Behind the Veil

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/31898467.

Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings
Apply
Category: F/F
Fandom: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), resident evil village
Relationship: Donna Beneviento & Reader, Donna Beneviento/Reader
Character: Donna Beneviento, Reader, Angie Beneviento, The Four Lords
(Resident Evil)
Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Yearning, maybe smut as the work progresses, Everyone Is
Gay, Seperation Issues, Angie is just your local crackhead, Donna is
introverted/anxious and VERY touch starved
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2021-06-12 Updated: 2021-09-05 Words: 24,586 Chapters:
7/?

Behind the Veil

by Disastrousx

Summary

On hiatus!

After a series of very unfortunate events, you end up at the Beneviento manor.
Of course you don´t know that whatever you´ll see in there will change your life - and a
certain dollmaker plays a very important role in just that.
Attention!
May contain mild horror. Also, the relationship between 'you' and Donna processes quite
slowly. There will be some minor and major setbacks before you'll ultimately get closer.

Notes

Thank you for choosing to read this story!

English is not my first language, so if anything sounds stiff, feel free to tell me!

Also, updates may be slow.

 Prologue: The Fairytale

“Long ago, there was a girl who lived in a very secluded village, next to a big and dark forest.
During her upbringing, she always felt like the forest called out to her, but due to her parents
warnings, she never had the courage to go. They told her never to wander off too far into these
woods, for there were things lurking within them that went beyond anyone’s understanding.

One day though, when the girl’s parents went away to the local market, the girl gathered up all her
courage and just left to explore the forest.
At first it seemed like everything was normal – birds were singing, bees buzzing in the blooming
berry bushes… But the longer the girl was on her way, the darker the forest became – and thick
mist started appearing. Suddenly scared and discouraged, the girl started to recall the tales her
parents had told her – and the warning they gave her. She wanted to turn around, but she found the
way she just went down had been overgrown with bushes, thick and sharp
thorns sticking out of them.

The girl was starting to grow scared, and desperately tried fighting her way through the bushes in
her way. Yet the only thing she got from that was cuts and bruises, and her dress got torn apart by
the pointy thorns.
After hours and hours of trying to get through the shrubbery, the girl sank to the ground and started
to cry. Her big, round tears fell to the ground - and those cries reached someone – or rather,
something that had been lurking in the shadows, watching her every move.

The girl shrieked when a dark figure appeared in front of her all of a sudden.

“My sweet child”, the shadow cooed, their voice sweet and lulling, “Why are you crying? What is
such a young, innocent girl doing alone in this part of the forest?”

The girl stopped crying to look at the shadow looming over her. Although of its unsettling
appearance, the creature seemed trustworthy to the girl. It seemed caring enough to her… she
wasn’t alone, at least!

“I got lost while exploring!”, the girl sniffed, still a bit shy and teary-eyed, “and I can´t find my
way back!”

“Oh, that is unfortunate indeed!”, the creature answered with pity in their voice, “You´re lucky I
found you! I am the Lord of the Forest!”

The Lord of the Forest! That was the creature her parents had warned her of! The girl wrapped her
hands around her body as cold fear rushed through her.

“Sweet child, what is that! You´re shivering! Are you cold? … Scared, even?”

The creature left its shoulders hanging.

“I promise you; I mean no harm! I just want to help your poor soul. Here- “

With a snip of its fingers, a beautiful robe appeared on the girl’s body, and she stopped shivering.

“I even brought you a new dress since your old one was ripped by those nasty thorns! You also
must be so hungry, sweet child! Why don´t you eat something before I help you getting out of the
woods?”
The girl wanted to be cautious, but every single worry she had turned into mist when a plate full of
delicious fruit she had never seen before appeared.

“They are all for you, child. Eat to your hearts content!”, the creature spoke with a smile.

And the girl listened, unknowing of what the fruit would do to her.

The mist of the forest clouded her judgement and the fruit made her forget everything else there
was to be afraid of. She didn’t remember her parents and her village when she ate up and – what
was even worse – agreed when the Lord of the Forest asked her to stay so they could play games
together.

“Oh, we´re going to have so much fun together!”

The Lord of the Forest was happy to finally have found a playmate. The time of silence and
loneliness finally came to an end. Both of them spent their days playing hide and seek, and the dark
forest suddenly seemed luscious, green, and full of life and laughter. As long as the girl ate from
the special fruit and wandered through the fog, the illusion would stay.

Weeks and months passed. The girl’s parents were worried sick and tried searching for her in the
woods oh many times.
But every time they came back, it seemed that the thorny bushes that surrounded the entrance grew
thicker, letting no one in or out.

Everything went well for the Lord of the Forest. They finally weren´t lonely anymore. The girl
treated them like a friend – but it was all just a trick the girls head played on her.

One day, the girls hunger for fruit was satiated, so she decided she would just skip this meal. Only
that caused the illusion of her happy life to fade.
The fog in her head started to clear up, and she blinked, clearly confused as of why she was still in
the woods.

She then quickly started to remember what happened – how she had met the Lord of the Forest and
fallen right into one of their traps. The girl knew she had to leave immediately.

But the creature wouldn´t let her go just yet.

“If you leave, I´ll be all alone again!”, the Lord of the Forest pleaded, and it really sounded like
they didn´t want the girl to abandon then, “I thought we were friends!”

But the girl didn´t listen. Although a part of her suddenly felt sorry for leaving the shadowy figure,
she knew she had to.

As she tried to escape, thorns and bushes tried to grow in her way, but the girl ignored them,
running straight through them. She didn´t feel the pinches and wounds the thorns ripped into her
sensitive skin.

The Lord of the Forest called after the girl, but being bound to these very woods, they couldn´t
follow her out. Eventually, they had to let her go.

The forest grew back to its old ways when the child returned to her parents. What once had been
green and full of life turned grey and dull, and the mist reappeared thicker than ever. The entities
cries echoed through the forest as they mourned the loss of their only friend.
It didn´t take long for the Lord of the Forest to turn into mist themselves. Legend has it, if you
enter this forest today, you can still hear the cries echoing with the wind.
The girl, on the other side never stopped to feel guilty for leaving the creature. Eventually, she fell
sick with an unknown disease, and her body turned to mist as well. They say her spirit still wanders
the lands, unable to enter the forest ever again.”

~*~

“What a horrible story! I thought it would have a good end for those two!”

With an outraged snort, Angie climbed down from her caregivers lap.

“How depressing! Burn that book! Immediately!”, she demanded.

The last remaining heir of the Beneviento family put on an understanding smile under her veil.

“Unfortunately, not every story has a good endi- “

She was interrupted by her dolls continuous “Burn it! Burn it!” chants.

Donna sighed as she looked at Angie who paced around the room and raised her tiny fists into the
air, like she was leading on a riot. The other dolls giggled slightly as their eyes followed the little
bride.

“Angie, listen- “

Donna´s voice was gentle, trying to calm down her doll which still was busy chanting in an almost
child-like manner. Well – to the dollmaker, Angie really was a child.

A hyperactive one, that is.

“No, I don´t care! Change the ending! There is no way the locals read this tale to their children!”

Angie’s heels clicked on the wooden floor as she waddled over to the veiled woman again, taking
the book out of her hands.

Donna let out another defeated exhale when Angie banished the book into one of the many
bookshelves in the Beneviento living room. Although she had demanded to burn it, Angie knew
how much worth these books were to her caregiver. She didn´t want to upset Donna, after all.

But little did she know she was right. This tale really was a bit too sad to be a children’s story,
although Donna could relate to the Lord of the Forest.
Even if she had Angie to keep her company – alongside the many other dolls she had divided her
Cadou with – she felt what the creature in the story had felt. She couldn´t consider her ‘siblings’ as
playmates. Especially the one she had to call her mother.

The only one she ever had before Angie was…

The dollmaker shook her head to ban the thought back into her stubborn mind.

Although Donna had adjusted to her sheltered lifestyle – given that the scar in her face had brought
her nothing but anguish – she often wondered how things could´ve turned out for her if it weren’t
for the facial disfigurement she was so ashamed of… Maybe she would´ve been more self-
confident? More outgoing?

“Donna, I´m talking to you!”

She only snapped back to reality when a tiny wooden hand waved itself in front of her veiled face.
“I said I want to hear another story! But one with a good ending, this one was just way too odd!”,
the doll pleaded.

“And if it´s an odd story again, we´ll just burn it!”

The woman managed to put on a weak smile before adjusting her veil.

“I agree… Let´s look for something happier for you. How about this one? It´s called “The Village
of Shadows.”

“That doesn´t sound very happy to me!”

~*~

For the rest of the evening the dollmaker read a few other stories to her little friend. And although
Angie seemed to like the other tales way better, Donnas mind still lingered on the Lord of the
Forest.

Oh, how different things could´ve been indeed.

 Of snowstorms, damaged cars and other misfortunes
Chapter Summary

All you wanted to do was to escape your busy life for a few weeks... But you got so
much more than you bargained for.

Chapter Notes

First of all, THANK YOU for all your kind words on the first chapter! I never thought
this story would be so well-received! You guys absolutely make my day!
Have fun with this chapter! It´s a long one!
(Also, I tried to include a little bit of Rumanian. If there are any native speakers out
there, feel free to correct me if I made any mistakes!)

“And this makes us believe that the victim actually knew she was going to die. When the police
was…”

Thick snowflakes hit the windscreen as you turned down the True Crime podcast you listened to.
The weather forecast already said the weather would only get worse as you proceeded north-east,
but this bad? The wipers barely kept up with the sticky, wet snow that kept impacting with the car.

At least it wasn´t dark yet, although the days here already seemed significantly shorter.

But why did you come to such a remote region in the first place?

Simply put, you needed some time out.

Your job and your family had been stressing you out for months, and you urgently tried to escape it
all. Your mother had proposed the idea of a trip to the countryside to find back to yourself, to your
strength and your happiness, and that sounded like a good idea to you. You decided you wanted to
explore your roots a bit more – see the villages your great-grandparents had grown up at, back in
the day, when life was much simpler.

Although the timing wasn´t perfect – you should’ve known that travelling alone in the coldest
season of the year was clearly not properly thought through.

But as long as your trusted car worked its way through this harsh winter afternoon, you tried not to
worry too much.
You slowed down even more, not wanting to get into an accident in a region of the country which
dialect you barely understood nor spoke.

Fifty kilometres to go. You weren’t there just yet – but with the speed you were traveling with as of
now, it would be dusk before you reached the hostel. You just thought about calling and letting
them know you´d most likely arrive after dark when your car started to make the utmost worst
noise you had ever heard.

“Oh, what now?”

Annoyed, you took your foot off the gas pedal, and the car managed to do a few more jerky jumps
forth before it ultimately came to a halt. A loud sigh from the engine told you that this was
probably the end.

“Don´t leave me hanging… Come on now!”

Desperately, you turned your key, hoping it was just an illusion and that your car was fine. It
couldn´t have been an empty tank, you had just stopped for gas a few kilometres prior. But the
engine just wouldn´t start anymore. It coughed at you, outraged you´d even had the audacity to try
and make it work again.

“This can´t be. You’ve got to be kidding me…”

More curses left your lips as you unfastened the seatbelt to look for a possible culprit – but who
were you kidding? You were by no means a mechanic, barely being able to make out the battery,
where you could refill the fountain solution and which lever to pull to look at the oil level.

A frustrated groan echoed through the empty street.

What now?

You were in the middle of nowhere. And a quick check of your phone told you there was no
mobile service either.
You were utterly screwed. And the weather was only getting more merciless, making you shiver
already. As long as your car wouldn´t turn on again, there was no heating system either.

It was your luck the sun was still up, although your vision was unclear. The snowflakes that still
fell in masses seemed to become even thicker now.

“It´s no use”, you told yourself, barely manoeuvring around a panic attack by now, “I have to walk
until I either got service again or find an emergency telephone at the side of the road. I have a
feeling there won´t be more cars coming by with this type of weather.”

Talking to yourself in such precarious situations had been one of your many calming techniques as
it helped you analyse the situation. But of course today, it made everything worse.

Still, you tried to return to your usual optimistic mindset as you grabbed your thickest coat and
scarf from the passenger seat (you hadn´t needed it during the ride, since as mentioned before your
car was usually equipped with a well-working heating system. A well-working heating system that
had now abandoned you.).

You took your wallet with you as well just in case you had to identify yourself. Anxiety rose within
you when you remembered you also had to make use of your scarce Rumanian skills. It had been
the language of your great-grandparents, but since they were long gone, you never bothered to
learn the specific dialect of your ancestors... That was of course spoken all around these rural
regions. You felt the urge to curse again, but bit your tongue.

“Alright – I better find help fast.”

You stuck your hands into your pockets as you marched onward, careful not to step on the iced
spots that had formed on the side of the road.

Unfortunately, you soon realized you should´ve taken thicker boots with you. You had walked for
only ten minutes before you noticed the tips of your toes getting wet. You cursed again – a stupid
mistake like that could easily get you to freeze quicker and also make you more vulnerable to
hypothermia – should you not find shelter or help in the next hour or two.

This time, a very unholy swearword left your lips.

 ~*~

Against the odds it seemed that luck was on your side for the first time today.

You hadn´t walked for a full thirty minutes yet when the silhouette of a village appeared in front of
you in the blowing snow like a personal guardian angel. Immediately, you felt warmer, hoping that
the townsfolk would offer you a warm meal and most importantly – help for your completely
damaged car.

You quickened your pace to reach the first house, your shoes crunching in the snow, and you were
soon met with…

Nothing.

No lights were burning inside the windows, and at a second glance the house didn´t really look like
someone still lived in it to begin with. It was pretty run down, and the red brick wall under the
façade showed in many spots. Upon further inspection you discovered a gaping hole in the roof as
well. You frowned but went on. Maybe this house had simply been abandoned because of its state.

Still somewhat optimistic, you continued your path, as the thought of warm food made your heart
swell with childlike cheerfulness.

That same optimism shattered into tiny little pieces when you discovered the next three houses
were – in fact – abandoned as well, some of them looking even worse than the ones before.

Hot panic filled your chest, making it hard to breathe now.

Did you just stumble across a ghost village? Did every damned house here get abandoned by its
previous owners? It couldn´t be. Were you really that unlucky?

