~Boo! ^*^ Hi everyone, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for 13,000+ reads, it really makes me happy and means a lot to me that there are people out there that actually like my story. I was going to do a usual author's note, but the number keeps getting higher every couple of hours. x))) Anyways, let's get to the chapter shall we? It's going to be pretty long so I'm sorry if your eyes get tired from reading. o*x~
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You slowly batted your eyes open, and to your surprise, you were in your room.
You sat up and looked around, there was no signs of Jeff.
"He probably left after he dropped me off." You thought.
You felt something soft wrapped around your ankles, preventing you from pulling them apart for a bit. You pulled the covers up and saw it was a towel. You couldn't help but raise a brow at this. You took it off and noticed it was damp.
"Maybe this was so the bed wouldn't get wet?" You wondered.
You swung your legs off the bed and stood, you were still in your hoodie and jeans, which you didn't really mind. You took a glance at the candy container, and noticed a note on it.
Curious to what it might say, you picked it up.
Dear Sister,
After you fell asleep I took you the rest of the way back home, don't worry, it was no trouble at all. I'm glad you were there that night, I needed to hear someone's voice for once. I hung up your rain coat and set the umbrella by the door, your sneakers are there too. In case your wondering why there was a towel on your ankles, it was because they were wet from the rain. I hope you slept well, and I'll see you again soon. Have a good day sister.
P.S. Thanks for returning my knife, I was kinda needing it, and who the heck was that guy sleeping on your couch? You better tell me next time we talk.
Your brother, Jeffrey.
You smiled and laughed a little as you finished reading the note and set it back down. You decided to get a quick shower and get a change of clothes before doing anything else.
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Once you were done and dried off, you dug into your dresser to find your next choice of clothes, you looked for a few moments before you suddenly came upon something you hadn't seen before, you pulled it out to examine it. It was a shirt with black and white stripes, a large, round, and same patterned candy on the back. The sleeves were long and felt like silk, but they were thick to protect your arms from the cold. The middle piece had a soft fabric as well, it had small tints of gray in it along with the black and white. The back was the same, but the candy had a rough feel to it.
You saw that underneath it was a pair of pants, jeans in fact. They were completely grey and had small stitch patterns in them, you could fit your hands all the way in the pockets.
Beneath that, there was a pair of matching grey leggings.
"I can only guess where these came from." You laughed to yourself.
You shrugged and decided to put them on, once you did, you looked at yourself in the mirror. They looked pretty good on you! You couldn't help but smile.
"I'll have to thank Jack next time I see him." You thought aloud.
Come to think of it, Jack said he would see you again the tomorrow, which was now today, so maybe you'll get to thank him later on.
You heard your phone vibrating on your nightstand, and you walked over to pick it up.
'10:36 A.M. Wednesday' Was the time the phone read.
You had gotten a text from a number you didn't recognize. You read it.
'Meet me in the alleyway of the shop square at midnight tonight, I wish to meet you.'
You furrowed your brow in confusion. You knew trusting a strange text was never a good thing, so you were unsure of what to do. However, you were able to reply, so you did.
'Who are you?'
To your surprise, the stranger quickly replied only seconds later.
'I will tell you this evening. I know you do not trust me, but I promise you, you have nothing to fear. Please, I truly need to speak with you.'
"Hmm..."
'Fine, but this better not be some trick..'
'Thank you.'
You turned off the phone and put it in your large pocket, then walked out of the room.
You saw Miles sitting on the couch, watching none other than Will eating a bowl of cereal.
"G'Mornin'!" Will called to you with a grin, small bits of cereal and milk were on his cheeks. And surprisingly, he didn't have his mask nor hood on him, you could actually see his eyes, nose, and hair.
Miles looked up at you and smiled, giving a bark.
"Good morning." You laughed.
You went down the stairs and walked to the kitchen.
"Oh-uh, I hope you don't mind I got myself some breakfast, I haven't eaten stuff like this in a long time!" Will said.
"Heh heh, it's okay, you're my guest after all." You smiled at him with a wink.
Will seemed embarrassed.
"Heh...T-thanks.."
You dug out some dog food from the large bag and poured it into the bowl you used for him, you also got some water for the other bowl too.
"Here you go, Miles, you get breakfast too." You giggled.
Miles barked happily and ran over to his food, then began to eat.
You decided to get out an apple from the fridge, you didn't like to take too long when you ate, and you really didn't feel like getting anymore dishes dirty.
