Just as I was about to scream again, I hear that same, eerie, child-like giggling coming from the stairs...
The sound haunted me, sending shivers down my spine. I shut my bleeding eyes and covered them with my scratched up hands.
The giggling became louder as the creature neared me.
The stinging, intense pain from my open, exposed, flesh of a mouth was becoming unbearable. The stinging felt like alcohol peroxide being poured over an open wound.
My eyes began to burn at the touch. I screamed in pain and lifted my hands off of them.
I opened my burning, black eyes and saw the creature.
It's large body was standing in front of me, hovering as I sat helpless on the ground. I coughed up more blood and looked up at it's creepy face.
It still had missing eyes and mouth. It's face looked similiar to mine.
...Except it was smiling.
It was smiling that same, horrific looking Cheshire Cat smile. The doll just stood there, I felt like it was somehow staring at me.
It suddenly tilted it's head and bent down on the floor in front of me. "Miss me?" It said with it's raspy, wicked sounding voice.
I didn't realize how much I was shaking and crying until I had to wipe the massive amounts of blood from my eyes. "You did this!" I screamed.
As if amused, it began to laugh at my misfortune.
"No." It replied. "You did."
I suddenly felt my throat close in and the oxygen escaping. I gasped for air but it was no use. I felt like a fish out of water. I continued choking as the doll sat there, watching and wearing an evil smile.
I extended my hand out to grab the doll. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do if I got a hold of it, but I was sure of one thing..
If I was going to die right here, so was the doll.
As I reached out, I could hear footsteps rushing from downstairs. The doll's evil smile quickly faded and it stood back up, making the choking feeling fade.
I continued to cough until I felt like my lungs were going to explode.
However, when the doll stood up, with all my strength, I picked myself up a little and grabbed it's ankle, making the doll fall back down.
The footsteps became louder and clearer as I struggled on the floor with the doll. It tried breaking free from my tight grip until my parents ran into my room.
It then stopped in motion, looking just as life-less as the day Grace recieved it.
"What in the hell Jacqueline!" My dad yells, he is carrying Grace on his back.
"What are you doing to Alice?" Grace starts to sob when she sees me still holding the beat up doll by the ankle. "What happened to the doll?" My mom finally speaks.
"What happened to the doll? What happened to me!" I yelled and let go of the monster, running my hands on my face.
I looked at my hands and saw that there were no bloody scratches.
I crawled over by the mirror again and saw my reflection.
Tan skin, blonde hair, hazel eyes, and full lips were in full view.
What in the hell.
I looked around my surroundings for a trace of blood that may have spilled.
Nothing.
I hesitantly looked back to my parents and sister. Grace was staring at the distorted face of the doll and crying. My dad was trying to calm her down and my mom was glaring at me.
"Well...?" My mom asked again.
"I-I swear to you, mom. This doll is messing with me. It's making me see things. Horrible, gruesome things." I say with a shaky voice.
"Jacqueline, why did you ruin Alice?" My dad ignored me and looked at the doll. Grace looked at me for answer.
"It's not what it seems like. This doll is alive! I'm telling you the absolute truth! It's making you all think that I am going crazy." I say and go back towards the life-less looking creature.
Everyone just stares blankly.
"Get up! Get up you damned thing! Show them what you have been doing!" I screamed and wrapped my hands around the doll's throat, violently squeezing and bringing it's neck up and down.
Grace screamed and my dad covered her eyes. "Stop hurting Alice!"
"That's enough!" My mom orders and pulls me off of the creature. "Look! You made your little sister cry." She adds and points to a crying Grace.
I stand back as my dad gives Grace to my mom and he picks up the creature, throwing it over his shoulder like it was an actual child. It's head was facing me as my dad walked out after my mom and Grace.
"Dad." I said, tears streaming my face. He slowly turned. "I'm telling the truth." I add, trying to convince him one last time.
He looks at me with sad eyes and takes a deep sigh. "I'm sorry hun." He then turns back around and starts to walk out of my room. I just stand there and watch until the doll picks up it's head from my back of my father's shoulder.
It's black eye sockets are facing me and it's ripped up mouth is formed in a smile, spread from ear to ear.
My lips form in an O shape and my eyebrows narrow at the sight.
