Chapter 3-4 Alice Winters
Alice opened the double doors so her and Hilda could go into the house. With a bit of effort, they stepped inside and she saw how uncharacteristically welcoming it was. The floors were made of wooden boards, the walls were a cream color to add light into the room. The foyer was made of mahogany material, with a stairwell leading up to a second floor. The walls were decorated with lamps, plates and pictures as a green pattern rug laid in the center with a table and rocking chair over it. A basket of yellow and white thread sat on the surface of the furniture, along with silver ribbons and what appeared to be snow colored frills of some kind. Pages of outfit designs were in a sketchbook next to the sewing material, and a yellow flower sitting in a vase, the same type from Claudia's grave. The moderate décor was a significant contrast to the gothic and luxurious themes in the castle. Alice noticed how quiet it was, which she didn't like. It made her wonder if she was being watched, but didn't know by who or where.
Her eyes caught sight of a portrait hanging on the wall next to the stairwell. It was a photo of a striking woman in black with a fair face, ebony hair put up in a bun and piercing brown eyes. There was a scar above her left eye, but it was so thin you had to truly look to notice it. Next to her was a doll with the jaw open, wearing a white wedding dress to contract against what the human was wearing. Alice speculated that the human woman must have been Donna Beneviento, the Lady of the Estate and one of the four Lords. She seemed like an ordinary woman, but this photo must have been taken before she became a pawn to Miranda. Still, Alice couldn't deny she was beautiful.
Hilda stepped forward and noticed the picture on the wall, as she seemed marveled. "I've never seen Lady Beneviento's face before." She admitted. "She usually hides behind that veil."
"Has she always worn that clothing over her head?" Alice asked.
"Ever since her parents died. I think it's a mourning veil, from what Luiza told me." Hilda explained.
"Guess she didn't get over the death of her parents… not that I can blame her." Alice admitted. She could relate to Donna, but that didn't mean she was going to forgive her for what she did to her family. They headed through a door behind the table and chair, leading them to a living room for Alice to look around. The floors were still made of wooden boards, but many rugs of sizes and colors were laid out, holding furniture such as tables, chairs, couches and even desks. A white fireplace sat against one side of the wall, as chandeliers of candles and bulbs hung in different places on the ceiling. Pots and food hung from strings on a few of the ceiling boards, and shelves lined with books against the walls. Alice also noticed a small, porcelain doll in a brown dress and curly hair that matched her outfit standing on one of the bookshelves. She had the sun and moon crest right on the torso. She stared at the Winters with those unblinking eyes, full of warning and caution. As if they were telling Alice to turn back or else.
Alice looked around the rest of the room, still no sign of any life or the Lady herself. "Where is everyone?" She questioned, becoming more confused and even anxious. Surely Lady Beneviento would have been anticipating their arrival, otherwise why would there be flickering lights and that message on the wall in the elevator?
"Maybe Lady Beneviento is still out?" Hilda shrugged.
"If that were the case, I doubt she would have the doors unlocked." Alice retorted. "Stay close, the last thing we need is for us to split up." Hilda nodded at the order, while Alice checked the rest of the room. The only other thing that was of interest was a note resting on the desk. It was a hand drawn, colored image of the flowers that were around Claudia's grave. There was some text written around the picture, which appeared to have been written in Italian. "Of course it's in one of the languages I don't know…" Alice muttered, setting the sheet back down. There was something off about the particular flower. Donna must have had some sort of obsession with it, since she had seen it so many times around and even in the Estate. Could the flower somehow be connected to Donna's powers?
They kept going, opening another door which led them to a long hallway covered in yellow wallpaper with red rose prints. Some sides looked like they were torn off or peeling, and the narrow space had a few rugs and dresser drawers. On top of the surfaces of the tables, she saw more of those flowers in vases, making her gut feeling go into high gear. She didn't trust the flora one bit, but didn't know why. The two walked down the lit hall, eventually seeing an elevator shaft with iron bars waiting for them at the end. Seeing such a modern machine in a traditional style house surprised Alice, but she couldn't keep questioning everything she saw. Once she pressed the button and the bars opened, her and Hilda headed into the small lift and headed down, descending to the lower floor. Alice wasn't sure why, but she felt her nerves tightening the longer they stayed in this place. There was something disturbing about this house. Something… unnatural.
Once they reached the basement, they stepped out and noticed how different it was compared to the upstairs. Green hardwood decorated the flooring, with brown-mahogany walls and even more tables with yellow flowers, lamps or pictures next to emerald chairs and a leather couch. It certainly was spacious, Alice admitted. But why would a person who lives alone need so many rooms and floors? They walked down the hall, Hilda close to Alice. Their ears began to pick up the sound of upbeat music of bagpipes and stringed instruments nearby. It caught Alice off guard for a moment, but she had to collect herself. They turned a few corners, where the walls turned into a pasty white as double oak doors were at the end of the hall. Bracing herself, Alice opened them and scanned the area.
The room beyond the barrier was just as terrifying. Doll limbs hung above the ceiling from arms, legs and even heads. Tables, desks, and shelves were stacked against the brick or wooden walls. Chipped ceramic covered the floors and in the center of the room were two things. The first was a table covered in a cloth that appeared to be hiding something underneath. In front of that was a chair holding a strange doll in a white wedding dress, similar to the one in the painting, but her head was tilted down and the arms rested by her side. Alice admitted that this was the creepiest room she had seen so far in the Estate.
"I know she's supposed to be the doll maker, but this is a bit overkill…" Alice noted as she couldn't take her eyes off the hanging artificial limbs.
Hilda stepped forward, noticing the doll that rested in the chair. "That's Angie! She's Lady Beneviento's favorite doll!" The child explained. "She was a gift from her late father, so Lady Beneviento never goes anywhere without her."
Alice checked the doll over, unnerved by the appearance. "Looks more like the Devil's Doll to me." Alice noted. She gazed at the figurine's lap and saw something sitting there: A yellow flask that was similar to the one Rose's head was in. A smile found itself onto her face as they found the second Rose Flask. Though it was odd that it was just sitting there, waiting to be taken. This made Alice skeptical. "This seems too easy…"
Hilda on the other hand stepped forward and reached for the Flask. "I'm sure Lady Beneviento will understand." The child tried to reason, not sensing any red flags. Just as the younger one was about to grab the flask, the lights in the room started to flicker until darkness was all they could see.
Alice held her breath, as her anxiety was rising. In the blackness, she heard a feminine voice call out to her, like a child. "We've been waiting for you." She told her as the voice sounded close yet far. "You make a much better sibling than those rejects. Please… won't you stay with us, forever?" She giggled hysterically, leaving the Winters baffled.
"What…?" She lost her train of thought as the lights slowly came back on. When she was able to see again, she looked around and noticed many things. The first thing she realized was that the doll, Angie, was no longer in the chair and the flask was gone as well. Alice realized that Beneviento was testing her, and this was the start of her torment. Another thing missing from the picture was the human child that was with Alice had disappeared as well. "Hilda?!" The older woman looked around the room, but there was no trace of the younger one anywhere. Did Angie or Beneviento take her away? But it wasn't just Hilda, Angie and the flask missing. Alice looked at her belt, shocked when she realized her inventory was cleared out, saved for the case she had for collecting the Mold Samples. "Shit, they left me weaponless…" Now Alice was alone and defenseless in this Estate she knew nothing about, with a woman who had powers she was not aware of to the full extent. Being toyed with like a rat in a maze.
Her green eyes looked back at the clothed table as there was now something laying on top of it. A human sized female doll dressed in a white wedding outfit, with silver gloves as her hands rested on her stomach. When she stepped closer, Alice noticed that the figurine's facial features were eerily similar to her own, with blond hair the same length as hers. "Is this… supposed to be me?" This weirded Alice out. How could Donna have created a doll version of the Winters so quickly, especially when the other Lords probably didn't even know about her yet? The details were too carefully polished for this to have been a rushed job. And the fact she was fashioned as a bride, what was the reason for that? Alice looked around the room again, but saw no sign of her weapons, Hilda, or the flask. Not even any sign of the Lady or the doll. She was isolated in this room.
It was clear she had fallen into the trap Lady Beneviento had set up. The only way she would be able to get out was to play this game. She decided to check the body of the marionette, as it had to be the first clue since it was so obvious. There was some parchment near the head, with words she read. 'What's a bride without the look? Find the items listed for us to walk her down the aisle: Something to rest on top of her head, fit to royalty. A symbol to bind one to their partner. Flowers of love to hold in the hands. The lips must look kissable. Something old. Something new. Something borrowed. Something blue.' This poem reminded Alice of those wedding rhymes one would hear for a traditional wedding ritual. It appeared the only way Alice would be able to get out of this Estate was to locate these eight items. The Winters turned her head as her ears picked up the sound of a creaking floor. She saw four stone pedestals rising from the tiles and placed themselves along the side of the doll. She figured that was where some of the items needed to be placed. What needed to go on there, Alice didn't know yet.
She went back to examining the body, checking the limbs for any kind of clues. Within the corset, she found something shiny in between the breast bones. She reached and grabbed the item, which was a small silver key. She then checked inside the glove of the right hand, taking the cloth off to reveal a bronze ringlet around her finger, with an indent for a gem. The note mentioned a symbol to bind one to their partner, that must have meant a wedding ring! But it seemed to have been missing something to go into the indent. She pocketed the item for now, as she had more than enough room.
So far she only had a key and a gem-less ring, not much in hindsight, but it was a start. She checked her right and saw a wooden door that had the same symbol of the key which was carved into the tinted glass. Alice took out the key and inserted it into the lock, turning it and being able to open the door. Once inside, she looked around the area. It was a small room, with wooden floorboards and cream colored walls that had dirty patches on them. The only pieces of furniture lined against the walls were a few chairs, filing cabinets, a locker big enough to fit a person, some chairs, a cart and a sink next to a biohazard bag. In the center was a table covered with bottles, papers, books and a microscope. This looked to have been a medical room, which puzzled Alice as to why the Manor would have such a place. She saw a map of the Estate on the table, seeing that there were a total of three floors: basement, ground level and the upstairs. There were also many rooms that were created in the basement. Alice wondered if this place was so spacious because it was the original Beneviento Orphanage, so the rooms were for the children. Regardless, she took the map as it would help guide her. She scanned the table in the hopes to find more pieces of information, as her eyes noticed a slip of paper on the stack of books. The handwriting was neat and feminine, did Donna write this? She looked it over to see what information was on the sheet.