"At least Will was tidy with his food and didn't leave a huge mess." You thought.
Once you got your apple, you got yourself a bottle of water, then walked over and sat down next to Will. He had darkish blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
"Hey, do you live alone in this place?" Will asked.
You shook your head.
"No, my step-parents own this place, but they're out of town for a while to take care of my step-grandfather."
Will furrowed his brow.
"'Step'?"
You sighed.
"It's pretty complicated."
"Tell me." He wasn't gonna drop the subject that easily.
"Ok." You gave in.
"A couple days ago I found out that my parents aren't actually my real parents, they adopted me when I was little, I can't remember those times because I was too young."
Will seemed concerned, his face didn't show it, but his eyes did.
"So who were your real parents?"
"Well... I haven't learned their names yet, my brother didn't tell me."
"Well then who's your brother?"
"...His name is... Jeff." You answered after a moment.
"Hmm." He nodded.
After a moment Will's eyes went wide.
"W-Where did you get those clothes?"
"Oh um, I just found them in my dresser, I think Jack gave them to me." You answered, outstretching your arms to show the shirt better.
Will looked absolutely shocked, but he didn't say anything else.
You started to eat the apple since you were feeling hungry now.
Miles came back after a little bit and jumped onto the couch you were sitting on, lying down beside you.
You smiled and pet his head for a bit, then went back to eating.
"No wonder those shoes look familiar." Will suddenly spoke.
"What shoes?" You asked.
Will pointed by the door, and you looked to see a pair of black shoes. They looked similar to a certain clown's.
"Huh." Was all you said.
After a few more minutes of eating you threw away the core of the apple and the empty plastic bottle, you then decided you would take Miles for a walk.
You got the leash from your room along with your wallet in case you needed it, and came back.
"Hey, Miles! Wanna go get some fresh air?"
In a flash Miles jumped from the couch and happily waited for the leash to be put on him.
"Mind if I tag along?" Will seemed like he really wanted to come, despite the way he asked.
"Not at all! What do you think Miles?"
Miles seemed to be thinking, he soon gave a small nod, meaning he agreed.
"Thank you." Will smiled.
You smiled back and hooked the leash to Miles' collar, then you walked over to the pair of shoes Will discovered by the door, they slipped on easily and fit perfectly, and they were really comfortable to add it all up. Afterwards, you all made your way out the door.
You locked the door behind you and all three of you walked along the street.
"So," Will began to speak after a minute or so.
"Hm?"
"When did you first meet Jack?"
"Well... I'm not so sure what the day was, but it was at least a week ago."
"I see.. That was around the time he started disappearing more often.."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, me and Jack have been friends for a pretty long time, I know how he is. For the last week or so he was pretty distant, he was hardly ever around, and his excuse was always the same thing. 'I'm going to visit someone.' No matter how much I tried to pry, I could never get him to specify any more than that."
You looked at him in shock for a moment as you continued to walk.
"At least now I know who it is he's been leaving to see." He chuckled.
You nodded.
"Do you think we'll see him today?" You asked.
"Of course! If I know Jack, he'll be around." He grinned.
You smiled at that.
You both walked quietly for a few more minutes, until suddenly, you heard what sounded like a fangirl yell, and as you feared, a pair of girls was running straight toward you. Two boys chasing after them.
You were expecting them to bombard Will, but to your surprise, they were getting you!
The two girls looked at least 17, one had brown hair with hazel eyes, while the other was blonde with blue eyes.
"Girl!! Were did you get those clothes!?" The girl with blonde hair exclaimed, examining your outfit.
"Yeah! They are like, totally awesome!!" The brown haired one hopped a bit.
"U-Um..." You were startled by the sudden confrontation.
"C'mon tell us where you got them!" The first girl pleaded.
"U-Uh... the m-mall..?" It wasn't completely a lie, there was a mall a few miles out of town.
"Sweeeeet!! Thank you!!" The two girls practically squeezed the life out of you and ran off.
Will and Miles were staring at the girls in shock until they ran off.
You looked to see the to boys panting as they tried to keep up.
One of them paused while the other kept going.
"*Pant* *Pant* Sorry... *Pant* About that, they're always... *Pant* Freaking out about.. *Pant* Creepypasta stuff..." He then continued to chase after the girls.
You all stared in the direction the four teens ran for a moment.
"Well... that was... odd." Will remarked.