Your rapid breath left white, steamy clouds in the air as you hurried onward. At least it had stopped
snowing as hard as it did before. Your vision was much clearer now, even though that was the only
thing that was able to lift your mood by the slightest bit by now.
You had no other chance but to call out to see if anybody was there at all. Maybe there were some
residents that hadn´t left yet?

You prayed, as you gathered up courage to call out in the tongue your ancestors had spoken.

“Salut! Am… am nevoie de ajutor!“

You had no idea if they understood the standard Rumanian you spoke, but you didn’t care. If
someone were there, they would make themselves present.

Or so you thought. But cold, dead silence was the only answer you received.

You balled your fists that were still hidden inside the pockets of you jacket before repeating what
you had said, only louder.

And then once more.

When you still didn´t receive an answer for the third time, you were close to crying. Tears already
stung in the corners of your eyes, threatening to spill. In the meantime it had started to snow once
again, covering up your trail, there still was no mobile service and you stumbled into an abandoned
village with no chance of ever-

“Ce vrei să?”

Your eyes widened.

A voice.

You had definitely heard a voice.

You turned around to meet the gaze of an old man standing a few metres away from you – wrinkles
were very prominent on his features, and so was his partly shaved, almost completely white beard.
And he didn´t really seem excited to see you at all as he eyed you.

He frowned before repeating what he had said earlier. You realized you would probably better off
with switching languages altogether before you completely put your foot in it.

“Uh… Engleză?”, you stuttered out.

The old man only scoffed and shook his head, mumbling something you couldn´t understand,
Why, oh why didn´t you learn this goddamned dialect?

“What you want!”

A woman, presumably his daughter had appeared next to the old man – who by the way still
looked like you had personally insulted him.

“Help! I need help!”, you explained, your voice louder than you intended it to be, “My car crashed.
Do you have a phone? So I can call maintenance?”

The woman furrowed her brows before the old man took her arm, muttering something into her
ear. You started sweating, a thing your body always decided to do when you were in an
uncomfortable situation that triggered your anxiety.

Did they even understand you?

“Your car is… broken?”, she asked, voice fitted with an accent. As if that didn´t make it harder for
you to understand her, she spoke very quietly – almost like she feared she might disturb someone.

“Yes! And I need to call people that might be able to fix- “

Before you could end your sentence, both, the woman, and the old man hushed you down.

“Speak quiet! They can hear!”

“What?”

You didn´t understand what they meant. Meanwhile, the man started whispering to the woman
again. During the whole time he did, his bloodshot eyes were upon you.

“He says you come with us. It is not safe out here.”

Not safe?

What were they dealing with? Wolves? Vampires? This was rural Rumania after all.

Before you could ask her to elaborate as best as she could, you heard growls and howling in the
distance. But those definitely did not sound like wolves. Or vampires.

Your heart stopped as the old man started cursing out, signing you to come.

“This way! We are safe- “

Your feet had started carrying you over to the unlike pair, but before the woman could finish her
sentence, a horrified scream echoed through the village.

You didn´t know if it was yours or the woman’s.

The next thing you saw was a dark, tall creature that had jumped in your way, cutting you off from
the two townspeople. It growled at you as it came closer.

And what you saw terrified you.

You didn´t know if it was human or an animal. The creatures stood hunched over, shreds of ripped
clothing hanging down from its torso and legs. It was covered in thick, black hair, and only an
opening in the face made it able to tell that – whatever it was that stood in front of you, growling at
you – could´ve been a human once.
Bloody saliva drippled down onto the snowy ground as it bared its teeth at you. Behind it you
could barely make out the remains of the woman, gutted, and face frozen in a silent scream, eyes
wide open.

But before the contains of your stomach could come up again, you already found yourself running.
You didn´t know which direction was the safest, and you didn’t care. Your mind frantically tried to
process everything, but everything turned into a fuzzy mess behind your eyes.

You simply didn´t have an answer for what you´d seen – and frankly, now was not the time to
dwell over such things.

Your life was on the line. You could die.

As fast as your already tired and completely wet feet were willing to carry you, you chased through
the village. Behind you the low growls of the beast that seemed to come closer with every step you
took.

You were lucky the path through the village was somewhat linear – before you knew what
happened you had already passed the main plaza, which normally was a sight to behold – but not
for you, and definitely not in the situation you were in.

You had several directions to choose as you desperately tried to get some air into your lungs. The
beast was still chasing after you, but given that it was snowing heavily now, it temporarily lost
sight of you. But not for long.

With a furious, piercing howl the creature emerged from between the ruins, teeth bared to rip right
through your throat. You were frozen in your spot, eyes locked on the beast that would be your
angel of death.

But only seconds before it could tear you to shreds, a gunshot echoed through the village. You
shrieked, covering your ears, but your eyes were still focused on the scene in front of you.

It was the old man.

He yelled something at the beast and then you, and although you didn´t understand a word, you
knew he was shouting at you to get away.
Adrenaline rushed through your veins as your legs started to carry you away again – just in time
for you not to witness how the beast (although it limped from the gunshot) was on the old man
with two big jumps, ripping off the skin of his face. And although you didn´t see it, you heard his
horrid screams of death.

Tears had formed in your eyes as you ran for your life. Your lungs ached from the cold air; your
heart was desperately trying to keep up.

That grumpy old man had just given his life to save yours although he didn’t know you. You
would make sure to remember him… When the time was right, which was definitely not now.

Before you knew you found yourself on another plaza, but this one was different.

A giant ornament was embedded in the ground, and although it was partially covered in snow, it
reminded you of an altar. Around it were four gates, decorated with numerous oddly shaped wings
only biblical angels possessed.

You already could hear the howl of the monster in the alleyway behind you, so you hurried,
praying that at least one of the gates was unlocked.

“No, come on… Please!”

None of them were.

You had run out of luck once more, or so it seemed.

Out of sheer panic you started rattling on the gate you stood in front of, mustering up all your
strength. It was cold. The lock could break since it already looked like it hadn´t been used in a long
time. You only needed to…

“Oh dear god!”

The gate sprung open with a loud creak, and you slipped through the crack before slamming it shut
again. Behind the sheltering metal you could hear the angry growl of the beast as it roamed around
the plaza.

You thanked the heavens before turning around, looking at the path that lay in front of you.

Well, it had certainly seen better days. While there was a fence that held the vegetation at bay, it
was clear to see that this pathway hadn´t been tended to in a while now. And even if there were
people that actually used this route – the snow covered up all evidence of traces there could be.

Gathering all your courage you started moving again, away from the monstrosity that still tried to
locate you outside the gate. You walked at a quicker pace now, hoping for the beast to lose you.

The snow had stopped falling almost completely by now (what was up with the weather?) – and
since your tracks most likely wouldn´t get covered up by the white mass, you had to hurry to
whatever there was at the end of the path. If only the snow didn´t slow you down as much.

It seemed like the path you now walked used to belong to a small park. It was easy to see the way
the trees and bushes had once been arranged, although they had overgrown significantly. It didn´t
seem like anybody was caring for them anymore – and the sight was worrying you. What if you
ended up in another abandoned area of the village?

You pushed forward, forcing yourself to stop thinking about the worst case.

It was then an odd, sweet smell made itself prominent, making you stop in your tracks once more.

Flowers.

Vibrant, bright yellow flowers.

“In winter?”, you asked yourself out loud, “Am I starting to see things?”

The flowers were in fact, very real as you soon realized. They gently swayed in the cold wind,
releasing their sweet scent.
You had no time to enjoy the scenery, though.

Before you knew what happened, you heard a dangerous howl behind you. The creature was back.

And it was still out on the hunt for you.

“For fucks sake- “

You started running again, cold fear entering and rushing through your veins. The path went on
and on, and so did the beast behind you. Its heavy limbs made the earth shake just a few metres
behind you – and since it was so much taller it would catch up to you in no time, even if it limped
now.

The path getting more and more overgrown with bushes didn´t add to the situation. You ignored
the sting of thorny branches on your face, grazing your legs and ripping up your coat as you
desperately tried to escape the deadly creature.

And once again, luck had failed you.

You stumbled over a root hidden beneath the thick coat of snow, and you screamed as your ankle
twisted into a very unhealthy position, making you fall to the ground.

Icy snow immediately found its way into the back of your mantle, but you didn´t feel it. The pain
in your ankle was too immense. Although you were high with adrenaline, your body felt heavy as
you tried get up again, only managing to drag yourself further for a few inches.

And just in that moment, the creature emerged from the bushes, jaw wide open and revealing its
blood-dyed fangs.

This was the end. You closed your eyes and prayed for death to come quickly and painlessly.

Except death didn´t await you when you opened them again.
The beast still growled, but not at you as it seemed. Its eyes were fixated on a point behind you,
and you didn´t dare investigate. You found it was probably better to keep your eyes closed.

The next thing you remember was the creature violently crying out in pain again, and again.

A hollow giggle rang though the air around you, and the sound of slashing told you that something
just had started to massacre the monster.

You had no idea what was going on and just cowered to the ground, covering your ears. The ache
that pulsed in your ankle was too much to handle, and the screams of the creature mad all of it
worse.

When silence fell over your surroundings, you dared to open your eyes again, only to catch one last
glimpse of the monstrosity retreating back into the wild, limping even more and leaving a bloody
path while doing so.

You had no idea what had happened, but whatever it was – it had saved your life.

With a groan you tried to get up again, and you succeeded.

Until you tried to put your weight onto the injured ankle. A salve of cusses left your lips as tears of
pain blurred your vision. You had no idea an injured body part could hurt this much.

Gritting your teeth, you started to limp forward. You had to get out of this forest, and you´d love to
stay alive while doing so.

The sudden scent of smoke in your nostrils made your head shoot up.

Smoke! Like out of a chimney! You were saved!

New energy flooded you when you tried to drag your damaged body forth even more, and when
the house finally came into your sight, you almost cried.

It loomed over you in an almost threatening way, and you quickly learned this was not only a house
– but a whole mansion.
The enormous waterfall behind it roared, and you thought you could feel its ice-cold spray on your
face. You didn´t mind it, as the stinging pain made you already think your body was set on fire.

With your last remaining strength you approached the mansion. Visions of a lit fireplace and a cup
of steaming tea started to flood your senses. It was also in that moment you noticed the small
yellow flowers that rimmed the path you walked on.

Those flowers – it still remained a mystery to you how they managed to grow in the harsh climate
of this land.

You would ask whoever owned this mansion – after you tended to your wounds. The stinging in
your face remembered you that you literally had ran through thorny bushes – how you didn´t
accidentally lose an eye was still beyond your understanding.

Thanks to the sharp ache in your leg it feel like hours before you actually reached the entrance to
the looming mansion. You wheezed, resting against the heavy wooden door to gather your senses
for a moment.

“Please, let whoever resides inside be a nice perso- “

What you didn´t calculate in was the fact of the door actually giving in – as if someone forgot to
properly unlock it. With a muffled scream you quite literally made acquaintance with the floor
inside.

With a groan you sat up, holding your limbs that throbbed even more now. As if your body didn´t
already hurt, you were sure this would give you another few nasty bruises.

You looked around. You seemed to face the main hall. Most of the furniture and architecture
consisted of rustic looking wood, and there was a rocking chair in the middle of the room. Seated
in it – the doll replica of a bride, hunched over as if it rested.

“Who dares to disturb my peace?”

A high, somewhat tinny voice sounded through the entire main hall, making you shiver with fear
once more. Oh no. Did you have to deal with another unfriendly villager?

“Who is it? Who dares disturbing my nap? I will beat you up!”

What you saw next went over anything you could’ve ever imagined.

The voice came directly from the doll you had just sighted.

Its head shot up, eyes rolling at you.

You screamed.

The doll screamed louder.

You screamed the loudest.

Talking dolls? Where the hell did you end up?

“This is getting too much…”, you muttered to yourself, before your eyes rolled back. It was long
overdue, but finally, merciful unconsciousness took over your body.
 The dollmakers lair
Chapter Summary

Your story continues as you find yourself in the mysterious manor... Also, a doll
chooses violence.

Chapter Notes

Once again, thank you all for your amazing support! Here is the next chapter with our
beloved dollmaker and her psychotic doll.

The world was spinning when you finally came back to your senses. You blinked a few times, eyes
irritated by the light. Your head was stuffy, almost as if it had been filled up with cotton pads.

You scrunched your nose. With your consciousness, throbbing pain paid you a visit as well. And it
was everywhere. Your limbs, your back, even your teeth seemed to hurt, as if you had clenched
your jaw for too long.

With a groan, you tried to sit up. Your memory was a blur, and your body was stiff, aching with
every unconscious flex of your muscles.

Even the blink of your eyes hurt as you tried to orientate yourself.

The surroundings were unfamiliar to you.

“Where…”

You didn´t finish your sentence and started to investigate.

You found yourself sitting in a sparsely furnished room.

A desk, chair, wardrobe, and the bed you had laid in in were the only things you could spot. The
walls could´ve definitely used a new layer of paint as well.

The only dot of colour you could make out in that moment was a bright yellow flower in a small
vase that sat on the nightstand. Its sweet scent was noticeable in the air, almost to the point where
it made you sick.

There was a single window that let in the dim daylight. The wind outside must´ve picked up since
it rattled in irregular intervals. It didn´t exactly look like it could withstand the aggressive storm
outside for very long. If you were able to look closer, you would’ve seen how the glass started
bending slightly while the dark wooden frame creaked under the tension.

All in all this scenery felt eery enough. And… what was that? Dolls? One sitting on the desk,
another one on the windowsill, and yet another one that stared right into your soul from the top of
the wardrobe.

The tiny hairs on your arms immediately stood up as a rush of adrenaline zapped through your
body.

Did that doll just blink? Were your eyes playing tricks on you now?

You shook your head, trying to look at something else to calm yourself down. That was when you
spotted another doll, sitting in a chair at the end of the room, hunched over once.

But it was not just another doll.

It was the doll.

Now, your memory decided it was a good idea to come back at once.

The village. The creature. This very house.

“Oh my fucking god it’s the doll”, you muttered, rubbing your head.

“What do you mean ‘It´s the doll’? I have a name!”

You watched, mortified, as the doll started moving on its own, sitting up before it send itself flying
into your direction. You shrieked, ducking away. What sick and twisted play was this?

The little bride came to a stop at the end of your bed. Its eyes wiggled together with its movement,
and it let out a wicked laugh, which spooked you even more.

