The Doll opened her eyes and was met with a blindingly bright light.
The first thought in her mind was that of relief as she lifted her own hand over her face to obscure this blinding light.
Being able to control her own body.
The Doll had no idea how much she truly valued that feeling until it was taken away from her.
Her second thought was that she already missed the comforting darkness surrounding her previously. Comparatively, this blue light felt exposing, suffocating even. She wished to go back to that comforting darkness yet… The Doll shuddered at the thought of the creature that had infested the place she once knew to be safe.
The Doll clenched her fist.
This creature was called The Strings.
It needed to go.
Controlling her own body, forcing her to make actions outside of her control it was a feeling The Doll hated.
But was that really so different from how she always lived her life? She had resolved to always do as she was told following this plan that was laid out for her. Why was she so bothered by this? It was no different.
The Doll let her hand fall to her side once again with a sigh. She supposed that would just be another thing to add onto the pile of mysteries. As her hand hit the ground, she felt it sink into the familiar softness of a silk mattress. It wasn't quite as nice as the one in her room but still proved to be ample comfort.
The Doll took this as her sign to actually figure out where she was.
Sitting up, she began to examine her surroundings, all of which were very bright yet also lacking in different tones. The room was entirely white, eclipsing the paleness of her own skin down to the bed she was lying down in. Around her were curtains that obscured her view of the rest of her location. Looking to the right, she found a similarly white table with a distinctly different texture of wood compared to the rest of the room's flatness.
Laying atop this small table were various herbs that The Doll couldn't recognize, which made up the only different colors in the room. The Doll was never one to study medicine, yet it was clear these herbs were meant for medicinal purposes.
She was in the infirmary; they must have moved her here after her fainting incident.
So much for a normal first day.
The Doll rolled over on her side, unsure of what to do.
As she lay there ruminating on her situation, the curtains draped around her slowly opened, revealing a woman in a long white dress with a white apron overtop that blended into their surroundings. Atop her head was a short hat with a design that depicted a tree full of life with roots spreading down below. The universal symbol of healing and the symbol that was once the family crest of the Vita line before it and its magic died out.
The woman who appeared to be the healer opened her mouth to address The Doll, “I see you're finally awake. Are you feeling well?” Her voice was flat and straight to the point, betraying no emotion or sense of care.
The Doll simply nodded; she couldn't bring herself to say that she was okay.
The healer didn't react. “No pain, discomfort, dizziness, or fatigue?” She listed off the affiliations both rapidly and flatly.
The Doll shook her head to affirm the healer's question.
Moving out of The Dolls way, the healer said, “Very well, I see nothing wrong with you; you may go back to your dorm.”
But what about her classes? The Doll thought. She must have missed them. “How long was I asleep?” The Doll asked in a shockingly calm voice considering how she felt.
The healer didn't move. “The princess flew you in here at the end of third class. I forced her to leave afterwards. She later came back in with another girl. A guy followed shortly after. All three had to leave when it hit the middle night. It has been an hour since then.” The Doll sank upon this confirmation; she had managed to miss three of her classes on the first day.
How unbecoming.
Still, it was oddly comforting to know that people came to see her.
Strange she shouldn't feel anything from that.
The Doll stood up off the bed and walked past the healer, who didn't move to stop her. How strange, the healers in Gelun were typically much more attentive towards The Doll. Yet this one seemed almost apathetic to The Doll's health; it was as if she didn't care at all.
It was no matter; she preferred this to overattentiveness. Probably.
The Doll walked through the cold hallways of Dreadwood alone, each step echoing around the silence. Moonlight peeked through the windows, acting as her only light this late at night.
It was nice being in this silence.
But it felt like something was missing.
No, that couldn't be the case. The Doll loved silence.
The feeling of being absolutely alone couldn't be matched by anything else.
Right?
The Doll dismissed these thoughts as she continued walking down the halls before climbing down the staircase due to the infirmary being located on the second floor. She would eventually reach the doorway and push open the doors, letting the cool night air brush against her skin.
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It was eerily dark outside, but that did not deter The Doll as she walked along the stone path, following it towards the direction of House Lunarie. Then in the pitch black of the night The Doll saw a lone figure standing on the path. From this distance she could not quite make out this figure's features, but it seemed to be a girl wearing the academy uniform with curly hair that lay just beyond the shoulders.
Another student being out this late at night was a strange occurrence but not forbidden by the academy. The Doll kept walking, yet the figure remained completely still, looking up at the sky as if entranced by the moon above.
As she got closer The Doll slowly began to make out some of the girl's facial features. Her skin was a slightly dark color that The Doll assumed was likely tan with dark hair that wasn't quite black.
The Doll vaguely recalled seeing somebody like this in her classes. If her memory served correctly, this was Cecilia Umbra, the other daughter, who was the sole heir to her family name. An odd camaraderie that The Doll would choose not to pursue as she resolved to walk past the girl without a second thought. However, as she walked past Cecila, she felt cold steel point into her back.
The Doll stood there in shock at the unfamiliar feeling in her back. “Turn around slowly, beast.” Cecilia said with a distinct tone of hate The Doll had rarely heard in her life.
