Chapther 2 - The Mall
Melinda's mother drove into a large area of the shopping mall, the parking lot was filled with cars of different colors, sizes, and brands, the large building was white, with large billboards, and signs with various advertising motifs covered the facade.
Melinda's mother parked a short distance from the entrance to the mall and before she, and her daughter part ways. Her mother turned to tell her that she wouldn't be able to come and pick her up due to a dinner party.
"That's okay, mom. I'll just take a taxi home." Melinda replied with a smile.
The mother looked doubtful at the idea of her daughter taking a taxi back home. "Are you sure? Taxis can be expensive."
Melinda kept her assured smile and answered. "It's fine, mom. I've my own money."
Mrs Clair nodded. "Alright, honey. Love you."
"Love you too."
After getting out of her mother's car, Melinda walked through the massive parking lot towards the shopping mall. A large crowd of people was coming in and out of the great building. Each person came out with a variety of products in their hands. Either with one or several bags from different stores.
Melinda looked up at the massive building and one perticulary poster of the large shopping mall caught Melinda's eye. A big beautiful poster of both Cloud and Sephiroth was covereng a large part of the glass entrance of the shopping small, and Melinda gazed upon it with admiration. She could hardly wait to get inside of this marvelous building and get her little hands on a copy of the new game.
She took a deep breath and enters the mall. The inside of the mall is bright and filled with people. It's Saturday and the mall is a perfect place to be for this occasion. She walks past shops filled with goods and people shopping, but her eyes are on... something else. She keeps walking until she finds the store she's been longing for. The game store.
As she walks into the store, she is greeted by a massive display of final fantasy merch. There are life-size wax dolls of all the characters. The store was exactly as she had imagined it. People walked around the shopping center dressed as different characters from the game she looked around and was completely lost in amazement, but one thing in particular caught her eyes even more than anything was the doll of Reno.
She couldn't help, but feel some what drawn to it. She approched the doll, staring at it with a mixture of fascination and desire while taking picture of it with her phone.
The doll seem to stare back at her its emerald eyes almost seeming to pierce into her soul. As she stares at it, she finds herself increasingly enthralled by its handsome features and mysterious presence.
The young woman continued to stare at the Reno doll and for a second she thought she saw the doll's eyes move. She looked away and down at the dirty floor of the mall. She was baffled at what she had just seen, or what she thought she had seen. She blinked a couple of times and jumped to a quick conclusion in her head.
~This week with both work and school has been long, maybe I'm just more exhausted than I thought?~
Melinda returned to stare at the doll, the doll's eyes seem to follow her every move. She suddenly noticed that the doll's eyes were moving yet again and this time she took a step back.
"What the...was that?...No. No, it couldn't be. I'm just tired. Yeah, that's it. I'm just tired." Yet she was convinced that she saw the eyes of the figure move.
The doll remains motionless, but the young woman is filled with doubt. She can't help, but feel like the doll is alive and that its eyes are staring straight at her.
The young woman becomes increasingly anxious, wondering what she should do.
Melinda's heart is beating rapidly as she stares at the doll. She has never felt this way before, filled with so much fear and uncertainty. She is overcome with a sinking feeling that something is very wrong.
She takes a few deep breaths, trying to compose herself, but the anxiety and sense of dread only intensifies. The young woman starts to feel like she is being watched, that the doll is somehow watching her back.
Melinda is filled with fascination and dread, but she decides to buy the game and the doll anyway.
At first the store clerk tries to inform Melinda that the wax doll of Reno is only for display and not for sale.
"Miss, you can't buy the doll."
Melinda looks at the store clerk with a mixture of frustration and desire, she is determined to get this doll one way or another.
The clerk notices Melinda's determination and gives in.
"Fine, it's just that... this doll has been causing some problems recently."
Both Melinda and the clerk looked over at the wax doll standing at the entrance to the game shop.
"What kind of problems?" Asked Melinda curiously without taking her eyes off the doll. Perhaps the store clerks had seen the doll's eyes move too, or received complaints if the doll seemed too realistic?
The clerk sigh. "This doll has been moving. We've had several reports from customers who say they've seen it moving its eyes and head. It's kinda creepy, really."
Melinda couldn't help, but notice that the store clerk seemed anxious about the doll's presence in the store. She had seen the doll's eyes move herself, or so she thought.