“We already thought you had died right there on the floor yesterday! Left a few ugly bloodstains as
well! Do you know how hard it is to remove blood from solid wood? Do you? Huh??”

This wasn’t real. You simply couldn’t wrap your mind around how in the world this was real.

“Who even are you, you intruder!”

“I- “

You were barely able breathe out your name, pinching your arm over and over again. You were
convinced this was a nightmare and hurting yourself was the only way to wake up.

But the creepy doll stayed, fixating you with her wide white orbs.

“Well then! Don´t you know it´s super impolite to trespass? You gave us a mighty scare!”

“Who is we?”, you asked, and your voice shook violently. Fear entered your gut, readying your
body to either fight or flee.

“You dare to even ask that? How do you not know? Do you live under a rock? It’s me and- “

Before the doll could continue to speak with its hollow, somewhat tinny voice, you had interrupted
it again.

“Wait, wait. Is this… real? Are you real? Or am I dreaming?”

The doll let out an outraged gasp before it literally exploded on you.

“How dare you!! That is insulting on so many levels! Now that I think about it we just should´ve
left you down in the hall and let you bleed out!”, it screeched, shaking its tiny wooden fist at you –
or at least you hoped it was wood, since the way its limbs were formed oddly enough reminded
you of bone. Who knew – maybe it was. This doll looked like it came out of a horror movie.

“You ungrateful human thing!!”, the doll continued to rant, its limbs clattering.

“Okay, okay! Calm down! Please!”

The dolls aura was deeply unsettling, and you found yourself begging to unknown forces, wanting
it all to stop. The deep-rooted fear of dolls and puppets you always had started to resurface stronger
than ever.

“Could you at least tell me what is going on here? And please don´t hurt me!”, you whimpered out,
trying to shield yourself from possible harm.

“Well!”, the doll started, crossing her arms, “I would´ve already told you if you didn´t start
insulting me you ungrateful wench!”

You couldn´t believe it! That doll chose violence!

“Hey, do you even know what that means, little one?”, you asked, your fear temporarily giving
way to offence.

“No! … And at this point I am too afraid to ask”, the doll admitted after a very pregnant pause,
“But that’s not the point!”

You released a shaky exhale. This conversation was getting you nowhere, besides spooking you.
Cold sweat had formed on your back and forehead.

And you still weren´t sure if you were awake at all, or if this was just a hallucination. Who knew,
maybe you would wake up in a hospital bed in a few moments.
Just in that moment, the smell from the flower on the nightstand seemed to become even thicker,
fogging up your senses and clouding your judgement.

And although fear had weighted down on your chest a few moments prior, it now seemed to
disappear into thin air. Instead, you felt calmness wash over you, taking away all the worries you
had just a minute ago.

It also might as well real, you finally concluded to yourself. After all you had already seen a lot of
weird stuff happening in the last twenty-four hours.

“Okay then, little doll”, you said in an attempt to soothe the confused thing. Your own voice
sounded like it was far, far away.

“Let´s just call it truce and forget the things we just said, okay? I really need to know what
happened to me.”

“Only if you stop insulting me! I am a living creature!”

“Of course you are.”

~*~

Angie couldn´t believe what in the world just had happened.

A complete stranger had just literally fallen into the house and decided it was a good idea to
scream at her.

Yes, the stranger just had screamed at her and then passed out, but the doll considered that a hate
crime!

And now there you laid, unconscious and bleeding from multiple cuts in your face, hands, and legs.
That definitely couldn´t be healthy for a normal human.

“Donna!! There is a human! Inside the house! And! It´s! Not! Moving!”, the doll screamed with its
hight pitched voice, jumping up and down.
Also, that human didn´t seem to be very nice.

Angie didn´t even get a proper greeting before that whole fiasco happened.

“On second thought, don´t bother! It´s a rude human!!”

~*~

When the dollmaker finally appeared, she went into shock, staying rooted in her spot. Angie wasn´t
playing tricks on her this time.

How long had it been since she last saw a human? A living human, that is.

Although this one didn´t seem very much alive anymore.

Hesitantly she stepped closer, picking up her doll which still was frantically running around the
unconscious woman.

“I didn´t do it!”, the doll squawked, waving her arms around, “She saw me, screamed and broke
down like a drama queen! Very impolite!”

A quiet sigh escaped the dollmaker. This human required her assistance, that much she could see.
A lot of cuts and bruises framed your even face, and your clothes had been torn by whatever had
been tormenting you outside.

But you also were an intruder, Donna thought – someone who overstepped her boundaries and
ended up here without the dollmakers consent. How in Mother Miranda´s glory didn’t she succumb
to the hallucinations?

“Maybe we should just leave her there? I mean, she screamed bloody murder at me! That´s highly
offensive!”, the doll in her arms croaked again.

Donna was aware of the risk she was playing with, but a tiny part of her wanted to know how you
survived her army of dolls that was out in the forest, shielding the Beneviento mansion from
possible harm.

But – if she cared for the wounded – you might wake up and see her! Donna wasn´t comfortable
with that thought either.

No one should see her.

Ever.

The veiled woman just stood there, undecided, as she started to pick at her finger; a little quirk she
had developed long ago and still always started doing when she was stressing over something.

“Donna?”

Angie’s high soprano brought her back. She sounded a bit worried.

The dollmaker swallowed down before balling and releasing her fists – something she tended to do
to release the stress again.

She still had Angie to talk to the human. She wouldn´t have to show herself. Donna would wait
until you woke up again and then either send you away or keep you here – depending on what
reason you gave as of why you ended up at the manor.

With a silent command, Donna called more dolls to carry your unconscious body up into one of the
unoccupied guest rooms.

Well – every guest room was unoccupied. Nobody had ever willingly stayed at the Beneviento
mansion for longer than they had to.

While the last heir of the household watched her dolls carry the stranger upstairs (and Angie
screaming other weird commands at them like the rascal she was), she started kneading her palms.

Everything would be fine. Angie could handle humans better than she ever could.
 ~*~

“… And that´s how we found you!”

Angie – you only learned her name because she sometimes tended to speak of herself in third
person – snickered.

Somehow you couldn´t tell if the doll was messing with you or not. The house owner being able to
command dolls? Did you enter a different reality while you were busy escaping the beast?

Strangely enough, you still did not feel the hysteria that had shut your body down just moments
ago. Your mind was still peaceful, quietly accepting the things you heard. The smell of the vibrant
flower not far away from you entered your nostrils once more.

“And let me guess – those dolls also fixed my face and wrapped my leg in bandages?”, you asked,
raising your eyebrow.

“No, they aren´t advanced enough to do that! I suppose I could´ve done it… But I honestly
would’ve just ‘accidentally’ stabbed out your eyes with my fingers”, the doll giggled.

“No, it was Donna!”

“Donna?”

~*~

The dollmakers hands visibly shook as she tried to tend to the strangers wounds. Your face was
pretty beaten up, and Angie, that watched and started to come up with crude theories on how all
these injuries could´ve gotten down didn´t help at all.

If anything, Donna had to concentrate even more. Unlike Heisenberg, she never could´ve told
Angie to shut up for once, it would´ve hurt both of their feelings.

She could barely remember the last time she had to patch up a face. It had been her sister´s from
when they played hide and seek in the bushes – and Claudia had ended up with a bruise from a
branch slapping into her face.

‘Don´t worry Claudia, it´s going to be okay!’

‘Thank you for taking care of me, Don… Please don´t tell our parents or they´ll be mad we played
in the bushes again!’

‘It´s okay! We´ll find a good excuse!’

Donna had only realized her body was frozen up in a flashback when she saw Angie, reaching out
to pat her hand.

This was getting too much, she thought, she should´ve just let you die there. Now she had to suffer,
all because this situation reminded her of her sister.

The dollmaker straightened her back and took a few deep breaths, counting down from ten before
resuming her work.

Since her hands were used to delicate work for years, due to her profession as dollmaker and
herbalist, she still placed the patches down on your face with the utmost care. Tiny electric
shockwaves went through the tips of her fingers whenever she touched your warm face.

Human warmth – also something she hadn´t really experienced in quite some time.

Years, actually.

She released a relieved breath when she had covered every bruise with a patch without you waking
up. Of course, Donna had checked if you were alive at all, but your breathing was still shallow.

Her gaze was still fixed on your face. She had to admit – there was a certain beauty to your bruised
face. She ran a finger over a patch that hadn´t properly stuck to your skin around the edges.

So warm…
The veiled woman just wanted to get up and leave when Angie cleared her throat.

“I think there´s something wrong with her leg too”, she said, pointing to your twisted ankle that –
at this time – had already turned purple and red. A mild gasp escaped the dollmaker.

“Eh, just replace it with a wooden leg. Works for me every time”, the doll shrugged.

But this was not a wooden puppet. This was a human.

With a sigh, Donna asked her dolls to bring her more bandages for the leg.

What on earth did you do to end up like the wreckage you were?

And most importantly, how did you survive it?

~*~

“So that… Donna just came by to patch me up and then straight up left?”, you asked, still not fully
on board with what this doll just told you.

“She didn´t exactly leave, you know. Also, she would prefer you to be called Lady Beneviento.”

Beneviento… What a name.

“And you know that because?”

“She just told me, idiot.”

Angie started snickering upon seeing your dumbstruck face. And – did you just imagine it, or did
you really just hear the little laughs of the other dolls that were in the room with you?

“What do you mean, she just told you? Is she… a ghost?”, you asked with a raised eyebrow, but
you were ready to get up and leave if the answer to your question was a yes. Talking dolls – fine
with you. But ghosts?

“Well, what do you think it means?”, the doll asked with another high-pitched laugh.

That doll sounded like a maniac.

“Don´t break your pretty little head over things your mind can´t process. I believe your head is
already broken enough from whatever happened to you out there”, Angie then shrugged.

“Who do you think you are? And why did you think it was a good idea to walk right into our
property without our consent? Huh??”

The doll had started floating again, and with every word she spoke, she crept closer to your face
until your noses almost touched.

“Well I- Actually, it wasn´t my fault”, you raised your arms in defence again, “I was being chased
by something hairy and- “

“Yeah, those are called animals?”, Angie interrupted you dryly, “Was it a deer? Dog? Cat? Bunny?
You unfortunate thing!”, she then sighed theatrically.

“No! No, it was… Huge. And almost looked like a human. Or I suppose it once was human but…
It had these sharp fangs and it…”, you swallowed down, “It… killed two people. Right in front of
me.”

Your voice was barely a whisper by now.

“Ahh! The Lycans! Yes, very impolite lads indeed! I´m surprised you survived!”, the doll
snickered.
“… Lycans?”

“Yeah, half ly, half can, you idiot.”

Angie let her sentence linger in the air before breaking out in hysterical laughter. And now, you
swore you heard the other dolls laugh as well.

Just in that moment, a particularly strong gust of wind finally won the desperate fight with the
fragile window. With a loud bang, it sprung open. Icy air invaded the room, making you shiver.

And all of a sudden, your mind cleared up again. Groaning, you held your head as a wave of
migraines washed over you. You hunched over, squeezing your eyes shut.

What were you even doing here? This place was cursed. Filled with talking dolls that looked like
they came straight out of one of your nightmares. You weren´t safe here!

“Hah, you should´ve seen your face!”, Angie howled with laughter, obviously not paying any
attention to the broken window frame – and your hunched over form, “Did you actually believe
what I was saying?”

She carried on with wiping away imaginary laughing tears while you tried to straighten up again.
The throbbing headache behind your temples only got worse while looking at her, and the stinging
cold from outside only made matters worse.

You needed to get out of here! What kind of spell did that doll put you under?

“So, the… uh. Lycans. You… Have no idea what they are?”, you then asked carefully, before
closing your eyes again, trying to channel out the pain that slowly crept its way up your head,
behind your eyeballs – simply everywhere. Weakness washed over you.

“Nu-uh! I just told you so if you had actually listened, you idiot. I suppose they were humans until
one day, they were not. Don´t ask me, though! I never were one!”
The doll let out yet another of her laughing fits, and you? Well, you just proceeded with placing
your head on your knees that you had pulled to your chest before.

This was a nightmare.

Your heart was pounding against your ribcage, sending you almost straight into a panic attack.

Mutated humans, talking dolls and a house owner that was supposedly a ghost and didn´t show
herself, but apparently knew exactly what was going on. It was just too much for you to handle.

“God, I just want to go home”, you muttered over the laughter of the dolls that still carried on.
Channelling it out was impossible.

“With that sprained ankle? Doubt it!”, the little bride squawked.

“As much as we´d love to let you go, you probably won’t come far!”

Right. Your ankle.

“How the hell did you even get to the village, strange human? Are you a maiden sent to entertain
us?”

You looked up to see the doll once again break all rules of social distancing.

“A maiden? To… what?”

“Ah yes. So no maiden. Noted. Pity! If your face wasn´t all scratched up you might almost be
pretty!”

Your pulse was racing by the time you tried explaining yourself, stuttering out every other word.
This whole situation messed with you badly. By now, you wished you had never taken that
godforsaken trip.

“Well my… Car broke down. And I tried to get help. Next thing I knew I was getting chased by
that… Lycan thing and then I ended up here. The uh- gate was open...”
“Aw man, we forgot to lock them again?”, Angie sighed, “How unfortunate!. Would´ve loved to
see you turn into minced meat. No trespassers, you know? Of course you know, I already told you
two times!”

That was when you finally snapped.

To hell with that stupid doll! Instead of answering your questions, it only raised more!

You grabbed the doll to pull her down to your level, stopping her obnoxious float.

“It was never my intention to reach this place! I got stuck! My car broke down, I just wanted to get
help in the goddamn village!”

Your voice was a dangerous growl by now, determined to stop this madness before it consumed
you.

“Release me, you ungrateful thing!!”

“I didn´t ask to get chased down by beasts or end up here! I was seeking shelter! Yet all you do is
attacking me! None of this was planned! Believe me, hadn´t my engine decided to randomly
combust I would already be in my hostel! Far away from this nightmare bullshit you´re pulling on
me!”

You had started to shake the doll slightly as your voice got louder and louder with every word you
said.

Just in that moment you felt your mind cloud up again for a short moment, and numbness filled up
the space where anger had been a second ago. But not for long. You fought the sensation, furiously
shaking your head to get rid of it.

