The Source of Fear (Slenderman fan fiction)

Chapter 21

My brothers stare at the camera in the upper corner of the room as a small cloud of smoke rises from the broken lens and sparks fall to the floor. After a moment Trenderman sighs in exasperation and looks in my direction as if to scold me. "Was that really necessary?"

"Entirely," I say lowly and then return to studying my hands. It has been over a century since I was last in human form so seeing the pinkish tone on my skin is too unusual for words. Not just that, but my reflection in the mirror across the room as well. I have to keep a constant reminder that it's me because my mind doesn't want to be convinced. Overall this feels like a foreign body, and I will be lucky if I can stand it for the next hour. Realizing the camera was there and recording had automatically added to the unsettlement. Also, I just hate being watched. Ironic I know.

"Stop being so paranoid," he mumbles. "It's unbecoming."

'MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!' Trenderman flinches as I project my angry thoughts into his head. He immediately responds by glaring at me. Usually I don't use telepathy of any kind on my brothers, so when I do it catches them off guard.

'How dare you?' He fumes back at me, knowing I'm reading his mind. Unlike me, he and the others can't use telepathy. At least not well and almost never. We can communicate on some level, however, it doesn't always seem like a legitimate conversation to them and it usually starts out of my personal anger. Similar to when I punish humans for trespassing. My brothers hate it when I treat them like a victim, but then I hate being criticized.

I don't reply and dismiss him, withdrawing my thoughts and closing him out. Splendorman speaks up, completely unaware of what passed between Trenderman and I. "I hear someone coming guys," he says brightly. "Let's get our acts in gear!"

Offenderman rolls his eyes. "Sure. 'Acts'. And speaking of yours, quit acting so damn happy. It's annoying!" Reaching over, he pulls Splendorman's bandana down over his eyes. Almost instantly they were thrown into an argument of their very own. At the same moment...

"How rude."

That voice... I look toward the door and recognize the red haired human. Something is different though. Her expression is flat and the air about her has an aggression behind it that I cannot name. Needless to say I haven't seen her like this before -not even when she completely lost control of her temper- so I'm rather confused. And it sets me on edge. "Quit your fighting this instant," she says coldly as she walks up to the table. "If you disturb the other customers, I will literally kick you all out."

That manages to catch Offenderman's attention. He stops teasing Splendorman and looks at her just as she stops at the corner of the table between him and myself. "Well, hey there, gorgeous" he says in his flirtatious tone.

Completely ignoring him, she seems to be going 'business-as-usual'. Though I can tell she's trying to keep her nerves under control and her guard is incredibly high. "I'm Rowan and I'll be your waitress today. What can I do for you?" As she says that she glances toward me with a dagger-like glare, and the intensity hits me sideways. Something is wrong here....

"I got an idea," Offenderman says slyly. "How about you skip the job thing and I take you on a date, sweetheart~?"

If looks could kill alone he would be dead. The level of hatred in her glare could give a demon reason enough to be nervous. I think she's going to hit him at first, but instead she takes her pen and uses it to flip his fedora off his head and it lands upside down on the table. "Hats off in the building," she states flatly.

We're all stunned. Offenderman also looks like he is about to rip her head off, as his temper is almost as short as mine. Almost. He manages to do no more than clench his fist and scowl at Rowan before abruptly turning away and running a hand through his dark blonde hair. He knows better than to go wild in a public area like this especially when we're all together. The danger level is too great.