AN: We meet again. I bring you chapter 23! The whole thing is in Andrea's POV, just like before. No cussing, no blood, no warning. Yes cliffhanger.

Guest Reviews!

Guest (idea supplier): Ah, yes. Much mush. Haven't had that in a while :P But unfortunately life isn't all mush. Cliffhangers are next :O

Nekoni: Hope you get better! (you probably got better by the time I updated but still) Thank you for reading! :)

Sammy: Hey look another bro! :D *brofist* so what would be your plan of making Simon suffer then? I'm happy you enjoy the story :D Yes sir, here's the next chapter, this story ain't over yet!

FishCustard: Yay! Thanks! Epic adventure? So what kind of adventures were you thinking? Yes, Slender looks like a terrifying monster on the outside, but he has a soul. I'm definitely planning for her father too run into the Slenderman, one time isn't enough... hehehe. Hey look, another kitten! *pets you*I would get pissed if someone hurt my friend too.

*cue Whitney Houston* AND I... WILL ALWAYS— not own Slendy ;_;

Thanks for reviewing, and if you haven't, don't be shy! I love them all :D

Chapter 23

I was walking through the forest. I figured I was dreaming because when I looked up to the sky, the clouds were moving incredibly fast, as if there was a strong breeze blowing. However, I felt nothing. I felt like I have seen these woods before, though I can't recall from where I've seen it. It's not the woods back home for sure. When I saw the shadows of the trees elongating rapidly, I realized that not only were the clouds moving fast, but the sun was too, already setting at this point. There was an empty space where the trees didn't crowd ahead of me, but it was still bright in that spot as if it were the middle of the day, unlike the rest of the forest.

I look behind me and to my surprise; the shadows weren't connected to the trees anymore. It reminded me of Peter Pan, when his shadow tried to get away. The shadows took form; some had claws, others had pincers, and yet others had tentacles. But my horror began when they went straight for me. I looked at the sunny area and ran to it, since it was the only sanction available to me at the time. When I got closer, it almost looked like it was under a dome made out of the sun's rays. I crossed through, and to my relief, the shadows stopped in their tracks. They crowded around my sanctuary with no way to get in.

I widened my eyes when I saw someone in the distance who was currently running to where I was. I was more than willing to let them in to save them, but my opinion drastically took a turn when I recognized the figure. It was a man, the very same man who had kidnapped me. Simon. I can't let him in under any circumstance! Luckily for me, I was safe from the shadowy creatures, but he wasn't as fortunate. The shadows saw him and attacked him instead. However, instead of tearing him apart as I thought they would, they jumped on him and covered him head to toe, until I couldn't see him anymore. They seemed as if they were morphing him, turning him into someone else. I wish I was wrong.

I gaped in silent terror when I saw what they were turning him into. My close friend, Slenderman. Many of them attached to his arms and legs, creating an illusion of stretching them. Their ashy color darkened until it was darker than the night that surrounded my sunlit shelter to match the color of his suit. The one that was covering his head lost all pigment to make his head blank and white. A little tweaking here and there, and they completed the image. They didn't stop there though, some shadows became his tentacles and they put the body into motion. As bad as I thought it was, my dream, turned nightmare, knows no bounds. It recreated his voice.

Andrea, let me in.

I shook my head. No way was I going to let these shadows fool me.

Why Andrea? Why have you left me here?

"W-what? I didn't leave you."

Then let me in, little one.

"I can't. You're not Slenderman."

Perhaps you need some convincing, hm?

His haunting voice rumbles in my head right before he just disappears. I see another figure in the distance going towards me. Is that a girl? When she is close enough to be recognized, I put my hands on my mouth in surprise. It's Heather, but instead of her goofy smile, she has a neutral expression. It almost looks hurt. She's keeping up a fast pace on her way here. I'm about to warn her of the shadows, but I stop myself. She's most likely made up of the shadows too, so I can't let her in either.

"Andrea, please let me in."

"Stop, you're not Heather!"

"Andrea," she whines, "you have to save me!"

I shake my head even harder than before.

"I can't trust you!"

"Andrea! Help!"

There are shadows that reached her and latched on to her legs, making her trip. Her face drastically changed as she screams in fright. These shadows are different, however. They have sharp teeth, and they're gnawing on her legs. Blood drips onto the ground, and that's when I decide that this is in fact the real Heather. She's close enough to the lighted up area, so I run out and grab her arm. Quickly, I drag her in, kicking off the shadows. Heather and I get up, dusting off the dirt that got on our clothes. She turns to me.

"Thank you Andrea, I knew I could count on you."

I look at her to smile in response, but a shot rings clear in the wait before I could say anything. I yelp when I see there's a bullet hole in her chest right over where her heart is. She gapes at me with wide bloodshot eyes, and then falls silently on the ground, revealing who was behind her. There's Simon once again, grinning with malice. He points the gun at me, laughing wickedly.

"Goodbye, missy."

He shoots.

And I wake up.

