Category: Their lies, Immortal pain – Book Three

Chapter 1, Fame hurts

The music was loud, the crowd was screaming, my wings were spread and the lights were gleaming. I sung, the crowd, singing along, screaming my name. “We love you Clarity!” / “Go Clarity!” / “You’re the best!” I feel so… sick of it. I hate being famous, I’m only thirteen. I should be worrying about boys, puberty and popularity… instead I’ve got a problem of leaving my house just to get to school. I get followed by a crowd, then I get crowded at school. It fucking pisses me off! The only thing I can turn to is pain and torture to ease the anger. I finish the song, the people go silent. Then… an uproar of cheers and screams fill the stadium. I plaster on the biggest fake smile you’d ever seen. “Thank you so much everyone, and remember… stay you!”

I got back home and collapsed onto the bed. I gropped around the bed sheets, trying to find something sharp. I gave up, and pulled a blade from my wing. I’m currently the only legal metal dragon, but I’m a unique one. When I was born, I was accidentaly dropped down the stairs. That would have killed me right… wrong! After a few tests were done on me we found out that… I was born an immortal. Which means no matter how much I want to, I can’t die. “Hey Clarity! Your voice lessons start in ten minutes, hurry up and get down here!” I heard my mum shout from downstairs. Well I say mum, I meant… foster mother. My real parents abandoned me when I was five. They said they’d come back for me… but they never did. I was found and raised by an actor, Chase Syndrom. He and his wife thought I deserved a second chance, even if my kind were a mistake. That’s when I became the first legal metal dragon.

I did a few slashes on my stomach and hid the bloodstains with a hoodie. I slid down the stair rail and landed with a bow infront of my mother. She patted my head saying “come on, let’s go”. We drove to my lessons, chatting about… girly shit… and that stuff. Hehe. When we got there, I was still five minutes early, so my mum left and I just stood there, leaning against the wall. I turned on my phone, watching youtube. I’d been obsesed with this youtuber called ‘The gamer’. He cosplays as some strange, creepy character and plays different video games. One that we both enjoy a lot is Majora’s mask, a Legend of Zelda game. I’ve commented on a few of his videos where he plays that game. So far… he seems like a nice guy.

“Clarity… your teacher’s ready for you”, I tucked my phone away, looking up to see Annie, my teachers assistant. She leads me to the room, where my voice teacher waits for me. “Hey Marie, how’s life?” I said, cheerfully for once. “I’m fine, you’re actually happy for once, I’m surprised… please don’t tell me you’re on drugs”. I giggled at her remark, shaking my head. After voice lessons, I walked back home, my hoodie up, and my disguise ring on. My disguise ring allows me to get around looking like a human. Even if I get some insults and glares shot at me, it’s not like they’ll kill me, they’re like drugs to me. I love them and their adictive.

I got back home and ran up to my room, mum and dad were probably out on a date or something. When I got to my room I saw a note on my bed, it said, ‘Honey, we’re gonna be on tour, but it’s for twenty plus so you can’t come this time, sorry. We’ll be back in a week, don’t get into any trouble ok. -Mum’. I pinned the note on my pin board and lay down my bed. Maybe I could invite my (real) friends round, I don’t think mum or dad will mind. I picked up my phone, there was a notification on the screen. It was a message from an unknown number. I opened it and screamed.

There was a photo of mum and dad… covered in blood, lying lifeless on the floor. The message said ‘You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you…’. I threw phone across the room. It slammed on the floor, but not a crack on it. I tried to act normal, I called my friend Symphony, we had a friendly chat and after two hours, she came round and we had fun. But could I fully trust her? “Hey, I got this weird text that really scared me, but… I’m not sure what to do about it” I told her and showed it to her. She brushed it off as a prank, saying “You never know how good people are at editing, trust me, even I get surprised by how good they can be”. I agreed, there’s no way they’re dead.

It’s currently 1am, we’re both still awake, watching horror movies and eating candy. Suddenly, I got a new text message, I looked at the screen and opened the tab. I froze, what the hell… I screamed, there was another picture of my voice instructor and her assistant, both dead. Another text came up saying ‘you shouldn’t have done that…’

Chapter 2, Kidnapped

“Woah… that picture… it can’t be fake, it’s… too real”, whispered Symphoy, her pale blue hair tumbling down in clumps. “Of course they’re real”, we turned round to see a shady figure, he stepped into the light , “because I took them… and now it’s your turn… say cheese” He held up a hammer, and hit Symphony. I grabbed her shirt, keeping her up. I could feel her heart beat, just out cold, thank god. Then I felt a sharp blow to my head, and everything went black.

