Tenacious Love (Hoody Romance) CANCELLED

Seventeen

   "Hoody?" I call into the large mansion. My voice echoes off the walls. Suddenly, Slenderman appears in front of me, causing me to jump.

   "Why do you need Hoody?" He asks menacingly. I stare up at his faceless head.

   "M-my dad needs him." I try to lie. He lets out an evil sounding laugh.

   "You've always been a liar, Brier. Just like your mother." He accuses. I glare and hiss at him. He hisses back, but it doesn't affect me. He doesn't scare me anymore. "Anyway," He continues. "Hoody is out right now."

   "Well where is he then?" I ask with suspicion. 

   "It's none of your business, Brier!" He exclaims. I laugh.

   "And I'm the liar." I mutter underneath my breath before leaving the mansion. As soon as I walk out, Hoody is walking towards me. Or the mansion, really. He cocks his head to the side slightly, probably confused as to why I'd want to be anywhere near the mansion.

   "Hey, what's up?" He asks as I approach him.

   "We need to talk." I tell him quietly, as if Slenderman wouldn't be able to hear us. I pull him out to the clearing I've been to so many times and face him. I see confusion in his eyes. "What is your plan, Hoody? Everybody suspects something of us, so why must we dance around this topic like it's fire? You've confessed that you love me. Why can't we just accept it or stop trying? I'm sick of waiting." I explode my feelings out. Hoody looks at me with a blinkless stare. I can tell he's trying to find the right words to say.

   "You know how I feel about this. About you, Brier. You deserve better than me." He responds quietly. I shake my head.

   "No, Hoody, I don't. If you decide you were wrong and you don't love me, I'll stay here. If you say you are still in love with me, I'll stay. You nor anyone else in this family can sway my thinking." I respond back to him just as quiet. "The secret is out that I love you, Hoody. And I don't care to hide it again."

   Hoody stares at me for what feels like an eternity. I feel my heart grow colder with every passing second. My heart begins to ache and I lose hope.

   I turn around and start walking away, afraid that he'll tell me he was playing me all along. Suddenly, I feel him grab my arm. I look at him and see his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and sadness.

   "I'm in love with you, Bri. I've never stopped loving you." He pulls me closer to him. "I don't want you to be like me, Bri. And I've been afraid that I'll make you turn." I feel my heart swell. I wrap my arms around him and hold him closely. He returns the embrace.

   I have fallen for Hoody, yet I don't want to get back up.

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   My heart beats wildly in my chest as I stare at my closed bedroom door. I'm scared for the reaction of my family and if I've made the correct choice.

   Hoody agreed to take Dad out to talk to him while they "worked". It's around the time which he should be home, and I'm terrified of being strung up.

   I jump as the sound of the clock on the wall chimes. 1 AM. I hear the sound of a door creaking open. My heart threatens to jump out of my chest at this rate. A quiet knock on my door fills the room. I manage to let out a quiet, "Come in." I see dad in my doorway. He looks... calm.

   He sits across from me on my vanity bench. I swallow hard as he clears his throat. "So, you and Hoody...." He starts. I sigh before nodding once. "I don't know why I ever doubted it would happen. I just hoped, prayed, you would decide to leave us behind for something better." He looks down.

   "I would never leave this family, dad. I love you all so much. Hoody has had no say in that whatsoever. I only worry about Slenderman. Does he know?" I ask with a worried tone. Dad scoffs.

   "Of course he knows. Just try to keep a low profile around him for a little while. Don't say much to him. Respect him, Brier. He keeps us all alive and safe, even if he is an asshole."

   I laugh and get up. He does too and he hugs me tightly. He kisses the top of my head. "I love you, dad."

   "I love you, Brier."

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   I lay down and stare at the blank ceiling. I feel an arm wrap around my waist. Warmth spreads through my body and I feel at peace. I close my eyes.

   "Are you ready?" Hoody whispers in my ear. I open my eyes and see a person staring up at me in fear. I have a knife in my hand. I look up and see Hoody. "Kill them." He whispers.

   "But-"

   "Kill them, Brier." His tone becomes menacing.

   I look down at the person. Their face is blurry but I can tell they're scared. I close my eyes and plunge the knife down.

   My eyes open and my heart beats fast. Another dream. I think to myself.

   I sit up and rub my eyes. My alarm clock tells me it's only 7 AM. I groan and get up before dressing into skinny jeans and a sweatshirt. I can already feel the cold coming in from the snow outside.

   I pull on some shoes before quietly stepping outside. There's a thick blanket of pure white snow covering the ground. It crunches under my shoes as I walk aimlessly around the large forest. I don't feel scared anymore being out here alone. There's no reason to be afraid.

   Somehow, I end up to the clearing where Hoody and I have shared so much time together. I walk to the crystal clear pond and stare into the icy water. It's almost completely frozen over on the top.

   "Why are you out here, child?" I hear the voice in my head. Slenderman.

   I shrug. "I couldn't sleep." I keep staring into the pond. I can feel his presence all around me. He's like an energy. "Why are you out here?" I ask and look up at him. He stands- no, towers over me to my right.

   His head tilts slightly. "That's a silly question, don't you think?" He asks. I shrug again and look back into the water. "I know what's been going on, Brier. I know everything." He tells me.

   "I know. You've told me. Are you here to lecture me? Punish me?" I ask.

   "No. I've tried and you seem to be quite thick headed."

   I roll my eyes. "Finally." It falls silent as we stare at the ice together. After a few minutes of it, I look back up at him. "Can you feel emotion?"

   He almost looks thoughtful. "I suppose I can. I just don't find reason as I've seen how this world works."

   "Have you ever loved anything before?" I probably sound like a curious child with my questions.

   He sighs. The snow starts to fall around us. "I have loved before." He falls quiet. Even his energy dies down. "Brier, I love everything I have made in this world. Everything I have destroyed. I care for all of you. And I have seen what it looks like when a kingdom falls and how it starts." His head faces the sky more.

   "Is that why you fear us?" I ask quietly. "Do you fear normality will ruin what you have built?" He looks down towards me.

   "Do you believe you are normal, Brier?" He asks almost jokingly. I laugh and look down.

   "You have a point." It falls silent again. You can hear the snow hitting the cold ground as it falls around us. "However, my mother and I are the most normal. The only ones who don't kill. The only ones who have tried to bring a normal life into this world of yours." I look back up at him. "We could make or break this kingdom, but you knew that, didn't you?" I whisper.

   I stare up at his blank face. The silence hurts my ears. "You should go back inside now, Brier." He finally responds. I walk away without a glance back and return to the cabin alone.

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Yay I finished the chapter! I worked insanely hard on it because I care <3

I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading, my lovelies!