I gasp for air as I sit up abruptly. My hair and my pajamas stick to my body drenched in sweat. My fingers clench the sheets, afraid that if I let go, I'll go back to my nightmare. I shut my eyes closed but open them again, careful not to slip away to unconsciousness. My mouth is dry and I thirst for a cool glass of water. I lick my chapped lips in vain, which are moisture deprived as well. I just notice that all my muscles are tensed up right when I start calming down. My breathing soothes, falling into a slow rhythm. But that's when some tears fall from my fright.

It's been a while since I was released from the hospital, yet these reoccurring nightmares never leave me alone. And every single one of them has the man who caused it all: Simon. His face is always smiling in twisted delight, insanity radiating from his being. He's always there, going after me even now that he's dead. Slenderman killed him and the police confirmed it too as if it wasn't enough. So why can't he be completely gone from existence? He rooted in my mind and he's been growing ever since, terrorizing me without fail.

I check the alarm clock. It's one in the morning! I need to sleep, but I can't. Not with him waiting. I don't want to bother Heather and my father, and I definitely don't want to bother Slenderman in the middle of the night. So who can I talk to? As much as the logical part of me is insisting that I should wake up Heather since she wouldn't mind, the emotional part of me is begging to see Slenderman. None of them want to bother with my father, he would most likely get more worried over me not getting enough sleep. It wouldn't hurt to just walk around the edge of the forest, right? I wouldn't be in anyone's way and I can have the time to clear my mind by getting fresh air. Sneaking out isn't a problem, I've done this plenty of times.

I soon arrive at the elementary school and I run my fingertips on the surface with the peeling blue paint. You can't really tell it's blue because of the dark night, though. I go up to the forest but I don't enter it; I linger by the edge before walking along it. The forest is to my right and the school is by my left. I take quick glances to the forest, just in case I would catch Slenderman among the trees. He might as well be there, but he would be well camouflaged by the dark surroundings. He wears a pitch-black suit after all. The same freaking one all the time. Hasn't he ever considered changing clothes? I snicker to myself when I imagine him in a baggy shirt and jeans.

I remember back to when Heather climbed a tree like the crazy girl she is. Maybe I can climb one, but I won't jump like she did. I enter the forest, but I don't go too deep. Okay, I pass the pine trees and go into the part with the oak trees, but I don't go as deep as I normally go. I find a tree that I'm pretty sure is sturdy and I climb it. I almost slip and loose my step a couple of times, but I catch myself and move on. I tell myself to not look down, chanting it like a mantra. I finally reach the top, latching on to a branch and swinging myself on top of it. With a good grip, I look down. Sure, the tree looked tall, but this is way high. How the heck did Heather summon up the courage to jump from this height?

I take this time to clear out my mind and just breathe in the essence of nature. It's like… meditating. To not think about anything, being freed from the mind. Once I make the separation, I can get away from Simon. Temporarily, but at least I get a moment of peace. I watch the trees sway gently in an entrancing manner, getting hypnotized. The moonlight is glazed over the treetops and the stars twinkle across the sky. I love the outdoors. My mind moves more sluggishly, and I feel myself losing my grip. I shake out of the trance and snap back to reality, rushing to grab the trunk as if I were magnetized to it.

However, I still nod off and have to keep awake. My eyelids are droopy, signaling that my body wants to rest. I can't sleep now; I don't want to encounter him again. I should go back home though; I don't want anyone worrying over me just yet. Now to get down. I look at the ground and a sense of dizziness overcomes me. How in the world am I supposed to go down? It's not like I have a choice in the matter. I swing myself slowly to fully cling on to the trunk, and step on the branches while sliding down. It's going well until I make one tiny wrong calculation and I lose my hold. I squeal, bracing for the impact. Instantaneously, a tentacle wraps around my midsection to catch me midair. I'm extremely grateful, yet very embarrassed.

What were you thinking Andrea?

He sets me down gently, contrasting greatly from the time he had to catch Heather.

"I don't really know."

Are you aware of what could've happened had I not been here?

"Uh… splat?"

That human is a bad influence.

"Well 'that human' has a name, you know. Her name is Heather."

I know that all too well.

"She isn't a bad influence either."

Say that again seriously and I might believe you.

"I said," I begin, but I can't help but snicker. "That's not fair, if you tell me to be serious then I'm going to laugh!"

Looks like I won't believe you.

I'm about to retort, but I yawn. I try to stifle it before he noticed, but it's too late. He tilts his head in concern or curiosity, probably the former.

You need to sleep.

"I'm not that tired!"

He pokes me in the side with a tentacle, which makes me stumble. I almost trip over my feet if it not were for the same tentacle to help steady me.

You can't even balance well.

"I don't want to go to sleep."

You're quite the stubborn one.

"It's for a good reason though!"

And do tell me, what is that reason?

"I'll see him again. I don't want to see him again. Not again."

Slenderman doesn't move or say a word, but I know that he understands.

"Please don't make me go back to sleep. Even if you teleport me back home, I'll refuse to sleep."

You still need your rest.

"But—"

I'll make a proposition.

"A proposition?"

You go to sleep, but I'll be there.

"You can't just stand there by my bed, my dad will freak if he sees you."

Which is why I won't be physically with you, but mentally with you.

"Wha- how does that work?"

Like now, how we're mentally connected.