Of course at that time you couldn´t know that it was Donna who controlled the pollen from the
flowers around you, trying to sedate you. But in her desperation and fear for Angie, she worked
sloppily.

“What the hell are you trying to do with me now? Drugging me?”, you spat out at the doll, and
your insults mixed with the dolls hysterical screeching, demanding to let her go.
“Unhand her.”

You froze.

That wasn´t the voice of the doll. It was much deeper, almost a whisper, but with such intensity to
it you immediately followed the order.

Angie immediately started to curse at you.

“Who do you think you are?? Stupid idiot! Ungrateful human! Don´t you dare touch me like that
ever again!!”, she howled at you, banging her tiny fists on the bed.

You didn’t reply. ‘Unhand her.’ Those two words echoed through your head again and again.
Could it be that-

Angie’s disdainful snort brought you back to reality.

“You´ll pay for that! You can be glad we didn´t decided to kill you – yet!”

It could´ve been only your imagination, but a collective rumble went through the other dolls in the
room. They twitched slightly before settling again.

“Make it count!”

With that, Angie started floating upwards again and towards the door. Before she left, she turned
around again, her eyes rolling.

“Just you wait! Donna won´t be too happy with you, you vicious wench!”
 What nightmares are made of
Chapter Summary

Of course Lady Beneviento couldn´t let you get away with getting violent with her
doll. The wrath of the house owner was upon you, making you see things you would
never fully forget again.

Chapter Notes

Some of you might find the happenings in this chapter a bit disturbing, so read with
caution!

After the peculiar – not dare to say – maniac doll had left you alone, you fell into another deep
sleep that came close to a comatose.

Your body needed rest urgently, and you were more than happy to provide it with just that. You
had drifted off quite easily, even if your body still ached with every breath you took – you were
just that exhausted. Everything stopped making sense to you after a while, and you accepted it like
that. Your mind was clouded once more, suppressing any rational thought.

The only thing that just really disturbed your peace were your dreams. They were chaotic – nothing
made sense (which was normal for most dreams), but what you saw hit an entirely different nerve.

You were in your car again, driving through weirdly shaped landscapes in all colours you could
think of. It looked like straight out of a child´s mind. There were steep hills with lines drawn all
over them, and then a forest appeared, the trees wearing colourful leaves in different shades of
blues, pinks, purples and what not. The mood was even more uplifted by some Irish jig playing in
the radio, and you tapped your fingers on the steering wheel with the music´s rhythm.

Everything felt fine to you – a gentle breeze from the open window caressed your skin as you
enjoyed the everchanging landscapes all around you.

But then, the mood altered.

Dark storm clouds started to form on the horizon and threatening thunder roared over your head. It
was a warning of what was yet to come, and you found yourself hitting the gas pedal, trying to
escape the scene.

But it was too late for you – lighting came crashing down to your sides, the electricity making the
hairs on your arms stand up. The super cell above you started to rotate with the clouds only
becoming thicker before they came crashing down from the sky to encase you and your car in
twilight. Thick mist fogged your vision.

Next thing you knew, you found yourself out on an empty street. Your car was gone, swallowed by
the dark, cool haze. There you were, all alone in the twilight, and slowly, fear started to creep into
your bones, intoxicating your thoughts until it finally had swallowed you whole.

You were all alone.

Lost, in the depths of your consciousness.

You were shivering, listening to your own rattling inhales, desperately trying to get air into your
lungs. Your arms wrapped around your torso, trying to savour the little amount of body heat you
were left with in that moment.

It was only then you spotted a figure in the distance. It was hard to see them, given that their
appearance was only a nuance darker than the clouds around you. The fog started to stir up again,
wind dashing through your hair and almost taking your breath away.

“Hello?”, you called out towards the mysterious figure that still stood completely still and blended
with the horizon. Your voice seemed to echo dozens of times, circling around you, getting louder
and then quieter again

“Who are you?”

You received no answer and balled your fists.

When you tried to call out once more, you were terrified to realize your voice had gone. Your lips
moved, but nothing would ever leave them… Words, taken by the wind that still ripped on your
clothes. They never reached the shadow.

That´s when you heard them.

Whispers of mockery, quiet at first, but they were unmistakably there, circling around you like
your own voice did before. The stronger the wind blew, the louder the voices got, the more
aggression you heard in them. You couldn´t make out what exactly they said, but that wasn´t
necessary for you to know that those weren´t words laced with kindness. Before you knew what
had happened, the dark figure raised its hand to point at you. And the hundreds of voices taunting
you only swelled with the hurricane that swirled around you.

You had started to fear for your life. The mocking voices around you entered your mind, screaming
at you, making your ears rang and your head shatter. You covered your ears.

“Stop! Please! God, make it stop already!”

From one moment to the other, deafening silence was the answer. Silence, but this silence wasn’t
silence at all. There was one singular whisper, repeating the same words over and over again.

“Darkness shall come upon the ones that treat us with disrespect.”

The voice was painfully familiar, but just as recognition was about to strike –

~*~

You woke up, gasping and trying to fill up your aching lungs with air like a drowning sailor whose
fate had already been set by Poseidon himself. Your hand rested on your chest, and the unsteady
rhythm of your heart reached echoed in your fingertips.

An unfamiliar weight had placed itself on your ribcage, and although you had sat up straight now,
it wouldn´t leave. You still gasped, trying to swallow down the lump in your throat only to find it
bone-dry, rattling with every sharp breath you took.

Slowly, very slowly your heartrate stabilized itself, only to go up the second you laid your eyes on
yet another dark figure standing in the room with you.

You shrieked, grabbing the blanket.

“Have mercy!”

You writhed in pain as sudden, jabbing pain bore itself though your skull the second you made eye
contact with the creature. Or was it even a creature? The devil in disguise, paying you a visit,
preparing your soul for the everlasting fires of hell?

A groan escaped you as you tried to lift up your head again, eyelids fluttering. The shadowy figure
still stood in silence, and the only thing that convinced you it must be at least part human was the
alabaster-like hands they kept folding and unfolding in front of them. They shone in the moonlight
– and that made it easier for you to follow what they were doing next.

The world around you glitched like there was an error in the matrix. Zaps of electricity surged
through your veins as you watched how the figure summoned dolls with a snip of her fingers. And
they just kept coming.

Their little bodies started twitching and with horrified, wide eyes you followed as they started to
stand up and move, one by one. Where shining, large orbs should´ve been, you only were able to
spot emptiness. You stared into the voids that were the dolls eyes, and the voids stared right back
at you.

Black, thick liquid started to dripple down from their empty eye sockets.

Your heart threatened to burst with fear.

The dolls started dancing around the room, moving in weird, jerky motions. Some of them glitched
around the room, disappearing and reappearing on the shelves, the wardrobe, even your bed.

Cold sweat had formed on your back and forehead as you watched the bizarre play unfold in front
of you.

You wanted to escape this hell, trying to make a run for it, but you knew you wouldn´t manage.

They wouldn´t let you leave.

One of the dolls approached you with a high-pitched, almost inhumane giggle, and before you
could pull your blanket around you tighter to shield yourself, it yanked it off the bed, leaving you
without cover.

Sheer panic entered your mind, suffocating ever other rational thought you could have had in that
moment. Your limbs weighed down on you like fresh cement being poured on you.
Unable to move, you were forced to watch as the dolls started crawling towards you, their empty
eye-sockets focused on your helpless form. More and more devilish laughter. Your ears rang. Your
breath hitched, tears of desperation entering your vision.

Slowly, the dolls crept closer and closer, and your heart missed a few beats when their little dresses
and suits suddenly ripped open, revealing sharp blades, scissors, kitchen knives and sewing needles
that had hidden under their otherwise harmless appearance.

Your lips parted, setting free a high pitched, horrible scream. The blood in your veins threatened to
freeze. More tears flooded your vision, and you still tried to blink them away.

“No!! Please, stop!”

Your pathetic cries weren´t enough to satisfy the deadly dolls. A sharp blade fired by one of them
missed your throat by just an inch before it got stuck in the wall behind you with a dull thump.

Another yelp escaped your lips as you dug your hands into the bedsheets for the sake of getting a
hold of anything. Your throat closed completely, making it difficult for you to breathe. You
squeezed your eyes shut.

“Stop this…”, you whimpered, covering your ears, trying to shield out the hollow, mocking
laughter of the dolls.

You were close to hyperventilating when all of a sudden, silence greeted you like an old friend.

“Don´t ever disrespect us again if you want to keep on living.”

There it was. The voice. That deep voice, smooth, and at the same time raspy as if the person hadn
´t spoken out loud in a long time.

Within the blink of an eye, the horror scenario in front of you returned to your normal bedroom.
Your shaky, rapid breathing filled the overwhelming silence as you tried to regain control over your
body again, letting go of the bedsheets finally.

You would´ve been convinced it was a dream if it wasn´t for the knife that still stuck in the wall
next to where your head was. And the dolls seated around the room, their porcelain heads turned
towards you, capturing you with their emotionless painted eyes.
Morning had broken, and the first ray of sunshine barely grazed the window.

And then your fragile shell finally broke as well.

You cried into your pillow like a little child, and the pillow absorbed them, turning them into the
whimpers of a child that got woken up by a bad dream.

What did you do to deserve this? Getting stuck in a beast-infested village, threatened, and almost
hurt – killed! – by a horde of psycho dolls, questioning your sanity before end up weeping like an
infant that wanted its mother.

You wished you had never taken that godforsaken trip.

~*~

“Wow, what a performance! Couldn’t have done it better! Applause applause, applesauce!”

Angie slow clapped with her delicate wooden hands, but Donna barely heard her favourite doll.
She was too busy watching the woman through her other dolls eyes, seeing you start to wail like a
little child.

Given, she had been furious when you assaulted Angie – nobody dared to touch her doll like that!
Even Heisenberg knew not to unfold Donnas wrath. But slowly, very slowly, guilt started to form
within her as she focused on your still weeping form.

Had she been too harsh perhaps?

You couldn´t have known any better. After all, the dollmaker had found out through Angie that
you were by no means a local and had no knowledge of the established rules. You had no idea
what sick and twisted world you had stumbled into – and still, Donna was sure you would´ve
already been sucked out dry if you had ended up at castle Dimitrescu instead of her mansion.

Although that didn´t give you the right to abuse her Angie.
Speaking of which – the doll was still busy celebrating the way her caregiver had spooked the
woman, jumping and dancing around like the little maniac she was.

“That wench will be scared of you for the rest of her life!”

And still, Angie had no idea what that word meant. She must´ve picked it up from Heisenberg. A
quiet, defeated sigh came over the dollmakers lips as she swiped up her doll midst running around,
positioning her on her arm like always.

Did Donna really want you to be scared of her? You would have to spend at least three weeks here
until your ankle had healed up – and even if it were hard for the Lady of the house to admit –
Maybe acting hostile towards you was the wrong approach. You already were scarred enough of
the horrors you had to witness in the village.

After all, you had told Angie enough times that you turning up at the Beneviento mansion was not
planned. That coming into the village in the first place had otherwise not been an option if it hadn´t
been for your demolished car.

You didn´t intentionally want to inflict harm onto them, Donna thought over and over again. And
yet, she still was scared of the human in her house. It had been too long; the dollmaker had
unlearned how to act around someone that wasn´t part of the Four Lords. Or Mother Miranda
herself.

But was it time for her to change her ways just because that human showed up? Had it been a sign?
After all, you had survived the traps Donna had set for any unwanted visitors.

What on earth had given you the privilege of survival?, Donna asked herself, still eyeing your
sobbing figure on the bed.

The guilt she had tried pushing back now hit her at full force, and the dollmaker started picking on
her fingers again.

Donna just wasn´t made for playing the villain and she knew that.

The dollmaker remembered the flowers in your room – a tactic she always chose to make things
easier for her to handle – and decided to give you at least some temporary relief of your fears.
Even if it was by manipulating your thoughts.

With a sigh, she sent more dolls after you. She had prepared a little something for you – although
Angie threatened to commit arson if Donna dared showed weakness towards you.

~*~

Your tears had finally sieged with the sun rising higher and higher in the sky. The horrors of the
night were pushed back into the edges of your brain, slumbering, and waiting to awake when
daylight faded.

The sun had given you hope. It was going to be a bright day outside – and since you were still alive
to see it – maybe not everything here was out to kill you.

You sat up in the bed yet again, rubbing your swollen, burning eyes. It was almost embarrassing to
you. The last time you had cried so much was when you thought you had lost your favourite teddy
bear – which had been years ago. But on the other side, your favourite stuffed teddy never tried to
kill you with a knife… You reached behind you, pulling on said object and making the already
patchy paint of the wall crumble.

Well, should the killer dolls try and come for you a second time, you at least had a weapon to
defend yourself.

If it hadn´t been for your damned ankle you probably would´ve left this place behind you already.
Your gaze was focused on the wooden door towards the end of the room while that thought
entered your mind.

Just in that moment, it creaked open slightly. Your nervous and traumatized heart immediately
skipped another beat when it swung in its holders, opening so violently it hit the wall.

It was another horde of dolls, but these didn´t seem like they were on the hunt for you.

Yet.

Of course, the group was being led on by Angie who shouted commands at them like they were
partaking in a military parade.

Oddly enough, you just accepted the scene that unfolded itself in front of you. Your mind was
simply too exhausted to question reality. Your brain felt like it was wrapped up in cotton once
more.
“She´s awa-a-ake! Finally! We thought you might never get up! The sun is already high in the
sky!”, the doll squawked over the clatter of dishes and cutlery.

“Companyyy – halt!”

The group of dolls listened as they stopped in their tracks, and you watched as all of them turned
around you. Each and every one of the held different items. The first three dolls held plates with
food and drink, and with the snip of Angie´s wooden fingers, they started serving them to you,
placing them down on the bed.

“Now march! Get going! Shoo!”, Angie commanded them again, and the dolls turned on their little
heels, marching out the room in unison.

The next three dolls approached the bed, folded clothes in their tiny porcelain hands.

“Don´t blame me if they don´t fit correctly, we had to take your measurements in a hurry since
Donna didn´t want you to wake up!”, the bride giggled with her hollow voice.

You could not believe your eyes. They had brought you fresh clothes? Were those the same deadly
dolls you had encountered just an hour ago?

In all honesty – you needed them urgently. You still wore the pants and sweatshirt you arrived in
two days prior, and they were not only torn apart and not really that nice to look at anymore, but
they also reeked. You reeked. A bath probably would solve that problem, but with your ankle?

