Dead Doll
Kairi was hanging out with her friend Selphie.
As anal as her mom was about safety, it wasn't like she was banned from going out with friends, just as long as she wasn't alone. It didn't always have to be Sora. He was just the most reliable escort since he lived next door.
They were doing some window shopping at Destiny Plaza, a shopping center in downtown. The place was known as the perfect marriage between big and small business. Between all the brand name mega stores were also independent shops. Somehow, they were able to coexist together.
Selphie was Kairi's best friend not named "Sora." Certain things can only be said between girls. They complemented each other well. Kairi's hard edge was offset by Selphie's bubbly vivacious demeanor, but she could be sickeningly sweet and idealistic at times.
Selphie was always a stickler for style. She often frowned upon any fashion faux pas and displayed her own sense, a combination of elegance and saccharine. Her brunette hair tapered off to the side, a childish cut that almost clashed with her provocative skirts, but she made it work.
They wandered into a trinket shop. Selphie was a sucker for charms and other superstitious junk. She lived with her head in the clouds, optimistic that favorable winds would blow and sweep her off her feet.
Kairi wondered how these small shops could survive selling obscure items and random stuff dug out the back of abandoned storage units. She examined racks of weird-looking statues of praying monks, tribal masks, and wooden figurines of extremely slim women. Were they supposed to be goddesses? There was a lot of stuff like that, small sculptures, pots, and items seemingly excavated from archeological digs. It was more of a museum than a store.
"How can I help you?"
They both turned to the counter where a middle-aged woman stood. She was the shopkeeper.
"Oh, we're just looking around," Kairi replied.
"For anything in particular?"
"Any love charms?" Selphie quipped.
The woman smiled gently. "I have just the thing." She pulled out a small doll from beneath the counter. It looked like an old rag doll with yellow yarn for hair and a patchy dress. It had a simple face, two black buttons for eyes and curved stitching for the mouth. "This is what you want."
The two girls looked at the item warily. It was not Selphie's style at all, but she was willing to give it a shot. "How does it work?"
The shopkeeper's smile was crooked. "This doll is a repository. It will take on all your worst traits but leave you with your best ones," she explained.
"How much?" the brunette asked.
Kairi gave her friend a confused look. "Are you serious?" It didn't take a genius to figure out that weird dolls being sold at weird shops was suspicious.
"Come on, it's not like it actually works, but charms have that positive psychological impact!" she replied cheerily.
"If you want, you can try it out for free," the shopkeeper interrupted. "If you don't like it, you can always return it."
"You hear that? Free."
Kairi shook her head. "Do whatever you want."
"I will!"
Kairi felt uneasy about the whole thing. Maybe it was because she grew up listening to Riku's ramblings which warped her mind to expect the worst out of every strange situation. The mysterious item sold at an odd shop was the set-up for many horror stories. She shrugged it off as unfounded paranoia. There was no reason to be worried. Right?
They were walking home as Selphie inspected her newly acquired doll. Despite its ragged appearance, the brunette was quite taken with it.
"Don't you find it creepy?" Kairi questioned.
"What are you talking about? It's cute in an old fashioned kind of way."
Kairi respectfully disagreed but kept it to herself.
As the week wore on, she began to notice changes in her friend's behavior. She was already very social, but something about her became even more magnetic. It was like she developed a slight sheen that made her sparkle. She didn't have to try as hard to get attention, it simply swarmed her.
"You see? Positive impact!" Selphie would yell delightedly.
Kairi wasn't so sure.
It was lunch time at school when she met up with Sora. They settled on a bench and ate their lunch as part of their ritual.
"Do you think something's off about Selphie?" the girl asked.
Sora absentmindedly stuffed his mouth with fries. He suddenly noticed Kairi giving him a curious stare. He quickly recovered, "Sorry, I wasn't listening. There's a lot on my mind lately. Did you hear? Tidus got arrested."
Kairi recoiled in shock. "For what?"
Sora gave a dull stare. "I'm not sure myself..." he muttered. "What's wrong with Selphie?" he asked, changing the subject.
Kairi was itching to learn more but returned to the matter at hand. She could always talk about Tidus later. "You haven't noticed? She's more popular now."
"She's always been popular," he excused.
"This is different, it's hard to describe..."
"If you're worried, then the best thing to do is look after her," he suggested.
It was sound advice, if a bit obvious. "Thanks, I'll do that. Do you mind if I visit her after school today?"
He grinned. "Of course I mind. It means I don't get to spend time with my girl."
She chuckled. "I'll make it up to you later."
"It's a promise then," he declared, winking.
Later that day, Kairi met Selphie at her locker. "Hey," she greeted.
The brunette turned around and smiled brightly. "Kairi! What's up?"
"You think I can come over today?"
"Sure. What's the reason?"
"No reason," she lied.
"Just a friendly visit?"
"I'm a little worried," she admitted.
"About what?"
Kairi wanted to say "you" but thought better of it. "Sora."
Selphie's eyes gleamed. It was the kind of topic she loved to talk about. "Ooh, trouble in paradise?"
The redhead smiled awkwardly. "Something like that."
"Sure. I don't mind!" she replied happily.
Sora's news hung over her head. "Did you hear? Tidus got arrested," Kairi informed solemnly.
The news didn't seem to faze the girl. "Oh really? Isn't he always joking around? I bet it was for something stupid."
