[What I'm thinking of doing is having updates daily Wednesday through Friday, and then the rest of the week will be dedicated to writing more pre-written chapters. Does that sound good? I have a feeling I'm gonna fail at this at some point but I'll still try. What I want to count on is an update on every Wednesday. That should be doable if not the former schedule. Anyway, enjoy!]

Stay Creepy, My Friends!~

Chapter 4

Ao's POV

Juilliard was my dream school; the place I wanted to go to after I graduated high school. I worked nearly day and night to become what I thought everyone there would consider a top violinist. I wanted to show the world that I was good enough to blow it away with my music and spirit. Now, I have to protect that world from evil.

Manhattan is an interesting city and it took me a while to find Juilliard among its network of buildings. When I finally found the campus and its auditorium, I was relieved. I was even more relieved to know that I had made it in time for the concert.

Watching such a grand symphony orchestra play made me long for music again. I missed it all; the instructor leading us, the playing, the harmonizing and clashing and everything...! I missed the ache in the center of my back from sitting in the perfect posture for too long, and I missed the feeling of the steel core strings against my fingertips. Everything. Seeing these lucky, talented musicians play beautiful pieces made me both inspired and envious for what I couldn't have.

The audience clapped appreciatively after every song, and the silence that clouded them when the music would become dramatically loud or quiet was captivating. I watched it all from the back of the auditorium, where it was dark and unattended, where I knew I wouldn't be given any glances.

Like the end of the program said, the orchestra ceased their second-to-last song and allowed one lone musician to come to the front of the stage. Without any stand or music, he sat on a black chair with his cello cradled in front of him. He gave a confident wave of his hand before getting his bow ready on his cello strings and beginning his piece.

I smiled as soon as the first note of Prokofiev Sonata in C minor played and echoed across the auditorium. The way the music reverberated with a rich tone made my heart flutter and I started tearing up. The vibrato within long, placid notes, and the vibrant bounce in the short, brisk notes was amazing. I loved every second that the soloist sat up on that stage with all of the confidence in the world. The way he smiled when others would keep a flat expression, the way he swayed with his instrument like it was a dance; it all made for a sight that I found myself cherishing.

It was a long piece, but it was more commendable that he had memorized it all. In the end, he slowly pulled his bow away from the strings and let the remaining note ring with emotion. The moment he stood was when the audience clapped for him and I did the same. I used the sleeves of my jacket to wipe at my eyes before tears could fall and watched as the young soloist bowed graciously. I smiled and glanced down at the program in my hands, at the musician's name along side with his solo.

Craig Holland.

"You made it...," I murmured proudly.

When I looked up, I saw him leaning over the edge of the stage to receive a colorful bouquet of flowers from a blond haired man. I didn't have to see his face to know it was Xavier cheering on his boyfriend. They shared a sweet kiss before Craig had to leave so the orchestra could perform their final song for the night. As he walked away, he took a glance at the back of the auditorium with a somewhat confused expression.

But I was already gone.

I was leaving the Juilliard campus after a few minutes. Although I wanted to watch the rest of the concert, I couldn't stay, in fear that someone would notice me.

My emotions were bittersweet. While I felt proud of Craig for accomplishing the dream we had once shared, I was also saddened that I couldn't cheer him on like Xavier did. There would be no celebratory hug, or a cute picture afterwards, or a visit to a restaurant for drinks and food. I couldn't be with him, because if I face him again, it'll be hard for me to let him be. To let any of my friends be.

Kayla, Craig, Xavier, and yes, even Kayla's boyfriend, Aaron (I'm glad he's still around too). I miss them all, but I can't come back. Not until I know that they'll be safe. Not until this war--whatever I'm fighting--is over. For now, I can only watch them from afar and hope that they succeed in life.

I know I promised to see them again. I remember that promise and think about it everyday, and I hope someday I can come back.

I hope.

...

Reese's POV

"Hey, Artem. What was your dream job?"

The Russian brunet turned his head to look at me and said, "Why are you asking me this?"

"Just curious," I replied nonchalantly. "I mean, you couldn't have set your goals on running this shop, or fixing cars. Right?"

"I suppose not."

"So, then? What did you wish to be when you were a kid? Don't tell me your child-self was as bleak as your current-self."

