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*Lucy's POV*

I hate the smell of this attic. Almost immediately after I told Slender that I wanted to go he grabbed Jack and I and headed up to the attic. Here I was thinking that I had a few hours or even a full nights sleep until Slender wanted me up here, but obviously not.

"Just remember five minutes. No more, no less. After the five minutes, I will pull you back out. Don't wander away from the mirror-"

"Blood waterfall." I corrected Slender.

Slender nodded. "Right. Just don't wander away from there."

I nodded and glanced over at Jack. He was leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed. Even though the light was dim, I could feel his glare on me.

"Jack, I have to do this." I sighed walking towards him.

"No, you don't. In fact, why can't I?" Jack inquired.

"Because I am the proxy and I know what it's like with Mary. If I play along with her games and she gets me answers, it'll be a quick in and out situation."

I looked at Jack and took another step towards him. He stood up off of the wall, keeping his arms crossed.

"I'm still not okay with this."

"I didn't expect you to be." I sighed.

Turning around, I nodded at Slender. He removed the sheet from over the mirror and I was left staring at my reflection. I couldn't help but grimace. I came to the mansion with my long black and blue hair, two green eyes, and thin. Now looking into the mirror, I almost didn't recognize myself with blonde hair, the scar that went over my eyelid that concealed my now blue eye while the other remained green and my muscular physique.

"Luciana?" Slender waved a sheet of paper in my face.

"Huh?" I looked around and snatched the paper out of his tendril. "Right. Sorry."

Clearing my throat, I glanced over at Jack one more time before reciting the words to summon her.

"Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary."

Handing the paper back to Slender, I didn't take my eyes off of the mirror. I was anxious to get in there, get my answers and get out.

The air in the attic cooled down as a figure appeared in the mirror. The same ghostly white face appeared, most of her face covered by her stringy, messy black hair. Her hands reached out of the mirror and I closed my eyes as she pulled me in.

"Five minutes, Luciana!"

******

When I opened my eyes, I was in the dark and gloomy room. It seemed as if the world was just black and white, excepted for the blood which was a deep crimson red. Mary was standing on the other side of the room, staring at me from the corner. I quickly drew a breath in and let it go slowly.

"Hey, Mary," I nonchalantly said, trying to act as casual as possible.

"You came back," Mary smiled, sending a chill down my spine.

I nodded. "I did. I have a question for you."

Mary grinned as she moved her head up and down.

"I only came to ask you a question, Mary," I admitted. "I need to know about the other Brainchildren who are out to get me. I have to kno-"

"You're using me." Mary's voice grew darker.

"What? No. I mean, yeah. But... listen, Mary, I need to know. It's important."

Mary glared at me for a few short seconds. Her face seemed like it was getting more and more dull with anger by the second. I glanced around the room, which was nearly bare. There was a single, small bed in the corner. Looking back at Mary, goosebumps rose over my skin. Her face went from being dark and sullen straight to grinning with the corner of her mouth.

"Mary?" I choked out, taking a step back as she began walking slowly towards me.

"You can't leave, you know that, right?" Mary giggled.

I spun around, expecting to see the blood red waterfall, but only to see a plain gray wall. There was no sign of blood anywhere, nor was there a sign of any portal entrance or exit.

"Mary..." I whispered, pressing my hand against the wall, "You can't keep me in here like this."

"Oh? I can't?" Mary laughed, "Slender doesn't even know what is going on right now, Luciana."

Turning back around, I realized Mary was now directly behind me. She placed her hands on my shoulders and whispered some incoherent words. Before I could ask her what she said, a black twisting, tornado-like mist swirled around us.

"Mary! Slender is taking me out of here in less than two minutes!" I yelled, trying to break free from her grasp.

"You'll be back before then."

I gulped and closed my eyes tightly. Not knowing what the infamous Bloody Mary was up too kind of frightened me, but if it got me my answers, I don't think I have another choice.

Opening my eyes, I realized Mary and I were standing by a window. The whole world was black and white. Surrounding buildings were old and run down.

"Where are we?" I whispered to Mary as I glanced around.

She pressed a single finger to her lip and pointed through the window.

Gazing in, I saw three people sitting at a table. Judging by the large turkey in the middle of the table with potatoes, corn and other varies foods, I could tell they were celebrating Thanksgiving.

I turned to Mary. "Why are we h-"

"Be quiet and listen." Mary cut me off, nodding to the window.

I bit down on my bottom lip and gazed back into the house.

A boy, maybe late teens, was facing away from me. I could see him lift his fork and stab back onto his plate. The woman sitting to his left was staring at the boy as the man across from her devoured his food. Even though the male and female were both gray and white, the boy wasn't. He wore a deep green polo shirt and his hair was a lightish brown.

"Boy, quit playing with your food." The man spoke firmly as he ate a fork-full of potatoes.

"John, let him be." The woman spoke up.

The man, John, slammed his fist down on the table, making the woman jump. He pointed straight at her. "Agatha, shut up. I was talking to him, not you."

Agatha nodded and slowly began picking at her food, taking small bites.

"Why are we here, Mary?" I whispered.

"They can't hear you, Luciana. This is just a memory."

I raised an eyebrow. "A memory?"

Mary nodded.

"It's not a memory I remember."

"It's not yours."

Turning back to the window quickly, I watched as the boy stood up.

"I'm headed back to the college in the morning." He announced as he picked up his plate and walked out of the room.

Everything went dark as we were sent to a different place. Mary held my arm tightly.

"Mary, what is going on?"

"You will see, Luciana." Mary giggled.

As things came into view, the world was yet again black and white. We were in the middle of what seemed to be a cave, a fire crackling in front of us.

A group of people walked in, dragging a male by his arms. The people standing around were wearing black hooded robes. In unison, they all removed their hoods, exposing their mouth-less masks... which were blue.

"Mary, what is going on? Why is everything else colorless? Who are these people? What ar-"

I was cut off by the sound of water splashing. The male that was being held still gasped and picked his head up. His eyes were a soft blue.

"M-Mary..." I whispered.

"Shh! We're just now getting to the good part!" Mary giggled.

