.:10:.

I fell asleep in his bed.

It was unintentional, but I was so tired after spending a little over twenty-four hours awake that my motions took over and I believed I was falling into my own bed. I wasn't sure if it was my sleep deprived brain talking or not but I had never realized how comfortable and roomy his bed was.

I didn't realize the consequences of my actions until the next morning. I woke up and I didn't want to get out of bed. The pillow was so warm and the sheets around my shoulders fit so snug… wait, they were moving.

I cracked open an eye and jumped as far away as I could out of Slender's arms. I hit the hardwood floor butt first and groaned at the sharp pain it brought. Slender bolted out of bed in a rush but relaxed when he saw it was only me.

"Well good morning to you too," he swung his long legs off the bed and I noticed he wasn't wearing any shoes, just a pair of black wool socks.

I stood silently and started to walk out the door when one of his extra arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back towards him. I struggled but he was a thousand times stronger than I ever was.

"Let me go," he pulled me until I was forced to sit in his lap and I crossed my arms in irritation.

Slender laid his head on my shoulder and buried his head into my neck. The position was similar to when he marked me and I felt a blur of memories from our time in the forest run through my mind.

He inhaled deeply and was about to push off with all my might when I was enveloped in lanky yet strong arms. He hugged me tightly and I felt an awkward heat zip through my body as I blushed.

"I'm having another meeting tonight. This time I need you there, can you handle this?" I blinked several times to try and clear my thoughts. Slender was playing nice again, I don't know what's gotten into him but he's been acting weird the past few days.

This time when I pushed away he let me go. I stood in front of him and at my height we still met eyes even though he was slouching. Setting my hands on my hips I mustered the most disapproving frown that I could muster, "Why are you being so nice lately?"

Slender stared at me, "What are you talking about, I am always kind to you."

I scoffed, "Do you call imprisoning me kind? Do you call getting me fired kind? Do you call forcing me to be your little pet kind? If that's the case then you and I have very different ideas of the word kind."

I was yelling at him. I didn't care, he was a… a jerk hole! I was tired of him, I wanted my freedom back but I knew I would never get it.

Slender stood abruptly, he grabbed my wrists with his large hands and pulled me to him. He was so close that I could smell the clean cotton of his suit, "I need you and your power to win this. You belong to me and you will fight for me, willingly or not! I've been trying to get you fully on board but you refuse to cooperate!"

He let go of me and I fell to the floor, I felt a heavy fear wash over my system as fight or flight kicked in. I tried to back away from his menacing presence but failed to get anywhere when he blocked the door.

"Why me? Why do you need me so bad? I have nothing to offer you! Yeah sure I can say hey to the woods but that is nothing! I have no place in your "war" I'm worthless here! You don't need me!"

Slender grew an inch in frustration before pinning me against the far wall of the bedroom. His forehead was pressed against mine as he spoke in a harsh but quiet whisper, "I need you more than you could possibly know. That little stunt you pulled a few days ago when I was on a rampage proved that to me. You are what is needed. Please join my side…"

I turned away, suddenly embarrassed at our closeness. I pulled away and tried my best to distance myself from him in the small bedroom, "I can't be as powerful as you claim."

There was a long stretch of silence where we just stared at one another. I turned away from him but I felt his hand on my shoulder as he gently turned me back around, "I will admit, when we first met I sensed no power within you. I wanted your friend because she had something special as well, her power was so strong that I could sense it a mile away."

I looked up at him, "Then why did you pick me?"

He removed his hand and turned to the side. He wasn't looking directly at me but I knew he could see me out of the corner of his vision, "When you begged me to spare your friend, you looked up at me with those green eyes of yours. Your plea didn't faze me, but I felt a strange spark of power coming from you that I hadn't felt in a long time. I didn't know what it was, but I was curious, so I chose you. I figured I could always take it back and change my mistakes."

