•Y/N: Your Name

•E/C: Eye Color

The past few months have been strange for me. A lot has happened. For one, the Boogeyman has mysteriously disappeared, much to my relief, which has allowed me to live a somewhat normal life for awhile, but I'm scared that one day this peace might end. Aside from that, I've made lots of progress on my recovery. Lately, I've been sleeping good, eating properly, taking better care of myself, and I've even gotten better at talking. I hardly ever stutter anymore; it's great!

What makes me the happiest is knowing that I'll be able to spend my eighteenth birthday without having to worry about that horrible beast looming over me in the shadows. Still, I remain vigilant, not knowing if that... that thing will ever come back again. Hopefully, he's gone for good. Pilvrich has been a great help to me as well with his frequent visits as both my tutor and protector, but most of all as my friend. We've grown so much closer now that I'd even dare to consider him as my older brother.

I've never voiced that to him, though, figuring that he might find it weird. I've also gone against the will of the beast and started talking to Keith again. He's here right now, actually, in my bedroom. We've been hanging out a lot after I apologized for ignoring him. He was really upset with me when I did that, even yelled a little, but I understood why he felt betrayed. Through my tears, I had managed to explain why, and he, thankfully, seemed to understand and forgave me.

"Hey, Y/N, do you think I'd look good with a beard?" I laugh at his silly question as he looks at himself in the mirror in thought. He turns to me and pouts, not happy with the response. "Oh, come on, I'm serious."

"I think you'd look ridiculous," I admit truthfully. I can't possibly imagine him with facial hair. He sticks his tongue out at me before sitting on the bed by my side.

"T-There's, uh... something else I've been meaning to ask you, actually." Red tints the male's freckled cheeks as he turns his gaze away from my E/C eyes. I tilt my head some and stare at him questioningly.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I r-r-really like you... a lot. Y-You're funny and sweet, and I a-always think about the time w-when you tried t-to protect me from y-your monster. I- I think I might... Well, my dad said that I... that I might love you and that I s-sh-should try asking you out, like, on a... d-date." When his eyes meet mine, I could only stare at him in shock. He's embarrassed for asking according to the florescent blush on his face.

"I-I've never been on a date before," I state truthfully. I was never around someone long enough to gain feelings for them. If I ever did, the monster would've surely found a way to ruin it for me. Besides, I had a lot more to worry about than silly things normal teenagers do, but, now that he's gone, this might be good for me. Keith shakes his head.

"Neither have I," he mutters under his breath. "S-So, will you? Will you be my girlfriend?"

I nod my head with pink cheeks causing him to smile brightly before pouncing me in a hug. If things had been like they were in the past, I would've screamed and struggled in his grip before shoving him off, but, now, I only tense before laughing at the boy's antics. Damn, it feels so good to laugh.

"I don't know the first thing about being a girlfriend, though. What if... What if I'm no good?" I ask worriedly when he pulls away, but he just gives me a sweet smile and holds out his hand to me.

"W-Well, I'd always see my mom and dad holding hands. We c-can start with that."

Smiling softly, I shakily grasp the boy's hand, but jump upon hearing heavy thuds coming up the stairs and towards my room. The figure of Pilvrich becomes apparent in the doorway of my bedroom with a small, black duffel bag in hand and his other behind his back, hiding something. His silver orbs widen at the sight of us together, likely because he has never met Keith before.

"Oh? Am I interrupting something?"

Blushing brightly, I pull my hand away and shake my head. Keith frowns deeply before narrowing his eyes at the dark-haired man, who, in turn, raises a brow at the boy. The blonde stands and gives me a big smile.

"I'll stop by tomorrow. We can talk about our date then," he suggests, putting emphasis on "our date" for reasons unknown to me. That detail flies over my head as I smile and nod.

"Goodbye, Keith."

"Bye, Y/N!"

Pilvrich steps aside when the boy passes him on the way out of my room with narrowed eyes before coming closer.

"I didn't mean to intrude, but the door was left open, and I was hoping to surprise you." Smiling softly, the man pulls out a bouquet of black dahlias and white poppies from behind his back, causing my eyes to widen at the sight of the flowers.

'They're so pretty.'

"Happy early birthday, Y/N."

"Y-You got these for me?" I ask while taking them in my hands before giving them a light sniff. They're fresh; I can tell. A small smile comes to my lips as my heart seemingly lightens.

"I thought they'd look lovely for your room. Now, who was that boy that just left?" He asks while peering over his shoulder as the front door slams shut. The sound made me jump a bit, but nothing more. Keith must've left.

