~Your PoV~

"So.... who are you guys exactly anyway?" I asked. The four of us were just chilling in the kitchen... talking... Okay, fine, I'm trying to get some info out of them, but COME ON! Three mysterious dudes in masks show up at your house, of COURSE I'm curious!

"I already told you who we are, (y/n)" Masky said.

"No, I mean, why are you here? Who do you work for, etc. etc..." I say

"Oh... uh... that's... tricky. We were mainly sent to-"

"Masky..." Hoodie warned. I smiled. I get so happy when he actually speaks. It means he's probably warming up to me.

"Yeah, yeah... Let's just say, we are skilled serial killers, working for... a certain person, and were sent to protect you."

"Protect me? Who sends serial killers out to protect some... freak?"

"You're not a freak. A slight bit insane, but not a freak. Also, I have no idea. He just said to protect you at all costs."

"He? So your boss is a male?"

"Goddamit... you're good at this!"

"Why don't you leave the explaining things to the girl we aren't supposed to tell this stuff, to me?" Hoodie said.

"You barely talk!" Masky said

"Exactly my point."

I snorted. It's kinda ironic, since this was just the longest conversation Hoodie had tonight.

"Okay, let me ask something else... Hmmm... are you exactly sure you don't know who Slenderman is? 'Cuz I can see Toby's Proxy Symbol." I say.

The boys turned pale, and all of us looked at Toby.

"N-no way!" Toby said, looking at me, wide eyed.

"Nah, I'm just joking with you guys. Besides, there's no way I would've seen. Toby is almost entirely covered."

The boys lightly sighed in relief. Either I almost caught them, or they were hoping I was wrong about this whole Slenderman business.

I'm just gonna have to wait and see.

~Masky's PoV~

That was close. She almost caught us! We would've been so screwed...

For about fifteen minutes now, she tried getting more info out of us.

"- Is Marble Hornets real? I haven't seen it yet, but I heard people mention characters named Masky and Hoodie... sooooo.."

"NO!" Hoodie and I said simultaneously.

She looked startled.

"Okay, okay! Chill...." she held her hands up in defense and looked at me, probably waiting for me to explain.

I opened my mouth to speak, but then she tilted her head to the side. Was she... studying me?

"Uhm... (y/n)?" I said

She said nothing and stood up from her chair and walked over to me. I watched her, but then she held my chin with two fingers and turned my face back to the front. I frowned, but she obviously didn't notice.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

She gave a small giggle and poked the side of my face.

"You have sideburns!" she giggled, putting emphasis on the word 'sideburns', then she went back to her seat.

I frowned again. "Uh... duh?" I said

"Oh, sorry. Facial hair amuses me. Sorry." she said, still giggling.

I shook my head and looked at the other two, who were tying very hard not to laugh.

"You're not very self-conscious for a girl with social anxiety." said Hoodie.

"Yeah, well, I'm already kinda used to you guys. Friends, even. Even though I've only known you for... three hours." she said. Hoodie nodded in understanding.

"So, where do you guys live? Do you have a family?" she asked.

We were silent.

"Sorry. Touchy subject. Sorry. My family isn't the best either. My mom died when I was little, and my dad... abandoned me. I never met him until a year ago." she said.

We looked at her. She was looking at her hands. No more goofy smile. No more fun attitude.

"Sorry about your parents" I said

She gave a small chuckle.

"That's one of my favorite songs by Icon For Hire. Ever heard of them?" she said.

"Yeah, I like their music too." Hoodie said.

Toby seemed to be feeling out place, so he did what he was best at: being annoying and goddamn fucking hyperactive.

"Hey, Masky, Hey Masky! Maybe we should take her to the-"

"NO." I said

"But the boss said-"

"NO"

"Mmaaaasskkyyyyyyy!" He whined.

I groaned.

"Nooooooooooooo!" I said, mimicking his whining voice.

(y/n) snorted.

"Sounds like me when my personalities start arguing with each other like they're separate people. It's actually kinda funny when you look back at it. I mean, who argues with themselves?"

"Welcome to my world." Hoodie mumbled, leaning his forehead on his hand.

