those hands pulled me from the earth || ethan winters x donna beneviento

i: the arrival.

february 9th, 2021.
around 7:00pm.
satul umbror, romania.

———

  to say that this particular friday had been eventful for donna would be an understatement. she awoke early in the morning to a phone call from mother miranda, stating that donna needed to meet her at the ceremony site as soon as possible.

  once there, donna spotted her three siblings, as well as her mother holding an infant in a neutral colored sweater. the baby was a girl, and she was fast asleep and curled in alcina's arms. she didn't seem to have a problem with people at all.

  donna then watched in horror as mother miranda used an ancient knife to decapitate the child and store her remains in flasks with a glossy, yellow liquid. it wasn't like she could go against miranda and try to stop it— she'd be executed, or worse. mother miranda had raised her for years and taken her in as if donna were her own— she couldn't go against her, even if her own moral code was being tested.

  all four lords were required to take home a flask, and guard it until mother miranda could prepare for the ceremony they would be performing later. donna just so happened to be lucky enough to get the legs.

maybe a day or so after the child appeared, heisenberg had caught an outsider sneaking around castle dimitrescu. the four lords and mother miranda all met up to decide his fate, and it was ultimately decided that heisenberg was to do whatever with him he wished. he already had a trap set, luckily.

the man had escaped heisenberg's trap, but donna didn't think anyone else had noticed. part of her hoped that the man would run far, far away from the village and never return.

donna was now home, sitting on her bed and staring out the window. something in her stomach didn't feel right, she kept putting herself down for not stepping up a few days back. the flask that included the child was sitting on the fireplace mantle like some sick decoration.

downstairs, the woman could hear angie's shrill voice yelling about something. filled with curiosity and a little bit of worry, donna tip-toed downstairs and peeked into the living room.

she saw angie, veronica and gerald all sitting around a game of monopoly. gerald, a half-stuffed half-porcelain clown doll, had a thick stack of monopoly money he had been propping his feet up on. veronica, yet another porcelain doll was sitting on the coffee table, her blonde curly hair styled neatly as she moved her piece across the board.

angie had been sitting on the couch with her arms crossed over her chest and a pout on her painted wooden face. she had the thinnest stack of money and looked the most upset. as soon as the doll caught sight of donna, though, her expression changed to one of joy.

"donna! you're awake," she said happily, clapping her wooden hands. "we've been waiting all morning for you."

donna sheepishly smiled, rubbing the back of her neck. "i've been up for a while now." she admitted. "what do you need?"

"can you make some tea? pretty please?" angie pleaded, paying no more attention to the game.

angie couldn't drink the beverage, but it helped her feel more included when donna poured the doll a cup of tea when making some for herself. angie had been there for as long as donna could remember.

"of course, just a moment." her eyes settled in the flask resting on the brick mantle for just a moment before she turned on her heel and went into the kitchen.

preparing tea was second nature to her by now. her hands subconsciously reached for the kettle and poured water from the faucet, then lighting the gas stove and resting the pot on top. she rummaged through the cabinet for a moment before settling on a honey chamomile mix, setting it to the side.

while waiting for the water to warm, donna sat down at the kitchen table and picked up a piece of literature to read. she ended up choosing the metamorphosis by franz kafka, something she had read a million times before. she was just at the part where gregor crawled out of the bedroom when the pot started to whistle.

donna didn't think twice about it, pouting the water into two cups— one significantly smaller than the other, then proceeded to make her way back to the living room with them.

angie was once again deeply invested by the game and hardly noticed when donna placed the teacup in front of her and then sat herself down next to the doll.

just as donna was getting ready to take the first sip of her tea, there was a loud, rhythmic knocking on the door that got her to jump a small bit. she looked over to see that gerald had dropped his player piece, the top hat; all three of the dolls looked to donna with wide eyes.

"a playmate?" angie had asked, excited.

donna set her cup down and furrowed her brows. she hadn't planned on having company today, and mother miranda always called before she came— who could this be?

donna used the wave of her hand to send veronica and gerard back to their places on the shelf. they both sat still, like normal dolls. she then pressed her fingers against her lips to angie and gently crept to the door.

through the peephole, donna spotted the outsider from earlier and let out a small gasp. he had a mess of blonde hair and looked bloody and disheveled. his shoulders were slumped forward and his arms wrapped around himself. she could spot his breath clouding and freezing in front of him. she couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for reasons she couldn't quite articulate.

donna couldn't help but feel more curious when the man shoved a photograph through the mail slot. it fluttered through the slot and down near her feet. it was upside down, so she leaned down and picked it up, analyzing it.

donna had to look over the photo a few times to fully understand what was going on. in the photo was a woman and the child from before. the more donna looked at it, she began to realize that the woman in the photo was an outsider who had shown up a few weeks before rosemary— a woman that mother miranda insisted she'd take care of herself, and was never seen again.

donna couldn't help herself, she unlocked the door and then stepped back. her heart instantly caught in her throat and her eyes were locked on the knob as it turned.