'1. Water Hemlock (Cicuta Maculata)
Native to North America, resembling Queen Anne's lace and can be confused with edible parsnips or celery.
Toxins: Cicutoxin, within roots that will rapidly generate potentially fatal symptoms.
Symptoms: Painful convulsion, abdominal cramps, nausea, and death. Those that survive will be afflicted with amnesia and lasting tremors.
Verdict: It does have some promises, though I do not like how painful some of the effects are. A failure ingredient
'2. Deadly Nightshade (Atropa Belladonna)
Native to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. Rumor has it that these berries were used in wine to poison the Danes invading Macbeth's territory. The sweetness of the berries often lure children and unwitting adults to consume this lethal plant. They are described by their dull green leaves and shiny black berries about the size of cherries.
Toxins: Atropine and scopolamine located in the stems, leaves, berries and roots.
Symptoms: Paralysis in the involuntary muscles of the body, including the heart, and skin irritation by physical contact of the leaves.
Verdict : One that is easy to consume, and will deliver a quick and near-painless death. A successful ingredient
'3. White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima)
Native to North America, it is a herb with a flat-topped cluster of small white flowers. Both meat and milk from poisoned livestock can pass the toxin to human consumers.
Toxins: Trematol
Symptoms: 'Milk poisoning' includes loss of appetite, nausea, weakness, abdominal discomfort, reddened tongue, abnormal acidity of the blood, and death.
Verdict: It takes a while to mix the plant into livestock, but while the symptoms can cause some discomfort, most of them are not painful. A successful ingredient.
'4. Castor Bean (Ricinus communis)
Native to Africa, a widely grown plant used as ornaments. The processed seeds are the source of castor oil. 1-2 seeds can kill a child, while 8 are enough to kill an adult. The toxin inhibits the synthesis of proteins within the cells of the body.
Toxins: Ricin
Symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and even death.
Verdict: Too much of a mess to the victim, and will most likely be an uncomfortable and painful experience before death. A failure ingredient.
'5. Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius)
Native to tropical areas, they are referred to as 'jequirity beans', they are often used in jewelry and prayer rosaries. Only seeds that are scratched, broken or chewed can be lethal. Numerous jewelry makers have fallen ill or died after accidentally pricking their fingers while working with the seeds.
Toxins: Abrin, an extremely deadly ribosome-inhibiting protein, similar to Ricin.
Symptoms: prevents protein synthesis within cells and can cause organ failure within four days.
Verdict: Minimal painful and uncomfortable symptoms, and the death will be less than a week. However, it is not an ideal plant to consume and would be very difficult to inject the toxins another way. A failure ingredient.
' 6. Oleander (Nerium oleander)
Native to the Mediterranean, this beautiful plant is known for its striking flowers. They are commonly grown as a hedge and ornamental pieces. Fatalities from Oleander poisoning are rare, as the plant is very bitter and thus quickly deters anyone sampling vegetation.
Toxins: cardiac glycosides (oleandrin and neriine) which grow in all parts of the plant.
Symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, erratic pulse, seizures, coma, and death,
Verdict: A very messy and uncomfortable way to die, plus it will be difficult to consume to begin with. A failure ingredient.
'Note to Josef Simon: Collect more Deadly Nightshade and White Snakeroot in the Garden room. It's usually locked to keep the kids outside, but a reminder that the code is related to the failed plants. Also a warning that many of the plants have thorns, make sure to take the gardening shears and gloves so you don't get pricked.'
Alice was disturbed learning about this list. Why would Donna write the information about these plants and their poisons? She doubted it would be related to Eva's vessel. Perhaps the flowers were connected to Donna's powers? That would explain why she saw so many of those yellow petals around. Though now that Alice thought about it, that poem in the doll room mentioned something about flowers of love for the bride. She would most likely find that item within this Garden room. Which meant she would have to go up to the ground floor, though hopefully she would be able to find Hilda up there. She needed to find Hilda soon, before Donna got to her. Considering what that vampire woman in the Castle was capable of, she didn't want to imagine what the doll maker would do if she got her hands on the child.
She walked back to the room with her doll counterpart, but the difference was that the doors to the room were now opened. Alice found that strange, since she remembered them being closed when the lights went out. The woman decided not to question it too much, since she needed to move around the house if she was going to complete this twisted wedding ritual. Alice headed down the long hallway, with only the lamps giving her light and making the corridors slightly dark. Alice turned to the right and continued down, until her ears picked up the distinct sounds of a child-like giggle coming from nearby. She turned around, looking for the source. "Hilda?" Alice called out, wondering if it was her. When she saw no one, she turned back around to find the white door to her left slowly opening for her to take a peek into the room.
She jumped, as it opened on its own. She tried to write it off as just a trick to throw her guard off. She would not allow the Lady of this Estate to disgruntle her that easily. Alice poked into the room, which appeared to be a storage closet. Boxes and crates lined up the shelves against the brick walls. They were filled with toys like stuffed animals and wooden puppets, blankets, pillows, film reel cases, documents, yarn, threads, laces and cloth of different colors. The only source of illumination was a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling, showing how dusty the place was. Alice saw a table in the center, with a few items on the surface. A chest with some music note symbols decorated with a cream colored coating. A few stuffed animals surrounded the box: A bear, a cow, a sheep, a chicken, a dog, a cat, a pig and a mouse. Alice tried to open the chest, believing something of interest was inside. The lid, however, remained shut as if it were glued.
This frustrated her a bit, but it quickly disappeared when she noticed a note next to the chest. She took it and read it for the next clue. 'The young girls seem to like the toys that were made. They are especially fond of the stuffed animals which hold music boxes inside. When you press their stomachs, they play a soft melody. You can use this melody for the combination to the Music Room. If you don't know what order to play the animals, find the music sheet and go from there. I believe Young Stefano has a copy of said sheet. You can find him in the Study, but you best bargain him with his favorite book.'
The handwriting was once again in a feminine cursive, which meant this had to be Donna writing them. At least she knew her next move. Alice headed out of the closet and went to look for the Study. She managed to find the door leading to it next to the elevator shaft. When she walked in, she examined the room as shelves of books lined a few of the walls, with a white screen between them. There were two desks, one on the far left of the wall and one closer to the center. Other furniture included a small table with a leather armchair on either side. The table surface held a tea cup and a plate of food, while someone was sitting in one of the chairs. At first, Alice was relieved to find the boy the note mentioned, as well as someone living in this escape room based Manor. Her relief was drained rapidly, for when she approached closer, she realized that the limp child was not a boy at all, but a doll. Not the marionettes from the garden or upstairs, no, this one appeared more life-like. His porcelain hands were in his lap, staring straight ahead from where he was. With black combed hair, shiny glass eyes and even real clothing of a black sweater vest and shorts to match. The only significant piece on him was the Benevineto crest placed on the side of his chest where the heart was. Alice found it slightly disturbing that this doll was more life-sized than the other smaller ones she saw. Especially with how accurate the details were, one would have mistaken this for a real boy.
There was another piece of paper resting on the table near the cup, which she picked up and tried to get some more information on her objective. 'Stefano likes to spend most of his time in the Study. He often enjoys reading books, ones that have big words as well. He certainly is a smart boy. If there is anything specific you need in regards to notes or references, Stefano is the young master to go to. Of course, nothing comes free from him. If you want something from him, you must give him the one book that interests him. Hint, his favorite story is the old folk tale about the origin of this settlement.'
Stefano? That name sounded familiar to Alice, but she wasn't sure why. She shook it off for now, trying to figure out what book to give to this doll. Even though it was a weird request, she had to play along in order to advance. She went to the shelves and checked the books lined up, noticing that many of them were alkaloids of mountainous plants, just like the ones listed in the Medicine Room. She did see one that was familiar to her: 'A Historical look into the Architecture of Eastern European Castles and Keeps by George Trevor'. She doubted that was the book Stefano wanted though. The note mentioned his favorite story was an old folktale… about the origins of this settlement. Did that mean the house… or the Village?
Her eyes finally landed on a black cover with golden words that read: 'Village of Shadows'. Hilda mentioned that this story told how the Village came to be. Was this the book that Stefano liked? She decided to test it out, as Alice went back over and placed the book on his lap between his hands. Once she did, she stepped back and waited for the next item to appear for her to progress. Instead, a clicking sound was heard before a light beamed over to the screen. This caught her by surprise, as the old-timey film projector turned on and made images appear on the screen, playing out like a movie.
Alice was mesmerized when she saw the pictures of a woman in a wedding dress, looking in the mirror as she painted her lips red with gloss. She set the brush down and placed a tiara on her head. Seeing the woman, Alice recognized her as someone in her past life. Her eyes wavered as she watched the rest of the film play out. The woman who looked like a bride walked down the aisle with a bouquet of pink roses in her hands. She went to a man in a black tux and blond hair, as the woman had shoulder length golden strands which the veil hid behind her crown. He slowly placed a ring with a gem on her finger, holding her hand before the two leaned in for a kiss. The two slowly faded before it was cut to a vinyl record spinning slowly on a player. The label on it was called: The Marcels - Blue Moon. It spun around, transitioning to the newly weds slow dancing to the tune. As the wedding came to a close, the family life began. Alice watched as the woman looked older now, holding a child in her arms as she was under a banner that hung above the living room wall. The blue coloring indicated it was a boy. Alice watched the child grow from blowing out birthday candles, to learning how to crawl and walk. Once the boy was a bit older he was found sitting next to his mother in a hospital bed, as she held a newborn baby in a pink blanket. There was a sign above her, which read: Welcome to the world, Alice. More transitions occurred for the home life of the family, with the brother watching over his sister as she slept in her crib. The siblings spent moments together, playing outside, celebrating birthdays. There was a moment where the older woman gave a toy to the daughter: A stuffed owl, which the daughter held dearly. There was also a moment where the older brother took off his coat and wrapped it around his sister, which made her giggle. The last scene she saw was of the girl as a full grown woman, putting in a hair clip with a moon symbol on it. Showing it off as it was an item she had gotten from her trip to Greece.
When the movie wrapped up, the screen fell to the floor with a loud clunk. Making one of the bookshelves move on its own to reveal a boarded up passageway. Alice was still processing those home movies, as she wondered how Donna could have known her family life and history. Was this really her doing, or was there something more going on? Alice couldn't let these mind tricks get to her, so she went over to the small space between the walls and saw what it revealed. Shelves lined up with smaller dolls, staring at her with their beady eyes. A single lantern lit the passageway, which was near a small hole on the left side that was big enough for someone to crawl through. Alice saw the sheets of paper in the hands of one of the dolls, with a clip that had a crescent moon on it. The same one Alice saw in the video… the one she had when she got back from her trip. The paper the doll was holding were lyrics and music notes to a song called: Stella Stellina. She never heard of such a song, but it must have been the one needed for the music box puzzle. She also took the hair clip from the sheets, pocketing it for now as she felt it would be important.