"Chernobog has found his sacrifice! Hail Chernobog!" The cult leader yelled out. "You shall become one of Chernobog's sons, the chosen one to live in this wretched world and do his bidding."

The boy wriggled around as blood seeped down the side of his head. "N-no... No! All of you are crazy! Let me go!!"

I stared in disbelief as the cult leader continued speaking. I was witnessing a sacrifice! Those masks aren't just a coincidence! That's Jack!

"Mary!" I cried out. "We have to stop them! Please!"

"You can't. I told you it's a memory, Luciana. There is nothing you can do."

I looked back at Jack as a girl stepped in front of him.

"Isn't this great Jack? The great lord Chernobog has chosen you to be his son." The girl grinned. "I never knew you'd be the one."

"No! Jenny no! Please, please don't do this!" Jack pleaded.

Jenny kept laughing as she pressed her hand to his forehead.

"All hail lord Chernobog."

As she finished her sentence, she stabbed a spoon into Jack's eye socket. I let out a shrill scream as I watched her remove his eyes, telling him to stop squirming. A male stepped over, holding a bowl.

"Behold, the sight of Chernobog!" He called out as he began pouring a thick, black liquid into Jack's now empty eye sockets.

I fell to my knees, watching as Jack whimpered and flailed around in pain, only to be held down by Jenny. Then... he was still.

"Jack..." I whispered.

Jenny and the others exchanged glances. As they all turned around to leave the cave I glanced back over at Jack's lifeless body.

Then, the world began blinking in and out. With every blink in, it was a new scene in the cave of Jack ripping into another cult member. I tried to close my eyes, but they were fixated on the mayhem surrounding me. As soon as the flashes started, they stopped.

Jack walked to the entrance of the cave. He turned to leave, but Jenny grabbed onto his leg. She was begging him to free her to paradise.

Jack let out a growl, exposing his teeth as he spoke. "You don't deserve paradise... none of you do..."

Jack knelt down and grabbed a mask, placing it over his head. The black tar began seeping down his mask.

As Jack left the cave, the world began dimming again. When things came to, I was standing next to Jack. He was staring into the same house from earlier. I watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a scalpel.

"No!" I yelled. "Jack! Stop!" I turned to Mary as I tried to grab Jack's hand. "Mary, we have to stop him!"

"What part of memory don't you get?"

Jack walked right through me and I turned around. He went into the house.

"Might as well come over here and get front row seats." Mary giggled.

"This is fucked up! Mary, you can't ju-"

I was interrupted by screams from the house. Not wanting to know what's going on, I covered my ears and knelt down. I could still hear the screams through my hands as if they were in my head.

A hand landed on my shoulder, making me jump.

"You're going to want to see this part." Mary smiled.

"You say that like it's a good thing.." I muttered.

Looking around, the scenery changed again.

We were in front of Jack. He was sitting up against a tree, eating an organ.

A black, tall figure keep coming into view behind him, then it would flicker away just to get closer.

"Slender," I whispered under my breath.

"The one and only." Mary giggled.

"You really are getting a kick out of this, aren't you?" I asked, glaring over at her.

She nodded. "I've seen it all before. Yours is so boring compared to theirs."

"That's probably a good thing."

Jack looked up at us and turned his head, looking behind the tree. He quickly stood up and pulled out his scalpel. Releasing a low growl, he stared straight at Slenderman.

"I can hear you!" Jack shouted.

"The infamous Eyeless Jack. I've been looking for you."

"That's nice. Go away." Jack growled, readying himself to fight.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I am here to offer you a place to sleep and an unlimited supply of food. Of course, there are some rules." Slender placed his hands into his pockets.

Jack nodded. "I'm listening."

"You do what I say when I say it and how I say it gets done."

Jack laughed. "Right. As if I'll accept the offer from some random guy I just met in the woods."

"It really doesn't look like you're getting by. Where do you sleep?"

Jack was quiet.

"Exactly. It won't be hard. There isn't much to it. In fact, you'll be doing exactly what you're doing right now, except you have a place to stay." Slender spoke up.

"Oh! Wait, I have something else to show you!" Mary laughed.

The world went black and we were in the mansion. Mine and Jack's old bedroom. I drew a breath in and looked around the room.

"You're really trying to screw with my emotions, aren't you?" I asked Mary.

"Turn around," Mary said firmly.

I turned to where Jack's bed was, only to have my stomach sink.

Nina was sitting on top of him. I could hear Jack mumbling words as Nina laughed. Jack's mask was on the bed next to him.

"Mary, bring me somewhere else," I ordered. "I don't want to see this."

"A few more stops ahead. I just figured you would like to know-"

"I don't want to know anything. Next stop now!" I yelled.

Mary nodded and I watched as Nina leaned down to Jack's face as the world faded away, again.

As things became visible, I realized we were in the old study. Ben, Jeff, and Jack were all in front of the desk as Papagrande and Slenderman were speaking.

"So you're telling me that I have to go and keep an eye on this new proxy?" Jack sighed. "The last one was a mess. What makes you think she won't be?"

"Mess or not, Jack, we need her. The book appointed somebody, meaning Zalgo's return is less than three years away." Slender stated. "We can't let him ta-"

"Yeah, yeah. Take over, rule the world. I get it." Jack grumbled.

Ben glanced down at the proxy book. "She doesn't look crazy."

"Well, she's a girl. So being crazy is a given." Jeff laughed.

Ben glared over at Jeff.

I glanced at Mary. "Is this when I appeared in the book?"

Mary nodded.

"Luciana is her name. I just want you to keep an eye on her for a few months and then when the time is right I want you to approach her." Slender said as he closed the book and handed it off to Papagrande.

"Can I pass the job off to Jeff?" Jack asked.

"No."

"Ben?"

"No."

"LJ...?"

"Jack..."

"Hunter? Come on, at least Hunter do it."

"Jack! She is your responsibility!" Slender shouted.

"Fine. But I'm not going to like it... and I'm definitely not going to like her." Jack growled as he stood up, walking right through me again.