He narrowed his blue eyes at me and grumbled, "No, he wasn't, though your judgement won't validate anything." He stopped what he was doing at one of the metal worktables and added, "To be truthful, I wanted to be a vocational military vehicle engineer."

I furrowed my brow. "So then you did want to work with cars..."

"Yes."

"How come you never applied to the Army? You'd make a badass soldier, too."

Artem shifted his eyes to the ground and they suddenly dulled, like he just had a bad memory or thought. "Couldn't," he answered eventually, "my family needed me."

"How come I never see your family?" I inquired.

"They moved."

"To where?"

"You are asking too many questions about me, soplyak. Be quiet and organize the tools."

I smirked as I walked over to the big toolbox to do as he said. "I'm just trying to get to know you, buddy."

"I am not buddy. I am your employer."

"Well, shouldn't I get to know my employer?"

"You know enough. Now, do as I say, and hurry. I'll be closing the shop soon."

Despite my defeat, I shrugged off Artem's weirdness and went on to organize and rearrange all of the tools in the toolbox. After I was done, I went ahead to the office and changed out of my mechanic uniform and allowed my body to breathe. The downside of wearing the uniform is that it covers all of your body, so hot days don't bode well for me. Thankfully, the weather isn't hot, but walking about and taking orders from Artem is a workout.

A few minutes had passed until Hunter came to pick me up. I said my goodbye to Artem, and all he responded with was an acknowledging grunt. I jogged away from the shop, towards the Corolla, with my backpack hanging on my shoulder. As soon as I opened the door and hopped into the passenger seat, I asked Hunter, "Yo, you wanna beat the Snowhead Temple this time?"

The dirty-blonde haired man smiled at me and said, "Aw, Reese, I wish I could, but I've gotta meet with some buddies from the college in a few minutes. I'll drop you off at the apartment and come back later tonight."

"So, should I wait for you then?"

"You go ahead and play. We've already done the 3DS version so I know what happens."

"But it's a different platform," I remarked.

He chuckled almost nervously and replied, "Just play without me, okay? Enjoy it yourself! It's for you, after all."

Even though I really wanted to have Hunter with me, like how we usually hang out together, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to play alone. Still, it bugged me that he'd be away again, especially since there hasn't been an update on that creature sighting. That, and it bothers me to play video games without him there. We've watched each other play for so long, it's hard to sit and have my own experience.

We were home in ten minutes and I had to enter the apartment building by myself. I waved goodbye to Hunter before walking through the front doors. I took the elevator up to my apartment floor, then headed straight for my door when the elevator stopped. The hallway was quiet, which amazed me the first few weeks we had moved here, since I expected apartments to be a little rowdy. Come to think of it, I think my family is that one rowdy apartment. No one's sent us complaints, so I can't be sure.

When I unlocked my apartment door and walked in, I was greeted with more silence. I glanced to the side to see if Mom's car keys were hanging on the hook next to the door. They weren't. Guess she had to work a couple of more hours again. Working as a saleswoman for a jewelry store does that, especially when it's full time.

With the apartment all to myself, I decided to whip up a sandwich before heading for Hunter's room to boot up the N64. With a ham and cheese sandwich in hand, I sat on Hunter's bedroom floor and waited for everything to turn on. As soon as the starting scene showed up on the TV screen, I grabbed for the controller and stuffed the sandwich into my mouth, letting it hang. I took a quick glance at the other N64 controller and tried not to think about how empty and quiet Hunter's room was without him here to watch me play.

When the save files screen came up, I stared at the file labeled BEN. I forgot to delete it last time. Well, it's not as if it's doing any harm to my game--or, A.K.A. Smeffle's game. Still, it nagged me to see another game file that belonged to someone else. But, I was curious as to where they had left off, so I went ahead and chose the file, BEN. I was taken to Clock Town, where players usually load up. Everything seemed fine, and when I checked my items, I had all of the masks. The previous owner was close to the end, which confused me since they obviously sold this game before they could finish it. Why not just complete it, then sell it? And even if it was a second run through, why not finish it? Doesn't make sense.