Alice turned back, going into the Study and ready to head to the storage closet. When she looked up, she was caught off guard by something unsettling. The doll, Stefano, was still sitting in the chair but now the book he held was wide open to the center pages. His arms were also raised up so it was as if his eyes were staring at the words on the papers. Alice knew he wasn't in that position when she went into that crawl space. There wasn't anyone else nearby, and she didn't hear anyone come in or leave… So who moved him? The Winters stepped back, not wanting to go near him and decided to take the passageway. She crawled through the hole and found herself in the same hallway setup near the Doll Room, with the first thing that greeted her was a small end table with an old, vintage black dial phone and lamp.
She got to her feet and was about to make her way around the halls to get back to the storage closet. Just as she was about to step away, she heard the phone ring on the table. Once again, the blond was confused, as she thought this was a trick. It continued to ring, which made Alice anxious. Against her better judgment, she reached over and picked up the receiver, talking into it. "Hello?" She asked.
"A-Alice…" The panting and gasping of a female child could be heard on the other end.
"Hilda?!" Alice's senses were in overdrive as she heard the cries from the younger one. "Are you okay?! Where are you!?"
"I'm scared… Please don't let her take me…" She sounded desperate and terrified. "I don't want to be her daughter."
"Hilda, tell me where you are! I'll get you out." Alice promised as she gripped the phone tighter.
"A-Alice… Don't let her take me. Don't let her-" The line was cut off, much to Alice's dismay. All she could hear was the dial tone, as the words of Hilda were etched in her mind. The woman slammed the phone back on the body and grunted.
"Dammit!" She became upset, looking up to scan the hallway and wondered if the Lady of the Estate was watching. If she was, she would no doubt see how pissed Alice was. She swore that if Donna did anything to Hilda, the Winters would make sure she paid with her life! All Alice could do now was try to find the child, the Megamycete root and the flask. She still had much of the Manor to explore, so she had to press on. The hallway was dark, saved for a dim light coming from an alcove to her right across from another bookshelf. Three candles in a holder sat on an end table against the right side of the wall, next to a wooden door with a glass window. Within the crystal was a bronze relief of a woman holding something that had no image, but based on the shape it appeared to be a child, yet the figure was missing. It would most likely take her to a new location, but she didn't have the key to unlock it yet.
She noticed a key with a black and white coat laying on the end table, which appeared to look like a breaker box key. Alice remembered seeing one next to the elevator on this floor, so she decided to take it and would use it later when she had to. The woman walked around a corner, until she came to a dead end with a white painted door to her left. When she unlocked it from her side, she walked right back into the Medicine room. She was glad she managed to circle back, and would head for the closet with the music box next. She was about to go back into the workshop, only to freeze as she noticed something off. The door between the two rooms had opened, and through the foggy glass, Alice saw a black silhouette of a female standing over the table where the Bride Alice was. She watched as the distorted figure through the window moved her hands around, as if she was working on something. It was hard to tell due to the texture of the glass, but Alice could hear her soft yet aloof vocals ringing out as she was singing.
"Laaaa~ Da~ Da~ Laaaa~ Da~ Da~ Laaaa~ Da~ Da~ Laaaa~ Da~ Da~ Laaaa~ Da~ Da~ Laaaa~ Da~ Da~." Alice was crept out by the melody the woman was singing, and even more disturbed by what she could be doing in the room. Now she wished she had her gun with her, because she was ready to pop a bullet in that lady's head. Instead, Alice was forced to brave the room and what may lie inside. Grabbing the handle, she prepared herself as she stepped into the Doll Workshop. When she looked inside, however, the woman in the black was gone. She couldn't have left so quickly, yet there was no trace of her.
"I'm really losing it…" Alice sighed, exhausted and frustrated as she was fed up with these hallucinations. But if the visions were getting stronger, maybe that indicated she was on the right track? She walked to the doors of the workshop, going under the doll limbs. She jumped when one of the arms fell from the ceiling and landed on the floor, right in front of her feet. She quickly picked herself up and continued down the hall to the storage room. She headed to the table where the music box was with the many stuffed animals. She checked the music sheet she got from the Study and looked at the lyrics. 'Star, little star. The night is approaching: the flame is tottering. The cow is in the cowshed. The sheep and the lamb, the cow with the calf, the hen with its chicks, the cat with its kittens. And all are sleeping in the mothers heart!' It sounded like an ordinary nursery rhyme to Alice, so it didn't seem too disturbing. She looked at the lyrics and back to the animals that surrounded the chest. Many of them were listed in the song, which meant there had to be a pattern.
She tested it out by tapping the cow first, as it played a small ding. She followed it up with the sheep, cow again, then the chicken and finally the cat. When all five were pressed in that order, the animals began to sing in harmony. It was a cute puzzle, Alice would admit. Once the melody was done, a small click was heard from the box. When she reached for it, she was surprised the lid was lifting up, and she saw what was inside. A silver key with a music note etched on the top, looking similar to a door she saw with that symbol near the Doll Workshop. That must have been where the key went! She grabbed the item in her hand, and was about to head out. Before she could begin to step towards the door, she heard the creaking of hinges nearby. Her eyes landed on one of the two small cubicle closets which had its hatches opened now. When she approached, she noticed there was a familiar jacket hanging on the hook. She reached out to grab it, examining the color and fabric. It was the same jacket that Ethan gave to her when he outgrew it. She still had it in her care, but it should have been back at her place.
"How did this get here?" Alice wondered. This was probably just another trick. But the jacket smelt like Ethan, there was no way anyone could replicate that. She took the clothing, as it would no doubt be needed later. She needed to get more items to complete the Bride Puzzle, so she headed out of the storage, took a right then left until she saw a door to her left near the Doll Workshop. It had the same music note symbol as the key, so she used the item from the chest and inserted it into the lock. She opened it and looked into the room. It appeared more like a studio with mirrors and railings lining the walls. The wooden flooring was smooth with a circular platform that floated above the ground a bit. A record player was next to the door with a shelf of vinyl's lined up.
Alice walked into the room, and noticed a humanoid doll standing on the stage with one of her legs out while the other was on the toes. Her one arm raised up over her head and the other on her stomach. She looked like a ballerina figure, especially with the outfit she was dressed in. A white top with puffy see-through sleeves along with a violet sash across her stomach. Knee length blueish-white hoop skirt with three dark blue horizontal stripes on the bottom hem, and yellow ballet flats. She also had the Beneviento pin on her right breast, like Stefano. Alice mistook her for a real girl, but she was only a marionette created by the Lady of the Estate.
The Winters looked around for a clue to tell her what she needed for the ritual. She remembered seeing a vinyl from the movie in the Study, the same one her parents danced to on their wedding day. The Marcels- Blue Moon was the title. She went to the shelf as it was the obvious location for her to find such a record. She didn't see anything by that title, but she was able to find a note stuck to the record player. 'Sofia prefers to dance to jazz and the classics. She is currently learning ballet dancing. Depending on what she is wearing, will depend on what she wants to dance to.'
An odd comment, but it seemed to be the clue she needed to find what she was looking for. There wasn't any music playing, so perhaps that was the solution to the puzzle. She decided to check the covers of each album as they all had images of a ballerina in a certain outfit based on the theme.
The first one was a classic ballet: 'Swan Lake'. The tale of Odette, a beautiful young woman who got cursed by a sorcerer to become the Swan Queen during the day. It was a staple to ballet culture, as many people often associate the dance with that title. The girls in that cover wore white or black outfits with feathers in them. They didn't match what Sofia was wearing, which meant this couldn't be the music she wanted to listen to. So she put it away and grabbed another one she was familiar with.
'The Nutcracker', another classic ballet which had a Christmas theme. It told the story of a young girl named Clara who gets a nutcracker toy for christmas. During that night, she goes into a world where her toy comes to life and goes to war against the evil Mouse King. Alice remembered seeing this on Broadway with her family in December in 1997. Ethan slept through half of it, and though she didn't know what was happening, she did enjoy the dancing and costumes. The girls in this image were holding presents and they were dressed in puffy, frilly pink outfits. Not matching the clothing of Sofia, so that couldn't have been what she wanted to dance to.
The next album was one titled: 'Giselle', a lesser known ballet but tells the story of a woman who dies of a broken heart upon learning that the man she falls for turns out to be a nobleman named Duke Albrecht, and thus they are cursed to not be together. But when his life is threatened, her spirit ends up saving him, so he could rest in peace. A tragic love story, but that was ballet for you. The girls in the picture wore dirty white dresses with spaghetti straps, so this one was just a bust as well.
The next one she recognized: 'Romeo and Juliet'. A Shakespeare's tragic love story about two star-crossed lovers who choose to die since they were not allowed to be together due to the bad blood between the families. Personally, Alice was never a fan of the story. After all, the two had only known each other for three days, yet they wanted to die for each other? That was not how love works. Also, Alice considered Romeo to have been a player and was far much older compared to Juliet. Sure it was in older times when age gap relationships weren't as frowned upon, but Alice still believed this ship was doomed to sink. The dresses these girls wore were of red velvet with laces of gold trim, so it wasn't the right album anyways.
She checked another one, 'La Bayadère' was the tale of a temple dancer named Nikiya who falls in love with a warrior named Solor. Despite their fidelity to each other, the High Brahmin wanted the dancer to be his. In the end, she is killed, and so is her lover but they end up in the afterlife. Why did a lot of these ballets end up with the main characters dying, Alice wondered. Pretty morbid for a performance of tip-toe and spinning dances. The girls in the cover of the album were wearing a crimson crop top showing their bellies, veils covering their faces and parachute pants.
The next one she found was from an album of 'Don Quixote', A ballet inspired by the story written by Miguel de Cervantes. The main character, Don Quixote, is a romantic dreamer who escapes from reality to live different adventures in a fantasy world where he is a knight searching for his lover, Dulcinea. It wasn't a well known performance, but Alice did see it once or twice. The girls on the cover had on green leotards with see through petal dresses as some flower designs were embedded into the outfit.
