No safe place.

According to some of The Proxies while I was out today my friend showed up again.

She came to the front door and was stopped by a small group.

She said she was coming to see me.

They told her she couldn't come in.

In response she looked scared then proceeded to draw a gun and shoot them.

She killed one and injured one but most of her shots missed.

The proxies took her down and on Xerox's orders they disarmed her and locked her in a room.

They intended to wait for either me or The Second to arrive before deciding what to do with her.

Unfortunately when they brought The Second to see her she was dead.

Her body gutted and arms and legs cut off.

I...

The creature...

The Rake killed her.

First he sent her to kill me...

Like he said before everyone of my friends and family could be an exploitable weakness.

He could just send armies of my loved ones to kill me.

Either they succeed and I die or they fail and they die.

I can't let that happen.

Either thing.

The Second has promised he'll do what he can to protect me and my loved ones.

I trust him now but I'm not sure he can really do it.

This should have been handled much earlier.

We should have foreseen this possibility.

The Truth... Some of it at least.

I met The Second in his room.

It was just as bare as I remembered it being in The Video.

He was sitting in the center of the room.

He told me to sit opposite him.

"So what do you want to know?"

Everything?

"Right..."

"Well first off that creature was called The Rake."

"It's sort of The Master's Rival"

Why did it refer to me as The Anomaly?

"Hmm... Well because you did something impossible."

What did I do?

"Sorry can't tell you yet."

Why is there no furniture in this room?

"I don't actually live here..."

Oh...

"About the video..."

He looked nervous.

"I was actually summoning The Master."

You can do that?

"Yes."

So what else can you tell me about The Master's plan for me?

"You won't die."

That's good.

"Though as stated your life will end."

That's not so good...

Am I going to be made into a proxy or a hallowed or something?

"Not quite..."

What's going to happen then?

"Can't tell you."

Ok then...

"Would you like me to just tell you everything I can tell you at this point in time?"

Yes.

"Ok..."

"First off you actually caused all of this."

"Your attempt to find the Master drew his attention back to you."

"He had..."

"Well forgotten isn't the right word..."

"Not cared about you at all I guess would be the right way of putting it?"

"But then you pretty much forced your way into this world and..."

He looked nervous again.

"Well I guess this caused him to become interested in you."

"It's not every day people seek him out."

"I mean there have been people who've sought him out before but it's more usual for people to run away from him."

"I guess you're sort of a novelty."

"The Rake is probably interested in your for similar reasons."

"Though he wants you dead."

"In general The Master cares little for people."

"The Rake on the other hand has great interest in you creatures."

"Mostly he's interested in killing every last one of you in sadistic and gruesome ways."

"Also yes the Aged Path is in fact The Path of Black Leaves."

"Sort of..."

"I can't say anymore than that because that's my own personal surprise for you."

"Now then."

"I'm pretty sure those are all the questions I'm capable of answering at the moment."

"If you think of more or your commenters have questions of their own feel free to ask."

"Till then you should go to sleep."

"It's getting late."

He got up.

Walked over to me.

Lifted me to my feet.

"A kiss goodnight."

He kissed me and then everything after was a blur and I woke up this morning in my bed.

I feel both satisfied and cheated and I'm having trouble reconciling the two.

Done Deed

It took me a little while to find him.

He's very good at not being found.

I don't think I would have found him.

I think he let me find him after reading my reply to Fracture's comment.

I found him in The camera room.

He was holding the tape.

He was smiling as I entered.

The Second: "So... A trade huh? You want to know about this and in return I get what I want?"

I nodded.

His smile faded.

The Second: "You think you know what I want? You obviously don't."

The Second: "What I want isn't something you can just trade away."

The Second: "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking you'll give me yourself and I'll tell you everything. I don't want that and you should know that. You're the one who said so before."

I waited till he finished then I walked over to him and took the tape placing it to the side.

Me: "I know you don't want my body."

Me: "You want my love."

Me: "I can't give you that."

Me: "After what happened recently."

Me: "How you saved me and all my friends."

