'Tscchh'

'Tsschh'

'Tsschh'

The sounds of the pen engraving words on the surface of a rough paper filled the dark empty room. It was the only room in Donna's hillside Estate where she kept no dolls or anything but paper and writing pens. Not even Angie was allowed unless she wanted to write something out for herself. It was her private space- the place full of her life's mystery.

It was silent, so silent that she could hear her own beating heart. Donna's head swayed from side to side to the rhythm of her heartbeat- it was music to her ears. It was the only thing in her body that let her feel human- a tiny bit human. Her mouth opened partly, soft sounds of the vowel 'A' escaped from her lips in a specific tempo. It was the lullaby her mother used to sing to her. And somehow, combined with her heartbeat, it was a beautiful medley. Standing up from her chair, losing herself to her song, Donna gracefully spun around with little hand gestures, sweeping through the entire room. Until she stopped in front of her mirror. Her reflection.

There was something about Donna that both Angie and Mother Miranda (the only two people who have seen her without her veil) couldn't shake off. She was beautiful- hauntingly beautiful. She may not have been the objective definition of beauty, but some magnetism radiated off the naked flesh of her face. There was always something about her eye- a certain depth of emotional chaos that churned within her projected through her dark orbs. Even the scar couldn't take that bone-chilling charm away from her; rather, it heightened her enchanting spirit. It wasn't just in her face, no. It was there even in her voice. A voice that she rarely used outside the walls of her estate. A voice that could hypnotise anyone who hears it, like Death's lure to the graveyard. A Siren's Song.

It was a shame that the Dollmaker was never aware of the effect she has on whoever makes eye contact with her. Her hand traced the soft skin of her face, feeling each part of it. Her finger ran over the delicate flesh of her lower lip, pulling it down gently and letting it snap back up with a soft 'plop' sound. Finally, her hands reached the part of her face she despised the most. Her scar, now worsened by the cysts growing in it. 'Disgusting,' she thought. She tried to place a hand on the damaged flesh, looking at her reflection without it. She felt disturbed.

'It isn't something anyone should see.'

Tears sprang up in her eyes as she kept staring at herself, cursing her face. Just like how she was cursed by those children on the streets when she was younger. "Monster!" They would shriek, running away from her, as she looked down at her feet with wet eyes and tear-stained cheeks. She would hug Angie tighter and tighter, wishing for the pain, the hurt and the humiliation to go away. 'Go away. Go away. I want to go away. Forever.' Sadly, fate never fulfilled her longstanding wish. It had too many plans for her.

Something was wrong. Donna felt like...She couldn't stand. She kept tumbling; she felt as if she was in an earthquake, except that the Earth wasn't shaking. She rested her hand against the wall for support, slowly leaning herself down. She turned towards the mirror again, but she didn't see herself. She saw the children- the ones who taunted her for her scar. Her eyes widened in fear, her mouth open to let out a scream, but no sound came out. She felt a certain tightness in her chest, like something blocking the air from going in.

'MONSTER!'

'CURSED!'

'EVIL!'

Donna raised her hands to her ears, clamping them shut. She buried her face in her knees, whimpers and sobs escaping from her lips. "Make it stop!" She whispered to the voices around her that threw vile words at her. But the sounds grew louder and louder, almost to the point of making her deaf. Until a loud screech interrupted the voices. The sound of the screech pierced through her ears, a sharp pain jolting through them. She gritted her teeth in pain, wishing for everything to stop. Wishing to go away. And then came an unknown scream. It was a helpless scream.

The girl slowly opened her eyes to look at the mirror again. And this time, she saw herself screaming. She looked hideous. Donna stretched her hands out to the mirror, tracing the reflection. It was an attempt to soothe it, to make it stop screaming. "Shhh...Don't worry. No can help us except ourselves," She whispered to the reflection. These were the last words that her mother had muttered to her before her death. Mother's warm embrace. She missed her mother's touch. She missed burying her head in the soft flesh of her mother's breasts while the woman stroke her hair with extreme adoration and affection every time Donna cried. "You are different, beautifully different," She would whisper in her ears with that tender affection in her eyes. "Momma," She sobbed softly, wishing for the lost warmth. The one lost to Death forever.

The reflection stopped screaming, and now, it mimicked her. She stared at herself with an impassive expression. Once again, she traced her soft facial skin, but this time with the image of her mother in her mind. She had her mother's eye. She had her mother's nose. She had her mother's lips. She looked like her mother. She had her mother's face. A small bittersweet smile curled on her lips as she looked at herself for a little longer. She was a monstrous version of her mother. "I have an ugly face. An ugly face, but momma's."

Unaware to her, Angie witnessed the entire scene through the small opening of the door. A deep sigh escaped from her mouth as she decided to leave Donna alone to her thoughts. If only Donna knew how bewitching her face was- sharp features with a delicate touch . How entrancing her doe-like eyes were. How alluring her lush lips were. If only she knew about the enthralling effect she had on people she made eye contact with. She would have made the perfect siren if only she knew how dangerous her beauty was.