“Why now?”
“Well, I wanted to test your devotion first. After Jenny and Miss Nancy, you’ve proven yourself!” Pin explained.
“I… never wanted to do those things. I don’t know what came over me,” Belinda said.
“Maybe not back then, but you do now. I have waited for eighteen years to be able to talk to you. I believe you are ready.”
“Ready for what?”
Pin took a sip of her hot tea before grabbing the hairbrush sitting next to them. Her hands were glassy and delicate but worn. After getting up, she made her way behind Belinda and began to brush her hair, carefully dividing her silky hair and running the bristles through it in slow strokes.
“It’s almost time for you to meet my creator.”
“Why do I need to meet your maker? My mom never knew who gave you to me,” Belinda said.
“You know, your parents knew my maker. They are the reasons why I am here. You must take care of a few… things. Darkness must answer for its deeds.”
“Will I have to hurt someone else?”
“Not anyone that doesn’t deserve it,” Pin smiled.
“Okay, I am with you.”
“It has been wonderful being with you all this time, B.”
While she sat in front of Pin, the soft bristles of the brush felt good on her head. Belinda closed her eyes in comfort, hands flat on the quilted ground, air still thick and musky. She felt a light crawl across her hand, followed by a sudden, sharp pinch on her skin.
Her eyes snapped open just in time to see a double-tailed black scorpion’s deadly stinger strike twice. A surge of pain shot through her, sharp and relentless. Belinda shook herhand frantically, but not before the scorpion had already stung her in two spots on her hand.
Belinda jumped up, knocking the scorpion off as she panicked and held her throbbing hand. “What am I supposed to do?” she asked.
“Remember, that this is just a dream, darling. The poison might just make you, uhm… Sleepy,” Pin replied.
“Will we meet again?” Belinda asked before falling into a sleeping coma, Pin standing next to her, watching her as she drifted away.
“Of course, my darling girl,” Pin whispered.
Belinda woke up the next day, feeling more alive than ever. She grabbed her doll and ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth. The mint toothpaste tasted too spicy for her bitter mouth, so she decided to finish with just water. The air smelled floral; she couldn’t tell if it was jasmine or honeysuckle.
She never noticed her mother’s wall plug-ins before. While she liked the scent, it made her sneeze. After wiping her snotty nose with the sleeve of her shirt, she quicklymade her way downstairs and found her mother making breakfast.
Nervous, she approached the kitchen, looking for any signs of Miss Nancy. At least part of her. Lost in her thoughts, she was jolted back to reality by her mother’s voice.
“Aren’t you going to change into your day clothes?” her mother asked gently.
“Oh. Yes, of course,” Belinda replied, going back upstairs, changing clothes, and returning to the table where she made room and placed a serving plate for Pin.
“Oh honey, don’t you think it’s time to let the doll go? You are eighteen, after all.”
“Why does it matter?” Belinda asked.
“Well, honey. People might think it’s weird. You don’t want people to look at you funny, do you?”
“The only person making things weird here is you, Mom,” Belinda said the word mom with such conviction. Camille forced a smile before turning back to the stove, she quickly sneaked a pill into her mouth.
“Uhm, you should slow down on those. People might think it’s WEIRD,” Belinda said.
With much indignation, Camille dropped the spatula on the hot cooking pan and began to walk away from the kitchen.