I decided to take a walk around Clock Town. Everything was still the same as in my game. A few new conversations here and there, but it was nothing important. Just when I was about to go and exit BEN's game file, the screen flickered and I flinched. I stared at it intently, wondering if the N64 was giving out. It'll be a bitch to go and get repaired if it is... I still tried to exit the game, but something peculiar happened. The ocarina was playing instead of the default background music, yet Link wasn't playing it. And instead of one of the songs, it echoed a different melody, one I couldn't recognize. From the way the notes were articulated, the song sounded reversed.

Freaked out, I finally quit the game file and went to Smeffle's to enjoy my own quest.

...

An hour had passed. I was barely getting to Snowhead Temple. Mom still has another hour until she comes home, and Hunter hasn't come back either. I wondered what he was doing, but when I texted him, he said 'studying'. I hoped it wasn't...studying. Gross.

I decided to take a break for the fourth time already and rest my eyes. I laid down across the floor and stretched my arms. Staring up at the ceiling, it barely dawned on me that I could've been sitting on Hunter's bed this entire time. But, I'm used to the floor, after all of these years. As I laid on the floor for a few minutes, I suddenly thought back to what Mom said about me making friends.

Personally, I don't think I need friends. I'm seventeen; it's a little too late at this point. I used to have friends. A couple of years ago. But, they either moved away, became annoying assholes, or realized how horrible of a person I am. I stopped making friends after the last guy stole my last girlfriend. I was going to break up with her anyway, but I wanted to be the one taking that action, not facing it. Now I have no need for friends, or girlfriends, or anyone other than Mom, Hunter, and Artem. Well, Artem is a maybe because he doesn't consider me his friend, despite signs that say otherwise.

But, thinking about Mom's solemn face made me feel bad. I promised her. Maybe I can try to make friends, one more time. Though, where do I look for that?

I suddenly heard a strange, creepy ocarina tune play from the TV. Glancing up, I saw that Link was standing still and had no ocarina put up. It was the backwards melody from earlier, but it stuttered on and off. It took me a few moments to realize that my character looked antsy now, yet nothing was happening around him. I picked up my controller to move but I was puzzled to see that Link wouldn't move. I flicked the joystick round and round, but nothing. I really hoped the controller wasn't broken. Not only would it be annoying to get fixed, but the music was starting to unnerve me. Risking any small progress I made before my last save, I went ahead and pressed the power button on the N64 console to turn it off. Nothing happened.

Furrowing my brow, I kept pressing the button, or holding it down, but no shut down program was implemented. The broken music kept playing--was it getting louder?--and I went ahead and turned off the TV. Suddenly, the music came to a stop and the TV screen went black. With a relieved sigh, I stood up from my spot on the floor and picked up my phone to call Hunter and tell him what's happened.

As I stepped out of the room, the music came back on.

I was barely getting to Hunter's contact but froze for a moment. Creeped out, I turned around and looked back to the TV. The broken music was playing again, but there was only a gray screen. No Link, or Snowhead Village, or Tatl nagging me to keep moving. It was just gray. So, panicked, I rushed towards the TV and leaned over the dresser to unplug it from the outlet. Just when I wrapped my fingers around the black plug, the TV rattled and I immediately jumped away.

From across the room, I stared at the TV, waiting for it to rattle again. It did rattle, right? I didn't imagine it? I couldn't have. I'm not that paranoid. Yet, as I thought to myself, the TV shook again, rumbling against the dresser and startling me with the loud, banging sound. For a moment, I thought it would fall over and break, which is something I really don't want to deal with. Just when I thought it would tip over, the TV stopped shaking and the music lowered in volume. Before I knew it, I was standing alone in silence, gripping onto the edge of Hunter's nightstand tightly.

I raised my phone to quickly call Hunter, but out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the TV screen changing. A white spot was slowly growing from the center of the gray and outwards, giving it a strange, distorted look. I wondered if maybe the TV was broken too, which would just be my luck, but a few seconds later I was corrected.

