Sakura's Journey Chapter 4 So Many Visitors
I woke-up feeling a dull pain all over me. At first, I didn't recall the events of the previous night, but then it started to come back to me. I briefly questioned if it was all a dream, but the numbness that filled me, concentrating around my back told me otherwise. I didn't dare move from my current position out of fear that it would reignite the burning pain I had felt last night. Squible was burrowing in my hair, a few stray strands falling onto my face and tickling me. One dropped on my nose and I sneezed, only to feel my new apendages recoil backwards and slam against the wall. I groaned at the pain, but it wasn't sharp and burning like the pain I had felt before. It was dull and numbing slightly like when you'd bump your elbow on something. I looked downwards and smiled appologetically when I saw the terrified squirrel that had jumped half way across the room from the sudden noise.
I finally decided to sit up, not feeling anymore pain, but rather simply feeling everything much more sensitivelly. I looked behind me in awe, taking hold of one of them and bringing it up onto my lap. It felt tingly when I touched it and it was like it could feel every single detail with it, even the pattern of my fingerprint. That's when I noticed that a wet cloth had been wrapped around my neck and an ice-pack was placed on my pillow. I also felt a bit of sadness hit me when I felt behind my back only to notice that part of my shirt had been cut up and pulled off, probably for comfort. I tried to move my new tendrills, but failed to get anything more than a twitch. At that moment, I heard a voice coming from down the hallway. It was my mom. "Yes, we're terribly sorry. Sakura won't be going to school today. She's not feeling very well. It's the stomach flu, really bad one too. She might even miss a whole week." As I listened to her, I almost laid back down, but remembered my current situation and decided otherwise at the last minute. Light footsteps were heard outside my room and my dad walked in. He smiled when he saw that I was awake. "Hey Kura, you feeling any better than last night?" I smirked and chuckled slightly. "Hard to feel worst." He smiled too. "Your grandparents are coming to visit you this afternoon." I looked up and smiled widely.
"Is uncle Leo going to be there too?" He nodded. I loved being with my dad's side of the family. My uncle Leo was pretty much the actual Slenderman...I could say my dad was too at some point. It's a long story, but back when my parents met, they used to go to these woods. When some company decided to cut the place down, my dad dressed up as the actual Slenderman to scare people away. Even if the company had stopped, Leo had taken over his brother's place and kept the legend alive. It was cool because he was also gifted with the power to erase some memories. It was a very rare gift. My grandparents, Charles and Martha...They were cool. I guess. I mean, sure I got along well with them and all that, but they always looked dissapointed. I knew they didn't like the fact I wasn't pure blood slender, and the fact that it took me this many years to even start showing powers told me they probably weren't pleased at all. It's like I was just never good enough. Dad must have picked up on my glum feelings, because he hugged me close to him, even wrapping a few of his tendrills around me. "Kura, sweetheart. You know grandma and grandpa love you." He brushed his fingers through my curled hair. He left the room shortly after, Squible following him. So I sat here all alone...
I knew Daemon was probably going to be worried about the fact that I'm not there. he'd probably drop by after school. My God was he going to be surprised. I smirked lightly at the thought. I don't know how long I laid down on my side, staring into space and thinking about everything and nothing at all. I was brought back to reality by a slight knock on my door. "Come in." "Helloooooooo!" My grandma chimmed as she walked in, followed by my grandpa and my uncle, who also brought his girlfriend Sandra. She was a slender too. I sat up again as I let them look me over. My grandma's pale blue eyes trailed over me and lingered behind my back. I swear I saw a tear at her eye. "Oh little Kura. You've finally grown up!" My grandpa chuckled, passing a hand over his bald spot that split his rapidly-greying-brown hair. "Wait until she changes for the first time." My eyes widened and I think I paled. That part had completly slipped my mind. I subconciously grabbed hold of my thick brown hair. Grandma smiled. "Oh don't worry, you'll look pretty either way. You're a very pretty girl." I smiled and looked down.
Morning passed by in a flurry. I got breakfast in bed while me and my uncle tried out the newest installment of Super Mario he had just gotten for me. I managed to get up and walk all by myself to go eat lunch, my tendrills trailing heavily across the ground behind me. At lunch, I looked to uncle Leo. "I've heard it said you got your tendrills and didn't tell anybody, and managed to hide them from everyone until you controlled them. How?! It hurts like mad." He chuckled. "I know it hurts. I have my own secrets." They didn't stay very long after that and all shifted to slender form before fadding away. I couldn't help but reach up to my face and pass a finger over my eyebrows. I knew I'd eventually lose this feature, although it was only temporarilly. Part of the conversation my dad had with my grandpa at lunch returned to my memory. "She had a temendous use of her powers and then grew her tendrills the same night. It's like all her powers were ready, she just never triggered them. I'm guessing she'll be changing to her other form in as soon as 2 weeks." I shuddered, both in disgust and excitement. That was always a part of what I was that, I'll admit, scared me. The thought of losing my face...
As expected, it was around 4:30 in the afternoon when I heard the doorbell ring. My mom's voice reached me from the ground floor. "Kura! Daemon's here to see you!" I got off my bed again and started to walk. I was only at my door when he rushed in and tackled me. "KURA! You weren't in school today and..." His voice trailed off and he backed away from me, finally noticing the reason for my absence. His mouth hung agape, eyes wide. I felt a sense of shock coming off of him. Soon, he hugged me again. "Oh my God, Sakura! You're an octopus!" I started laughing. I showed him the new game my uncle had gotten me. It's funny how casual it felt...after showing my best friend that I had sprouted tentacles overnight, we went to play the new Mario game my uncle, the Slenderman, had bought me. Of course, my dad was in my room in no time. This is what happens when he gets a day off. He becomes a kid again.
When Daemon's parents came to get him, they were also shocked at my new limbs. His dad, Johnny, was a bit more freaked out by it than his mom who was actually pretty enthuziastic. I even shocked myself when I managed to lift one of my tendrills ever so slightly off the ground to wave goodbye. After supper, I went upstairs to go have a shower, but paused briefly when I got in my room. Squible was still very much visibly puzzled as to what had happened to me. I stroked his head gently. "What am I going to do? What am I going to wear?! I have four tentacles, as wide as my arms, sticking out of my back!" My mom must have heard me because she walked to my room now, carrying a smile pile of new t-shirts of various colors. I noticed that the back of them had all been slashed down to make room for the apendages. "You won't need these anymore when you learn how to retract them and bring them out again." She left the room.
After a bit of struggle, I managed to get ready to take a shower. The water had such a sureal feel against my tendrills. I could feel every single droplet. I wondered if they were this way because they were brand new or if they'd always be this sensitive. I pulled on one of the new shirts after exiting the shower, struggling a bit once again, but I managed. When I went back to my room, I tentatively attempted to lie down on my back and was surprised when it actually worked. I felt no pain, just the same feeling as if I was laying down on my arm. My dad came to tuck me in, giving me a glass of water just in case I felt thirsty during the night. I knew Squible would most likely be the one to drink it though. Speaking of him, he leapt up onto my bed, sniffed cautiously each tendrill and then walked over by my face to check if I was ok. I scratched him behind his ear and he soon jumped off the bed to go lie down in his own little bed. It wasn't long at all before I drifted off into a deep sleep.