Chapter 3
-Lillian pov-
I turned the key in the back of the doll and it slowly creaked to life. It was a little… disappointing… considering everything that had happened before I was expecting more… like… In all honesty I don't know what I WAS expecting but this was not it.
"Could you please put me down?" a small voice said
I looked around startled but no-one else was here. Holding the doll in one arm I went to the widow again and looked around.
"No-one's out there" the voice came again
"Well where are you? Who are you?" I looked to the mirror and put to my hand to the glass "are you in here? Woa-" as I said this I nearly fell through the glass.
"Honestly… humans are so stupid sometimes" The voice said, it was close "you can't even hold a doll right!"
I looked down at the doll in my arms and it was looking back at me. I gasped and fell backwards dropping it in the process. She landed lightly and turned to face me. Her light green eyes looked at me indignantly.
"Now really is that anyway to treat a lady?" she said quietly
"But- but- but… You're a doll!"
"I'm not just a doll. I am a Rozen maiden. Alice Rozen to be quite precise!"
"A rose what now?" I replied still very confused. She walked towards me and leant close to my face.
"Are you deaf? RO, like a line, ZEN like the Buddhist discipline-"
"I'm not dumb! You don't need to spell it out for me that much!"
"Then stop acting dumb!" wow she's bossy "and listen when I am speaking!"
"Fine fine just stop yelling!"
"Why should I?"
"Lillian? Sweety?" mum was at the door "Is everything ok in there? "
"I'm fine mum! Just watching some videos!" I said hastily so she'd go away.
-Fathers POV-
It was dark and cold… Enju had locked me in the room I had made for Alice. The once bright and warm room had had any and all fixings and furniture ripped out and the windows had been shattered with Barasuishous crystals. I sat on the floor quietly and waited for Enju to come in and taunt me again. About how I'd lost the one thing I actually cared about and how she hated being my creation. I had to stay strong. I knew the Alice game wasn't something the maidens enjoyed but it felt like a necessary step… Was I really so wrong to make my dolls fight?
As I was debating this Enju waltz through the door with a smug look on his face. Following behind him quietly was Barasuishou with a cold expression on her face.
"Rozen! How's the breeze treating you?" Enju merrily laughed
"Enju you know I have no taste for the cold. Now why are you in such an unusually happy mood?"
"Ah, sorry! I let my usually calm demeanour slip." He cleared his throat. He was obviously mocking me.
As our conversation continued I could see Barasuishou setting up seeds for crystals by one of the broken windows. If I remember right this made it easier for her to create a large amount of special crystals that showed the view of whatever dimension she chose. I gave the same ability to my seventh doll Kirakishou… however she did not need the seeds for it. This thought made me smirk, just the fact that I could have one up on Enju was enough to keep me sane until Alice got back.
"Are you even listening Rozen?!" Enju said quickly trying to keep his anger restrained… and failing rather spectacularly.
"Yes I am but to be honest you are quite boring. I'm meant to be the teacher remember, you are my apprentice"
"Ah! That is where you are wrong! Behold Rozen, your precious Alice!" As he said this Barasuishou created the crystals and they showed a picture of Alice and a small blonde girl in a cluttered green room. Alice was giving instructions and the blonde girl was arguing. My eyes widened as the scene unfolded. A sound caught their attention. The girl panicked holding her finger to her lips and tried to pull Alice into her box. Of course the Shinku and Hinaichigo in Alice refused as she jumped out the way and insisted on hiding outside the window. The blonde girl tried to grab her but Alice used her wings to jump up and fly over her before pulling at the latch on the window. The images paused and Enju turned to me again, visibly pleased with the reaction he got.
"Am I still boring?" Enju said calmly.
"Where… where is that?" I said trying to stay calm but however hard I tried I couldn't keep the nervousness and anger still inside me!
"Well… I would tell you… but how boring would that be?" Enju replied smirking
"You…" I took some deep breaths to steady myself and stood up "Tell me where my daughter is."
"She's in a green room-" Enju said mockingly. I grabbed the material of his shirt around his neck and lifted him slightly
"Enju I am not dumb now tell me where-"
"Father?" a small voice came from the door way.
There, in a small pink dress with a big pink bow on her head was…
"Hinaichigo?!" Enju said obviously confused
"Father? Where am I?" Hinaichigo said timidly "why are they here? Wha-" before she could finish Barasuishou had leapt at her and had restrained her.
