Voodoo Doll [BNHA]

Chapter Twelve

Thanks to the help of one of the IT guys, Doll was able to get Hawks address. She woke up early, packed a small carry-on bag, neatly wrapped the string doll she'd made and spent a good twenty minutes rifling through her all black wardrobe. She settled on a cute long-sleeved black dress with some drippy looking red hearts. After wrapping herself up in bandages, she slipped on the dress and a pair of clunky black combat boots. She left her long obsidian hair down so she could easily hide her face behind it when needed. Once she was satisfied with her packed bag and her appearance, she grabbed a pair of sunglasses, hugged Buttons goodbye and headed for the door feeling somewhat anxious.

As she opened the door she jumped as she spotted her mentor on the other side of it, his hand poised as if he were about to knock. She looked up at him curiously and noticed his lips pull into a frown as he took in her current appearance. "Put a coat on." He ordered her; it was freezing outside.

Doll scrambled back to her closet and grabbed a black pleather jacket and scrambled to stuff her arms through the sleeves before returning to the door. "What are you doing here?" She asked her mentor curiously as he took her bag from her.

"I'm taking you to the airport." He answered in a low grumble.

"Huh? Why?" She asked as she struggled to keep up with his long strides as he carried her stuff toward the stairs.

"It's on the way." He shrugged.

"To where?" Doll asked confused.

"A meeting I'm going to." Endeavor barked and Doll fell quiet. She knew his schedule by heart. He didn't have any meetings until afternoon.

She giggled quietly, "thanks for worrying about me."

Endeavor avoided her gaze feeling embarrassed. As they made it to the main lobby on the ground floor, Doll was surprised to see everyone at the Agency waiting for them. Everyone told her to be careful and to check in when she landed. There was a long list of things she was given to see and do while on her weekend getaway and an even longer list of things to avoid. She was having trouble keeping track of everything but couldn't help but smile at everyone. They all came and worried over her because they cared.

"Thank you, everyone." Doll bowed her head politely before looking around the room with a misty-eyed smile, touched by their kindness.

It wasn't a very long ride to the airport and upon their arrival Endeavor gave her a new list of things, telling her to check in with someone from the agency the moment she landed and not to hesitate to call if she needed anything or to just periodically check in. Doll gave her mentor a hug goodbye and was surprised when he hugged her back instead of freezing up like before. She bid her mentor farewell and anxiously made her way inside the airport. This was the first time she'd really traveled anywhere without someone from the agency accompanying her.

She didn't make it more than a few paces before she felt people staring at her mummy-like appearance. Making sure her sunglasses were in place and hiding behind her hair she scurried to the check in desk to pick up her ticket. People around her were whispering, thinking the incognito girl with the flattering figure and cute dress was a celebrity trying to hide, though Doll couldn't hear their whispers and immediately began to think of all the people who had taunted her throughout her life fearing the worst.

As she made it to her gate, the constant stares and whispers were enough to make her want to hide. She hid in the women's bathroom until she heard the announcement that her plane was boarding. Miraculously she survived the flight and when the plane landed, she was grateful her mentor had told her to get a jacket as it was freezing cold. The sky was cloudy and it was cold enough that if the skies opened up, she wasn't sure if it would be rain or snow. She checked in with Endeavor letting him know she'd arrived safely.

Keeping herself hidden behind her hair, she left the airport and headed into the city. She stopped at the toy store she, Hawks and Endeavor had walked past on their way to the airport on her last visit. It was fun playing Candyland with him and Buttons on their first date, maybe they could play another game on their second one. She perused the aisles and noticed the employees and a few patrons eyeing her suspiciously and whispering amongst themselves. It made her feel anxious and she grabbed a game at random so she could check out and leave quickly. She didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable with her presence.

After the toy store she headed to a restaurant she'd heard Hawks mention when he'd been babbling about food to Endeavor on her first visit. She bought a few orders of various chicken dishes and paid extra for a reusable bag that helped keep the food's temperature, so the hot food would stay hot. With her date items successfully purchased she made her way to Hawks' residence and sent Endeavor another check-in text letting him know she'd made it to Hawks' building. He lived in a fancy skyrise apartment building within the city. There was a small courtyard with a few benches and some shrubs that were decorated with icicle lights for the upcoming holidays. She approached the entrance and found the door was locked. Glancing around she spotted a panel next to the door for guests to buzz the residences for entry into the building.

She found the button for Hawks' residence and pressed it. She held her breath and waited. There was no response. Thinking he must be at work she shrugged and went to sit on one of the benches in the well kempt courtyard to wait for him. After an hour of waiting, the sky opened up with a torrential downpour of freezing rain. Before long, it turned into a wintery mix and Doll readjusted her parcels to try to keep everything dry.

Another hour passed by and she was soaked to the bone and shivering uncontrollably. Her chipper mood started to dwindle away as she realized she was no good at this and she shouldn't have even tried. What if Hawks was just being nice, what if he'd been teasing when he used the term date? Tears welled in her eyes. What could he see in a monster like her anyway? The voices of all her peers growing up echoed in her mind. Freak, monster, demon, were the most common things they called her. She curled up atop the bench wrapping her arms around her legs and laid her head atop her knees as the endless stream of taunting from her peers of the past played on repeat in her mind.