Masky felt EJ place a hand on his shoulder, and then, they were gone. Within the blink of an eye, they had been transported into a different wooded area, quite a long ways away from their previous location. When they arrived, he looked down at the young girl he held in his arms. She couldn't have been more than a few years younger than him, yet she had a look of maturity about her brought on by years of coping with something that had weighed her down heavily. Her long, lustrous hair fell behind his arm, cascading downwards as if someone were pouring heated silver into a mold. Her fair skin was only visible on her face and hands, as every other part of her body was covered by her dark clothing. Masky thought about her when they were in her home and in the forest, and shivered when her eyes caught his. The ashen irises seemed to bore into his soul; seeing beyond the mask he wore, and looking into his dark eyes. Her fierce gaze made his heart beat a little faster, and her sharp words were a knife in his chest. Masky recalled her younger sister calling her name in the forest. Siren, he thought.
Eyeless Jack had been watching him the entire time. He watched Masky look at the girl he carried, and interrupted him. "He Masky, you ok?"
Masky looked over at him, startled. "Huh? What do you mean?"
EJ rolled his eyes. "I know that it gets difficult for you to teleport when you're carrying a lot of extra weight with you. Are you feeling ok?"
Masky shook his head. "Oh, oh, right." He hadn't really thought about his condition. He did feel a little weak and light-headed. His heartbeat was quicker than normal, and he limbs were starting to tremble, which EJ noticed immediately. He sighed.
"Masky, you shouldn't push yourself so hard. You could've taken us one at a time, you know. Or a at least not gone so far in one trip." He walked over to him, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Here, give her to me. You need to take it easy for a while."
Masky reluctantly handed her body over to him, and put his hands on his knees, bending over. He hadn't realized how exhausted he was. Eyeless Jack grinned at his friend. "See? I told you that you were tired. I really hope that this girl isn't gonna control your life all the time." he laughed.
Masky shook his head, annoyed. "Oh please, as if I would really ever even associate with her unless I had orders to. If it wasn't for Mr. Slender, I wouldn't have anything to do with her." Once again, EJ chuckled.
"Whatever you say," he muttered under his breath. They began to walk through the woods, silent and thoughtful. EJ looked at the girl he carried and realized why Masky had been staring so intently. She was, by any standard, very beautiful. Silvery, light hair contrasting her dark, stormy eyes, fair, pale skin, and ruby lips that looked soft to the touch. He blushed when the idea crossed his mind. His mind wandered to her body resting against his own. Her thin form occasionally jostling against him when he walked over a fallen tree, a stone, or a hill made his cheek flush brighter with blood flow. He smiled softly, remembering how she had fought to protect her sister and the ones she loved. EJ felt a pang in his heart as he wondered if maybe she'd come to care for him like that. He shook off that thought and looked over at Masky, who was watching his feet as he walked, clearly deep in thought. A rueful smile met his lips as he watched his close friend of many years. Things are about to become very interesting, he thought.
Masky, too, was still thinking about the girl in his companion's arms. The outspoken introvert who he had been following for many years, in her dreams and, most recently, in reality. The passionate way she spoke, the radiant glow of her beauty, the suspiciousness she held for everyone and everything except for her dear sister. He grimaced. It's such a shame that the thing she loves the most will keep her here, he thought. He smiled sadistically. Oh well, all's fair in love and war. He hated the fact that she was coming with them, hated that everyone thought that she would be a fun pet. Masky didn't want her to be there at all. His life among his fellow proxies had been happy and enjoyable ever since Slender showed him his hidden talent when it came to murder. And Masky enjoyed what he did and who he lived with, until now that is. With her there, things were sure to change in the household. Everyone would be fawning over her, and just acting stupid overall since this would be the first female in the house in quite some time. She was only going to cause trouble, be stubborn, and make his life miserable. "Stupid girl," he said under his breath.
"What was that?" EJ asked, adjust the girl's body in his arms.
"Nothing," Masky replied solemnly. He sighed as he realized that they were approaching the house now. Actually, "house" was an understatement. The building in the closing distance was far more impressive than any mere house could ever hope to be. Whenever Mr. Slender had first gone through his transformation into a proxy himself, he didn't just kill the humans he kidnapped. He worked them, day and night until they could've be used anymore, to construct what he deemed to be The Slendermansion. The massive structure took up an entire two acres by itself, not counting the entire surrounding forest, appropriately named Slender Forest. The mansion was built entirely out of polished mahogany wood; the sleek, dark wood giving the house a classy and sophisticated look, and radiating a sense of foreboding for anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves there. Except the residents, and now, the girl. He silently cursed himself for allowing her to puncture his thoughts again.