"Is it just the Reno doll, or is it all the dolls?" Asked Melinda the clerk.
The clerk thought about Melindas question for a moment. "Just the Reno doll. The rest of the wax dolls seem to be acting normal as far as we can tell."
"Normal?" Repeated Melinda with a raised eyebrow.
The store clerk laughed nervously. "Well, I meant the other dolls are acting like normal dolls. We haven't had any reports from customers about them moving or doing anything strange."
Melinda looked at the clerk and swallowed before asking. "Have you seen the doll do something with your own two eyes? I mean do you believe the reports?"
The clerk sighs. "Yes, I saw it move myself. It was a bit unnerving. I was closing up for the night when I saw its head tilt slightly and it kept looking at me. It was...kind of freaky." The young woman could hear how the clerk's voice shifted from nervous to more anxious.
"Are you sure? I'm not saying you're crazy, but sometimes our eyes play tricks. Maybe you were just tired?"
The clerk thought for a moment. "I suppose there's always a chance that I was mistaken, but I'm pretty sure that I saw it move. It's hard to explain and it's not something I've ever experienced before, but the doll definitely seemed like it was alive, even if that sounds crazy."
Melinda looked nervously at the doll and agreed with the clerk. "It does look fairly realistic..." Melinda turned her attention back to the man behind the counter. "Are you sure you haven't seen the other dolls move too?"
The clerk shook his head. "No, it's only the Reno doll. It's definitely the most realistic looking doll we have. I'm not surprised that some people would think it's alive. It's a little strange though, isn't it?"
"Strange?" Asked Melinda.
The clerk nodded. "It's certainly unusual for a doll to move like that and it's even more strange that it's only the Reno doll. I think it's because it's so realistic looking, it seems like it almost moves on its own."
Melinda couldn't help, but feel a sense of dread trailing down her spine at the thought that the doll might be haunted, but she still wanted to buy it.
""Um...do you mind calling the manager? I'd like to buy the doll, please?"
The clerk nods and walks over to the phone behind him. "Sure, give me a second and I'll give him a quick call."
"Thank you."Replied Melinda politely as she bit her lip nervously, hoping the store manager would agree to her buying the doll.
The clerk dials a number on the phone and waits a few seconds before the manager picks up.
The young woman waits patiently at the counter.
He explains the situation to the manager and puts him on speaker so that Melinda can hear as well.
The manager is silent for a moment, contemplating what the clerk had just said. Then, he finally speaks. "So we have a customer who'd like to buy this doll even thought we have received reports claiming that it is moving, is that correct?"
Melinda swallows and tries to shake off the claim that the doll is moving "Sir, I don't believe the doll is moving and yes, I'd like to buy the doll, please."
The store manager is quiet for a while and Melinda could tell he was clearly unsure what to do. Then, he finally speaks. "Alright. She wants to buy it, so I guess we gotta sell it. Just make sure to warn her that it's not a regular doll."
The clerk nods and puts down the phone. He turns back towards Melinda. "The manager has agreed to sell it to you, but you must admit that you've been warned that this doll might not be a regular doll. Is that alright?"
Melinda nods at him. "I understand." She hesitate for a second, but speaks again. "Do I need to sign something?" The clerk notice something in the corner of his right eye and looks puzzled at the Reno doll that was standing near the store's entrance. He couldn't help thinking he sees the doll smiling. Does the doll know that it has just been bought by this young naive woman?
The clerk doesn't answer right away. He's caught off guard by the strange feeling he gets from the doll. He can't help, but feel like it's watching both him and Melinda. He shakes his head and clears his throat before responding to her.
"No, you don't need to sign anything. Just be careful with the doll, okay? It might be a little weird."
"Yeah," Began Melinda. ",but you don't think it might harm me, do you?"
The clerk shrugged. He didn't know what to tell her. He has no idea if the doll is going to do anything strange or whether it might harm her.
"Honestly, I don't know. It's probably fine, but just be careful anyway."
Melinda thanks the clerk for his service and pays for both the game, and the doll.
The clerk takes the money and gives her a quick smile. "No problem. Just be careful with that doll, alright?"
Melinda smiled back at the clerk and promised him that she would be careful. "Thank you."
The clerk nods and watches as Melinda leaves the store with the doll and the game. He feels a bit uneasy about the whole thing, but pushes the feeling aside. After all, it's just a doll, right?