Me: "You have it."

Me: "What I can do is admit it like I just did."

Me: "Tell everyone you won my heart."

Me: "It's not really a trade."

Me: "It's a request."

Me: "I need to know what's going on"

Me: "You wanted me to love you."

Me: "If you love me too tell me what's happening."

The Second: "I can't."

Me: "Then tell me what you can."

The Second smiled faintly.

The Second: "Alright I will."

The Second: "Not right now though."

The Second: "Come to my room tomorrow night and I'll tell you everything I can."

So, it seems I'm going to learn somethings.

I'm sure that he didn't mean to imply anything by asking me to come to his room at night so none of that please, commenters.

Also sorry about the post title.

I couldn't resist.

Was asleep for a long time.

I fell asleep after the events listed in that last post.

I didn't wake up.

Not until just now.

So either I sleep blog too now or The Second wrote all that.

Or someone else I guess but probably The Second.

If it was him though I'm surprised he was willing to describe what happened in that video.

Then again maybe he just knew I'd eventually write it anyways.

As much as I hate to admit it everything in that is true.

I don't know how he knew my thoughts though.

At this point it's obvious he's not just a normal proxy.

I mean that was obvious for a while but I guess confirmed now.

He was still sitting by my bed when I woke up but as soon as I tried to talk to him he left.

Btw he didn't like hack my blog or anything I tend to leave my account signed in so he just had to write up a new post.

Oh yeah so all my friends are still alive.

The Second brought them home while The Master and the creature were fighting and I was unconscious under the table.

No one will tell me what that creature was but I honestly don't care much.

It was terrifying and it's gone now that's all I need to know.

I looked around shortly before deciding to post this but can't find The Second.

He's probably avoiding me now.

He can't do so forever.

He'll have to answer my question about the video.

I'll make him.

Don't worry I won't be stupid this time.

The aftermath.

I was let out.

I did as instructed and went to my school late at night.

All my friends were there and we broke into the school.

They brought me to the A.V. room and my friend handed me the tape.

I had never actually had it.

The envelope just told me about it and told me to pretend I had it hidden somewhere.

We put the tape into one of the vcr's and I began to watch.

The tape showed a bare room for quite some time.

We fast forwarded through what I think were days worth of nothing but a blank room.

Btw when I say blank I mean blank.

There is nothing in there nothing at all.

No bed, no desk, no chairs, no colour.

It's just a small empty milky white room.

Floor walls and ceiling.

Eventually The Second entered the room.

He moved to the very center of the room.

Immediately black tendrils began covering the room like veins under flesh.

There was a sound.

It started out low but then it grew until it was a loud screeching sound.

Something happened too fast for me to make out.

Then static...

Nothing but static for a few minutes then the room was empty again.

The tape ended at this point.

It was completely silent in the room.

I looked around all my friends were lying on the floor.

Unconscious or dead I wasn't sure at the time.

I suddenly felt terrified.

There was a clicking sound and it began to get closer.

I turned and went for the door but a whispered voice, the one from the other video, said "stop" and I stopped.

I couldn't move.

The clicking sound got closer and I could see that it was the sound of two long scythe like blades hitting the floor as whatever they were attached to grew closer.

It stopped suddenly.

It's claws were visible but it's face and body were shrouded in shadows.

I could see the silhouette of a face and a slow grin spreading open.

It lunged and then a tentacle launched by my face and hit the creature in the face knocking it back in the shadows.

I could move again and I turned and ran into The Master.

Tentacles enveloped me for a few seconds and I felt safe.

A little later I woke up lying under a table.

The Second was sitting nearby watching me.

As he noticed I was awake he got up and came over.

He hugged me tightly and rubbed my back in a soothing comforting manner.

I clung to him tightly.

I felt so afraid.

He told me The Master had beaten the creature and that we should go back to the apartment as soon as I'm feeling safe enough to travel.

I merely nodded.

I'm not ashamed.

It was terrifying.

After a few minutes we went back.

He carried me and took me through the Path to get back to my room.