I woke up, keeping still, in case I got hurt or hurt Symphony. I was lying down, my head laying on something soft but tough at the same time. “Come on Dark, it’s not like I like her! She’s a new recruit not a fuck toy, you’re more of a perv then me”. I sat up, looking around, it appears that I’m in a car. “You’re finally awake.” he said. I could make out how he looked now. He had blonde hair, and… red eyes, and black instead of white. There was some sort of deep red fluid coming out of his eyes and in all honesty… he looked like Link from Legend of Zelda. “Wh-who are you, where are you taking me!?” The boy looked at me, giggling a bit. He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. I shook his arm, but he just kept smiling. “Mother fucker! What’s going on!” Both boys looked at me, shocked and amazed.

We eventualy arrived at a massive mansion, about five times bigger than my old house. As we entered, I saw a bunch of other people standing around, they all looked pretty edgy. Just my type… I walked up to a wall and leaned against it, turning my phone on, I watched The gamer. “C-Clarity?” I heard Symphony’s voice from next to me. “Yeah, what’s up?” / “Isn’t it a bit strange that ‘The gamer’ and the guy who knocked us out look exactly the same…” I froze, turning off my phone. She was right, they looked exactly the same… I put my phone in my pocket and put my hand against the wall. My vision was getting dizzy, my adrenaline rocketed out of the ceiling. “Hello children… I’m glad to see all of you made it here… alive” I turned to see a man, tall and faceless, speak up to us all. “I’m sure you all have many questions, but for now… keep them at bay, boxes with an item and a slip of paper will be given to you. The item describes you’re room mate, the slip of paper.. has your room number”.

Just as he said, a box was dropped into my hands, and everyone else’s. I opened it to find only a slip of paper, but when I took it out… it had a smal key chain of a game controller. The room was room seventeen, luckily Symphony was in room sixteen, just opposite mine. As we walked off looking for our rooms, I had to break the silence. “Even if we’ve been kidnapped, I’m glad glad we’re in it together… right?” Symphony turned and hugged me. “Yeah… together forever… right?” I hugged her back. After five minutes of wandering and chatting, we found our rooms. I waved goodbye to her as I entered the room. The room had two beds, a TV, an Xbox and a few other things. I sat down on the plain bed, the otherr one had bed sheets that looked like dark green glitches. I started playing a game on my phone when the door creaked open. I turned to face the person and froze.

“You…” / “What the fuck! Slendy said I wouldn’t have a fucking girl!” I stood up, frustrated at this imp. I walked up to him, he was taller than me by a forehead, so I grabbed his collar and pulled him down to face me. “You’ve got a fucking problem, cause I can list a few that I have with you”. He put his hands up in a joke way. I let go of him, walking back to my bed. I grabbed a blade from my wings and took out my pocket knife. I winced as I opened the pocket knife, it was covered in dried up blood, and was my only living memory of my birth parents. I started sharpening it, unaware of what that dick wad was doing. I put the blade of the knife against my arm, and made a cut. I was whimpering quietly, but my roomie could hear it all. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He sat next to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. He looked down at the cut on my arm, astounded as it healed almost instantly, leaving behind a small scar. “We may have got off to the wrong start”, I said, looking at him. I smiled, “I’m Clarity”, he smiled, he almost looked cute. “Ben… Ben Drowned” He said, Ben paused and thought for a moment “Or as you probably know me, The gamer”. Symphony was right, he was the gamer.

I looked back at my pocket knife, fingering at the blue and green design on it, the engraved picture, and letters. It read ‘Remember why you’re here, have fun… and be you’. I cried a bit, silent tears rolling down my cheeks. “Umm… who… who gave you that”. Ben spoke up, a curious tone in his voice. “It was my parents, they gave it to me before they left me”. I bit my lip, I knew he wouldn’t understand that the people he killed were my foster parents. “My real parents, they left me when I was five to run from the law, then Chase found me and he raised me as his own…”. I looked up, trying to stop the flow of tears. I froze…

Chapter 3, Love or hate?

I could feel something on my hand, but this time it wasn’t blood, or a blade. “Does this make you feel better?” I looked down, Ben was holding my hand. I blushed a bit looking away in embarressment. “Y-yeah… a-a bit”, I said, tripping over my words. God I sounded like an idiot, I’m surprised I’m popular when I can be as ridiculous as this. He brought his hand up to my face and turned it to face him. I closed my eyes, hoping the ground would swallow me up. “Hey, I’m not gonna hurt you, you can trust me”, whispered Ben, I opened my eyes. It looks like today is full of surprises. After opening my eyes, Ben smirked. “You know, when you’re shy… you look kinda cute”. My eyes widened, “I-I’m not cute, moron”. He laughed as I hid in my knees. “Come out, I was only joking around”. I lifted my head up, which was still a bit red.

