Where I stand

It's a nice night.  The stars are out, and I can see em clearly where I am.  The air from the storm is fresh and I'm getting plenty of it up on this roof.  And yet here I am, huddled with a laptop.  What does that say about me?

Well, let me tell you what's lying next to me, sheathed in its scabbard- the sword.  Reforged.  I dropped by Nick's today to pick it up...No clue where he is, obviously, and I didn't see that "Ellen" chick either.  But that's not important.

When I had it in my hands at last, I felt...odd.  This thing is just a weapon, but it gave me a strange sense of relief.  Like I finally had something I could really fight with.

Zero...Whether you were good or evil doesn't really matter.  You wanted the same thing we all did- to be free from that bastard.  And you died fighting for what you believed in.  I hope you can rest in peace, cause I'm gonna do my best to finish what you started.  (no, not the crazy bone fetish, the killing Slenderman!  geez)

So.  Here I am.  June Reynolds, AKA Konaa.  18 years old.  Orphaned by humanity's greatest and possibly oldest enemy.  Desperately searching for a way to kill that enemy, and if that fails, to protect everyone I can from him.  Heavy stuff.  To think I wanted to be a writer.

The weird thing is the thought that there are people out there who would miss me if I were gone.  That's...fairly new to me.  I guess I should tell you guys a bit about myself for the first real time, huh?

Growing up...I hated people.  I was always smarter than they were.  Why would I want to hang out with a bunch of guys who talk about the stupidest stuff, and who like running around outside yelling and tackling each other?  Best to keep away from them.  Who needs anyone other than yourself?

...So I thought.  Charming kid, wasn't I?  For the most part, people didn't really like me either.  Not only was I anti-social and rude, my sense of sarcasm was not at all absent in my earlier years.  This did not tend to endear me to people.

I'd like to note that this arrogant kid is hardly a specter of the past.  Look at my first few entries on this very blog.  Even then, convinced as I was that I was as good as dead, I still held this ridiculous notion that I was way smarter than anyone else who was being stalked.  I looked down on people.  Thought they weren't worth my time.  Even my parents, sometimes.

Hurts when you don't realize how much you value something until you've lost it, eh?

And fast forward three or so months.  Every experience I've had has brought me closer to those I've befriended.  It's only now that I know how fragile our lives are that I can appreciate them all the better.  And when I take what I went through, and know that others have as well...I feel like I understand other people for the first time.

In a twisted way, encountering the Slender Man has made me a better person.  Who would have guessed?

The road ahead of me is a dark one.  No denying that.  A famous sword doesn't make that any easier.  In addition, I have to protect those important to me at all costs...and do my best to save those who are already under his thrall.  Some (read:most) would say that's impossible.

But here I am.  And here I stand.  I'll make you prove it's impossible, if you can.