I pursed my lips and I wanted to say something, ask something that might clear up my situation, but my mind was drawing a complete blank. What I wanted to know most of all, was what were his past pets trying to say to me? I wanted so desperately to let them help but I was never away from him long enough to get a word in edgewise to them.

An idea came to mind, but I wasn't sure if it would work. I wanted to ask, no tell him that I was going to speak to them, and if he let me do it in peace then I would brace myself for his little meeting.

But what if he got mad? If he didn't let me speak to them what would I do? I might drive myself crazy trying to think up the answers. I wanted information and only they could provide it to me.

Despite Slender's general nature of the word no, I took in a deep breath and prepared the question in my mind. I wouldn't know if I didn't ask, right? "Slender…"

He looked at me, turning to face me fully. I was about to say more when he chuckled lightly, "What did you just call me?" his voice was playful, not angry, and I realized what I had just said. As I thought back on it that was probably the first time I called him that.

I bit my lip and my question was lost for the moment, "I… uh…"

Slender shook his head even though his shoulders were shaking ever so slightly. He took a seat on the bed and patted the spot next to him, offering me to join. Reluctantly I obeyed, he leaned back and looked at me. I saw the skin on his face contort into what looked similar to a smile.

"Did you have something to tell me?"

An oh right went through my mind and I tried to recollect my thoughts, "Yes I…" my thoughts trailed off and I tried to force them out so I wouldn't lose what I wanted to say, "the voices... I want to speak to them. I want to talk to your past acquaintances, they believe in me, they believe in my power and I want their past wisdom."

The playful air in the room dropped and Slender sat up, "Why would you want to speak to them. They can offer you nothing."

"I want to speak with them, let me talk to them," I felt my voice rising again. I wasn't sure if it was in defiance or fear.

Slender stood and his form towered above me, "Or what?"

In a panic I shrunk in the bed covers, "Or… or I won't help you in the war!"

There was a pause and Slender backed away from me. He seemed to think over things for a moment before deciding. I was surprised by his answer, "Very well. You may speak with them, but only if you agree to join my side. If you break your promise, you will never see the light of day again."

I gulped, realizing the hole I had dug myself into. I couldn't believe I had just agreed to join a war.

:::::

I can't believe he's letting you do this, a female voice said.

"I'm just as surprised," as promised Slender left me alone in his slash my room. Where he went I don't know, he might even be standing right outside the door for all I knew.

A young male voice spoke out and I recognized it as Caden's, Hey by the way, I wanted to thank you.

"For what?"

You saved me… in a way. I know this isn't an ideal life, but for all that its worth I thank you for taking my place.

"It's not so bad right now, I don't know what he did to you but from the way you looked, I can be glad that you're sort of at rest now."

Caden disappeared and more voices spoke up. They could already see into my mind rather easily, but I knew nothing about them. The strongest voice was an older women by the name of Diana who seemed to be in her mid-thirties.

She told me about her life first, she said she used to be a ballet dancer. She used to have a dream of preforming for the king, she lived in England, and she said she had been so close to achieving it when Slender stepped in. She was on her way to a special performance when the car she was in broke down.

Diana said that Slender had sensed her and was the one to tinker with her engine. When she got out to see the problem he grabbed her and didn't let go until her death.

Unlike me however, Diana didn't have a power like I did it. She was strong in her own way but not like the others. I noticed from the stories each person really was unique in their own power. Diana was psychic after the marking and her job was to tell Slender where he was supposed to be to find the other proxies he needed to talk to, or avoid.

A boy who sounded to be twelve told me his time was short. All he wanted to do in his life was invent something cool, but his friends dared him to go into this "haunted forest" which he never emerged from. Slender took him because he had this odd ghost ability. He could slip and out of places, like a ghost.

The one story that stuck out to me most was a pair of twins. They were two girls who were snatched at birth and lived with him until they were nearing their thirties. According to them they were the only two to be unbranded and left alone to live their lives. They had something he wanted to keep close, but he needed a new assistant and their mortality only lasted as long as humans live.