Ben lifted my chin, showing my full face. “G-get off… p-p-please” I whimpered, I’d been through simular things to this, but never with a roomie. He brought his face closer and closer, and … well, he kissed me. My eyes widened, as his hand went throught my hair. I didn’t know what to do… How is this happening? He put his head back, giggling a bit as I turned my head away. “What, you scared”, Ben lifted his hands, wiggling his fingers. I felt really embarresed, I just wanted to crawl in a hole and die! “D-don’t do that again…” I said, frustrated and… yes, a bit scared. I picked up my knife and put it in my pocket. I walked out of the room, looking back but carrying on. I walked out of the front door, and instantly heard strange… noises. I turned to my right, and stood up straight. “Symphony? Am I… disturbing something?” I saw Symphony, and EJ, having a bit of a moment… I guess you could say.

They stared back at me, both red as fuck. Her shirt was slightly lifted and his hoodie was wrapped around them both. “I’ll, umm… leave you to it” I said, running off into the woods. I stopped about half way in, pulling my knife out of my pocket. I walked around, looking for people who went for a wander. I found one, he went down quickly. If you’re wondering, yes… I kill people, but can you blame me? It’s fun, watching the blood go everywhere, hearing their screams and cries for help. Their final words slipping out of their almost dead lips. The thrill of it is just enough to keep me sane. “I see you kill to, glad you’re catching on”. I turned round, Ben was floating just above the ground.

“What . The . Actual . Fuck… How are you..?” I spluttered out, I really couldn’t talk today. He hovered over to me, I tried to go backward, but I bumped into a tree. I sunk down, sitting on the dark, leaf covered ground. Ben landed, and sat down in front of me. I shook my head, why does he have to be so cute… just why? I closed my eyes, I wanted to fall asleep, but I wasn’t tired. I opened my eyes, leaning my head against the trunk. My eyes looked up, the sky was hidden behind branches and leaves. I could hear a rustling noise from in front of me, Ben was probably leaving. I closed my eyes and just talked to myself. “… You know I’m still here, right?” I looked down, he was even closer than before. I tried to back away but once again I was stopped by the tree. I thought I was going to fucking die at that moment.

Ben had crawled up towards me, his eyes locked onto mine. I couldn’t help but stare back, wondering what happened to him… if he had any troubling memories, if he was even alive. I looked up again, trying to distract myself from his gaze. I gasped, I could feel something biting my neck. My face went red hot, I wanted it to stop but… it felt so good. I put my head down, lifting up my legs so I could hide. “Come on… it was just getting fun” I stared at Ben, I thought he was mad… but he’s not wrong. Hehe. I get into a different position. I was sitting on my legs, trying to look confident.

He grabbed my shirt and pulled me closer. “Ben, w-what are you doing”. I looked into his eyes, he put something around my neck and left me there. I felt around my neck, feeling a slim chain. I took the end of it and held it up to see. There was a small bottle on the end of it, inside the bottle was a small rose, a black one at that. I tucked it in my shirt so no one would see it and walked back to the Slender mansion.

Chapter 4, Demonic awakening

As I walked through the forest, wondering why I was chosen as a recruit. I reached the mansion, Symphony and EJ had probably gone inside by now. I decided to sneak through my window, coming back covered in blood wouldn’t look good as a first impression. Going round the back, I found my window and tried to climb through it. I ended up slipping. I fell on something, I couldn’t tell since my eyes were shut tight. “Jesus christ, the fuck were you thinking!” Opening my eyes, I lifted myself up. Holy crap… I landed on someone.

“Why are you climbing through the window, you can just use the front door, we’re all killers here” I backed away, just to end up falling off the bed. Well shit… I look like a fucking moron. Me and Ben ended up talking for a little while. Suddenly, we heard a thud from outside the door. I opened the door to see a wolf girl and a boy with scars on his face. He was pinning her down, and the girl looked quite scared. I screamed, in surprise and fear. The boy stood up, laughing, then Ben walked out, laughing aswell. I ran to help the girl up. “Ben, what the fuck! You never told me there were other animal hybrids!” I felt like slapping both the boys, those bastards. “Sorry, I’ll make sure to remember next time”, said Ben, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

I like sharpening my knife, the sound of it calms me down. As I sharpen my knife, I can hear noises coming from the living room. Probably just the usual… but today I could hear screams. Shouts and cries for help echoed around the house. I walked out of my room, gripping the handle tight. I go into the main room and what I saw was horrific. One of the new recruits was in the middle of the room. Pitch-black tentacles, dripping with some kind of liquid, were coming out of every part of her body. Her face was filled with horror and worry, as more tentacles emerged from her mouth. She tried to scream for help, but was gagged by more of the midnight worms. She looked as if she was… possessed.