He lay me in my bed then was going to leave.

I couldn't let him leave.

I didn't want to be alone.

I made him stay with me at least until I fell asleep.

Still locked up...

But not in my room now.

The Second has me locked in a room with Xerox while he searches my room for The Tape.

He won't find it.

I've been trying to talk to Xerox about things.

He ignores me and refuses to talk.

Not that I expected anything else.

You can't stop it Second.

It's going to happen and there's nothing you can do about it.

Except answer the question.

But you won't do that.

Locked in

Looks like I missed my rendezvous.

True to his word The Second has sealed me inside my room.

I didn't try to escape I knew he would.

Heh so did the person who sent the package though.

I spent my day sealed inside and finding out what was inside the package.

It was a letter and a tape.

VCR tape.

Old school right?

The message said:

"You want to learn the truth?

Stupid girls don't learn the truth.

Stupid girls end up stuck in trees.

You're not a stupid girl though.

Listen to me and you'll learn.

The Tape is a copy of the camera tapes from the room of the one you call The Second.

There are instructions below.

Memorize them and then destroy this message and hide the Tape again.

Do not blog the instructions but feel free to blog the rest of this message."

At the very bottom was a message directed to The Second.

"Protecting your claim means more than watching The Anomaly.

 You left so many holes.

She has more connections than she knows and far more than you think.

Each one of those connections is a security risk I can exploit.

You're making this far too easy.

I expected more from you."

Heh whoever this is just called you out Second.

Any rebuttal?

Something strange happened today...

One of my friends showed up at the apartment today.

I had rebroken connection with them when The Second showed up again and I don't know how she found out where I lived.

She seemed kind of confused.

She didn't answer anything I said and spoke like she was reading from a script.

I was told where you were.

I was told to come find you.

I was told to give you this...

She handed me a package.

I was told to tell you my address.

You are to come to my house tomorrow.

I asked who told her.

She looked at me and her eyes widened fearfully.

I don't know.

She started to cry and I brought her to my room.

We talked for a bit and eventually she left.

I was sure that whatever was in this envelope was dangerous.

I hid it.

I shouldn't of said anything but I felt the need to speak of this. I'm not saying where it's hidden because I know The Second reads this.

Interrogation

I'm tired of this.

I made The Second meet me in the camera room.

I told him that he can't just pretend I didn't see that and he needed to tell me what the hell was going on.

He said that I was wrong and he can do all of those things and there is absolutely nothing I could do about it.

I...

Admitted he was right.

I asked him why he broke the cameras he said he didn't.

I told him not to lie.

He said he isn't lying.

Xerox broke the cameras The Second gave him permission to do so.

I sighed with annoyance and asked why he had someone else break the cameras.

He said he didn't.

I glared at him and asked why he gave Xerox permission to destroy the cameras.

He said because Xerox needed a little relaxation.

I couldn't take it anymore and left in an annoyed huff.

It was when I got back at my room I realized why he might have broken the cameras...

What if what happened in my room wasn't the issue?

What if there was something that happened in his?

Freedom

So After last night The Second has said I'm allowed out.

Some proxies complained but after two of them were promptly murdered on The Second's orders the complaints stopped.

I'm not trusted anymore.

If I ever was but at least I'm allowed to come and go as I please now.

Oh and The Second has made the announcement that "Someone" has destroyed the console for the cameras as well as all recorded data.

I wonder who was responsible for that >.>

I have of course tried to ask The Second about the video but everytime I bring it up he looks at me with...

Well to put it shortly I won't be trying to ask him again.

I did tell Spinder about it though just to see if she had any thoughts.

She said some parts sounded familiar but she said she couldn't tell me since The Second would undoubtedly kill her.

Fair enough.

So this update mostly just here to say I'm free again now.

I think I broke some rules.

So for the first night me and The Second just talked for a bit as I lay in bed.

I'm confined to my room and being watched all night.

The Second is pretty much spending all his time in my room so we've had a lot of time to talk.

