The morning was very bright and sunny, but the animals around the forest didn't bother to come out of their homes. John drove up into the driveway and knocked on the door. He had arranged for a few day's leave for both himself and Steve. When he and Pricilla found poor Steve slowly strolling his way back to the house, he looked very weak as if he had fought a wild beast. Pricilla opened the door and allowed John inside, "Hi John, the girls are upstairs and awake; Steve is still resting." He nodded and smiled at Pricilla. He sat down on the couch and played with little Hercules, who seemed to also be very attached to John, and chatted with Pricilla as she was cooking breakfast.

Layla slowly rose from her bed; she felt free but yet empty. She felt for the necklace around her neck, but she couldn't find it. She rushed over to her small mirror on the back of her door and gasped at what she saw. The black chain that was once around her neck had seeped into her skin, and now there was only the outline of the chain and charm that Geira had placed on her. What happened?


Marcia awoke slightly groggy and got up out of bed. She creaked open her door slightly and heard her mother cooking breakfast and her Uncle John's voice. Quickly, she dressed and ran down the stairs to go see her Uncle John. She leaped onto the couch and smothered John in hugs. "Uncle John!" She squealed as John hugged her tightly. Little Hercules, who was feeling left out, whimpered and begged for Marcia's attention. Pricilla placed the breakfast onto the table and smiled at the sight of John and Marcia. The sight never gets old...


Steve mechanically walked into Layla's room and caught her staring at the black chain around her neck. "He wants us to do it now; the deed. He wants Marcia now. However, he wants me to do it, so you just act like yourself and go down there and greet your father."
Layla sat there stunned, Isn't he my father? Uncle John isn't my Daddy... she stared at Steve in confusion, which made him grin smugly, "Yeah you heard me brat, Steve was never your father; John is." She nodded even though she was still confused. "Now go down there." He roughly pushed her out the door. Layla made her way downstairs to greet John.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs and looked at Marcia and John on the couch laughing and giggling. Well we do look related to him Layla said to herself softly. Hercules looked at Layla and growled lowly in warning, snapping John and Marcia out of their little play time. Did he growl at me? She wondered in shock, for Hercules always liked her since they got him. "M-Marcia, Daddy wants to see you upstairs; he said he needed to talk to you." Layla said a little nervously as Hercules got closer barring his teeth at her.

Pricilla watched Hercules in wonder, What is up with Hercules? She slightly shrugged it off and began to set the table. Layla stayed where she was standing as Marcia got off the couch and went upstairs, where Steve was waiting at the top of the stairs. "Yes Daddy?" Marcia said as she reached the top stair. Steve opened his arms in a hugging gesture, and Marcia gave him a hug. He grinned an unnatural smile and his arms became tentacles; wrapping around her arms and holding her there. She screamed and John and Pricilla ran to the bottom of the stairs to see what was going on. John's eyes widened as he saw Steve's tentacle arms trap Marcia to his body.

"Pricilla get Layla and Hercules to the car now!" John said as he grabbed Steve's baseball bat that he left in the umbrella stand and ran up the stairs. Pricilla hurried and grabbed Layla and Hercules and brought them to John's car, and sat in the car with them. John hit Steve in the face with the baseball bat, and watched Steve stumble backwards, "I'm sorry Steve!" He quickly grabbed Marcia and ran down the stairs; leaving 'Steve' behind on the ground.

John ran out the door carrying Marcia and put her in the back seat of the car with Hercules and Layla. Hercules was still growling at Layla though. John started the engine as Steve broke down the house door and started to charge towards the car, his long white tentacles whipping furiously everywhere. He reversed and began driving fast down the forest path. Pricilla looked out the windows and saw four children running along the car in the forest. Layla looked and whispered, "Geira...Juliana...Penny...Kara..."

Marcia looked at her with wide eyes, "Layla...they did this didn't they... You let them hurt our family.." Layla looked at her and put her finger up to her lips in a silencing motion so John and Pricilla wouldn't hear. The only sound the two twins could hear were Hercules's growling.

"Marcia.." Layla began, as she reached for her necklace and pulled the charm out of her skin. She placed the charm in Marcia's hand, as her eyes turned to operator symbols, and she began to cry blood.

"THEY ARE MY FAMILY" Her voice became the dark ominous voice that had been haunting Marcia for the past few days. She screamed and Pricilla and John looked into the back seat, where Hercules was barking like mad. There, sitting in the back seat, was the tall Slenderman who had contorted Layla's body into his own. His tentacles wrapped around Marcia and he broke the backseat's car door down and tried to jump out with Marcia, but Pricilla grabbed Marcia's hand. The Slenderman was now holding onto the car and pulling on Marcia. "SHE IS MINE." He bellowed. John pressed the gas pedal, hoping the speed would make him let go.

"Let go of my daughter!" John yelled, as Pricilla pulled Marcia in, and Hercules bit down on the tentacle that was holding her. Slenderman hissed and released the child, and Marcia stumbled back into her seat, still holding onto the little black charm Layla had given her. Hercules calmed down and checked on Marcia.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" John asked as he decreased his speed, for he reached the highway to town. Marcia nodded, and both Pricilla and John breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked down at her hand and stared at the small charm. It was almost hypnotic to her; however, she crawled over to the now broken door of John's car, and threw it out of the car. She then took one glance back at the forest and the large house that was once theirs, there in the front yard smelling the roses, was Steve and her sister Layla.