbled, "I'm sorry about your friend. Ian was it?" I nodded and wondered why he was sorry about him. Did he know he was hurt? If so then how? He couldn't possibly have known that...unless...

"You're the one that attacked him, weren't you?!" I exclaimed. He seemed to look down in guilt and he said, "Yeah...that was me."

"You bastard! He's really hurt because of you, ya know? Why did you do it?" 

There was a long pause and then he spoke up. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I was just going to come and retrieve you when he came up into your room. He got a little freaked out. When I saw him I had realized how hungry I was and I just attacked him. It was a force of habit. But before I could take his organs Jeff broke the door and that's when I remembered what I was there for. So I stopped and attacked Jeff before he could do anything. I'm really sorry about all of that." Throughout the entire thing the only word that ran through my mind was 'hungry'. "Wait a sec," I started, "what do you mean by hungry?" He shrugged and said, "I mean I was hungry for his organs. I hadn't eaten in a while and I thought maybe just a quick snack-."

"Woah, woah, woah!" I exclaimed, "what the hell?! I thought you just wanted to gut him, not eat his organs!" He fidgeted and said, "Sorry. If it helps I didn't eat any. And I didn't mean to go for all of them, just the kidney." I shuddered at the thought of this. I heard Jeff speak up. "The guy's got a thing for kidneys." he said.

"It's kind of my favorite part of a human," Jack muttered and twiddled his thumbs awkwardly. I stared at him in disbelief. He hurt Ian real bad. I'm not sure if I should be mad at him or not. I didn't really want to forgive him but then at the same time I want to. I mean who says 'That's okay' to someone who was about to eat your friend. That's just weird and that makes you the horrible person, doesn't it? I just don't feel like saying the actual words. I sighed and Jack said, "I understand if you hate me. I'm okay with it..." I scowled. God dammit the way he says it makes me feel bad. He's a good guy, I can tell, but I'm not sure if I do hate him. He's hard to dislike. I just can't hate him! But I don't think I can forgive him either. Instead of forgiving him I say, "Just...don't eat anyone I know, all right?" He nodded and walked away. I sighed and brushed my hair back. That was hard. 

I walked into the living room and found Slendy there. "Hey," I greeted him. "Hello, my dear," he said politely. He seemed to notice Jeff and asked, "Are things okay?" I nodded and said, "Yes, things are just fine." He nodded and perked up. He reached over the couch and said, "I have something for you. It seems to belong to you." Slendy pulled out my messenger bag and I grabbed it. I was shocked to see it again. I remembered my phone. I quickly rummaged around for it and found it. The battery was nearly dead but I could see the many messages and missed calls from my mom and dad. I felt sad and clutched the phone tightly. I missed them so much. I miss home. Taking a deep breath I knew what I had to do. Everyone started coming into the living room which was going to make this harder. I watched as Ben started setting up a video game and played with Jack. Masky and Hoodie were playing dolls with Sally on the floor. Jeff just watched them casually, sitting on the couch. I sighed and turned to Slendy. He noticed my nervousness and asked, "Is there something wrong child?" I clenched my fists. I knew exactly what I had to do. 

"I want to go back home," I told Slendy. Everyone just stopped. Masky, Hoodie and Sally stopped playing dolls. Ben and Jack stopped their video game and Jeff gave me a stern look. I didn't like how quiet things were. I heard Ben, "You can't be serious?" I didn't answer him. 

"But I wanted to play dolls with you," Sally said, on the verge of crying. 

"You can't just leave so suddenly," Hoodie said in a soft yet concerned voice.

"Elizabeth you can't go," Jack said. 

This was hard to handle. Then I heard Jeff. "She can leave if she wants to. It's her decision. She's the proxy after all." 

Ben stood up, "Yeah but that doesn't make her the queen of fucking England! She can't go, man!"

"She can if she wants to," Jeff growled. 

"They're going to kill her out there!" Ben protested, "Home is not a safe place right now! This mansion here is! She has to stay if she's going to be safe."

"I can protect her," Jeff said, standing up. Ben snapped, "You can't protect shit, dude! You couldn't even save her from us!" 

"Don't you fucking bring that up," Jeff shouted. Ben stepped closer to him and snarled. "Well I did! Deal with it Smiley face! You know you can't protect her! You've doubted yourself all along! She's better off with us. You won't have to worry about her as long as she stays here!"

"Can't you see she's homesick?!"

"It's only been a day!"

