At the end of the stairs, Slenderman was waiting for them. He must have telepathically communicated with the two boys, because they left pretty quickly. Slenderman looked up at Claudia, and she felt as though he was smiling at her, even if she couldn't actually see it. He walked up the few steps to Claudia and took her hand as she yawned sleepily, then caught her as she wobbled slightly. Picking up the tiny child, Slenderman brought her to a spare room. It was a moderate size, with a single bed and an empty fireplace inside.
Slenderman carried Claudia towards the bed, which had already been made up. Using a tendril, he pulled back the sheets and laid her gently down.

Goodnight, child, came Slenderman's voice softly into her sleepy mind as he pulled the covers up about her.

Claudia smiled and made a happy, sleepy sound as she closed her eyes, her little hand still clutched tightly around Slenderman's. Within seconds, in that magical way children do, Claudia had fallen fast asleep, exhausted from everything that had happened that day. Gingerly pulling his hand free after five minutes - just to make sure she was really asleep and wouldn't cry if he'd done so straight away - Slenderman stood up and walked outside the room. Then, closing the door ajar, he walked back downstairs to the others who were all waiting for him with questions.

"Who is she?"

"What is she doing here?"

"Where did she come from?"

"How did she get here?"

"Is she going to leave?"

"When will she leave?"

"Can I kill her?"

Okay, so that last one was obviously from Jeff, which caused a bit of an uproar that Slenderman had to sort out rather quickly.

"SHUT UP YOU IDIOTS!" Jane growled. "Claudia is sleeping!"

"Why should I care?" Jeff spat at her. "She's not my kid!"

Jeff, Slenderman scolded.

Jeff muttered a few choice words before sitting down again.

"Seriously though," BEN said. "How did she get here? I mean, doesn't she have a family?"

Slenderman sighed heavily - or made a telepathic sound that seemed to be a sigh. No.

"No?!" Jane choked. "Why the hell not? Where'd she come from?"

Slenderman turned his back on them. Her parents were killed tonight. She does not know this yet.

"Killed?" several of them gasped.

"How?" Laughing Jack asked. He wasn't laughing anymore.

Slenderman emitted loud static for three long seconds as he tried to control his rage. The others backed off slightly.

Jeff, why don't you tell everyone where you have been tonight. . . ?