Eli: Hey all! Chaosti, the chapter kind of evolved since I started writing
it. Glad you liked it, Lily. Thanks to everyone for reviews. I'll see about
that sequel. Here's the next chapter, Enjoy!
~
It was a quiet afternoon. Teresa and Gracie had finished their homework and were now playing. Teresa was busy playing the new version of 'Devil May Cry' as Gracie sat behind her with over a dozen Barbie dolls at her command. Teresa groaned as the huge fire dinosaur ate her character up.
"Ah man! He did it again!" She mumbled as she went to try again to kill the huge beast. Gracie looked up from the doll she was fixing up.
"You lost again?"
"Uh huh." She mumbled. "Gracie, you better not be putting my toys through any medical procedures! No autopsies or plastic surgeries or anything."
Gracie shook her head. "Of course not. Besides, your Barbie's already look like they have gotten plastic surgery. No wonder they can't stand up on their own." She said as she tried to make Cinderella Barbie stand up in her glass slippers and failed.
Teresa's fingers flew over the buttons of the controller as she attempted to kill the thing. "Dang it!" She growled as it killed her again. "The Beast of Inferno just won't die! This sucks!" She yelled as she threw down her controller.
"Hey! What's going on in here?" Gabriel asked. He had heard the noise and went to see what all the fuss was about.
"The stupid monster won't die!" Teresa explained as she picked up her controller and started to continue the game.
Gabriel stared at the screen and frowned. "Teresa, are you playing my new 'Devil May Cry' game?" Teresa nodded as she continued to play. "I didn't give you permission to play this, nor would I. This game is rated M!" He scolded her. Teresa struggled to play the game while still paying attention.
"You did too give me permission. I asked you on Sunday if I could play!" She argued as she had her character dodge out of the way of a blazing tail whip.
"No I didn't. When on Sunday?"
"Right before you started playing Unreal Tournament. I asked if I could play, and you said yes."
"Oh." He answered, trying to think back to that time. "I did?"
"Yup. Aw man! Daddy, you're killing me!" She said, frustrated, as her character took a major blow to his side. Gabriel backed off and looked over at Gracie, who had been ignoring them both as she played with the Barbie dolls.
"Hey, Grace. Whatcha doin'?" He asked. She looked up.
"Lots of stuff." She answered. "Want to hear?" She asked. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Sure, why not?" Gracie held up a blonde Ken doll and a Teresa doll. "These are the mommy and daddy. They were married, but now they're not." She told him as she separated the toys by putting them on opposite sides.
Then she held up a blonde skipper doll. "This is their daughter. She is very sad because her parents hate each other. People say she is the reason they broke up. Her parents hate her." She stated seriously as she started tying rope around the dolls neck. "Now she's going to make all her hurt go away." Gracie tied the other end of the string to the balcony of Teresa's doll house and let the skipper doll hand there.
"All better." Gracie said cheerfully. Gabriel stared at the sight wide eyed. She tilted her head and grabbed two more Barbie's. "Want to hear more?" She asks.
Gabriel winced. "Um, not right now. Teresa, why don't you stop killing the controller and put in another game, a two player game so that Gracie can play too?" He told her before he backed out of the room and picked up the telephone.
"Hello?"
"Vicky, it's me."
"Oh, hi. Is something wrong? You sound nervous. Is Gracie okay?"
"Well, sorta."
"What do you mean? Is she or isn't she okay?"
"It's hard to explain. Is there anyway you could leave work early?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Then do it and come over here as soon as you can."
~ Later ~
Vicky followed Gabriel to Teresa's room, anxious to see her daughter. "Gabe, this really isn't funny. What's wrong with Gracie?" She asked. He just shook his head and opened the door.
"Mommy!" Gracie cried out happily as she dropped the controller and gave her mother a hug.
"Hi Grace, is everything all right?" The little girl nodded. Vicky turned to Gabriel, waiting for an explanation.
"Gracie, why don't you show your mommy the same stuff you showed me earlier with the Barbie dolls?" He said to her quietly. Teresa switched her game to one player mode as Gracie went over to her dolls and acted out the scene again for Vicky.
Vicky's mouth dropped open as Gracie finished. The little girl tilted her head to the side, confused. "What's wrong?"
Vicky shook her head. "Nothing. Why don't you clean this up and get your backpack so that we can go home?" She nodded and started putting the dolls back into the house. Vicky turned to Gabriel, very upset. "Where did she learn that?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I have no clue."
