A/N: Okay, so I tried really hard not to join the Slenderman fandom like this, but I failed, then I tried not to write fanfiction for it, I failed. So this is what I've got so far. How long it will be depends on how you readers react to it. I've noticed that there isn't a lot of fanfiction for it, maybe its just a rare fandom to write for or people aren't brave enough it write for it. But I have read and enjoyed several fanfictions and I decided to try my hand at it. I hope you all enjoy, so maybe I can write more. And I'm trying to determine whether it should be a romance or not, if you want to give me your opinion, just leave a review or PM me. I don't own Slender but I do own Echo.
You know that scene from Pocahontas when that jerk Native American gets shot and he grabs Pocahontas' necklace and it breaks as he falls to the ground? Yeah, well something similar happened to me, only the necklace didn't break, and I fell too, off a cliff. The necklace was given to me by a powerful being, the only way it's coming off is if I take it off, no 'breaks at a freaking fly pulling at it' crap. .
The guy that pulled me off a cliff was a villain, the jerkface abducted me, cops chased us through a bunch of woods and to the edge of what seemed like the world, the cliff was in Washington, standing tall and proud. Some said it was cursed, hundreds of people committed suicide off the cliff. The necklace itself, made of a sturdy string, the charm was a talon clutching a black crystal. The person that gave it to me? A very old being, most people say he's evil. I mean he has killed people, lots of people, but I don't say he's evil.
I was a little girl when I first met him. He saved me from falling out of a tree, well, I fell out of a tree, and he caught me. At first I was scared, he was a little creepy, with no face, really tall, wore a black suit and a red tie, white shirt underneath. His arms went past his knees. People call him the Slenderman. I called him the Tall Man. He was my only friend really. I was five. But when I was seven, Dad and I moved away. I remembered how hard I cried, I fought and screamed so I could stay with my Tall Man. He just watched from the tree line. Those tendrils of his drooping sadly, running the length of the ground. I had never seen him so sad. That made it worse. I wanted to be his friend and make him happy.
You see, the thing was, my abductor, he took me to the same woods rumored for the Slenderman's hunting ground. I knew he would either kill me, seeing I was the age of his prey now and that he may not recognize me, despite my necklace, or Tall Man would save me. Or, I would save myself. Which I did, sort of. We broke the tree line, I didn't see the familiar face or shadow in the woods, so I was losing hope that Tall Man would find us. Tony (that was his name) shoved me to the ground.
"Alright, you pull another stunt like that, I will shoot you! You hear me!" He spat, pulling out his gun and jabbing it into my temple. I heard the roar of the ocean, how far down was it? Could I jump to escape?
Tall Man, now would be a great time to show up, even if you do kill me, I'd rather it be you than him. No joke, old buddy. I thought as Tony went to the edge of the cliff. I saw a large rock a few feet to my left. My eyes darted to my abductor. He was staring out over the ocean. I decided against the rock and just stood and bolted at him. He turned right as I shoved him. The lucky bastard got a grip on my necklace; I didn't panic until I realized I was going over with him. I screamed.
"TALL MAN!" I didn't realize I screamed his name. The wind buffeted my face and the salt air blowing aggressively into my eyes made them sting. The water was eagerly awaiting two new victims. I kicked Tony off, if I was going to die like this I wasn't going to die in the grip of that dolt. All of a sudden a warm tendril hooked itself around my waist and I stopped falling with a jerk. I recognized this tendril. My arms instantly went around the appendage as I watched the cold Northern Pacific waters swallow my captor. I looked up, seeing my Tall Man standing on the edge of the cliff, staring down with hidden eyes. He slowly brought me back to the cliff. He set me gently back on the ground waited for me to catch my breath, then knelt, grabbing my necklace in his thin hand he studied it, trying to determine whether I was the girl he saved from falling to her death when she was itsy bitsy.
The claw fell back against my chest and he stood to his full height, the flesh the lower part of his face ripped, revealing a very sharp looking toothy mouth.
"Tell me, Echo, just how many times am I going to have to save you from falling?" He asked, his voice was as soft and warm as ever. It was like distant rolling thunder. I smirked up at him.
"Hopefully that was the last time, Tall Man." I told Slender, standing and brushing myself off. I went back to the edge (not too close) and stared down. The sun was getting higher, basking the world in its morning orange glory. I stared down at the ocean, no sign of him. His handgun rested at my feet. I kicked it over the edge watching it plummet to the water below, remembering all the times that stupid thing had been shoved in my face with a flustered order. "Get in the car", "Get out of the car", "Pack a bag and say bye-bye to your buddies sweetie, you'll probably never see them again."
"Good riddance." I muttered, straightening my black fitted t-shirt. Slender was still there, watching. I pulled a little on my white undershirt. I sat back down, feeling strange now. Slender sat beside me, sitting with his legs bent at the knee, arms propped on his legs, right hand gripped his left wrist.
"It's been awhile since we've seen each other." I told him. He slowly nodded.
"It's been twelve years." He told me, his voice sad yet happy at the same time.
"Glad we reunited when we did." I said laughingly. Slender just shook his head.
"I knew you would grow up, but I didn't expect you to be like them." He told me. I look at him full on.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"The people I hunt, the ones that come onto my territory and romp about carelessly, leaving those ridiculous pages and sending people just like them in after the papers." He told me. I frowned, giving a huff.
"Am I any less important to you now?" I asked. He shook his head.
"Perfectly normal people that have contact with me can end up like you. There's just something about me that makes people dark." He answered. My frown lightened a little.
"Oh. Where are we exactly?" I asked. "I've been in a trunk for the past few hours." I continued.
"Haven Junction, Washington. A few miles out of it actually, it's the closest town to the woods." He told me. We fell into silence for a few minutes, just watching the sun rise.
"You've moved, Slender." I told him Tall Man looked at me, and scoffed.
"I didn't stay in those woods long after you left. I left the eastern seaboard and came here. Much more plentiful prey." He told me. I nodded, trying to fight the shiver at the thought of his killings.
"Where are you going to go, now, Echo?" He asked. I shrugged. I didn't really have friends, no ties back in Willow, where I lived, my father died when I was seventeen. I never knew my mother. I had emancipated myself and was living comfortably on the fortune that Dad left me.
"Maybe get a place in Haven Junction. Unless you want me to leave. But I don't really feel like going back.." I told Slender. He looked back out to the ocean.
"No, you can stay if you like. It would be nice to have someone that understands me around." He told me. I smiled.
"Great. I'll call a real estate agent back in the other town and I'll have them sell my old place and get an apartment here." I said, standing. Slender looked up at me from the ground. "I really never thought I'd see you again, Tall Man." I told him.