From the television screen came a pale, ghostly hand. Its fingers twitched, trying to grab at something--anything--and when it did, more came out. An arm, another hand, and another arm, until a head rose from the gray nothingness of the screen. The creature coming from the TV pulled itself out farther and farther, and I panicked. Clumsily, I scrambled and fell over across the doorway. I watched the figure slowly make their way out of the TV, and when two red eyes flared up to meet mine, I bolted. Like mad, I got to my feet and slammed the bedroom door shut. Hurriedly, I ran to my room and got the "security" baseball bat (something Mom makes Hunter and I have). Despite my fear, I held the aluminum weapon with a tight grip and stormed back into the hallway. As soon as I stood in front of the door, I heard a loud thud, like something fell onto the floor.

My grip tightened more than I thought it could, and I began to slowly back away down the hallway to distance myself as much as possible. Standing from the living room, I watched Hunter's bedroom door, geared up for whatever the fuck was going to come out. I waited, and waited, with the bat raised ready to swing, my legs hunched ready to sprint. A few minutes of standing around, I finally realized that I should've called police. Just when I was about to grab my phone from my pocket, the doorknob started to turn.

I flinched and stared intently as the door creaked open. Pale fingers wrapped around the edge of the door as it was pushed forward, and I reared my body to land a hit on whatever walked out. Slowly, something appeared and I froze. Not from fear, but from confusion.

I expected some Samara-type looking creature to come shuffling out of Hunter's room, but instead of a black-haired, paper-white, white-gowned ghost girl, I saw a blonde-haired, slightly less paper-white, hoodie wearing guy who also wore boxer-briefs and fuzzy slippers.

"Hello," he called out as he looked in every other direction but where I was. Slowly, I made my towards him, tiptoeing. The baseball bat was still raised and ready to strike, but my panic had lessened. The stranger's back was still turned to me as I got within two feet of him. Finally, he turned around, and I was startled once again by a pair of bright red eyes. Both of us screamed and I swung the bat. He ducked under it and I ended up hitting Hunter's bedroom door.

"Whoa, wait, hold on!" the stranger pleaded and I backed away from him. I wielded the baseball bat at him like a sword as I returned to the living room. The blonde-haired stranger raised his hands at level with his head, and it was then that I noticed he also had elfin shaped ears. In a calm tone of voice, he said, "Listen, don't panic, okay? I'm not gonna hurt you. Just, put the bat down, you're making me nervous."

Frowning, I remarked, "You're nervous?"

"Yeah. Please put the bat down."

"No."

"I said please."

"I'm not putting the bat down," I argued.

"It's not that hard to do, just drop it."

"No," I repeated.

"How about this," he started, "let me turn around, and get on my knees, that way you have the better advantage, yeah?"

Even though I didn't say anything, he went ahead and followed his own suggestion. I didn't want to admit it, but having him like that did make me feel better. Still, I didn't drop my bat, and only took this opportunity to walk closer to him again. I stood right in front of his fuzzy slippers, which set back more of my anxiousness, and stared at the back of his head. His hair was a lighter shade of blonde than mine, and longer, too. My curiosity piqued and I let one hand go from my bat to touch his head. It was only a faint touch, enough for me to graze one finger against a lock of his hair, but he felt it and pulled away.

"What are you doing?" he asked, right before I freaked out and tried hitting him again. Fortunately for him, he ducked again.

"You're real!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, no shit...!" he stammered, crawling away from me.

I'm not hallucinating. I felt his hair. It was silky and straight and real. He's real. There's no way he should be, but he is. He's real.

The blonde-haired stranger hesitantly stood to his feet as I stared at him with wide eyes. Looking at him better, I realized that his facial features looked familiar. The elfin ears, the hair, the eyes are definitely not the same, but everything else was enough.

"Are...Are you supposed to be Link?" I questioned. That seemed to annoy him very obviously and he replied, "God dammit--don't mention him. I'm not Link."

"But--."

"We look alike, that's all."

"N-No, you don't. Your eyes--."

"Stop talking about him. I'm having a stressful enough day already."

A stressful day for him? Sure.

Lowering my baseball bat just a little, I inquired, "Who are you then...?"

"My name is Ben," he answered without reluctance.

Ben? The game file.

"Did you own that Majora's Mask game before me?" I started. "Why are you here? Why do you look like that? And, how did you come through the fucking TV???"

"First of all, no I didn't own that game right before you, but I used to. Second, I got pulled here. Third, rude, I don't think you need to question my looks. And fourth, I have a knack for coming through electronic devices that have screens."

