Chapter 2
Silence hung in the air. The woman-Mom-stared at me with disbelief. She slowly raised her hand up to my cheek and wiped the tear I didn't know fell. She started to tear up as well and said, choking a little, "Marie? Is it really my baby girl?"
I nodded, laughing a little when she hugged me. I heard footsteps come closer and looked to see Slenderman standing there. I'm guessing he's shocked since Mom just entered in out of nowhere. He kneeled down to our height and placed a hand on Mom's head. "Kristi?" he asked, barely above a whisper.
Mom nodded, pressing her forehead on Slenderman's. "It's me, Slendy. I'm home."
He chuckled at the nickname, pulling Mom into a hug with me. We hugged for some time until I heard a cough from behind us. "Can someone please explain who the hell Kristi is?" Jeff asked in annoyance, making me roll my eyes.
I answered while slapping the back of his head, "It's my mom, ya dingus! Daddy married her and she went away. Now, she's back. How much of an idiot are you?"
Jeff grumbled and yelled back, "How was I supposed to know she's your mom?"
"I look almost exactly like her!"
"No, you don't!"
I was about to yell back when Slenderman said sternly, "That's enough!" We shut our mouths right away, apologizing under our breaths. Toby went to Mom and stuck out his hand. "Please to meet you, Kristi," he greeted, shaking her hand, "I'm Ticci-Toby. You can call me Toby."
Soon, everyone greeted themselves to Mom. She was kind to them all, smiling at them and braided Sally's hair quick. When she finished, she whispered something to Slenderman and he nodded. He motioned me to follow him and Mom. I nodded and went with them to the office, closing the door behind me. Once the door was closed, Mom looked at me and said in disbelief, "I can't believe how much you've grown. You're so pretty."
She elbowed Slenderman and added with a wink, "Looks like she takes after me." We laughed at this, filling the room with laughter. She walked around the office, seeing food everywhere. "Having a party?" she asked, earning a nod from me.
"It's my sixteenth birthday today, Mom," I answered, making her gasp.
"I'm missing my sixteenth-year-old girl's birthday?" she asked, picking up a streamer, "Has it really been that long?"
"Really really."
She scoffed angrily, tearing up again. "I can't believe I haven't seen my baby in over ten years."
I coughed awkwardly. "Well, I was given up for adoption. So, you probably wouldn't have seen me ever again."
Slenderman gasped in shock, "Marie! Don't say things like that!"
Well, it's true, I thought, staying silent after that. Mom chuckled at this and sighed. "I suppose that's true," she said, sitting on a clean part of the sofa. "But I only did that to make sure you're okay, sweetie. I didn't want you to grow up murdering like me and Slendy did. I wanted you to grow up being a teacher or maybe something like that. Guess I did a bad job at that, huh?"
I uncontrollably giggled, nodding. "Very," I joked, making her smile. I wiped the sofa clean of garbage and sat down next to her. "Where have you been since you left?" I asked, curiosity dwelling inside.
She sighed at this, ruffling my hair. "I can't tell you that yet, baby," she answered, making me nod in understanding. She turned around and smiled at Slenderman. "Hey, Slendy," she said, motioning him to come. "Can I get a welcome kiss?"
He sighed and walked up, placing his face near hers. I covered my eyes and yelled, "Not in front of me! Gross!" We laughed at this for what seemed like the fifth time today and talked for the rest of the time. She told me about how Slenderman was freaking out when she was giving birth to me and how he was scared to even hold me. Then, Slenderman told me about the time they were ice skating in the lake when suddenly Mom dropped on her butt. Every story they told me was funnier than the last.
I yawned when Mom was talking about their first movie date together, making her stop. "Are you tired, sweetie?" she asked.
I was about to answer no when I yawned again, louder this time. She raised an eyebrow at me and I just shrugged my shoulders as if saying "What can you do?". She chuckled and pulled me to my feet, saying, "Go to bed, Marie. You need to sleep."
Slenderman nodded in agreement and picked me up, carrying me to my room. I heard Jeff saying I looked like a kid, but I was too tired to retort. When I felt the comfort of my bed, I rolled myself into a comfortable burrito and fell into a deep slumber.