******

Quite a bit of time has passed. Mary showed me memories of Jack and me, things I wasn't involved in while I was at the mansion (that damn bet...), losing Hunter (though she couldn't show me how it happened because she cannot channel Zalgo's world) and the burial. It was heart-wrenching to watch Hunter being put six feet under again.

We were now back in the room with the blood waterfall, which has now returned. I had my finger's crossed that Slender and Jack were still on the other side, awaiting my return. Although, right now, I was actually pretty upset with the lies about Nina. Obviously, there was more between them than Jack admits.

"The Brainchildren. That is why you're here?"

I nodded and crossed my arms. "Tell me what you can, please."

Mary nodded. "Promise to visit?"

"Mary, what makes you think I'll visit?"

Mary sighed. "Luciana, if I wanted you dead, you would've been dead long ago." She walked towards me. "One will be in disguise, trying to be your friend. Another will be as someone from your past. Another will come off as an innocent and the other one will attack immediately." Mary grabbed my hand and pulled my sleeve up. "You also have a mark from the SCP. Such a horrid place..."

"What about it?"

"It will be coming sooner than you think. Do not turn your back on him; never break eye contact. He is made of concrete." Mary said as she released my hand. "Do you promise to visit?"

I glanced down at my arm then back up at her. "I will do what I can, Mary. How does that sound?"

Mary glared at me. "It's a yes or no."

"Mary, I can't jus-"

"Yes or no!" Mary shouted and lunged at me.

I held my hands up, reading myself to be attacked.

Before she could hit me, I felt something pull me backward. I landed harshly on the attics wooden floor and watched as Jack quickly covered the mirror.

"She's crazy! One second she wants me to come back and the next she's trying to kill me!" I gasped.

Jack held out his hand and I went to take it. An image of Nina popped into my head and I swatted his hand away, standing up on my own.

"Did you get your answers? I know it was less than five minutes, but I was getting nervous." Slender asked.

I was wiping off my pants when it clicked on me. Less than five minutes...?

"What do you mean it was less than five minutes?" I asked, glancing up at the tall man.

"It was just under four minutes, why?" Jack asked.

I glared over at Jack. "She brought me through somebody's whole past. It was longer than five minutes, that's for sure."

Slender shook his head. "No, it wasn't." He raised his hand up to his chin and began thinking. "I wonder if time in there is slowed down."

"Obviously. Can I get to bed now? I'm tired." I lied.

Slender nodded and wrapped his tendrils around Jack and me.

******

I was staring into the mirror, brushing through my wet blonde hair. I kept peeking to my right, staring through the doorway at Jack who was laying on the bed. So far, I haven't said a single thing to him. What was I supposed to say anyway? 'Hey! Bloody Mary totally took me through your past and I saw Jenny rip your eyes out and then you kill them. Not only that I totally saw Nina sitting on top of you and then kiss you.' Actually, good enough...

"Jack." I cleared my throat.

Jack rolled over on the bed. He was now laying on his stomach and he grabbed a pillow to prop himself up with.

"Yes?"

"Bloody Mary showed me some things..." I muttered, trying to think of a pleasant way to approach the situation.

"Like what?" Jack asked.

I set the brush down and glanced over at him. Letting out a soft sigh, I walked out of the bathroom, shutting the light off. Instead of sitting down on the bed, I sat in the chair. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Is everything okay?"

"How close were you and Nina?" I quickly asked, grabbing a wet strand of hair and twirling it around my finger. "You might as well not lie. It was your past she showed me."

Jack stared at me for a few long seconds.

"Well. We were good friends; you already know that, Angel." Jack stated, sitting up on the bed.

"Don't 'Angel' me right now, Jack." I sighed. "I just want the truth, okay?"

Jack let out a sigh as he sat up. Running a hand through his hair he began to speak.

"I never dated Nina. I never kissed Nina. I never did anything more than hug her- even then that was only a few times. I don't know what you saw, Luce. I can tell you she always woke me up by jumping onto my bed, but she never kissed me." Jack's empty gaze was on me.

I kept twirling my hair, trying to explain to myself what I had witnessed.

"You killed your parents, Jack," I whispered.

Jack's mouth opened as if he was going to respond, but no words came out.

I pulled my legs up onto the chair and tucked them up to my chest.

"Your last dinner with your family was where it started. I saw your father yelling at not only you but your mother, too. Then, Bloody Mary and I were in a cave and..." I gulped, remembering the details. "Jenny removed your eyes and poured tar in as a sacrifice to Chernobog."

Glancing up at Jack, he kept a straight face as he gazed at me.

Looking back down at my knees, I continued with what I was saying. "You killed them, Jack, and then you went home and killed your parents. Mary showed me when Slender found you, when Nina was on top of you, and when you were given the assignment from Slender to watch over me." I glanced up at Jack. His expression didn't change one bit.

"Will you at least say something, Jack? It's not like I asked for Mary to do that. Hell, I don't even know why she did, but I'm glad. You barely tell me anything about your past. How am I supposed to know anything about you? Or even how you're feeling?"

"You could just ask, Luce," Jack said as he laid down on the bed, still staring in my direction.

"Why did you kill your parents?" I asked quickly, biting down on my bottom lip.

Jack shrugged. "I told you, I don't remember much from before this happened. I remembered the address and that it was the house that I grew up in. I went there thinking that I could just go home and they'd still accept me this way. I was wrong. If they didn't accept me before, why would they accept me like this." Jack scoffed.

"So," I spoke up softly, "You killed them?"

"Yes, I did." Jack sighed.

I just kept staring at him. All of this time I believed that he just up and left the area, letting his parents grow old and wonder where their son went. In reality, Jack killed them. I do have to say, his father had it coming; but why his mother? She didn't seem as rude as his father was that night. Obviously, there was more to it than what Bloody Mary showed me, I'm just not sure if I want to know the truth quite yet- if ever.

******
*Jack's POV*

Luciana has been distant lately. It's February 14th, a day in which she said is 'Valentine's Day', but she didn't want to do anything for it. From the start of our day, early in the morning, we were in the training arena. Quite a few breaks were taken and she would bend over, clutching her stomach. Every time I asked if she was alright, she'd just shrug it off and continue the match. Slender has been telling her that she needs to see Smiley about it, but she'd just roll her eyes and walk away, telling us that it's nothing and she's just sick again.