Kairi tilted her head. "Aren't you worried?"
"These days, there's not much to worry about. It's better to be optimistic," she advised. "I'm sure whatever trouble Tidus is in will blow over soon enough."
"Um…about your doll…" she shifted, changing the conversation. "Where is it exactly?"
"What doll?" Selphie rebuffed. She didn't show any indication of lying.
"The one that we got from the weird shop three days ago. The rag doll?"
Selphie giggled. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The bell rang.
"I'll see you later Kai Kai!"
Kairi stood there, mystified by her friend's responses. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She kept telling herself that she was making a big deal out of nothing.
After school, the two girls headed for Selphie's home. They made some small talk but every time Kairi tried to bring up the doll, Selphie practiced ignorance—whether it was intentional or genuine, Kairi couldn't tell. They reached the front lawn when Selphie stopped.
"Do you mind giving me a couple minutes? I have to check the house real quick."
"Huh? For what?"
"I forgot I might have some visitors today," she recalled, rubbing her chin. "Let me make sure first."
"Uh…sure."
The brunette girl bounced over to the front door and disappeared inside.
Kairi waited by the lawn. She looked up at the sky and felt the sun's fury against her skin. She found a big tree off to the side, walked over to it, and cooled off under the shade. After waiting for several minutes, she decided to enter the house but Selphie came out.
"Sorry Kai, but I've got some visitors. Maybe next time?"
It wasn't a satisfactory answer. "Who's visiting?" she probed.
"Relatives." Something was off about the answer. The driveway was empty.
"Why are you trying to get me to leave?" she accused. "What's wrong?"
Selphie was offended. "Who says I'm trying to get you to leave? I'm being serious here. You can't visit right now, okay? It's not a good time."
"To hell with that." Ignoring her friend's pleas, Kairi bounded up to the front porch and entered. She was immediately met with curious gazes inside the living room. She recognized the faces as Selphie's relatives from old photos.
Selphie's mom spotted her. "Kairi? Can I help you?"
She was turning red from embarrassment. "Oh…oh, no, it's nothing. Sorry for intruding," she excused. She turned around and left the house, meeting Selphie outside.
"I told you so," the brunette admonished.
"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized. "I thought you were hiding something."
"What do I have to hide? Anyways, don't worry about it. Just come over tomorrow, okay? It should be fine then."
After another apology, Kairi left.
She went over to Sora's that night and told him what happened.
"I felt so embarrassed," she confessed.
Sora squeezed her hand. "You shouldn't be. You were just looking out for her."
"Do you think that I'm over thinking things?"
"These days, there's no such thing as being too careful. Just watch your back. I care about you too much."
His words made her feel warm. "Thanks…"
"Now then…didn't you make me a promise?"
She giggled. "I did, didn't I?"
The next day came but Selphie didn't show up to school. Kairi waited the whole day but Selphie never came. If she wasn't worried yesterday, she definitely was now. She asked Sora to come with her to Selphie's house after school ended.
When they got close to the house, Sora stopped in his tracks.
"What is it?" Kairi asked.
"Son of a bitch," he cursed. He walked up to the tree that Kairi had taken shade under yesterday. "It's a Gaologu tree. I saw the same damn thing at Tidus' house too. Now that I think about it, there's also another one at Pence's." He scanned the trunk until he found it. It was a symbol etched into the bark.
Kairi followed the boy and saw it. "That's it! The symbol I was talking about that one day," she gasped. "What does it mean?"
"I think it means we should invite ourselves in." The two locked eyes and nodded.
They walked up to the front door and Kairi was about to ring the bell when they noticed the door was slightly ajar. That was not a good sign.
"I'll look in Selphie's room," Kairi alerted.
Sora nodded back and began searching the living room.
Kairi walked up the stairs and looked at the hallway. Something about it was eerie. The air was too still and everything was quiet. She quickly made her way to Selphie's room and opened the door.
It was empty.
But there was something on the bed. She got closer to see what it was.
It was the doll.
But it looked different. The hair was no longer yellow, but brown. The buttons were replaced with green ones, and the new dress it was wearing looked suspiciously a lot like the one Selphie was wearing yesterday.
"Kairi."
She dropped the doll in surprise. "Damn it Sora, you scared me!"
He raised his hands to calm her down. "Sorry."
"What's that in your hand?" she asked.
It was a photo frame. "This is why I came up here. You said you recognized the relatives from these pictures right?" He showed her the photo. There were five men in it. They looked respectable and ready to set off on some kind of journey. Kairi had asked Selphie about it one time and she answered that they were old relatives.
"That's right."
He arched a brow. "But that's impossible."
"What are you talking about?" she asked. The way he said it scared her.
"These people in the pictures…they're all dead."
Yesterday's events flashed in her mind again. She definitely saw them. They were in that room, no doubt about it. "What? Don't joke with me, Sora!"
He shook his head gravely. "These aren't her relatives either. I've seen this photo before…at the school." He pointed to one of the men. "This man right here…do you remember when I told you about that time in the study room? That was him. Right here."
She looked at the man in the image and he was just as Sora described: gnarled face, deep wrinkles, pointed ears, and unsettling eyes. "But then...what does this all mean?"
"I don't know. I've searched the whole house and there's nobody here. It's like everybody's disappeared."
Kairi looked down and saw the doll by her feet. Its green eyes stared back, as if mocking and giggling at her.
She kicked it away in frustration.