You were oddly touched by the actions of the dolls and Angie coordinating them although snippets
of your dream entered your mind again… But they were gone in an instant when the sweet scent of
flowers entered your nostrils once again like the many times before. Of course you were smelling
the plants – the very last doll was carrying a vase with a few of them inside, replacing it with the
bouquet that was already standing on your nightstand.

As you felt your worries slip away, you knew something about this was foul… But you couldn´t
bring yourself to care in that moment. The only thing you could feel in that moment was regret
sneaking into mind. You knew how disrespectful you had treated the doll, but could they blame
you? You had been scared.
“Angie?”

“What is it, doll-abuser?”, she promptly answered in a dry tone, and that immediately pierced your
heart. Yes. You definitely were guilt-ridden now. Also, it slowly settled with you that it would
probably the best if you acted inconspicuous, refraining from causing any more trouble.

Although this doll was definitely still a maniac.

“I just… Wanted to apologize for treating you badly the other day”, you blurted out. Of course you
also partially did it because you feared the wrath of the houseowner. Her aura was omnipresent,
although you had yet to meet her.

The doll started snickering before lifting itself a metre into the air again.

“Now then, was apologizing really that hard? We first had to give you a whole-“

What happened next weirdly looked like Angie was getting interrupted by someone else. It almost
seemed like another person gave her an imaginary clout. She muttered something you couldn´t
quite understand to the air next to her, and you watched, your eyebrows slowly inching higher.

“Alright, alright!”, Angie finally muttered, still talking to seemingly no one and rolling her round
eyes a few times around – which already was enough to give you a quick rush of goosebumps.

“So, we accept your apology. Just don´t do it again or else…”

She shook her fist at you again.

“Now go on and eat that stuff! I can´t promise it´s not poisoned though”, she snickered before
another invisible scold came over her yet again.

“Just eat now! And then you need to take a bath, urgently! You stink!”, the doll held her nose
closed, speaking with a nasal undertone.
“You stink even more than Moreau!”, she added with a gag.

“Hey now, that´s not a nice thing to say”, you scolded her, not even bothering to ask who that
Moreau guy was. Or maybe it was a thing? You were sure you´d get your answers soon enough if
you stayed persistent.

“Says the one who assaulted me and called me names!”, the doll squawked at you.

“Ah… Well. That round goes to you I guess”, you sighed in response, which had Angie snicker
even more.

“Puh-lease! Every round goes to me! I´m awesome! Now eat and go take a bath you stinky human
creature!”

“I think you´re forgetting that I physically cannot move from this bed because my ankle is
shattered”, you muttered, simply overhearing the salve of insults.

“Don´t worry. We´ve arranged something for you. Or better – Donna arranged something for you,
although I told her it would be better for both of us if we just left you to rot here! But alas she
didn’t listen, so here we go. You just don´t want to hurt her feelings again, trust me!”

While the doll rambled on you only had eyes for what had been placed in front of your bed, and to
which Angie pointed to now.

How did they… get here? And when?, you asked yourself, eyeing the wooden crutches that had
been neatly leaned against the wall. They seemed hand-made, and someone clearly got carried
away with intricate carved ornaments of flowers and vines spiralling up to the top.

They were beautiful.

“Oh.”

“What, ‘oh’? Don´t you like them, human?”, the doll sneered.
“I- I do! Give her my thanks. They are lovely.”

“Yeah, yeah, you can tell Donna yourself sometimes!”, Angie rolled her eyes again.

“Well then, I´ll leave you to it. And don´t mind the company of my cute friends here- “ She
motioned around the room, clearly meaning the dolls that still sat on the furniture “They´ll just
watch to make sure you don´t accidentally cause trouble! But you surely know that!”

Angie´s hollow and high-pitched giggles were all around the room before she floated out of the
door, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

With a more than defeated sigh you looked down on the dishes and freshly sewn clothes the dolls
brought you.

“Alright. Food goes first”, you said to yourself, reaching for one of the plates. Then, you would try
and find a bathroom. Couldn´t be too hard of a task, right?
 Helpful dolls and nervous breakdowns.
Chapter Summary

After things had calmed down you decide to try and find an opportunity to freshen up -
only to find two dolls that take upon guiding you through the haunted estate.
And, what is that?
A note?

Chapter Notes

As some of you may have noticed, 'you' and Donna do not immediately click - but don
´t worry. You two will warm up to each other eventually.
Thank you for reading!

Lost in her own thoughts, the Lady of the house watched what happened around the woman
upstairs through her dolls eyes. Donna herself was down in the workshop, working on a new doll
with delicate limbs carved out of wood like Angie had – this specific doll was for a collector who
had requested it personally. Of course, she wouldn´t disappoint them with her work.

She averted her gaze from the scene (she was just witnessing Angie bringing you some food) again
and continued to carefully glaze over the single pieces of the doll with the help of a brush she had
previously coated in wood varnish. The substance made her work shimmer in the bright headlights
on the ceiling. Donna was satisfied with what she had crafted as she set down the unfinished doll to
dry.

Next were her clothes. The dollmaker had already decided on which textiles she was going to use to
sew the dress. With extra care, she would then add delicate embroideries to the tiny garment before
putting the doll together and dress her.

Donna always hated to part ways with these types of commissions – especially after putting so
much effort and care into their creation. But the collector was willing to pay a high price, and even
though money wasn´t the dollmakers first motivation, it added to it. Lady Beneviento´s primary
goal would always be surrounding herself with more friends and to keep her hands busy.

The comfortable silence in the workshop, though, was soon getting disrupted as she heard Angie
approach. Donna would´ve recognized that click of her little wooden heels anywhere. Angie knew
how much Donna disliked being approached unexpectedly, especially when she was working on
new dolls, so Angie refrained from using her flight abilities and always came back to her maker on
foot.
“She apologized to meee! Did you see? Did you? Hah, I knew it was a good idea to give her a
mighty fine scare with those hallucinations!”, the doll squealed with joy, bouncing up and down
before waddling over to Donna, who promptly picked her up to place her down on her lap.

Donna listened to her favourite dolls rambles as she started to pin out the patterns for the new dress
on her chosen fabric.

Even though she thought the nightmare hallucination had been justified – you threatened to hurt
Angie after all – guilt was also flooding her system whenever she thought about the incident. And
it just-

Wouldn´t-

Stop.

You were her unexpected guest nevertheless, and after all she knew from previous… encounters,
that humans tended to overreact a bit when meeting the talking doll. Maybe she had overdone it
this time?

“So when are you finally going to show yourself to her, Donna? I´m getting tired of doing all the
work myself, you know!”, Angie interrupted her thinking, and the dollmaker promptly pinched
herself with the needle she was holding, wincing at the pain.

“After all she kind of already saw you in her hallucinations!”

That was still out of the question! Even the sole thought made Donna break out in sweat, hot panic
settling in her chest. It was more than likely you hadn´t immediately forgotten your nightmares,
and the chance of you recognizing her as the puppeteer was still quite big.

Yes, Donna had maneuvered herself into this situation, but now she was too afraid of suffering the
consequences.

“But…”

For the first time in a long time Donna physically spoke out to her favourite doll. Her voice was
hoarse from barely using it, and so the veiled woman had to clear her throat.

“No but´s! You´ve hid long enough! I can practically feel that girl upstairs starts wondering who
the hell you are! And you´re making it worse with every second you refuse to satisfy her
curiosity!”, Angie replied, turning her head around to meet her caregivers face.

Curiosity killed the cat , Donna thought.

It indeed had been quite a while since she last got a visit from a new playmate, as the duke lovingly
called the maidens sent to the Beneviento estate to ‘aid’ Donna with her experiments and the
hallucinogenic pollen. None of them had ever survived long enough for Donna having to show
herself.

But this one wasn´t a maiden to experiment with, even though the dollmaker could´ve wanted to.

She didn´t, at least not in the way she did with the maidens.

Plus, she hated to think about your reaction if you realized it was her responsible for your
hallucinated nightmares.

Donna feared you might get even more scared of her presence. It was possible you would endure
the same fate as the countless of other people that ended up at the manner, loosing your mind and
then…

She did not want to finish the thought.

And even if Donna managed to show herself to you… Communication was the next problem she
greatly struggled with. She barely managed to hold a conversation with the other Lords, how in the
world could she be able to do the same with you? An outsider?

“Come on now Donna, square up! You still have me if things go wrong!”, Angie interrupted her
thoughts once again, her hollow voice laced with compassion for once.

It took her some time process the thought, but the dollmaker soon realized her doll was right. With
Angie’s help she still could talk to the woman upstairs if her mind started to act up again.

“You´re right”, the Beneviento heir breathed out, voice barely above a whisper. Who knew –
maybe she could get used to talking again. But one thing at a time.

First, she needed to gather her courage to step out of the shadows at all.

Maybe tonight at dinner would be a good time. She could tell her dolls to help you getting
downstairs where Donna and Angie would be, showing you that not every doll was out to hurt you.
And everything that would happen after that?

The dollmaker shook her head. Even though the urge to plan every single detail was
overwhelmingly strong, she knew it was simply impossible. It was easy to tell Angie when to talk,
and about what, but she couldn´t do that with you. There was no chance to gain control over you,
and for once, Donna did not want to try and manipulate your thoughts with her trusted flower
pollen. She imagined the damage she had done was already irreversible.
The dollmaker let out a heavy exhale before resuming her sewing work. She hated losing control or
leaving it in the hands of other people. It had always been like that.

~*~

In the meantime, you had finished the breakfast you had been served by the dolls. Much to your
surprise it hadn´t been poisoned. Even more, it had tasted quite good, and you asked yourself if
these dolls also were able to use kitchen utensils to cook. Or maybe it had been Angie who had
prepared the goods? … Maybe even the mysterious Lady Beneviento herself?

You didn´t know which option to pick, but that wasn´t important. The only thing of relevance was
your full and satisfied stomach.

You didn´t even notice you had fallen into a deep slumber once more, catching up on the many
hours of sleep you had lost during the last few days. No dreams tantalized you as you were encased
in deep, black nothingness.

Hours upon hours later your consciousness came back, and as you opened your eyes you were met
with the gloomy afternoon light outside your windows. Realizing you must´ve been asleep for far
longer than you wanted, you sat up, rubbing your eyes, and pinching yourself to try and become
vital quicker. You sat there for a while, undecided about what to do now that the day was almost
coming to its end.

It was then you remembered that Angie had told you that you reeked… And although that was
quite impolite you were afraid that was very true. After all you hadn´t touched some running water
in more than seventy-two hours. On top of that, you still wore your dusty, ripped and blood dyed
clothes.

No, the doll was right. You urgently needed a bath.

Determined to find just that, you grabbed the crutches that had been leaning on the wall next to the
bed, but you hesitated once you saw the delicate carvings that decorated them again. They were
simply stunning – and if it was true that the Lady of the house had carved them herself, she must
´ve been very talented with such craftsmanship.

You made a mental note to yourself to thank Lady Beneviento for them if you ever came across
her whilst your stay. A quick appreciation for the clothes wouldn´t be out of place as well –
although you were yet to find out if they really fit. Even if they were a bit too large, it was better
than running around in the rags you wore as of now.

Not a moment later you sat at the edge of the bed, lifting yourself up with the help of the crutches
for the first time. Your knees were wobbly, almost as if your bones and tissue had been replaced
with cheap jelly – after laying down or sitting all the time that was to be expected, but it still threw
you a bit off guard.

It took you a while to get accustomed to your wooden supports. Of course it was unfamiliar terrain
to you. You luckily never injured yourself to the point of needing the help of crutches, wheelchairs,
or other devices before, but there was a first time for everything, right?

Opening the door while still holding on to the crutches turned out to be a challenge at first, but you
soon found yourself out on the first floor of the main hall. A few scarce sunrays hit the windows
glass, giving the house a more friendly look than when you had arrived.

“Okay. Where to now?”, you muttered to yourself. You were faced with quite a lot of doors, but
they could´ve lead anywhere. Some of them even were blocked off with boxes and bookshelves,
giving you no other choice then to ignore them, but you still had a few other options. You just
hoped you wouldn´t have to use the stairs – you were still a bit unexperienced with your crutches
and feared you could´ve slipped and fallen if you weren´t careful enough.

The house lay quiet, dormant – the only thing that disturbed the silence was the wind howling
outside, squeezing itself through the tiny cracks in the window frames and doors, as well as the
slow but continuous ticking of a grandfather clock that must´ve been set in the main hall. It could
´ve almost been a cosy atmosphere, reminding you of the time you spent at your grandparents
home, but you knew you had to be careful around here – something was looming over you like a
shadow, watching your every move, waiting for you to make a mistake.

A shudder made its way up your back, creeping over your neck and arms, making you twitch. Just
the sole thought of what else could lurk in this manor made you want to retreat to your room. The
slight draft that made the air circulate around you felt like breathing down your neck – you
shuddered once more, your heart starting to pump quicker.

Did you imagine it, or was there the tipple of tiny feet approaching?

You turned around, seeing two dolls closing the distance – a girl in a carefully crafted white lace
dress, and a boy who seemed like the equivalent to her, wearing a dark tuxedo. Your body refused
to move, frozen up by what you were witnessing. The sight of dolls moving by themselves was still
very unsettling to you, and you prepared to scream bloody murder if they came too close.

The pair stopped moving a metre away from you, keeping their distance and still watching you
with their unwavering porcelain faces.

“Oh, uh… hello there?”, you asked, and the slight shakiness in your voice gave away that this
situation was giving you a fright.

“Did Angie send you to watch over me?”

Both of them shook their heads, and you released a breath you didn´t notice you were holding. No
companions of the psycho doll…

“Not Angie? Well then… Maybe Lady Beneviento?”

Eager shaking heads again.

“So you two are not out there to torment me again?”

You received two tilted heads, obviously a little bit confused about your question.

Before you could try to find out more thought, they already ran ahead, signing you to follow them
with their delicate porcelain hands.

You knew you shouldn´t have given in so easily, but you didn´t want to enrage the person
controlling them either. You followed suit, limping after them.

Of course you weren’t as fast as them with your crutches, but you tried your best to keep up. From
time to time they ceased their movement, waiting for you, and even though you still feared what
was yet to come, you found their behaviour quite considerate.