"How?"

"If I explained, you'd be standing there for a few more hours."

Gulping, I stared at him with the bat still wielded towards him. He stared back with a placid expression, and I began to wonder if maybe I was safe. But, this guy just pulled a 'Samara' on me, how else am I supposed to feel right now? What's with his eyes? Why is he so chill about "going through electronic devices"?

It was at this moment that I finally noticed a peculiar smell in the air. Without knowing, I stepped closer as I sniffed to get a better understanding of the scent. The moment I figured it out, I cringed away and questioned, "Why the hell do you smell like weed?"

The blonde-haired stranger looked awkward, but guilty all the same, and remarked, "How do you know what it smells like?"

"Answer my question."

"You answer first."

I frowned. "I'm not playing these games with a weirdo in his underwear and slippers."

"You can't judge me for wanting to be comfortable."

I groaned and added, "Forget the fucking weed. What the hell are you?"

"Um...I can't answer."

"At this point, I'm sure you can," I retorted.

He clicked his tongue as he held his hips and said, "Well...I am...a..."

"Spit it out," I growled.

"Geez, feisty..."

"I swear--!" I began, but the familiar sound of keys jingling came from behind me and I tensed up.

Quickly, I charged forward and shoved the blonde into Hunter's room out of panic. I shoved my palm against his mouth and pushed him up against the wall behind the door.

"Do not make a sound," I hissed close to him. He only blinked his red and black eyes at me. From this stance, I could see that he was a few inches shorter than me, the top of his head coming up to my eyes. I don't know why I decided to take note of this, but I did, and quickly walked out of Hunter's room to confront whoever was outside.

To my luck, Hunter was standing in the middle of the living room, taking his jacket off. He looked at me and smiled his signature warm smile. "Hey there, Reese's puffs," he teased, then his expression shifted and he asked, "Why do you have the security bat?"

I glanced down at the aluminum weapon in my hands and managed an awkward chuckle. "Just got paranoid. I was, uh, watching some spooky videos..."

"Aw, does my wittle brother need a hug?" As Hunter came closer, I reeled away and pushed the bat against him. He laughed and pushed it down. "Hey, so did you beat Snowhead Temple today?"

"Uhm, no," I answered truthfully. "I had some homework I had to finish before I gamed. I left off in the village."

"Oh, cool," he said. "That means I can watch you play. That's what you wanted, right? Let's hop to it."

He began walking to his room but I stepped in front of him and said, "W-Wait."

With a questioning expression, Hunter asked, "What's up?"

"Don't you think you should eat something first?" I asked. I have to keep him away from his room until I can get that weirdo out of the apartment without any commotion.

"Don't worry, I grabbed something to eat with my friends," he chimed and maneuvered past me to continue to his bedroom.

"Uh, Hunter, I...spilled juice on your floor," I lied. "I need to clean it up before you walk in and sit down."

"I can just step over it and chill on my bed," he said and kept going, this time having to gently push me out of the way.

Hunter pushed against his bedroom door and opened it wide. I held my breath and bit my lip, waiting for him to freak out. Instead, all he told me was, "There's no spill on the floor."

Confused, I rushed into his room and looked down at the floor before glancing behind his door. The blonde-haired stranger wasn't there. And I doubt there's any space in Hunter's closet and under his bed to hide. He was gone. That's when I quickly glanced at the normal looking TV and sighed with relief.

"Surprise," I said, "I lied about the juice."

"Okay...," Hunter murmured before tossing his backpack at the foot of his bed and sitting down. I leaned the baseball bat against the dresser beneath the TV and turned it on. I was surprised to see that the Majora's Mask game was still on and left off on "Smeffle" standing in Snowhead Village, the spot he was in before everything got weird.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hunter piped up from behind me. I turned my head to look at him and he continued, "You look like you've seen a ghost or something, buddy."

Maybe I did. I don't know.

"It's nothing," I lied and picked up the N64 controller I used earlier to turn back the time I lost in the game. Hunter left it at that and hung out on his bed.