The twins had no names. All they managed to give me was a blurry image of two faces with bright brown eyes and strawberry blond hair. They told me they were picked since they each had an elemental affinity. The one who was older by fifteen minutes was a master over water and the other was good with wind.

We talked and talked and eventually it led into Slender.

We know you promised him yourself for this war effort, and that's good. Making him believe you're on his side will allow him to let down his guard while you smother him with your power.

"What happens after that?"

You will set us free.

But you will also become a proxy…

A spark of fear ran through my body all the way down to my core, "What? I wasn't aware of that!"

To kill what is binding you will allow you to absorb his power. You will become a proxy. We know you do not want this but it is the only way. If you kill one, the most powerful one, your power on top of that will make you unstoppable. That is why he wants you, your power to turn the Earth against the proxies grants you the ability to kill them.

"Wh…at? You mean… I'm the only one who can..?"

Yes, you are the only one who can kill them. Any and all of them. We believe it's your mission to end all of them, please Kiera, there are others in our position that you can set free! You can end the proxy war for good and while you may become one yourself, you are a good women. Your humanity will allow you to become a goddess among the people.

In a burst of fear and fury I removed my hand from neck. The room became eerily silent without all their jabber and was tempted to talk to them again. Instead I didn't, I couldn't believe this was they wanted all along. I know they believed in me, and I was actually beginning to believe in myself, the only problem was that I didn't know if I could bring myself to kill anyone.

A knock on my door startled me. Slender gently entered the room and motioned into the hallway, "They're beginning to arrive."

He left without another word and I sat there in stunned silence. I was supposed to win a war… I was supposed to end it, I was the… the war machine of all war machines! How could I… I may be strong physically but mentally? Even someone as dangerous and annoying as Slender I don't think I could kill him.

Could I?

I felt sick and unstable. I know I promised him I'd join but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stomach talking to his nightmare buddies. I started to lay down to try and steady the spinning room but Slender came and gently led me to his circle of friends.

I noticed that it was a somewhat different crowd then before. Most of them actually looked pretty human so I felt a little better that I was looking at something that wasn't completely unreal.

"Keira, as you know that's Jane," the young women smiled and waved to me from across the room, "next to her is Ben," I shifted my gaze and felt startled. I've played Legend of Zelda before, I used to love that series, so when I looked at the red eyed black colored Link I felt a flashback as though I were a little girl again crushing on a fictional character.

As if he knew what I was thinking Ben rolled his eyes, "Yes I am Link, sort of."

Slender continued down the line, ignoring my revelation, "This is also Jack."

"Laughing Jack! I like to make my playmates laugh and scream with joy!" I frowned at the black and white clown creature before me. He was smiling and behind his lips were a row of sharp serrated teeth. He suddenly frowned and pointed a finger at me, "And do not confuse me with eyeless Jack. There may be two Jacks but it's obvious that I am the better of the two."

Slender moved on to someone who seemed strikingly similar to Masky. The only difference was that this guy had a large hood covering the majority of his face. The only thing I could see was a dark patch of skin which I assumed was his chin. I knew he wasn't human though as he looked at me with red glowing eyes.

"And that's Hoody," All the members of this meeting stared at me expectantly, as if they were waiting for something incredibly intelligent to come out of my mouth. I looked passed Jane and in the shadows I noticed Masky leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

I didn't know what to do, or if I should even say anything, but luckily for me Slender started off the conversation.

While he talked I excused myself to get a glass of water. At the kitchen doorway Masky stopped me, "I heard his other brother showed up."

I pursed my lips, "Yeah…"

Masky chuckled, "Yeah him and his family aren't always the most pleasant."

I was about to ask if the fourth one was real too when I was called to action.

"Keira, come join us, I'd like for you to share a little about your power."

I took in a deep breath and sipped at my drink. I reentered the living room and sat down, I suppose all I could do now was to try and do as the voices ask. I figured it would be easier to get as many on Slender's side so I can -ahem- off them… all at the same time.