Considerate! Just listen to yourself! Those were dolls! Possibly murderous ones, if you believed
what you saw in your nightmares.

It didn´t take you long to realize the unlike pair showed you the direction to the bathroom. You
sighed in relief when they stopped in front of another wooden door, and the male waddled closer,
trying to pull down the handle for you. Of course he was too short, which resulted him in jumping
up to reach it.

“It´s okay little fella, I can do that.”

You helped him opening the door before stepping inside, pleased to see a brilliant clean bathtub.
Many different vessels and glasses were positioned all around the edges, variating in width and
size, and you could only guess it was a colourful assortment of bath salts, oils, and similar
essences.

Of course the bathroom was equipped with a sink and toilet, both scrubbed squeaky clean to the
point it would´ve been no problem seeing your reflection in them. It was a welcomed sight after
seeing the main house so run down.

The only thing that was putting you off was the mirror. Someone had made the effort to cover it
with a thick, black cloth, making it impossible to see your reflection. You frowned as you tugged
on the fabric, and to your relief it came off easily. You didn´t want to ask yourself if there a
paranormal reason behind it and just turned your attention towards the dolls again.

“Alright you two. Thank you for showing me.“

Before you could ask them to leave, you watched as the female doll waddled over to the bathtub,
trying to climb the rim to turn on the water.

“Careful!”

Sighing, you decided to help the little one and opened the faucet.

The water spilling out of the vintage, brass covered tap was warm almost immediately. You
already looked forward to letting yourself soak in there.

In the meantime, the two dolls had started to add some bath essence and oils into the water, and the
heavenly smell of herbs and flowers filled your nostrils.

You decided it was best to just let those two have their way and sat down on the closed toilet seat,
starting to take off your clothes – the dolls kept turned around while mingling and working around
the bathtub, giving you some privacy, which you were quite thankful for.

With a few difficulties because of your bandaged ankle you finally made it inside the bathtub just a
few moments later. The hot water made goosebumps of satisfaction rise on your arms, and you
sighed.

“God. This is heaven.”

You let yourself glide even deeper into the water, not minding the two dolls anymore that still
stood with you in the room.
“Thank you, you two”, you said, giving them a faint smile, and you thought their natural porcelain
faces looked a bit more friendly in that moment. Maybe not every doll in this house was deadly - or
a maniac.

~*~

Although you would have loved to enjoy the warm waters around you for far longer than you did,
you also needed to wash yourself urgently. Of course, the cuts and bruises all over your body
started burning as soon you had stepped into the tub, and you had to be careful not to get your
bandaged foot wet. Especially since you didn´t have a spare bandage right now.

You just had reached for your towel upon realizing your clothes still lay in your quarters. They
were certainly of use there… Luckily, the two dolls still stood in the corner of the room, facing
each other and away from you.

“Uhm… would one of you mind fetching me my clothes? Unfortunately I forgot them in my
room…”, you started carefully, and the male doll immediately jumped up, giving you another
eager nod.

While you stood up – or tried to, since your ankle still was a nuisance – the other doll had turned
around again. It was almost amusing to you that dolls had more decency than some humans you
knew in real life.

It was a bit of a struggle not getting your bandaged foot wet while simultaneously unplugging the
bathtub to let the water run out. You then proceeded to wrap the towel around your nude self and
with the utmost care, tried to step out of the bathtub.

With little to no success.

You had to settle for sitting down on the edge of the tub, turning on your backside to get out again.
Fortunately enough, it also didn´t take long until the male doll returned with your new clothes. You
were eager to try them on, not noticing the little paper card that had been neatly placed on top of
them. That same card glided down to the ground, almost ending up under the cabinet that was
placed below the sink.

The female doll saw and bent down, picking it up while you had your head stuck in the shirt.

To your surprise, they fit!

Admittedly, the sleeves of the blouse were a little bit too long, but you just cuffed them to your
preferred length, so you didn´t really mind. The pants were made out of the softest cotton you had
ever felt on your legs, and they were oddly elastic too, so it was no problem fitting your ankle
through them. All in all you thought they suited you quite well.

You looked at yourself in the mirror you had recently uncovered, turning as much as your ankle
allowed you to. The two dolls that still were with you clapped with their little porcelain hands, and
you finally allowed yourself to smile. This outfit was much better than the ripped, bloody clothes
you had worn for far too long now.

Not wanting to leave any traces of you using this particular bathroom, you put the fabric over the
mirror once again before turning around to the dolls once more.

“Alright. Thank you, you two.”

Both of them gave you eager nods once more before the girl doll reached out to you, handing you
the little note you had recently overlooked.

“Oh, what´s this?”

Carefully, you took it out of the dolls hands, opening it up the piece of parchment.

Meet us for dinner at 6 p. m. down in the living area

Your eyes fixed on the curved, handwritten words. Whoever had penned it had quite delicate
handwriting… Couldn´t be Angie. You weren´t so sure if the doll was able to write in the first
place.

It must´ve been Lady Beneviento´s doing.

Your mind started racing. Could it be? Would you finally meet the Lady of the house after only
hearing about her? How would she act? How would she look like?

Most importantly, was she as crazy as the doll and would try to hurt you?

“Oh dear god”, you muttered to yourself.

Nervousness grew in your chest, consuming your guts and making you break out in sweat. What if
it was a trap? A mere promise to lure you in?

You started to eye the two dolls that looked at you like they were waiting for a new task. Those
two seemed nice at least.

“Six o´clock…”

You scanned the bathroom, hoping there would be a clock nearby. And really. You caught a
glimpse of a little alarm clock on the top of one of the shelves.

“Oh god, that’s right now!”

You panicked again, grabbing the crutches.

“Alright you two”, you said while turning towards the dolls again, “Could you help me get
downstairs and to the living area?”

You watched as both of them gave you an eager nod once more, and moments later you found
yourself out in the hallways again, getting lead by your two unusual companions.

It was only when you reached the grand staircase you stopped in your tracks.

“Alright, I don´t suppose Lady Beneviento has an elevator in this old estate?”, you sighed, turning
to your little companions.

Little did you know she had – but that elevator wouldn´t take you to where you needed to meet up
with the houseowner.

“Okay. I can manage walking down the stairs. No big deal. Just need to be careful.”

You watched as the male doll climbed up the wooden handrail and extending his little hand
towards you.

“You want to help me get down?”, you heard yourself ask, and when he jumped up and down as an
answer, you couldn´t help but to let out a very weak snort.
“I really don´t want to accidentally hurt you though”, you said, but the doll didn´t want to hear any
of it. He just kept his arm steadily extended to you, and you finally grabbed his porcelain hand,
careful not to break the delicate crafting.

While the female doll had decided to hold on to the one crutch you didn´t need now, you slowly
made your way down. First you had trouble keeping your balance, but the support of the doll was
surprisingly sturdy. Not once did he loose balance as he guided you down safely.

Your little group was about halfway down the staircase when you finally noticed the portrait.

Completely in awe, you stopped in your tracks, making the little girl doll behind you bump into
your legs. You immediately recognized Angie with her wicked smile – but the woman to her right?

“Is that… Lady Beneviento?”, you asked yourself out loud, not really awaiting an answer.

… She was beautiful.

It was just a simple oil painting, and yet, it felt like standing directly in front of her. It seemed so
lively. Her thick, black hair was tied back into a bun, and her skin was even, smooth like porcelain,
and shimmering like alabaster. Her eyes were the colour of deep ebony, deep pools of black water
that stared down at you, completely consuming you.

Your heart started to jump in uneven beats as you leaned in to read the inscription that had been
placed right under the portrait.

‘Donna Beneviento with her doll Angie’

Gaze slowly turning upwards to scan over the features of the houseowner, you found yourself
trying to swallow down an unfamiliar lump in your throat.

Breathtakingly beautiful.

It was no wonder you suddenly looked forward to meeting her. And if she decided to ambush you
– then so be it. You had nothing against being assaulted by such a stunning woman. It was hard to
tear your gaze away from the painting, but you didn´t want to keep the Lady of the house waiting.

You quickly went on, and with the help of the two dolls you soon found yourself standing in the
main hall again.
“So the living area would be which way?”, you asked your companions, which promptly pointed to
another door that was almost hidden within the dark wooden panelling.

“Alright then… Thanks, you two.”

Heart still racing with anticipation, you limped your way towards the door, slowly pushing it open.
You were met with a quiet, cosy looking living area. The lit fire in the fireplace gave the room a
warm, orange glow. You carefully stepped inside, looking at the furniture – you immediately
spotted the full-to-the-brink bookshelves, and of course – more dolls.

“So you finally showed up now, huh?”

You knew that voice, of course. It was Angie who had greeted you., and you spun around to meet
her.

Eyes wide, you realized she wasn’t alone.

It was the figure you had seen in your dreams. Dressed in black, vintage mourning garb and a veil
covering their face, but that was enough for you to immediately recognize the familiar look from
the painting.

Even veiled, it was unmistakably her.

Lady Beneviento.
 The Lady of the mansion
Chapter Summary

The demon of your nightmares turns out to be Donna Beneviento - the silent owner of
the Beneviento manor and the one that gives Angie her voice. You are caught up
between your emotions; anger, confusion, and most importantly... Fear. How could
you ever trust this person?

Chapter Notes

I apologize for the slow updates, but working a full time job is currently very
exhausting. I still try to produce as much content as I can at the moment, but I simply
lack the time.

Of course it had been Donna who had written the little note, requesting to meet up with you.
Although she had been too scared to go to your room by herself, since she feared you might be
there; it was Angie who had ultimately placed it on your stack of clothes.

Oddly enough, Donna also hadn´t realized you had gone to the bathroom to freshen up until she
noticed two of her favourite dolls missing from their usual spots. It was not often, but it could
happen that some dolls acted on their own, especially if they had been implanted with a bigger
piece of the Cadou than others.

And now, there you stood, right in front of her, accompanied by the two missing dolls that quickly
waddled out of the room, seemingly fleeing the scene.

You wore the clothes she had hastily sewn together for you. The sleeves were too long, she
thought, and she immediately cursed at her inaccurate measuring. It didn´t seem to bother you, at
least.

To the dollmaker it seemed like the tiny gears in your head had started working as you scanned her
up and down. Donna immediately felt the urge to get away, hide behind Angie – anything that
would stop you from looking at her. Anxiety was making her skin crawl as she started to grab a
handful of her dress, twisting, and wrinkling the fabric in her hand.

You were frightened.

You simply had to be. Everyone was around her. You found her disgusting, how she hid away,
surrounded by dolls and the illusions she crafted with her pollen.

Disturbing.
Unwanted.

Pathetic.

Thoughts began spiralling in Donnas head as she kept staring at you observing her quietly. She
wrinkled her dress even more when your eyes narrowed.

Stop looking, stop looking, stop looking…

~*~

Meanwhile, the tiny gears in your brain really had picked up their work, trying to process how it
was possible for this woman to be the one that haunted you in your dreams. You had thought she
was of artless nature, judging from the portrait whose picture still floated around your mind.

Her figure was slim, feminine, yet she seemed a little bit taller than you. Your eyes went to her
hands, which played with the fabric of her skirt.

Was she nervous?

If there was someone nervous, it was supposed to be you! You were confronted by the apparition
that almost took your life, but even as all alarm bells in your head started sounding, you were still
astounded by how delicate her hands seemed. Almost as if she wanted to fool you into thinking she
wasn´t capable of such things!

Her fingernails were well-kept and short, painted with a dark grey nail polish which only made her
hands glow more in the gentle light of the fire.

Enough of that!

You had to remind yourself that this was the phantom plaguing you all night long. A part of you
wanted to flee, or at least confront the veiled woman about what you saw and heard, but your
tongue was tied, and with your bandaged leg and crutches you probably wouldn´t have come far
anyways.

You could´ve screamed, cursed, but nothing would leave your vocal chords.

“Can somebody please say something?”

That was Angie, who had quietly sat next to Lady Beneviento while you had been busy with
observing her, battling with your thoughts.

Your fists balled before you forced yourself to curtsey in front of her as good as you could without
torturing your poor ankle even more. Your obedience was deeply rooted with the fear of
unleashing her wrath once again.

Your mouth corners twitched into a tensed, forced smile as you looked at her, and Donna could tell
immediately that you were fighting with yourself.

Sweat formed on the Beneviento heir´s palms, and for the first time in ages, she felt the familiar
pulse of the Cadou that threatened to blossom on her face.

You´re stupid.

Did you actually think she wouldn´t recognize you? Even with the influence of the pollen? Just
look at her, readying herself to leave if you decide to threaten her again…

But that´s not my intention!

“Good evening… Lady Beneviento. Thank you for the dinner invitation, I greatly appreciate it.”

Part of this wasn´t a lie. Since your last meal, your stomach had turned into an empty, bottomless
pit, demanding nutrition since the early afternoon. But now that you were faced with what seemed
like the demons of your nightmare, all that famish had immediately ceased to exist. Your heart
hammered in your chest, and you could practically feel the adrenaline getting pumped through your
veins.

The dollmaker opened her mouth, but nothing wanted to come out. Since she heavily relied on
Angie to get her point across, her having to make use of her own voice had become quite rare. In
fact, she didn´t remember the last time she had properly spoken out without help.

And now this!

Without wanting to embarrass herself even more in front of her guest, Donna tried to clear her
throat as silently as she could. The last thing she needed now was to make you think she was
absurd. (What an odd thought after intimidating you with her dolls!)

Then, finally her vocal cords decided to pick up their work again.

“It´s- you´re… welcome.”

Her alto voice sounded a bit hoarse, but it was enough to confirm what you already knew, deep
down.
She was the demon tormenting you in your sleep, the poltergeist threatening your life and ordering
you to get your hands off the doll when it had angered you.

You bit your lip, thoughts getting drowned over the ear shattering drums that could´ve only been
your heartbeat, picking up its pace once more. You found yourself frozen in your spot, not being
able to react while your wide eyes fixed on the veiled woman once more.

Before you could change your mind and escape the situation, the deafening silence between you
and the dollmaker was cut by the impatient doll.

“Are we done with just staring at each other? Yes? Good! I´m starving! I demand to be carried to
the table!”

You didn´t have time to intervene. Lady Beneviento had already met her dolls demands, carrying
her over to the already decked table. Something in your mind clicked, and you followed suit. Your
thoughts, though, were still occupied by the Lady of the house. Was it a wise decision to confront
her? An answer wouldn´t be easy to get, that was certain. Lady Beneviento didn´t seem talkative,
and you doubted you´d be able to get any information from her – and be it by force.