"These two argue non-stop. It's amazing they held out so long."

She giggled again.

She's actually really cute when she giggles like that... wait... WHAT?

~TIME SKIP- Cuz I'm lazy and need a space filler!~

~Hoodie's PoV~

It was getting late, and we had to leave so she wouldn't notice us stalking her.

Oh, man... that sounded creepy. Oh, who the fuck cares? We're serial killers.

We walked down the road, just far enough to look like we're gone, then snuck back towards her house.

I've never talked this much in the time period of four hours. That's very strange. What is it about this girl that seems so... hypnotic?

From inside I could hear her voice.

"Come on, Felix. I know you're there."

Felix? Who's Felix? I swear I'll kill him if he dares come near-

"Meow"

Her? I searched for the source of the sound, seeing a black cat with bright green eyes on her kitchen counter.

"Hey, buddy. Where were you? You just missed the others!" she said, stroking the feline.

A cat? It was just a cat.

I softly sighed in relief.

In the distance, I could hear faint static.

Slender.

I turned, the others doing the same.

"You can come back to the Mansion. At night, she's strongest, and protection won't really be needed. Besides, you boys need rest." he said.

We didn't want to leave, but we didn't really have a choice. I heard (y/n)'s voice from inside again, but louder.

"I know you're out there, you faceless bastard! I'm giving you three seconds!" she said.

"We have to hurry."

"but-" said Toby.

"Three!"

"We're going"

"What if she needs help?" said Masky

"Two!"

"No. Let's go."

He grabbed us and teleported just as (y/n) slammed the door open

"ONE!" she looked out.

"Thought so." she said, and turned.

We were at the edges of the trees now.

"You will go back tomorrow. I hope you made progress."

Slender teleported us back to the Mansion.

He took us by surprise, making a wave of dizziness rush through me. I stumbled forward but caught myself. I turned and saw the other two had the same experience.

"A warning would've been nice..." Toby muttered. That idiot is going to get killed someday.

"I did warn you. You just didn't listen. Dinner's in an hour." he said and disappeared again.

For some reason, I didn't want to be here. I want to be back, with (y/n), making her smile and do a triumphant little dance every time she succeeded in making me talk. I warmed up to her quickly, but stayed quiet just to be stubborn and to make her victory seem more worthwhile.

It seemed to make her happy.

~ Masky's PoV~ 

I didn't want to be back. I want to be at (y/n)'s home, watching her, making sure she's safe. It's odd. This emotion. I can't explain it really. Every time she smiles, a wave of adrenaline rushes through me, making my heart speed up and my face redden.

I walked off to my room, (y/n) invading all my thoughts. No, invading implies that she wasn't welcomed. She... haunted? No... she... you know what? She was the only thing I was thinking about. Yeah.

Yeah......

I don't understand! How could a girl get to me this quickly?

I crashed onto my bed, landing face-down. I groaned.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" a voice asked. I looked up, seeing Jeff the Killer at the door, leaning against the frame, arms folded and watching me.

"I have absolutely no idea. Our latest mission is... weird." I mumbled.

"Oooh... does it involve a girl?" he asked, smirking.

I didn't reply.

"It does, doesn't it? Ha! Masky fell for a girl! A mortal too!" he said.

"Okay one, she's not even human, and two, why did you almost sound surprised when you said I fell for a girl?"

Jeff's smirk widened.

"So, you're not gonna deny falling for someone?" he said, missing my point.

"You didn't answer my question."

"And you're dodging mine."

"... touché...."

He chuckled and left. I face planted into the soft pillows.

After about ten minutes of just lying there, I got bored.

I pushed myself up, keeping myself balanced with my hands. I jumped off the bed. I felt... restless. I had to move around. Must be how Toby felt. I took off my mask and grabbed comfy clothes out of my closet. Might as well take a shower. In the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. I was still smiling. I stared at my reflection...

I haven't actually smiled in a while....

Shaking my head, I turned back to the shower.

(y/n), what did you do to me?

~Toby's PoV~

I paced my room as I thought about today. I felt like I wanted to run. I wanted to move and never stop. I have so much energy!