"And that's enough for her!" Jeff shot back. Ben paused for a second then went back to arguing. "She can't go back. Besides she'll just get her parents killed!" I froze at the mention of them. Will I really put them in danger if I go back? I don't want to lose them, but I don't want to stay away any longer. "Shut up Ben! You're getting her scared," Jeff said. Ben laughed aloud and mocked him. "Oh I'm making her scared?! What about you, Incredible fucking Hulk?! You broke down almost every single door here, all because you can't control your selfishness!"

"Okay so what if I was selfish?!" Jeff yelled, "Huh?! I'm just trying to keep her safe! You brought this on yourself for taking her! She was just fine without all of this! She was fine at home!"

"Eventually things were gonna go to shit and you know it!" Ben shouted. "She can't live a normal life Jeff. She's not normal! She's not normal now and she never will be! Ever!"

"You're being a real dick you know that?!" Jeff yells.

"Not my fault you're a whiny bitch!"

"Shut up Ben! I say she doesn't have to be here and that's that!"

Ben sneered and said, "She needs to stay here with us."

"She's not going to," Jeff started, "because it's up to her if she wants to leave or not!" 

"She can decide to go home all she wants. We'll take her back eventually," Ben said darkly. 

"Over my dead body," Jeff growled, stepping closer to Ben.

"Careful what you wish for you motherfu-!"

"SILENCE!" Slendy snapped with such a loud voice. They stopped and looked at him. He breathed heavily and shouted, "That is enough out of you two! I've had it with this! You're lucky I don't exile you both to the pit!" They calmed down and backed away from each other. Slendy took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "Now, yes, it is up to Elizabeth but it's really up to me whether or not she goes." He turned to me and paused for a bit. I was anticipating his answer. Was he going to say yes or no? I don't even know what I'll do if he gives me an answer at all. He stands up and looks down at me, towering over me. Finally he speaks. And I'm a bit shocked by the answer. 

"You may return home," he says. Everyone but Jeff and Slendy look at us in disbelief. Sally started to cry now and Masky held her tight. I was a bit happy but I knew if I smiled they'd see I'm eager to leave. I felt horrible about leaving but I knew I had to go. To give my parents some closure at least. Slendy squeezed my shoulder and said, "Let me get you ready to depart." He walked away and I stood there in silence. No one said a thing. They must all hate me now. But I had to go home. I'm sure I'll be fine. I couldn't help but feel anxiety again and I just couldn't take it. I ran to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. I backed up into the wall hastily and cried uncontrollably. I felt hated. Everyone must hate me. I cried and cried, and I couldn't stop. I just wanted to go home. I want to get this over with. I just feel like I want to disappear. 

I heard a knock on the door. I yelled, "Go away!" through tears and just kept sobbing. They knocked again and I got annoyed. I open the door aggressively and was about to yell when I saw who it was. "Sally?" I mumbled. She sniffled and muttered, "Ellie...are you okay...?" I sniffed and wiped my face of tears. "I'm fine," I lied. She hiccuped and said, "You were crying weren't you?" I froze, nearly tearing up. She gave me a weak smile and said, "It's okay. I am too." A tear slid down her cheek and I couldn't help but pick her up in my arms and hug her tight. I cried into her curly hair and she mumbled, "You'll be fine, Ellie. We can cry together..." She sobbed some more into my shirt and I fell to my knees. I cradled her, crying with her. "I never wanted to hurt anybody, especially you," I told her. She hiccuped again and said, "It's okay. You didn't hurt anyone. We're okay." I gave her a little smile and hugged her tight. "I hope so," I whispered and cried some more. After a while she fell asleep in my arms, hugging me. I sighed and brushed her hair back. I really do hope she was right. I already feel hated at school. I'll be damned if I ever feel hated here. 

*SRY IF BEN SEEMED LIKE A TOTAL DOUCHEBAG BUT HE'LL BE NICER EVENTUALLY. I MAY OR MAY NOT UPDATE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS CONSIDERING MY FATHER'S BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP VERY VERY SOON. THEN I'LL PROBABLY BE BUSY GETTING THINGS READY FOR ~MY~ BIRTHDAY NEXT SUNDAY. JESUS F**K BUSY WEEK. SO IF I DON'T UPDATE DURING THIS WEEK I AM REALLY SORRY BUT I NEED TO ENJOY MY BIRTHDAY RIGHT? ANYWAYS BE AWESOME AND SHIZ. DON'T GET RUN OVER BY A RABID DRUNK DRIVING SQUIRREL! IT'S THE MOST POSSIBLE DEATH TO OCCUR! BE SAFE MY CREEPY SONS OF BITCHES!!!*