The Truth about SlenderMan (Completed)

Chapter 12

SlenderMan never mentioned anything about the time he was wounded since it happened. Occasionally he would give me small gifts, a different meal here and there, or sometimes a pretty stone or bead. I don't think he knew how much they meant to me. With every trinket he gave, I fell deeper in love with him.
I was admiring a particularly beautiful stone when I felt the air in the room grow cold and SlenderMan appeared. "Hey", I said, looking up at him. "Hello", he answered back. After a very uncomfortable silence, I went back to looking at the stone. "I see you're enjoying the gifts I've left", he said. "These? Yeah, I really like them", I responded. "Good", he said, sounding relieved.
Then he left, like always. I gave a very long sigh, and got up to put the bead away. But after I did, I heard a noise downstairs. I froze. No one was supposed to be in the castle.
I quickly ran to see what was going on. When I burst through the door, I saw SlenderMan walking through the halls towards the room where he casted my arm. "I thought you left", I accused him, loud enough so he would hear me. He ignored me, but started walking faster. "Wait!", I started running after him. It seemed that I shouted that a lot.
I ran as fast as I could to try to reach him. "Stop!" SlenderMan disappeared down the dark hallway towards the room. I chased after him until I could see him. "Hey! What is wrong?"He had just put his hand on the doorknob when I grabbed his arm to stop him from entering the room. He turned around sharply. Taking one look at my hand around his wrist, he twisted his arm, and violently pushed my onto the floor. I fell hard, but I managed to protect my head, at the cost of my arm.
"Ow!", I cried out and tears sprang into my eyes. He took a step backwards, stunned, and I got the feeling he didn't mean to hurt me. But the damage had been done, and it was more than my arm that hurt. SlenderMan turned around and grabbed the doorknob again. As he did, I caught the end of his tail coat, and held on with all the strength I had.
He stopped turning the doorknob midway. "Let go Carrie", he said, his voice low. "Not until you tell me what the deal is", I said through gritted teeth.
SlenderMan hesitated. "No." he said "I won't tell you." "Why not?" I said, standing up. When he didn't answer, I wasn't sure what to do. "Ms. Winters, I am going to ask you one last time. Let go of my jacket!" He was starting to get angry, and I didn't want to be the one responsible for vanishing his delicate tolerance for me, so I let go. I watched the tailcoat fall back in its place, and I looked up towards the back of his head. "There, I let go. Now tell me what the matter is!"
"No."
"Why not?"
"You're not ready."
"What does that even mean?"
"It's none of your business, in any way."
"That doesn't make any sense!", I yelled. "Don't you trust me?" He went silent. My heart froze. "You-you don't trust me? You don't trust me?" My voice started to fail me, and I took a step back. "What reason have I ever given you not to trust me?", I said, my voice cracking.
"I've seen you", he turned around to face me. "I've seen you stare at the door. You want to leave. You hate it here. How can I trust you when I know you might leave without my knowing at any time?"
"I-I-", I stopped, not sure what to say. "I wouldn't leave", I finally whispered. "Of course you wouldn't", he murmured, though I could tell he didn't believe me. "I promise! I couldn't leave, even if I wanted to", I tried to convince him. "You would stop me." "No, I wouldn't. Not anymore", he said, turning back towards the door. "That's not what I meant. I mean-you would stop me-but not really-" Even though I felt really juvenile doing it, I stomped my foot. "How are you so blind?", I shouted. "Can't you tell? I love you, you idiot!"
SlenderMan stood up straight and I cringed, realizing what I had just said. I didn't mean to call him an idiot. Oops. As he turned around to face me for the third time, I started to panic. "Look I-I didn't mean-", I started as he advanced towards me. I stayed rooted on the spot, determined not to show him I was scared out of my wits.
He walked quickly over me, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Without warning, he reached under my arms and picked me up so we were face to face. I went completely rigid. My heart was beating so hard I swore he could hear it. I didn't know what he would do to me, although I guessed he wanted to throw me down. The thought chilled me, and I braced myself for the impact.
It never came. Instead, he held me up for a moment longer, then bent his arms so I was close to him. I swear I stopped breathing for that moment. He was hugging me. His arms were wrapped around my back and he was hugging me. I almost couldn't believe it. To see if this wasn't some cruel dream, I hugged him back. It wasn't a dream; it was all real and I could not describe how relieved I was to have him know how I felt. And I was equally relieved that he probably felt the same.
I never knew how long we stood there, but it seemed like forever.
When he finally put me down, he didn't say anything. He just stared at me as if he couldn't believe what just happened. I didn't blame him. I was still having a hard time grasping what happened myself. Finally he took a deep breath. "I will tell you everything now. I was wrong to doubt you, and you-you deserve to know the truth."
SlenderMan put his hand on my shoulder and guided me away from the door and into the main hall. He stopped at the couch where he had lay wounded a few weeks earlier, and sat down. So did I. He leaned forward and took my hands in his large, thin ones. "Carrie, I ask that you believe what I say. It's not the story you have been told." I nodded. "I promise."
And SlenderMan started to speak.