Heartbreak | BEN Drowned X Reader

08| Forget

It takes a while for Amber to calm down at least a bit. Exhaustion finally catches up to her, every emotion that had crashed against her body leaving her weak and tired. Heck, even a headache had started to form.

Eyes fluttering shut, she lets her body go limp against Slenderman, the comforting and safe aura around him calming her into a deep slumber.

After he's sure that Amber is knocked out asleep, he takes her into his arms and carries her to the beginning of a new life that may be scarier than her previous one.

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Darkness fills Amber's mind. She knows she can wake up at any moment, open her eyes and face the world, but she chooses to keep her eyes closed. The warmth of the blanket wrapped around her body is too comforting to let go of. It feels like the warm embrace of a loved one in a dark cold night—something that Amber knows she won't ever feel again.

Her heart beats loudly yet slowly against her chest, the thumping sound being the only thing she can hear in the quietness of the room.

The surface she's laid upon is soft and welcoming, somewhere that she doesn't want to get up from just yet.

It feels like she's floating on a cloud, completely detached from reality. Is this what going to Heaven feels like? Or maybe it's just a matter of time until she falls from the cloud and crashes into the hell that some call life.

She feels around her, her eyes still closed. Her fingertips grace over a soft edge—the edge of the bed, to be exact—and moving upwards she comes across a huggable object which she assumes to be a pillow. Getting curious, she slowly flutters her eyes open to be met with a barely decorated room.

The room is almost plain looking, consisting of average furniture and lacking bright colors. Something that is clear is that the owner is quite a big fan of books, having a rather large bookshelf seated by the only window in the room, some books even laid out on the wooden desk pressed up against the wall next to the bookshelf.

Something that caught Amber's eyes is the picture frame on the desk, the picture protected by the glass being unrecognizable thanks to the light reflecting on the clear surface. Amber gets up, her legs shaking slightly as she walks over to the desk.

She reaches out her hand, gently and carefully grabbing the picture frame. She recognizes the tall, faceless creature in the photo, his iconic suit flawless as always.

There is a young woman next to him too, her smiling face seeming to outshine the sun that's slowly disappearing behind the clouds in the background. Her chocolate brown locks frame her face perfectly, falling around her shoulders in soft curls. She has an arm wrapped around Slenderman's neck, bringing him down to her level to be able to take a picture.

Footsteps echo outside the door and panic rushes through Amber, making her almost drop the picture frame as she puts it back in it's original place. The door opens slowly, almost as if the person didn't want to be noticed as they enter. The person steps in, revealing themselves to be the freakishly pale and faceless being Amber has come to recognize as Slenderman.

"Ah, I see you've awaken, child," Slenderman's voice echos in Amber's head. It's the first time she has heard his voice and, to be honest, she didn't expect him to be able to speak in the first place.

Amber remains silent, not really knowing how to respond. Can you really blame her, though? She just woke up in an unfamiliar room that's in God knows where. For all she knows she could've been in a completely different place from where she last was in the forest.

Sensing Amber's discomfort, Slenderman speaks up once again with a soft yet booming voice. "How are you feeling?"

"I... I don't know," She stands awkwardly, pinching at the fabric of her skirt.

"That is understandable," He nods, "To answer some of your questions, you are currently in my room. It's the safest place in this manor, trust me."

Amber nods slowly, soon gaining the confidence to ask a question of her own. "Why am I here?"

"You aren't stable enough to be on your own, child. For that reason, I have decided to take you in to make sure you are safe from the world and yourself."

Once again, Amber falls silent. She tries her best to not think about the agonizing events that happened before she came to this place, but even though she tried her best, it was still very difficult. She replaces her frown with a small smile, pushing away the pain to the back of her head to get forgotten for a while.

"Do you have anything to eat? I haven't eaten all day," Amber laughs lightly, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

Despite the smile on her face and her more relaxed posture Slenderman knows that it's just an act, not necessarily to fool him, but instead to make herself feel better.

"Of course. What would you like?"

"Anything is fine. Thank you," Amber smiles. Slenderman nods wordlessly, disappearing into thin air.

Amber's shoulders fall with a sigh. She takes another look around the room, finding the books that are perfectly aligned on the shelf quite interesting. She walks to the bookshelf, trailing her fingertips on the wooden edge, reading the titles to see which ones catches her eye. Eventually, she settles on a romance book.

She sits back on the bed, flipping to the first page of the book and began to read. After some time of quiet reading, Slenderman reappears in the room with a plate filled with different foods.

"Thanks," Amber nods at him, carefully taking the plate in her hand.

Slenderman says a polite, "You're welcome," before noticing the open book. "Excellent choice, child. There are many books for you to read in your time staying here. Personally, I find books on the human brain quite fascinating."

"Thanks for the request," Amber smiles, closing the book and setting it next to her.

She begins to eat, making sure that she doesn't make a mess in fear of angering Slenderman and seeming impolite. As she ate, she noticed her backpack laying at the foot of the bed.

When she looks back up, Slenderman had disappeared, her shadow being her only company left now.