Gracie finished cleaning and grabbed her back pack. "Ready, mommy." She said cheerfully. They said good-bye and left.
~ That night ~
Gracie was in her room playing with her own Barbie dolls. She was just playing before she had to go to bed. Vicky came in and sat down across from her on the floor. She was upset to see that Gracie and replayed her earlier story, her skipper doll currently hanging from her night stand.
"Gracie, where did you hear this story, with the girl who ends up hanging?" She asked.
"Oh, I learned it at school." She said casually as she started jamming one of her dolls into another dress.
"At school? From who?"
"The big boys from the high school. They were walking by and shouted to us about it. They thought it was really funny." She answered.
Vicky scowled at the thought of these boys who put such ideas into her daughter's head. She pushed it to the side for a moment to talk to Gracie.
"Now, Gracie, you know what they said isn't true, right?" Vicky asked her.
Gracie looked confused. ""It's not? But the boys said-" Vicky cut her off.
"Never mind what they said. The story isn't true. If you want an example, look at us." Gracie picked up her Ken doll and Teresa doll.
"Me and your father are divorced."
"I thought not until the papers come back."
"Well, mostly divorced." Gracie separated the two dolls. "But it's not because we hate each other, but because we don't belong together anymore." Gracie nodded sadly and put another Ken doll by the Teresa doll.
"That's you and Joey. You're together now." She said quietly. Vicky nodded.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean we hate each other. We maybe argue all the time, but that doesn't mean we hate each other. And it certainly isn't your fault, and we definitely don't hate you. So this," Vicky untied the rope around Skippers neck and took her down. "Isn't necessary. All right?" Gracie nodded and looked down at Skipper.
"But Mommy, where do I go?" She asked. She put Skipper with Teresa. "I want to stay with you." Then she put Skipper with Ken. "But I don't want Daddy to get lonely. I only see him every other Sunday."
Vicky took the Skipper doll from her hands. "Don't worry, he won't get lonely. And eventually." She picked up a Barbie doll and put it near the Ken doll. "He'll be with someone else, too. In fact, knowing your father, he might end up with this." Vicky pushed all the rest of the female dolls toward him. Gracie giggled. "Now, hop into bed, you have school tomorrow." Gracie put away her Barbie dolls and the Vicky tucked her into bed.
Coming Attractions:
Away From the Weirdness
~
It was a quiet afternoon. Teresa and Gracie had finished their homework and were now playing. Teresa was busy playing the new version of 'Devil May Cry' as Gracie sat behind her with over a dozen Barbie dolls at her command. Teresa groaned as the huge fire dinosaur ate her character up.
"Ah man! He did it again!" She mumbled as she went to try again to kill the huge beast. Gracie looked up from the doll she was fixing up.
"You lost again?"
"Uh huh." She mumbled. "Gracie, you better not be putting my toys through any medical procedures! No autopsies or plastic surgeries or anything."
Gracie shook her head. "Of course not. Besides, your Barbie's already look like they have gotten plastic surgery. No wonder they can't stand up on their own." She said as she tried to make Cinderella Barbie stand up in her glass slippers and failed.
Teresa's fingers flew over the buttons of the controller as she attempted to kill the thing. "Dang it!" She growled as it killed her again. "The Beast of Inferno just won't die! This sucks!" She yelled as she threw down her controller.
"Hey! What's going on in here?" Gabriel asked. He had heard the noise and went to see what all the fuss was about.
"The stupid monster won't die!" Teresa explained as she picked up her controller and started to continue the game.
Gabriel stared at the screen and frowned. "Teresa, are you playing my new 'Devil May Cry' game?" Teresa nodded as she continued to play. "I didn't give you permission to play this, nor would I. This game is rated M!" He scolded her. Teresa struggled to play the game while still paying attention.
"You did too give me permission. I asked you on Sunday if I could play!" She argued as she had her character dodge out of the way of a blazing tail whip.
"No I didn't. When on Sunday?"
"Right before you started playing Unreal Tournament. I asked if I could play, and you said yes."
"Oh." He answered, trying to think back to that time. "I did?"
"Yup. Aw man! Daddy, you're killing me!" She said, frustrated, as her character took a major blow to his side. Gabriel backed off and looked over at Gracie, who had been ignoring them both as she played with the Barbie dolls.
"Hey, Grace. Whatcha doin'?" He asked. She looked up.