The main reason why Lucy didn't want to leave the Hideaway to do anything today is because of the SCP problem. She filled Slender in on the details of not only the SCP but the Brainchildren, too. Thankfully, I was in the room, so I know what to look out for. I'll be damned if I let a Brainchild get to her.

Whether or not she wanted to do anything today, Jeff, Ben, and Zero aren't giving us an option. They've got plans for us. They're simple and require minimum human interaction, but I still see Luciana throwing a hair-canary over this. She's terrified about the SCP.

I told them the SCP was made up of concrete, so stabbing it is completely out of the question. How we were going to take this one down is beyond me at this point.

"Jack?"

I looked up from the ground to Lucy. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail with her bangs covering her blue eye. She wore a black tank top with jogging shorts and, as usual, her black wore-out converse high tops.

"Can we be done now? I'm tired out." Lucy sighed.

"I guess so."

Lucy sat down on the ground. I glanced over at LJ, who was also here practicing with us.

"Maybe you both should go back and get cleaned up," LJ suggested.

Looking back at Lucy, I watched as she groaned and stood back up, walking slowly for the door. I nodded at LJ as I walked by him, following behind Lucy.

We both climbed up the stairs. She seemed to drag on slower than usual.

"Lucy, are you feeling alright?" I asked her, again.

Lucy paused and turned around. "Jack, if something was wrong, you would be the first to know. Okay?"

I nodded as she turned around and kept walking. Before I knew it, we were outside and walking towards the Hideaway. It was still foggy around the Hideaway, so it was somewhat difficult to tell how much the sun was shining down. The air was cool, not that it really mattered to me. I looked over at Lucy. She had her hands on her arms, gently rubbing up and down. I smirked and unzipped my hoodie. Taking it off, I draped it over her shoulders. She gave me a small smile as she slid her arms into the hoodie.

"I'm sorry if I seem off lately." She admitted.

I shrugged. "You haven't completely cut me out. Well, not yet at least. As long as you do know that I'm here if you need someone to talk to, then I'm okay with you being distant."

"I'm not keeping anything from you if that's what you're thinking."

The Hideaway was just up the rocky path, so we began to climb.

"It feels like there's something you're not telling me," I admitted, grabbing a hold of her hand to help her up.

"Like I said, Jack, if there was something, you would know. I just don't feel good lately." She bluntly replied.

"Then maybe you should see Smiley."

"Why? So Devin can just say 'oh, it's the stomach flu again.' It'll pass, it always does." Lucy groaned.

I decided not to reply. She seemed like she was becoming on edge again.

As we entered the Hideaway, Jeff stood up from the table. I nodded at him, giving him the signal that it was okay to spill the beans on what was going on. Zero walked over and grabbed Lucy by her arm.

"Uhm, hi to you too, Zero...?" Lucy said quizzically.

Jeff cleared his throat. "Luciana. It's Valentine's Day. Ben, Zero and I planned something for you two. It's not exactly the most romantic- after all, it was us who planned it. But you two deserve it."

Lucy shoved Zero off of her arm.

"I'm not leaving the Hideaway! Do you guys not understand? The SCP is after me and I'm not risking it! I will stay here until Zalgo decides to show up and then I will leave that day." Lucy announced.

"You can't just stay here. Besides, most of us are going to be going with you guys." Ben spoke up.

"I said no. Thank you, but no." Lucy snarled as she ran to the staircase and began climbing.

We watched as she disappeared around the corner. The soft sounds of her converse climbing the stairs let us know she wasn't going to stop any time soon.

"She's acting like we're giving her a choice." Ben chuckled.

"She's hormonal," Jeff muttered under his breath.

I glared over at Jeff, only to see him turn his head up. The corners of his mouth curled, signifying a snarky grin.

"She's going through a lot, Jeff." I defended Lucy.

"She is my friend, too, Jack. I know this." Jeff replied.

I shook my head and began walking to the stairs. "I'll have her get ready. You guys just get everyone together. Ben, if she doesn't listen, prepare to teleport."

"You got it." Ben grinned.

I climbed the stairs, listening to Jeff and Ben talk to each other about what the plan was. For a few seconds, I paused. They were talking about what the plan was if the SCP did show up. My fingers were crossed that it wouldn't happen, but with mine and Luciana's luck, the SCP will show up. I'd like to say we had no luck, but we do- we have bad luck and I guess it's better than no luck at all.

Continuing to walk up the stairs, I finally made it to the fourth floor. Our bedroom door was wide open and I could see Luciana laying on the bed, scrolling through her iPod with her headphones in.

I got to the doorway and leaned on the frame. She glanced over at me but rolled and faced the wall. I almost spoke up, but then I could hear the headphones blaring music into her ears. Letting out a groan, I closed the door behind me and walked over to the bed. Climbing onto it, I pulled one of the earbuds out. She turned and laid on her back.

"Please don't make me leave," She pouted.

"Lucy, we're all just as scared as you are. But we can't just hide here and wait until Zalgo shows up. What are you going to do when the SCP starts targeting innocent people because you're nowhere to be found?" I asked her, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

She swatted my hand away and sat up. "That's not my problem."

I was taken back by those words. She was usually the one who was trying to protect innocent lives, not say that she didn't care about what happened.

"Nope. That's it." I stood up and grabbed her by her ankles, dragging her to the edge of the bed. "You're going to see Smiley."

She began kicking her legs around, trying to get away from me.

"No! Stop! I'll leave the Hideaway! I'm fine!" She yelled.

"You have the choice of going and seeing Smiley or getting ready to go. Stop being an ass and either get ready to go or head to the hospital room." I snapped.

She glared up at me and threw her iPod on the bed next to her.

******

Luciana and I were sitting by a large body of water at the end of a dock. There were no pedestrians around, which is exactly what Jeff wanted. Ben, Jeff, Zero, Laughing Jack, Clock and Candy Pop were on the beach, all watching in different directions. If the SCP was going to show up, it wasn't going to be unnoticed.

