Painting Flowers (You Don't Scare Me Book 2)

Chapter Four - Welcome

Chapter Four - Welcome

     I couldn't believe what I was hearing, the words that had just spilled out of her demonic, shark-tooth filled mouth. What the Hell did she mean that I was her baby brother? First off, I wasn't a baby, and I wasn't her brother. Furrowing my brows, I intervened. "My sister's dead. She's been dead, she abandoned me and she's dead and gone." I hissed between my teeth.

     At my statement, I noticed a flicker of pain in the girl's eyes. "I'm not dead. I'm what I am now." She murmured under her breath, it was barely audible as the pain clung in her voice. I still didn't understand.

     "If you're Livia, then explain what you know about me." I responded, remembering how close me and my older sister had been.

    She looked at me, dead in the eyes. I froze, I felt like even though she wasn't touching me, her hands were around my throat. "Your name is Jaxon Phoebe. You're eighteen now, and when I left you at Ashton's home, one of my close friends, you were only six. You were kidnapped by Slenderman as a child, from which me and the others saved you. When we returned, our parents were gone. I tried to find out where they had left, they thought I was dead, and it turns out that they moved. A while after they moved, they both tragically passed away in a car crash. Our mom was killed on impact, and our dad suffered internal injuries. He was in the hospital for a day and a half before he died." She quickly snapped at me, and I found myself lost in her words. Every statement she'd made was absolutely right. She approached me, pushing Jeff out of the way and held my face with both of her cold, bloody hands by my jawline. She looked up at me, pulling my face down to get my eye contact. "Jax, I am Livia Phoebe. I am your sister, but I am not who I used to be."

     My jaw dropped open. I didn't know what to say, what I was supposed to say, how to react. After over ten years, I finally reunited with my sister to see the monster she had become. She wasn't a normal girl anymore, something had happened to her that turned her into a demonic throw-away from society. In the best sense, she had become what Jeff, Jack, and Smile all were. A Creepypasta, something from hellish nightmares of little kids. My memory of Livia being on her laptop all day, searching up Creepypasta's was still fresh in my mind and it definitely gave me nightmares when I was a kid. I thought they were all fairytales, but as I looked at Jeff who was heavily breathing with bloodlust, standing behind my sister, I realized why the boy looked familiar. He was constantly being searched by Livia on the Internet, and to my amazement, apparently he existed. Good for my sister for following her dreams of dating a psychopathic killer, I suppose. My sister was just about as insane as him at this point, yet the little humanity she had left had prevented her from actually slitting my throat.

     She told me we'd go to her home, her new home that is. She didn't know the pain I endured, living long years without any direct family nearby. All I ever had was my parents and my sister, but apparently my parents had passed and my sister just lost her head. I was alone, abandoned with Asher, and he didn't even appreciate my existence. He treated me like a nuisance, like he never wanted me, though I couldn't blame him. Due to my lack of love and attention, I became a trouble child. I caused trouble for attention, I wanted Ash to yell at me every day just so he would talk to me and I wouldn't be completely alone. I did everything I could to piss him off, and maybe that's why he almost gave me up for adoption. At that moment, I was a bit thankful for him feeding me and taking care of me. Even if he hated some part of me, he loved me enough to keep me around like I was his own son or little brother. He made a promise to Livia, and he kept his promises. That was why I could trust Ash so well, despite our differences and strange relationship. Whatever, a friend of Livia's was a friend of mine. At this point, they probably couldn't even be called friends anymore. She dropped me off and disappeared into the wilderness for years, she hadn't bothered to stop by and say hello to her friend or her brother.

     All of us went towards their home, home of the Creepypasta's in the middle of that forest. The forest was full of life, birds chirping, deer feeding, flowers blooming and trees growing taller than eyes could see. The tops disappeared into the fluffy clouds above our heads. Strangely enough, around this home of theirs, everything was dead. Corpses of animals lay decaying in the mud, the grass was brown and the flowers wilted. It seemed anything that touched the cursed soil around the ancient home died with time. It made the forest less beautiful, but the more I looked around, I realized that I'd never seen this house. I had never seen it, no one had ever mentioned it, and how could anyone miss a giant home in the middle of a forest by the town? None of it added up or made sense, but neither did men missing eyelids and girls with shark teeth. It was like life had yanked me out of reality and placed me into a world of mystery, where fairytales were real. A second thought made me think unicorns could be real, but I focused back to the home in front of me. The house was as my sister had described it. The paint was peeling off the side, chipping away with time. It was a dark shade of grey, although maybe a long time ago, the outside was white. There were holes, the wood was rotting from the staircase, and the windows were mostly broken with glass around in random spots. It wasn't suitable for people to live in, but were Creepypasta's even people anymore?

     They, Jeff and Livia, walked up the staircase with ease, avoiding the holes and where they knew the soft spots of the porch were. I looked at them with unease, the smell of death and decay burning my nose. I knew something was dead inside the actual house, and I didn't want to go in. I didn't belong here with them, I was something far different than what they were. What were they bringing me here for anyway? Were they gonna sit me down with some god damn tea or coffee and talk about the weather? They were murderers, not social workers.

     Jeff shrugged, despite Livia showing some concern for my wellbeing in her eyes. Barking sounded from inside the house, along with some low, deep growling. Jeff turned the rusty knob and busted the door wide open, and flying out came a dog. All I remembered was seeing a huge, scary dog face before I fell backwards and the back of my head hit the soft soil. I opened my eyes, and above me was Smile. I was pinned to the ground with this demonic dog in my face, slobbering all over me with bloodlust in his eyes. I was terrified, frozen with fear and I didn't know how to react. After a couple seconds, the dog leaned forward and drew his tongue across my cheek, leaving a thick trail of saliva. Disgusting.

     Livia whistled and the dog recoiled, coming back up the steps of the porch and sitting beside her leg. He rubbed against her, showing affection as if she was his mother. I sat up, looking at my mud-stained pants and shirt. That was great, I was filthy. I glared at Livia, who was busy laughing her ass off. "The fuck is that." I asked, narrowing my eyes at the creature by her leg.  

     "It's a dog, what does it look like? His name is Smile." She responded, scratching the husky-looking thing behind his ears. He seemed to be enjoying it as he stuck his tongue out and wagged his tail. Whatever, that was the most creepy dog I had ever seen. I would need therapy after all of this.

     Eventually I got up, and noticed another man with a blue mask on standing in the doorway. He was tall and lanky, having a conversation with Jeff quietly. I knew they were talking about me by the sudden looks Jeff would give me. I couldn't really tell if the masked dude was looking at me. A loud sigh came from my mouth, I already felt drained and the day had only just begun.