A Slender Child

Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

"You... teleported me... to a whole other country, just to go... shopping?!" I demanded incredulously.

"Believe me boo, it's worth it," was his dismissive reply.

The Trender man looked thrilled to be back in his home country. He was grinning in a way that was not unlike his middle brother. It looked natural though - human even - paired with the make up. I couldn't help it. A smile crept across my face too. Trendy grabbed me by the hand and started towing me off towards some store. "Come on Sky, let's have some fun!"

Okay, so the shopping wasn't nearly as bad as I had thought it would be. I had expected not to find anything that fit me - or at least not anything that fit me and looked GOOD at the same time. Trendy knew what he was doing though, I had to admit. Everything he put me in looked striking once on, even with the belly.

We talked as we shopped - got to know each other a little better. Trendy went on and on about different designers he'd met and worked with, not noticing that there names all went right over my head. Clothing was quite simply his thing - where Slender's was killing and Splendor's was happiness, Trender's was fashion.

He also talked about his childhood some, which intrigued me - Slendy never talked about his past much with me, and if I ever asked he simply said that it had been a very, very long time ago. Trendy, however, seemed to have no such qualms about speaking about his younger days though. Eagerly (and a little guiltily) I found myself taking advantage of the situation and pressing the tall man for more information.

"Well, our mother's tastes were more inline with Slender's..." Trendy told me over a clothing rack when I asked about their parents. "Father seemed to relate more with Splendor as far as I can remember, though he wasn't around much." A small v formed between his eyebrows as he thought back however many centuries ago it had been. "They died when Slender was still a baby. I was myself merely an adolescent. None of us remember how it happened... but I wish we did. So far we haven't found anything that CAN kill us. It would be handy to know whatever it is that managed to off our parents." His smile was rueful and bereft humor.

"If y'all were just kids, how did you survive on your own?" I asked. He looked up from the skirt he was inspecting and flashed a sharp toothed grin. His teeth were bared in away that seemed more predator-like and threatening than friendly. I almost shuddered.

"Slender's not the only one that can kill. It's just that HE enjoys it - I could take it or leave it," he explained, and I did shudder then.

Trendy went on with his story. "I was the oldest, so I took care of my little brothers - hunted for them until they were able to hunt for themselves. Splendor refused to hunt humans though. He was absolutely fascinated with them, but felt like it was wrong to prey on them."

"What did he eat then?" I asked. A part of me wondered if I should be worried that I could discuss all this talk of human hunting as calmly as I did.

"Animals, mostly, but he felt bad about that too. Eventually he ended up going vegetarian." I sensed him roll his eyes.

I chuckled. That sounded just like Splendy.

"Anyway, we were still in Germany at the time-"

"Germany?" I interrupted curiously.

He nodded. "That's where we were born. We all three lived there together until we were old enough to go our separate ways. Splendor went to Ireland while I went to France, and Slender stayed in Germany. Slender made a name for himself there pretty quickly as 'Der Ritter or Der Großmann.' Meanwhile I was discovering the wonders of fashion!" he exclaimed. After a dramatic pause he went on, "Splendor and I never strayed too far from our new homes after that, but Slender moved around quite a bit. During the twentieth century he went everywhere from Russia, to the UK, the America's, and then back to Germany. He was quite restless. He'd only been in the United States for about ten years before he met you." He put down the dress he was holding up to see how the length would fall on me and looked me straight in the eye. "You know, I really am very happy that he found you. I think you've become the one thing that can ease his wandering. You're his solid rock - his tether to reality. You've helped him see what Splendor and I tried to get him to see since the sixteen hundreds: that he's not a monster.

"Now, of course I don't know for sure - God knows he doesn't talk about anything with me - but I think that you make him feel like a different man. He grew up only knowing killing, only knowing survival. It became his normal - it was who he was. But when he's with you, I think... I think you make him feel like all of that doesn't matter anymore. HIS survival doesn't matter to him anymore. Just yours.

"When we first met and Slender told me that he hadn't killed in weeks - for YOU - that's when I realized it. He was trying to be human for you. He HATED humans all his life, just like our mother, and yet... He's trying to be one. For you. Congratulations Sky Steele, you changed the Slender man. You melted his heart of stone." He cupped my cheek with his hand and tilted my head up so that I couldn't look away. " And in a sense, you saved him. We all three owe you so much. Thanks boo."

I was blushing furiously. I really hadn't done anything. Slendy was the one who had saved ME, not the other way around. I hadn't done anything to earn this gratitude except fall in love, and I wasn't sure that was something I could entirely control. "I really haven't done much Trendy..." I argued.

"Girl, don't be so modest," he scowled. "You've done miracles with that grouchy, fashion-senseless, bum." Only Trendy could insult someone like that and still make it sound loving. "Only thing that would make it even better would be if you could get him out of that musty old suit!"

'Oh the suit thing again,' I thought, but I grasped desperately at the subject change. Anything to get the topic away from me 'Might as go along with it...'

I giggled. "Maybe we should... get him something while we're out?" I suggested mischievously.

Trendy clapped his hand together and held them against his lips. "Now you're talking!" he cheered.

We paid for our purchases and Trender dragged me across the mall to a shop that he claimed as his favorite. One look inside and I threw my hand over my mouth to keep myself from busting out laughing.

'Oh, THIS is going to be fun...' my subconscious laughed evilly.