"Yeah.." You agreed.
After another minute or so you resumed your walk.
About ten minutes later you noticed the now police surrounded animal shelter that Jerris once owned. You sighed sadly, while Miles had a sad look.
"What's wrong?" Will asked, putting a hand on your shoulder.
"A good friend of mine owned that animal shelter.... he's dead now." You responded.
Will gasped faintly.
"Aw no-I'm real sorry.." He seemed saddened too.
"Don't worry about it, what's happened happened and that's that." You gave a small smile.
Will faintly smiled back.
"Let's keep going." Will and Miles nodded.
It didn't take too much longer until you were at the shopping square where you first saw Will.
"Heh, sorry I chased you like that yesterday." Will chuckled.
"It's fine." You laughed too.
Miles looked confused.
"It's nothing, Miles, don't worry about it." You smiled.
Miles looked suspicious, but he rolled his eyes and continued to walk.
You looked at all the stores and the people coming in and out of them, some seemed panicked, while others were taking their time.
You suddenly noticed a black dressed figure in the alleyway with their back leaning against the wall, you couldn't tell what gender they were or what their face looked like, it was like they were disguising themselves, and just maybe they were! They didn't move from their position even once, not even a shuffle of the foot or anything. They were completely still.
"Maybe that's the person who was contacting me..." You thought.
"But it's not even the afternoon yet, so why would they already be there?"
You decided to just leave the matter be until you had to deal with it, and didn't say anything to Will or Miles about it.
You and the others decided to hang around the square for a few hours, then you and Will were starting to get hungry.
"How about we get some takeout?" You offered.
You were sitting at one of the outside tables the square had set up, the table was metal and had a large black umbrella in the center.
"That sounds good to me!" Will grinned.
"What are you in the mood for?"
"Hmm..." Will crossed his arms.
"I've heard of a place called 'Chick-fil-a' before, one of those nearby?"
(If you don't like Chick-fil-a then just pretend you do for the moment x) I just happened to have the place on my mind and I love their food so why not? <3)
"Sure is! It's a few feet away." You pointed over to the large building with a glowing neon red sign, it had the classic 'Chick-Fil-A' Logo and a chicken's head on it.
"Oh." Will face palmed himself with a laugh.
You laughed as well.
"I'll go get the food, Will, can you stay out here with Miles for me?"
Will nodded with a chuckle.
"Absolutely."
"So what would you like?"
"Hmm, Well, I've never actually had takeout before... but, I do like chicken, so I guess I'll let you pick whatever has chicken."
You stared at him for a moment.
....The place is called CHICK-Fil-A for a pretty good reason.
You burst out laughing for a good minute.
"What?" He asked with a confused look.
You waved him off and walked toward the building.
There was a fairly long line inside but you didn't mind, you could just daydream to pass the time, ignoring the occasional looks you got from the other customers.
You thought about how Will seemed like a pretty nice person, he seemed like that kind of person that always looks out for others and tries to be part of things, he may seem like a tough guy at first, but all in all he's got a pretty big heart and a soft spot for certain things.
Your mind snapped over to Jack, you wondered how he was doing, you hoped that you'd see him again later like he said you would. You wondered if he was busy doing something, maybe playing one of his 'games' with another unfortunate kid. You couldn't help but feel bad for the poor things, they were still kids after all.
"Hello ma'am, may I take your order?" The man at the cash register asked, his eyes seemingly trying to not focus on your clothes.
You ordered Will a chicken sandwich while you got yourself a few chicken strips. Along with a medium Sprite and (Favorite soda).
You paid for the food and walked to one of the tables by the window while you waited.
You looked out the window to see Will and Miles, they looked pretty sweet together, a man and his dog. You giggled. You suddenly heard what sounded like someone shuffling into the seat in front of you, you looked and you smiled widely.
It was Jack.
He sat with his long arms resting on the table, his legs crossed.
You were going to speak, but you decided not to since you were in public, and you didn't exactly want to look crazy by talking to nothing, no one else could see Jack but you.
Instead, Jack was the one to speak.
"I see you liked the outfit I made you." He gave that toothy smile he always wore. In all honesty, you loved that smile.
You glanced around the room to see if anyone was watching, and once you were sure the coast was clear you gave a nod with your own smile.
Jack must have known you were trying not to draw attention, so he kept talking, not needing a spoken response.
