I think I'm getting better.
My thanks to Inumaru12, Milnerton Library Card, and animewiz123 for reviewing and/or adding to favorites. I owe you guys.
"WORTHLESS BRAT!" Skyler quickly ducked out of the way of her father's incoming fist, dashing out of the kitchen that was full of sharp things. "THAT'S RIGHT, RUN! RUN BACK TO YOUR ROOM YOU FUCKING RUNT!" She heard something crash and a long string of cursing as she scrambled up the stairs.
Ten days. Ten days since she had given Slenderman that picture, and he hadn't returned once and her father had become far more volatile. Despite how much Skye loved him, it scared her. The bottles of funny liquid he drank would sometimes be shattered, pieces littering the carpeted hallway. Her feet would always get attacked by the small shards whenever she walked through it. But when she ran through it like she was, they would often embed themselves in her flesh. Skye quickly burst into her room and shut the door behind her.
She slid to the floor, wincing at the pain in her feet. Her mattress granted her with a pair of tweezers when she reached underneath.
Faint whimpers escaped the child as she pulled the glass from her soles, blood dripping from the cuts. Her relief was almost tangible when it was over. The crimson-stained objects had nearly filled the small trashcan now, a culmination of all the times she'd had to deal with them. The sight almost seemded to taunt the girl as she tried to clean the red liquid from her feet with an old rag. She moved to toss the soiled cloth away, nearly tripping over the blocks she left out in case the tall man came. Frowning, she stacked the cubes into a neat pile before finishing what she'd been doing.
It had been over a week since Slenderman's last visit, something that worried her. He had always come back within seven days at the latest. Skye was worried that she'd offended him somehow despite his last words to her.
A tired yawn contorted the child's face, the faint light from the window above her bed revealing that the moon was nearly up. She would need her sleep if she wanted to play outside tomorrow.
The woods were lovely, dark and deep. Skye clambered over a fallen log as she chased the robin that had decided to be her playmate for the day, always staying just out of her reach. It chirped tauntingly at her when she stumbled and had to pinwheel her arms to keep her balance. In return the girl blew a raspberry at it and sped up.
Peeved, the bird suddenly took a sharp turn to the side before perching on a low branch. Skye dug her heels in, trying to stop whereas momentum had other ideas. The conflicting forces apparently decided to compromise by sending her falling face first into the ground. She could swear the bird was laughing as she groaned and began to push herself up. However, it seemed that luck wasn't on her side at the moment.
A large weight sent the child back down. Cold hands grabbed her harshly and flipped her over, a forearm pressing against her windpipe. She let out a weak scream and tried to struggle at the sight of the mask mere inches from her face. Skye could feel her muscles begin to shut down from the lack of oxygen, dark spots beginning to obscure her vision. Was she going to die now? Was she going to be able to see her mother again? Would she never see her friend again? It was at that thought her eyes began to water even as she began to slip into unconsciousness.
The girl's assailant suddenly jerked back as if struck, allowing her to cough and gasp for air. She could feel his eyes on her as she slowly raised her torso off the ground. One of his hands reached towards the child only for his fingers to skim her cheek and make her flinch away. The masked man's shoulders slumped upon seeing this.
He was dead. The Tall One would certainly kill him for nearly suffocating the little one, even if it was by accident. Even if his master didn't murder him, the girl would no doubt fear him.
"M-Mister?" The male shifted his attention back to reality and the small form in front of him. "A-Are you o-okay?" she croaked out. He blinked behind his mask, thoroughly bewildered. The girl was worried about him even after he almost killed her? He shook his head and brought his finger down to scrawl in the dirt.
Sorry. Skye tilted her head slightly, something she probably picked up from the Tall One.
"What's your name?"
Masky. Call me Masky.
"Can you talk?" The masked man shrugged. He honestly didn't know. There had been no need for him to talk around his master, no need to speak to his prey.
His response only made the girl frown slightly, but she didn't question further on the matter. Instead she brought up a different one.
"Do you know Slendy?" Complete and utter silence. The male was caught between laughing at the nickname and scolding her for even using it. In the end he merely nodded, watching as her eyes seemed to brighten. "Is he okay? He hasn't come back for a while." Ah yes, the reason he was even here in the first place. One hand reached into the pocket of his jeans, fingers wrapping around a metal object.
He is fine. He sent something. The child's head canted once more. Innocent eyes widened as the masked man pulled a silver locket out from the storage space in his pants, holding it out for her. She took it in such a way that it seemed she was afraid to break it even as she pulled the chain over her head.
"It's really pretty...Can you tell Slendy I said 'thank you'?" He gave a nod in response.
"WHERE ARE YOU, YA DAMN BRAT?" A look of fear flashed across the girl's face for a brief moment as her father's voice echoed. The man was taken aback when she suddenly tackled him in a tight hug.
"Thank you. Please come back."
Masky could only watch Skye rapidly tucked the locket under her shirt and ran off.
Please come back.
I made a reference in this chapter to one of my favorite poems. See if you can find it and tell me either the author of the poem or the name of the poem itself.
Also, I'm giving a shout-out to procyonlotor, the first person to actually review (something went wrong and I had to re-post the story, so that's why proc isn't here anymore)