Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Hug Me I'm Scared or any of the characters or copyrights. DHMIS, its copyrights and all of its characters belongs to Rebecca Sloan and Joseph Pelling.
Paige glanced around the balcony, shouting someone's name. She pulled a finger to her lips. Ink drops formed in her eyes with her nose running. She descended, seeing the battered corpse laying in front of her. Black oil-like fluids leaked from its sides, their once supposedly expensive clothing now worth nothing.
She sobbed apologies profusely, wishing she could have found them sooner. A metallic sword in the shape of splashing fishes now had no owner to sharpen or cleanse it of its fatal history that now bore the markings of blood.
She almost touched the gold chain hanging from his pocket, but she was forced to turn around. She let out a blood curdling scream.
Paige sprung up from her bed, sweating and gasping. Thankfully, it was all just some nightmare. Needing to see what time it was, she looked out her window. The moon was still high in the sky, stars twinkling like they should.
Her father rushed in and turned on the light, asking, "Paige, are you alright?"
The 8-year-old immediately flipped her head towards to door. She nodded and whimpered, "Daddy, I had the most horrible nightmare! I was an older lady and I was looking at a dead man! Then I started crying and almost grabbed something from his pocket and then someone made me turn around and it scared me so much I screamed and then I woke up!"
He stroked her polychromatic hair as she burst into tears, reminding her, "It's alright, nobody died, it was all just a bad dream, remember?"
"But it all seemed so real... What if someone is trying to tell me something?"
"Nobody is trying to tell you anything. Dreams are wild things and they can seem real...But their not."
"But-"
"Now, I want you to think happy things and go to sleep, alright?"
The child nodded as she begun to calm down. Her father kissed her forehead after she stopped crying and turned off the light. She heard him walk out of the room and back towards his own. A few hours after the incident, she fell asleep again.
The next morning, her stepsisters were daydreaming about what their father would bring them, excluding their younger sister from the conversation. Noel gasped, "I hope he brings back pearls!"
Erin commented, "Or better! Jewelry and high-end dresses, handcrafted from the finest sewers in all o' England!"
Paige just sat in her stool, eating her porridge. Their father soon entered and asked, "Well girls, I'm almost ready to go to town. Anything you want me to get for you?"
The twins unanimously agreed, "Jewelry and the most lavishing gowns you can find!"
He turned to the child next to him, "And how about you miss Paige?"
She took a bite and swallowed it before turning her head. She smiled, "A sketchbook and flower would be nice. Any would work."
The sisters snorted at her request, only to stop when the father and child shot a look at them. He announced, "Alright then, I'm off and I will return as soon as I can! Noel, Erin, be good to your sister and Paige I expect you to respect them too, yes?"
They all sighed, "Yes papa."
He smiled and left the room. They followed and watched him jump in the wagon, heard the whip crack and drive out of sight.
Thirteen years had passed since Mr. Turner left and he hadn't returned. Paige's stepsisters became wickeder by the year, making her do all the work from dishes to tending to the crops. Her older brothers refused to visit in fear they might be affected by their cruelty. However, this didn't stop her from becoming a bubbly, honest young woman. The town favored her despite her unusual paper white skin and ink-dripping body.
One thing that remained were her visions. Once a month she'd envision more of what happened in the dream she had. She found there was a woods near her hometown, but nobody dared to venture through it and the last one to do so was her father thirteen years before.
Curious about if her father was in there, she decided she'd set foot in them and attempt to find what happened if it was still possible. But first, she'd need a plan and supplies. She spent the next day debating what she'd need to take and decided she'd leave on the next full moon which was 3 days away.
2 days before
As soon as the sun hit the horizon, Paige left the small house and went into town. Her first stop was the bookstore for guides on injuries and the basics. She heard the little bell on the door jingled and was immediately greeted with bright blue eyes and a wrinkly smile. The old man laughed, "Ah miss Paige, back for another novel?"
She shook her head, "Nope! I need books on how to survive in the wilderness."
His eyes started gleaming, "Ah, the good ol' wilderness. Where ya off to?"
"I'm off to Gearland forest to look for my father!"
His warmhearted expression faded as soon as she said Gearland. He asked, "Miss Turner, do you realize how dangerous that place is? Not even the police dare to step foot in it and whoever does is never heard from again-"
"Ohh those are just myths!"
"Nono, it's real. If I were you, I would drop the idea right now and go with everyone else's assumptions that your father-"
"No, I won't. I know he's still alive, I can feel it!"