"I noticed you Will and Miles walking around earlier, so I thought I'd join in on your little playdate."
You wanted to laugh, but that would draw attention, so you just gave another small nod.
One of the employees walked up to your table.
"Here's your food miss." They said, setting down two paper bags and a 4 cup holding tray with two drinks in it.
"Thank you." You smiled.
They walked away to get the next set of food for others.
You grabbed the food and got up from the table, you quickly motioned for Jack to follow, which he gladly did.
You walked out of the building and once you were sure there was no one watching, you smiled at Jack and spoke to him, he was walking beside you.
"I was hoping I'd see you today."
Jack chuckled.
"Aww, did someone miss me?" He stopped your pace and lowered his face to your level, standing directly in front of you.
You looked down slightly embarrassed.
"I did..." You wished you could hide your face with the paper bags.
Jack grinned even wider and wrapped his arms around you, nuzzling his head on top of your own, his arms carefully slithered past the food and drinks.
"I missed you too Gumdrop." He chuckled softly.
After a few minutes he released you and you continued walking.
Afterwards, you thanked him for the clothes.
Once you reached the two that were waiting, you couldn't help but snort, Will was practically sleeping in his chair and Miles was lying down. Well, that was until Miles lifted his head from it's resting position, and looked right at Jack.
Jack waved at him with a mischievous grin.
Miles rolled his eyes and gave him a 'ruff'.
"What is it?" Will noticed, he looked and his eyes widened.
"Oh! Hey, Jack!" He sat up in his chair with a grin of his own.
"Hello, Will." He replied with a chuckle.
"When did you get here?" Will asked.
"Just a few minutes ago." He snickered.
"Here's your food, Will." You smiled and sat down at the table, setting Will's food in front of him, along with yours and the drinks.
"Oh thanks!" He snatched the bag.
You heard Jack chuckle to himself as he floated beside you, watching as you took out your food.
"Mmm mmm mmm! Thish ish good!" Will said between bites of his sandwich, his voice was muffled from the food in his mouth.
"You're welcome." You laughed before taking a bite out of a chicken strip.
Jack pulled out some candies from his pocket and started to eat them one by one, not saying much, a somewhat blank expression on his face.
You decided to see if you could start a conversation of some kind, you weren't much of an expert when it came to that type of thing, but you wanted to give it a shot.
"Hey, Jack?"
"Yes Gumdrop?" He smiled.
"Is candy the only thing you eat?"
Jack snorted before he answered.
"Yes."
"Why is that?"
"Hmm.. well, I never really thought about it, candy was the first thing I ever knew was edible, so it's the only thing I've ever eaten." He responded.
You nodded as you continued to eat.
You all continued to quietly talk with one another, Will joined in on the conversation once he was done his sandwich. And after a while, it was starting to get dark.
"Man, it's already eight?" You said as you checked the time on your phone.
"Eight? I coulda' sworn it was one a few minutes ago!" Will said, stretching his arms.
You laughed.
"I guess you and me have something in common then."
"And what would that be?" Will gave a curious look.
"We're both bad at keeping track of time." You snickered.
Will snorted.
"I'd say you're right!" He grinned.
You looked at Jack and noticed he was somewhat distant, he was standing by with that same blank expression on his face.
This caused you to be worried.
Did you make him mad?
You hoped that wasn't the case.
Will volunteered to go throw out the remains of the food and drinks, the trash can was a pretty long walk away and Will didn't want you to do all the work for him. Miles went with him for some reason you couldn't think of.
You decided this was a good time to really talk to Jack.
You turned to Jack and walked up to him.
He didn't seem to notice you at first.
"Jack?" You went to touch his shoulder.
Jack jolted for a brief moment, then looked at you and smiled, but you knew it was fake.
"Yes Gumdrop?" He tilted his head.
You put your hand back down, a small frown of worry on your lips.
This caused Jack's smile to vanish.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"You tell me." You said, looking down.
"What?" He sounded confused.
"You haven't been yourself lately, you keep pretending nothing's wrong whenever I'm around. I know a fake smile when I see it." You didn't look at him.
Jack went quiet.
"Did I make you mad..?" You mumbled.
"What?? No! Of course you didn't! What would make you think that I was mad at you?" Jack put his hands on your shoulders, but you still wouldn't look at him.
"(Y/n), look at me." He lifted your head up with his hand.
You unwillingly looked into his shining white and grey eyes.
