Chapter 7
Marie's POV
"Marie, can you come here for a second?" Mark called from outside. I got up and went, seeing him, Sarah, and Tobias there. They had on gloves, probably for work. Mark looked at me and said, "I know you're still healing, but I thought it might be good for you to help us with some work around here. An extra hand with do wonders! I thought it would be great for you to work with Sarah with the vegetable patch while Tobias and I work with the animals. Can you do that okay?"
I nodded in response, smiling a little. Mark smiled back and said, "Great! Sarah, can you give her a pair of gloves and teach her about getting the vegetables?" Sarah nodded and smiled, saying in a happy tone, "Follow me!"
I did and we walked to the barn. It was just as red and white as outside, but it had hay and some animal crap everywhere. It smelt of the cows, horses, and pigs, but it didn't seem so bad. Sarah handed me a pair of gloves that fitted perfectly and took me to the back of the house. The garden had a lot of vegetables, so two people working will make it quicker. Sarah took me to one part of the patch and instructed, "Okay, I'm giving you the easiest part of the patch: carrots. All you have to do it grab their leaves on top and jerk them out, like so." She grabbed the top part and yanked the carrot out with ease. "Just do it to the first two rows and put it in the basket. Simple as that!"
I got to my knees and grabbed one carrot, pulling it out easy. Sarah smiled wide and said in awe, "You have a strong arm! Most people can't do it on the first try since they don't put a lot of force to it." She went to a different row with lettuce and started to cut it out of the ground with a knife, putting it in the basket easily.
We were in comfortable silent for a second when I decided to break it. "Thanks for letting me sleep in your bed, Sarah," I thanked, earning a giggle. "No problem," she insisted, "I didn't mind at all! The only person that did was Toby."
I pulled out a carrot, thinking a little. Toby? I thought, Why does that name seem familiar? "Why does Tobias hate me?" I asked Sarah, wanting to know. She looked at me and shrugged. "I don't know," she replied honestly, "He's just like that. Believe me when I say that Toby is always suspicious of new people. He never really trusts anyone. He only trusts the family since he's closest to us. But don't let it stay in your head. He'll warm up to you sooner or later!"
I nodded, continuing to take the carrots out. Let's hope it's sooner, I thought, forgetting about Tobias.
Ticci-Toby's POV
I sat in the living room, watching Masky and Hoodie play cards again. Jeff was upstairs with Sally, playing dolls with her since she didn't have Marie to play with her. Masky was winning when Kristi and Slenderman came down. "Morning, boss," I greeted, "Morning, Kristi."
Slenderman and Kristi nodded, going to the kitchen together. I sighed and went to the living room, sitting next to Laughing Jack. BEN was playing the game, Life Is Strange, crying when he messed up. I stayed silent and heard Laughing Jack ask, "What's got you down in the dumps?" I looked at Laughing Jack and replied, "Nothing, Jack."
He snorted and popped a lollipop in his mouth. "Like hell nothing," he cackled, poking my cheek, "It's about Marie, isn't it, lover boy?" I glanced at him and saw a big smile on his face, knowing he got the answer right. "I said it's nothing," I said, making him back off.
"Alright, alright," he said, his smile wide, "I'll back off. Just don't keep your head down, lover boy. I heard a rumor from a little birdie that your sweetheart might be innocent." I turned to him, glaring. "What do you mean?" I asked, pressing on the matter.
Laughing Jack's smile became more wicked as he pointed down the hall. "It seems that we have an unexpected guest among us," he sang, disappearing with a cackle afterwards. I sat on the couch and thought about what he said. What is he talking about? I thought, What does he mean by 'an unexpected guest'?
Jeff's POV
I played with Sally for a second, pretending to be a stupid guy. I didn't pay attention and kept thinking about Marie. She's like my new little sister and then she vanished? That doesn't sound anything like her! I want to know what the hell happened to her. I stood up and told Sally that we'll play later, making her nod. I went downstairs and saw Ticci-Toby there, watching BEN play whatever the fuck the game's called. I sat down next to him and asked, "What's up with you?"
He looked at me and answered, "I think Laughing Jack knows something we don't." I raised an eyebrow, confused. "What are you talking about?" I asked in disbelief, "He's more lazy than anyone else here. What would he know?"
"I don't know," he said, looking down the hall, "but he said we have 'an unexpected guest' with us. What do you think he means by that?" I shrugged and answered, "How should I know? I know Kristi came unexpected, but we-" I stopped in the middle of my sentence. Does he mean...?
"What's up, Jeff?" Ticci-Toby asked, looking at me. I looked back at him and said, "I think he means there's someone else behind this."