They approached the door, Masky opening it for EJ, and entered the residence. Once inside, they strode into the large living room, where Jack set the unconscious girl down on the sofa. It wasn't long before the others became aware of her presence. One by one, they all arrived in the room. Slenderman himself, followed by Jeff the Killer, Ben Drowned, and Hoody. Laughing Jack was the last to show up. They all crowded inside of the room, competing to get a look at the sleeping beauty. After several minutes of pushing, death threats, and loud arguments, Slenderman quieted the crowd of proxies.
Since he did not possess a mouth (or a face for that matter), he spoke telepathically. "Enough!" everyone heard inside of their minds, making EJ and Masky (who had backed to the other side of the room) flinch. "This human was brought here on MY orders, so I shall inspect her first." Everyone backed away as Slender moved forward, leaning down gracefully to look upon the human girl. With one of his many tendrils, he lifting her arms and legs, bent them, and let them rest of the couch again. He gently turned her head in his hands, then sat her up, and laid her back down. In a single, elegant motion, he held a wisp of her hair, twisting it in his fingers, then dropped it abruptly. Turning to look at her deliverers, his voice sounded again. "You two have done a fine job, very well done." Then softer, "She's a very fine specimen indeed."
He stepped aside, allowing the others a look upon the unconscious girl, and after they had had a glimpse, he spoke once more. "Gentlemen, this girl is Siren Stargazer, and she is a new part to our household,". Masky gritted his teeth, "and she is to be treated as such. She will have her own bedchambers, which NONE of you will entire without her own, or my permission." He looked upon each one of the men before him. "Any advances made upon her person will result in swift and immediate punishment, understood?" They all nodded. "Now, I want her to be housed in the empty upstairs bedroom in the east wing of the house. Masky, Eyeless Jack, you two will tend to her until she is familiar with the house, and those who dwell inside of it, understood?" They both nodded in comprehension. Slenderman clasped the both firmly on the shoulder and looked down to them. "You've done very good so far boys, make sure that she feels at home with us here." With that he turned, and strode out, the others following in tow.
The boys walked up to Siren, and Masky took her in his arms, rolling his eyes. He left the room and advance the the first floor of the east wing. He climbed the staircase, occasionally grunting, and finally emerged on the second floor. He and EJ passed a few doors and eventually opened up the last one on the wall. Inside was a dimly lit room that smelled of aged paper and perfume. Masky walked in, and EJ turned on the light, which flooded the room. The walls were a very dark grey, and resembled her eyes well. The carpet was black, as was the bed that sat in the far corner in its iron cradle. A dull ivory nightstand was pushed against the wall next to the bed. Behind the bed, there was an already barred window that could still be opened. On the right wall, was a desk, and a closet. Masky set her on the bed and turned back to EJ.
"Ready to go?"
"Why so eager to leave, Masky? She's only human."
"All the more reason to get as far away from her as possible, Jack."
Eyeless Jack lowered his head and spoke softly, "We were human too, once upon a time."
Masky sighed solemnly. "Yes, I know. I just don't care for her much in particular."
EJ laughed. "You're just mad because she blew you off when you tried to get her to come with you." He grinned. "You can't just be someone's ghost all their life and expect them to run to you, pal. I doubt she even recognizes you." He watched for a reaction from Masky, and when he didn't get one, he chuckled again. "I'm gonna go downstairs, get some food, and take a nap. I'm pretty worn out from carrying her all the way. We should let her rest until she wakes on her own." With that, he turned and left.
Masky rubbed the heels of his hands into the eyes of his mask and sighed again. He looked upon the girl who rested, completely oblivious to his presence. Why do I get so worked up about her being here? Maybe.....maybe it is because she rejected my offer. I've never been rejected before. Does she know who I am? He softened, as gently lay the back of his hand across her cheek. She turned over and nuzzled his hand in her sleep, startling him and sending his heartbeat racing. Quickly, he moved his hand away, and then he drew back the curtains, letting sunlight flood the room. He moved towards the door, stepping out, and turning the fluorescent lights off. With a last look of gentleness at her, he softly shut the door behind him, and retreated downstairs to his bedroom, where he decided to take a long, well-needed rest.