Chapter 12
You Stay Away From Her
'What did you see in the mirror?' the little white-haired girl asked.
Oh no. It was exactly that one question Sasha was afraid to hear. She had instantly felt a bit uncomfortable when Dolores had told her that she wanted to ask her a question and this was the exact reason for it. The magenta-haired woman had hoped so much that she would ask about her wanting to see a secret cellar that was hidden underneath the carousel which contain even more toys (or even better, the gear that would lock Charlotte back up in whatever prison that was strong enough to keep her in place for another 121 years, or hopefully much longer this time) or which flavor lollipop she preferred or something silly like that, anything else would fine, expect that one. Hell, while they were spending time together, she had practically forgotten about the horrors she had seen in that damn mirror, just like she wanted. And now it was all coming back to her again to make goose bumps appear all over her arms; the shrill ringing of the school bell, the cruel cheerleaders who had their eyes and teeth replaced with mirror shards, her own frightened reflection in said mirror shards, the living room of her parents' home, her parents' pleas for her to stay. The memories of that twisted mirror world came back to her like a flash. Even though she was wearing a bolero with longs sleeves, Sasha' arms still felt cold due to the goose bumps.
'What about it?' she asked. She couldn't help but wonder why Dolores was so curious about it. If she would tell her about it, well, she got some news for her; she wasn't going to have an overly sweet, feel-good story in store for her, at all. And she had the feeling that was going to be comfortable by telling it either. During these years she had done nothing but her best to forget about her miserable past and focus on the present, but it was all because the magic in this mansion that it was coming back to her... and remembering it hurt like hell.
'I have seen your face when you escaped from the mirror's heart, Sasha.' Dolores said. (So that mirror world was actually the heart of the mirror... but despite this rather pretty name, it didn't cover up all the creepiness it was capable of creating) 'You looked so pale, your eyes expressed nothing more but sheer fright... I do not doubt that those horrible things you must've seen were part of your past. It is clear that is still hurts you. Perhaps I could help you ease the pain. If it isn't too hurtful for you, would you like to tell me about it? But remember Sasha, I won't force you to talk about your past if you don't wish to. But I shall listen to you... because Sasha, you're my friend. And you always will be.'
Friend. Did she just hear that right? This little girl, who was more than a century old, contained the powers to create everything and everyone in this mansion, and had stopped seeing the outside world at the tender age of nine, considered her, Sasha Banks, as her friend. The magenta-haired woman almost found it unbelievable to believe what she was hearing. This was almost too crazy and unreal for words, it almost made Sasha laugh. Not once in her life she had thought she could befriend a 130-year old girl with hair that was as white as the snow this harsh winter had produced. But Dolores was right about one thing, though; talking about her childhood was going to be so painful for her. Silence fell in the playroom, that is if the rustling noise the gramophone made didn't count. The magenta-haired woman grabbed a small, brown, plush dog with a light pink ribbon tied around its neck from the bed and gently fidgeted with it, unsure of what she should do. For some reason, turning and slightly squeezing the stuffed animal in her hands made her feel a bit more at ease. A reason to tell Dolores about the past that she had tried so hard to forget anyway was slowly emerging. There was one thing here that was for sure; after this night, she would never see Dolores again, because by the time the sun would rise, she was getting the hell out of here. (And hopefully by that time, they had found that gear and locked Charlotte back up in her prison where she belonged) Sasha would most likely never drive through the woods again for as long as she would live, she would never look at dolls the same way again and even eating a slice of chocolate cake or drinking tea wouldn't feel like just a simple everyday thing anymore for her. But Sasha wasn't going to lie; there was definitely a friendship going on between her and the white-haired girl now. And she had the strong feeling that she had to protect her from that murderous goliath of a doll, because she knew that Dolores wasn't able to do this on her own.
She knew exactly how it felt like to be all on your own with nobody to help you.
And since she was never going to see her again after all of this would be over, what would telling her life story matter in the end? Exactly, nothing. Like she could ever use it against her.