I haven't felt this way in a while... caring for a girl... having some one to talk to...

Not since Lyra died.

But this is different. This wasn't the type of relationship I shared with my sister... no... this was more... intimate.

To be honest, it kind of scared me.

I opened my bedroom door and went downstairs. I bounced and hopped off of each step, obviously more energized than I usually was. I snickered and ran over to the couch, draping over the back like I was melting, almost hitting BEN. The Link-look alike didn't even stir.

"BEEEEEEN! What'cha playin'?" I said.

"Final Fantasy, XIII-2" he stated plainly.

"Hehe, cool... BEN! BEN! What's it about?" I say.

"Gee, dude, what's going on with you? You're more... you than usual."

I pouted.

"I know.... but I'm not sure why!" I whined, sounding like a child. I guess it counts, Slender still calls me 'child', although calls everyone child. I sagged my shoulders and hung my head, looking defeated.

"Dude... Da fuck?"

I looked at him, still pouting. I didn't even notice my mouth guard sliding off my face, earlier. The gash in my cheek making my pout seem like a paradox.

"You look pathetic." BEN said after a while. "What's wrong with you?"

"I... think it might be connected to my mission."

"Why?"

"It... involves............. a girl..." I said 'a girl' very softly, but BEN heard me.

"Ha! You're like this because of some girl?" he mocked.

"You don't get it! She's so fun... and she has Tourette's, like me!" I say.

BEN groaned.

"Dude, this isn't exactly my area of expertise, just... I donno, make sure the other two aren't falling for her as well."

I look at him in silence, realization dawning on me. He's right.... I have to make sure she doesn't fall for them.

Just for me.

~Hoodie's PoV~

I screamed into my pillow in frustration, muffling the sound so I won't attract attention. (y/n) was constantly on my mind, and it was messing around with my thoughts. When I got that out of my system, I stood up and grabbed my MP3 player. I scrolled down my playlist, deciding on A Place For My Head by Linkin Park.

Humming along with Mike Shinoda, knowing very well that this dude is way too fast too keep up with if I tried singing along. Sweet mother of Zalgo, 'singing along'? Since when? Why do I feel so... weird?!

After a while, it switched to In The End, one of my favorites.

'It starts with,

One thing, I don't know why

It doesn't even matter how hard you try.

Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme

 To explain in due time

 All I know

 Time is a valuable thing

 Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings

 Watch it count down to the end of the day

 The clock ticks life away

 It's so unreal

 Didn't look out below

 Watch the time go right out the window

 Trying to hold on but didn't even know

 I wasted it all just to watch you go

 I kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart

 What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when...

 I tried so hard

 And got so far

 But in the end

 It doesn't even matter

 I had to fall

 To lose it all

 But in the end

 It doesn't even matter

 One thing, I don't know why

 It doesn't even matter how hard you try

 Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme

 To remind myself how

 I tried so hard

 In spite of the way you were mocking me

 Acting like I was part of your property

 Remembering all the times you fought with me

 I'm surprised it got so (far)

 Things aren't the way they were before

 You wouldn't even recognize me anymore

 Not that you knew me back then

 But it all comes back to me

 In the end

 You kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart

 What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when...

 I tried so hard

 And got so far

 But in the end

 It doesn't even matter

 I had to fall

 To lose it all

 But in the end

 It doesn't even matter

 I've put my trust in you

 Pushed as far as I can go

 For all this

 There's only one thing you should know

 I've put my trust in you

 Pushed as far as I can go

 For all this

 There's only one thing you should know

 I tried so hard

 And got so far

 But in the end

 It doesn't even matter

 I had to fall

 To lose it all

 But in the end

 It doesn't even matter"

I didn't even notice I was singing along this time.

What's going on with my head?

(Yeah, I wrote the lyrics mostly to make the chapter seem longer. Also, I LOVE that song! Stay InSaNe, dEaRiEs! Sweetheart, OUT.

PS, as i was reading this through, I noticed the part where Slender came to take them back home sounded kinda dirty at first. I felt like an idiot because I didn't notice it at first. I didn't change it though, cuz it's funny and I'm too lazy. Heh, see if you can spot it XD)