I ran up to her, blade drawn… and was instantly caught in the grip of a tentacle. I tried to squirm free, but it was tight and sticky. I could feel it’s grip getting tighter and tighter, my vision began to fade, my struggles getting weaker and weaker. Even though I know I won’t die, it’s still terrifying. If I wasn’t immortal then I’d… I’d be gone. My eyes grew weary, as the fight carried on. I tried cutting through the tentacle once more, but nothing happened. I didn’t scream, I didn’t cry out for help, I just… gave up.What’s the point of trying when I can’t do it, why should I try if I can’t help. I can’t do anything apart from sing and dance, I’m a useless piece of shit. I closed my eyes… trying to resist it would just make it worse. I felt like I was falling, falling, falling. I couldn’t open my eyes because I didn’t want to see their disapointment. I could feel my body smash against a hard, cold surface.

I had to, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to open my eyes. They shot open, I could feel an excruciating pain in my waist where the tentacle was holding me. I curld up, trying to hide my pain, letting people see me like this was an embarressment. Just like me… an embarressment, a mistake in world. I wanted to stand up, to help my friends but… I’m hopless. I couldn’t even stand because of the pain in my hips. I just stayed there, no comfort, only pain… I thought pain would be the way out but now I realise that it’s just another trap. It lures you in, promising it won’t hurt, then takes control and kills you, slowly and painfully.

I started to cry, it was silent but still there. All I could do was stay curled up and cry. I’m useless, I can’t even stand up to help. I was still holding my pocket knife. I gripped onto the handle, and impaled myself. I couldn’t die so I might as well punish myself for being so useless. I could feel the warm, red liquid running down the handle. I could feel the metallic taste in my mouth, spilling out. I don’t even trust myself, I want to end my life but… I can’t. I pushed the blade even farther into my chest, the pain was unbearable but I couldn’t scream out… I don’t have enough willpower, I don’t have anything or anyone to turn to. My parents are gone, Symphony is busy with other friends and I don’t feel as if I can trust anyone else in this house of horrors. My vision was fading. It got darker and darker, then turned into nothing.

I opened my eyes, pain shot through my chest. I sat up, putting my hand over the knife wound. “Heh, you awake kiddo?” I heard a voice from the wall beside me. I turned my head… and froze…

Chapter 5, Settling in

“B-Ben… w-what are you doing here?” I stuttered, still trying to take every thing in. How did I end up here? Who helped heal my wounds? Why was Ben watching me? So many questions, so little answers. So many things to do, yet so little time. My father taught me that… foster father, not biological. “Err… I’m the one who helped you, just after you blacked out. With some help from Symphony, I got you to you’re bed and she did the bandages, cause there is no way I’m undressing a girl”, I giggled at Ben’s response. He laughed along, blushing a bit. I propped myself up against the headboard, still holding my throbbing chest. “Are you… feeling any better? God that’s a stupid question”, he asked, turning his head away in embarressment. “I-I’m fine, thanks to you… and Symphony”, he looked back at me, smiling.

I felt as if I’d been asleep for days, weeks even. “H-how long has been, s-since the whole… demonic thing that happened?” I asked, curious to know. “Umm… one day, two if you count today since… it’s almost midnight”, replied Ben. I let go of my chest, putting my hand ver my left eye. I tried to do it casually, but somehow… nothing gets past Ben without a double check. Sometimes because I’m a metal dragon, when we experience something traumatic the next time we open our left eye, five minutes after that it changes colour. That indicates a metal dragon (or any dragon) has PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). “Why’d you do cover your eye? Please do tell, you can trust me”, but could I? Could I trust him, or is he just another sleaze trying to eradicate me? I guess I should trust him since… he was one of the people to help heal me.

“Ben, my eye is about to change colour, now the thing is… that’s a bad thing”, I said, he just looked at me as if to say ‘what do you mean?’ “If I have two different eye colours, it means I have PTSD”. Ben just stared at me, a look of shock and sadness filled his face. I curled up into a ball, so many bad things happened in my life and the one thing that triggers it is a demon. I bury my face in my knees, I couldn’t bear face anyone like this… no wonder I’m a mistake. “I-I’m sorry… this is all my fault, if I would just disappear from from the world, it would be a much better place”, I muttered. I felt something land on my shoulder, gripping it tight, “No, it’s not your fault, don’t strain yourself, just stay calm.” I looked up, Ben was looking back down, smiling at me. But why? Why did people care about me? What’s so special about me? I sat up properly, trying to make sense of everything.