It then silently mouths "I'll be back."
I stare intently at the doll as my dad takes it to Grace's room.
I couldn't be here with that monster.
I needed to leave.
Quickly, I threw a sweatshirt over my tank top and grabbed my car keys. Without saying a word to my parents, I left the house.
---
"You're here again?" Gabe chuckled at the front door. "It's the doll.." I simply replied and ran a hand through my hair.
"How'd you know I would be at home and not at school?" He asked as he let me in. I noticed a small bruise just above his left eyebrow.
"I know you better than that. You are always skipping." I smirked.
"That's true." He shrugged, not looking at me. He seemed distant.
"Hey um, I think I'm going to leave the student council afterall." He quickly said.
"What? But you had said you were going to stay." I argued. He still wasn't making eye contact with me. "I changed my mind." He replied and rubbed the back of his neck.
I glanced at his hands and noticed his knuckles were a deep red color and one of them was slightly bleeding. "What happened?" I ignored his comment and pointed to his hand.
He took a quick glance at his hand and shoved it in his pocket. "Nothing."
"Doesn't seem like nothing.." I crossed my arms. "Tell me."
He narrowed his brows at my blunt words. "I don't wanna hang around you anymore."
"Huh? Wait, why?" I asked and took a step forward. We were standing in the large hallway. "I just can't. Alright? Leave it at that, Jacqueline." He snapped.
"But why!" I raised my voice. "Why all of a sudden do you no longer want to be around me."
He turned his head to the side, away from me. "I have my reasons."
"What reasons! That's all you say! Why don't you tell me anything. I opened up and told you everything. I told you about my family, my friends, the doll." I yelled as I felt my eyes water.
He didn't say anything back.
"I barely know anything about you now that I think of it! Why were you so rude to your parents that day? Why were you so mean to me in the beginning? Why are you wanting nothing to do with me now?" I continued.
He didn't look at me, he just kept his eyes away from mine.
"...You think I'm going crazy too, aren't you?" I quietly say, more tears are coming. "I thought you were the only one to believe me when no one else did. You even saw the doll yourself."
Again, not a word came from him.
Fed up, I grabbed his shirt and pulled him to me. "Answer me Gabriel!" I yelled at the blue eyed boy.
He finally looked at me and within seconds, brought my face up to his and passionately kissed me.
After a few moments, we broke away and I looked at him, confused as ever.
"I don't care what threats your brother throws at me, I'm going to stay by your side."
"What are you talking about?" I raised an eyebrow.
"We bumped into your brother in the hallway...things got ugly and he threatened to kill me if I didn't stay away." He replied.
I felt my blood boil at his words. How stupid could Adam be?
"I'm so going to tell him off about this." I gritted my teeth and stormed towards the front door.
"Nah, don't worry about it." Gabe stopped me. "Hey, meet me at the park tomorrow morning at 11."
I raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Are we having a picnic or something?" I let out a laugh at his random invite.
"I can arrange for that if you want." He slighlty smiled. "You said you barely know anything about me so, meet me at the park and I'll tell you everything."
I nodded excitedly in response. "Finally."
---
I drove back to my house after Gabriel thoroughly finished explaining what happened between Adam and him after they left school.
Apparently, Derek and Gabe had met up with Adam and his friends after they all ditched school and had a heated agruement.
The arguement then led to people throwing punches.
I was so irritated and furious at my brother.
"What the hell is your problem!" I swung open our front door and saw Adam laying down on the couch.
He had a black eye, a bruised cheek, and a busted lip.
"Let me guess, the troublemaker snitched on me." He said with disqust. "What were you thinking! Why would you threaten to kill him." I yelled at him from the kitchen.
"Will you shutup already? I have a headache." He groaned. "If you ever threaten him or anyone like that ever again, I'm going to tell mom and dad and then have you kicked off the council." I warn.
"Do it." He let out a low chuckle. "It's not like they will believe you anyways."
I rolled my eyes and grabbed a water. I then headed up the stairs to go to my room. I was done trying to talk to him.
"Oh and Jay..." He flatly said. I cringed at the name as I turned towards him from the stairs.
He gave me a cheeky smile. "I didn't threaten to kill him, it was a promise."