Despite her confusion, The Doll figured it best to follow her orders, something she was already familiar with. As she slowly turned, The Doll slightly tilted her head up to look into Cecial's eyes, which resembled dark orbs.
Cecilia slightly smiled but made no move to remove the dagger as The Doll turned around. Cecilia opened her mouth to speak once again. "What exactly are you?” Despite her confusion The Doll had no time to ask questions as Cecilia spoke again. “You have the same aura as one of them, yet everybody acknowledges your existence.” One of them? What was she even talking about?
Before Cecilia could speak again, The Doll decided to speak up. “I believe it would be in your best interest to release me; my father would be displeased should anything happen to me.” The Doll lacked any form of physical abilities, so she could only hope that her empty threat would be enough.
Cecilia only pushed the dagger deeper in The Dolls back, almost piercing her skin. “I think I'll take that chance, beast. You are a threat to the safety of this realm. As one of the crowns' pillars, it is my duty to end you." Her voice quivered slightly towards the end.
One of the crown's pillars?
That was impossible, someone so young at this backwater academy being a pillar of the crown.
It was impossible.
But Malina was here; perhaps the royal family sent one of their guards to keep an eye on her, ensuring her safety. But what would a pillar of the crown want with The Doll?
The dagger moved closer to The Dolls skin still not quite piercing it. "What's wrong? Ilion got your tongue?” Her eyes narrowed. “Or maybe you're thinking of a way to escape.” Despite her hate-filled tone and seeming resolve, she hadn't yet moved to kill The Doll. This didn't fit with the ruthless nature that the pillars were so well known for.
Maybe it was against her orders to kill her?
No, if that was the case, she should have never revealed herself to The Doll; if a pillar revealed themselves, it is unlikely you would live to tell the tale.
The only reason for her not having already killed The Doll would be if she wanted answers.
Or.
She was scared of The Doll.
But that couldn't be the case; the Ashencroft line did possess fearsome magic. Maybe she wasn't aware of The Doll's condition, but even if that was the case, all mages were useless unless they could perform the introduction required to use magic.
Just what did she think The Doll was?
No, it didn't matter; whatever the case, this fear was keeping her alive. She could use that to gain answers and get insight on whatever was happening. This might be how she figures out what The Strings is. She could turn this situation to her advantage and finally gain some insight into the questions she had.
What was she even thinking?
She wasn't some social genius like Malina.
She wasn't skilled in combat or diplomacy.
All she could do was try to defuse the situation.
The Doll closed her eyes before opening them once again and staring Cecilia straight into her eyes, saying in a calm and level tone, “I don't know what you think I am or what a beast is, but I am the sole heir to one of the four major families. I am a doll, nothing more.”
Slowly the dagger against The Dolls skin let off some of its push as Cecilia said, “If you're not a beast, un glove your hand and show it to me palm up.” What would that accomplish?
It didn't matter; despite her confusion, she had to oblige once again.
She took off the black glove, letting the cold air brush against her hand as she produced it to Cecilia, her palm facing up, resting just below her shoulders. Then she felt a sharp pain run across her hand as a cut suddenly appeared across it. The Doll suppressed a wince of pain, managing to remain completely still.
Hot blood poured out of the wound, warming up her cold hand. Cecials ran her free thumb over the wound, picking up blood on it and bringing it to her face, examining it before finally saying, “Red.” After saying this, the dagger was sheathed quicker than The Doll could see.
The Doll pulled her hand back to her side and looked down in order to put her glove back on it. When she looked back up, Cecilia was gone. Looking around in confusion, she heard, “Meet me in the library tomorrow after classes.” Her voice seemed to come from every direction, yet Cecilia was nowhere to be seen.
The Doll stood still for a moment, waiting as if something else would happen.
She cradled her wounded hand and looked up into the sky, staring at the empty yet full moon.
Nothing had changed in the sky yet. The Doll felt fear in her heart. She had never felt this fear for her life since back then.
The incident.
She didn't want to think about that, not now.
Not ever.
She looked away from the sky and turned down the path back towards House Lunarie before anything else could ruin the day that was supposed to be so simple.
The rest of the walk was uneventful as she reached House Lunarie and pushed open the doors. She walked down the hallways lit by torches, likely so any students wishing to leave their room late at night could see silently so as to not wake anybody up.
Standing in front of the door to her private dorm, she entered the bare room that she took great comfort in. She entered the bathroom, disrobing her academy uniform in front of the mirror and staring at herself. She brought the bloodied hand up to the mirror, pressing it against the surface.
She watched the blood press against the mirror, creating an outline of her hand as she pulled it away, leaving a bloodied handprint. She let out a small private smile.
She was still human.
She may be a doll, but despite that, she was still human.
There was small comfort in that.
Before touching her silk pajamas, she used the sink to wash her bloodied hand until blood no longer poured out from it. After completing this, she put on the comfortable silk pajamas, the comfort immediately hitting her skin satisfactorily.
The Doll walked out of the bathroom and crawled under the covers, sinking into the mattress beneath. She rolled over and looked at the empty space beside her bed.
The covers she was beneath were warm, yet she felt distinctly cold in the bed.
A single tear ran down The Dolls face as she closed her eyes, entering the familiar darkness of sleep.