𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 | ⸊ˎ • 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑦𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑠 𝑥 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅!𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧.

The masked man's gaze turned in your direction, and as he was wearing his mask now you weren't sure whether to feel more or less uncomfortable. "Are you leaving now, Jack?" Mary asked, wiping the last bit of grime off your legs before turning to glance at him. "I could leave. However, I still have matters to discuss with Jane," Jack responded, just barely standing a few inches behind Mary.

You didn't know why, but something about his sinister, giant form standing behind the kind and elegant Mary frightened you, and the brave antics you had when Jane was around, calling him your puppy and all no longer seemed funny to you.

The vibes were bad. You wanted him to leave.

"So tired of my presence already, Mrs. Richardson? Don't like your pets wandering around inside the house?" Jack muttered cooly, a hint of sarcasm in his gravelly voice. Mary opened her mouth to respond but you'd beaten her to is, tightly grasping her arm, "Um. Don't talk to her like that."

An awkward session of silence settled amongst the three of you. Mary seemed surprised at you sudden comment, gazed at you and gently cupped your chin, "Hey there, it's alright. What's wrong sweetheart? You look a lil' shaken up. I know you've been bored out here, watching me for so long."

"When's Jack gonna leave...?" You answered nervously.

Jack scoffed aloud and you watched as he shuffled closer, slightly leaning over Mary to appear looking in your direction. "I think the little one's getting a little timid about having guests around, don't you think Mar~?"

Mary frowned, "Is that true, [Y/N]? I thought you liked "Mr. Snickerdoodles?"

          "I...."
You trailed off, finding yourself lost for words. You didn't want to say anything that would presumably upset Jack. Jack seemed amused by this and moved away from Mary, approaching you closer and slowly lowering to your level, "Woof woof," He mimicked a dog in an exaggerated tone. You flinched and took a few steps back. Mary smacked his shoulder, "Jack don't do that to them!"

         "Woof woof~" Jack repeated, closing in on you again as you continued to back away, your heart beginning to pound rapidly. "Leave me alone!" You scream at him, "Mary!!!"

          Mary had gotten up and grabbed the taller's arm, attempting to hold him back, "Knock it off Jack. What the hell is wrong with you, you're scaring them?"

          "Oh, but I'm just little old Mr. Snickerdoodles, I mean no harm!" Jack replied innocently, "I'm just a poor wittle puppy looking for attention."

          You didn't know why you were suddenly so afraid of Jack. As a child, these emotions were fleeting and changing at every moment. You felt brave at certain times, and you were able to overcome quite a lot in such a short time. What happened?

The black, dripping holes of the dark blue mask seemed to 'stare' directly into your eyes and straight into your soul as you tried to keep your distance. You felt upset and mentally exhausted, yet you fought the urge to cry, as Jeff would've appreciated this of you.

It seemed to be a contest of sorts, you staring directly at Jack, fighting to tame your fears while Jack stared back, yearning to draw it out of you.
Eventually Mary stepped in and broke the tense moment, sliding her way between you and Jack and heaving you up into her arms. "It's getting late, let's get you to bed sweetheart," Mary scowled, a hint of deep aggravation laced in her voice as she brushed past Jack, and carried you to the front door.

"Want me to help tuck them in?" Jack called out. His words were ignored as Mary brought you inside and carried you over to the room she and Jane shared. Your heart raced yet again as she gently placed you on the bed and strode over to the wardrobe to retrieve some clothes. "Miss Mary, I don't want to sleep by myself. Can you sleep here with me?" You asked, your imagination creating a scene of Jack towering over you as you slept.

Mary chuckled and walked over to you with a plain white shirt and some black sweats in hand, "Big kid [Y/N] wants me to stay until they fall asleep?"

You nodded with a vigor that made her laugh a bit, and she sighed, "of course I'll stay with you. Is ...it alright if I help you out with these clothes? I just want to see if I can get them to fit you properly."

You felt safe with Mary so you allowed her to help you in changing your clothes. The clothes were of course a bit too large for your small body, but Mary took the time to cut and hem a bit of the shirt so that it would sit on you a bit better. The sweats were a bit of a challenge, so Mary rolled up the pant sleeves and tied up the waistband so it didn't fall off of you. The sweats looked a bit silly on you, but they were comfortable enough for you to sleep in.

"Thanks Miss Mary," you yawned once she had finished, and you quickly crawled across the bed and shimmied underneath the covers. You pulled the covers up to your nose and hid the rest of your body, smiling and giggling at Mary with only your eyes being visible. "Gosh. Where did [Y/N] go?" Mary questioned aloud once she'd put away the sowing supplies and made her way around the bed. "They just disappeared! I wonder where they could be!"

You squealed and hid your eyes, pulling the covers over your entire head. "Could they be under the bed??"

This clearly amused you, and you waited excitedly for her to check under the covers of the bed. When the covers suddenly flipped over your head, you squealed aloud in excitement and had your hands held as if you were ready scare her, but your joy quickly turned to fear as you noticed that it was instead Jack that was there, leering down at you as he sang, "Looks like they're under the bed~"

Mary quickly pulled herself up from the ground and shouted, "Jack! What are you even doing in here? Get out get out!!" She began shoving the man aside as he burst out into a mocking snicker. "Sleep tight termite," Jack cooed as Mary finally shoved him out the door and closed it shut.

You sat on the bed with your arms curled around your knees, staring with widened eyes at the door. Mary walked back to the bed and sat herself beside you, wrapping her arms around you back, "Sweetie, what makes you so suddenly afraid of Jack?"

With watery eyes you sighed, "I don't know Miss Mary...he just looks...scarier, especially at night. I know he's not a puppy, I only called him puppy for fun but it's not funny anymore..."

She nodded and rubbed your back, "I understand. It's darker now and he appears less 'friendlier' than before, if friendly can even be used to describe him. But I promise you he means you no harm, okay? He can't do anything to you because both me and Jane are here to protect you, alright?"

"O-Kay..."
Mary's soothing voice and the feeling of her gentle touch calmed you a bit. After a few more moments of her caressing your back, Mary helped situate you back under the covers and you rested your head onto the pillow.

"Goodnight [Y/N]. Sleep tight okay?"

"Goodnight...you're not gonna leave me, right?"

Mary smiled and ran her hand over your head, "Not an inch. I'll be here till you fall asleep, okay? Jack won't come in here at all."

Trusting her words, you nodded your head and closed your eyes, letting out another yawn. You didn't realize how tired you were until your head had hit the pillow. You were bound to fall asleep in just moments.

Mary continued to caress your head and offer you a sense of security to help you doze off. Her sweet, motherly nature consoled you, and your breathing gradually steadied into a slower tempo. "Sleep tight your precious child. I'm so, so sorry you were dragged into this life..." You heard Mary faintly whisper as you began to drift off into a comfortable, relaxed sleep.