Lucy had her shoes off with her legs dangling over the edge of the dock, her toes just barely touching the cold water. I had one knee behind her, supporting her back as she leaned backward and the other was tucked at her side. Her head was rested on my arm.

"I'll go and see Devin tomorrow if it makes you feel better." Lucy looked up at me.

"It would make me feel better and save a lot of arguments." I chuckled.

She gently slapped my arm and smiled up at me.

"I want to go swimming." Lucy grinned deviously.

Raising an eyebrow, I responded, "You didn't bring anything to swim in. Do you even have anything to swim in?"

"No, but I have shorts on under this and my bra is basically a bikini top." She rolled her eyes.

She decided to dress up, well sort of. She wore a soft purple, sleeveless dress. Probably one of the many clothing items she ended up stealing when her and Jane had their 'rebellious' moment. It didn't matter how she got it anyways, she looked beautiful in it.

"If you want to swim, go for it. I'll stay right here." I sighed.

"You don't want to swim?" She asked as she stood up and slid the dress off.

I shook my head. "I'd rather not. You have fun."

Truth was, I doubt I'd have time to get out and rush over if the SCP were to show up- and I wasn't taking any chances.

She grinned at me as she ran and jumped into the water, sending hundreds of water droplets into the air. It took her a few seconds to resurface. I could faintly see her legs kicking around underneath her as she slicked her hair back.

"Come on, Jack. It's cold at first, but you'll get used to it." She laughed.

"I'm pretty sure I have no problem with being cold." I laughed.

She rolled her eyes and leaned backward. As she swam backward on her back, I took off my mask and hoodie. Setting them down in a pile, I slid my shoes off. The whole time I kept an eye on her, making sure she kept her eyes closed. Sliding my last shoe off, I stood up. Taking a few steps back, I let out a sigh as I ran and jumped in.

I felt the water engulf me as I slid further and further down. I could've taken my pants off, that probably would've ridden me of some of the weight, but I guess I didn't feel like it. Swimming upwards, I came up right along Lucy. She was spitting water out while glaring at me.

"You scared me... and... I swallowed water."

I chuckled. Kicking my legs around underneath me while trying to stay up, I leaned forward and kissed her cheek. A soft red tint spread across her cheeks and she smiled, biting down on her bottom lip. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and I prepared for her to kiss me. Instead, she pressed down on my shoulders as she laughed. I went back underwater, inhaling water as my head ducked under. I grabbed a mouthful of water and popped back up, squirting her with the water in my mouth.

"Jack!" She giggled, trying to swim away.

"You started this, Angel," I replied, swimming after her.

For the next few minutes, I almost forgot how much danger we were actually in. Between the water splashing, her music like laughter and the quick kisses, everything was near perfect. That was until Jeff started yelling for us.

I glanced over to the beach, hiding Luciana behind me.

"What's going on?" I shouted back.

"He's here! She needs to get back to the Hideaway! LJ can take her back!" Jeff yelled out to us.

I felt Luciana's hand on my shoulder, digging her nails into my skin. I drew in a quick breath and quickly swam to the edge of the dock with Luciana following close behind me. We were both hidden under the dock now. The sheer look of terror was imprinted on her face.

"Nothing is going to happen to you, okay?" I reassured her, grabbing the sides of her face.

"What about them? What about you? Can't we all leave?" Lucy asked quickly, grabbing onto my wrists.

"Lucy, just listen for once, please. LJ can take you back. We'll follow shortly after you, alright?" I responded.

"Jack! He's at the beach!" Zero shouted.

Lucy grabbed onto my shoulders and shoved me under. I tried to grab onto her, but she pushed me down farther as she climbed up onto the dock. Swimming up as quickly as I could, I spat out the water I nearly swallowed and grabbed onto the edge of the dock.

"Sorry, Jack. You would've tried to stop me. If you're not leaving then I'm not." She said firmly as she quickly pulled the dress on.

"You're leaving and you can't tell me anything different," I growled as I sat on the edge of the dock.

"I'm not leaving, and that's final!" She shouted as she took off running on the dock.

I grabbed my mask and hoodie and quickly put them on as I ran after her. Everyone was in a line on the beach, staring at the thick concrete being where the sand met the grass.

"Don't look away from him!" Lucy yelled.

"LJ, get her back to the Hideaway!"I quickly shouted.

"LJ, if you so much as touch me, I will tear your eyes out!" Lucy barked back.

I hated her stubborn attitude, but it was just one more thing to love about her at the same time. Women...

"What do we do?" Ben yelled from the line.

I quickly got at the end of the line next to Lucy. We were all staring at the being. I wasn't sure what to think about it. It was a tan concrete color, with dark rusty colored red dried to it; probably blood.

I went to turn my head, but Lucy elbowed my arm.

"I said don't take your eyes off of it. I wasn't kidding," Lucy snarled.

"I don't have eyes," I chuckled sarcastically.

From the corner of my vision, I could see Lucy's mouth drop open.

"I have an idea. Whoever is at the end of the line down on the other side, walk backward to the water. Go to the dock and jump in. If he follows us, he's concrete. Last I checked, concrete doesn't float-"

"It sinks." I finished.

I could see Lucy nod.

"What if that doesn't work?" Jeff spoke up.

"Then we'll have to figure something else out. But it's worth a shot." Lucy replied. "I'm almost positive it will."

Ben took a step forward and looked at Lucy. "I'm not going in that water."

Before Lucy could speak up, SCP-173 moved with lightning speed to Ben's side and grabbed a hold of Ben's head, snapping it to an awkward angle.

"Well, at least the ghost tried that out. He'll be fine." I chuckled, trying to make light of the situation.

"Not funny, Jack." Lucy hissed.

"Lucy, start walking back now," Zero called out.

Lucy began walking backward and shortly after her, I followed. My feet hit the dock and I nearly tripped but regained my balance. Lucy let out a short squeak, probably scared that I lost my 'eye' contact with the SCP.

One after another, I could hear them falling back into the water. Before I knew it, it was my turn. By the time I resurfaced, the SCP was at the edge of the dock looking down at us.