Sasha stopped fidgeting around with the plush dog and let out a sigh. Fine then. It was going to be tough to talk about it for sure, but... she would try.
'Well... let's just say that things weren't all too great from the moment I had been born.' she said, figuring this could be the best way to introduce her past to Dolores.. 'I have always believed that my mother never actually planned to get pregnant, that I was just an... accident, I guess. But she or my dad never told me that. I grew up in the most poverty-stricken part of town, pretty much the kind of neighborhood you want to avoid at night. I was pretty much the only kid who lived there, because nobody in their right mind would think of raising a baby in a neighborhood like that one. From as long as I can remember, my parents never managed to get their hands on a stable job. Both of them didn't finish high school, they dropped out before they could graduate. Even when one of them managed to get a job, it was usually a very short-lived one; most of the time it was seasonal work, it was all they could possibly get. I don't know if they had this in your time, but they lived on social welfare, even long before I was born. All the money that came in was spend on the rent, water, gas and electricity, there was always little to no money left after they paid all of that. Hell, sometimes there wasn't even enough money left to buy enough food! And now that I mention food... we started relying on food stamps by the time I was six. They had to buy our clothes and shoes at thrift shops, because they couldn't afford buying clothes from regular fashion stores. And... that's what the kids at school noticed about me. It started with name-calling at elementary school, which was located in a more wealthy neighborhood. I was labeled as 'the poor kid'. You know, kids really start to become mean in 7th grade, it just takes one popular girl to point out your cheap sweater or the holes in your jeans to make everyone else call you names. I thought maybe everything could go better during middle school and high school, it was just hope, I guess. Boy, was I wrong. Everything truly went to hell during those years, the bullying only got worse. It wasn't just name-calling anymore. In high school, status mean everything, and I mean everything. Those girls who bullied me were able to afford the latest fashion, always looked good and were popular with the boys... I was the complete opposite. If you wore the most expensive brands of clothing, you were a somebody. I was less than nothing. And those girls made the perfectly clear to me. I was called the worst names imaginable on a daily basis, they would tear my clothes, put gum in my hair, write insults on my locker, pour milk or water over my lunch, empty my bag on the floor, pass me horrible notes during class, and if I were unlucky enough to run into them in the girls' bathroom, they would corner me and beat the hell out of me. I couldn't tell the teachers about it, because I knew they would find out about it, since one of the bullies was the daughter of the history class teacher. Each night I would cry myself to sleep because I was so scared of going to school and I would wake up with the worst anxiety ever, it was literally the first thing I would feel. I didn't have a single friend to turn to, because nobody liked me. Nobody wanted to hang out with the 'poor girl with the greasy hair and ugly clothes'. It's a miracle I managed to graduate despite all the anxiety and stress, seriously. After high school, I finally began to catch the attention of guys. They had money, they had a status, they had a well-paying job. They could buy stuff for me that my parents or I never could. I got brand clothes, money, shoes, make-up, new haircuts, I got everything I could possibly want from these guys. I was able to visit the most expensive restaurants and clubs in town. I finally began to feel like I was a somebody. That scared, pathetic, bullied poor girl I was in high school was gone. Status, popularity, good looks, expensive stuff, I wanted it all. I couldn't care less if a guy would break with up me, I would always simply move on to the next one, I knew plenty of them. As long as they had money and were popular, all was good. When one of my exes offered me to live in his apartment, I finally got the chance to get away from my parents. It's all their fault that I got bullied. They knew what I was going through, but they didn't do anything to make things easier for me. I have asked them so many times to buy me brand clothing or let me at least dye my hair, but they did nothing. Christ, I hated them so much, and I still do, by the way, I'm so glad I got out of that dump. I honest to God never want to talk or see them again. They made me suffer through high school... and I'll never forgive them for it.'
With that, Sasha ended her life story. She glanced at the plush dog in her hands in silence. Once again, it was quiet for a brief moment in the playroom.
