Sorry to disappoint anybody, but I'm thinking the chapter following this one will be the last. If it should continue, drop a review before chapter 10 comes up, because I'd be happy to continue if I had ideas. It's just that Alkalay and Valentin don't have a storyline after Valentin confronts her like he does so here. If anybody can give ideas, I'd be forever grateful. Maybe somebody could co-write this with me? I dunno. Give me a shout if you're interested, first come first serve, or whatever. Or you could just pass this by and ignore my rants. :D

Valentin P.O.V

I really feel like I'm not capable of doing something as important as this. It breaks my heart, and I know it will break her little heart, too. I know she most likely doesn't remember me, since she was still very young when I left, but I hope I can get through to her and Alfred and convince her to come back. The hardest part will be explaining why I left. With her being friends with Slenderman, I don't know how she will react to being told I was searching for him.

I already stood in Alfred's short little driveway. The house was small, compared to mine. Two floors, fancy brick siding, a well-decorated front porch and a nicely trimmed lawn. There weren't any flowers to spice up the yard, though. Just plain, boring, regular grass. I sighed, knowing this might be my last chance to get to talk to Alkalay. Slenderman might be after me again, and I don't want to be taken back there. There's a high chance he could try to kill me again... Oh well. Better now than never, right?

I took a deep breath before slowly bringing up enough courage to knock on the door. I knocked softly, a deep pit filling my stomach- sorta like that feeling you get when you're looking forward to something, and you just can't wait. You know what I mean, right? However, I definitely wasn't excited. I wasn't looking forward to this at all. Thoughts of denial began to fill my mind- What if Alkalay won't like me? What if Alfred won't let me talk to her? What if he just tells me to leave?

"Hello?" called an agitated voice.

I was too caught up in my thoughts that I never noticed Alfred had opened the door, and sure enough, Alkalay was clutching onto his pant leg and looking up at me. I glanced at Alfred, giving him a look that showed that I was serious.

"You're here for what I think you're here for, right?" he asked, brushing Alkalay's tiny little hands off of his leg. "Come right in."

This is going better than I thought it would go already. I'm making progress...

"Alkalay, remember when I told you long ago that I wasn't your dad?" Alfred told Alkalay knowingly, picking her up and setting her on his lap as he sat down.

"Yes, you told me you were my big brother. Big brother Alfie!" Alkalay cheered, pulling on the collar of his shirt.

"Yes, well, I have something to explain. You and me? We're not related by blood. I'm actually not part of your family after all. I just raised you as my little sister."

"Huh? Than who's my real big brother? Is it him?" She pointed a short little finger towards me, with the most worried expression on her tiny little face.

"No, he isn't your brother. He's your father, Alkalay."

"My papa? Why wasn't he there when I was growing up? I needed him, right? Everyone needs their papa in their lives!"
"He has his reasons. Very good reasons, at that. I know this changes things, Alkalay," Alfred tried to explain. "You are eighteen, now. The age of becoming an adult. He thought it would be about time for you to know."

It was time for me to speak. "Alkalay, I know this is hard," I coughed and cleared my throat, "but you need to understand. Work tore me away from family, and after your mother died I couldn't go on anymore. I gave you to a responsible man with a nice home and trusted him with you. Now, at a time like this, I need you to trust me. Please, understand." An awkward silence filled the air with tension, and my eyes kept shifting from looking into Alfred's blue ones to Alkalay's hazel ones. I immediately moved my gaze down to the floor, avoiding the strange, unwanted eye contact between Alkalay and myself.

"No!" she yelled, jumping off of Alfred's lap and onto the carpeted floor. "You should have been there for me, taking care of me throughout my life. That's what papas are there for! I don't care whether you had to work or not, whether you couldn't take care of me or not, or whether my mother is dead or not! I needed you, and... and..." Her eyes were bursting with tears by this point, and she collapsed onto her knees, holding her head in her hands.

Alfred stood up, putting a reassuring hand on Alkalay's shoulder. He gave me a glare that said everything. "Get out," he ordered.

Of course I would get out. I didn't want to be there. Words surely can hurt others, just like I had just experienced. Everyone I'd talked to previous to this day was sympathetic about Mizzy and Alkalay- but she herself didn't feel a thing. My thoughts were racing about in my head as I ran as fast as I could back home. "This isn't what I had expected," I cried to myself, shutting myself into my home. "I'm overreacting, that's all... It'll all turn out to be alright. Maybe this is just a dream, and I will wake up in the morning with Alkalay and Mizzy next to me, and Slenderman would never be real. Please, please just let this happen..."

Slenderman P.O.V

So. Valentin talked to Alkalay, hm? I wonder how that went. Pretty soon, Alkalay will be running over here to give me all the news. Speaking of Alkalay, I saw her running through the path just about now.

"Slendy! Slendy!" she called. She looked a bit silly while she ran, her tiny little legs moving so fast, but barely getting her anywhere. As I kneeled on the ground, she jumped up and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. Tears streamed from her amber eyes and fell down her cheeks.

We never said a word that night. I knew how she felt. She never went home, either- she stayed with me for a night. At least she has a place to go to when she feels shut out from the world...