Paper Doll

The Beginning of The End

I looked up and it's weird to see that I was home. I could smell pancake and it's burning. I got up from my bed and looked out of the window. I saw the garden. It was filled with flowers blossoming and the trees were so green. I smiled. I was home.

But my eyes suddenly opened and I was somewhere else. It's dark and musty, and all I could think about was how did I end up here.

"Look who's awake," I heard in the far end corner. "How are you feeling, Leigh?"

I knew that voice very well. But it couldn't be.

The floor creaked as the person walked over towards me. Her shadow appeared and one by one, her features showed up. If I hadn't known, I would've believed it. But seeing Grace stood upon me was the most baffled thing happening to me right now.

She had a crooked smile on her face and she's bleeding.

"Are you about to cry?" she asked, her concern was not close to being sincere.

"That child cries all the time," someone else said. It was a man's voice.

My eyes started to tear up. What was happening right now? The last thing I remembered was that I was in a hospital with Genevieve and Thomas was there too. How in the world did I get here? With these people?

Wait. Were they even real?

"Oh, yes, Leigh, we are." Grace was on my face, so close that I could smell her all too familiar scent.

"What is going on?" I asked, more to myself.

Grace mimicked me. "What is going on? Don't you get it? We're here to claim what's supposed to be ours."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I informed her.

I closed my eyes and hoped that I would wake from this nightmare. That I would finally be back in the hospital with Genevieve and Thomas, or even just the nurses and the doctor around. I just didn't want to be here with these personas haunting me.

"No one's haunting you, Leigh," she said. "You are the one haunting yourself."

My brows creased. "What?" I asked, a little low.

Her smile reached her ears. "Do you want to wake up?"

What did she mean by that?

"Come on, Leigh. Do you want to wake up? We can help you with that. But this," she gestured around, "this will all be gone. I don't know if you're going to like the place you're going to wake up to."

"Anywhere is okay rather than be here with all of you." I almost shouted.

"You sounded like so sure of the place you are going to wake up to." She sat on the corner of my bed. "You know, Leigh, I don't want to disappoint you. I can show you a little of that place and then you can decide after if you still want to be there or be with us instead."

I closed my eyes again.

I heard Grace chuckled. "Leigh, Leigh, Leigh. Still the same old Leigh when things don't go your way. I can give what you want but I'm just concern about your being." She left a few inches gap between our faces. "You are my sister, after all. Sisters save each other, right?"

My breathing started to hitch. "Grace, if this is about the past—"

She, then, laughed out loud. "No one even mentioned the past, Leigh. Only you."

"Because..."

"Because...No. One. Cared."

Her eyes became bloodshot and for one second, I feared that a repeat of her death would happen again. This time, it's going to be me in her position.

There was another movement in the room and the man showed up with an ax. I remembered seeing him at the facility. What was going on?

"They are waiting, Leigh," Grace said. "Actually...we are waiting. It's been how long? You locked us up for too long."

"This is not real," I said again. "THIS IS NOT REAL!" I shouted.

The girl appeared and slapped me. "You know what's real?" She smiled wickedly and showed me a knife. "This, sticking in your stomach and you slowly feeling the pain. How about that?"

"Shush, my child," Grace said and pulled the girl beside her. "Let's just show Leigh here what she's really asking..." she trailed off.

The three of them started to back out. I shouted at them one by one but they disappeared almost immediately.

Before my eyes felt heavy, I heard Grace's voice once more.

"Enjoy your reality, Leigh. Here's to the sweet taste of it." And then gone.

And when my eyes opened, I wished I stayed in that nightmare.

I know it took long and a lot of you have already finished this one so a change in the ending is like a pain in the ass (?), but hopefully, you'll be back and check this one out.

I actually have a plot lined up with the original ending. But after so many edits, I decided to make a new plot line and it is so much better than the first one. So a change in the ending is really needed.

Let me know what you guys think of this one and I'll see you on November 1st for the new story -- the sequel to Paper Doll titled Doll House.

Thank you, guys, so much. And I love you all.

Stay safe. xxx