The Awakening of the Dolls

Chapter Twelve

Akira felt stiff again when she woke up. Even as the events of last night caught up with her, she couldn't force her heavy body to jump up in her alarm. She felt cold too, no matter how much she buried herself under the blankets. As she felt something soft and warm lying next to her, she instinctively drew herself closer. She wasn't used to not sleeping with something, and the soft warmth felt comforting against her stiff, cold body.

Then her eyes shot open as she realized why she had been feeling that way for the past few days. As she saw what was next to her, she opened her mouth to scream, but all that came out was a choked gasp. It was Rosemary. As still and motionless as last night, but with warmth radiating from her body that Akira lacked. The memories of last night came flooding back, sending an icy chill through her entire body.

She tried to calm down, telling herself it was all an awful dream created from her stress and worry over her mother. Then she remembered how her stepmother had intercepted, comforting her and assuring her it was just a nightmare. That part, at least, hadn't been a dream. She shot out of bed, panic replacing the numbness in her body as she remembered how she had given the doll to her stepmother.

She stared at Rosemary, now perfectly still in her bed. Just a normal doll again. No indication that last night, she had not only been alive, but speaking in a cold, vindictive tone and attacking her owner.

She forced herself to calm down again. It was a doll. Just a doll. She was twice its size. Dolls were delicate and fragile, even living dolls. They could easily be broken or cracked in half. Akira knew well enough, after the amount of dolls she owned which had been damaged over the years.

Akira felt better as she thought about all the ways she could destroy the doll. She could drown it or cut its hands off or set it on fire... the same ways Rosemary had tried to finish her off.

She shook her head. No, that was too much. She just needed to throw the thing away. She wouldn't be able to possess her if she was far away.

She forced the fear away as she faced the doll lying on the bed, trying not to look into the blank eyes. She hesitated as she approached, expecting her to come to life at any moment. She looked so lifeless, Akira wondered if she really had imagined all of it.

The lifeless stare caused Akira to back away in fear. She ended up pressed against the window, like last night. She turned around, feeling a sense of familiar dread as the memory of the rag doll resurfaced. She pushed it aside as she pulled the window open, comforted by the rush of fresh air. She wasn't trying to escape this time, but throw the doll out. She shuddered as she remembered how she had done the same to the rag doll who had then also appeared at the window. But now, she was nowhere to be seen. That part, at least, had to be a dream.

Rosemary looked as lifeless as before, but Akira knew that she wasn't. She knew what the doll was capable of. She hesitated as she reached out to the bed, her hands shaking as she remembered the pain the doll had inflicted.

Just then, her father burst in. "Akira, come quickly. We're going to be visiting your mother soon."

"Huh?" Akira turned her head in surprise.

"We'll be visiting her in hospital, remember?" Mr. Miyamoto reminded. "You slept through the entire morning. I let you, since Sharon told me you were very distressed last night. No doubt about your mother... I'm worried about her too, but now we can visit her. She's feeling a lot better."

Akira nodded, almost grateful for the intervention. She stepped away from Rosemary as she got changed. She tried to focus on her mother and how nice it would be to see her, but she couldn't shake away Rosemary's blank gaze, peering straight at her. She couldn't handle the thought of that thing being inside the house while they were out, probably eager to cause havoc and destroy her room.