Chapter Seven: A Grandmother's Love

The weather had taken a turn for the worse as Ophelia sped towards the Green Meadows Retirement Village. It had been nice and sunny earlier in the day, but grey clouds had begun to move in, slowly getting darker and darker. A storm was predicted to strike in only a few hours, and people were being warned to head home in case it got serious.

But Ophelia only had one thing on her mind.

Her grandmother had given her the necklace, and only a few hours later she had begun to feel ill and collapse. The necklace was stuck and couldn't be removed, and Ophelia couldn't help but suspect something.

The Met Service has just announced that the winds will be stronger than they originally suspected. These stronger winds could cause more- The radio said, but Ophelia angrily turned it off. She didn't want any distractions: she wanted to focus on getting to the retirement home and finding out the truth. She even refused to look in the mirrors, not wanting to risk seeing the Slender Man.

Pick up your phone Ophelia…. Pick up your phone Ophelia….

Ophelia looked down at mobile, lying on the passenger seat. Her personalized ring tone continued to sound as the screen flashed, revealing that her mother was trying to call her. Ophelia declined the call and turned her phone off, narrowly avoiding hitting another car as she did this. Ophelia knew how much trouble she would get into when she got home, but she had to do this….

A few minutes later Ophelia slowed down as she approached the gates that enclosed the retirees inside their little village. The black daunting gates stood in her way, preventing her from moving on. A middle aged security guard in a green uniform approached her car, and Ophelia sighed and reluctantly put the windows down.

"Hello little lady," the aging man said joyfully. "What are you doing here are this hour?"

"My grandma, Beatrice, phoned home saying that she was feeling nervous." Ophelia automatically explained, having decided on the lie on her way over. "We are very worried for her mental health, so I came here straight away." The security guard looked concerned and Ophelia had to hold back a smile, pleased with how convincing she sounded.

"Okay then, I guess I'll have to let you in!" The security guard said, and he moved towards the walls and punched in a code. The gates rolled aside with a slight squealing noise, and Ophelia thanked the man as she raced in, moving a few kilometres above the speed limit. None of the elderly residents were out, staying indoors following the bad weather warnings. Ophelia felt comfortable with flawing it, and could easily say she was speeding as she was concerned. As soon as she saw her grandmother's plain white flat, Ophelia slammed on the brakes, the Santa Fe skidded to a halt. Not even bothering to park properly, Ophelia got out and slammed the door, and began marching over the dead tulips and up the ramp.

"Grandma, open up, it's Ophelia!" She called sweetly, but she was banging on the door as loudly and forcefully as possible. For two minutes she knocked on the door, the whole thing rattling as if it was about to fall off. The wind began to pick up as she stood there, and as the first drops of rain began to fall the door swung open.

"Ophelia, what are you doing here dressed like that?" Beatrice asked, her wrinkled face twisted up in curiosity and anger. Ophelia ignored her and barged into the hallway and began walking determinedly towards the living room.

"What do you think you're doing young lady?" Beatrice squawked as she followed after in her dressing gown and slippers. Ophelia stopped once they got into the dimly lit living room. Some light was coming in through the big windows in the office area, but the stormy weather and the bare walls made the light seem creepy.

"This necklace, where did you get it from?" She shrieked, clutching the hideous necklace that was still stuck around her neck. Beatrice leant against a wall, a shocked hand over her face.

"I got it from a market, the lady said it had been imported in from China!" The elderly lady replied, appalled at her granddaughter's reaction. "She said that it was part of a series of necklaces."

"Which market?" Ophelia hissed. "Flea market, black market, or was it really some behind-the-alley sort of deal?" Wind and rain began pattering the metal roof, adding a dramatic thundering effect to the tense situation.

"It was a beach market a few weeks ago, nothing dodgy about it!" Beatrice insisted. "Are you accusing me or something, is there something wrong with the necklace?"

"I've been having hallucinations, I've been feeling unwell!" Ophelia replied, and she stared around, making sure the Slender Man wasn't around. "And I can't get it off, but I guess that was part of your plan, wasn't it?"

"What plan, what are you talking about?" Beatrice said hysterically. Ophelia wasn't getting the answers she was expecting, but she could tell Beatrice had wanted this to happen, she must have.

"You gave me this necklace as…. as…. as a punishment, that must be it!" Ophelia said. She began walking around the room as she thought, holding the necklace in her hand. "You did something to the clip so I couldn't get it off again. It's must be doing something to me, like electrifying me or poisoning me or something sick like that!" Beatrice couldn't take it any more and she slumped forwards onto a coffee table as her knees gave way. Ophelia ignored her and kept walking. There must be clues somewhere in the house, like an address to where she brought the necklace.

"You can hide your secrets from me!" Ophelia shouted, and she ran towards the bookcase and began flicking through books for clues. Beatrice began sobbing, and deep down Ophelia felt a little guilty. But she had to do this, she had to find why this was happening. Ophelia rummaged over a desk in the office area, throwing practically everything onto the floor. Receipts, medical bills, letters from doctors…. Nothing was there! Ophelia roared and turned around, wondering if she had dropped anything on the floor behind her.

She froze.

The Slender Man was staring at her.

Ophelia screamed and grabbed the office chair. The Slender Man was staring at her from outside, raising a long pale hand, his mouth twisted in a wicked smile. Beatrice screamed as well as Ophelia smashed the chair through the window and then tossed it aside, grabbing a piece of shattered glass.

"Get out of my house right now you demented girl!" Beatrice wailed, and Ophelia turned to see her grandmother had picked up her ancient phone. "I'm calling the police and then your parents! I can't believe your doing this!"

"Don't try and back out of what you've done now!" Ophelia yelled, and she ran towards her grandmother who was shaking too much to dial the phone. Ophelia grabbed the phone and smashed it against the wall. Beatrice wailed and turned to run, but Ophelia grabbed onto her grandmother, brandishing the shard of glass above her head.

"Just tell me the truth, what are you doing to me!" Ophelia shouted. She pointed out through the broken. "Are you working with this man? Why did you send him after me? ANSWER ME!"

"I don't know what your talking about!" Beatrice wailed weakly, tears streaming down her face. "No one is there!"

"DON'T LIE!" Ophelia screamed. She hated what had happened to her, and she wasn't going to let her grandmother lie to her anymore. "He's right there, just look!" Beatrice just shook her head, sobbing in a painful manner. "LOOK!" Ophelia screamed again and pushed her grandmother forwards, hoping she would see the man.

But didn't expect what happened next.

Beatrice was already weak from her bad bones and not doing much with herself, and she had been feeling weak ever since Ophelia had arrived. Her knees buckled completely as she was pushed forwards, and the elderly woman couldn't stop herself in time. Ophelia could only watch as Beatrice fell onto the coffee table face first, the sound of her forehead hitting the edge louder than the wind whistling through the broken window. Beatrice fell onto the carpet, her eyes shut and her mouth open. Her head turned onto a funny angle, and she simply lay there, not saying a word.

"Beatrice…. Grandma…." Ophelia whispered nervously, taking a step backwards. Her grandmother didn't respond: she didn't speak, she didn't move, she just lay there. "No…. this can't have happened… she can't have…" Ophelia hissed, and she dropped the glass on the floor having completely forgotten where it came from. The sound of the glass hitting the carpet quickly reminded her, and Ophelia turned towards the window, half expecting the evil figure to be waiting for her.

No one was there.

Ophelia began to cry as she realised what had happened. The Slender Man hadn't been there, he possibly had never been there. She was going crazy, losing her mind completely.

And she had just killed her grandmother for no reason.