"Lots of stuff." She answered. "Want to hear?" She asked. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Sure, why not?" Gracie held up a blonde Ken doll and a Teresa doll. "These are the mommy and daddy. They were married, but now they're not." She told him as she separated the toys by putting them on opposite sides.
Then she held up a blonde skipper doll. "This is their daughter. She is very sad because her parents hate each other. People say she is the reason they broke up. Her parents hate her." She stated seriously as she started tying rope around the dolls neck. "Now she's going to make all her hurt go away." Gracie tied the other end of the string to the balcony of Teresa's doll house and let the skipper doll hand there.
"All better." Gracie said cheerfully. Gabriel stared at the sight wide eyed. She tilted her head and grabbed two more Barbie's. "Want to hear more?" She asks.
Gabriel winced. "Um, not right now. Teresa, why don't you stop killing the controller and put in another game, a two player game so that Gracie can play too?" He told her before he backed out of the room and picked up the telephone.
"Hello?"
"Vicky, it's me."
"Oh, hi. Is something wrong? You sound nervous. Is Gracie okay?"
"Well, sorta."
"What do you mean? Is she or isn't she okay?"
"It's hard to explain. Is there anyway you could leave work early?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Then do it and come over here as soon as you can."
~ Later ~
Vicky followed Gabriel to Teresa's room, anxious to see her daughter. "Gabe, this really isn't funny. What's wrong with Gracie?" She asked. He just shook his head and opened the door.
"Mommy!" Gracie cried out happily as she dropped the controller and gave her mother a hug.
"Hi Grace, is everything all right?" The little girl nodded. Vicky turned to Gabriel, waiting for an explanation.
"Gracie, why don't you show your mommy the same stuff you showed me earlier with the Barbie dolls?" He said to her quietly. Teresa switched her game to one player mode as Gracie went over to her dolls and acted out the scene again for Vicky.
Vicky's mouth dropped open as Gracie finished. The little girl tilted her head to the side, confused. "What's wrong?"
Vicky shook her head. "Nothing. Why don't you clean this up and get your backpack so that we can go home?" She nodded and started putting the dolls back into the house. Vicky turned to Gabriel, very upset. "Where did she learn that?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I have no clue."
Gracie finished cleaning and grabbed her back pack. "Ready, mommy." She said cheerfully. They said good-bye and left.
~ That night ~
Gracie was in her room playing with her own Barbie dolls. She was just playing before she had to go to bed. Vicky came in and sat down across from her on the floor. She was upset to see that Gracie and replayed her earlier story, her skipper doll currently hanging from her night stand.
"Gracie, where did you hear this story, with the girl who ends up hanging?" She asked.
"Oh, I learned it at school." She said casually as she started jamming one of her dolls into another dress.
"At school? From who?"
"The big boys from the high school. They were walking by and shouted to us about it. They thought it was really funny." She answered.
Vicky scowled at the thought of these boys who put such ideas into her daughter's head. She pushed it to the side for a moment to talk to Gracie.
"Now, Gracie, you know what they said isn't true, right?" Vicky asked her.
Gracie looked confused. ""It's not? But the boys said-" Vicky cut her off.
"Never mind what they said. The story isn't true. If you want an example, look at us." Gracie picked up her Ken doll and Teresa doll.
"Me and your father are divorced."
"I thought not until the papers come back."
"Well, mostly divorced." Gracie separated the two dolls. "But it's not because we hate each other, but because we don't belong together anymore." Gracie nodded sadly and put another Ken doll by the Teresa doll.
"That's you and Joey. You're together now." She said quietly. Vicky nodded.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean we hate each other. We maybe argue all the time, but that doesn't mean we hate each other. And it certainly isn't your fault, and we definitely don't hate you. So this," Vicky untied the rope around Skippers neck and took her down. "Isn't necessary. All right?" Gracie nodded and looked down at Skipper.
"But Mommy, where do I go?" She asked. She put Skipper with Teresa. "I want to stay with you." Then she put Skipper with Ken. "But I don't want Daddy to get lonely. I only see him every other Sunday."
Vicky took the Skipper doll from her hands. "Don't worry, he won't get lonely. And eventually." She picked up a Barbie doll and put it near the Ken doll. "He'll be with someone else, too. In fact, knowing your father, he might end up with this." Vicky pushed all the rest of the female dolls toward him. Gracie giggled. "Now, hop into bed, you have school tomorrow." Gracie put away her Barbie dolls and the Vicky tucked her into bed.
Coming Attractions:
Away From the Weirdness