Dollhouse

Chapter 4

Blaire continued to dress me up even further, running into her room to search for things to "complete" my outfit. I followed her in, watching her madly rummage around at her dresser.
She pulled out a pair of white stockings and gloves and handed them to me.
"Put those on," Blaire uttered, stressfully sliding her hands over the cluttered dress table, pushing several boxes and items of jewellery onto the floor.

Before I could abide, she yelled,
"Shoot!"
Her voice once again ringing with an odd twang.
"What's with your voice?" I asked innocently, taking a few steps towards her.
Blaire didn't turn, just sighed and staring picking up the mess she had made for herself.
"I'm not from this country. Well, my family is originally but it's not my birthplace," She sighed again.
"I was born in Australia."

I tilted my head to the side. I didn't have all that much knowledge about the country I was in, let alone the colonies it held.
"Oh..." I breathed, "What's it like there?"
"I can't quite remember, I've been in England for quite a while now Arianna," Blaire said, replacing the various items of jewellery on her dresser.
"Do you ever think you'll go back?"

She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to me.
"Yes, I know I will. One day..."
"One day soon?"
"I'd like to think so."
Immediately after Blaire said that she turned back around and continued to sort through her jewellery.

"Oh I don't think you'll need any of this anyway," she sighed, giving up and turning to her wardrobe.
Blaire went over and opened it, picking out a pair of white Mary Janes with blue lace bows.
"These should be about your size," she stated, gesturing to my feet with a shoe.
I politely took the Mary Janes from her hands and tried them on.
I had to do them up the tightest I possibly could, and even then there was a large amount of toe-room.
I nodded at Blaire and told her they fit perfectly (I didn't want to cause any trouble) and she nodded back, telling me that, "My work here is complete," before heading back downstairs presumably to complete some kind of project she was working on.

Zenith wandered back into the shop about twenty minutes later.
I was sitting next to Blaire at her sewing station, watching her explain the basics of stitching.
I'm sure I pricked my finger at least twice during that little lesson, which hurt me more than I expected it to.

"I see you two are getting along well," Zenith piped up after about a minute of his presence being completely brushed under the rug.
Blaire gently placed her stitching on the table and turned on her chair to look at him.
"I was teaching Arianna important survival skills," she said, elegantly clapping her hands together.
"Like embroidery?" he scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Yes! If she's going to survive around here. You'll have to learn these things too, you know! I ain't about to provide free lodging to two people that could potentially spook the townspeople even more!" Blaire exclaimed, waving her hands about with each passing sentence.

"Madam, I think you would be gratified to know that I know exactly how to sew," Zenith replied, raising his eyebrows smugly at her.
"Knowing how is not the same as being good at, we have a certain level of quality we need to maintain here!" Blaire jeered, rising from her chair and shoving her pointer finger in his face.
While this exchange was very amusing, I felt it would've continued for hours if I didn't interrupt.

"Um, Blaire?" I piped up hesitantly, fiddling with the seams of my dress.
"Yes, Arianna?" she turned, immediately changing her tone to something friendlier and more inviting.
"Well... sorry to interrupt but... could I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Uh, so... from what little I've heard so far, there seems like there's something bothering people here. Do you know about it?" I query, my voice fading in confidence as I spoke.
Blaire's eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips.
"Tell me something Arianna..." she started, taking a step towards me.
I gulped.
"Would you consider yourself well-versed in the realm of the supernatural?"
I shook my head.
"No miss, but Zenith knows a lot about those types."
Blaire sighed.
"Does he ever tell you what he knows about them?"
"Rarely, and it's mostly just stuff about vampires."

The pleasant look on Blaire's face returned with an added dash of mischief as she clapped her hands together and smirked at the both of us.
"Where are you going with this Miss... sorry, your last name?" Zenith asked.
Blaire shot him a sideways glance.
"Sheparton."
"Right. Well... Where are you going with this Miss Sheparton?" he asked again, with a more cautious tone this time around.
"No need to be so formal Zenith," she replied, her smirk growing wider with each second.
Zenith sighed aggressively.
"Please answer my question."

Blaire's face took on an almost menacing look as she said, "What do you two know about werewolves?"