The Smiling Doll

Chapter 2

 I woke up by the noisy alarm clock ringing endlessly. Walking uncoordinatedly due to the pressure on my head, I accidentally hit the corner of my bed and stumbled on my face muttering “Shit!” under my breath. I got up and took my shower getting ready for school today. I stepped out from the bathroom then and stepped into my uniform that looked like one of those old vintage checkered dress from a horror movie. I brushed my hair and took a final look in the long mirror before me and smiled at my reflection.

I went to my bedroom’s window pane and looked at the doll that I had put there, smiling endlessly at me. The cool zephyr outside blew her doll’s hair freely and carelessly making her beautiful as ever. Even her hair felt so real on my fingers. “I’m going to school now. I’ll be back around one thirty.” I muffled softly at Elena’s doll. I didn’t know why I spoke to a doll but whenever I looked at her, I could feel Elena’s presence around me. 

                                                            ***

 I placed my brown leather bag on my chair and started unpacking the books for the first lesson and was shocked. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The doll was in my bag standing uninterruptedly at the corner of it, still smiling like always. ‘Did I accidentally take the doll with me? But I didn’t remember putting her in my bag.’ I appalled myself confusingly. I felt a droplet of tiny cold sweat running down my temple.

 I didn’t noticed that Hemma, a brunette girl with sky blue eyes was behind me, looking at the doll in my hand until she nudged me in the arm and asked, “Wow! Is that her doll, as a remembrance for you?”

 “Urm..yeah..I guess so.” I told her with sad tone in my voice and handed her the doll for her to see with a closer look. “It’s beautiful, just like Elena. Hey, if you don’t mind, can we keep her in the class? We’ll put her at the window pane near the teacher’s table. Everyone can see her then.” she pleaded with a smile formed on her lips that was coated with soft coral lipbalm.

 “Urm..okay. That will be good.” I told her.

 Hemma took the doll and placed it at the window pane nicely. I continued unpacking my books when I heard the girls started whispering among themselves about me and Elena.

 “Hey, look at that girl with her sad face. Poor her. She lost her best friend.”

“She was very close with that hot girl, Elena. We didn’t even have the chance to talk to them.”

“I thought Elena had said that she doesn’t need another friend in her life other than Ricco.”

“I heard that Ricco’s boyfriend was even bored and tired with her.”

“Really?!”

The whispers had stopped when our Literature teacher, Miss Rocanzo entered the class with that fierce look on her face as usual. “Class is going to begin. Please sit down at your own respective places and be quiet.”She started her lesson by writing a few important things on the blackboard before calling out names to read some passages from the literature book,

 “We’ll continue our lesson from the previous one. Zach Meson, please read the first passage.” she ordered one of the students at the back to read the passage. “Okay Miss”, Zach replied with that smug look on his face. He was known as one of the badasses in this school and his popularity had even spread to other high schools around Salamanca Roseville Hills.

 I chose to flout the lesson and paid my attention to the outside world. It was easier for me to look outside the class without the teacher’s acknowledgement as I sat at the back of the class beside the window which had been Elena’s place afore she died. Lushness of tall and big green trees surrounding the school’s environment made the classroom cooler than ever as the gusting wind travelled its way to the south, touching my face gently and blowing my brown hair freely. Grass was swaying to the motions of breeze making some of the flowers dropped onto the ground, scattered everywhere magnificently. Birds were flying everywhere and fluffy clouds shifted revealing the spectacular view of the morning sunshine.

 I was enjoying the view outside the window when I saw a figure standing under the tree near the bench below. I squint my eyes to see who was that, wearing our school uniform in a very messy way. I moved closer to the window to get a better look and was knocked for six. It was Elena! I felt my breath caught in my throat and I couldn’t even move a muscle.

I looked at the doll sitting on the window pane quietly, still smiling happily as if nothing had ever happened to her real self. I looked back at the same spot where Elena was standing a while ago to see that she was gone.

‘We were always together, crackling laughter like there’s no tomorrow and chatting all day endlessly. I think, I’ll just leave the doll in the class.’ I alleged to myself not aware of the consequences that was waiting.

                                                              ***

That night I went to bed early because I was too tired and I had eye bags and dark circles underneath my eyes that were tremendously ugly. I was having a nice dream when out of the blue, a sudden eerie sound had woke me up from my sleep, “Cheep! Cheep!” I turned to my left and was caught off guard when I saw Elena, the doll beside me on my bed. My eyes widened with horror as a soft scream escaped my lips. I moved away from the smiling doll, terrified.

‘What the hell?! How..? I thought I left her in the class. I didn’t even think of bringing her home with me.’ I told myself, covering my mouth with my right hand in fear.

I got up from my bed and took the doll in my hands, walking fast with horror and terror in each of my steps towards the woody cupboard beside my study table and locked the doll in it. I found a thick rope underneath my bed and tied it securely and tightly around the cupboard handle.

“What a bloody horrifying night!” I cursed under my breath.

My hands couldn’t stop shaking madly and cold sweats were formed on my forehead. I ran to the bathroom and splashed the icy water on my face, looking at my aghast reflection in the mirror. ‘Maybe I was being too paranoid. This had to be from all the tiredness and exhaustion in myself.’ I calmed myself down afore I went to my bed and drifted into a deep sleep, unaware that tomorrow was going to be the scariest day in my whole entire life.