"Oh." I kind of get it, but how come he didn't intercept before?

Because your dreams are personal, it shouldn't be my business to watch them.

"I didn't even- oh, so now you can barge in my head, huh?"

I always could.

"What—"

You should be getting home now, Andrea.

"Now? Can't it be later?"

Perhaps you need some convincing, hm?

I freeze when I hear him say that. It's the same exact thing he said from my dream. A cold sweat rapidly covers my body while adrenaline pumps in my body. I know he isn't a threat, well at least not to me, but hearing him say that triggered something. My vision blurs from my panic. However, a calming static breaks through, and I slowly attempt to calm down with the help of Slenderman's mental abilities or whatever the heck he's doing.

"Uh, sorry for, um, that."

What happened?

"It's just, uh—"

Was it something I said?

"Well, yeah, in fact it was. That was the same thing you said in my, er, nightmare."

I was in your nightmare?

"No offense, but you shouldn't be too surprised."

Yes, but what did I do?

"You didn't hurt me or anything. It wasn't even you, there were these shadow monsters that clumped together to look like you."

Ah, ok.

"Yeah," I tried to say, but it came out weird because I yawned again.

Someone is sleepy.

"What? Who?" I ask, looking around as if there was someone else.

He didn't wait any longer, he didn't even teleport me outside my house. We went directly to the hall outside my room. We would've gone to my room but there is the "bad influence" currently in there. I look up at him and put my hands on my mouth to muffle my laugh. Slenderman is crouched, apparently too tall for our home. He looks really uncomfortable. He lets go of me, pats my head, and then disappears. I huff and creep back in the room and into my bed. I'm still kind of scared of going back to my nightmare, but Slenderman said he would be there, so hopefully all will turn out well. I snuggle deep into my covers. Sleep doesn't take long to take me into its embrace.

I sit quietly in the car, listening to the hum of the engine. My father is driving the car while Heather and I sit in the back seats. We are going to the hospital to visit my mother. I recall the conversation I had earlier with my father. The car accident must have done more damage than we thought, because my mother called and by the way my father was responding, it didn't seem like good news. He didn't tell me why or how or anything, just that we were going to the hospital to see my mother.

Fortunately, I was able to sleep better last night. Honestly I don't remember dreaming after I went to sleep again, all thanks to a certain being with supernatural mental powers. Did he simply erase the dream from my memory or did he stop me from dreaming at all? It doesn't matter now; I owe him a lot for all that he has done for me. I would say I owe him my life, but that's not enough. He saved my life, and not just physically, but emotionally as well when I first met him. If I didn't see him in the woods that night, I don't know what I would've done. Hold on… I saw him at night. Why didn't he attack me? Is it of that aura thing he told me about? Slenderman is just someone I will never completely understand.

"Girls, we're here!"

My father parks in a space close to the hospital. We take off the seatbelts and hop out, the rush of cool air hitting my face when I open the car door. My father walks briskly to the entrance, making Heather and I quicken our pace. After getting our visitor's passes and all that stuff, we finally go up to an elevator to go to my mother's room. Opening the door, I smile to see my mother awake. However, that smile fades away when I see the concerned look on her face, matching my father's. He reaches out to stroke her face tenderly before turning to the doctor. The doctor, Dr. Easton, asks my father to speak to him in private. My father solemnly nods, and then exits with him.

This is all making me really nervous, but I can't do anything about it. I hate it when the adults feel the need to leave me out of things. This is my mother and my future little sibling we're talking about here! I have a right to know what's happening with my family. Heather pulls up a seat next to my mother and I do the same. My mother lifts her arm to hold my hand, squeezing it slightly.

"Hello dear."

"Hi mom. How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine, Andrea. How is your leg?"

"It's almost healed, nothing to worry about."

"Ah, that's good. Hello Heather, is Andrea behaving herself?"

"M-mom!"

Heather laughs.

"It's not Andrea you should be worrying about, Mrs. Castillo."

"It's so nice how you two get along, and don't you dare think of splitting apart now," my mother playfully says, "and-"

My father and Dr. Easton walk in the room, stopping my mother from continuing. My father looks deep in thought and the doctor has a concerned face. I look at both of them, waiting for someone to speak up. When nobody does, I say my trademark word.

"So?"

"You don't need to worry for your mother," the doctor kindly says to me, "she'll be fine."

"And what about the baby?"

"Andrea, honey," my father starts, and with the pet name I have a feeling he's going to sugar coat this.

"No dad, tell it to me straight."

He sighs. "I'll tell you later."

"Why not now?" I persist.

He looks at my mother for help, but she flashes him a look that says 'you better tell her'. The doctor speaks up instead.

"You see, the baby is surrounded in a liquid—"

"I learned this when my mom home schooled me. Is there something wrong with the baby?"

I feel a little bad for interrupting him, but I didn't need to hear the lesson all over again.

"The amniotic sac is torn. We believe it was caused by the accident. Because of this, the fluid is leaking out. There are low levels of the fluid now, also known as oligohydramnios"

"…So what does that mean for the baby?"

"The baby is exposed to several risk factors."

"Will the baby survive?"

The doctor doesn't say anything.