“So… you wanna go walk around, you have been asleep for almost forty-eight hours”, asked Ben, letting go of my shoulder. My eyes grew wide, is this… no, it couldn’t be. “Sure, sounds fun”, I said, trying to stand up… and instantly failing. He ended up carrying me on his shoulders. We ended up climbing a huge tree, sitting one of it’s branches. I put my arms around Ben, hugging him tight. “Thank you, you’re amazing”, I whispered, trying not to cry. He hugged me back, kissing my forehead. I’m always the one who needs protecting, and then comes along Ben. A guy who barely knows me yet still protects me from danger. Even if I am pathetic, with Ben I actually feel as if a belong here. “Hey, lovebirds! Get down here and take a look at this!” We heard someone calling from the ground.

We climbed down, somehow I didn’t fall out. When we reached the bottom, I noticed something peculiar about the person who called us. “You feeling better Cotton?” I turned to see Ben talk, so her name was Cotton. “Wait… aren’t you the one who was covered in those weird tentacles!” I yelled in surprise, who knew a girl as young and innocent as her could produce something as evil as that. Cotton nodded, looking away shyly. “If I’m gonna be honest, it wasn’t me… my demon side usually takes control, wreaking havoc to anyone who gets in the way… I truly am sorry fo what happened” She said, her voice sounded small, scared, alone… “Hey, it’s fine, I don’t blame you for it”, I ruffled her hair, giggling.

“Hey… what’s that”, Ben shook my arm, pointing forward. I looked up and gasped. There was a massive cloud of darkness, slowly creeping towards us. Whisps of dark fluff danced and swirled closer and closer in an evil, creepy sort of way. “That’s what I wanted to show you, we need to get back to the mansion, get in to lockdown… S-Slendy said so”, yelped Cotton, dragging us back. When we got back, we were rushed to our rooms, doors locked. What was going on here?

Chapter 6, Possession

“What the fuck is going on!” I yelled, backing up against a wall. I was freaking out, I think I’m going insane. “Hey, hey… calm down, I’m sure it’ll pass in no time”, said Ben, walking up to me, grabbing hold of my arm. I sat down, curling into a ball. I didn’t like this, not at all. He sat down next to me, wrapping his arms around me. I buried myself within his grasp, whenever I’m around him I feel safe. I closed my eyes but instantly opened them. Flash backs of that moment swarmed through my mind. I stood up suddenly, breathing heavily, my mind in places I wish it wasn’t. “Woah… you ok?” said Ben, standing up to face me. I looked away from him, shy and embarressed.

He put his arms around my waist and brought me closer towards him. “Ben, w-what are you doing”, I stuttered, leaning backwards. What is he doing? He put his hand against my head, pulling me back up. “We’re both stuck in here… we might as well have a bit of fun.” I put my arms around his neck akwardly. Ben kissed me, backing me up against the wall. I wrapped my tail round us, pulling him closer towards me. He lifted my shirt, fingering at my bra strap. I put my hand through his hair, blushing a bit… was this really happening? His kiss met my neck, his hand pulling on my tail… my weak spot.

I pushed him away, putting my arms around myself in defense. “S-sorry, I-I don’t think I want to” I stuttered, my head hanging low. Ben put his hand on my shoulder, “It’s fine, don’t sweat it.” I sat back down, pulling my phone out. I ended up playing gacha life, carrying on with my animation. It’s about a guy who’s stuck in a dream realm and he needs to escape before time runs out. I’m at the part where he has to face his worst nightmare, being murdered by his evil twin. “What ya doing?” I jumped, just to find Ben looking over my shoulder. “I’m making an animation… for my channel”, I said, looking away in embarressment. Ben looked back at me and smiled, “wow, didn’t know you had one”, he said, laughing a bit.

It’s been thirty minutes since… that happened. I’ve almost finished my animation… just one more bit. “Done!” I yelled, startling Ben. “S-sorry, just eager to post this”, I stuttered, blushing a bit. After creating the video, adding the music, special effects and all the other things. I hit post and got the video up. I heard a notification bell ring, but it wasn’t my phone. “Heh, she posted again huh, been a while…” whispered Ben. He pulled out his phone, clicking on the notification. I recognised that music, it’s almost as if… “Hey, what are you watching?” I asked intentively. He looked up, pausing the video. “Just some person who makes videos, Karma’s fate, you heard of her?” I picked my phone up, Karma’s fate… but, why? I put my phone down, resting my head against the wall. “No, she sounds interesting”, I said, lying to keep him away.