The other ballet she found was titled: 'La Sylphide'. It told the story of a young engaged man who falls in love with a mythological air spirit, but the two meet a tragic fate. Alice also realized that most of these plays centered around possessive or unfaithful men. There was definitely a pattern to these stories. She looked at what the girls wore on the cover, they had pure white dresses with hair buns and wings on their back.
The last album Alice found was a play she had never heard of, but was called: 'Coppélia'. It was about a man named Franz who falls in love with a life-size mechanical doll created by Doctor Coppelius, who is after a human sacrifice to make his doll come to life, and uses Franz as an offering. Thankfully Swanhilda, who was supposed to marry Franz, ends up saving his life. A peculiar ballet, but based on the contents it seemed to have fit the ecstatic of the Doll Maker estate. Though one thing Alice wanted to critique of the story, why would the Doctor use Franz to bring his doll to life? Wouldn't it have made more sense to sacrifice Swanhilda since she was a woman and he was creating a girl doll anyways? Then it would prove Franz actually cared about Swanhilda if he goes to save her? It would have made more sense according to the woman. As she looked at the cover of the ballet, she was pleased to see the dresses the girls wore looked exactly like the one Sofia had on.
Alice figured this was the track she needed. She took the vinyl out of the case and placed it in the machine. Once the needle was on the disk, it began to play a soft melody. As the song echoed in the room, the girl on the stage spun around slowly on the rotating platform. Spinning for a while, while Alice watched. Soon enough, a drawer under the record player opened up, revealing something inside. The Winters looked and took out another disk, the exact same song and band from the wedding clip. Another piece of the puzzle! Alice felt accomplished as it felt like she was making progress.
She pocketed the object and took another look around the room in case she missed anything. The music continued to play, as Alice turned and noticed Sofia's position… had changed. Both of her arms were outstretched to the sides, her feet's were on tip-toes as her glass eyes stared into the mirror. Alice looked at the glass, and though she could see her own reflection, she was unable to see the girl on the stage. Alice didn't think much of it, as she assumed it was only a trick. She quickly exited the room and went back to the hall. She had the coat, the hair clip and the vinyl, which were three of the eight items she needed for that ritual. The question was, where should she head next? There were three other doors she hadn't gone through yet on this floor. The first was the one with the woman holding a missing child, but she needed to find that relief to resemble that, since it seemed to be the key to unlocking that area. There was another door next to it between that and the Medicine room, but the last she checked it seemed to have been locked from the other side. So that left the door across from the Storage room to be her best lead. She went back around and found the door, opening it with ease and entered to see what this room was.
Soft yellow walls made the place not overly bright, but not too dark. The floor was covered in carpet, unlike the other rooms with wooden boards. Shelves lined up against the foundation with boxes of games familiar and unfamiliar to Alice. A large doll house stationed itself against one of the corners, with little figurines laying on the ground. There was a strange contraption on the other side, across from the dollhouse. When Alice went to examine it, it appeared to be similar to the Labyrinth Puzzle that was in the Castle, which resembled that structure. This one, however, was of a run-down house on a hill, surrounded by dead trees and gravestones with a waterfall splitting down the middle. This must have been the second of the four puzzles that were created to represent the location of the Lords. There was a glass case holding something inside, but without the ball, Alice wouldn't be able to open it.
She checked around the rest of the room, seeing bins of toys and playthings. A small table with a few chairs were stationed in the center, where a young porcelain girl with brown hair and a white party dress sat. She had the Beneviento crest on her breastplate, as she sat with only stuffed animals around the furniture. A lion, an elephant, and a white owl that Alice recognized, approaching with raised brows. "Artemis?" Her eyes widened, seeing the owl that looked just like the one her mother gave to her before she passed. There was a tiara right on the head which connected to a veil, too big for the stuffed animal but big enough for a human head. Alice was stunned to see her childhood toy here, just like Ethan's coat. How was it possible that such personal possessions could be in this Estate when Donna shouldn't know about them?
She reached over to get the owl, but no matter how hard she tried to tug, it would not budge from the chair. It must have been locked and wouldn't be released unless something triggered it. She noticed a letter that was next to the tea set, which was written by a child. 'Laura, if you want some snacks for your party, come to the kitchen where I have prepared them. Francesca.'
These names… Stefano, Sophia, Laura and Francesca. Alice began to put the pieces together as she recognized these names: They were the children from the Orphanage, the ones from the portraits. This Laura girl looked just like her picture from that establishment. The one note from the Orphanage did mention that Donna had been adopting some of the children. Maybe that was why the crests of Donna's families were under their frames, it was a symbol to showcase they were taken in. But, if these were only dolls, where were the real children? She didn't see them when Alice and Hilda came into the Estate. Maybe they were all upstairs? It didn't seem important to Alice now, since she had other things to worry about. She hadn't seen a kitchen down here, so perhaps she needed to head back upstairs?
The blond exited the playroom and made her way back to the elevator next to the Study. She pressed the button to bring her up, but the doors didn't even open. No matter how many times she pressed the switch, there was no response. Was there something wrong with the breaker? Maybe that was what the key was for! She took it out and unlocked the box, looking inside to see what the problem was. Sure enough, there was no fuse giving the lift any power. It probably got stolen after the lights went out. There was what appeared to be a relief of a small child, the key she needed to get to the door next to the Medicine Room! Alice decided to take it, as it would hopefully get her to a new area in order to collect more pieces of the puzzle. Once she had the relief, she turned around to head to where that door with the woman was. As she spun on her heel, the corner of her eyes caught sight of the Study door, which had been open ajar. Upon closer inspection, she saw the glass eye of Stefano staring at her through the crack. Alice was on guard, slowly moving closer to the Study to see if she was imagining things again. When she took a few feet forward, the door slammed shut and a lock could be heard on the other side. Cleary the kid didn't want to be interrupted, and Alice was more than willing to respect his wish. She made the long way around back to the Workshop, into the Medicine Room and back to that door with the engraving of the woman on it. Once she put the child relief inside where the mother had her arms out, she heard a click from the door.
Reaching for the handle, she opened the entrance and was taken to a small staircase which led to a hallway covered in the same wallpaper on the first floor. She walked down the steps, noticing a white door on the left at the end near the corner. Another door was on the far corner on the right of the hallway, as more chairs and end tables were lined against the walls. Picture frames and lights tried to distract from the peeling paper, covering up the age of this Manor. Alice went to the door on her left, being taken into a room where garlic and pans hung from hooks on a ceiling rack. A long, wooden table was in the center, holding pots on the surface and more boxes on the bottom. She also noticed a plate of treats next to a male doll standing on the other side of the table. He was a bit on the pudgy side with whip cream on his porcelain mouth.
Counters, cabinets and a sink lined two of the four walls, as a female doll stood at the closest counter, knife in hand with some carrots on a cutting board in front of her. The utensil she held was raised up, as her eyes were on the vegetable. Alice was a bit on edge based on the way the dolls were positioned, as well as seeing two in the same room at once. The Winters noticed a plate on the counter, with what appeared to be chocolate covered cannoli's on the saucer. It didn't appear to be made out of plastic, rather it was real food. Part of Alice wanted to take a bite since she didn't have much to eat, but decided against it as she didn't trust eating anything within this Manor. The note in the Playroom mentioned Laura wanting some snacks for her tea party, which meant these were her next clue. Alice grabbed the plate as she planned on taking it to the room. No sooner had she placed her hands on the dish, the sound of a thud was heard nearby. She turned her head, green eyes wavered to the girl doll who's knife was stuck in the cutting board. Her brown eyes looked up at Alice, as if to stare into her very soul. Alice gulped, her gut feeling warning her to get out of the kitchen. With the item she needed the Winters headed back to the Playroom with the treats. When she walked up the stairs, the lights flickered though she tried to ignore it.
Upon arriving back at the Play Room, a new doll was sitting near the shelf stacked with games, sitting down with a board set up in front of him. She didn't pay any attention to him, as she wanted to get this treasure hunt done before her fear of mannequins turned into a real phobia. She placed the plate of treats down on the table, then waited for a click sound to indicate she solved the puzzle. When her ears heard no ring, she tried to grab Artemis again, but he was still stuck. Alice was perplexed, as she wasn't sure what she was missing. She decided to look around the room, seeing if anything had changed. When she gazed back at the entrance, the boy stood in front of the door, blocking it. He stared at Alice, as one of his hands reached out with an open palm, holding a spherical object. She moved closer very cautiously, until she saw a bronze ball with the sun being overlapped by a crescent moon. The symbol of the Beneviento house! This was no doubt the ball needed for the labyrinth, which means that she would have to solve that puzzle if she had any hope of getting further in her progress.
Taking the ball, she went over to the House on the Hill, and put the sphere on top. Thankfully, this Labyrinth wasn't as difficult as the Castle Labyrinth. She did have to watch when the fences would go up and down, then get it under the waterfall, over the bridge until it finally landed in the hole. Confetti blasted out as the glass case opened, which made Alice look inside. To her surprise, she noticed a few things. Two rag dolls of the female gender held hands, with button eyes and no fingers or toes. One of them had light blond hair in a ponytail on the right side of her shoulder. Her button eyes were yellow to match her golden, frilly dress with a white apron over it. The other doll had black hair, with a ponytail on her left side. Her dress was smoother compared to the other, with a violet ribbon over her torso and a midnight blue dress that matched her buttons. These dolls were the embodiment of sun and moon representation, which made sense given the Beneviento crest. She took the dolls first, then saw a scrolled up note still in the case. Alice grabbed that as well and decided to read it to see if it held important information.
'1987
Today is a gracious day! My wife has blessed us with twins, two baby girls! It was stated by my mother, that according to Beneviento legend, giving birth to twins is a good omen! Many of my ancestors pride themselves on being a twin or having a twin. They say that your twin is your soulmate, someone who you will be with forever for better or worse. And should anything happen to one of the pair, the other will feel that pain. I was unlucky to not have been born of another half, and it felt lonely. So I am grateful that my girls, Claudia and Donna, will be able to keep one another company. Though I do fear what will happen when one of them goes before the other. When my mother lost her sister, my aunt Bernadette who disappeared long before I was born, she had always felt like a part of her had died. I have a slight fear that should anything happen to one of my daughters, the remaining one will no doubt suffer. Even so, I can only watch over and protect them both. These dolls are proof of my love for my little girls. May the both of them have a long and prosperous life. I love you, my sun and moon.
