blehhh short chapter

kinda losing my mojo :I

hopefully the next few chapters will actually be more interesting

I stood in front of the reflective surface that was mounted onto the wall. I sighed deeply, closing my eyes and wishing this was just another one of those awful dreams I've been having. Alas, that's not the case. I could hear droplets of water falling from afar, making a plink sound as they hit a surface. I let the atmosphere surround me as I tried to assess my situation. I already knew there was no way out of this. Two guards were mounted firmly outside of the door, posted on opposite sides of it to ensure that no one could get in or out, including myself. I sighed again, slowly opening my eyes so I could look at myself. Or… at least the remnants of myself.

The silky black dress embraced my body tightly, bringing out my curves, or lack thereof. The dress itself wasn't too long, as opposed to normal wedding fashion. It only went down to about my ankles. The dress had elegant ruffles around the neckline that curled down and wrapped around the end of the gown. The dress didn't have puffy shoulders or glitter or anything like that. It did, however, come with a transparent black shawl with an iridescent ruby in the center. The shawl, for some bizarre reason, came with a hood that also sported a veil that hung down when the hood was up. It was a weird accessory. The whole attire was more sexual than anything remotely wedding appropriate. I didn't even see myself when I gazed upon the mirror.

I always hoped I would end up married one day. I just didn't think it would be today.

I heard a woman's voice chirping from the other side of the door, speaking with the guards. I could barely make out their conversation. There was a pause, followed by a light knocking on the large wooden door. I pondered as to who that voice belonged to.

"Come in," I beckoned. The door opened, creaking ever so slightly. From the mirror, I saw that it was a Horror. Not just any Horror, though. It was Miriam. She was wearing a black gown that covered more of her than my own wedding dress covered me. I turned around to face her, rotating slowly. It was difficult to move in heels.

"Oh, darlin'," she gasped, covering her large mouth with her clawed hand. She strode toward me with her golden orbs for eyes glistening in the dim light of the room. "You look… why, you look absolutely gorgeous."

"T-thank you," I stammered, smirking graciously. I didn't think I was gorgeous.

"I just thought I would pay the bride-to-be a visit before the wedding," she beamed, her atrocious sharp teeth also gleaming in the light. They're admittedly still scary to me. "How are you doing, sugar? Excited?"

"Well," I began, hesitant to admit my feelings towards this whole ordeal. Judging by how close she and Slappy are, I was afraid that she would squeal on me. "Um, of course. Super excited."

I lied. I think she could tell.

"I'm so happy for you," she giggled. I guess she couldn't. "Slappy's a handful, but he's not so bad. I'm sure you two will be happy together for a long time."

"Hey, Miriam?" I wanted to question her about her history with him. I wanted to see if what Mr. Wood told me is true. She cocked her head to the side as I asked her. Her sharp animalistic ears perked as well. "Do you and Slappy have a… well, do you have a history together?"

She hesitated for a bit. There was a brief pause until she finally answered.

"Well, if I'm being honest," she sighed heavily, turning her head away from me. "Yes, we do."

"Not to sound rude but… would you mind telling me about it? I'd like to know what I'm getting into," I fibbed slightly. I knew what I was getting into, at least to some extent. But I wanted to know her perspective.

"Alright, we may want to sit down for this," she breathed, motioning to the small bench that sat between the mirror and the wall. She sat down first, patting the open space next to her. I made my way over to it, trying to move in these freaking heels. I plopped down besides the Horror and she took a deep breath.

"It was many, many years ago. Far before he left Horrorland and met you. He and his awful twin brother ruled this park and all of my kind within it. No one knew where they came from or how, but we all loved them. I was just a young lil' Horror… about your age in Horror years, when I met him. Oh, I was so excited. The brothers were having a sort of, er, 'meet and greet,' and I just had to go to it. As you would probably guess, many Horrors and monsters came out to meet them. I kept pushing and pushing through the crowd, but was never in a close enough range to actually meet them, let alone see them. I felt sad, so I went to get some rotcorn to cheer myself up. As I received it, I heard a little voice coming from behind me asking for one after me. I looked down and it was none other than Slappy himself! I could feel my heart melt as I saw him for the first time."

She blushed her normal dark green as she was smiling during her story. I could tell that she really liked him.

"I knelt down and greeted him. His initial reaction was a bit… hurtful, calling me a 'thing' and being rather rude altogether. Tears started to stream down my face and I ran to the nearest bench and just had a good ole' cry. Then, he sat next to me and patted my back and apologized. He said he was just stressed with all these creatures crowding him and didn't mean to be so rude. We began to talk and eventually became good friends. We had a strong, unbreakable bond. He taught me everything I know and became sort of like a father-figure to me. I never had a father, so he has always been important in that aspect. Of course… I had more feelings for him than that, but I never really let that develop. I'm not much into romance.

But he was a trouble-maker and got kicked out of the park for it. Which caused his brother, Wally, to leave too. It was quiet in Horrorland… or, Panic Park as it was called back in the day, after that. The park was changed and revamped several times after their departure. After several decades, there was no word of their return. It wasn't until just a few years ago that Slappy came back to us, but without his brother. Slappy had changed… for the worst. He was starting to act exactly like his brother. He told me that I needed to marry him so he could rule again. I told him I couldn't do that, and that he was a father-figure to me. His reaction was… unpleasant to say the least. He thrashed and hollered and simply went insane… screaming at me and demanding that I marry him. He smacked me and then stormed off when I refused him again."

She started to tear up, but quickly realized and wiped them away. Horror tears weren't like human tears. They were a bright green, almost mucus-y.

"Before he brought you here, I saw him again. This time, with his brother. He brought him to the Stagger Inn and found me at the front desk. Slappy greeted me, less aggressive and violent. I didn't want to see him again, but he and I started to talk. I think that him coming back again… well, it ignited something in me that I only felt when I first met him."

"How are the two of you so close again after all of that?" I asked out of curiosity.

Normally, if someone were to freak out on me like that after how much I admired them, I would cut them off. Then again… the same thing sort of happened with me. Except I got cut when I refused him. But I promised Mr. Wood I would do as Slappy says until he can find a way to help me… well, to help me to help himself.

"You'll see someday. When you make a bond with someone, no matter what happens, it will never break. No matter what shenanigans happen," she smirked. I let her words sink in. "As I said, he's a handful. A wildcard… but honey, listen to me when I say that he's a better guy than he lets off. Remember that."

"Thank you, Miriam," I said. She extended her arms and gave me a large hug. She was warm, surprisingly. For someone with a rough exterior, she gave soft hugs.

"You're welcome, sweet pea. I'll see you when you're waltzing down that aisle. I can't wait," she patted my head softly. My hair was in curls for the wedding. I hated curls.

Miriam walked out of the door, blowing me a kiss as she exited. The door shut quietly. I was back to being alone again. The faint sound of water dripping continued as I remained seated in the bench. Being left to my own devices, my mind began to ponder.

As much as I wanted to be saved, I couldn't help but fall for my captor. Perhaps I was suffering a case of Stockholm Syndrome… or maybe I truly was beginning to have feelings for Slappy after all of these years.

No.

I don't want to accept that.

But if it's true, what will happen when I finally get saved? Will I miss him? Will I go back to him? What if I never get saved? I'll have to spend my life with this psycho? But if I love him, wouldn't it be nice? What if he slices me again? What if I'm just a slave to him? …Do I enjoy that factor?

I'm of two minds about this. I just hope whichever side of my brain I choose to stick with, it'll be the right choice.