Living Dolls

8Irene

What with the partially moving tilts of this house, I was growing more and more awake. Aggravating. I groan, pulling my hands out to grab at the frame of the bed. The rumbles stopped quicker than normal, but I still waited a minute or two before ripping the covers off me and getting out of bed.

By the time I got out into the hall, Ernest and Heide were doing the same. The girl charged over for Carmen's door, but Ernest caught her by the back of her blouse, instantly sending her to a halt with a choke.

"My God, not too hard." I hiss to him, and he's quick to glare back, but still not letting go. Heide reached an arm out towards Carmen's door, and Ernest and I exchanged looks again - but forlorn ones.

"... I got it." He said, flinging his arm to the side. Heide ran right into the wall, sending out a string of complaints before Ernest quickly slipped into Carmen's room, closing the door. She was just starting to turn towards the door before she noticed me going downstairs, and then she bounded after me.

She kept calling my name, over and over. "Can you get Julien to give me another jar of sugar?"

"I'd prefer not to."

She let out a loud gasp, stopping in her tracks as I got on the first floor. She jumped down, "Why not!?"

"You eat too much of that stuff." Whenever she was deprived of it, she was so much more calm. That crap energizes her way too much. "A few more days without it, you need discipline."

She pouts, "You sound like Ernest, discipline this and discipline that."

"Don't insult me ever again."

When I opened the door to Kyle's room, Heide was quick to push past me and run towards his bed. The poor guy was just beginning to sit up and wipe at his eyes before she bounded right at his bed. "Kyle!" She practically screeched, and he jumps with a gasp, "Irene won't help me get anymore sugar."

He groans, wiping his eyes again as I grab the girl's arm pulling her off him. "I agree with her notion."

"I don't know what that means... So, you'll convince Jules for me, won't you?"

I kept pulling her off, "Heide, can you go get the wheelchair? Sitting here is kind of wasting time."

As she goes to get it, Kyle keeps rubbing at his throat. I give him a concerned look, and he sighs. "I'm gonna have to tell him that my medicine's running out." We tell him plenty enough when it always does, but when it concerns Kyle, Julien likes it if he speaks for himself. When really, the last thing he wants to do is speak, especially to him. "I've been feeling more sick as of late, too."

I nod, pulling the chair from Heide and leaning down to lock it. "Winter's coming soon." It's always something we dread. Hell, even summer. Julien's prone to getting more heated than cold. So summer? Keep the AC on. Winter? Open a damn window. It's annoying.

"Kyle has sooo many blankets though!" Heide, having already brought his wheelchair, must've thought everything was done already. She flopped right on his bed, ripping one of his covers from him, "This one's my favorite!"

"He already gave you that striped one last month, Heide." She always asks to "borrow" his stuff, from books, pillows, and blankets. Granted, we're always able to take it back, but it's still annoying that she does it so often.

Though Kyle is already positioned, when I reach for him, he shakes his head, "No, wait, wait..." He turned his head, hand covering his face. He wiped at his dry lips with a quivering cough, and Heide looked over.

Thinking back to what Ernest said last night, the weight in my chest got heavier and heavier.

"I'm fine - I said - Heide! I said I'm fine!" He shook Heide off him with a screech, but it only energized her more.