Chapter 4

A year...

A year has passed since Amanda last saw him outside her house...

When she awoke that morning, she was anxious as usual, already expecting his dreadful presence sometime that day...

But...he never showed...

She even looked out to the woods that night, yet she didn't see his freakishly tall figure in the distance.

'H-he's just trying to torment me...h-he want's me to let my guard down...'

And she truly did believe this...being the demonic monster he was, Amanda figured Slenderman was just playing around with his…"prey".

But...days soon turn to months...

Fall soon turned into Spring...

And her birthday soon turned to Christmas...

After a year of his absence, Amanda finally came to the conclusion that...

He grew bored of her...

She became relieved that he had stopped stalking her.

Without the Slenderman around, Amanda was able to go to school without any worries...

She was able to make real friends and not worry about endangering them...

She could be able to smile happily and be sincere about it...

...Amanda could finally be at ease.

The brunette became convinced...that after a year of not seeing him...

He didn't want to hurt her anymore...

The poor girl would never know what would happen next...


It was a Friday afternoon, and they were in the middle of free period.

Amanda had managed to become good friends with the girls from History class, thanks to the absence of the demon.

And now she was busy chatting up with the other girls, smiling without a care.

They were all giggling elatedly, talking about current school news.

Like upcoming prep rallies, the recent football games...

And especially about the cutest boys in school.

"This is a sudden side of you, Amanda. I've never seen you like this." Janey replied, her usual meek nature replaced with soft laughter.

"Yeah." Donna punched her arm playfully, grinning. "For the past few months, you've been awesome to be around. What happen to make you so cheerful~~?"

"Oh, y'know." Amanda stretched back in her seat, feeling very much relaxed.

"Just the exams and all. Now that they're over, I feel at ease."

Of course, that was a big, fat lie. But she wasn't about to make her new found friends worried.

"That's great" Heather smiled before nudging her arm gently. "Hey…Matt Lewis is looking your way~"

Amanda almost falls out her chair and looks up to him; Matt smiled and offered her a wave.

A sweet blush grazed her tan skin, and the brunette waved back shyly, her heart thumping a bit.

Matt Lewis was the hottest boy in her class, and she had a crush on him for quite some time..

It made her heart skip a beat that he was paying attention to her.

'Oh…this day couldn't get any better…'

"Look! He's coming this way!" Heather whispers excited, wiggling her eyebrows to her .

'I stand corrected!'

She toys with her dark brown hair, trying to look cool as she watches him make his way to her table.

"Hey girls." His voice was so deep and smooth, it took everything for the girls not to swoon and for Amanda not to faint.

He really was a hottie.

"Hi~ Matt~"

The three girls pushed Amanda towards him, giving her the "thumbs up."

She looked at them briefly, the blush still on her face, before giving the handsome boy a coy look.

"H-hello Matthew…"

Matt smiled brightly, his green eyes gleaming. "Hey, Amanda. You're just the girl I was looking for."

"R-Really?"

Small squeals echoed in the background from the girls, and her heart started to thump louder in her chest.

The sliver-haired boy rubbed his neck, as if he was embarrassed. Then, a soft blush lands on both his cheeks, making the girls swoon in their minds.

"Well…I was wondering…if you weren't busy—"

"I-I'm not."

He smiles happily and places his hands on both her shoulders.

"Great! Then I can ask! Amanda…Would you do me the honor…"

She blushed in shock, not believing this was really happening...

'T-This will be the first time a guy ever asked me out—'

"…of helping me do Clean-Up Duty?"

Amanda nearly chocks on her breath, the other girls wincing.

"A swing and a miss…" Heather muttered rather loudly.

Donna flicks the ravenette in the head while urging Amanda on.

Amanda stood frozen, obviously embarrassed.

'Well…it's not a date. But it's a start.'

"S-Sure...I-I would love to."

"Really?!" Matt does her the honor of hugging the girl tightly, to which she happily melts into the hold. "Thanks so much. I knew I could count on you, Amanda."

"A-Anytime…" She sighs dreamily.

'Yeah…Definitely worth it.'