'My goodness... Sasha, I'm so sorry.' Dolores said with a soft voice. The little girl touched her arm and gently squeezed it, like she was trying to comfort her. There was something about this gesture that touched something deep inside Sasha; it was a simple touch to her arm, why did it bring tears to her eyes? The magenta-haired woman forced herself not to spill a single tear, rapidly blinking her eyes. Thankfully she managed to push them back and Dolores hadn't noticed them. 'Your past is indeed a very sad one.' the white-haired girl spoke. 'Children can indeed be very cruel and your story did nothing to disprove that. I'm glad to hear that life got better for you after your ordeal, but Sasha... let me ask you something very important.'
Sasha saw the look in Dolores' eyes change in an instant; they went from genuine compassion to sheer seriousness.
'Have they always given you love throughout your life?'
But there was no opportunity to answer to this question.
With the speed of lightning and without any warning, a pair of inhumanely long, porcelain arms pierced through the ceiling and reached out to Sasha and Dolores. The two were unable to find the impossible chance to duck away, it was already way too late. The hands firmly grabbed the little white-haired girl by her upper arms, brutally yanking her off the bed and dragging her across the floor. Dolores' eyes widened with pure fear as she tried to move her arms in an attempt to grab onto anything, but to no avail. The grip she had found herself in was so strong and painful, it was almost strong enough to crush her bones and muscles. Her mouth opened to let out a shrill scream of fear.
'Sasha!' she screamed at the top of her lungs.
'Dolores!' Oh God, oh Jesus Christ, no! Adrenaline pumped through the magenta-haired woman's veins as she launched herself off the edge of the bed and ran towards Dolores as fast as the adrenaline allowed her to. This is exactly what must've happened in the living room, these must've been the exact same arms that had grabbed her whilst she was least expecting an attack. Her heart pounded inside her head, only one single thought went through her mind; she had to reach Dolores before God knows what would happen to her. Sasha nearly tripped over a plush animal, she kicked a doll out of her way, she heard porcelain crush underneath her ankle boot, but all of this didn't make her run any slower. Just as the arms were retreated back into the ceiling and lifted Dolores up, Sasha miraculously managed to grab her ankle in time. She now held onto the little girl's ankle with both hands, trying to pull her down and out of the nearly agonizing grip of the porcelain hands, but as fragile as they looked like, there was without no doubt an amazing amount of strength in them; Sasha's weight didn't matter one bit, because they continued to retreat back into the ceiling.
'Sasha, help me!' Dolores screamed, her eyes now filled with tears of panic. 'Please, don't let them hurt me!'
'Hang in there!' the magenta-haired woman shouted back. 'I will get you down, I will ge-'
She didn't see the third arm coming right at her. The punch that followed almost felt like a boxer striking her with full force. To her horror, Sasha found her hands slipping away from Dolores' ankle and she was flung through the air like a rag doll. Her body crashed against a wall, the impact made her feel like her skull was cracking. Even though she had her eyes clenched shut, she saw stars in the darkness. Sasha fell to the floor amidst the plush animals and dolls, where she groaned in pain. But there was absolutely no time to curl up on the floor in the hope that the pain would wear off quickly, no way in hell was there time for that. ('Save Dolores get her the hell out of here' was the only, nearly incoherent thought that traveled through her painful head like a fired bullet) The magenta-haired woman forced herself to get back up on her feet, ignoring the painful jolts that traveled through her head. Opening her eyes, she saw to her growing horror that Dolores had been lifted higher to the ceiling, the arms acting like suspenders. The little girl screamed and tried to wiggle her way out of the death grip until the third arm grabbed her by the back of her head. The screaming instantly stopped so abruptly that it made a chill run up Sasha's spine. Only a few, nearly inaudible whimpers escaped from Dolores' open mouth as her eyes rolled in the back of her head. Sasha saw a thin stream of blood trickling from the little girl's nose, flowing over her upper lip and into her mouth. Oh God, oh no...
