The DollMaker Returns

Chapter 18: Can Caleb Be Found?

The group split up the next time they met. Mason, Amelia, Gavin, and Sally went one direction while Lisa, Phil, Jackson, and Rachel went the other direction. "Mason, do you have your phone on?" Gavin asked. "We might need to record what happens." "Yes Sally, I have my phone." Mason replied. "Mason and Lisa both have their phones." Sally responded. "That way we can contact each other." "They're also the tallest of each group." Amelia pointed out.

"I'm an inch shorter than Mason." Gavin argued. "Mason is five seven(170cm)." Sally said. "How is that considered tall?" "There's no need to expose him like that!" Gavin yelled. "You're only five one and a half(156cm)! How is that any better?" "She's average height for her age and I'm not." Mason pointed out.

"You're still taller than her by a good six inches dude." Gavin argued. "Get a grip! Are you seriously gonna let a 13-year-old make you feel bad about your height?" "Even for a werewolf, I've always been short for my age." Mason told him. "There've been people who mistake me for a 16-year-old even though I'm eighteen."

"Because of your height or the way you look?" Amelia aksed. "Because there's a big difference between height and appearance." "Usually height." Mason answered. "But there've been people who say that I look like I'm in high school because of my appearance and not by my height even though I'm a collage freshman." 

"Eighteen is not that big of a difference from sixteen." Sally protested. "Because, believe it or not, you do look like you're sixteen and not eighteen, and my parents say that one day you'll be grateful for looking younger than your actual age." "Are you sure?" Mason asked. "Because there have been people who say I look like I'm twelve when I'm six years older than someone who's twelve." "This is gonna be a long search, isn't it?" Gavin asked himself.

Meanwhile, with Jackson's group...

"We have got to find something that gives us even the slightest hint as to where the DollMaker is keeping Caleb." Lisa pushed as she checked a nearby a log.

"Let's hope the DollMaker doesn't decide that now is a good time to control Mason, Gavin, Phil, or Jack." Rachel said, standing up after checking a reletively large hole that she found. "Or the twins or anyone really." Phil added, glancing up at her from inspecting the mud.

"I, personally, don't want to be controlled by anyone in general right now." Jackson mumbled as he watched the river in case he saw anything that didn't belong. "What about me?" Rachel asked, her voice sounding disappointed. "Besides you." Jackson added, quickly, turning around to look her in the eyes. "You're the exception."

"Come on you two!" Lisa snapped. "We need to focus! This is why we never get anything done when you two are around each other. You spend too much time flirting." "What about you and Caleb?" Jackson asked. "You two do the same thing. You're not much better." "The difference with me and Caleb is that we know when we need to focus on something other than each other." Lisa explained.

"What about those so called 'study days' you two have every Thursday?" Phil asked. "We give each other the attention we both want and than we get to studying." Lisa told him. "Ew!" Jackson gagged. "Lisa that's disgusting!" "I have no doubt that one day that'll probably be you and Rachel." Lisa comented. "And by the looks of it, I don't think you two are too far off." 

"What are you trying to say?" Rachel asked. "All I'm trying to say is that you two have a tendency to get off subject and think of more dirty things." Lisa explained. "Specifically you Rachel." "Rachel is NOT dirty minded!" Jackson yelled.

"Rachel..." Lisa warned. "He's just standing up for me." Rachel told her. "What's the big deal?" "If anyone knows how dangerous hypnosis is when used for selfish purposes, it'd be you." Lisa explained. "She's not even using hypnosis." Jackson protested. "What are you talking about?"

"If Rachel's not hypnotizing you or mind controlling you than... who is?" Lisa asked. "That is a good question that I'm not allowed to answer." Jackson replied. "And Phil's phone is ringing." Phil answered his phone. "Yes?"

"We just found a really weird note inside Gavin's backpack." Came Mason's voice. "Can you check Jack's backpack?" Sally asked. "We can." Lisa answered. Then, her eyes widened. "Why is there a note from the DollMaker in here?" "I don't know." Jackson answered. "Why are you searching inside my backpack?" "Mason called Phil and we asked one of you to go through your backpack." Sally explained. 

"Why does Jack not remember anything?" Mason asked. "There was some sort of mind control like thing that happened with him, but he refused to tell us who was doing it." Phil explained. "He did say Rachel wasn't using her power on him and I don't think it was the DollMaker. He wouldn't have said he was being mind controlled if it was." "Well, that's not suspicious at all." Gavin commented. "Yeah..." Mason agreed, distantly.

"Mason?" Sally asked, her voice sounding nervous. "Are you okay?" "It's happening with Jack too." Lisa replied. "This cannot be good." Sally commented. "Now it's happening with Gavin!" Amelia yelled. "And Phil." Rachel added.

"What do the notes say?" Jackson asked, turning towards the phone. Amelia looked at the note in her hand.

"I have Caleb. In order to
        get him back, you must play
     my game. You need to play
          'Beat The Clock' or else Caleb
  and those who Rosemary
               mentioned will be added to my
collection.

                                             Signed, the DollMaker."

"Ours says that same thing!" Lisa announced. "The game starts now." Phil said with a content smile crossing his lips. "Good luck." Gavin said. "You'll need it." Mason agreed. "Remember: The DollMaker always wins." Jackson finished.

Mason shook his head. "What's going on?!" "In order to keep you, Caleb, Gavin, Phil, the twins, and Jack from turning into dolls forever, we need to play a little game called 'Beat the Clock,' but we don't know what that means." Sally explained. "Find the potion ingredients and incantation before midnight on Halloween to beat the game." Gavin explained with bored expression.

Sally turned to meet Mason's gaze, which was wide-eyed and a little scared. "Looks like we have a scavenger hunt coming up."