Me: If I'm doing something wrong, so sorry. :P

?: Enjoy~

The building rumbles a bit. A mannequin pushes debris away and plops down on the ground.

He winces at the impact and notices someone towering over him. He looks up. "Uh… He… Hello?"

His eyes widened in fear as the figure smiles evilly at him.

It opens its one eye and finds itself standing on its own. Strings wrapped around its hands and feet. It struggles and squirms, but its limbs don't budge.

"You should stop struggling, or say goodbye to that one eye." It glances up and finds the girl with green hair and black dress.

It ignores her and continues with the struggling. She frowns at it and goes up to, stroking a finger on its glass eye.

It stops as she takes hold of it and yanks it out. It panics as darkness takes form around it.

"Tee-hee," it hears her, "You're the cutest doll I ever had! I'm so glad I found you."

It tilts a brow it confusion. Was she talking to it? Or-

"Look… M-ma'am… Miss… Um…" It hears a male voice stammering, "I-I'm really thankful that you fixed my arm… But I can't stay here! I must get off the island! I must find a person! A very important…"

"No you don't." It hears the green haired lady cut the guy off.

"Wha…!?" He says in surprise.

"You're one of my puppets. You must do what I want you to!" She said in a "sweet" voice.

"T-that's wrong!" The male panics, "I'm not your puppet! Let me go! Please! I beg you!"

"Oh stop complaining or I'll wash your mouth off!"

The male shuts up.

"Now, let me write my name in your helmet! Huh?"

It strains its "ears" to try and hear the male.

"Hey!"

Eh? Well, it was a male's voice, but not the one it was trying to listen for. Who-

"Don't you think you are too old to play with dolls?" He asked.

"Playing with dolls is not a matter of age to me, sir." She explains calmly, "Now, who might you be?"

"I'm Shado. You're the young puppeteer Marion Jouet, aren't you?" He said, "I've heard about you, you lost a battle against one of the Shub-Niggurath's sons… The weakest of 'em. What a pity."

It sighs. Man, how long are they gonna talk? If I could talk, I'd say 'Can you hurry it up! I have a delivery to fetch!'

"What about you!" The girl, Marion, snapped, "You were beaten by a mannequin!"

It could hear a slight twitch, somehow. It seems someone got offended.

"Besides, I don't care about it anymore." She said with an annoyed tone, "What I care about right now is my puppet. Could you please give it back to me?"

"Sorry," The man apologized, Shado? "But he's not your puppet, young lady. Not even the doll behind you.

I guess he's talking about me. Wait? I'm a doll? What's a doll? It thinks in curiosity.

"I know he's only a simple, awkward, unsubstantial stuffed man filled with nothing but foam. But he's alive, like that doll behind you, and they have their own will. Treating someone as an object just because they look like one, isn't proper."

It droops it head a little. Huh. That's new. So far, it has been through around like a rag doll. Heh. Irony.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Marion snapped in anger, "I don't want to be ordered around!"

"And yet you don't mind ordering others around…"

"You're being annoying. Give me back my puppet or I'll have to take it from you!"

Now this lady was starting to scare the poor doll. She seemed serious about this.

"Heh, you have a strong desire for control, don't you, young lady? I can see it in your eyes."

I wish I had my eye!

He continued, "… Maybe because you were controlled once?"

It hears a loud yell, "SHUT UP!"

A sound that doesn't seem familiar to the little doll. But, Marion was silent.

It feels itself fall to the ground.

"AHHH! YOU KILLED HER!"

"She's just unconscious. She'll wake up soon enough. Anyway, death is not a problem here in Everafter."

It gets flipped over to its back. Someone carefully mashes in its eye.

Light pours into its limited sight. It blinks a few times and sits up, pulling its beanie off and scratches its yellow hair.

Two faces stare at it in confusion. It smiles and waves at them. The one with a red mask tilts a brow. "And you are…?"

It points to its mouth.

"Ah. I see. My name is Shado. The mannequin here is Climber."

The tall, white mannequin smiles and waves at it, "Hi."

It waves again.

Climber goes over to it and rubs his fingers on its mouth. "What's wrong with your mouth?"

"It has been sewed shut." Shado explains. He takes out his knife and puts it near its mouth.

Its eyes widened as flashback appeared in front of its eye. It shows Shado away and covers its mouth with both hands.

It shook its head rapidly. Shado tilts a brow, "Why do you not want to speak?"

Silence. Shado sighs, "I see." He puts the knife away and starts to leave.

"Hey," Climber called out, "Where are you going?"

"I'm out. I have some unfinished business to resolve."

"D-don't leave me here with this girl! If she wakes up, I'll be in so much trouble!"

"No, you won't. She gained control over you because you were weak." Shado turns his head, "Besides, you have a kid to protect."

Climber gave him a confused look.

"Just head upstairs, best of luck for both of you." Shado starts to leave, but is stopped by Climber again, "S-Shado, wait!"

Shado turns his head again. "Uh… n-no offense for stabbing you in the chest, right?"

Shado gives him a blank stare. "Of course not." He kneels a little, "I'll see you around!" Shado makes a huge jump and disappears.

Climber looks over to the doll and smiles. "I guess it's just you and me." Climber scratched his chin, "What should I call you?"

It shrugs as it stands back up.

"How about… Clarice?"

It shook its head.

"Shado?"

It shook its head in despair.

"Barrington?"

Again, shook its head.

"… Sully?"

It tilts its head to the side, and then nods.

Climber smiles, "Alright! Sully it is! You are a boy, right?"

Sully tilted a head and shrugged, not knowing its own gender.

Climber sighed, "Aw well. Let's go."

Sully starts following Climber down the hall. Climber mutters, "Stairs, stairs, stairs…"

They stop and their jaws drop to the sight of never ending stairs. Sully's eye twitched.

They both give an annoyed look and then they start climbing.

Me: It is short! Oh noes!

Sully: Don't flame or complain, read and review.