Within a matter of seconds, another nightmare unfolded in the playroom, that had been so innocent and magnificent a few moments ago. Sasha's entire body ran could as she saw that it was this room's turn to transform into a nightmarish wasteland of rot and decay. Thick, black liquid, the same liquid that had tainted the garden, dripped down the walls like black tears, covering the wallpaper. In an instant, the playroom was filled with the same ungodly stench of death that had lingered in Sasha's mind, this time so strong that it was almost impossible to breathe. Soft snarling could be heard all around Sasha. The sight was something straight out of a child's worst nightmare. All the dolls and plush animals, which had been innocently played with not long ago, had taken on a whole new, terrifying form. There was absolutely nothing adorable or sweet about them left, it was all taken away by the corruption that was now taking over the playroom in a rapid pace. Their eyes were replaced with huge, emotionless doll eyes that darted into opposite directions, oozing with black liquid, staining their clothes, material and ribbons. Their mouths had been ripped open and filled with razor sharp teeth. The giant plush elephant opened its mouth and lifted its trunk, allowing a waterfall of black liquid to spill out whilst it let out a grotesque trumpeting; it sounded like it was literally drowning in the liquid. The neck of the giraffe had been broken and bent into a horrifying angle, but it still tried to move its head around; sickening crunching noises could be heard from the damaged neck. The neighs of the carousel horses closely resembled the insane laughter of a bloodthirsty lunatic, black ooze dripped from their mouths as they jerked around to break free from the poles that kept them in place, but luckily their attempts failed. Sasha had inadvertently caught the dolls' and plush animals' attention. Like little zombies, they waddled towards her, their sharp teeth shining like little knifes and softly snarling. Sasha watched them in a mix of fright and disbelief. Then, without any warning, a corrupted teddy bear leaped at her leg without any warning and sunk its teeth into the flesh, piercing through the material of her trousers with ease. A sharp pain traveled through the magenta-haired woman's entire leg. She could immediately feel the warm blood soak her upper leg. This attack was the signal for the other corrupted toys to launch themselves at Sasha. They came from left and right with wide open mouths, ready to tear her to pieces. Oh no, no way in hell she was going to let herself die by the hands of a bunch of crazed toys! Sasha managed to swat them away with her arms, each strike sending them crashing to the floor. Each doll and stuffed animal would lie lifelessly on the floor after she would hit them; she guessed she knocked the energy to get up out of them. The magenta-haired woman then grabbed the teddy bear that still had his teeth pierced into her legs and tugged it off, but careful enough to prevent causing more damaged. Luckily its teeth slipped out of the flesh with ease, not ripping a chunk out of it. Sasha tossed the teddy bear across the room, as far away from her as possible. But when she looked to her left, she saw that the elephant and giraffe were slowly inching closer; perhaps it was their size that made them unable to move that fast, she figured. At least this could give her some more time...
It's astounding how much sheer adrenaline can affect the strength of a human being. Sasha ran towards a toy chest near her and lifted it up as high as she could, she could barely feel the weight during the rush, but it should be heavy enough to break something. And that was exactly what she was going to do. She aimed at the arms that were still suspending poor Dolores up in the air.
'Get the hell away from her!' Sasha shouted, throwing the toy box with all the strength she had. It struck the porcelain with full force, shattering the arm that was holding the little girl's right upper arm and the one that was holding her head, but barely touching the third arm. However, it was enough to make whoever this arms belonged to scream like a banshee. The voice was female... and the long scream ended with a furious growl. Sasha knew exactly who that voice belonged to.
She saw Dolores slipping away from the grip of the arm. The other two arms, now two shattered stumps, retreated back into the ceiling. Sasha ran towards the little girl, reaching out her arms to catch her. It turned out she got there just in time; Dolores slipped away and fell. The magenta-haired woman managed to catch her before her body could hit the ground. Her eyes were still rolled in the back of her head, but she had stopped bleeding from her nose and she was breathing.