"Quick question, who is going to be brave enough to look away?" LJ piped up.

"I feel like that's just asking to be dragged under with him." Zero responded.

"Lucy..." I spoke up softly. "I'm going to look away, okay? I don't think he'll notice. I don't have eyes."

"I swear to Zalgo, if you look away and he drags you under, I'm bringing you back to kill you myself," Lucy growled.

"I'll be looking forward to it." I chuckled.

Hesitantly, I began turning my head. I took a quick breath in and let it out slowly as my gaze landed on Lucy.

"Did he move?" I asked.

Lucy shook her head. "He hasn't moved."

"Good. Wish me luck." I said as I began to swim to shore.

I made it to the shore and looked back at them their heads were poking above the water, bobbing up and down. Turning back, I took off running for Ben. His body was lying in a heap on the ground. I grabbed a hold of his head and snapped his neck back into place. It definitely wasn't the first time this had happened to him; it probably won't be the last either.

Ben's eyes fluttered open as I stood up.

"What did I miss?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up.

I held my hand out to help him up and he took it, jumping up.

"They think if they look away right now, they may get pulled down with him. Any suggestions?" I asked, glancing back at the concrete figure.

Ben shrugged. "Tell them to swim farther away and we can push it in."

"It's going to have to do." I agreed.

We both took off running for the dock.

"Swim farther away!" Ben yelled to everyone.

"What are you guys doing?" Lucy shouted as she swam backward quickly.

"Pushing him in," Ben responded.

Ben and I picked up our speed as we got to the dock. I knew if Ben fell into the water, he'd probably have a flashback, so I wasn't going to let that happen. If anybody was falling in, it was going to be me.

Ben held his arms out in front of him, bracing himself as we got closer. The sudden 'thud' from hitting the concrete threw me off balance. He was lighter than I expected, but still heavy enough to sink and hopefully stay put. The SCP began falling forwards and I shoved Ben back as my momentum dragged me in after SCP-173.

For the third time today, my body hit the water. Instead of resurfacing right away, I opened my eyelids under the water. It burned for a few short seconds, but I was able to see the SCP sinking down to the bottom. I even followed him for a few more feet to make sure he was going to stay put.

******
*Lucy's POV*

LJ had grabbed onto me as soon as SCP-173 hit the water. I wasn't able to see much else until I got to the beach and noticed Ben leaning over the edge of the dock.

"Where's Jack?" I shouted, taking a few steps towards the water.

"He-he went in," Ben responded.

Everyone else was on their way back in by now. I tried to run towards the deck, but Jeff tackled me as he left the water.

"He'll be okay," Jeff said. His voice wasn't too reassuring, and neither was the fact that he was staring at the dock where Ben was looking.

A few bubbles formed where Jack had sunk down.

"Ben, do something!" I shouted.

"Lucy, give it one more minute. If he's not up by then, I will go in." Jeff responded.

"One minute!? What if he's already drowning, Jeff!?" I shouted.

"I highly doubt drowning would be Jack's way out of this world." Jeff laughed.

Before I could make a cruel comment back, the water at the edge of the dock splashed. Two gray hands were gripping onto the wood. Ben took a few steps back. I shoved Jeff off of me as I ran full speed for Jack.

I grabbed his hand and helped him up.

"He's gone," Jack said proudly.

I glared at him. I was caught somewhere between slapping the shit out of him or giving him a hug and never letting go.

Flinging myself forwards, I wrapped my arms around him. He rested his head on the top of mine. We stayed like that for minutes on end. The sun was beginning to go down, filling the sky with purples, oranges, and yellows of all shades. No, it wasn't an ideal date to be hunted by anything at the SCP, take it out, and then just resume as if nothing happened. In fact, it was abnormal. But after months upon months at the mansion and Hideaway, this was as normal as I could get things to be.

******

Three days have passed since we finished SCP-173. The scars from the Rake on my forearm were slowly but surely disappearing. Jack and I have been training day in a day out, so we took today to just lounge around and bullshit with our friends. We really needed it. I felt like we've been confined to a schedule made up of sleeping, eating, showering, training, and sleeping again. Taking a day to relax was in our best interest before someone really lost it.

That and Devin wanted to see me again today. I kept my promise to Jack to go and see Smiley. He ran test after test, trying to figure out what could be wrong, but nothing was showing up. Today, he had a new instrument that he was going to use. He was it was possible that my gallbladder was acting up. It wouldn't surprise me; I live off of greasy foods. Or, at least I did...

Devin didn't want me to come in until my stomach was in full-blown knots. It was almost a once a day occurrence, so it was just a matter of waiting now. I was actually quite scared that it was my gallbladder. Imagine Devin attempting a gallbladder removal surgery... Just the thought of it sends shivers down my spine.

Jeff and I were in Hunter's bedroom. We've made Hunter's bedroom into a common hang out area, even though it's smaller than most of the rest. I didn't care, though. I felt safe in here. If Hunter was around like he says he is, maybe this is where he mostly resides.

"Jack and I are leaving next week, you know that, right?" Jeff asked, grabbing onto a pillow and sliding it under his head.

"Yes, I know." I sighed.

Jeff was laying sideways on the bed, his legs hanging off the side. I had my head rested on his stomach, thumbing through the songs on my iPod. We had music playing out loud. As of right now, it was just my ninety's playlist. Yes, I have that. Nirvana, the old Britney Spears, TLC, Backstreet Boys, Smash Mouth- you name it. If it's ninety's, I probably have it. The cool thing about hanging out with Jeff, he doesn't seem to care what I listen to. He was even mocking Aqua's Barbie Girl, which was funny.

"Do you miss him?" Jeff asked.

Pausing my music, I glanced up at the ceiling. "Yes. More than I did before. When I found out he was still alive, I thought I'd have all of the time in the world to make up every second I lost with him years ago. It was selfish for me to think like that. I should've hung out with him more. I should've told him I loved him more. I should've let him know how much he really meant to me. But I didn't." I let out a soft laugh. "If he's listening to me right now, he's going to be mad at me for saying it, but I live each day with regret on not letting him know how precious he was to me. Hunter was more than just another person from the mansion. He was my childhood best friend. The things I would give.... the things I would do, just to have him back for one more day."

