Into the Woods | Ticci Toby

.7.

Maura stepped out of the shower onto the gray bath mat, wrapping her towel around her. Although she was absolutely drained from training, she still had promises to keep. She walked out of the bathroom over to her dresser, pulling out underwear and putting the articles of clothing on. She hadn't used her dresser except for earlier in the morning, but the longer she looked, it seemed that she had actually grabbed the only clothing that had been placed in the dresser.

Maura cursed under her breath, looking over at the closet. There were really dressy shirts and dress pants hung up on hangers, clothes way too nice for a tea party. "Why would I need these anyways," Maura said, slightly irritated. She pushed aside the glitter and the dressy to find something that actually piqued Maura's interest. And something did. A dark green windbreaker that was definitely not her size rested at the end of the closet, ripe for the picking.

Maura pulled the jacket out of the closet and examined it closer. It was the dark green that she had seen initially, but there were also two blue stripes around the middle of the jacket as well. Throwing on a pair of the dress pants that were hanging next to it and the black tank top that she had worn the day before, she felt as if she actually looked nice for a change.

Maura exited the room, glancing at the analog clock next to Toby's room. It was 6:55 pm, almost time for the tea party. She walked into the living room. She waved at Jane who was sitting on the couch watching a movie. There was a smaller blonde sitting next to her, one that Maura did not recognize. He glanced up from the DS that he was playing, and his completely black eyes narrowed. Maura jumped in her skin after that, realizing that she was staring. She smiled sheepishly and hurried off, confused but not wanting to push it.

Maura knocked on Sally's door, and it opened to the short girl dressed in a princess dress. Maura cracked a smile and stepped into the room, and there was a cute round table on the ground with a decorated pink and white tea set. "That's your seat, Maura!" Sally said cheerfully, going to her box of dress up clothes. She pulled out a tiara that had green rhinestones on it, handing it to Maura. She smiled at Maura and said, "It matches your shirt!"

Maura smiled back. "Thank you, Sally. I love the colors." Sally giggled, grabbing her teapot. "Would you like some tea?" Maura nodded, and Sally poured a clear liquid into the teacup that Maura held out to her. She brought it closer to her, staring into the cup as Sally poured a cup for herself and three other cups around the table. "Is this water?" Maura asked, unsure what to make of it. "Of course not, silly! It's tea!" Sally said, laughing at Maura's silliness.

Maura brought the teacup to her lips, taking a tentative sip. It was just lukewarm tap water. Maura felt the anxiety crumble within her as she took another sip, listening to Sally ask her stuffed animals about the weather. "So Maura!" She sat straight up at Sally's call. "Yes?"

"Do you have any recent gossip?" Sally asked, looking expectantly. Maura quirked an eyebrow, slightly confused. "Why would you think I have that?" She asked in response.

"Well, in the magazine that Jeff gave me, it said that all the best tea parties have a lot of recent gossip. Do you have any?" Maura shrugged her shoulders and said, "Not exactly? Today was my first day of training if that counts." Sally gasped in a dramatic way, covering her mouth with her gloved hand. "That's where you came from with Toby, right? Did anything crazy happen? I've never been allowed to go to training," Sally complained. Maura thought about what had happened at training, and she felt flush again. "Not really. I did beat Toby, though."

Maura took another sip of her lukewarm water, looking back to Sally. "What about you? Do you have any 'recent gossip' to share?" Sally thought for a second, and Maura could basically see the gears turning in Sally's mind. Her face lit up, and she said, "Yes! Masky said that this guy named Zalgo was back. But I don't know who that is" She frowned, thinking some more. "Did Masky say something else to you about it?" Maura asked, even more confused. Sally shook her head. "He wasn't talking to me, he was talking to Hoodie."

Maura paused for a second, then looked back up to Sally. "I think you're not supposed to eavesdrop on people, Sally," Maura sighed. Sally pouted her lip. Maura looked over at the other end of the table where there was the only empty chair. The other two were occupied by a stuffed teddy and a stuffed penguin, but this was the only open one. "Whose chair is that?" Maura asked, pointing towards the chair in question. Sally made a face, looking kind of sad.

"Jeff was supposed to come to the tea party, but I think he forgot." Maura felt slightly angry towards Jeff, solidifying the disdain she had for him. Maura looked towards Sally, motioning her to come closer. "Do you want me to cut his hair for you? Or dye his hoodie pink?" Maura whispered, and Sally giggled. Maura smiled, glad that she could make the girl happy again.

A loud yell made both girls jump in their seat. "Sally!" A scream could be heard, and thumping of feet thundered down the hall. The person slammed on the door, and it opened with a slam. There stood Jeff in a pink tiara with his long hair tied up back into a ponytail. Maura's jaw dropped, and Jeff froze when he saw Maura sitting at the table.

"Sally, what is she doing here? You said that it would be just us for the tea party!" Jeff spit out when he recovered himself enough to speak. "She said that she would come. I only asked her like an hour before the party!" Sally replied. Maura looked on in shock, fumbling for the teacup. Maura finally snapped out of her shock after a minute, and she took a sip from her cup.

Jeff looked at Maura, irritated. "What are you looking at?" he muttered. Maura took a second sip from the cup. "Pink is your color." she said, and Jeff let out a frustrated scream. Maura stood up, and then she walked towards the door quickly. "Thanks for the tea, Sally!" she called out as she rushed through the door frame.

She walked into the living room, and Jane looked towards her in confusion. "Maura? Aren't you supposed to be at a tea party?" Maura nodded, looking back towards the hallway she just left. "Yes, but there were some complications." Jeff yelled again from the hallway, and Maura and Jane flinched from the noise. "I'm gonna go now," Maura ran up the stairs and back to her room, locking the door. She sat on her bed, completely exhausted. "So much for a first party," she muttered out loud. Maura didn't really mind, however. Parties were never her thing.

She reached over to her nightstand, pulling out the second drawer. Her folder that had been given to her by Slenderman was sitting in the drawer, but for some reason, she hadn't read past the first page. Every time that she made an attempt to read it, she felt a mounting anxiety, like the folder was going to harm her. It was the exact feeling that she felt in that moment, looking down at the black folder sitting in her drawer. She shut the drawer after a moment, and all the anxiety dissipated as the sight of it disappeared. Frustration filled her chest, but she just ignored it. She decided she would try again tomorrow.