"Get off of her!" I shouted as I ran towards them. Enju grabbed at the back of my jacket and pulled me backwards pulling himself forwards to get faster than me.
-Barasuishou pov-
I had pinned Hinaichigo down by the shoulder and knee joints. It was clear from her dazed and confused face she had only just woken up from a sleep. But she wasn't meant to be awake or asleep at all. She had lost the Alice game to Kirakishou and had given her Rozen Mystica to Shinku.
"Please! Stop! I just want to see father!" she tried to get out my grasp as she struggled to get free "father help!"
I pulled a dome of large crystals up around us so father couldn't get to us… It also meant I could get off of the screaming brat and give my joints a rest…
I had been creaking ever since Enju woke me up to kidnap Alice… I must not be used to sleeping for so long… I'm still very tired and really I'm not up to full strength. If I was I would have found a better way to restrain Hinaichigo.
Hinaichigo ran to the wall of crystals nearest to Enju and Rozen.
"Father!" she cried "father! Can you hear me?!"
"This crystal is thick enough to distort voices…" I said a little out of breath "they can hear you… just…"
She turned to me looking as if she was about to cry.
"why am I here?" She said tearfully
"I was about to ask you the same question" I replied now rather annoyed "look… I'll make you a deal."
She looked at me hesitantly as I moved the image of the green room from the special crystals to the inside of these crystals and let the images play.
-Alice's POV-
The latch on the window was old and rusty. Of course as I still don't have a source of power I wasn't able to open it without waiting huge amounts of energy.
"Just hide under the bed!" the blonde girl whispered
"Why must I hide from your mother again?" I hastily replied
"Are you crazy?! Any sane person would freak out at the sight of a moving talking doll! Let alone one with a thought pattern!"
"Thanks! At least I have something most humans don't'!"
"The ability to terrify a human?"
"No! A recognisable thought pattern!"
"Sweetie?" her mother called from the door again as the girl pushed my box under her bed "listen, I'm coming in!" as she said this, the door was pushed open a bit. I had no more time to argue. I dove under the bed and closed my wings.
"Hi mum" the girl said as she put a small white rectangle on the floor (I assumed it is what Tomoe had called a "phone") and pulled herself of the floor.
"Lillian" at least I have a name for the girl at this point "what on earth were those strange noises?"
"I told you mum I was watching a video on you-" my attention was taken away from the conversation at hand when I saw a Detective Kunkun magazine next to my box. I slowly reached for the magazine so my dress didn't rustle. I pulled it next to me and turned so it was in front of me.
"I don't know what's so appealing about watching about watching people play games online!"
"Mum you wouldn't understand it's not just a game it's pok-" I couldn't bear listening to such a trivial conversation so I flicked through the pages of the magazine quietly. So much had changed since Shink and Suisesuki had last watched Detective Kunkun! It was now being rebooted after about five years of not airing and incredible amounts of effort where being put in to make sure it was as near to the original plot as possible… fascinating.
During this time of my reading and the argument that had broken out between Lillian and her mother I started feeling drained… something was different and I just couldn't put my finger in it…
-Lillian POV-
By the time the doll had managed to dive under my bed mu had barged her way into my room.
"Hi mum" I said and put my phone down as if I had been looking at it.
"Lillian what on earth were those strange noises?"
"I told you mum I was watching a video on you-"
"What was the video about?"
"Why do you want to know?" I said this and felt one of my magazines brush over the tips of my fingers… apparently the doll had gotten bored of our talking.
"I'm just worried because of the amount of strange noises I heard."
"Mum you don't need to worry. I was watching someone play a game"
"I don't know what's so appealing about watching about watching people play games online!"
"Mum you wouldn't understand it's not just a game it's pok-"
"Listen I don't care what game it is! It's complete and under nonsense and it's rotting your brain!"
"Then why have you bought me every game in the series?"
"If I've bought you every game in the series why do you need to watch someone play it online?"
"Because their funny! It's a good laugh!"
"Well stop it! It's a waste of time and-" I'd had enough of hearing this. I walked out the room and into the bathroom. Mu was banging on the door demanding I come out and talk to her. I wasn't going to budge. I spent all evening sat in the bath reading a gaming magazine dad had bought ages ago. I didn't even come out for dinner. Dad started to beg and plead and of course this started an argument between him and Mum.
I eventually came out about midnight. Dad had left my food outside the door so I took it into my room and ate it. I went to sleep in my school cloths and set my alarm for half an hour earlier…
It was only when my head hit the pillow did I remember the gum in my hair.