A Slender Child

Chapter Nineteen

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Silence. Complete and utter, crushing silence.

My family sat in front of us with looks of shock, hurt, and fear all mixed together. Finally my dad swallowed hard, the angry glare returning to his features. "Sky, don't play around. Who is this? A friend of yours in one of those morph suit things?" he growled.

"No Dad," I mumbled warily. I was still waiting for the big blow up. The room was cold and ringing slightly with tension both metaphorically and literally. To my family I was sure the Operator probably looked calm and cool, but I knew better. Reassuringly I lifted my hand and put it on top of his where it rested on my shoulder. 

"Don't screw with us Sky," my dad said dangerously.

"Dad, I'm not-"

He cut me off midsentence. "Do we look stupid to you?"

"No Dad, I-"

His voice started to rise. "The Slender man isn't real!"

"Yes he is-"

"No he's not dammit!"

"He's right in front of you!"

"The hell he is!" Dad practically roared. "This joke is over NOW Sky Olivia!"

"DAD THIS ISN'T A JOKE!" I yelled. I had to break through to him. He had to understand.

I'd hurt my family so much with all of this I knew - caused so much trouble. Dad, obviously had totally lost it. His face was red and his eyes bulging. Dad was fifty-two after all and the doctor had warned him that his heart wasn't in as good of shape as it used to be. If all this gave him a heart attack... I couldn't even bare the thought. 'Daddy no....' 

My mother wasn't taking this too much better, judging by her face, even if she had been quiet thus far. She had been sitting through this whole thing like a statue, her eyes wide and face pale. God dammit, this situation couldn't be good for her health either. Her blood pressure couldn't handle stress like this anymore. Last thing I needed was to be the death of both my parents at the same time. 'Fuck.'

Charlie, meanwhile was sitting there in what seemed to be awe, jaw dropped and eyes bright. Oh yeah, I'm sure he was thrilled that his sister was dating the Slender man. I wouldn't get any arguments from him at least.

"Do you really expect us to believe all of this Sky?" my mom spoke finally.

I sighed. "Honestly I don't blame you for you're reactions. it is a bit bizarre, I'll admit."

My father scoffed. "A bit," he repeated sarcastically and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him. he could at least be a little more open minded about this.

 "But," I continued, "You have to hear me out."

"Alright then. We're listening," Dad said, making a great effort to keep his voice calm.

I looked up a Slendy just for a moment, seeking some reassurance before I began our story. The ghost of a smile crossed his blank face and he gave the slightest of nods. I took a deep breath. 'Here it goes...'

I didn't look up from the floor the whole time I spoke. I didn't want to see the expressions that played across my family's faces as I told them for the first time of my meeting the Slender man on a hunting trip, going on walks at night to see him, getting kidnapped by a drunken, teenage gang and then rescued by the centuries old myth who proceeded to tear the gang to pieces in the basement of an abandoned house. I told them about the first time I met his brothers, and about how Slender had stepped in when Jackson overstepped his boundaries on our night out. I explained that after I'd moved out, we'd started living together here while I finished college. Then, finally I arrived at the point in the story where I'd found out I was pregnant.

The tension coming from my parents significantly increased, but I had to go on. If I stopped now I'd lose my nerve all together.

I spoke a little quicker as I talked about the pregnancy and kept this part of the story very brief and general in description - no need to scare them with what could have happened had Slender's fears proved true, nor to tell them about the tension I'd lived with for months. I told them that Robin was born on November second, and that she was perhaps the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen in my life. She turned five months next week. The tale over, finally I looked up.

Their faces were hurt filled over everything I'd kept from them. I'd hidden so much - practically my entire life. Their expressions said it clearly, 'How could you do this to us?'

Head bowed I stood up and walked over to my parents. "I'm sorry," I said and I hugged them both.

"Can we meet Robin?" Mom ask quietly as I stood back.

I nodded. Looking up at the figure still standing behind where I had been sitting, I asked, "Slendy, would you please go get her?"

"Of course,' he replied and stooped to quickly kiss the top of my head before he vanished from the room.

"Woah!" Charlie exclaimed. "Did he just teleport?"

I smiled at him. My parents looked started, Charlie just looked amazed. I loved that kid even more in that instant. "Yep."

"That's awesome," Charlie grinned.

"I'm flattered by your awe Charlie," Slendy said amused as he reappeared in the room, a sleepy infant just starting to awaken in his arms.

I stood and Slendy handed her off to me. "Hey there sleepy head," I murmured. "Wake up sweety, Grandma and Grandpa want to meet you." The whole room held it's breath in anticipation as I held Robin out to my mom. Dad leaned over her shoulder and I bit my lip as my parents gazed down at the face of their granddaughter for the first time.

"She looks a lot like you did when you were a baby," Dad commented.

"Sky, she's beautiful," my mom said and I noticed with slight unease that her eyes looked watery.

'Oh God, please don't cry...'

Mom cleared her throat. "I wish you would have told us sooner. I hate that I missed out on the first months of my first grandchild's life."

I looked down, cheeks red with shame. Yeah, I knew that she would be disappointed that she'd missed out. Couldn't blame her really.

"The situation was... difficult, as you know by now," Slendy said in my defense. 

Mom just nodded and cleared her throat again. "Well, I want to know the instant there's another one, got it?"

Slender froze and I nudged him gently to get him to relax. I could tell quite clearly that he certainly didn't expect there to be another one. This first pregnancy had been trying enough. Despite that I smiled. "Of course Mom. Wouldn't dream of doing anything else."