With a slight shake of your head you brought your attention back to the food. Trying to calm your
nerves, you counted five or six dishes in total. Now that your famish had disappeared so suddenly,
you weren´t sure if you managed to swallow even one bite of food. Lady Beneviento didn´t look
like she would eat that much as well… And Angie?

Well, she was a doll. You seriously doubted she was able to eat at all.

What you didn´t know was that the Beneviento heir had prepared all of this by herself, excluding
the dolls that helped her seasoning the dishes. Since she hadn´t had guests for a long time now –
her siblings and mother barely counted since they didn´t consume traditional food, she had no idea
how much you would actually eat. But now, it started to dawn on her that she might´ve overdone it
just a tad bit.

Worry settled in once more as she watched you sit down across from her. Donna could only guess
what was going on in your head, seeing your furrowed brows. Your mind was working on
something, and judging by your expression, it wasn´t pleasant. The dollmaker knew she had made
a mistake with showing herself to you first through the nightmares she infiltrated your brain with,
rather than meeting you here, in the real world.

Yes, Donna had made a grave mistake with her decisions, a mistake she couldn´t turn back now.
She only got aware of the overwhelming powerlessness she had over the situation in this moment,
seeing your figure from across the dining table and the visible discomfort on your face. Not even
the pollen could fix this. You would fight through it again, and the illusion she called into life
would only break once more, possibly scarring you further.

The dollmaker got interrupted in her thoughts by Angie´s constant ‘Food! Food! Food’ chants
while banging her cutlery on the table. If her distress about the situation she was responsible for
now wasn’t already enough, her doll was on her worst behaviour tonight.

Donna suddenly felt stuffy under her veil, barely repressing the urge to rip it off, just because your
reaction to her hideous face might have been the last straw for you. The blood was rushing in her
ears, drowning her thoughts, and the dollmaker only realized she had started to dig her nails into
the top of the table when she felt the sharp pain of her nails bending into the wrong direction.

She was a failure, just as Mother Miranda always predicted.

She wasn´t capable in finding acquaintances.

She would always hide behind her dolls like the imbecile she was and always had been.

A social reject.

This dinner had been a bad idea, the worst idea ever. If only-

“I´m sorry to interrupt your thoughts but… should we start to eat?”

“What?”

Donna barely heard the words you had said over the millions of voices in her head, taunting her
behaviour.

Your voice was shaking.

You were forced to watch Lady Beneviento fight through whatever she was dealing in that
moment, seeing her fingers turn even paler from the cut-off blood circulation once she had started
digging her fingernails into the table. This woman clearly had an issue, but you would be a fool to
comment on it. The only reasonable thing you could´ve thought of was just trying to go on with
dinner.

And your strategy seemed to work.

You watched as the houseowner slowly released the pressure on the table, slowly taking her hands
off it completely. Her shoulders slouched forward before the dollmaker sat up straight with
impeccable posture. Even if she seemed to deal with something you could not yet wrap your mind
about, it was still clear as day she was the Mistress of this mansion.

“Yes, of course. I… apologize for being inconsiderate.”

With one of her mental commands, the dolls around the room came to life.
You watched as they approached the table before climbing the empty chairs to stand on the
tabletop, and Angie immediately started ordering them around like you had seen before, telling
them what she wanted on her plate and what not. One of the dolls started to grab your plate as well,
putting a little bit of everything on it while the others went to attend the doll and her maker.

It was astounding to you, how each single one of the dolls seemed to act on their own, yet they
moved as one unit. It was still eerie to witness, but you urged yourself to stay seated.

Even if you were frightened of the house owner, you didn´t want to forget your manners and force
yourself to eat. You needed all your strength if you wanted to survive whatever was coming your
way.

“Thank you”, you politely thanked the group of dolls after they had finished putting the different
dishes on your plate.

Angie didn´t even wait for Lady Beneviento to start eating and already munched down on her food,
so you took that as a sign to start eating as well. The head of the house still sat in front of her plate
calmly, staring at you.

Or was she maybe focusing on something entirely different?

The veil made it hard to tell.

What was she hiding underneath?, you thought to yourself while averting your gaze to your filled
plate; or was she mourning?

You remembered your history lessons, especially one particular teacher that had a fable for the
Victorian Era, and how they had taught you that mourning garb was quite popular in just these
times. Some people never stopped wearing them. Queen Victoria for instance, refused to wear her
usual garments ever again after her husband had died. You remembered answering that question in
one of the pop quizzes they gave you.

Who knew your school years had not been entirely wasted?

But this was the 21st century. Was Lady Beneviento really that old-fashioned?

Even if this thought were temporarily easing your mind, you decided to put it aside as well and just
focus on the food you had started to shovel into your mouth – quite ill-mannered, as you realized,
but you couldn´t help it – the sooner your plate was empty, the sooner you could escape this
situation.
After a while, the urge to say something started bugging you. You had nothing against comfortable
silence while eating with family and friends, but this kind of silence was the exact opposite. It felt
like you as well as Lady Beneviento knew there was some ‘unfinished business’ regarding the
circumstances.

“The food is quite good”, you forced yourself to smile for the sake of bringing an end to the bizarre
stillness.

“Well jeez, I hope it is! After all we cooked up a storm!”, Angie hollered, waving her fork at you.

“It is, don´t worry. Also, Angie? You… have a little face in your potatoes.”

“Huh?”

You let out a more than defeated sigh when you looked at her. Angie quite literally had dug in –
and her uneven face was smeared with sauce and bits of potatoes and other vegetables.

“Wait, let me help you.”

Not even knowing why you had offered your assistance – maybe you did it to appease the
houseowner, you had already grabbed your napkin and reached out to wipe most of the food out of
the dolls face, who squawked at you to be careful.

At the same time Donna watched the scene unfold in front of her, and something inside of her
locked into place, making her feel even more miserable.

Even though the dollmaker had tormented you with grotesque sceneries, almost cutting the thread
that kept the Damocles sword over your head, you showed kindness towards the doll.

The regret that had already bugged her the day before started to reappear, its dark appearance
threatening to swallow Donna whole. She knew of the damage she had done to you through mostly
Angie´s appearance, and still, you showed decency.

After you had helped the doll to clean her face, you turned to the Lady of the house who was still
watching you silently. You swallowed down, feeling like shrinking under her indefinable presence.

You continued eating, but with lesser appetite than before. The many, unanswered questions
started swirling in your head, making you almost dizzy, and although the list was only growing
longer, you were yet too afraid to seek their answers, fearing, what would lurk beneath them once
you started looking further.
Although Lady Beneviento did not seem as menacing as she was in your dreams, her presence
made you wary.

Still, it caught you by surprise when more words left your lips.

“So… Why did you invite me to dinner?”

“Well, we would be terrible hosts if we just let you starve! Although that could’ve been an option
too if you continued to behave as badly as you did!”, Angie quickly answered before letting out a
wicked laugh, but this time she was quickly shushed by Lady Beneviento.

“I- we still don´t know how you were able to trespass”, you then heard her voice, still hushed, and
slightly muffled by the veil. It was the truth – Mother Miranda chose this place for her experiments
for a reason. And if she found out they had a trespasser, she wouldn´t be happy.

Donna knew she should´ve reported it the second you had barged into the mansion before passing
out, but she didn´t.

“Again, I want to apologize for coming here but I had no other option. This wasn´t planned”, you
stated calmly. If this were the only reason they wanted you to share dinner with them, then maybe
you could make it out alive after all.

“Then what was your plan?”, the dollmaker asked. The more she talked, the more Donna got used
to the sound of her own voice again. She still didn´t want to overdo it, knowing how that only
made her social battery deplete quicker.

You took a deep breath before starting to tell your story. Just in that same moment, a tiny voice in
your head told you not to, but what other option did you have?

The more your tale came together, the more Donna could relate to it. How you took a trip to the
countryside to escape the stress factors of your life – your job, the people you worked with… Even
friends that wanted more from you than you could give. Oddly enough the dollmaker soon realized
you weren´t as different from her.

While you were at it you told them once more – including more details this time – how your car
decided to give up as well – and how you had walked in the icy cold, just to find the mostly
abandoned village and then getting chased by humanoid, bloodlust-ridden beasts.
It soon dawned on the dollmaker you could´ve been easy prey to the creatures outside – or worse,
even Mother Miranda herself, if she had caught you.

You were almost lucky you had taken the route to her estate. Even if Donna had taken you as an
intruder and brought you nothing but despair with the nightmarish hallucinations she sent after you,
that was better than getting turned into an experiment by Mother.

“I promise you I´ll take my leave as soon as my ankle is healed…”, you then ended your report.

“With that broken ass car? I seriously have my doubts!”, Angie, who had listened silently (a
rarity!) piped up.

You slouched down, sinking into your chair.

“It´s… alright”, Lady Beneviento´s low voice reached out to you after a short period of silence.

“Stay and heal. You… need it.”

You forced yourself to sit up straight, gaze tearing through the veiled dollmaker. Now you finally
received hospitality? After everything that had already happened to you? Instead of unleashing the
thousands of things you could´ve said, you just gave her a slight nod. She was willing to let you
stay…

“Only if you stop appearing in my dreams. That nightmare was enough already. And don´t try to
deny it. I have a hole in my wall from a knife that was stuck in it”, you blurted out, voice sharper
than you wanted it to be.

You stupid fucking moron, you thought immediately, fearing that your words might just trigger
Lady Beneviento into unleashing yet another attack on you.

That´s why it surprised you when you received no response, other than the dollmaker leaning back
in her chair.

The veil hid Donnas expression. Shocked, disgusted with herself, even though she should´ve
known you´d talk about the topic. She didn´t think it would happen so soon though. Donna
grabbed a fistful of her dress again, not knowing how to express herself. The change of mood even
affected Angie, who silently sat on her chair, turning her gaze back and forth between the two of
you.
“I guess you´ve blown our cover now”, she finally said, sounding a little sheepish.

“It wasn´t hard”, you replied, voice toneless, “After all it was easy to recognize you, Lady
Beneviento. I- “

You stopped yourself to collect your thoughts, trying to find the right words. You didn´t want to
give away to your anger just yet.

“I suppose it was a mistake treating Angie harshly as she´s obviously very dear to you, judging
from that painting.”

A slight jolt seared through Donna. Of course you had seen it. There was no other way around it.

“But almost killing me? Do you know how much I feared for my life?”

Although you tried your hardest to keep the rage at bay, your voice started wavering ever so
slightly.

“I understand what I did wrong but… Scarring me for the rest of my life just because I didn’t know
any better? You know that talking dolls do not exist in the real world? Where I come from? And as
I said countless of times before… I don´t know where I am and what your rules are! So don´t
punish, but instead educate me!”

You tightened your jaw to the point it hurt, focusing on the dollmaker that still sat there, frozen.

“That nightmare was just too much!”

A heavy exhale left your lips as you finally allowed yourself to slouch forward as well. You were
exhausted.

“Every time I close my eyes I can still see those dolls dancing around my bed before almost slicing
my throat…”, you added weakly, voice almost breaking away. Tears had entered your vision, and
you tried to blink them away like always, not wanting them to see you in this state of vulnerability.
It was probably too late for this anyways.
Donna was thunderstruck at your raw emotion. She had feared this situation since the beginning,
getting confronted with her mistakes. The dollmaker felt transported back in time, seeing herself
getting scolded by her sister whenever she had done something wrong.

“I won´t do it again.”

Despite the state of numbness Donna succumbed to in this moment, her voice did not hint that your
words had struck one of her weak spots. Hell, of course the dollmaker knew that she had
overreacted! You didn´t need to tell her! And yet, your words still managed to pierce her heart.

Meanwhile, the words of the houseowner had made you perk up your ears again.

“Both of us made a mistake here”, you heard yourself, “But I won´t do any harm to your dolls
anymore… So you can stop thinking of me as a threat you need to eliminate.”

The dollmaker leaned forward, listening to your words.

You weren´t a threat! You had just mistreated her only companion!

“You better not!”, Angie finally piped up again after being just as awestruck as Donna a few
moments ago, “Be nice to us and we´ll be nice to you!”

“Well, I´d be happy to agree to that. You have my word. I just want my stupid ankle to heal and
then you will never have to see me again.”

You extended your hand, and Angie immediately took it, shaking it a little bit too much and also
too harshly. But nevertheless, the deal was sealed.

Donna averted her gaze, ashamed of herself.

If she had had the chance of making you a new acquaintance, that chance was ruined now.

She was sure of that.

 Life in a Dollhouse
Chapter Summary

Aftet the fiasco of a failed dinner, you discover the truth about the mansion and its
residents. But what is left to do for you? Leave, and never look back?

Chapter Notes

I apologize for my lack of absence! As stated before, life has become quite busy and I
barely find time to write at the moment. Unfortunately I can´t promise to upload on a
regular schedule.
Still, I want to thank everyone for the kind words of encouragement under the last
chapter! It means a lot to me, knowing there are so many people supporting and
reading this story!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Enjoy reading!

The dollmaker hummed soft tones to the music coming out of the vintage radio next to her. Careful
not to pinch herself, she moved her needle and thread through the fabric she was holding. This
time, it wasn´t going to become a little dress for one of her adored dolls, no. It was another piece of
clothing to add to your scarce wardrobe. Donna didn´t want you to wear the same clothes over and
over again during your stay here.

Slowly and still quite careful, she maneuvered along the improvised and stitched together part of
the shirt. Of course she would go over the entire thing with her sewing machine, but the dollmaker
was known for her precise working technique.

It also helped her calm down and arrange her thoughts… Thoughts about you, the woman that just
stumbled into her house and turned her life upside down within the course of a few days. Whether
it was in a positive or negative way, she had yet to decide.

Not knowing any better, you had hurt Angie and made the dollmaker incredibly furious. And
blinded by those overwhelmingly strong emotions, she punished you with nightmares that had
scarred you a little bit too much, as Donna found out yesterday. You were irate under your forced
calm demeanour as you had confronted her about the nightmare, which you were perfectly entitled
to. Of course Donna´s main motivation had been to only give you just a little scare, but that had
obviously backfired.

