Leah didn't know what went wrong. She and her parents used to be as normal as a family could get. Her father went to work every morning and came home every evening at the same time. He wore the same ugly brown coat for years and refused to wear another one, not caring about the weather. His black hair was always combed to one side while his reading glasses kept sliding down his nose while checking the paperwork.
Her mother wasn't any different. She always kept her small bottle of Dior in her pocket for when it was needed. Her brown locks were always pulled back in a high ponytail with no hair sticking out. She loved nature but hated getting dirty. You would never see her wear an outfit twice in the same week and although she didn't wear much make up, her lips were most of the time covered in a bright red color.
Leah really didn't know what went wrong. The signs were there, but so subtle…she plainly ignored them. It began so simple. Her parents would have arguments more frequently. They would look tired or stressed. They couldn't focus on most things and they got complaints from their bosses, although they would keep those hidden.
But as time went by, it became worse. Her mother would refuse to leave the master bedroom, screaming and yelling that "they were going to get her" while her father stood in the doorway, sweat trickling down his face while shouting to his wife she needed to be quiet or they would find her.
Leah tried to help. She tried to stay with her mother so she would calm down and maybe feel better. She helped her father with the things that needed to be done in the house. Sweeping the floor, cleaning the sheets and washing the dishes but there's only so much a 6 year old girl could do at that time.
And when her father started boarding up the windows and door while her mother threw away all her toys, Leah knew there was more than just simple stress. She still felt the pure rage and sadness that she felt as she had to watch how her father took a large bag and threw all her toys in it, even her favorite teddy bear. Her mother kept saying it was to keep her safe but Leah didn't understand. How was throwing away her best friends keeping her safe?
Then came the police.
They had barged through the doors, breaking the wood on it. They were with so many and all of them had a large shield made of strong plastic and a rifle.
Her parents were taken away while Leah was taken to a specialist. They told her that her parents claimed to have seen her toys come to life. That they saw them walking around while talking to each other and doing the things that dolls shouldn't do.
They said her parents had been drinking. That the stress of work and a family was beginning to take a toll on them. They were crazy, incapable of raising a child, they said. So they took her away and put her in a chair in a dark room.
And now she was there. The room was quite large to her. The walls were grey but had streaks of green from where water had been slowly streaming down. The only light came from a few lamps that barely lit the room.
Three men were standing behind her. Two of them wore black leather jackets, their arms crossed over their chest. They looked like walking buildings with their trimmed beards and almost bald heads.
The other one was thin and small; still taller than her but small. He had combed his hair to one side to cover an obvious bald spot and he wore a white lab coat. He wore a serious face but his eyes were sparkling with joy. He was enjoying the sight that was making her cheeks wet from tears.
Her two beloved parents sat in their own stools. Only, the ones they were sitting in were large and made out of metal. Their hands and feet were chained to it and a few men and woman in lab coats were walking around them; pointing a small light in their eyes or softly asking questions.
The sight made Leah want to run but her arms were held in their place beside her by the two big men. She sat on a brown wooden stool that was far too big for her. She squirmed in the men's grip but they were way, way stronger than her. Her tears kept coming, falling onto her lap and making dark patched on her pants.
The doctor stepped in front of her, luckily blocking her view. He crouched before her and examined her face. "You see, little Leah, your parents tried to spread panic over something that wasn't even true. Can you tell me what?" He whispered, his voice thick with amusement. He was loving this.
She shook her head and looked down, refusing to give him the fun. He stroked her cheek with his index finger. "Look at me, Leah." Again she shook her head and she heard him growl.
"Look at me, you little mongrel!"
Leah shrunk to an even smaller size at his tone. The amusement was gone from his voice, replaced by pure anger. Her eyes slowly traveled up and when they met his, he smiled again. A sly and disgusting smile. "You see, isn't that better?" He asked, again stroking her cheek. "Now tell me what your parents did wrong."
It wasn't a request, and she darted her eyes from corner to corner, hoping to find a way out. But with the hands holding her steady and the man in front of her that looked like he would punch her any second now, it was probably better to talk. "They…They saw my toys come to life."
"Good. Did you see them come to life? Did anyone but your parents see them come to life?"
She shook her head and sniffed. The man took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped away her tears. How could he go from cursing to comforting her in five seconds flat?
"So you haven't seen anything. That's…interesting. Leah, look at your parents." The doctor stepped aside but kept at her height. Leah looked up and immediately regretted it. The men and women were just starting with putting little pieces of metal on her parent's heads. She knew what that meant.
Everyone took a step back and the second a man pushed a little button, her parents creamed and wailed as a wave of electricity went through their bodies. Their cries bounced off the walls and nestled themselves into Leah mind. She winced as more tears fell down.