I got up and walked over to my bed, feeling tired and drowzy. I collapsed on the soft mattress and tried to get to sleep, wanting to forget about today. I curled up into a ball, almost forcing myself to sleep, shutting my eyes tight. “Hey, you alright?” I heard Ben speak from behind me. I mumbled a response, so quiet I could barely make it out. I felt his hand land on my shoulder in a reasuring kind of way. “I’m just tired, nothing wrong”, I responded, turning to face him. He looked down at me, smiling. I turned away again, I wanted to just fall asleep but it’s almost as if I couldn’t. It’s as if there’s something keeping me awake, keeping me from falling.

I sat up abruptly, almost jumping out of bed. I thought I was going to scream for a second. I had just woken up, but it felt as if I’d never slept at the same time. I got out of bed, searching around for my pocket knife. I suddenly felt the urge to cut through my skin, the urge to watch the blood flow out of it like a small river. I found it, gripping the blade tightly… Was I really going to do this? I lay the edge of the blade against my skin, cutting through my arm like scissors through paper. I drove it upwards and out as a strip of skin and muscle dropped onto the cold, wooden floor.

I fell to my knees as my arm bled out, gritting my teeth to keep in the rising scream. My eyes stung with rising tears although… it felt as if there was no pain. I’m crying because of there being no pain, no torture, no escape from the world. I looked up at the clock, it reads quarter to seven. I stood up, letting go of my slow-healing arm. Trudging over to a wall, I hoped with almost all my might that no one would see me like this. I couldn’t let anyone see me, not yet… not now. I opened the window since the cloud had disappeared. Fresh, cool air gently blew into the room as I climbed out, my blood soaked arm left a small mark on the wall but nobody would notice it… right?

Chapter 7, Monsters inside

I ran into the woods, tree branches harshly stroking my skin. I tried to get to a clearing, I tried to find just one area where the moon shines through, just one… that’s all I need. I could feel it emerging from it’s cage, breaking free of it’s prison. I ran into a clearing, collapsing on the rough forest floor I got up on my hands and knees, a waterfall of blood and spit came flying out of my mouth. I couldn’t let him take control… not now… not here… not ever. I could feel my horns growing larger, my tail also. The feeling of a second pair of wings emerging from my back almost made me collapse all over again.

I stood up, swaying from side to side, my vision blurred, a pain emerging from my back and thighs. I walked drunkly over to a tree while trying to make out my other surroundings. The sound of footsteps shuffling around me brought me back down to earth. I stood up, outstretching my wings, almost showing them off. I leaned my back against a tree and watched my surroundings. I could still hear footsteps and small chatters of familiar voices echoing around me… or was it all in my head? “Who’s there? Show yourself!” I yelled, trying to act intimidating but really I’m terrified. I got my magic ready, my pupils turning to slits in my eyes.

I felt something land on my back, pinning me to the ground. “What have you done with Clarity? Tell me!” / “Ben, you idiot, that is Clarity.” I could hear voices, arguments, overlapping each other, trying to be the better one. I had to think of a quick lie to get them away from me. “Umm… do I know you, I’ve been hiding in these woods for a few days, I’m not this Clarity girl”, I quickly spluttered out the first excuse Icould think of. Would they fall for it though? “Clarity… you told me about your demon, no way am I falling for that bullshit”, snapped Symphony, a look of hurt formed on her face. “Do you know, how worried I am about you!? I care about you Clarity, don’t just push me away like that!” she glowered, almost crying. I tried to get up to comfort her but Ben was still on my back so I could barely move.

When Ben finally got off my back I ran over to Symphony, enveloping her in a bear hug. I knew she cared, but I didn’t realise she’d be so sensitive over it. I let go of her, and ran into the woods. I could hear both Symphony and Ben call my name, screaming after me. I couldn’t let them see me like this I eventually reached the end of the forest, but should I run away. Life here so far is pretty fun… am I really the kind of person to run away from something amazing. No, I’m not. I turned back, trying to see if they had followed me. There were shouts, footsteps and strange noises coming from the darkness that swallowed our surroundings. I walked back, my eyes wider than ever, stinging with tears that forced themselves out. I could feel the wind slip through my scales, making them prickle upwards by the slightest fraction.

It had only been a minute, but it felt like an hour. I was drunk with fatigue, stumbling around like a druggie. I layed my arm on a tree, resting against the rough, hard wood. My eyesight was growing dimmer and dimmer as the voices crept closer and closer. I forced my head up just to try and get a glimps of my surroundings. I sensed something lay eyes on me, staring at me as if I was a wild animal, as if it were waiting for the kill. My scales rippled along with the cool, winter breeze, after that painful as hell transformation, most of my clothes had ripped apart. I was left with what looked like torn shorts and belly-top. “There you are, woah… you’ve changed a lot.” I looked up to see Ben’s shocked face, Symphony in the background smirking… giggling almost. He picked me up and carried me back… on his back. My eyes were drooping as we trekked home but I was determined to stay awake until we got home.