Matt lets go and begins to leave before turning back; he offers the girl a cute grin, making her even more flustered.

"Oh, and Amanda…you look cute today."

The brunette's face turns hot red as the boy walks away, having worked his magic.

The others sigh softly, patting her back with support and congratulations.

"You did well, Amanda." Donna replied proudly, her eyes trailing along Matt's backside. "Very good."

The girls laughed at Donna's perverseness while Amanda rested her head on a desk, sighing in content.

This was the life...

No more worries clouding around her head.

No more constant fear for her life.

She was finally in her happy place.

And nothing could ruin it...

'I'm finally at peace...'

The brunette began to close her eyes when a dark voice echoed in her ears...

"...ChIlD..."

Her dark blue eyes flew open, and Amanda jumped to attention, looking up to peer out the window.

"…Huh?"

The wind blew into the deep woods, whooshing along like a ghost's whisper.

As her eyes scan the darkness of the forest, they locked onto a sight that made her blood run cold...

A sudden chill ran down her spine, and her body became vulnerable all over again.

There…

In the far distance…

She stared on, her eyes widen as the image burned in her mind.

There…he stood.

Waiting...

'…No.'

Amanda stood up suddenly, her dark blue eyes staring out the window in fear.

"Something wrong, Amanda?"

Hearing Heather, she turned to them and saw their concerned gazes.

"Oh, no. I-I thought I saw something outside."

She slowly sat down, trying to laugh it off.

"Probably my imagination."

The other girls looked out the window, but did not see the terror she saw...

Seeing nothing, they shrugged it off and didn't think anything of it.

The girls continued to chat happily, enjoying their time together...

But Amanda couldn't stop herself from shaking slightly in her seat...

'...He came back...'


The bell rings loudly, and the classes were dismissed for the day. The hallway filled with noisy students, many heading to their lockers to pack up and go home and some heading to their after-school classes.

Having not a care in the world...

The same couldn't be said for poor Amanda, of course...

She hurriedly went to her locker, not thinking about the girls or Matt…

Oh no.

It was him who plagued her mind yet again, his dark voice beginning to bring back horrible memories...

He was back…

And he wouldn't leave until he had her...

'I-It doesn't make sense…W-Why would he wait for so long?!'

While she rattled through her locker, a hand softly touches her shoulder, causing the girl to jump and squeal a little.

Heather laughs shortly before raising her eyebrow at her in amusement.

"What's wrong, Amanda~?" She teased, crossing her arms. "Too busy thinking about Matt to pay attention?"

"Y-Yeah…" Amanda slowly stuffs her bag, the blacked-haired girl leaning against a red locker.

"...Are you ok, sweetie? You seem a little skittish…"

Amanda stops before looking to the girl and giving her a fake smile. "I-It's nothing, really. I'm just worried about this afternoon. What if I mess up with Matt?"

'Wh-What if…HE comes to get me?'

Heather rolls her eyes before smacking Amanda on the forehead playfully. "Gosh, You act like Janey, sometimes…"

She huffs softly but beams at Amanda, patting her on the shoulder. "You'll do fine. I mean, he called you cute. It's obvious that you have some type of chance with him."

Amanda blushes but smiles to Heather in gratitude. "Thanks...you're the best."

The girl smiles at the brunette, before putting an arm around her neck. Covering her mouth, she whispers devilishly:

"And just between you and me…if you guys do end up kissing…give his butt a squeeze for me."

"HEATHER!" The perverted girl runs off laughing, a blushing Amanda running after her.


Students began to walk out the building and head home, many chatting to friends, and walking in groups..

None of them were aware of the danger that lurked so near...

In the distance, the woods stood still, save for the slight swaying of trees.

The wind blows through the bare trees, the forest noises fading into a dull silence as a dark presence was made known..

The tall figure stood there in the shadows of the school, staring towards the the second floor...

Had he wanted to show any emotions at that point, he would've smirked darkly in anticipation...

"sOOn…i'LL cOmE FoR yOu sOOn, ChiLd…"


End of Chapter 4