"This is what happens to people who have gone crazy." The doctor murmured in her ear. "This is what happens when you let your mind take over and let it lead you. But you, little Leah, are still young. Hope isn't lost for you just yet. If you give an official declaration that your parents were wrong and that you will go live in a foster home, we will never bother you again. You will go to a new school, make new friends and live happy and healthy with your new mom and dad."
Leah's breath hitched in her throat and she stared the man right in the eye. Give up her parents? It sounded absurd. She couldn't see a foster family as her real family. "What will happen to mommy and daddy?"
The doctor gave a softer smile now but his eyes betrayed everything he felt. "They will stay here and we'll try to make them better. Hopefully they will get their senses back and go back to a normal life. But only if you swear to never tell anyone about this. If people find out that your parents see living dolls then you will have it bad, too. You will be bullied, laughed at and we don't want that, now do we?"
She shook her head once again and she slumped in her chair. She didn't have any more tears left but the wails of her parents were still freshly etched into her mind.
If dolls were the reason that her parents were in such pain right now and that she is forced to move away…well, than she didn't want toys anymore. She didn't want to reminded of the fact that plastic destroyed her family.
"So, do you agree with me?" The man asked, raising an eyebrow.
Leah took a deep breath, taking long glance at her fingers before deciding. "Yes…" The second the word left her mouth, the four hands keeping her down let go. The doctor took her softly by the hand and led her out of the room.
The moment before the door was closed behind her, Leah looked over her should to see her mother watching her, tears streaming down her face and her once beautiful grey eyes completely empty.
The doctor led her down a long hallway. The two big men had stayed behind in the other room. They walked up a few stairways until the walls and ceiling became more modern and clean. Except the ground; that stayed the same boring, rocky grey.
"You made the right choice, Leah. Your parents will be treated and you will grow up in an environment that is healthy. We already found a couple that would love to take you in and I heard they are willing to pay for anything to make sure you can put this all behind you and move on."
They stopped in front of a door and the doctor opened in, letting Leah in first. The room was the size of an office and it contained little furniture; a desk opposite the door with two chairs in front of it and a single table against the wall that was filled with stacks of paper and other rubbish.
Behind the desk sat a man that reminded her a little bit of Santa Claus. He was fat, had a suit that was two sizes too small and a beard; only his was shorter and grey instead of white. He raised a hand when the doctor closed the door behind them and gestured to the chairs. "Sit down, Leah."
She obeyed and slowly walked forward, sitting down at a rate that snails would have laughed at. The doctor sat down in the seat next to her, crossing his legs and making himself comfortable.
Santa Claus straightened himself and pulled out a few papers from a small bundle on the desk. "Let's see…Well, Leah, I know you have been through a lot and definitely have a lot of questions but I need to make a few things clear to you before we start."
She nodded and slightly leaned forward, laying down her hands in her lap.
"First of all, I'll tell you that your foster family lives in Ohio so you don't need to travel too far." He gave her a little smile as if he said something funny but her sad face made him become serious again. "I'm sorry. Once you're settled in, you'll go to school and find hobby's, the basic things but-" His voice sound higher at the last word. It was for real now, Leah thought.
"You will have to promise to keep this a secret. You and me both know that toys cannot come to life but it seems your parents are fully convinced of it and are not going to give in any time soon. We want to make sure that you have a happy life, Leah. That you can grow up with a loving family and many friends around you."
"But they are not my family." Leah whispered so soft it was barely audible. "Those people aren't my parents. They will never know fully what I feel and will never fully understand it. And I have friends, back home."
The doctor sat up, straightening his coat and he cleared his throat to get the attention. "Listen. We will pay for therapy if you want that. Someone professional will help you to put this in the past and give it a place. They have seen many people with problems you wouldn't even dream off. It could be the best for your mental health."
Leah simply nodded, having no idea what therapy was or mental health for that matter. She knew there was physical and mental but she kept forgetting the difference.
"Good." Santa Claus said, leaning back in his chair. He gestured for the papers he had taken out of the bundle and were now spread neatly across the desk. A blue pen lay beside it. "You just need to sign those papers and we have a deal. You will go live with your foster parents and we will pay for everything you need to forget this."
Leah stood up and stepped forward. She carefully took the pen and leaned forward. There were a lot of words to be read and her father always taught her to read a contract but with everything that had happened, she didn't care. She just wanted to be normal again. To come home after school and make her homework before going downstairs for dinner. To go visit friends and have sleepovers.
The doctor said where she had to sign and without thinking, Leah wrote down her name on the dotted line and laid the pen back down on the desk. Both men smiled and patted her on the back, saying that everything will be alright.
But even though she knew that life would be better. She still had to live with the fact that while she was sleeping in a warm bed, her parents were somewhere else, sitting in a metal chair being electrocuted.