Berenardo Beneviento'
Alice was surprised, this man was no doubt Donna's father, who was the original doll maker of the Beneviento's. He seemed to have crafted these dolls for his children upon their birth, and it also appeared this family had its lore when it came to twins. Alice figured it was due to their culture. It also confirmed that not only were Claudia and Donna sisters, they were twins. Though the father was correct in the regard of something bad happening upon the loss of one of the twins. Due to Claudia's death, Donna ended up losing her parents and became one of Miranda's experiments. Alice did feel a slight twig of pity for Lady Beneviento. Perhaps that was why she wanted to adopt the children from the Orphanage, to try and fill the hole in her heart that was put there from the loss of her family. Alice kept the note and the dolls, then began to turn around so she could try and get Artemis.
As she spun on her heels, she jumped out of her skin when she saw the Laura doll standing right behind her, holding up Artemis in her hands, as if to present it to Alice. She tried to calm her heart down, as she was hesitant to take the stuffed avian. Even though it felt like a trap, she needed the bird for the ritual. Carefully, she took the toy out of the hands of the child and held it to her chest. Admittedly a small smile spread on her lips when she looked at the white-feathered friend. Artemis was the only thing that helped Alice get through her night-terrors when they manifested into her. Part of her wanted to keep holding onto her doll, and believe that it would wake her up from this hallucination so she could be back in America with her brother. However, it was wishful thinking, because she knew this was more than a nightmare.
Alice looked back at the toy that resembled Artemis, seeing the tiara resting on the head. A white veil was attached to the headpiece, which Alice realized could have been used for the headpiece of the doll of the ritual. With the owl and crown in her pocket, Alice decided to head out of the room and continue to search for the fuse for the breaker. She knew that she would have to go back down the staircase, since that area hadn't been explored as much. Even though she didn't like the idea, Alice didn't have any other choice. Hopefully one of the rooms down there would hold the part for the elevator she needed.
She walked down the stairs, checking around while doing all she could to avoid the kitchen. As she walked passed, she could see the doll children inside staring at her, watching her every move. Alice saw a door across from where the kitchen was, with a panel of multiple color buttons on it. It was a strange device to have just for a lock system, though she wouldn't question it. The colors of the nine buttons were: red, blue, gold, black, violet, green, gray, pink and white. She wasn't sure what the combination would be, so she would have to leave that room for now. Instead, she focused her attention to a white door on her right at the end of the hallway. She opened the entrance and checked inside for her next clues.
She stumbled upon a bedroom, with a queen sized bed decorated in floral patterns and pillows of a dull red and blue quilt. An end table with drawers stood on either side of the headboard, some jewelry boxes and pictures on the surface. The one close to the door had an empty coffee cup. The hardwood floor had a gold and crimson rug pattern at the foot of the bed, while the walls were a fading lime as the paper peeled from the structure. Many pieces of furniture lined the walls including a closet, locker, more end tables and even a vanity which held many items. A single white dress with patterns of red, yellow and blue was strung up on the wall. The room was void of any living thing, much like the rest of the House.
Alice went to the vanity, as she noticed a circuit that was shaped to fit in the breaker box. She smiled, seeing the fuse she needed in order to get the lift working. It was sitting there, next to an open journal and a red stone, which seemed to be a ruby. Alice was surprised by the gem, since it was her birthstone. When she snatched the ruby, she gazed at how perfectly cut it was. Her mind remembered what she had gotten from the Doll when she frisked it for clues in the beginning. She took out the bronze ringlet, then tested her theory as she inserted the gem into the depression. Not only did it fit, but it stayed there perfectly. It shone in the center of a gear against the bronze ringlet. With the ring completed, Alice was nearly done with the list needed to be offered to the Bride.
With the fuse for the elevator and the completed ring, she figured she was nearly done with this treasure hunt. Though her eyes couldn't take themselves off from the desk, as the journal on the surface was opened to reveal pages filled with entries. Could this be Donna's diary? She was hesitant to read it, not because she respected Donna's privacy, but she did feel someone was watching her. Still, maybe it would give her more insight on Miranda and her experiments? Alice decided to read the pages that were bookmarked, and checked the list that was written by the Lady of the Estate.
'Adopted child: Rosa. Age: 9. Gender: Female. Hobbies: Loves to garden and plant. Illness: Heart Muscle Disease. Day of Adoption: January 10th, 2011. Day of Death: May 19th, 2011. Time in the House: 129 days. Time of preparation: 8 days.
'Adopted Child: Stefano. Age: 11. Gender: Male. Hobbies: Loves to read. Illness: Social Anxiety. Day of Adoption: January 30th, 2012. Day of Death: August 20th, 2012. Time in the House: 203 days. Time of preparation: 6 days.
'Adopted Child: Francesca. Age: 12. Gender: Female. Hobbies: Cooking and baking. Illness: Deafness. Day of Adoption: January 25th, 2013. Day of Death: April 27th, 2013. Time in the House: 92 days. Time of preparation: 7 days.
'Adopted Child: Sofia. Age: 10. Gender: Female. Hobbies: Loves to dance and listen to music. Illness: Brittle Bone Disease. Day of Adoption: January 20th, 2014. Day of Death: May 15th, 2014. Time in the House: 115 days. Time of preparation: 7 days.
'Adopted Child: Andrea. Age: 7. Gender: Male. Hobbies: Coloring. Illness: Weak Immune System. Day of Adoption: January 10th, 2015. Day of Death: September 15th, 2015. Time in the House: 248 days. Time of preparation: 8 days.
'Adopted Child: Laura. Age: 9. Gender: Female. Hobbies: Tea parties. Illness: Blindness. Day of Adoption: January 3rd, 2016. Day of Death: October 3rd, 2016. Time in the House: 274 days. Time of preparation: 9 days.
'Adopted Child: Luca. Age: 8. Gender: Male. Hobbies: Swimming. Illness: Mutisim. Day of Adoption: January 2nd, 2017. Day of Death: August 15, 2017. Time in the House: 225 days. Time of preparation: 9 days.
'Adopted Child: Matteo. Age: 10. Gender: Male. Hobbies: Playing board games. Illness: PTSD. Day of Adoption: January 8th, 2018. Day of Death: October 1st, 2018. Time in the House: 266 days. Time of preparation: 7 days.
'Adopted Child: Camilla. Age: 10. Gender: Female. Hobbies: Doll making. Illness: Asthma. Day of Adoption: January 10th, 2019. Day of Death: December 20th, 2019. Time in the House: 344 days. Time of preparation: 16 days
'Adopted Child: Antonio. Age: 11. Gender: Male. Hobbies: Snacking. Illness: Short Term Memory Loss. Day of Adoption: January 7th, 2020. Day of Death: September 20th, 2020. Time in the House: 257 days. Time of preparation: 7 days.'
The color in Alice's face drained the more she read this over. These names… They were the children from the Orphanage that were adopted by Donna Beneviento. But… why… How did they die? They were all here for less than a year and suddenly something happened to them? That was when Alice started to realize all the clues within the walls. The dolls in the rooms that were life-like… the poisonous plant list in the Medicine Room… the way the dolls moved around when Alice didn't look at them… "Dear god… she didn't…" Alice gasped, the more she put the pieces together, the more overwhelming the evidence was. Then again, if Dimitrescu was using maiden girls from the Village as part of the Cadou experiments for Miranda, then the other Lords would have been doing the same. And considering that Miranda needed a vessel for a ten year old girl, it would be logical to use the parasitic mold on children. Alice could hardly stomach this matter, as her mind was disturbed by what this Lady had done. Donna Beneviento was far more dangerous than Alice initially thought. And if Hilda had been taken by Donna… Alice thought back to that message on the phone, realizing Hilda must have been in danger!
Alice needed to find Hilda and get her away from this Doll Maker, or else she would end up like the other children and become a puppet! With this information in mind, and the keys in her hands, Alice had to head up the stairs and find the flowers for the puzzle. Hopefully once she finished the Bride Ritual in the Workshop, this would reveal either the Lady or Hilda. When she exited the bedroom, her eyes landed on the left wall as it was coated in paint. Blocks of colors appeared suddenly, the splashes of oil pastels spread in a pattern. Alice wondered if this was another trick of the Estate. Perhaps Donna was getting bolder with these pranks. Alice noticed the pattern as the colors were presented to show images of animals and figures: A white bat, a black shadow, a gray fish, and a golden horse. Alice wasn't sure what it meant at first, but figured the animals and that shadow must have been a representation of the Village or at least the history of the Beneviento's and Lords somehow.
She walked down the dimly lit hall, until she looked back at the door with the panel of colorful buttons next to it. The only other room she hadn't been to, but couldn't access due to her not knowing the code. She remembered the paint used on the wall, and there was a button for each of them. Alice decided to give it a try by pressing the white switch first, then the black, followed by the gray and finished it up with the gold. Once the code was entered in that order, Alice heard a click inside the door. She turned the handle and opened the barrier, revealing a room of many pigments. There were multiple tables with wooden chairs of different wood, shelves lined up with buckets full of art supplies including: paper, drawing utensils, scissors, glue, glitter, even stamps and stickers. The ceiling was made of a bright, blue sky with clouds above, as a small chandelier hung from it. Paint splatters bounced off the walls, making it seem as if someone threw buckets of those colors onto the décor.
Alice figured this must have been an art room, based on the items and design alone. A few easels with blank canvases were stationed in the center, as a human boy-doll sat at one of them. He had a wooden paint palette in one hand and a brush in the other with red paint on it. Alice cautiously approached the doll, noticing a note on the blank canvas the child was staring at. She looked at the piece of paper and read it. 'Andrea has gotten into scenery painting. He is a very talented drawer at such a young age. He has even taken it upon himself to do portraits of the Lords and Miranda once he has mastered the skills in terms of realistic people.'
She set the note back down, then checked the room to see if she could find an item she needed for her progression. The note in the Doll Workshop mentioned the bride to have kissable lips, perhaps that meant lips that needed to be painted. She started to look around for some red paint, hoping to find such a shade within the room. She checked every nook and cranny, until her attention was brought to a wooden box that was sitting on one of the tables. Upon closer inspection, there were small squares that were colored inside a frame on top, with a five by five row and column, but there was one piece missing of the twenty five pieces. It was a sliding puzzle, where you had to adjust the pieces to rearrange the picture.
