Mistakes (Jeff the Killer X OC)

I Get a Damn Break, Just Kidding No I Don't

~~~Astrid's POV~~~

Had I been Skylar, I would have told myself to get lost. Listening to the tale of a girl who almost got killed a few times, withstood a bit of torture, knocked out two grown ass men to save her killer, slept in a mansion full of misfits, and was now allied with those misfits, would have been enough to make me stand up and walk away. Never to talk to her again.

Hell, I think Skylar was pretty tempted to do so, but in the end he merely sighed and told me to come with him. I grabbed my computer bag and backpack from the car to follow him. He stared at the windshield.

"Are those..." He asked, pointing at the marks on the windshield.

"Caused by bullets, yeah." I supplied when he seemed to struggle with the words. He merely shook his head and approached his car. After unlocking the passenger door for me, he sat in the driver's seat and stared at the steering wheel.

"So you're telling me that all these crazy urban legends are real. Like... Like BEN Drowned and Majora's Mask and Cleverbot and all that. Laughing Jack with the children. Eyeless Jack with the kidneys-"

"What's the deal with the kidney?" I suddenly asked. Somehow, Skylar seemed to know about these freaks. Maybe he could answer my question.

"Are you kidding? You don't know?" He asked, glancing at me and grinning. I merely shook my head. "He eats them. I mean if memory serves right and the rumors are true, he eats any organ, but the kidneys are like... His go to meal."

I stared at my lap, rethinking my whole life. "You mean to tell me... That my kidney... Was going to get eaten... By EJ?"

Skylar nodded solemnly.

"Okay, let's back up. Who's Laughing Jack? And how do you know so much about them?" I asked, just as Skylar turned the key in ignition and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Laughing Jack is like... An imaginary friend, except he's not and he kills children. Or something like that. He loves candy." Skylar said with a shrug.

"Like... Is he like... I dunno, a monochrome clown maybe?" Honestly, I couldn't think of someone else I'd met who could be jolly enough to be called 'Laughing' Jack. Plus I was fairly sure that the clown was LJ which would make sense. Maybe.

"That's one of the theories. Either way, so if all of this is true, and you're running from these men... Wait you want to save Jeff?" Skylar asked, driving towards what I assumed was his house.

"I know it sounds crazy, but yes. I mean, it's just... Like this feeling inside of me. I can't explain-" I began, but Skylar was quick to interrupt.

"Is it loooove?" He asked, grinning. I smacked his shoulder.

"No! It's like an instinct, like... Like when you're alone in the woods, and you hear a noise... Your instinct is to run, right? Well it's something like that. It's like my mind is telling me to just go. And save him. Now." I explained. Skylar nodded.

"I'm pretty sure that's love." He replied, grinning when I groaned.

"Noooo. First off, he hates my guts. Well, we sorta did make peace, but that's another matter. Second, we barely know each other." I started, holding up one finger for each argument. "Third, my mother would absolutely kill me if she found out. Fourth, have you seen his face? Fifth, put me in a room with Jeffrey for an hour, and by the time the door opens one of us will be dead." I made a show of putting my other hand up, so he would think that I was about to list it up to ten. Skylar merely sighed.

"Alright, alright. Whatever helps you sleep at night." He said, a smirk clear in his voice.

We spent the rest of the ride discussing the situation. He kept asking questions, I kept answering them. After a while he fell quiet, no doubt trying to let it all sink in. I used the opportunity to lean my head against the window and rest my eyes. I just wanted a moment to think.

~~~

When I opened my eyes, however, I was not in Skylar's car. Instead, I was standing alone in a forest. It was not the same forest where the mansion resided. This one somehow seemed much darker and eerie. There was no wind rustling the leaves, no wild animals scurrying about. Everything was so silent. I could even hear my heart beating.

"What the hell..." I muttered, looking around. "Am I dreaming?"

"Hardly." A voice behind me said. Immediately I turned around, but there was no one there.

I reached into my pocket for anything useful, but with a start, I realized I was wearing a dress. I never wore dresses. The last time I wore a dress was in the high school prom, which I went to because Katy forced me. The one I was wearing now, was my prom dress.

I reached down and took my heels off. If I needed to run, they would me no good.

"It's a shame you don't remember us. That no good mother of yours made sure you wouldn't remember." The voice said, again it sounded like it was behind me. I turned, but there was nothing. The voice sounded almost... Sad?

"Who are you?" I called out, sounding braver than I felt.

"Not only will we tell you..." The voice stated. "But we will show you."

With that, my whole world went dark. Once I was finally able to get my bearings straight, I found myself living in the worst day of my life.

My senior prom.