Jezebel

Part 3

Then Natalie picked up some toys she had left on the floor and put them away. Looking around she felt satisfied that her room was clean enough for company. She changed out of her school uniform and changed into some jeans and a baby blue T-shirt and her favorite black fuzzy socks.

"Natalie, honey, I talked to Lea's mom and she gave her the okay to come over. She'll be here in about 15 minutes. Is your room clean?" Sarafina called up the stairs.

"Yes mom, it's clean. Thanks for the heads up." Natalie yelled back down the stairs.

She was just brushing her hair back into a ponytail when she heard the doorbell ring from downstairs. She tied her hair up with a hair tie and practically jumped down the flight of stairs in excitement. Hurrying to the front door, she threw it open, a smile on her face when she saw Lea standing there, a bag hefted over her shoulder filled with playthings.

She invited her in, leading her up to her room at the end of the hallway. Lea looked around, a squeal of excitement leaving her mouth when she spotted Jezebel in her bed on the floor. Natalie smiled and watched as Lea gently picked up Jezebel, smoothing her hair away from her pale face. She showed Lea where Jezebel's other clothes were and they sat down on the floor together. 

"She's so beautiful," Lea said wistfully. "I wish I had a doll just like her." 

Natalie turned to look at Lea. "Maybe your mom could find one for you. I'm sure she'll be able to find one. There are several antique shops around town." 

"Yeah, hopefully. I'll ask her when I get home," Lea said with a smile. 

They went back to playing with Jezebel, pretending that she was royalty and ruler of a faraway kingdom until it was time for Lea to head home. Natalie gave Lea a big hug and told her to come back anytime--as long as it was okay with her mom. Looking up, her mom said anytime would work as long as Lea's mom was okay with it. Lea gave Natalie another quick hug before running out the door to her mom's car parked in the driveway. Sarafina waved goodbye to Lea's mom as the car drove down the street until it faded from view. Closing the door behind Natalie she ushered her into the kitchen and sat her down at the table, turning off the stove. 

"Does chicken soup sound good?" She asked Natalie. 

"Yes! Chicken soup sounds great! Do we have any french bread?"She asked looking around the kitchen.

"Um . . .  oh yes, we do. There was a little bit of it left in the fridge." Sarafina opened the fridge and pulled the half-empty bag of bread out of the compartment. She proceed to cut in in half and in half again, buttering both sides of the bread and putting them on small plates. 

She grabbed bowls from the overhead cabinets and carefully poured the steaming hot liquid into them, setting one in front of Natalie and the other on a placemat across from her. After setting out the spoons she sat down, giving Natalie a soft smile. 

"Okay. Dig in!"

In no time at all, they finished off their bowls of soup, but Natalie was still hungry so Sarafina served her another helping, telling her to put everything in the dishwasher and turn in on when she was finished. She excused herself to take the laundry out of the dryer and carefully folded them, separating her clothes from Natalie's. Hearing the sound of dishes being put in the dishwasher she scooped the piles into her arms and headed up the stairs to her room, setting her stack on her bed. Moving down the hallway she pressed open the door to Natalie's room and gasped, a scream caught in her throat. Jezebel's piercing blue eyes seemed to stare straight into her soul and Sarafina leaned against the door and pressed a hand to her heart, breathing deeply to steady her racing heartbeat. She closed her eyes and willed herself to breathe normally, reopening them after a few seconds. Jezebel's eyes still stared, and a pit of dread settled in the bottom of her stomach as she set Natalie's stack of clothes on the bed and turned the doll's head away from her, laying her down on Natalie's makeshift doll bed. Looking down at the doll she shook her head and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind her. The feeling of dread lessened as she walked down the hall to her room, but didn't completely leave.