Forlot: Welcome to the Dummy House - Book Forty-One

Chapter Twenty-Six

I was so startled that I nearly hopped off the couch. My heart skipped a beat. I gripped the edge of the couch as I scanned the living room. It did not sound threatening and instead was pleasant...I think. I took deep breaths. I had to relax my body so I could think straight.

"Did you hear me, Janice? I said hello."

Standing next to the couch was a girl. A young girl. She was waving to me and smiling. No worries. She was no doll. I mean, she was a doll. She was adorable! She was not an actual doll. She was human.

"Awe," I said. I shifted my body towards her. "Hi there. I apologize for not seeing you sooner. I was startled by your voice and had no idea who it was." I massaged the front of my neck. "I was afraid that...forget it. My mind has a wild imagination. She will return home."

The girl stood on her tiptoes and hid her hands behind her. "Who will return home?"

I put my hands on my knees. "My sister. She is the one who went on a date with Jack."

"Oh, I know who she is. Her name is Alexis. She is that mean girl whom my brother asked out. I was excited! I was thrilled to meet his girlfriend." She walked close to me. "Oh, you should have seen the look on my face. My brother does not date many girls. He has not found the one."

My eyes widened. "Back up. Jack...is your brother?"

"Yeah. He is my big brother. My only brother. We love each other soooooo much! He plays with me whenever I want, so he is great with kids. He plays dolls and...uh, that is about it. I love playing with my dolls."

I smiled. "Well, I am glad that Jack plays with you. It is important to play with your siblings."

She jumped up and down. "Jack and I do not have any other siblings, so he spends all his time with me! I love him." Then she asked something that made me stop. I thought that I would fall off the couch. She grabbed my hand. "Do you love him? Do you love my brother?"

I blinked once. Twice. I stared at her and was silent for a minute or two. I did not know how to answer. I loved Jack. I loved him for him. Nice that he had the looks. I was attracted to him because of his looks. But I cannot judge him by his handsomeness. I must see his heart. I did and...fell in love with him all over again. Jack could care less how I looked or what I wore. He loved me. He never wanted to see me go.

Little did I know about his secret.

Jack's sister was named Rosalie. A wonderful name for an adorable girl like her. Rosalie has so much love that it is contagious. She can make you smile without trying and tell you why she loves you. Unless that you are like Alexis. Rosalie climbed onto the red couch and glanced at her shoes. She kicked her feet and sighed. Poor dear. She was sad. I could tell.

Rosalie had long, blonde hair tied into two braids. Her skin was as pale as a ghost. I scolded myself. She is not a ghost. No such things as ghosts. She was wearing this blue, short-sleeved shirt and beige pants. I held out my hand and asked if she wanted to hold it. She accepted.

I squeezed Rosalie's hand. I wanted to cheer her up, so I said, "I love your pink shoes. They are so pretty!"

"Thank you. No girl that my brother brought home has ever complimented on my shoes or myself. My favorite color is pink by the way."

"I do not blame you. Pink is a lovely color."

"What is your favorite color?"

"Well...let us see...I do not really have a favorite. I love all the colors, even black. The world would be dull with no colors."

I let out a gasp. My heart picked up speed. I had heard a loud noise. A strange noise. It sounded like footsteps. And it came from above me.

I should have shrugged it off. I should have forgotten it and moved on with my life. But I could not. Something was telling me to investigate. Something was not right. I wanted to make sure that I was not hearing things, so I asked Rosalie if she heard anything. She said no.

That should have been the end of it. Unfortunately, my curiosity got the better of me. I was sure that I heard it. Heard said footsteps. I pointed to the ceiling and asked if their family had an attic. What Rosalie stated put me on high alert.

"Yes, Janice. We have an attic. Nobody is allowed to go up there. Nobody except my parents and my brother. I wish that I could. Sounds like that they are having this party."

"A party, huh?" I rubbed my chin. "You have any ideas what they do at this...party?"

She shook her head. "They would invite me if I did."

My eyes darted to those muddy footprints. I pointed at them. "Who made these footprints? Do you know?"

"Those belong to Jack. I always want him to play in the mud with me."

I realized that she was lying. "But you do not have mud on you. You are clean."

"Mom and Dad said that I would be sleeping outside if I did not clean myself. So I took a bath."

I patted her head. "Do you think that you can check on your brother for me? He is supposed to get me a drink, but he is taking a long time."

Rosalie saluted. "Yes, Janice! Whatever you say!" Then she jumped off the couch and left.

Something was up.