Dollhouse | bts ✓

25. Tiny but Mighty

It took me two weeks to process how the dollhouse my father gave me years ago was somehow engraved with magical properties—the ability to give life to inanimate objects, more specifically.

For those two weeks, I neglected most of my responsibilities to dedicate my time to my research, which meant I ignored my wattpad account, the dolls, my cat, and my jobs so that I could lock myself away in my room.

If I wasn't in my room or at work, I was at the coffee shop down the street from the apartment complex with my laptop.

I barely interacted with the dolls, who had grown worried for me over time.

I sighed as I finished furiously typing away at my computer, pausing my process to take another sip of coffee. It was my third one that day and the barista had my fourth one ready before I even had to ask. He was even kind enough to set the new one beside me and dispose of the old one.

"Rough day?" an older woman asked me from the table beside me. I looked over to see her watching me with an understanding expression, while the man sitting across from her seemed uninterested.

I laughed sarcastically and ran a hand through my tangled hair. "More like a rough month."

She smiled. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Not really.

I was about to decline her kind offer, but I stopped myself to think for a moment.

I didn't really have anyone other than the dolls to talk to, but since I'd been ignoring them, I'd been all alone the past several days.

Adjusting my glasses, I returned a small smile. "Yeah."

She grinned again before turning her chair so that she was facing my table, earning a grunt from the man whom I assumed to be her husband.

"All right dear, tell me what's going on."

Where do I even start?

My mind snapped to the idea that I couldn't tell anyone what had specifically been going on, but I could reword the truth so that it wouldn't exactly be a lie...

"I..." I stumbled over my words, trying to be cautious. "I learned some new information regarding some friends of mine which, um, changed a lot of things for me. I'm now in a state of shock, I guess you could say."

"What kind of information?" She nodded, taking another sip of her coffee.

"Their lives aren't really what I thought they were... if that makes sense?"

"Not at all."

"Hm... well... there's something that they rely on to stay alive. Something tangible that doesn't seem safe when you put it into perspective."

"Drugs?"

I snorted. "No, not drugs. But, I don't know how to handle it."

"Well," she began, gaze clouding in thought. "Whatever it is, have you had a chance to thoroughly talk to them about it? To understand their perspective and explain your own?"

I shook my head.

"Ah," she sighed in satisfaction. "There's your issue. It'll eat away at you until you do because you know you need to. They're your friends, after all."

At her words, I tilted my head in consideration.

Of course, I'd known it all alone. I just stalled it for so long that her small words of advice were enough of a confirmation that it was time to.

Right away.

"I think you might be right," I admitted, already closing my laptop and packing away my things. "I've got to go. Thank you."