Covens and Proxies

38

Alright guys! The readers have spoken! The series will be continued!
~

An explosion rocks the entire building, snapping you awake. You sit upright, only catching a flutter of a jacket and Toby's heals before he's out the door and running down the hall. You chase after him, pausing when you realise you're only in your undergarmentrs.

How did he get dress so fast?! You wonder, shutting the door and locking it. A minute later, you follow the few just emerging from their own rooms to the front door. You push through the crowd, finding Toby, Hoodie, Masky and another girl standing in front of the crowd. Toby glances at you when you get ahold of his shoulder; he gestures for you to stay back.

You do, looking down at the lawn. Slenderman is standing between you and the rest of the pastas and a tall, young-looking man with spirally horns and glowing eyes.

You glance to your side, wondering if it's safe to ask who that is, to find the young girl with the teddy bear. "What's going on?" You mutter to her.

She looks up at you with shocked brown eyes, seeming to register your face and that you're new. "That's Zalgo. Mr. Slendyman and him sometimes have a talk in the mornings." She mutters.

"Zalgo likes to make an entrance." A young woman behind you growls, glaring at the demon man. Her left eyes is replaced with a clock.

You nod, watching them. "They aren't going to fight, are they?" You ask.

The young woman laughs. "Probably. Watch out for shrapnel. They like throwing each other into the house."

You watch them, silently tugging your book towards you over everyone's heads. When it settles next to you, you step up next to Toby and take his hands, putting up a shield between the proxies and the two. He looks at you with a warning glare. You dare him to tell you off with your own glare. A brief battle of will before he sighs and he pulls you closer by your waste.

You don't hear much; vague static and occasional crackling of fire, before Zalgo disappears with and equally loud exit. Apparently, the shield also supplies a filter for excessive sensory overload, so while everyone flinches, very little sound actually reaches their ears. Everyone's confused before your book shuts and you almost collapse into Toby. He picks you up, much to your embarrassment, and walks right through the crowd.

"You-you know you aren't a good shield." He grumbles, kicking a swinging door open.

You smile. "I know. But I don't like the idea of letting everyone suffer unnecessarily."

He smirks and shakes his head, sitting you on a couch in front of a large tv. A boy in a Link cosplay sits on the floor next to you, playing Call of Duty and wasting everything on sight.

"I'll make so-some breakfast." Toby mutters in your ear before walking off.

You relax into the couch, watching the strange kid play until something is thrown at you. A flick of your wrist and a pillow crumbles to dust. "Surprise attacks won't work." You call to whoever threw it.

"So it's true. He let a witch in." It's the young woman from before; with the clock for an eye. Next to her are two other girls; one with no eyes and the one that was standing with the proxies. High school memories wash over you.

"Is there a problem?" You ask, trying to keep the bitterness from your voice.

The woman bends down close, getting in your face. "Don't think you're anything permanent. Toby is and always will be mine. He's just mad at me right now." She snarls.

At first, you don't react, processing the information before you respond. You can't fight the smirk that pulls at your lips. "I don't really care." You snark, getting closer to her. "But threaten me again, and I'll curse. You'll be so horribly disfigured, not even your mother would recognize you." You make a show of looking her over and scoff. "Not that you could be much uglier."