He definitely knows more about what's going on now but that's not surprising he seems to know more than everyone else all the time.

We really only had one conversation that was important everything else was just general stuff.

But yeah we got to talking about him.

Always an interesting and infuriating subject.

Information learned.

There is someone known as The First.

They don't go by this name.

I've met them apparently.

He confirmed that no they are not dead at the moment.

So was not Jane.

That was the last conversation of the first night after he told me that I quickly became tired.

The next day I just stayed in my room watching videos and stuff online and catching up on blogs.

Last night though some new stuff happened.

I eventually fell asleep and I thought I heard a voice I didn't recognize just before I drifted off.

Later when I woke up The Second wasn't there.

I snuck out and went to the camera room.

I wanted to know what happened last night.

I watched the video er sort of...

The video of my room last night started out fine.

The Second sitting and talking to me then just as I fell asleep The Screen went dark.

There were nothing but silhouettes of three people.

Me in the bed.

The Second watching me and then a third hunched figure watching both of us.

The Second stood up and the shadows changed then the screen filled with static.

There was no picture but I could still hear voices.

The Second: (I think. His voice sounded the same but...) Leave. She's mine.

???: *His voice was really quiet and I had to strain to hear* She is no one's. She is an anomaly.

The Second: She chose to enter my range you have no claim.

???: Since when do their choices matter?

The Second: Since I said they do. Leave her alone.

???: You can not make such decisions. You have no stake in this.

The Second: She sought out (I can't say what was said here so:) The Master and you're actions caused the death of one of mine. I could easily make this a personal matter.

The Second: Do you want this to become a war?

???: What are your plans for her?

The Second: None of your business. I will be watching her from now on. If you return things will go badly.

???: I will keep my distance for now but she is an anomaly and if you fail to protect your claim I will take her.

The Second: Understood.

After that the video turned off and someone put their hand on my shoulder.

Of course The Second was there.

He didn't say anything or respond to anything I said.

He took me by the wrist and dragged me back to my room and tossed me inside.

I'm stuck in here and I'm pretty sure I won't be getting out again.

And now there are all these new questions.

This is getting really annoying.

Also scary but I didn't want to admit that...

Revealed

So there was an argument and a bunch of proxies were involved.

The Seconds accusation has gotten around and now some of the proxies are clamoring for my blood.

The Second defended me on the grounds that whether I did or not doesn't change that The Master wants me alive.

This didn't seem to be enough for some people.

Then Xerox pipes up.

He reveals there's a way we could prove whether I did it or not.

Apparently a few months back a proxy, now dead, had gone around stealing things from the others.

This prompted Calvary to secretly install hidden cameras in all the rooms and most of the hallways.

When questioned why this wasn't mentioned at any point to the higher ups or anyone else Xerox responded that he only knew about it because Calvary had made him do all the work setting them up.

He didn't tell anyone because he hates the idea of being watched by someone and had been hoping that with Calvary's death the cameras would just lay unused.

The Second demanded that Xerox show him where the camera's are and Xerox said he'd be glad too but the room is sealed and locked and only Calvary knew how to get inside.

The Second said this would not be a problem and I saw a flicker of fear cross Xerox's face but it disappeared the moment he realized I was watching him.

The two went off alone leaving me with the murderous proxies.

I'm not sure how wise that decision was but hey they didn't kill me so...

Eventually Xerox came back and got me and the three of us watched the video of Jane's room.

Short story apparently I did do it...

Long story with important information:

We saw me enter the room.

The door was unlocked.

Crawl onto the bed and watch her sleep for a bit.

Finally I draw the knife and slide it gently down her throat cutting slightly.

She wakes up and opens her mouth as if to scream but I plunge the knife into her throat.

There was no sound but I'm assuming she didn't manage to scream after that.

At this point my lips twist into a grin and I begin stabbing her rapidly all over everywhere.

She reaches up trying to grab at my arms but eventually her arms fall away and she settles down no longer moving.

I stab a few more times for good measure then leave the room.