Jeff let out a sigh. "Oddly enough, I miss him, too. We weren't close and rarely got along, thanks to Jane, but he was still one of us. I hate that he's gone. It seems empty having nobody talking in his weird accent."

"It's Australian." I corrected Jeff with a giggle.

"Either way, it's weird not hearing it all the time."

I played the music again and closed my eyes. I was glad to know I wasn't the only one missing him. It sucks. I never thought I could miss someone like this. Missing my parents, brother and Carmen is different. They're still alive. They're still living life. Missing someone who isn't here anymore is harder. All you have is memories. You have the urge to call them, but can't because you know they won't pick up. You have the urge to run over to their house, but won't because it won't be them answering. They're not there anymore.

There was a knock at the already open door and I moved my iPod to the side. Jack was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed as he leaned against the frame. He sported the same black hoodie, just like every other day, and his pants were black and baggy with studs lining the sides.

"What's up?" I asked, locking my iPod screen and setting the device on my side.

He shrugged. "Nothing. Just came to check on you. Not trying to steal my girl, are you Jeff?" Jack chuckled.

"I wouldn't cross that line in a million years. You'd kick my ass to the moon and back, and then back to the moon." Jeff cackled, pulling out the pillow from underneath him and throwing it at Jack

Jack caught the pillow. Before I could get caught in their crossfire, I rolled off of the bed, landing perfectly in a sitting position. Jack threw the pillow back at Jeff, who caught it. Before Jeff could throw it back at him, Jack was running into the room, throwing himself at Jeff.

"If you guys break anything, I will personally kick both of your asses to the moon and back," I muttered, scrolling through my songs again as I stood up.

I set my iPod down on my light gray leggings and pulled my hair back. Sliding the ponytail holder off of my wrist and into my hair, I wrapped it around three times before letting it go. The whole time I watched Jack and Jeff choke each other, waiting to see who was going to be the first to pass out.

"No wonder why you're both damn near brain-dead," I giggled. "Boys.."

Jack and Jeff held their posture- hands around each other's throats and not moving a muscle except the ones in their fingers to tighten their grip.

"Jeff and Jack. I'm headed downstairs to get something to eat. Do either of you want anything?" I asked, sliding my iPod into my sweatshirt pocket. "If I begin to choke on my own breath, I'm going to choke you, Jeff."

As I began to stand up, a sharp stabbing feeling spread from the middle of my stomach straight down. I keeled backward, clutching onto the dresser's knob behind me. Jack looked up in the air and snapped his neck to look at me, shoving Jeff off of him.

"You're bleeding." Jack climbed off the bed.

I widened my eyes. "Thank you for announcing my menstrual cycle, Jack. That's awkward."

Jeff nodded at me. "Is it always that bad?"

I glanced down at what used to be light gray leggings. Blood soaked through the fabric.

"What the hell?"

"Time to go," Jack said as he lifted me up. "Jeff, find Smiley. I doubt he's spending his time in the hospital room."

Jeff nodded as Jack carried me out of the room. His pace was fast, almost making me nauseous. The pain in my stomach kept increasing with every step closer to the room we got. Jack descended the stairs quickly, nearly running forwards and through the hospital room doors.

"I thought you said if the pain was bad enough today you were going to tell Smiley?" Jack growled as he set me down on the hospital bed.

"It wasn't hurting until I stood up, Jack." I groaned, trying to sit comfortably.

Jeff and Smiley slammed the doors open, making both Luciana and I jump.

"Leggings," Smiley said as he slid a pair of gloves on, "Take them off."

******
*Jack's POV*

Lucy's eyes widened as she looked at both Jeff and me.

"Jack, Slender needs us immediately anyway. Come on." Jeff grabbed my hand.

"Lucy, if you need anything, just kick him in the face and run," I yelled into the room as Jeff pulled me out.

As Jeff closed the door behind us, he began to speak. "Our hunt has been moved up to today. If we don't leave now, we'll lose track of them."

As I said before if it weren't for bad luck, I don't think Lucy and I would have any luck at all.

******
*Ben's POV*

I was watching as Jeff and Jack left. Jack was iffy about leaving Lucy behind like that, especially for the amount of time he was going to be gone. It's not like he had a choice. I promised to keep an eye on her. Jack wasn't even able to say goodbye due to Slender rushing them out the door.

Their mission was estimated to take three to four weeks, leaving the rest of us to make sure Lucy gets through whatever Brainchildren come in between then and to deal with whatever her medical issue may be right now.

"Well, Sal, how about we go check on Lucy?" I asked the little girl standing next to me.

"I wanted to play more games," She pouted.

"Sally, you've killed me twice already today. I'm not in the mood to die again." I laughed, turning around and entering the cave.

Sally let out a small whimper as she followed behind me. For once I was left in charge of something- well, someone I guess. A part of me felt bad for Jack. He was trying to stay just for a few more minutes until Devin found out what was going on, but Slender needed them to leave.

Supposedly, they're hunting down an extremely violent group of people who may have a connection to Zalgo and his corruption. That and Jack had a food supply run to make. But since the group left their spot sooner than expected, Jeff and Jack had to leave sooner than expected.

I was walking up the stairs to the hospital when I heard Lucy yelling from the other side. Slowing down my pace, I could barely make out what she was saying.

".......no fucking way that....." I could faintly hear.

"It happens all the time....... sorry," Smiley responded.

I knocked on the door only to hear Lucy hissing 'shh' on the other side.

"Lucy? Can I come in?" I asked, grabbing a hold of the door handle.

Items from inside the room were being banged around. I furrowed my brows, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Do you need to come in right now?" Lucy hollered.

"It's kind of urgent. But I can come back la-"

"No, it's fine. Just come in." She hesitantly responded.

Turning the door handle, I opened the door and stepped in. Lucy was sitting on one of the hospital beds with more than one blanket draped over her. Her usual pale skin seemed to have a groggy gray undertone, hinting at a sign of sickness. Smiley was standing by the garbage can, pulling off his bloodied gloves.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, locking eyes with Lucy.