I nuzzled into his neck, slowly nodding off. We’re so close but I could barely keep my eyes open. Fatigue got the best of my and my senses. I ended up falling asleep for the rest of the way since I really needed a recharge after all of this demonic nonsense.

I woke up, finding myself in bed, my still scaley arm wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage. I turned to my right, my breath hitched.

Chapter 8, Death’s call

Right next to me was Ben, sound asleep. His expression looked soft and calm… something I almost never see in him. I couldn’t help but smile a bit, edging closer towards him. I closed my eyes because I know I’m safe whenever I’m around him. My eyes shot open as Ben wrapped his arms around me. “You’re safe now”, he whispered, bringing me in closer. I nuzled into his chest, returning the hug to him. We stayed like that for a little while but we eventually let go. In all honesty, I didn’t want this to end, but I didn’t want this to last either. What was going on with me lately? I couldn’t figure out what was going on anywhere… even inside of my own head. “You’re awake now, huh”, I heard a voice coming from the doorway. I turned my head just to see Symphony’s smiling face standing above me.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes to try wake myself up a bit more. I giggled a bit when Symphony outstretched her wings, the feathers tickled against my wound up arm. “So how did you end up with a megalomaniac demon like Crat in the first place?” Asked Ben, sitting up beside me. I tried to remember when I first met Crat, but the memories were just… fuzzy. It’s almost as if he didn’t want me to remember… as if he wanted me to forget… everything. “I-I’m not quite sure… the past isn’t a nice place for me so I’d rather forget it”, I quickly made something up to stay away from the subject. We all left the room. I put on my big, comfy hoody and some tights (no I wasn’t sleeping in my underwear you perverts).

Going outside, even if it’s where it all started, calms me down. I love the dark and since the forest roof is covered in branches and leaves barely any light was able to slither it’s way through the maze. The cool breeze blew against my cheeks, tickling me, whispering forgotten secrets in my ears, speaking in a language no one would understand. My mind was taken to places I wish I’d been in a long time ago, as if I was teleported off to a land of wonder. The ground was rough and covered in twigs, cutting through my skin like scissors, but it’s almost as if I couldn’t feel the pain.

We walked a bit further, watching our surroundings as if it were a theater circling around us. I grabbed Ben by the arm, trying not to trip over the surfaced branches. He laughed, holding my hands tightly. We climbed up a tall, slender tree and sat on one of the higher branches. I let my legs dangle from the branch as I lay down on it, luckily though it was quite wide. I closed my eyes, sunlight reached down, stroking my face with it’s warm, comforting hands. I felt… colder almost, as the light disappeared from the sky, but I wasn’t falling. I peeked through my eyelids just to see Ben floating above me, an inquisitive look on his face. “I thought you fell asleep, you can be really calm you know”, he said, smirking.

I closed my eyes again, blushing a bit… it was still dark above me, but I knew a way to prank that ghost. As it got darker and darker, I could tell he was getting closer and closer. I was trying so hard not to show any emotions. Suddenly, I sat up, knocking my head against his. “Back off, pervert!” I squeeled, going back as far as I dared (Which was probably two shuffles backwards). “Pervert, hah! You’ve seen nothing yet”, laughed Ben, throwing a look at me that probably meant ‘You’re in big trouble’. I purposely fell backwards, letting my wings catch me before I landed. I flew back up, giggling at their shocked faces. “You think I can’t use these”, I tittered while flying around a bit. I landed back on the tree branch, just to be rugby tackled off again by Ben.

“Those wings gonna save you now kiddo!” He yelled in a maniacal sort of way. I stretched them out, letting the wind catch us. “Holy shit, that was terrifying”, he whispered, clinging on tighter than a child going to school. We landed on the floor, I ended up collapsing since it’s been a while since I’d used my wings. Although… it felt as if something was wrapping around my ankle, like a cold, slimy tentacle. I felt a small tug then… I was forced down into the ground, my leg breaking from how high it went up. I tried to scream but dirt clogged my mouth and nose. My eyes were filled with dirt aswell, making it impossible to see.

I landed in a small, circular pond, which was shallow enough to land in without drowning. I staggered out, throwing up dirt and blood at the end of it. “Oh my god… are you ok? Did you get hurt? Holy shit, Mike, I think we hurt her!” Yelped a familiar voice. I looked up, my tear-filled eyes barely making out anything. As the dirt cleared, I gasped…

Chapter 9, Trouble ends

“M-mum… is that you!?” I cried in sorrow and aggression. The woman looked back at me,, tears welling in her eyes. She collapsed infront of me, embracing me in a bear hug. My leg slowly started to heal as I stood up, shaken but alive. Well… of course I’m alive, I’m immortal. “Mum?” I asked again, tears running to my eyes. “Sshh, I’m here for you sweetie”, she said, rocking me back and forth in a tight hug. I hugged her back, crying into her shoulder. I felt someone join in from behind me. “We’ve really found her Kate… we’ve found our Clarity”, said dad, wraping us all in a hug. We stayed like that for a while, and when we eventually let go of each other, I fell from dream land back to reality.