A later tape of my room reveals me entering the room going into the bathroom and coming out naked and clean my clothes no where to be seen. I then change into some pajamas and go to sleep.

I must of been really quiet not to rouse Spinder.

The interesting part.

My eyes were closed through all of this.

The Second is still trying to figure this out but I'm confined to my room and he has decided that it's best if he stays in the room to watch over me as I sleep.

That's creepy but in the circumstances I don't think I have a choice.

Explanation

If you read the comments on my last post.

The Second has accused me of killing Jane.

I didn't do it.

He says I confessed and he pointed out that certain first letters in sentences combined with pauses that I'll admit are a little weird for my writing spell out the words "I DID IT".

I swear this is a coincidence.

I don't kill people.

I've never killed anyone in my life.

I don't know why I wrote it like I did.

I just felt like that's how it should be written.

It's just coincidence.

I've never killed anyone.

I'm never going to kill anyone.

The worst part is he wasn't even angry.

He said he was disappointed in me.

He said he thought I was above murder.

I AM.

I wouldn't kill someone just because they tried to kill me!

Otherwise that mute proxie would be dead already.

I wouldn't kill someone just because they tried to trick me either or all those proxies who used me as bait would be dead too.

I don't kill people.

I'm a good person.

I didn't kill Jane.

I wouldn't do that.

Even if I did hate her I don't kill people.

Jane 3

She's dead.

She was put up in the room next to The Second's.

This morning she was found stabbed to death.

I think they said something like 17 stab wounds ranging from the throat to pelvis.

Her arms were splayed out and her eyes and mouth are locked open in a look of terror.

Apparently she woke up at some point during the stabbing.

Some of the proxies seem upset.

Some seem worried.

Some seem amused.

The Second seems unconcerned.

I'm happy.

I shouldn't be but I am.

I wonder who killed her.

...

I don't think it was Xerox

... 

Definitely wasn't me.

I don't think it was The Second.

Doesn't seem like his style.

...

I'm not worried.

Think it was probably someone with a grudge.

...

Not me though.

I don't kill people.

Someone in her position must make enemies though.

I'll be keeping the apartment door locked tonight though.

Just in case.

Jane part 2

Interesting thing just happened.

Or not interesting...

Horrible?

Yeah horrible sounds good.

I was heading outside for no particular reason just some fresh air.

At the building entrance there are two people.

Two familiar people.

Xerox and Jane.

I stopped and listened.

Jane: Yeah just arrived from up north.

Jane: I would of checked in with you guys earlier but I got distracted.

Jane: I met this girl.

Jane: She's heavily marked by The Master.

Jane: I could practically feel him around her.

Jane: I met what I assume was one of you as well.

Jane: He came to pick her up so I assume you guys are aware of her-

I stepped in here.

"Yeah they're aware of me."

Jane's reaction was beautiful.

It was the greatest display of shock I've seen in a long time.

Jane: Oh! You're here? B... but you're not a proxy what are you doing here?

Xerox spoke before I could.

He explained incredibly simply that The Master had chosen me for some purpose and that I was living here under their protection until such time as I had fulfilled my purpose.

At this point there was suddenly a cough from beside us and The Second who had apparently been standing there for quite some time gave us a little wave.

The Second: Seems the truth is out now.

The Second: Well most of it...

The Second: The important parts anyways.

The Second: I think the four of us should sit down to a nice meal for some proper introductions.

What followed was an incredibly awkward and metaphorically bitter meal wherein Jane was informed of the situation and The Second's identity and I was informed of Jane.

What I've learned:

Even if I think I've managed to create a semblance of normalcy I'm wrong because my new "normal" friend is actually more involved than I am.

There is no such thing as normal once you're in.

My new "friend" was buddying up to me with the intent of killing me for The Master.

The Second is not widely known among proxies outside of this area and a few others around the world.

Oh also Jane is an Agent who is sent from proxy group to proxy group as a sort of combination odd job woman and problem solver.

Problem remover would probably be more accurate.

I guess she's like a mobile proxy hitman.