Reaching over, Alice began to slide each segment to make the image more clear. It was difficult at first, since she wasn't sure what the final picture was. The more she worked on it, the clearer the portrait became. The pieces together showed a family of three birds: A nightingale, a raven and a hummingbird. She didn't understand the meaning behind the picture, but at least she was able to complete the puzzle. For her reward, the bottom half of the box slid open, revealing a hidden compartment with a small tube of red paint inside. Alice smiled, as she took it for her to use on the Bride. Now all she needed was the flowers, and hopefully that would be all the pieces. With the paint in her inventory, she was about to head out only for her to notice something happened near Andrea. The canvas the child doll stood over was no longer blank. Black and golden paint combined to spell a message on the sheet: "You're Next". Alice knew full well that this game was coming to a close, and it was her cue to leave the room and prepare for the worst.
She headed up the stairs and took turns until she was back at the elevator once again. With the fuse in hand, she inserted it into the breaker box and watched the lights in the shaft come back on. The iron gates slowly opened for her, as she walked into the small space and let the lift take her upwards. She was back on the ground floor, feeling a bit safer now that she was on a higher level. She wasn't out of the woods yet, since she couldn't leave without the Fungal Root, Rose's flask and Hilda. She looked around the halls, going back to the small dining/living room, noticing more of the smaller dolls were out in the halls, on the tables and shelves. They all stared at her with black, unblinking eyes. Alice didn't know which dolls were creepier, the smaller porcelain ones, or the ones made from the Orphans themselves. Once she was in the foyer, she found the very entrance to the Estate and tried to open it. She was actually surprised that the doors were willingly pushed through, making her go back out into the cold and foggy air. She walked around the lawn of the Manor, checking over the gate to notice that they were not only closed, they also had a padlock and chain on them. "Guess I couldn't leave now even if I wanted to…" Alice muttered to herself.
She walked back to the porch, noticing an insulated wall of glass to the left of the entrance. The glass itself was foggy, so she couldn't see inside. Alice figured this was the Garden Room, since it was outside. There was an iron door with a number lock on the handle, for a four digit code to be inserted. Alice wondered what the code could have been, trying to think back of the clues she saw beforehand. She remembered the note in the Medicine Room with the list of those plants. This room was supposed to be locked to keep the kids out, most likely because it contained those poisonous plants. Alice remembered the code was related to the failed herbs. The only greens that were deemed successful out of the six on the list were two and three. One, four, five and six were considered failed ingredients. She decided to give it a try, putting the numbers in that order. Once they were placed, the lock opened and Alice pushed into the greenhouse. The smell of pollen was in the air, and it hit her nose in a strong draft. The humidity landed on her body, giving her a sense of warmth for the first time since she came to this Village. If it wasn't for the fact these plants could kill, Alice would have thought this was the nicest room in the Estate.
From what Alice remembered in the film, the roses her mother had were pink. If she could find those colored flowers, she should have all the items she needed to complete the appearance of the mannequin. She started looking around the many pots and shelves, wondering where the roses could be. Alice stood up to see a bush full of them, with a child-sized female doll watching over them. Her black hair draped in a side ponytail laying on her right shoulder, as she had on a gardening apron and a beige dress underneath. Alice kept her distance from the doll, as she knew now what they were capable of. She still needed to get the roses, but wasn't sure how. The flower stems had thorns, and taking them by hand would result in her getting pricked. The child was holding some shears in her hand, which Alice figured she could use. Carefully, she reached over and attempted to pry them out of the fingers. No matter how much she tugged and pulled, the tool refused to budge. Alice became slightly irritated, but calmed down as she looked around to try and figure out what to do. At the end of the Garden, there was a small shed with the door opened. Seemed to be the logical place to go to.
She headed over there, going inside as there were many tools hanging on the wall from spades, shovels, and hoes. Alice also saw a table against the wall, with a journal that was wide open and had a few entries filled out. As she inspected it, the writing didn't look like Donna's handwriting. Was it from someone else? She highly doubted it was one of the kids, though didn't Donna mention a gardener named Joseph? Maybe this was his journal? Alice decided to read it to determine what information was written.
'November 10th, 1999. Mistress Donna is now Mother Miranda's adopted daughter. In all my years, I've never been this overjoyed. Ever since childhood she has always feared others, due to the scar across her face. After her parents' death she locked herself away and would only talk to Angie, the doll her father made her. I am forever thankful to Mother Miranda's infinite compassion.
'November 27th, 2002. Mistress Donna seems happier than usual. It might be my imagination, but I feel like her doll Angie is even more lively than before. She came to me in the garden today and used Angie to talk with me. She mentioned something about receiving a gift of power from Mother. Perhaps it's the title of Lordship? I also found out that Mistress Donna is now taking over the Beneviento Orphanage which her ancestors built years ago. She has become more sociable and open ever since being taken in by Mother Miranda.
'November 29th, 2005. Mistress Donna has been experimenting with flowers as of late, it seems to be one of her new hobbies. She gave me some yellow flowers I have never seen before and told me to plant them in front of Miss Claudia's grave. I'm not certain if it was the scent of the flowers, but I began to feel light headed. Then, like a dream, I saw my departed wife. Smiling at me and giggling. I mentioned this to Mistress Donna and she seemed thrilled by it. She said she was going to continue her plant experiments and wants me to start living with her at the estate. I'm not sure what she plans on doing with the flowers, but I'm glad that she is happy. She is a very kind soul.
'November 30th, 2010. I have been living with Mistress Donna for over five years now. She has been working on many projects around the Estate. Lots of cleaning and decorating the rooms. I tried to help as much as I can, but I am just a gardener. I am working on making this Greenhouse for her since she has been growing different kinds of flowers lately. Many of them have very dangerous properties, but I don't question since she likes this hobby and is taking precautions. Mistress Donna has revealed to me the reason for her house cleaning. She plans on adopting some of the children from the Orphanage. She talked with Luiza and has already found a young girl to adopt and become a Beneviento. I was shocked upon hearing this, but I am happy that she seems ready to move on and create a new family. She plans to adopt this young girl in a few months, which was why she was rushing to finish preparing the rooms. The Lady is very excited, so much so she even talked without using Angie. I believe this will be good for her. Once again, My Mistress Donna is a kind soul.'
Alice learned a few things from these journal entries: This Joseph guy was originally the gardener of the Beneviento Estate, perhaps the family gardener? And he was the one who made this Greenhouse as well as helped around the Estate. It also seemed Donna didn't start adopting the children from the Orphanage until a decade ago, since it mentioned she had the interest in 2010 but the first child wasn't here until early 2011. There was also the detail about the flowers, the yellow ones found around Claudia's grave and around the manor. The Gardener mentioned that when he planted them, he saw his wife who had been deceased, appearing before him. It's possible the pollen from the flowers could cause hallucinations, which would explain the things she was seeing. Alice wondered if Hilda was experiencing her own mirage. Alice noticed another note next to the journal, which made her take a look. 'Rosa's first day. Have her do one of the two things: Water the flowers or cut flowers that are ready to be harvested.'
Alice realized the girl in the garden must have been Rosa. If she was going to get those shears, she probably needed to trade her something. Looking around the shed, she managed to locate a metal watering can which was empty. The note mentioned that Rosa would need to water the flowers, so that might be something she would be willing to take in exchange for the tool. Of course, Alice had to fill it up before she could give it to the child. Thankfully, there was a water pump close to the shed. The woman filled the canister with the cool liquid, then went right to the doll. She put the handle of the watering can into the free hand and watched the doll wrap her cold fingers around it. As Rosa held onto the canister tightly, Alice noticed the fingers holding the shears moved slightly to become looser. She tried again to take the tool, and was able to snag them without hassle. With the item in her hand, Alice went over to the roses and cut the stems until she had a total of twenty-five. The age that her mother was when she got married to her father.
With the flowers in her inventory, Alice believed she had everything she needed for the Bride ritual in the Doll Workshop. As she backed up from the bushes, she looked back at Rosa, who was now watering the flowers as she tilted the canister for the water to pour onto the petals and leaves. Alice knew that was her que to leave, so she headed out of the Garden Room and went back inside, much to her dismay. Again, she was greeted by those miniature dolls that increased in numbers, watching her from the floor and shelves. She rode the elevator down to the basement, and headed towards the Doll Room. Her body froze when she was about to head down the long hallway, as her eyes managed to catch a figure in all black walking down the other end of the corridor, where the Workshop was. The moment she was out of sight, Alice swallowed her anxiety and headed down to the room all by herself.
When she walked into the room, she was yet again alone with no trace of the woman in black anywhere. Once again, these hallucinations were getting to her and becoming stronger. All she could do was finish up this ritual and hope it would reward her with something. She placed the flowers in the hands of the doll, laying them on her chest. Next, she set the tiara on top of the head, adjusting it so it would sit without falling. She applied the red paint on the lips so it was as if she glossed them with makeup and finally placed the ring on the doll's dominant ring finger. Alice stepped back and smiled, admiring how she made the doll more like a bride with every accessory and feature. Now all she needed to do was place the four objects on those pedestals, each one to represent that wedding saying: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Alice started by taking the stuffed owl out, since she considered it old due to how long she had it. She set it on one of the pedestals, watching as it sat on the surface. Before she could continue, the lights in the room flickered. This caught her off guard, but what made her jump was hearing static coming from the radio next to the Medicine Room door.
A female voice started speaking through the box, one that took Alice by surprise. "Oh my god! This is amazing! I got that promotion at work! I'm finally going to be in charge of one of the Umbrella Pharmacies! I can't believe it! It only seems like yesterday I was a tech counting pills and filling out perception orders, and now I'm going to be looking after one of the many branches! I start on Monday, can you believe it! I can't wait to tell Ethan and Alice! I know they'll be so happy to hear how their Mother's schooling and work has got her here."
Alice stared at the radio, her eyes wide as she processed those words and that voice. "...Mom?" That was her mother's voice, even after losing her decades ago, she could recognize it. She took a step towards the device, but paused as she snapped out of that trance. It was just another trick, she told herself. The Lady of this house was watching her, and using her memories to stall her in progressing. It was no different than what happened with the Gardener, just a hallucination. She turned back to the puzzle and went to the pedestals. Next, she set the hair clip on one, filling out half of them already. Just like before, the lights flickered and the radio came to life once more.
"Hey honey, sorry I had to leave early. There's been some rumors that there's an illness going around, so more people are coming in for cold medicine. I might end up working late tonight, since our store hours have changed now due to this sickness. Hopefully it's just some influenza variant, but there's no proof of what it is. Still, keep an eye on Ethan and Alice. I'll be home as soon as I can." Alice gulped when she heard that message. She remembered hearing that on the answering machine during the night her and Ethan lost everything. She tried to keep herself grounded, placing the jacket from Ethan on the second to last free pedestal. Once again, the action triggered the illumination in the Workshop and Alice could hear her mother in the box. This time, her tone was distressed.