“Are we stuck in here or are we able to get out?” I panicked, trying to keep my composure. Just as I said that, a hole opened above us and we were all dragged out of the underground cavern. We were thrown out as the hole started to close up. “Ouch! You fucking kicked me!” I heard a voice shriek out from nex to me. “Wow Ben, no need to be a bitch about it, it’s just a small mark”, retorted Symphony, pulling him up by his collar. “Kate, is there some sort of, oh I don’t know… Dungeon under the fucking ground!” Yelled Ben, grabbing my wrist, pulling me towards him. He wrapped his arms around me in a protective way. “I see you’ve met my daughter… Ben”.

“Wait… you know her?” I looked up at Ben, expecting a response. He held me tighter, looking down at me. “Yeah… Kate used to be one of us, but then she ran away and started a family… that’s what I was told anyway”, whispered Ben as if to keep it a secret. I turned to look at mum and dad, my eyes almost as wide as dinner plates. “So… can I have my daughter back or what?” She said, holding out her hand, “Nothing personal, it’s just been, oh I don’t know, eight years since I’ve seen her”. I held on to Ben tightly, now that I think about it… I don’t want to go back to the people who abandoned me in the first place.

“N-no… I-I’m not going back”, I stumbled over my words. I gripped onto Ben tighter, almost as if they were going to drag me away from him. “Clarity… we’re going to stay here, you do know that right?” I looked back at mum, my eyes were once again filled with tears. “Don’t worry, you won’t leave your… boyfriend I guess”, I stumbled backwards when she mentioned that. She couldn’t be serious… me and… Ben? I mean… I guess it would be nice but still… four year age gap, that’s a big gap. “Hehe… we’re not-” I was cut off by a huge squeel erupting from Symphony. “You two are dating! Why’d you never tell me!” I pinched the bridge of my nose, sighing. “As I was saying, we’re not-”

I was cut off, but not by words, but by pure shock. Ben had bent his head down, and kissed me. My tail was shaking like crazy, I thought it would fall off. I kissed back, whenever I’m around him, it’s like I don’t have a care in the world. We parted but I was still blushing from it. “Yeah… you’re mine now” declared Ben, resting his head on mine. I smiled, rolling my eyes since… I’m not really his… am I?

We all walked back to the Slender mansion. I walked further back… I just needed some space from the others. I’m not being introverted, I’m just emotionally unstable right now… don’t judge.

“Hey, you alright kiddo?” I looked up to see Ben fall behind to walk with me. I look away with shame and embarressment since… I still haven’t recovered from what had happened… hehe. “I’m… I’m fine… just fine… I guess, I can’t figure it out myself, god I sound like an idiot”, my words tripped over my tounge and came falling out in a muddled up mess. I winced, my face going red. I buried myself in my hoody, trying to disappear from the world. “Kid… you’re shaking all over and you’re acting really strange, don’t give me that bullshit”, he soothed… but I’m not sure if he was trying to be nice or mean. I paced ahead, trying to stay in the middle of the groups. I didn’t want to talk… but at the same time I… I wanted Ben.

“Clarity… are you sure your alright?” I turned my head to see Ben hovering next to me, his face filled with worry. I ended up spilling everything, but what happened next shocked me…

Chapter 10, What next?

It’s been half a year since that exact day and things aren’t exactly ok. You see, the thing is… Symphony is dead. She died in a… horrible and gruesome way for an angel to die. We were walking through this fake haunted house and we were about to turn a corner when she slipped. Next to us was a prop and, well… she fell into it.She was smashed, sliced and many other things and all of this was right in front of my, and other people’s, eyes. I still blame myself… for everything. She didn’t come back as a ghost, neither did her spirit return to right her wrongs… we never saw her again. But it’s not all bad things… I guess. After I told Ben everything we kind of ended up together, it’s nice to know I’m not the only one with feelings around here.

I fear this may be the end of my story, my book of life. Everything is done now, I’ve found my parents, I’m with the boy I love… there’s nothing much left to say now. Yes, this is the End, the true end, the real end. Even if my tale wasn’t as fun or as exciting or as good as the other people here, but at least it’s my story.

This is my story, the story of Clarity. An immortal girl with a life that starts shit and will never end.

The end.