She nodded slowly. "Why do you ask?"

Clearing my throat, I folded my hands behind my back. "No reason. I came to tell you Jack and Jeff started their mission a bit early. They just left and didn't have time to say goodbye."

Lucy looked over at Smiley, whom just shrugged. She glanced down at her blankets.

"I'm going to be honest with you, Luce," I said bluntly, "You look like death."

Lucy glared up at me. "You don't exactly look too alive yourself, elf boy."

I raised my eyebrows and opened my mouth to reply, but my words were caught in my throat.

"Just go get Papagrande and Slender." Smiley sighed, shaking his head.

Closing my mouth, I turned around and slammed the door behind me.

Instead of walking, I just pixelated my way over to the study, not really giving a damn if I interrupted anything or not. Unfortunately, I did.

Three beings were in the room; Slender, Papagrande and...

"Why is he here?" I growled.

"Offenderman was just leaving," Papagrande responded, glaring coldly at Slenderman's younger half-brother.

"I was?" Offenderman grinned, turning his head between Papagrande and me.

Slenderman was seated at the desk, his fingers rubbing his temples.

"You were, Offender," Slender spoke up, "Please go before I get the Proxies to escort you."

"Actually, you're down one proxy. She's in the hospital room." I spoke up.

Offenderman cocked his head to the side and turned towards me.

"Which one? Is it Clocky? Rouge-baby?" Offenderman asked, widening his grin.

"N-no. You haven't met this one and I don't plan on letting you." I quickly responded.

Offenderman shook his head and glanced back at Slenderman, who was now standing.

"They never learn, do they, brother?" Offenderman asked slyly.

With one swift motion, he lunged at me, sending me sprawling to the floor. Slender and Papagrande chased the other tall being out of the room. I pixelated away, sending myself to the hospital room doors.

I was standing in the hallway when Offenderman climbed the stairs quickly. His usual grin faded into a straight-lipped expression.

"You never learn, Offenderman. Slender and Papagrande asked you to leave. I suggest you do so." I deadpanned at him.

From behind Offenderman, I could hear the sound of many quick footsteps. With Papagrande and Slender leading the way, I could see Candy, LJ, Rouge, Zero and the rest of the gang following closely behind.

Offenderman turned around and chuckled at the sight of everyone readying themselves for a fight.

"I just wanted to meet the new girl," Offenderman admitted.

"You're the last person she would want to meet," Rouge butted in.

"Rouge. Baby," Offenderman sang out, "I wouldn't hurt her and you know that." Offenderman began taking a few steps towards her.

Jinx stepped in the way, giving Offenderman a harsh shove backward; possibly too harsh. Offenderman came flailing backward into me, slamming the hospital room's door open. Lucy let out a screech.

"Get your brother out of here before I kill him, Slender," Smiley snarled, grabbing a hold of a scalpel.

Offenderman pulled himself off of me and turned his head to Lucy.

"My, my, my. I can see why you're keeping her to yourselves," He laughed.

"Devin..." Lucy's voice quivered.

"He won't do anything. Everyone is right over there. He's far too outnumbered, Luce. Close your eyes and don't look at him." Smiley said quickly.

Picking myself up off of the floor, I grabbed a hold of Offenderman and began to pixelate. He let out a soft groan, knowing he has, once again, been defeated by us.

******
*Lucy's POV*

Everybody cleared out of the hallway and back to what they were doing, except for Slender and Papagrande. I wasn't in the mood to figure out who he was or why he was here. In fact, I was barely listening to what Devin was telling Papagrande and Slender.

I was too caught up in my own thoughts. I understand that Jack needed to leave, but I don't think his timing could be any worse. Right now, I needed somebody. I completely cut everyone out of my life in the Hideaway, except Jeff and Jack. Hunter was, obviously, no longer here to grab onto and just cry into his shoulder. Jane seems to be doing her own thing lately, which I didn't mind anyway. Clock was too caught up in helping the other proxies train. I just called Ben an 'elf boy', so I highly doubt right now would be a good time to cry on his shoulder. I just wanted to cry, but I was too numb.

"You're positive?" I could hear Slender say as I tuned myself back into their conversation.

"More than positive, but I don't know how serious it is right now. I don't have the right things to...."

My brother, my mother, my father... Carmen... Michael... I just needed somebody...

"I can get those easily. Do we pull Jack back from the mission?" Papagrande asked.

"We can't. This is far too important and he doesn't need this weighing on his mind. He won't find out until he gets back. Jeff won't know either." Slender responded.

"I need those things immediately Pap...." Devin's voice faded out.

I need Lucas... I need someone who understands me. I need him so much right now, it hurts. The caving in feeling in my chest mixed with the sharp pains that were still present in my lower abdomen was almost too much for me to bare. I just need comfort.

"I'll head out right away," Papagrande responded.

"The sooner, the better."

...mommy...

******
*Jack's POV*

Jeff and I quickly packed a bag and left immediately. Not knowing what's wrong with Lucy is weighing heavily on my mind, but Slender promised to let us know as soon as he knows what's going on.

Canada. I always thought this place was full of nice people who weren't going to hurt anybody and just wanted to give out hugs and high fives. I guess I was partially wrong. So far, we know where we're headed. If we get there and our objective isn't there, then I have no clue what our next step is. Hopefully, Jeff has that part planned out. But knowing Jeff, I highly doubt it.

"I'm hungry." Jeff groaned.

Like I said, I doubt Jeff had anything planned out.

"You should've eaten before we left," I responded, readjusting the backpack on my right shoulder.

"Uh, obviously there was no time for it," Jeff spoke sarcastically.

I sighed and continued walking.

This was going to be one long mission...

****************
Ta-da! Look dolls, Chapter 24! It's just a tad bit shorter than usual, so I do apologize. BUT-- I'm back guys! I passed all of my college classes (including my College Algebra that I had to retake!) But yay me! Life is still a little rocky, but damn, I miss Shade of Blue and I miss my readers! I hope you all enjoyed this!
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Updated on: November 13th, 2017 & June 6, 2018