"Keith, my friend from therapy. He asked me to be his girlfriend today."

His expression drops to a serious one as he stares down at me.

"And, what did you say?"

"I said yes," I mutter while smiling larger with heated cheeks. He frowns slightly while sitting beside me, and I meet his eyes with a curious look. "Is that wrong?" I ask nervously, thinking I might've made a bad decision by mistake. It seemed all right. I like Keith a lot.

"No, no, I just... You should be careful with who you're trusting, Y/N. The Boogeyman hasn't shown himself for awhile, which likely means he's planning something big. I worry for you, you know," he explains, making perfect sense to me. I give a small nod while looking down.

"I know. Thank you for all you've been doing for me. He hasn't shown himself at all for the past four months and, yet, you're still here." I start to play with my fingers, tempted to tug at the skin around my nails, but refrain from doing so.

"But, of course." He cups my cheek in a gentle manner, making me smile. Recently, I've been getting get this pleasant tingle down my spine whenever he touches me. I don't know why it happens, but I really enjoy it. "I'm here to protect you, little one. I won't leave until the threat is gone for certain. Now," he stands and opens up his bag. "I've gotten some things that'll help secure your room a little better. I know I've already blessed the house for you, but I'd like to do it again in here. The Boogeyman is strong, so I want to take extra precautions for when he returns."

I frown a bit and bring my knees to my chest to hug them tightly. I hate thinking about that, but it's unavoidable. Pilvrich seems certain that one day he will return for me.

"Y-You really think he'll come back?"

The man looks at me with a small frown on his lips before sighing softly.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. He doesn't let his prey go so easily."

"I'm not too worried anymore. You'll be here to protect me when he does. I trust you." I see him freeze momentarily as he pulls out a silver cross from his bag. He stares at it for a moment before setting it on my nightstand.

"It's been a long time since someone's trusted me. Thank you, but if you want my advice, Y/N, just be careful who you're placing your trust to. Looks can be deceiving." He pulls out a flask from his bag before opening it to splatter holy water on my door while muttering a bible verse under his breath. Meanwhile, I look down at the flowers he gave to me with a smile on my lips and remove each one from the cone-shaped paper to set the plants around my bed in a circle. There was so many in the bouquet that they manage to form a pretty ring around the piece of furniture. By the time Pilvrich finished, I was done, and, when he saw, he raised a brow.

"What are you doing?"

I shrug my shoulders. I don't have a reason for doing it; I just did.

"I think it looks nice, like a protective circle." I smile childishly at the man who appears stunned before smiling back and ruffling my hair.

"Silly girl." He laughs before pulling out another object from the bag as he sits down without stepping on the flowers, this one wrapped up in a blue box. "Here, open this. It's your birthday present."

"Shouldn't I wait until tomorrow?"

"I'm afraid I'll be busy tomorrow, so I'd like to see you open it now if that's all right?"

"Oh, all right, then." Feeling a little dejected that he won't be coming by tomorrow, I open the box to reveal a beautiful, black and sea foam green dream catcher with two smaller ones dangling beneath it between the hanging feathers. Green beads decorate the intricate, black nets, adding to its charm. "This is for me?"

A smile comes to Pilvrich's lips upon seeing my reaction to his lovely gift as he nods his head with a hum.

"When I saw it, I just knew you'd like it. They're meant to protect your dreams from nightmares." He moves aside some of my hair before I decide to hug him tightly in thanks.

"I'm so happy I met you," I mutter against his shoulder while clutching his navy dress shirt. He always wears such nice clothes.

"...Me too. I'm so happy I met you, little one." He squeezes me tighter than I hold him, making me think he needs the hug a lot more than I do, so I stay this way for as long as he wants. Pilvrich pulls away after a few minutes before grabbing my hands and massaging the backs of them with his thumbs lightly. His eyes stare at them before he gives a soft sigh.

"I should get going. Perhaps if I hurry getting my work done, I'll be able to make it in time for cake?" With a wink, he taps my nose with his finger, making me laugh and him smile. The man then stands up and walks over towards my bedroom door. It always makes my chest heavy to see him leave, but I'd like him to drop by tomorrow, so letting him go is probably for the best.

"Finish up quick, okay?" My request makes the man laugh lightly as he looks at me over his shoulder with a different look in his eyes that I don't think I've ever seen before. It was a mixture of many emotions that I couldn't possibly narrow down to one.

"I'll do my best, little one."