'Dolores, wake up!' Sasha exclaimed with a hushed voice, kneeling down and rapidly patting her cheeks. 'It's okay, I got you. For the love of God, wake up, we have to get out of here!'
For a brief moment there was no response, but much to her relief, she saw Dolores' eyelids closing up and slowly opening a second later, revealing her brown irises. But from the mildly confused look on her face, Sasha knew that yet another gap in her memory had been made.
'Sasha...?' the white-haired girl asked. 'Wha... What just ha-'
A nearly ear-deafening bang on their left abruptly cut her off, causing her to fully regain consciousness in an instant. Pieces of debris of all sizes were launched everywhere, landing on the floor, bed, the other side of the room and one piece was even large enough to crush one of the carousel horses, most definitely putting the poor thing out of its misery in the progress. Both Dolores and Sasha looked up in pure shock and saw who was lurking in the big hole that had been smashed in the wall, stuck in a crawling position due to her own size.
Charlotte.
Her towering size covered Sasha and Dolores in a huge shadow, who both immediately noticed a change about her appearance; three pairs of longs arms had grown out of her back, giving her a spider-like appearance. That had to be a result of Dolores' corrupted imagination, she made her do it, it just had to be. Her long, filthy hair rustled like dry hay as she leaned forward, her large doll eyes not breaking away from Sasha and Dolores for once. Doll eyes had always been supposed to be emotionless, but in Charlotte eyes, there was nothing more but rage. It was that undeniably sheer rage that made Sasha's limbs go numb with fright. She had found them, oh Jesus Christ, that damn freak show had found them!
But it seemed like the porcelain behemoth didn't have that much interest in Sasha; her sight shifted to Dolores. 'You...' she growled. Even though the magenta-haired woman didn't see any lip movement coming those blood red lips, Charlotte was still somehow able to speak.
The white-haired girl slipped away from Sasha's arms on her own so that she could stand up and stared back at Charlotte. One quick glance at her face and you would guess she was completely calm, but there was still this clear hint of fright in her eyes. Looking closely, Sasha could swear that she saw tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
'Charlotte, please...' Dolores spoke, trying her best to hide the trembling in her voice. 'I'm begging you to stop. Please, stop it, don't do this...'
A contemptuous scoff could be heard from the giant doll. ''Please, stop it, don't do this...'' she repeated. 'I remember those words so well. Have you forgotten, Dolores? Those were the exact same words I spoke... on the night you locked me up in the clock!'
The little white-haired girl opened her mouth to speak, but before one word could escape past her lips, one of Charlotte's many arms reached out to her and the next second, cold, dusty, porcelain fingers ensnared her. It was clear that Dolores tried to say, or rather, scream something, but her voice was muffled by the palm of the doll's massive hand. Sasha saw the area between her thumb and forefinger firmly pressing against the little girl's nostrils, making it impossible for her to breathe. Dolores clenched her eyes shut as she desperately tried to gasp for air, wiggle her way out of the merciless death grip, but to no avail. Sasha eyes widened her eyes in horror as she realized what was happening; oh dear God, she was suffocating her!
'Let go of her, you freak!' she shouted. The magenta-haired woman ran towards them and started pounding on the hand with her fists, tugging the fingers and kicking the porcelain with all the strength she had, everything she could possibly think of to try and free Dolores, all whilst she could hear her heart pounding in her head. It was obvious that Charlotte wasn't amused at all by the useless hindrance of the unwanted guest; as if she was nothing but an annoying bug, the giant doll swatted her away with one of her many hands. Sasha remembered feeling she was struck by a boxer earlier; now it felt like a huge wall of bricks had been slammed against her. The magenta-haired woman was flung across the floor, the impact had been strong enough for her body to reach a wall. She hit the wall with her back, which was immediately followed with a heavy sting of pain; for a split second, Sasha was afraid her spine had shattered into pieces. She clenched her eyes and teeth, letting out a loud hiss of pain... which was instantly numbed by a new wave of raw adrenaline.