He stayed there, watching me as I went through the temple, giving me tips as I played. I should've felt happy since this was what I wanted, but I couldn't help but feel paranoid. I kept expecting the reversed music to come through the TV speakers, or for the screen to warp and twist again. But nothing ever happened, and eventually I completed the temple like I wanted to. Hunter congratulated me, and when both of us came out of his room, Mom was back home. To get my mind off of what I just went through, I offered to help Mom make dinner and, of course, she allowed it. Everything seemed normal now, which is good for Hunter and Mom, yet I couldn't help but feel worried that something else will happen soon.

...

We ended up getting our first noise complaint later on in that evening.

...

Elizabeth's POV

He won't leave me alone. Why can't he just leave me alone?

The rutty motel room was dim from the lowly glowing lamp on the end table. Next to it, an alarm clock blinked 12:00, and has been doing that since I got here last week (I never bothered to change it--what was the point). I sat in the corner of the room instead of on the bed. I can't stay in bed--too lumpy, too worn. My bare feet touched the carpeted floor, blistered in some spots from walking and running to safe places. But no place is safe, because He is still here, everywhere I look, and when I close my eyes he keeps talking to me in that dark voice. I cover my ears, but he's not in my ears, he's in my head, and I can't get rid of him. I need him to leave. I need the extra, agonized voices to leave, too. I need to hear silence.

Elizabeth, get up from the floor. Do you have any idea how dirty it is?

I don't answer. I try not to, because then it validates his existence even more.

Elizabeth, come now...

I hear his footsteps come closer, and the moment I see his shiny dress-shoes, I avert my gaze. With closed eyes, I huddle in the corner, trying to cringe away as far from him as I possibly can. Even though I anticipate it, I still flinch when his cold fingers brush against my shoulder, gliding up to my face.

Elizabeth...

No. Go away. I don't want you here. Don't touch me. Don't touch me. Go away, go away, goawaygoawaygoaway.

That's when I suddenly felt a sharp pain on my limbs and torso. I look down and see the mouths undulate across my skin, snapping and glowing with fury. Shaking my head, I closed my eyes again to ignore the pain. That's all I've been doing. Ignoring pain. That's all I've been feeling. Pain.

They are eating away at you, my girl.

Stop eating. Not me.

I've told you many times before that they are not sated like human mouths. You already know what you must do. If you don't feed those mouths...

"Let them starve...," I muttered, "let me die..."

I don't want to die.

I love you, my dear, but you are being irrational. You do realize that you cannot die. There is no freedom of death for you anymore. Only eternities of pain, unless you let them feed.

Opening my eyes, I looked down at the mouths as they snapped at me. The skin around them has become pink and hot. I do realize that they are slowly weakening me. The pain grows sharper and deeper everyday the more I starve them. I feel them gnawing on my bones. The only appendage safe is my metal arm.

Feed them.

"N...No," I murmured, struggling to breathe.

Feed them, Elizabeth...

Through clenched teeth, I growled, "I. Will. Not!!!" In my anger and frustration, I grabbed at the alarm clock on the end table and yanked it out of the plug. Without hesitation, I chucked it at Zalgo's body but nothing was there. So instead of hitting him, the alarm clock crashed into the mirror above the dresser behind him. Reflective glass shards shattered and fell all over the floor. I gasped and stared, realizing that I've broken the motel's property. I'll have to leave soon now. No... No, no, no! No!!!

Oh, Elizabeth. How irresponsible of you! You really should control your anger.

"Shut up!!!" I couldn't contain my voice any longer. "Shut up already!!! SHUT UP!!!"

There was muffled banging on the wall behind me and another tenant yelled, "Shut the fuck up, lady!" I glared at the wall, silently cursing at the man who should mind his own damn business.

The mouths snapped faster, growling in my head, loving my anger. I didn't realize they were begging for me to kill my neighbor until I was walking to my door to leave my room. As soon as I figured it out, I immediately retreated back into my room and slammed the door shut. In my panic, I grabbed the chair by the old desk under the TV and shoved it up against the door. When that wasn't enough for me, I pushed the desk against the door, too. I can't leave this room. If I do, I'll kill someone. I'll kill anyone and everyone. That's what the mouths want. They want blood, and misery, and chaos. I can't give them that. I'm not like Zalgo. There's no way I can succumb to the mouths' hunger. Never!

