Into the Woods | Ticci Toby

.3.

"Wait, so that's why Masky was acting like that?" Maura exclaimed, appalled.

"Yep. He probably thought you were really annoying with all those questions, just like me." He pointed to himself with his bandaged finger, a smile creeping out from under his mouth guard. They were still sitting on the couch, a movie turned on. "Wait, didn't you call Masky Timmy?"

Toby shrugged. "Yep, because that's his real name. Timothy. He really hates it though." Maura looked out the window, where she could see Sally and a dark haired girl playing outside on a swing set. Where have I heard that name? The name Timothy was familiar, but Maura couldn't seem to put her finger on what exactly it was.

The front door opened, and Maura could hear loud voices drifting in from the foyer. Toby got up from beside her. Maura watched as he walked over to the foyer, and a loud yell made Maura jump. "Toby! Don't tickle me!" A guy rushed through the doorway, tripping in the process. His blue mask had an odd black substance running down it, and even though there were no holes in his mask for him to see though, he turned his head to exactly where Maura was looking at him from the couch. "Maura, right? Slender has been taking forever with you." He said in an unimpressed voice. Maura stood up, helping the guy up from the floor. His gray skin felt cool against her hand, almost like a corpse. Maura pulled her hand away a bit too fast, and a smirk graced the gray guy's face. "Don't get too scared, now."

Maura frowned, but before she could say anything, Toby ran back into the room. He was followed by a guy with long black hair, in stark contrast to his sheet white face. His face was... extra happy? His baby blue eyes were in a constant state of surprise, and a smile was cut into his face. Well, two deep scars extended from the corners of his mouth up across his cheeks. He looked over to Maura and the guy with the blue mask, raising an eyebrow. "This is what I carried back to the mansion?" He stuck out his tongue just as giggles could be heard from outside. He whipped his head around, then bolted towards the door, cursing as he went. "That bitch!" He screamed, and all of the rest of them watched as he started yelling at the girl with dark hair who was playing with Sally. They started bickering, and Sally looked very happy that the guy was there.

"Hey EJ, when is Luna getting back?" Maura turned to Toby. He draped his arm around the blue masked guy, EJ apparently, and poked his shoulder. EJ didn't seem too happy with the physical affection, but at the mention of this Luna, he seemed to soften. "She was supposed to get back from her mission sometime this morning, but you know how Splendorman is." Toby laughed at EJ's remark.

Maura stepped towards them, hands clasped. "Who is Luna?" Toby's focus drifted back to Maura, and a great big grin formed on his face. "It's EJ's girlyfriend!" He said excitedly, turning to EJ, who had already retreated to the couch. Toby sat down beside him, not letting him escape. He looked over to Maura and pulled her down beside him. She fell beside him, his arms wrapping around her and EJ. Anxiety pricked her chest, and her discomfort grew. Perhaps it was the adrenaline, but for some reason she hadn't realized until that moment that technically, she had been kidnapped. "Hey Toby," Maura said, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, "why exactly are we all here?"

The room grew cold. EJ frowned underneath his mask, and Toby looked away, pity and a darker expression clear on his face. Before anything could be said, another slam of the front door captured everyone's attention. A short, blonde girl with the most striking green eyes walked through the door. EJ hopped up immediately, and he kissed the girl on the cheek. "Hey Luna," Toby called out. The girl, Luna, looked over to Toby and Maura, and laughed. "You finally got a girlfriend, Toby!" Toby laughed back.

"Not yet!" He squeezed Maura's shoulder, and that was the last straw. She pulled his arm off of her, and walked towards the door frame. "It was nice to meet you," she said as she passed Luna and EJ. She heard movement behind her, but she paid no mind to it. She opened the front door. She turned and shut the door, not really caring how loud it was.

She stepped onto the slick road, breath visible in the air. Maura needed fresh air; how else was she supposed to process this? A house full of weird people who wouldn't give her a straight answer. She passed a lamp post, one of which seemed like it was from decades earlier. Maura stopped, looking at it. It must have been 15o to 200 years old. How is this still here?

"Interesting, isn't it?" A voice in Maura's ear caused her to jump. She turned to see Luna standing next to her. She didn't hear her follow her, which was odd; she heard everyone's footsteps. "Luna?" Maura said in surprise.

"I'm not that short, am I?" The not quite Luna girl stood up straight, and Maura could see that, just as she said, the girl was not Luna. She smiled at Maura, and Maura realized that there was mist emanating from around her feet. Maura gasped, stepping back slightly.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself!" The girl wiped her hands that were coated in dirt on her forest green sundress. "My name is Felicia. What's yours?" She said, sticking out her hand. Maura grabbed her hand hesitantly, Felicia shaking hers a couple of times vigorously. Mist rose wherever Felicia's hands touched Maura's. "Do you live in the mansion as well?" Felicia nodded and tilted her head. "Why do you ask?" she questioned.

"No one is giving me a straight answer, and I haven't seen Slenderman or whatever his name was. Course you tell me what everyone is exactly doing here?" Maura crossed her arms, refusing to let anyone else hide this from her. If she was going to be here, she had a right to know these things. Felicia glanced to the side towards the lamp post, tracing her finger along the ridges.

"Well, it's not too hard of a concept. We were all taken in by Slender, and he chooses his creatures carefully." she looked up at the gray white sky befitting of an early January day. "He picks you for one of two reasons: he either took pity on you, or you're good enough to become a proxy. Either way, you still have some part to play in his world." She gestured to the area around us, finally turning to Maura. "He chooses your part. So just go along with it." She smiled at the last part. Maura just looked at her, still confused. "But what does that mean?!" Felicia just smiled, looking down. Her head then snapped up to stare into Maura's eyes.

"Basically, everyone in the mansion is either supernatural or dead. Or a serial killer. Or any combination of the three." Maura stared at Felicia, horrified and shocked. "But I'm not any of those things!" Felicia just laughed, looking at the lamp post.

"I guess you better find out which one you are real quick then."