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

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Why did I waste my time? Why did I say that he would kill us? My parents would never believe me or Owen. It was a losing battle. I watched as Mom took the dummy from me and gave him to Olive. Olive planted a kiss on his cheek and laid her head on his chest. I bit my lips. I could not take my eyes off the puppet. I was afraid that he would try something. Bite her cheek or something.

Mom walked past me and into Olive's room. Owen had awoken and joined my side. He placed his hand on my shoulder and asked if I was alright. I looked at him and shook my head. Tears formed in my eyes. My body was freezing. I was as cold as a popsicle. I was feeling a mix of emotions. Anything but satisfied.

"I will not be able to sleep tonight," I whispered. "I will never sleep again. I will never be alright again. And i-it is because of him."

"The mafia dummy? Or Jack?"

"Jack. It is all his fault."

He moved his hand to my back and patted it. "So sorry that you have to deal with this."

"I am sorry that you and Anita were kidnapped by that mafia puppet and his partner. Somebody needs to save Anita before Jack does...whatever." I frowned. "I know what we must do."

Before Owen could ask, I stormed to Olive's room. I sat in the rocking chair across from the crib and rested my head in my hands. I let out a whoosh of air through my nose and stared at the crib. Mom was standing in front of it and handed a toy to Olive. It was a teddy bear. My sister loves teddy bears. She grabbed it and laid it next to her. She then grabbed her precious feet and cooed. I locked my eyes on said dummy and gritted my teeth. It would have been an adorable sight - if he was not evil!

"Goodnight, sweetie," Mom said to Olive. "Sleep tight." She kissed her forehead. "And do not let those bedbugs bite."

My sister pouted. "No...bed!"

"But you must sleep so you will have the energy to play tomorrow."

"Play with...sister."

"Tomorrow. You can play with your sister tomorrow."

Olive made eye contact with me and pointed. "Sister!"

Mom turned and was startled by my presence. "Oh my goodness." She gripped the crib and put a hand on her chest. "My gosh, Janice. You scared the crub out of me. I-I did not hear you come in."

I raised my head and played with my fingers. "I did not mean to scare you, Mom. Sorry."

"What are you even doing in here? You need to be back in your bed. As for Owen...I guess that he can stay here for the night. He can sleep on the couch."

My eyelids were getting heavy, and I fought the urge to fall asleep. I do not know why I was sleepy. Maybe part of me wanted it to be a nightmare and wake up from it. But I should not be after what I went through. And my sister was hugging a twisted doll. I had to get him away from her. I needed to get rid of him without her crying. I wanted to throw him out the window.

"I cannot sleep," I said. I yawned and instantly covered my mouth. "I-I cannot sleep a wink."

Mom quirked an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips. "Says the girl who yawned. And whose eyelids are heavy." She motioned to the hall. "Come on. I will tuck you in."

I straightened my back and stood my ground. "Mom. I am not going. I am staying put until...Olive falls asleep. I do not want her to have a restless night. After all that has happened."

She smiled. "How kind of you. I am sure that Olive will appreciate your company. But she might not sleep with you around. She will be wanting you to play."

"I got this, Mom. She will be asleep before you know it. And Owen can assist me. He adores babies."

She kissed my forehead. "Goodnight, Janice."

"Goodnight, Mom."

I watched her stroll out of the room and down the hall. When she was out of sight, I stood and scurried to said crib and grabbed it. I looked at Olive and gasped. I was gripping the crib so much that veins poked through my hands. I wanted to scream, but did not want to awaken Olive or my parents. My eyes darted around the room.

The dummy was gone.

I pushed away from the crib and shook as if there were an earthquake. I breathed as if I were having trouble. I tried remaining calm - but that is difficult to do when a living puppet is in your home! My heart was pounding. My hands were so clammy that I could grab nothing. It was endless torture. I clenched my teeth and pulled my hair. I had reached my breaking point. I scurried to the light-switch and turned it on. I ran back to the crib and carefully picked up Olive and rocked her. She suddenly woke up and glanced at me. She was holding her teddy bear and sucking on her pacifier. She smiled and cooed happily. She grabbed my nightdress and asked to play.

"You want me to play with you?"

"Yeah!"

"But it is nighttime. You need to have sweet dreams."

"No." She pointed at the ceiling light. "Goo!"

"Oh. You think that it is morning because of the light."

She took out her pacifier and threw it in her crib. "Play with sister!"

"I wish that I could play with you, but..." My eyes went wide. "Would you like to play a new game?"

Olive giggled and clapped.

"Let us play...Make Jack Pay. Now to figure out how."