You can't suppress it any longer, my darling daughter.

I whipped around and saw Zalgo standing in front of me in the middle of the room. Even in such dim lighting, his skin was extremely pale. No matter where or when, he always wears the same button shirt, dress-pants, vest and tie. So exquisite for such a savage entity. His black hair fell in front of his face and his crimson eyes bore into mine. And always, always, he flashes a cruel grin at me.

How much longer do you wish to pull this charade? Do you hurt yourself like this out of spite for me? Or do you wish to protect everyone by being selfless like a noble, thoughtful hero? Like the proxy?

I don't answer this time, but I sneer at him with all of the hate in the world. He only chuckles at me.

Poor, darling Elizabeth. Your time as the proxy is up. Ao Matsukochi has taken your place and will remain there forever. You will never be the hero ever again, because now you must play the other part. So I suggest you play it with passion.

"Fuck you...," I hissed, then attempted to spit on him even though it would only land on the carpet. Suddenly, the mouths gnawed at me harder and I crumbled to my knees. My anger is only teasing them. I have to calm down. So, I began to think of things that calmed me down.

Reading. I've been stealing books ever since I ran away again. They're amazing books, well-written, and they enthrall me in whatever world that its story tells of. Although I always have to ditch them or sell them to random people in the street, I enjoy and savor my time with them. Okay, something else...

There's pretty warm weather outside. Not too hot but just enough. It's nice, and fresh, and I'm able to breathe. The grass is green, skies are blue most of the time, sun always shines somewhere. Sometimes I'll take a walk at night when I'm most hidden and enjoy the space. What else...

I look down at the rings I wear on my left hand. The diamond ring is sitting snug on my left ring finger, while the wedding band is on my thumb; too big for my other fingers. They sparkle despite the motel room's lighting. Looking at them makes me feel like I still have some hope. I want to return home, where I belong. With everyone: the pets, Masky and Hoodie, Ben, Jack, Ao, Sally, Ms. P, and especially Jeff. Someday I want to come back and be with him again. I have to give his ring back, after all. When I do, we can be together. I want to be with him. I need him, and I'm sure he needs me.

Even though there was a pang of sadness in my heart, I was able to calm down, and the mouths ceased their grousing. The black tattoos pulsate red for a few moments, not yet submitted to tranquility. Still, it was bearable.

Exhausted from fighting these seven mouths, I fell across the floor and curled up into a ball. I clutched my left hand against my chest and began to cry. My lips trembled as I kissed Jeff's wedding band, then the rest of me trembled when I thought about him kissing my ring. Thanks to dreams, I'm still able to memorize how he looks. I've thought about his paper-white skin, his black hair, and his dark eyes that seem like they wouldn't hold a lot of emotion but they do. Even with his scarred mouth, his smiles are always genuine. I've thought about his hands and how they've held me and touched me. He's a surprisingly gentle person. I've thought about his voice talking to me, telling me 'I love you', or 'Sunshine'. When he sang with me that one time on our mission to Clockwork and Toby, it was wonderful. It sucks that I kept my amazement to myself and never told him about it.

I tried not to think too hard about how he must look right now. Scarred, traumatized, angry, but also saddened. It's my fault that he'll have to deal with his current state, whatever it may be. To be honest, I don't even know if he's alive, or at the mansion. That silver-eyed man took him and that was the last time I ever saw either of them. Why did he take Jeff away from me? What reason does he have to take him so inconsiderately? He's not yours to take...!

No, stop, you're getting angry again. Breathe. Close your eyes. Relax.

I have faith that Jeff is alive, and doing considerably well for himself. He has to be alive. Jeff is alive, and is waiting for me, and I swear I'll come back soon. Just...not while I'm like this. Not with Zalgo in my head and these mouths on my skin. I can't hurt you, Jeff. If I do, I wouldn't be able to live with myself, and I'm not going to be close to dying any time soon.

Zalgo's cold fingertips grazed against my face, trying to wipe away the tears that he can't manipulate.

In time, you will accept this responsibility. And I will be here to cheer you along, always. That is what a good father does for his beautiful daughter.

Too weak to push him away, I laid on the floor, crying, and let him caress my face with a freezing touch.

I want to go home.

Please, let me go home.