She had promised not to use these powers on you again, and you had promised her in return that
you wouldn´t inflict harm onto her dolls again. Still, the mood was ultimately ruined as you headed
to bed not much later, leaving the dollmaker alone with her regret. It overwhelmed her so much she
couldn´t sleep – her doll had to try and calm her down.
Did you despise her now?

Donna knew she needed to change her ways with you if she wanted you to trust her – she didn´t
even want you to trust her! It would´ve been enough if you stopped being scared of her.

The dollmaker never wanted to hurt anybody that crossed her path – not the maidens, and not you –
it just always occurred as a side effect of her powers. The maidens lost themselves under the
influence of the pollen, and you almost lost yourself because Donna took it too far once again.

Yes, you had unquestionably brought change into her life. Usually, the dollmaker loathed sudden
changes that affected her being, as adjusting to them could be mentally exhausting. And even if she
managed, things would always feel weirdly out of place for weeks and months

And now, there was you.

You, who forced her out of her comfort zone with making her talk, confronting her about mistakes
she made. And, even if she knew you probably were in the right, it still didn´t sit right with her.
That´s why she wouldn´t keep you company for most of the day, since the shared dinner time
together with you had been, unfortunately, very tiring.

The dollmaker valued her time alone – she didn´t know it any other way – but she was kind enough
to send Angie after you. To keep an eye on you to not trespass certain areas of the house – and of
course because it was easier to talk to you through her favourite doll, other than facing you herself.

Also, there was something else she had wanted Angie to place in your room. After everything that
happened, she could only do as much.

~*~

The night had been short, oh, so short. The next time you opened your eyes, sallow light already
shone through the windows, announcing the beginning of a new day in the Beneviento manor.

You yawned and stretched your body, bones cracking in your back in the most satisfying way
possible. Lady Beneviento had seemed to keep her promise for at least today – no nightmares had
taunted you. You didn´t even remember to have dreamed at all, but after everything you had seen
and heard, you were quite alright with that.

After your confrontation yesterday evening, part of you had still feared that the Lady of the house
would do something horrible to mess with you during the night. But maybe… Maybe you´d get the
opportunity to start over with her. You couldn´t help but to feel the teeniest, tiniest sting of regret
that bugged you ever since you went to bed. Lady Beneviento seemed of timid, yes, even shy
nature, and somehow you had the impression she had been a little bit overwhelmed with the
situation as well.

You sighed, deciding you would just resign with the situation and try to get on her good side from
now. Slowly and still rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you finally sat up, inspecting the bandaged
ankle that was still bugging you with a slight but nevertheless dull throb. The pile of clothes laying
on the nightstand next to the bed came into your eyesight only after that. Confused, asking yourself
how in the world they got there – you would have heard if somebody came in since you weren´t
that kind of a heavy sleeper – you grabbed them, unfolding them in your lap.

Once again, the clothes consisted of a simple blouse and pants, and through closer observation you
noticed that this time, even the sleeves had the exact size and length of your arms. It was also then
you noticed the small sewed in piece of fabric that showed some sort of crest; and moon, combined
as one. Under that symbol – the initials D. B.

Slowly, very slowly (you just had woken up, after all) it dawned on you that it must´ve been Lady
Beneviento who exclusively put those outfits together for you – from scratch, as it seemed.

“That woman´s talent is on a different level”, you muttered to yourself, running your fingers over
the soft fabric. You knew you actually had a suitcase full of clothes back in your car – which was
probably getting covered in tons of snow, now that you thought about it, but the gesture was nice.
It was also then you realized there was, yet another card stuck between the folds of the shirt. You
quickly opened it, and the already familiar cursive handwriting told you of the following:

My sincerest apologies. I hope you can forgive Angie and I someday.

There was a little doodle of a stack of flowers underneath – they seemed painfully similar to the
bouquet of flowers that had been primarily standing on your nightstand.

You closed the card again, sighing. Of course, a wave of heavy guilt washed over you in that
moment, threatening to drown you as your heart started to pound against your ribcage in the most
painful way – that woman took her time to craft you an entirely new wardrobe and even put a little
letter of apology next to them, and all you did was remembering the full luggage left in your car?

How insensitive of you.

You groaned. Of course it had been your plan to just try and keep your distance from the
houseowner, but she made it hard to keep a grudge. Under that creepy shell probably lied a very
lonesome woman.

You decided to apologize to her as soon you got the opportunity.

“Wakey wakey sleepyhead!”

That was Angie who burst into your room and ultimately stopped you from pondering over your
problems. The doll seemed as energetic as ever as she let out one of her manic giggles. You
immediately were exhausted again.

“How did we sleep? Good? Good! It is time to seize the day! And what wonderful day it is! Be
gay, do crime!”
You seriously started to question your sanity when you heard her screeching. Where the hell did
she get that from?

“Good morning, Angie”, you replied with a sigh. This doll was on another level of hyperactivity.

“Why that sour face? Are you not happy to see me?”

You watched her tipple over to you on her tiny wooden heels and started rubbing your temples.

“Aw, and here I thought to myself, Angie, I said, Angie, you will keep our guest company today,
so she won´t get bored!”

“And why… Would I get bored?”, you asked out of curiosity, tilting your head.

“Because:”

The doll inhaled sharply.

“Donna is working and obviously can´t entertain you, human!”

You nodded. That made a lot of sense, although you had started to ask yourself what the
Beneviento heir was working on in the first place.

“Angie?”, you started, and the doll piped up.

“Yessir!”

“I´m not… Ah, forget about it. What is Lady Beneviento doing anyways? As a job, I mean.”

Angie put her hand to her chin, letting it open and close a few times.
“She… creates dolls.”

It could´ve been your imagination, but the doll seemed careful with her words for once.

“All the dolls you see here in this house are my brothers and sisters! Donna made them aaall by
herself!”, she then added, pride in her voice, “And also, Donna loves to study plants if she´s not
working! She makes tea with them, and then we have tea parties! You should join sometimes!”

You didn´t really listen to what Angie was rambling about after the part where she told you that
Lady Beneviento was the one responsible for the sheer mass of dolls standing around the house.

She created them. Every single one of them. So not just an odd choice for decoration, but also this
woman´s living.

“But… You and the dolls move. And talk. How come? I mean… I know the forces of physical law
don´t apply here but… “

You didn´t know how to phrase your questions without offending Angie´s existence – which was
easier said said than done.

“Because we all have special powers given to us by Mother!”, the doll squawked, and her limbs
shook with a loud clatter. This confused you even more. Were there more people living in this
mansion and you hadn´t met them yet?

“Your… Mother?”, you asked carefully.

Angie gave you an eager nod that made her joints clack even more.

“Allow me to explain, Miss human!”

How Angie still refrained from using your name was a mystery to you. Maybe she had forgotten
again, who knew?

“When Donna and I were younger – much younger than we are today, of course – Mother came
and adopted us, and she also gave us a gift. Well, I suppose she gave that gift to Donna, but Donna
also gave that gift to me so, same thing!”

While Angie had started telling her story she had started waddling around, seemingly excited to
have someone who listened to her tale.

“And that gift was… what exactly?”, you asked carefully, raising your eyebrows.

The doll immediately turned around to you, giving you a stare that made the fine hair on your arms
stand up.

“The gift! Yes! The Cadou!”

Angie put a lot of emphasis on that last word. For a short moment you almost anticipated thunder
and lighting that put even more stress on that syllable, like in a cheaply done horror movie from the
sixties.

“The… what now?”

“Ah, silly girl! Of course you can´t know!”, Angie nodded wisely before continuing to walk
around the room – this time, her arms crossed behind her back, like old people tended to do. You
would´ve had laughed if you weren´t so curious for her to continue talking.

“The Cadou enables me to talk! And it is also responsible for the other dolls moving, but they can
´t do as much as I. You see, I am Donnas favourite, I always have been, so of course she gave me
the biggest chunk of it and implanted it riiiight…” Angie motioned to the side of her face that was
a little bit darker than the rest “Here. Behind my eyes. It´s like a brain! And Donna and I share a
connection through it!”

The little doll seemed proud of herself, sticking out her chest. Meanwhile, you absolutely had no
idea what to do with that information.

“But… what was the purpose of this? I mean… Did she only give you the Cadou so you could
talk?”
“Well, actually… Mother wanted to resurrect her child, but for that she needed a vessel. And that
vessel could only be created by people who possess the Cadou! But it didn´t work out for us,
obviously. Mother said that Donna shouldn´t be passing her gift around to her dolls so she
neglected her studies on us and just moved on”, Angie shrugged.

Now it was getting a little bit too much for your liking.

Resurrecting children?

Vessels?

All of this sounded highly illegal to you. And it probably was. Did you enter the lair of an almighty
psychopath? You definitely did not want to be part of that, that was for certain. The goosebumps on
your arms only got stronger.

While your thoughts began circling around one single thing – that being leaving – Angie had
continued to talk.

“I mean, she still let us keep the Cadou, but she thinks we´re a very unfit vessel for her daughter!
Just because Donna didn´t want to use her powers to purposely harm others like our siblings! I don
´t really care… Mother continues her search, and we are just vibing along! Oh, also, if she finds
out you know thanks to me, she´ll kill you! Or worse!”

It felt like you woke up out of a trance you had been put in.

What siblings?

Were there more of Lady Beneviento´s kind?

And what were they capable of if the dollmaker already managed to get the best of you with her
weapon-turned-dolls?

You shivered, not daring to think about what could´ve happened to you if you met those siblings
first, instead of the Beneviento heir.

“Mother would already loose her marbles if she knew someone unauthorized is here with us! This
place usually gets overlooked very easily!”, the doll snickered, and then “Hey, are you okay?”
when she didn´t immediately receive an answer.

You had gotten even quieter now, staring at the doll that returned your stare, tilting her head. Of
course you had listened to her, but you couldn´t wrap your mind around how this could be reality.
It was hard for you to put your words into the right order.
“Angie, I have the feeling I should leave if that’s the case”, you mumbled, pulling your knees to
your chest, “All of this sounds highly illegal, and I´m not sure if I want to be a part of it. That
mother of yours sounds insane!”

~*~

Donna, who still sat in her workshop but had listened to every word you had said sat up straight in
her seat, placing down the piece of fabric she was holding.

You wanted to leave?

“No…”, the dollmaker muttered to herself, starting to knead her palms.

Not now, when she finally got a little bit more comfortable with another presence in the house.
Even if you had snapped at her yesterday, confronting her about what she had done to you. But she
apologized to you! Wasn´t that enough? Donna had even promised you to stop her shenanigans and
let you heal in peace.

You leaving was simply out of the question!

Donnas hands started shaking slightly. She couldn´t let you. Not yet.

“No!”

~*~

“No!”

Angie had interrupted you with her outburst, leaving you confused. Of course it wasn´t Angie
directly – but Donna was quite emotional, and sometimes just these emotions channelled out
through the doll.

“No?”, you asked, raising your eyebrow.

“I- I mean your leg is still in awful condition! I think you won’t get far!”, the doll squawked, but
something about her demeanour had changed. A very soft undertone had added to the otherwise
harsh, tinny voice of Angie.

“Get better first and then we´ll talk about leaving! Look at you! You´re barely able to walk, idiot!”

Now, Angie sounded more like Angie again, and you sighed as you looked at your bandaged ankle.
Of course you knew the doll was right. Even if your ankle wasn´t the problem – your car still was
busted and probably needed professional assistance as well. But where to get that?

“Alright… But just know I can’t approve of whatever is going on around here”, you muttered, and
as if your stomach wanted to undermine what you had said, it turned.

“Psh! Just ignore it then!”

~*~

You didn´t know how exactly it happened, but you ended up in front of the painting in the main
hall again – given, you had a few difficulties with the stairs because of the same old problem with
your ankle, but you had managed.

And now there you stood, once again getting lost in the dark eyes of the painted woman in front of
you. It was difficult for you to wrap your mind around how in the world this woman had
supernatural powers, being gifted with something you could simply not process. Of course you had
witnessed that gift multiple times, up close and personal, but the story around it? Lady Beneviento
being a mere vessel for a failed reincarnation of another child? A parasite being implanted into
her?

The Mother that had used – possibly abused – her just to achieve her goal? You held your head, a
wave of migraines threatening to hit you if you thought about the matter for one more moment.

Hell, you knew this wasn´t right! But what was there for you to do? You didn´t belong into this
cursed world! You had no concept of the rules that applied here.

And still, you stood there on the staircase, seeking comfort in a godforsaken painting. You still had
to figure out why Lady Beneviento had veiled her face – maybe she would tell you if the time was
right. Maybe her, admittedly handsome features were also affected by the Cadou? Maybe this
Donna Beneviento in the portrait did not exist anymore? You continued to observe the picture,
squinting your eyes, and absorbing the beauty of the painted canvas , not noticing that you weren´t
alone anymore.

Donna had returned from her workshop, just wanting to take in her dinner. She definitely didn´t
think she would spot you standing in the main hall, completely captured by the painting. The
dollmaker froze in her spot, her legs ceasing to work.

Hopefully, you didn´t notice her. The click of her heels must´ve been loud enough for you to notice
– but you just continued to stand in front of the picture, examining it. A wave of self-consciousness
washed over the head of the house. Her breathing turned shallow quickly, and Donna placed one of
her hands on her chest in a weak attempt to soothe herself.

Did you think she was ugly? Disgusting? Creepy? Even more, did you think she was a monster
after Angie so rudely revealed to you what really was going down in the village? In this house?
With her mere presence?

“How come that woman is so stunning? What does she have to hide? What is all this?”, you asked
yourself out loud in that moment, and Donnas heart started beating like it didn´t in years.

Stunning! You thought she was stunning! The dollmakers thoughts started spinning, her stomach
turning inside out. Her mind quickly hyperfixed on these words, and warmth spread in her chest –
warmth she had never felt before. But, as quickly as Donnas euphoria came, it left her again like a
punch into her guts.

That picture wasn´t her anymore. It was her idealized form, showing her what she might have
looked like if it hadn’t been for that nasty scar in her face. The Cadou had taken everything from
her. She had never looked at this in the first place, and that picture only still hung on that wall to
remind her of her failure.

This wasn´t her.

She never was supposed to be like that – normal.

Donna had started kneading her palms again, completely caught up in her self-depriving thoughts.
So much, actually, she didn´t see that you had turned around again, frozen as well. Your gazes met
only a moment later.

“Lady Beneviento?”

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