"Oh my god, this is a nightmare. I don't know what's happening! The customers started to tear each other apart. There's blood everywhere! We can't even go outside. Everyone is becoming feral, and there's no reasoning behind it. I've tried calling the Birkin's, but neither of them are answering. The pharmacy has been barricaded, we're waiting for the police but no word on them either! If you get this message, please let me know you and the kids are safe!" Alice was starting to find it difficult to stay strong. Even if this was an illusion, the memories were triggering her back when she was eight years old, being taken by her brother as they were escaping through the streets of Racoon City, with monsters around every corner. Alice wasn't sure if she could continue, but it wasn't as if she had any other options.
She placed the vinyl record on the last pedestal, and waited for the final message. Once the bulbs above her flashed, it signaled the speakers. "Thomas… Ethan… Alice… I'm sorry… If any of you get this, please leave the city immediately! I… I can hardly… aaah! I-I love you… I love you… I love y-" The message was cut off, but Alice already knew what the fate of her mother was. It was difficult to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks as the trauma of that day flooded her mind. She had lost her mother and her home in just one day, and it was only the start of the thing she would have lost as the years continued to pass her by.
The thing that managed to distract Alice from the pains of the past, was watching the table holding the doll begin to sink into the floor with the rest of the pedestals. Alice watched it lower into the pit, disappearing for a moment before the table came back up without the bride. In its place was a strange brass medallion with the symbol of House Beneviento. She reached forward, picking it up and examining it. At first, she wasn't sure what it was for, but guessed it was a piece for a puzzle. Alice checked the Workshop to find a clue on what she was supposed to do with this item. Her eyes noticed the passageway to her left next to the door, as it was the only place she didn't go down to yet. She walked down the brick covered walls and took a right until she was in front of a wooden door with a depression in the center of the glass. Alice already knew what must be done, as she held the medallion in her hands and inserted it into the opening. When the click was heard, she was able to unlock the entrance and reached for the handle to turn it.
On the other side, Alice was greeted with a dark stairwell, descending down into a stony corridor. She began to take one step at a time, using her flashlight to see a few feet before her. The steps were made of dusty stone as a chilling air surrounded her. The woman held herself as she tried to prepare for what horrors awaited her. Once she reached the bottom, Alice found herself in a circular room of the same material as the stairs. It wasn't clear what this room was or the purpose, but there was something of interest for Alice down here. Within the center was a well with a protruding root sticking out of the hole. The few branches hanging out, inactive as if it were asleep. Alice was relieved to see the second root of the Megamycete, as she had finally been awarded something out of this horror. She went up to the Mold and took out the bag used for the sample collecting, grateful she was able to hold onto that. She scraped the sample into the Beneviento tube, putting the chunk of the second root into the container and in her bag.
Now that she had the root sample, Alice had to find Hilda and the Rose Flask and get out of the Manor. The woman began to head back up to the Workshop, keeping her eyes and ears opened for anything that might have changed. As she headed back up, she noticed that the lights had gone out as it was pitch black like in the Old Well. Alice used her flashlight to try and look around. She sniffed the air, as the metallic scent of blood could be tasted. This sent a shiver up her spine, as she questioned if this was a hallucination, yet it seemed too real.
She slowly walked through the double doors, further into the inky hallways as she tried to get to the elevator. The smell of blood increased as she went, as her eyes noticed splashes of crimson smeared onto the walls. She used the shawl around her shoulders to filter the air so she wouldn't smell it. The moment she turned down towards the storage room, she heard the faint sounds of croaks and gurgles, as if someone was trying to speak. Peering through the archway, her green eyes shrunk in fear upon seeing a sight truly disturbing. Twisted arms with pulled out fingers crawled onto the floor, followed by a body with torn up clothing including a white lab coat. The legs of the figure were distorted, bent out as if they were hind legs of animals. Blood covered the pale skin and shredded outfit, as blond hair caked in the red liquid fell over the features of the female face, staring up at Alice with hollow, glass eyes. Her neck moved in a crooked fashion, as she used her arms and legs to crawl despite how messed up her limbs were. She could only gurgle out gibberish, unable to speak. Alice recognized the face of the one who was crawling on the ground, a person she loved who died during an outbreak in her hometown. She was frozen for a moment, as she tried to dismiss this as another illusion. The woman reached over and grabbed Alice's ankle and tried to pull her down. The blond gasped, shaking off the cold, bloodied hand from her leg and knew what she needed to do. Turning on her heels, Alice ran away from the creature that had the appearance of her mother. When she looked over her shoulder, she was surprised to see how fast she was despite her handicap. Alice rushed through the halls, trying to keep her distance from that monster.
She ran through the Doll Workshop, into the Medicine room, and down the hallway. Her ears kept picking up the croaks and grunts forming from the manifestation of her mother, but she dare not look back. She didn't want to see her maternal guardian in such a state, especially since that was the last time she had seen her. She had to get to the elevator and get out of the basement, but she couldn't go back the way she came, since that monster was blocking her path. Alice could hear the zombie approaching her, closing in. Alice thought about if there was another way she could take. That was when she remembered the crawl space connecting the Study and the hallway. She hurried over and was thankful to see it was still open. Not wasting any more time, she crawled through on her hands and knees, despite the laughter of the dolls in the walls as they glared at her with golden eyes. She ignored them, trying to get through the darkness and head to the door. Once it was opened, she found the lift and began to madly press the button as the shaft slowly descended down.
The croaks and cries echoed down the corridor, making Alice turn as the rotten, bloody flesh could be smelt. She kept her eyes on the elevator, praying it would get down before she would be attacked by the monster. To her relief, the machine finally arrived and the gates opened undemandingly. She wasted no time in squeezing through the bars, even before they were fully opened. She started to attack the button to bring her back upstairs, watching as the iron gates began to shut. Alice nearly lost her breath as she watched the creature reach its broken arm through the poles, crying out with crimson tears as she looked at the woman. "All…aacc eeee…." It said her name, or tried to. She could only watch the monster try and barge through the gate, but the elevator was already lifting her up from the basement.
The Winters sat on the floor, huddled against the wall as she was overwhelmed with emotions. Her breaths were shallow as her lungs exhausted themselves. Tears spilled out of her wide eyes, her sadness resurfacing as she had to remember that terrible night she had lost her mother. It was as if a dam had opened, unleashing a tsunami. All Alice wanted to do was have a good cry, as she wanted to mourn her lost parent.
Of course, she didn't get to have even that. The ding from the elevator indicated Alice was back on the ground floor. She lifted her head up from her knees, seeing those smaller porcelain dolls in the hallway either on the ground or sitting on top of the furniture. She could hear their high-pitched laughter, as if to mock her for her weakness. Despite the trauma that had been triggered, she couldn't give up now. Gripping the garden shears, Alice was determined to end this nightmare and get out of this Manor with Hilda and the items she seek. She was done going through these mind games as a mouse in this maze. Stepping out of the lift, turned the corners until she was back in the living room. The moment she opened the door, she was face to face with the orphans who had been turned to puppets. They stared at her, watching her and waited to pounce. She remained on guard, though did not expect to see a figure in black suddenly appear before her.
"Don't leave… I can't let you…" It was Donna, speaking in a quiet tone as she raised up her right hand, causing the bride marionette from the ground to float up, and glare over at Alice.
"You've managed to get out, huh?" Angie taunted in that high-squeaking tone. Alice stepped back, as the figurines began to gather around her, both tiny and human sized. Many of them carried sharp blades such as scissors or knives, trying to swing at her and cut her, though they nearly missed. "You better find me quick, before my friends murder you!" Alice swatted the minions away, only to come face to face with the bride Beneviento. "Tick-tock! You're life's on the line!" She floated away in a fit of laughter once more.
"Hey!" Alice shouted, getting up on her feet and running out of the living room to be in the foyer. Many more of the dolls were scattered about, shaking violently as the Winters began to search the house.
"Try and find me, haha!" The puppet howled throughout the Estate, which made it hard for Alice to pinpoint where she was. This seemed to have been a game of hide and seek that Lady Beneviento was playing. Alice was more than willing to play along. After all, this meant she could get her revenge for the one who had put her in such a nightmare realm to begin with. The younger Winters headed up the stairs to the second floor, turning left then saw a door to her right. When she opened it, she was taken to a bedroom with white and blue colored décor. She noticed the bride puppet in the left corner, across from the bed. She ran over to it and tried to grab the head, only for the teeth to bite into her thumb. She pulled back as the figurine floated over to her, waving her strange chain-link arms around. "Everything would be better if you had just let us make you part of our family."
Alice kept the being away with one hand, as the other gripped the garden shears tightly. "Like hell I will!" She raised up her arm, impaling the sharp points straight into the head between the cracks that separated the sides of the face. Oddly enough, Alice noticed blood was gushing out of the head, which was somewhat disturbing. Shouldn't a doll like this be hollow? Why was there blood inside? The shears seemed to have done the trick though, as the bride pushed Alice to the ground and floated away while laughing in both insanity and pain. The blond pulled herself together and started to search for the puppet, ready to attack again. Heading down the stairs, Alice trailed the figure as she took a left from the staircase and circle back to where the elevator was. Her eyes noticed blood splatters smeared the wall, when they were not there before. Did they come from the doll… or something else? She made it back to the living room, seeing the marionette resting next to the table and couch. Kneeling down, Alice grabbed hold of the head and plunged the sharp blades deeper into the porcelain, making the doll scream in agony. Angie struggled again, then tossed Alice to the ground before flying off.
"You do this to your family too?" Angie mocked before leaving her. Alice was hellbent on making sure that puppet wouldn't escape. If she could destroy Angie, then perhaps she could find Hilda and escape this place. As she searched around, the light shining through the windows changed into an orange red. As if to match the anger of Alice Winters and the bloodshed she was leaving behind. She headed back to the foyer, spying the dirty white dress as the doll sat down near the open door to what appeared was a laundry room. Alice grabbed the puppet by the head as it looked at her with beady eyes. "You are never going to get out of here!" She laughed, making her face split apart to reveal a pink organism inside producing multiple tendrils. Alice realized it must have been the Cadou parasite from the Mold!
"Shut the hell up!" Alice demanded, jamming the shears into the parasite. Angie screamed from the pain, making Alice pull away only to slam the doll onto the ground.