"I would never be angry at you. You're my best friend remember?" He spoke softly.
You quietly nodded, then walked into him, wrapping your arms around his back.
Jack immediately returned the hug, holding you tightly in his arms.
"Gumdrop, you know that I care about you, right?" Jack said after a moment, his grip slightly tightening.
You didn't answer.
You weren't sure whether or not to believe him, you took all the things you knew and heard about Jack into thought. He was a killer, and he was known to trick people, what if he was tricking you too? You weren't sure what to do.
"(Y/n)..?" Jack asked with a faint crack in his voice.
"I... I don't know." You said after a moment.
You pulled yourself away from his suddenly weakened grip and turned away from him, just in time to see Will and Miles running back to you.
You took a few steps toward them.
"Alrighty, that's that." Will panted as he reached you.
Will must have noticed something was off, because his grin faded.
"Did I... interrupt something?" He looked at Jack then at you with a concerned look.
"N-No, it's nothing." You shook your head.
Miles also looked worried.
"You sure?"
You gave a silent nod.
"I think Miles and I should get back home, you're welcome to come back if you'd like Will, thanks for spending time with us." You calmly took Miles' leash from Will and began to walk away.
~3rd person P.O.V.~
Will watched as the two walked away until they were gone from sight, he then looked at Jack, seeing he had an expression on his face he had never seen him wear before.
It had shock, disbelief, dejection, and even horror all wrapped into one.
Will knew he had interrupted something, and by the looks of it,
it was something important.
"Hey, what happened while I was gone?" Will asked Jack.
He didn't answer.
"Jack?"
"Hey!"
Still no response.
Will was getting frustrated now.
"HEY! JACK!" Will yelled.
Jack jumped a bit and looked at Will in surprise.
"W-What..?" He said quietly.
Will sighed. And gave Jack a serious look.
"Jack, what is goin' on? I know something happened while me and Miles were takin' out the trash, and I wanna know what the heck that was."
Jack looked away.
Will's face softened from it's seriousness.
"Jack... I've never seen you like this before!"
Jack didn't respond.
Will sighed once more.
"Listen to me. Whatever happened between you and (Y/n) just now, you need to talk to her about it." He pointed out.
Jack glanced back at Will, his eyes showing no readable emotion.
"Well, I'm gonna head back to her place and see if she'll tell me anything, but you better make some effort if you don't want to lose her." Will turned and ran off, leaving Jack alone.
~(Y/n)'s P.O.V~
You ran with Miles easily keeping up, he was often looking up at you because he knew there was something wrong, especially because you were crying.
You tried to hold back the tears but to no avail, you just couldn't help but feel horrible for the way you acted towards Jack. You felt like you had just ruined your friendship right then and there. You didn't know what had happened in that moment, but you knew it wasn't good. At all.
Once you reached the house you rushed in, shut the door, and unhooked Miles' leash. You ran up the stairs to your room and crashed onto your bed, sobbing into the pillow.
You could feel Miles' weight on the bed, and he was by your head within moment, giving you a worried and sad look.
You wrapped your arms around his small body and cried into his soft fur, like a crying child holding their favorite stuffed animal to comfort them.
You lied there with Miles remaining by you for long time until you heard the door to the house creak open.
You had forgotten to lock it.
"(Y/n)?" You heard Will's voice call out.
You continued to cry, not answering him.
"Hey... Are you okay?" Will's voice was in your room now.
You could feel Will's weight push the bed downward slightly, and a hand was on your back.
You sniffed and looked over at him, tears still running down your cheeks.
Will's face looked even more concerned than it already was.
"I know something happened between you and Jack while I was gone, I wanna know what it was so I can help." He explained.
It took awhile but you eventually managed to explain the discussion you had with Jack, the way he had been acting before, and how you felt that it was your fault he was upset.
"I leave that guy alone for 5 minutes and he screws up." Will scoffed.
"No... I screwed up.." You shook your head.
He scoffed once more.
"No, it's Jack's fault for not tellin' the truth." Will disagreed.
"B-But-!" You were about to object, but Will raised his hand signaling you to stop.
"Listen, you need to sleep. You're probably tired and you're letting it get to ya. I'll take care of Jack, you just get some rest okay?" Without hearing your answer he walked out of the room and you heard the door to the house shut.
You knew you couldn't sleep, and you weren't all that tired either, you still had something you needed to do.
You needed to go back to the alley to meet the person that texted you this morning.