Castaway ➳ cth [EDITING/HIATUS]

Chapter 10

The bed wasn't the only thing that bothered me. An array of eerily looking dolls adorned the entire room; on the shelf, which I assumed was ordinarily built for the puppets, the window pane, the rocking chair in the corner next to the bed and of course, right above my head on a ledge made out of acacia wood, seemed unfamiliar and different to me.

It was scary. Being in a strange place. I was lying on the uncomfortable, tiny bed, my eyes focused on the baby blue ceiling above my head.

The beady eyes of the dolls were on me. I could feel it. I lifted my head, cocking it from side to side, seeing if a doll potentially moved, but all of them were sitting on their places, smiling and staring.

I should stop watching horror movies, I thought. I vaguely remember how my eyes lightened up in excitement whenever my mother decided to entertain me with little rag dolls when I was around five year old. She once visited Guatemala back then and learned how to craft those awesome puppets. Unfortunately, as far as I can remember, they looked like hideous voodoo dolls.

I stood up, my feet carrying me across the room. I stepped in front of the collection, tracing my fingers through their fake hair, glancing at the different patterns printed on the dresses they all wore.

I stopped at one doll. It was smaller than the other ones, sitting on the edge of the shelf. It was almost pushed back, seemed forgotten by its owner.

The blond hair fading from white to a light blonde and two ponytails on each side of the head made the doll look like a child. The button-like eyes were coloured in a light blue, matching the colour of the ceiling perfectly. Her pale skin contrasted well with the red flushed cheeks. I was able to notice some light freckles.

Her mint dress was torn, it looked like a cat scratched over it with sharp claws. I grabbed it carefully and eyed it.

It looked like my sister.

No, it was identical. My mind went back to my sister. Where was she now? What am I supposed to do without her? What is she going to do without me?

The thought of never seeing my sister again brought heavy tears to my eyes. I felt how the drops started to stream down my face. I couldn't control my emotions. Thank god therapy is going to be tomorrow Monday.

The clock told me it was two in the morning. I had no idea what woke me up, I probably stayed awake for the whole night, but to be honest, the room didn't look very inviting either.

But I didn't plan to upset Calum. I was the one who wanted to stay, for my sake. And perhaps my mother's.

My grip enclosed the door knob and I turned it carefully, making sure no noise was hearable, but of course this door was about a hundred years old so the hinges squeaked all over the big mansion.

I knew where the kitchen was, I just needed a glass of water to calm down. The long staircase seemed to be endless, but as my bare feet touched the marbled floor, I made my way to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water from the cabinet over the sink and filling it with cold tap water.

My hip rested against the granite counter, closing my eyes as the cold liquid filled my mouth. I winced a little, my tongue wasn't used to the cold temperature.

"Were the dolls creeping you out?"

I slightly choked on the water, and after coughing for a short moment, I glanced up and saw how Calum was standing on the door frame, only dressed in a pair of joggers.

Holy lord, I thought, since when did he work out so much?

"Kind of", I murmured, leaving the almost empty glass on the counter. "I'm just not used to it."