"You stupid woman! What are you doing to my cute children?!" Angie demanded to know. Alice didn't understand what the puppet meant by that, but she couldn't care regardless. Raising up the blades, Alice was prepared to finish this. Angie continued to wail as she stared up at the weapon, her fate nearly sealed. Alice had the eyes of a murderer, as she was about to kill.
"Alice! Stop!" A familiar child-like voice begged, just as Alice felt a pair of small arms wrap around her frame from behind. The Winters gasped, jumping before she turned around and saw the young Village girl holding her close.
"H…Hilda?" Alice was confused, as the sunset tone in the house went back to a calm gray. She turned around as she checked on the child, looking her over. "Y-You're alright?" She didn't know if this was yet another trick to dissuade her from killing off Angie. Though part of her wanted to believe that Hilda was in fact standing before her.
The youngling looked up at Alice, keeping her arms at bay. "Please don't kill her! Lady Beneviento was only doing what Mother Miranda asked of her!" Hilda begged.
Alice didn't understand what she meant, until she heard nearby shuddering. She looked back to where the doll was, only to be surprised when she saw the woman from the portrait. Lady Beneviento was sitting on the floor, with her black hair in a bun and her veil had fallen to reveal blood stains on her forehead. Where did she come from? And why did she have the same wounds that she inflicted on Angie? Was Alice… actually attacking Donna this whole time?
"Please… Not my good eye…" The Lady begged as she had a low, monotone pitch, yet her voice quivered while speaking with the Winters. "I… couldn't allow you to leave so easily. M-Mother wanted me to test you…" Donna explained, holding her hands up to cover the right side of her face. Alice wondered why she was hiding her eye instead of tending to the cuts on her head. "I understand if you want to kill me. Since if you don't, Mother surely will punish me." She stated, as if she was willing to accept death. Alice was stunned, seeing this woman who had been toying with her suddenly was giving up? She didn't think she would surrender so easily…
Her green eyes gazed over the foyer, as Alice noticed the dolls of the Orphans were standing there. They looked over at Lady Benevientio worriedly, but kept a distance as if they were scared. She looked over to Hilda, as the child had a pleading look within her eyes so similar to Alice. As much as she despised this Lady for what she had done to her and her family, Alice didn't have the strength to give her the finishing blow. After all, Donna was only acting under the orders of Miranda, and it was clear she was not going to fight back. She admitted defeat, but Alice couldn't bring herself to end her life. Her fingers loosen as they let go of the shears, dropping them to the floor then she stepped back from Lady Beneviento. Alice held onto Hilda, making sure the two kept their distance.
Donna seemed stunned that Alice had not killed her, but she didn't question it. She held her doll, as Angie wrapped her chain-linked arms around the woman in black. The other children walked over to their adoptive mother, helping her up as they clung to her. Donna patted their shoulders and made sure each and everyone was accounted for. While Donna was with her marionettes, Alice knelt down to Hilda's level and checked her over. "Are you alright? What happened to you?"
Hilda looked up at Alice before answering in a nonchalant tone. "After the lights went off, I suddenly found myself in a bedroom on the second floor. I tried to find you, and along the way I met the others who got adopted by Lady Beneviento. They were very nice to me once they knew who I was. They showed me some of the areas and I hung out with them. Rosa showed me her flowers and how she took care of them. Andrea was in the art room trying to paint my face for a portrait. Sofia demonstrated her dances that she practiced, she moved so graciously like a ballerina. Matteo and Laura invited me to play some games, then we had a tea party. I met Francesca in the kitchen and she had me taste test some of her treats. She said that Antonio was biased as he always has a sweet tooth, so she was grateful to have a second opinion. Oh! And Stefano showed me the 'Village of Shadows'! I finally got to read the ending!" Hilda sounded excited as she explained her own adventure. Alice however, was confused.
"W-Wait! Hold on! You were with the kids? But… I never saw you with them." Alice stared in disbelief.
Hilda shrugged. "I tried calling out to you, but you didn't see or hear me." She admitted. Alice couldn't wrap her head around this revelation. Hilda was safe this whole time, which relieved her, but why couldn't she have seen or heard her? "They told me since you were exposed to the pollen, you were hallucinating so you probably couldn't recognize me."
"Pollen?" Alice repeated.
"From the flower at Claudia's gravesite. They told me the pollen is designed to make people have hallucinations. The longer you're exposed to them, the stronger the illusion is." Hilda explained. Now that she mentioned it, Alice figured that was what had been happening to her. Between the herbs in the Medicine room, and the Gardener's notes, that must have been what Donna's powers were! Which meant her plan was to make Alice be exposed to that flower and use the imagery of her memories to play against her. How much was from her own mind and how much was from Donna, Alice couldn't help but wonder. Did that mean Donna didn't have any physical abilities of her own to use, which was why she relied on manipulation tactics? When the Winters turned back to the Lady of the Estate, she saw her kneeling down and checking over the reanimated kids. She tended to them, like a mother would do. Despite the horrors she put those children through before they became dolls, she seemed to have tended to them and genuinely loved them as if they were her own. And they didn't seem to resent her, then again it was probably because she had them under her control.
The closer Alice looked at Donna's face, she noticed a large blemish on the right side, covering her eyeball as overgrown flesh with pus-like veins and skin tags covering that half. Was that… the Cadou? It must have mutated on her face once it was implanted. Even though she still looked human, that mark on her proved she had suffered. Hilda stepped away from Alice, approaching Lady Beneviento, much to Alice's dismay but the child was persistent. Hilda bowed before the woman in a curtsy, smiling kindly. "It's an honor to be in your presence, Lady Beneviento. My name is Hilda."
The older woman blinked as she stared at the younger one, kneeling to be at her eye level. "Hilda… is it really you? You look… different."
Hilda nodded, before reaching her hands into the satchel and took out the doll she got from the Orphanage, holding it up in an outfit like hers, but with brown hair and blue eyes. "I kept the doll you made of me. It was the best gift I ever got from you. Of course, it was the only gift, but that makes it more special!" Hilda held onto the stuffed toy to her chest.
Donna looked at the stitchwork, recognizing it as hers. A smile crossed her face as she saw the bond between it and the child. "You kept it in great care… I am happy you liked it." As Donna made eye contact with Hilda, she realized the child must be seeing her whole face. The Lady tried to cover the side that had been tainted by the parasite. "P-Please… do not look at me. I do not wish for you to see my hideous scar."
Hilda still kept that childish grin on her features. "What are you talking about? You aren't hideous." She reassured her.
"Oh no… my face is very unappealing to many. That's why I keep it hidden." She tried to reach for her mourning veil, wanting to put it back on.
Hilda was still persistent. "But you are a very beautiful woman. The scar doesn't take away from that." Hearing those words seemed to have struck a chord with the Lady, as she looked back up at Hilda while the child still grinned. Alice could only watch the scene, observing Donna's interactions with the kid. Despite her status as one of the four Lords, Donna seemed pretty reserved and wanted to keep to herself. Unlike Lady Dimitrescu, Beneviento didn't seem to openly admire Miranda, but she also didn't admit to hating her either. Even so, Miranda had hurt this woman, promising her pretty lies only to be met with a harsh and gruesome reality.
Alice knew she couldn't stay here any longer, but she also didn't want to kill Donna if she wasn't going to even fight back. "Look, I'm not here to play any games with that witch, Miranda." She stated, going over to the Doll-Maker. "I just want the flask containing Rose. If you give me that, I'll let you live and be out of your hair."
Hilda looked up at the Estate ruler, her eyes were pleading as she begged. "Please Lady Beneviento."
The woman in black looked between the two, her face becoming calmer and sympathetic. "T-The flask is on the pedestal near the door. It should be opening up right now." Donna stated. The Winters and child looked back towards the entrance of the manor, seeing a small platform rising against the wall with a yellow flask that rested on the surface. Hilda immediately went over and grabbed the object, checking the sides.
"These are Rose's legs!" The child stated in an excited manner as she placed the flask in her bag. "Only two more left!"
Alice sighed, rubbing her neck as she was at least grateful it was all over. Hopefully they could leave and Alice could put this behind her. "U-Um…" Donna stood up, trying to speak but was lacking the way to put the words together.
"Shut up, dummy. Just let her leave." Angie urged while holding onto her dress.
Alice looked back over at the Lady, curious as to what she was going to say. Eventually, Beneviento was able to form a sentence. "I… hope you manage to reassemble the child." The Winters merely kept her gaze on the woman, as her green eyes stared right into her soul. Donna believed she had made that comment offensive and tried covering it up by waving her hands around. "Oh! I'm sorry if that sounded weird… I mean I… I just…" While she frantically tried to apologize, Angie kept calling Donna a 'dummy', to make her feel worse.
"It's okay," Alice reassured, being calm and genuine with the Lady. "And I will. I have my own mission to do, but saving Rose is also a priority. If you want my advice, I recommend you be careful. The BSAA has been investigating this Village, and I have a feeling that things will be escalating pretty soon. You should be on guard when that happens." Alice warned. Donna blinked as she stared at the Winters, but took in her kind words. The blond turned towards the doors as she took Hilda's hand. "Come on, let's head back. Ethan should still be waiting for us." The child nodded as she followed Alice.
"Wait!" Donna called out to them, making the two stop their steps and turn to see her approaching. Reaching into her dress, she took out a strange key with the head having the engraving of a fetus. "Here, you will need this if you wish to continue your search for the remaining flasks." She handed it to Alice, who took it. It must have been another piece for her to progress through the Village, which meant it would come in handy. "The last two flasks won't be easy to get…" Donna warned. "Moreau is unstable and Heisenberg is dangerous. Both of them will not be pushovers like me…"
Alice clutched the item in her hand, meeting Donna's eyes once more. "Thanks for the advice, but I'll manage. I've come this far, and nothing is going to stop me from helping my brother get his daughter back." She was trying to stay strong, despite the trauma that transpired. Last thing she wanted was to show this Lady any weakness, but she also didn't distrust her either. She was allowing them to leave here unharmed and with the Rose Jar after all. "I'll be careful though, you do the same." She graced the Beneviento with a smile, then turned to the child. "Come on, Hilda."
The youngest of the three bowed to Donna once more. "Take care, Lady Beneviento." She giggled before skipping away towards the exit where Alice was waiting. Angie waved to the girls as they left the Estate, while Donna pondered what the fate of the two would be.
"Please be safe…" She prayed. Despite her loyalty to Mother Miranda, she had no ill intentions towards the two, or Ethan for that matter.
