Renegade

- Chapter III -

- Chapter III -

August 18th came much faster than expected. Knots twisted in my stomach the night before. Whether they were knots of excitement or of fear I wasn't sure.

My alarm clock vibrated silently at exactly six o' clock, just as planned. I tossed the sheets away and snuck out of bed silently. The house was quiet except for the hum of electricity. Peaking into my parents' bedroom, my mother was passed out on the bed and my dad's side was vacant. Why have a bed for two when he doesn't even sleep?

As I shut the door with a soft click, I shifted to my human form. My eyes rolled back in my head as they typically do and I could see color returning to my ghost white hand.

I tiptoed to the kitchen, avoiding the squeaky spots in the floor that I had been mapping for weeks. The backpack I had dug up from the abyss I call my closet was hiding, fully packed with pencils and paper, underneath the kitchen sink.

As I opened the cabinet it gave a wicked squeak in protest. I rushed to grab the hinge as I held my breath. I listened carefully for sounds of rustling from Mom, but thankfully all was silent. The cabinet door opened smoothly after that, and I quickly grabbed the backpack and Slenderwalked outside. 

The air outside was cool and the grass was damp. It was too early for birds to sing, so the crickets did the job instead. The sky was dark blue and the silhouetted trees stood out against it.

I was just about to Slenderwalk to the school when a thought dawned on me. I couldn't teleport to school. That isn't exactly something most kids do. So I began walking.

If I closed my eyes as I practically trotted down the sidewalk, I could almost imagine being a normal person on their way to their first day of high school. The fear and excitement, the bag on my back. Sadly, my imagination couldn't hold up forever.

Every few minutes or so I checked over my should and peered into the woods, looking for any signs of my father watching me. The woods would alert me if he were near. They would fall silent as they do for me.

I was just about to let my guard drop a bit when movement in the woods caught my eye. I snapped my head up to face the woods and my eyes were drawn to a white face just barely peeking out from behind a tree.

Dammit, I growled to myself as I Slenderwalked into the woods. It wasn't Dad. Worse.

He didn't know I was behind him until I grabbed him by his brown jacket color and spun him around, pinning him to the tree with two tentacles that had slithered from my back.

"What are you doing here?" I growled. Even though I was young, I could still infect people with quite a bit of Slendersickness when I was angry.

"I- Your father- asked-" I dropped him and he fell forward onto his knees. He began coughing which morphed to hacking.

"He asked you to follow me, didn't he?" I hissed.

Masky couldn't speak beyond the sickness, but he nodded slowly.

"Dammit!" I yelled, slamming my fist into the tree above Masky's head.

Masky was my father's most loyal and trusted proxy. He had been around my entire life, and whenever Dad suspected me of doing something stupid, he sent Masky out to watch me.

I withdrew the Slendersickness for the sake of getting answers and propped Masky up against the tree, holding him there by the shoulder. "Masky," I said in all seriousness, "you can't tell him."

"Tell-" he said, still coughing a bit, "Tell him what?"

"I'm going to human school." I said. Masky could see through a lie just as easily as Dad, so I didn't bother.

Masky gasped, and even with his white mask I could tell his eyes widened in shock, "He'll kill you."

"I know. I'm going to tell him-" I began.

"He's going to kill you, and if I keep it a secret he'll kill me too!" Masky shouted, flailing his hands in the air, "We're both as good as dead and it's your fault!"

"Would you calm down? No one's getting killed!" I yelled back. Hopefully no neighbors would get curious and come see what the commotion was.

I mentally cursed Masky and my father and anything and everyone. Now that Masky knew, he would go straight to my dad and I would be ruined. I would never be allowed to leave his sight again. Unless...

"Masky!" I shouted as an idea blossomed in my head. I cut off Masky's worried babbling, "Come with me!"

"What?" He asked. I could hear fear and shock in his voice, but also the tiniest hint of curiosity. That curiosity is what I had to fuel now.

"Come to school with me."

"You're insane!" Masky shouted, "To even put yourself in this position is one thing, Junior, but to pull an innocent proxy down with you is just cruel."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not bringing anyone down and there is no 'position'. We both have a lot riding on this now and you might as well come along for the ride. Plus, you being with me will keep you away from telling my dad."

Masky was quiet for a minute as he contemplated the plan. I could tell he was giving it serious thought, because if he wasn't he would have said no by now.

Finally he sighed, "Fine." Mentally I shouted for joy. I pulled him up by the arm and put my tentacles away. Thankfully they hadn't torn my shirt.

"Whoa whoa whoa." I said, pulling him by the shoulder as he made his way towards the sidewalk.

"What?" He asked.

I gestured to his face, "You can't wear that."

"What?" He asked in surprise, "But it keeps my identity safe."

"I don't really think anyone will suspect you're the proxy of Slenderman. Now take it off." I said, laughing a bit at the oddness of it.

Masky grudgingly untied the mask from the back of his head and bent to hide it within a bush. He got back up, and without the mask he looked as normal as anyone else.

His hair was dark brown, almost black, and he had brown eyes. His face was very pale after years of being hidden behind the mask.

"You need a name. People might question Masky." I said as we walked down the sidewalk.

He thought for a minute and finally a smile crepted at the corner of his mouth, "Tim."

I laughed, slapping him on the back, "Well, Tim, you and I are officially freshmen."