Masked Roses

Chapter Six

Sitting in the living room area, I assumed, I stared at a tall being with no face. He donned a suit with a red tie, his hands making an upside down triangle with his thumbs level with his waist and his fingers pointed down to the floor. I held my knees close to my chest as I stared at his white head. He was tall. Very tall. His head looked as if it was going to hit the ceiling if he looked straight ahead instead of right at me. There were a few sunken areas, like where his eyes might've been and a few defined areas like where his nose would be, but that was it. It was just a white head like a mannequin. It honestly creeped me out more than the black tendrils waving around behind him.

"You look terrifying..." I trailed off as I broke the silence first. Other people were in the room, but they didn't dare to speak up. Someone began to start laughing though, or at least tried not to, their efforts to keep the noise in becoming useless though.

"I'll take that as a compliment." I could hear a smirk in his voice and I narrowed my one good eye on him. "You look rather horrifying yourself. You look as if you could be related to me with your very pale skin." He commented and I remembered that fact, recalling my reflection in the mirror.

My skin was impossibly white, like fresh linens or a marshmallow. I snarled, gritting my teeth together. "I don't understand why I'm here, sir..." I said, trying to be somewhat civil and not outright screaming at him. I had the feeling I shouldn't be aggressive with him, but my patience was running thin due to the lack of medication streaming through my blood. I seriously hoped they didn't ditch my bag that had my only relief from this madness in my head.

"You're here because you're a monster. One of us to put it more simply." He explained in a hollow tone that sounded as if it echoed somehow, but there were too many people and items in here for that to be possible.

"I don't think a rose in my left eye makes me a monster, sir..." I retorted and he hummed in thought, bringing up a hand to rub his chin while the other rested under his elbow.

"Maybe not that exactly. Your appearance is no longer human due to your time being here, but-"

I cut him off abruptly. "How long have I been here?" I tilted my head to the side at an odd angle, but it didn't hurt, barely any pain told me that my head was tilted and pressed right against my shoulder. Normally, one's neck might've snapped from it being in this position, but not even a pop of my bones alerted me of the strange degree I tilted my head at.

He paused as he stared at me, not speaking up before he let out a short chuckle. "You've been here for about a week now. Though you were about to wake up a few times before you did fully an hour ago. Most likely due to the pain and changes your body had undergone during your rest. Unfortunately, Jack had to surgically remove your eye before it could become infected and cause you uncomfortable pain to wake up to." My eyes widened at that statement.

"E-Excuse me?" I was about to question so many things when I felt a tap on my shoulder, making me lift my head up in their direction to see the blue masked man who was called Jack. He pointed a gloved finger to his other hand and I looked down to see a cloth holding a cleanly punctured eye, a lifeless hazel and gold iris devoid of a pupil looking at nothing in particular. Until it suddenly turned in my direction.

I freaked out and scooted away immediately, falling off the couch onto my head as I then held my head in pain. Everyone stared at me in shock and I groaned as the back of my skull throbbed in agony. Getting back up, I rubbed my single eye and looked towards Jack holding the eye that was once mine. It was now looking at nothing again and I shivered, realizing that I desperately needed my medication to prevent these hallucinations before they broke me anymore than they were already.

"Is something wrong?" I heard the faceless man ask and I turned to him, shaking my head nervously as I went back over to the couch and sat down, hugging my knees tight against my chest once again as I stared at my knees. "Hmm...I suppose that's why you had those pills in your bag."

My head looked up at him and I stared at him confused. "You...looked through my bag? Do you have it anywhere?" I asked.

A rattle of a bottle made me turn immediately to Jack as he was now holding the orange prescription bottle of antipsychotics. I stared at them, drool collecting in my mouth as if the pills were food that I needed to devour. Leaping off the couch, I snatched them from his hand and opened it without hesitation, taking three of the pills dry, swallowing the instant they were close to the back of my throat. I was so swift in retrieving my only savior from my own crazed state that I didn't notice I had knocked Jack over in the process.

Turning towards him as he let out a moan of pain, I glared at him and flicked his arm with a bit of force. "Dickhead...That's what you get for sedating me..."

A roar of laughter echoed through the room and I looked up to see everyone pointing at Jack and how he was so easily knocked down by a girl. I heard the faceless man let out another hum in thought and I turned towards him as he stared at me.

"Seems you have an addiction to those pills, and are rather strong when deprived of them." He mentioned and the room slowly quieted down. I glared back at Jack and stood up, nudging his side with my foot before stepping over him and sitting on the couch normally. My paranoia faded slowly but surely as I sighed and leaned forward over my knees, staring at the floor.

"I dislike feeling crazy, or even seeing those hallucinations. I was going to get a stronger prescription the next day...had he not sedated me and dragged me here, so I'm stuck with these." I lifted up the bottle and noticed that it was only half full. With me now having to take three of them at a time, I knew it wouldn't last. Maybe another week at most, or two if I took them every other day.

"I'll have Sadie and Sally help you into town someday so you can get your necessary papers for someone to bring with them so that they could get you refills. But if I take those away, think of it as punishment, or preparation for something. You have been warned." He spoke in a stern and serious tone and I narrowed my one eye at him, gripping the bottle in my hand tightly.

"Fine..." I simply stated.

"I don't think any of us know your name." He mentioned.

"And I don't know any of yours." I spared a glance around the room.

The man let out a sigh and began to point around the room, going from left to right. "BEN, Sally, Sadie, Hoodie, Masky, Laughing Jack, Bloody Painter, Jeff, Toby, and Clockwork. And I am Slenderman." I turned my attention back to him when he said his name at last.

"Serene...Evergreen..." I said and the little girl known as Sally raised her hand, bouncing in place as she tried to raise her hand as high as she could.

"Yes, Sally?" Slenderman turned his attention to the little girl.

"Can I choose her proxy name?!" She shouted.

"Well, what have you come up with?" He inquired.

"Scarlet Rose! Or Scarlet for short!" She said with excitement and a squeal.

Looking back at me, Slenderman gestured to the small child. "Well? What are your thoughts on the name, Serene?"

I shrugged and glanced at the girl. "I suppose it works..." I mumbled and the girl squeaked in joy.

"I got to name a proxy!" She bragged and the others simply rolled their eyes.

"We'll discuss more about the topic of 'proxies' later, Serene. Do not feel you should know what it means right now. We'll talk later after dinner." He nodded his head and I looked at him, returning the nod. "With this, our introduction is over. You're all dismissed." He suddenly disappeared in a blur, but I could see a faint plume of smoke as it dissipated into the air.

With that, the silence broke almost instantly like a high school classroom bustling with conversation. Pairs and groups of friends dispersing and leaving the room to do their own thing while I sat in the living room. I wasn't sure what else to do and I was about to get to go back to the room I supposed was now mine when a hand grabbed my shoulder, making me shudder and turn.

BEN, the blonde haired and perverted elf, stood there with an innocent smile. "Wanna play some video games with me and Jeff?" He offered.