The DollMaker Returns

Chapter 20: Caleb Is Found

  Warning: This chapter contains spoliers for the New York Mystery Crew: Jackson's Past. Read with caution!

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  The group had just gotten back from Utah when Mason picked Abigail up and started acting weird, making the rest of the group scramble, with Jackson running into the lounge. Mason was circling the younger brother like a shark. "Come play with us." He requested. Jackson kept quiet in fear of being caught. How am I supposed to get out?!

  "I know you're in here." Mason said. "He won't be happy about this." "Psst! Jack! Over here!" Came a voice that Jackson recognized only vaguely. Ever since his memory was erased a couple weeks ago, he had trouble remembering what happened in Miami, even if he remembered everything else.

  Including his brothers deaths.

  "Who are you?" Jackson asked as he got over to where the figure was without being seen. "Why is it so dark in here?" "Oh, I'm sorry if you don't recognize me." The boy replied, sassily. "It's me, Jason!" "Well, I can't tell it's my dead twin brother talking to me in the dark." Jackson commented, thankful that he currently had no memory issues in the form of 'how-do-I-know-you-I-don't-recognize-your-name'.

  "Where are you little brother?" Mason asked, causing Jackson to clap a hand over his mouth as he realized he was talking too loud. "Why won't you listen to your dear older brother and STAY PUT!?" Mason looked behind the couch that Jackson had moved from, making Jackson realize how close he was to being caught.

  "Jason, how can I fix this!?" Jackson asked, feeling slightly panicked. "Why else would I be here?" Jason replied. "I guess that's true, but still!" Jackson responded. "I need to find my friends so we can figure out how to get Mason out of this." "Go upstairs and there you will find a door to your right. Go inside it and there you will find Gavin and Amelia." Jason told him. "Then go into the basement and there you will eventually find your three missing friends. There you will find Lisa, Phil, and eventually Caleb. Don't reply, just go now! It's safe for as long as Max has control over Mason and Abigail. Go fast! He doesn't have much energy left!"

  Jackson nodded his thanks and went upstairs to find Amelia and Gavin hiding in the closest. "A closet is not a good hiding spot you know." Jackson pointed out. "Especially when it comes to hiding from teenagers being possessed by creepy dolls." "I'm not a very good hider." Gavin replied. "You lost every game of hide and seek you ever played." Amelia reminded him. Gavin groaned. "Don't remind me."

  "How did you find us?" Gavin asked. "Jason told me to find you guys up here and that we need to find Lisa and Phil and possibly even Caleb down in the creepy basement." Jackson explained. "This is one of the many reasons why I don't like Jason." Gavin mumbled. "He makes us do unreasonable things and that's why so many unreasonable things happen to us." "Hey, it's not my fault you guys were cursed by the Shadow Kids!" Jason commented. "Now, do you want to save Mason or not?" "Just make this fast." Gavin complained.

  They headed down into the basement and found Lisa and Phil hiding behind one of the doors. Gavin would've gotten knocked out by Phil with a frying pan had his reflexes not kicked in just in time.

  "Dude, what gives?" Gavin asked, yanking the frying pan from Phil's hands and putting his own hands on his hips. "Sorry, I thought you were Mason." Phil explained. "Hitting someone being controlled by the DollMaker with a frying pan isn't exactly the best way to go Phil." Lisa agreed. "You'd get on the DollMaker's bad side very quickly by doing that."

  "Guys, what's going on?" Jackson turned and almost pounced on the person he saw. Instead, it was Lisa who pounced on him by giving him a kiss attack.

  Caleb.

  Chuckling and kissing her back, Caleb asked, "what happened while I was out?" Lisa and Amelia exhanged a glance. "You were taken by the DollMaker and we've been looking for you and waiting until you were back for a week." Amelia explained. "Me, Mason, and your siblings have been really worried about you." Lisa added as she snuggled into Caleb's shoulder. "Let's head back upstairs where we can explain things in more detail in the light where we can actually see each other." Jackson suggested. "Good idea." Caleb replied. "I don't like being in the dark."

  They walked up the stairs and saw Mason rubbing his eyes as if he just woke up from a very long nap. "Mason, are you okay?" Mason's head shot up at the sound of Caleb's voice. "Caleb!?" He asked. He ran over and squeezed Caleb as hard as he could without suffocating him, arms wrapping around his torso (mainly since Caleb was much taller than he was), never wanting to let him go. "Okay, it's good to see you too." Caleb replied. 

  "Where did you go when you disappeared?" Mason practcially demanded. "It's been so difficult without you!" "I don't remember anything besides waking up in someone's workshop." Caleb explained as he stroked the back of Mason's head, gently. "I was surrounded by dolls, and boy were they creepy."

  Mason snuggled into Caleb's chest and sighed deeply. "I don't like it when you leave." Mason whispered, recalling when they met and how he never left Caleb's side when they were together. "I know you don't." Caleb replied. "That's why I don't usually leave without letting you know first." Jackson didn't want to interrupt the two's reunion, mainly because he knew how much Mason had been struggling since Caleb disappeared, so he simply said, "well, now that we've got you back, there's a lot we have to catch you up on."