“Shh, little doll. It’s okay.”
“He’s here!” I scream, but he doesn’t seem deterred.
Another crunch of leaves around me makes me flinch, my eyes wide like a startled deer on a highway.
“Naya, he’s not here. You’re safe. I promise,” Grey’s voice soothes my soul as he steps closer, extending his hand to me like someone trying to calm a startled animal.
“H-he’s not?” I meet his eyes and watch the utter heartbreak in them when he realizes I’m gone to the demons within my mind and there’s nothing he can do about it.
Grey shakes his head, and Daxton comes up behind him. “We should continue now before anyone sees us here.”
Grey smiles at me—a soft, melting smile that makes my heart ache even more. I allow him to take my hand and lead me back to the car. I can’t help but glance back at the forest, the ominous sounds filtering through the surroundings, and the glowing moon now hiding behind clouds. Somewhere far away, crows caw, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
I quickly settle into the car again, and this time, Grey joins me in the backseat, throwing his arm around my shoulder and holding me close. A sense of safety blankets me, knowing the master isn’t here to take me. Instead, my own monster is here to chase away all other predators.
I’m no longer at the dollhouse, but that doesn’t mean my mind won’t always belong to Arthur and Frederick Grimhill. Their shadows linger, promising eternal suffering, and no matter how far I run, I will never truly be freed.
Chapter 2
Naya
The smell of nicotinefills my nostrils, making me scrunch my nose. I flick my eyes open and glance to my side where Grey is taking a puff of a cigarette, exhaling the smoke through the open window as we drive along a small road. No other cars are nearby, yet his jaw is set, eyes focused intently on the world around us.
With a yawn, I blink to rid myself of the sleep that inevitably overtook me. The abandoned forest and gravelly road give way to asphalt as we approach civilization, and a sense of unease settles in.
“How long have we been going?” I ask, my voice hoarse as I break the tense silence that’s been set over the car for what must be hours.
Daxton meets my gaze in the rearview mirror, offering a weak smile. The corners of his eyes are tinged with a faint red that betrays the strain he endures while attempting to stay awake, and his once-vibrant gaze carries a weariness that seems to seep into his soul.
We’re all holding on to the last string of energy, fighting to stay awake and survive.
“Around eight hours now.”
The sun begins to rise on the horizon, shoving away the eerie darkness, and instead of focusing on his words, I shift my attention to the sun’s rays appearing far away. Golden petals stretch outward into the rich blue, a sight so uncommon for me to behold.
There’s a somber atmosphere in the vehicle I cannot quitemake out, and I glance at Grey, who takes another puff of a cigarette he must have found in Daxton’s glove box.
“Where are we going?”
The distinct, raspy sound is audible as Grey inhales the cigarette, exhaling with a puff before glancing my way. “Millvale.”
His jaw seems to harden even more, as if he forces out those words like spiteful venom. The mere mention of the town I’ve never heard of seems to tear at his last bit of patience, leaving another bout of tension in its wake. Curiosity has me shifting in my seat, leaning in slightly in the hope for him to reveal more. But he remains unbearably quiet.
Without even realizing it, I dig my fingernails into the fragile skin on my heel, ripping it away as a nervous habit while no one pays me any mind. The skin is already bruised and battered, though not more so than the fresh scars around my wrists. Suppressing the silent hiss that wants to escape me, I concentrate on the motion. I can’t stop, and frankly, I don’twantto stop hurting myself because it gives me a semblance of control I lost long ago.
“Where are we staying?” It feels as if I’m playing a twenty-question game.
Both Daxton and Grey fall so silent that you could hear a pin drop.
“We don’t know yet.”
My eyebrows knit together in confusion. “What do you mean, you don’t know? Don’t you have a home?” I turn to Daxton.
Agitation surfaces as I stare at Daxton in the front seat, but he only has his eyes on the abandoned road. Grey’s uneasy glance at Daxton only heightens my suspicion that something is up. They’re not telling me the entire truth, and I’m determined to uncover what it is.
Before I have the chance to ask, Daxton clears his throat.
“When Arthur hired me, I was forced to leave the home I had. There was no other choice.”