She didn't think twice about what she was planning to do. Charlotte had no idea how fast she was approaching, she only had eye for the helpless Dolores, whose eyes were now open and darted from left to right in pure panic and still struggling for air to fill her oxygen-deprived lungs. As Sasha got closer to the giant doll, she saw how much those frightening doll eyes of hers were now eerily resembling those of a human being, they expressed so much rage. Time for her to do something about those damn eyes. Sasha leaped at Charlotte and whilst blinded and driven by pure adrenaline, drove her fist through her right eye, piercing through the thin glass. She didn't feel the shards cutting into her skin and knuckles for one bit... but it was clear that Charlotte did. The giant doll instantly let go of Dolores as she let out a bloodcurdling scream, grasping at her shattered eye. The little girl dropped to the ground, loudly gasping for air she had needed so badly and coughing. A bloodied hand suddenly grabbed her by her arm and pulled her up. Looking up, Dolores saw that this hand belonged to Sasha.
'Come on, we have to get the hell out of here, now!' the magenta-haired woman exclaimed.
And before the little girl could respond to this, Sasha dragged her along with her, forcing her to run just as fast as she did. This was their only chance to escape. The magenta-haired woman practically ripped the door open and slammed it shut behind them with a loud bang as soon as they got out of the corrupted playroom, knowing well that a simple wooden door would do absolutely nothing to hold Charlotte back, but if it would at least buy them some more time to run like two bats out of hell, she would gladly do it. Hundreds of thoughts rushed through Sasha's mind at once, all of them so incoherent that were impossible to figure out, but one thought did manage to stick out; they could go hide in the kitchen. That was exactly what Sasha planned to do. She didn't care if they had to lock themselves up in some cupboard for hours, as long as that goliath of a psychotic doll wouldn't find them.
Just as they were halfway the corridor, a sound could be heard that made the hairs on both Sasha's and Dolores' necks stand straight up. It was the sound of a wall being smashed to pieces. An infuriated scream was followed, along with loud scratching and a rumbling floor. Sasha forced herself not to look behind her, afraid the sight would make her legs go numb, she knew damn well that it was Charlotte crawling after them. Keep running, damn it, keep running, she thought to herself, repeating this over and over again.
'Why?!' Charlotte could be heard furiously shouting. 'Why wasn't I good enough for you?! Was I ever good enough for you?!'
The stairs to the first floor were just a few meters away, they could still make it! But it seemed like all hope for Sasha were grinded into dust in an instant as something cold and hard grabbed her ankle, causing her to trip and fall on the ground with a painful thud. Looking over her shoulder, she saw to her absolute horror that one of Charlotte's many hands had grabbed her ankle... and no matter how frantically she yanked her leg to break free, it wasn't letting her go. The magenta-haired woman looked up and saw the monstrosity of a doll coming closer, her right eye socket empty but her left eye burning with hate, countless arms reaching out to grab her, drag her towards her and tear her to pieces... Sasha's body immediately turned numb with paralyzing fear, but the fear also made her forget that she still had Dolores with her.
A thick wall rose up from the floor in the blink of an eye, not only cleaving the corridor in half, but also causing the arm that had found its way to Sasha's ankle to be lifted up and shattered in half. A loud thud could be heard, along with a frustrated scream from Charlotte. Then there was silence.
After what felt like a century of nothing more quietness (except for the howling wind outside, as always) sensation began to return into Sasha's limbs with so much speed that it almost made her dizzy as she stared at the wall in disbelief. What... what just happened? Her mind, that was still suffering from the aftermath of the insane adrenaline surge, simply couldn't comprehend it. The magenta-haired woman turned her head to Dolores.
'Did you... do this?' she asked, barely hearing herself over her own heartbeat that echoed through her head.
Not saying a word, Dolores nodded. What Sasha had just witnessed was one of the things that her powerful imagination was capable of creating.
It looked like the two and the other residents of the mansion were safe... for now, at least.