He shook his head. She probably didn't realize the dangers of the forest. He asked, "Do you wanna hear a tale 'bout that place?"
She nodded. He grabbed the desk and slowly stood from his chair and closed the windows and locked the door. She furrowed her brow and asked if it was all necessary. He nodded and said nobody was to speak of it normally, but she didn't seem to know it. He sat back down and began.
It was about a young man who lived in town whose name was forgotten. His father was a good friend of the book keepers and they were well off. However, as time passed he became more invested in his clockwork until he stepped into the woods to go to the next town over for a part he was missing and was never seen again. She inquired when it happened, but the bookkeeper refused to speak anymore of it. He rose from his seat and reset everything to the way it was before.
Despite the warning, she still found and bought the books. She walked out and found the second store that carried bags and rope. She entered and picked up a large satchel, wood, and 7 feet of rope. When the man asked what she was doing, she remained silent and left.
Her last stop was the grocer. There she purchased a loaf of bread, apples and fish along with a canteen. The merchant wasn't a talker, so she had no questions to answer. After her purchases, she had 8 pents left. It was just enough for emergencies, if she were to run into one.
She reached home before sundown, only to find two aggravated siblings waiting for her. They demanded to know where she had been. She explained to them she was in town, getting more books. Furious with her, they noticed the food and snatched it from her. As a punishment, she received no dinner that evening.
However, later that night she managed to retrieve her bread, apples and canteen. Unfortunately, they ate her fish that took up an enormous amount in what she spent. She went outside and found a stick before venturing into Erin's sewing room and retrieving a spool of thread and needle. Using the stick, thread, and hook, she made a fishing rod.
She hid her objects under her bed and fell asleep as quickly as her head hit the pillow.
She was in a large ballroom, dressed to the nines. On the other side stood a figure, approaching her. She rushed towards it, giggling. She could tell it was a boy. He smiled and embraced her before taking her hand and beginning to waltz. A conversation took place, but she couldn't understand what he were saying...
They laughed as seemingly hours passed, until she was all alone in a dark room.
The space was tight and she couldn't move anything. She heard a cry of pain from out of the door, then a devious laugh... She recognized the laugh, but couldn't put a name nor face to it. Hands tied behind her back, she tried slamming the door with her head only to get a pounding sensation.
She tried screaming, but nothing came out. She couldn't flip back, the space was too small to try. She almost gave up until the door creaked open, a beam of light peering through.
She woke up. She soon realized it was daytime and she slept in again. She drew a breath of relief until she noticed her door was being banged on repeatedly. She rolled her eyes and got out of the bed. She grabbed a random dress from the pile and put it on.
She answered the door. Her sisters were there, again. Noel hissed, "Where have you been? We're starving!"
Erin growled, "Yeah! Go make breakfast for us!"
Paige rubbed her eyes and went to the kitchen to turn the gas stove on. The stove was from when their father had money, however it ended when he decided to go into the business of . She harvested the eggs from the chickens and made scrambled eggs. Noel, upon receiving her's, demanded toast. Paige lied that they didn't have any, but her sister recalled the bread being on the counter before dinner.
She continued the act until Noel gave up. Paige almost made herself breakfast, until Erin denied her food for waking up late. She sighed and went upstairs to gather her art supplies. Other than her survival gear, all she could fit in the bag at this point was her small sketchbook and pencil with just enough space left for one more meal and her money.
The rest of the day was as stressful and tiring as any other. She hung the soaked laundry on the string to dry, cleaned the foyer and bedrooms, and made dinner. She happened to smuggle leftovers in her bag, taking up whatever space she had left as she put the money in before.
12:05 pm
Seeing the time on the grandfather clock in the tiny hall, Paige poked her head in the master bedroom. Both sisters were snoring, as expected. She grinned and slid back to her room, pulling the heavy sack out and dragging it across the floorboards. The boards creaked, but they were very heavy sleepers and didn't hear her...
Except for when the door creaked open. She heard Erin fall to the floor and screech a warning. Noel rushed until she could see her younger sister and yelled at her to go back to bed. Instead of following her command, she tossed the bag over her shoulder and made a beeline for the woods. By the time her sisters could get out the door, it was already far too late. Paige was in the woods, ready to start her search.
A/N: So here's the first chapter... I'll start working on the second and if there's anything that could be fixed, let me know! ^^
Btw, I tried putting in elements from the original story and adding my own twists, BUT there might be a few things Disney did put in it... Just in case you were wondering.