The Daria/Slenderman mythos crossover that nobody asked for! Was thinking about turning this into an actual story but don't expect too much.

ALWAYS WATCHES.

April 14th, 1988

"I made you a present!"

Five year old Jane Lane was holding a crudely wrapped gift in her paint stained hands, a wide toothy grin spread across her grubby face. She waved it in front of her favorite brother's face, bouncing on her feet impatiently as she waited for him to pay attention to her. While Trent was always quiet and reserved, he never ignored her. He was one of the only ones who actually paid her any attention whatsoever. She didn't even care when her parents ignored her but Trent mattered more to her than her nonexistent mom and dad. His refusal to acknowledge her presence was upsetting her more than it would if it had been anybody else.

"TRENT! I SAID I MADE YOU A PRESENT!"

He jumped, tearing his eyes away from the front window. He turned to face her, his dark eyes clouded by an emotion she couldn't read at such a young age. Anybody else would've described it as 'haunted'. He finally noticed the newspaper wrapped rectangle she was holding in her hands and a small smile graced his face.

"You remembered my birthday. Thanks, Janey."

She smiled proudly as he tore away the paper, anticipating the reaction he would have once he saw the great gift she'd given him. At first, he seemed confused. Then, he frowned. She wasn't expecting that.

"Janey, where did you get this?" He held up a small book titled Guitar Tabs For Beginners, "How did you get this?"

"I got it from the store." She looked down at her socked feet, "After you said you wanted it. I got it..."

"Janey, did you steal this book?"

She used all the intensity she could muster to glare at him, big blue eyes rimmed with tears, "But you really wanted it!"

"Janey, I know, but you can't just take things. No matter how much you or someone else really wants them." He shook his head, "We have to give it back."

"Nu-uh! Then I'll get in trouble!"

He sighed, "Fine, I'll take it back. But no more stealing. Do you-"

He trailed off, eyes suddenly wide with fear. Jane, who was too busy pouting, didn't notice his terror or what was causing it. He kept his eyes focused on the darkened figure in the hall, worried about what would happen if he broke his gaze. He stood up slowly, legs stiff as he crossed his carpet to go slam his bedroom door shut. It was only once he reached the door that the headache he'd been ignoring all day reached unbearable proportions. He closed his eyes in an attempt to ward off the throbbing behind them. Instead, he ended up passing out.

June 12th, 2002

Trent sat at the kitchen table, slowly sipping from his chipped coffee mug. It was his fourth cup of the morning and yet the fog of exhaustion that constantly hung over him had yet to dissipate. He wasn't sure why he still bothered trying to keep himself caffeinated. Nothing worked. Not coffee, not energy drinks, nothing. He supposed it was better that way. He'd rather be in a state of perpetual sleep than deal with...whatever it was. Instinctively, he glanced towards the window over the sink, his heart skipping a beat when he saw what he thought to be the black lapel of a suit jacket. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was only a bird. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Haven't you learned anything?

If he didn't picture it in his head then it wouldn't appear. He remembered part of a line from the Bible, from the brief time he'd been to church as a child, something about speaking things into existence. He was sure this wasn't what God had in mind. He sighed and took another sip from his nearly empty cup. Maybe he really was crazy. What else could he call seeing things that nobody else saw? How else would he explain this creature that followed him and had been following him since he was old enough to remember? He wasn't sure what to call it because he'd seen it called by many names. Of course he researched. He'd spent countless hours browsing the web, searching for some sort of answers. There were others like him. Others plagued by this nightmare. Still, he couldn't find a way to rid himself of it. Nobody knew how. Nobody knew what it was. All they knew was that they were being hunted. Trent knew that. He was only prolonging the inevitable.

He flinched, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He didn't want to turn around. He knew what would be waiting behind him. He breathed in slowly through his nose, refusing to turn and face it. Of course, his body betrayed him and he ended up looking over his shoulder anyway. His blood ran cold as he stared at the towering figure, his eyes drawn to where its face should have been but where there was none. Despite the absence of eyes, he felt like it was staring into his soul. He felt the strong urge to approach it even though he knew that would be suicide. Remember what happened last time.

"Did you save any coffee for us or did you drain the whole pot again?" the sound of Jane's voice brought him back to reality. She was standing at the counter, black hair falling over her face as she went to work making more coffee, "I swear, your heart should have exploded by now."

He shook his head, reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes and lighter. It was a habit that he'd tried to kick before but it was the only thing that calmed his nerves. And, at the moment, he desperately needed a distraction. It was only after he took a long drag of his cigarette that he noticed Daria watching him from the entryway leading into the kitchen. Her dark brown eyes were intensely focused on his face, making him even more nervous than he was before. Why was she looking at him like that? He watched, fingers trembling, as she looked from him to a spot beyond him. Could she see it?! Did she know?! After several agnozing seconds, she finally pulled out a chair and sat down across from him. She adjusted her square-framed glasses before saying anything.

"Are you okay?" He was surprised by the softness in her tone, "You've been acting...weird lately."

"As opposed to normal?" Jane said with a smirk. She sat down next to them, "I actually have to agree with my amiga here. What's going on with you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

Daria frowned, eyebrows knitting together in thought, "So, I shouldn't find it strange that you've been spending hours upon hours wandering around in the woods?"

"What?" He met her gaze, "How did you know that?"

"...That day my car broke down and Jane and I needed you to give us a ride. You said you had practice even though Jane called Jesse and he told us that the band broke up months ago. So, being the great detective that I am, we decided to figure out where the hell you were. And we found your car parked outside one of those trails."

Jane picked up where she left off, "We waited for you to come out. Mostly because I wanted to yell "BUSTED!" and film you like on Candid Camera or something. Anyway, the point is, we know you're lying so spill the beans!"

He swallowed hard, shaking his head, "You shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't be snooping around. Listen, just trust me, okay? The farther you are from me the better."

He got up from the table, lighting another cigarette before he hurried out the front door. Daria and Jane exchanged nervous glances, neither knowing just what to say. Finally, Jane broke the silence.

"This is worse than I thought."