Serena

I wake up earlier than everyone else. We came to a conclusion that it was just us in the nightmare so we stayed the night in a little cottage down the road. I sit on the windowsill in the living room and stare out the window. The rising sun shines bright red still. Trash blows across the overgrown front yard. I sit in silence for about ten minutes when I finally hear footsteps coming down the hall. Kathryn, in my body, sits down across from me and stares out the window with me.

"Are you alright?" she asks after a minute or so. I don't reply. "Serena, please talk to me. I know you don't want to, but you need to tell me everything. You can't bottle it up more."

"I have nothing to say," I croak. She sighs and grabs my hands.

"Look me in the eyes," she commands.

"No."

"Serena."

"No."

"Please just look at me!" she pleads. I whip around to look at her. I expect to see her angry, but she has tears in her eyes. "I know you are sad and I know you are angry, but you have to pull it together. It's hard, but you have to keep strong for the others," she says seriously.

"I guess you're right," I reply after a moment of silence. She pulls me into a hug and I break down. I feel tears running down my cheeks. Kathryn lets go of me and I wipe my tears away.

"It's going to be alright," she says and we hear footsteps coming down the hall. The others are awake. Nathaniel and Dawson look sad, but Kylie is the worst. Her eyes are surrounded by red and she looks very depressed. I get up slowly and walk over to her. I pull her into a hug and she holds onto me for support. We let go and we all sit around the table.

"What are we going to do now?" Nathaniel asks. I wait for Trenton to speak, when I realize he's gone. I look up to find them all staring at me. That's a new thing.

"Honestly," I start, "I have no clue." They all look crestfallen and I feel my heart sink. I'm already disappointing them.

"This is your fault you know," Dawson says. I feel my fury return.

"Excuse me?"

"It's your fault we are all here in the first place. If you and Trenton hadn't complained about being stalked by this slenderman, our friends wouldn't be dead!" he retorts.

   "You guys wanted to come!"

   "We didn't know we would end up dead coming along with you and him!"

   "We warned you!! Do you think I wanted this?! Do you think I wanted my friends dead?! Do you think I wanted my family dead?! I didn't ask for this! If you blame one more thing on me, I swear it'll be the last thing you say," I say, bitterness taking a cutting edge on my voice.

"Our friends died because you were too weak to save them. Who else is there to blame?! Just you."

"Say that again." I growl through clenched teeth.

"This... is... all... your... fault," he growls back and I lunge for him. Kylie screams and tries to get between us. Kathryn grabs my arms. Nathaniel grabs Dawson (but it looks the other way around) and he and I scream insults at each other from separate corners of the room. Nathaniel drags Dawson outside while Kathryn forces me back into a chair. I scream and kick. All I want to do is hit Dawson.

"SERENA. SETTLE DOWN!" Kathryn yells at me. I immediately stop trying to get away.

"I'm going to get him one day," I whisper furiously.

"No, you won't. Be the better person no matter how bad you want to claw his eyes out," she says. I sigh and put my face in my arms.

"Why is this happening?" I ask her desperately.

"I don't know. I'm sorry," she replies.

"Me too," I say, staring out the window. "Me too…"