"Dare ya, Kelly! Double dog dare ya!"
Kelly sighed. Not only was her friend Mika a bit of a brat, she also picked up the oddest phrases. Who the heck even
says
"Double dog dare" anymore? But still, she looked back at Mika, and then at the house. Then back at Mika, one eyebrow quirked well above her rounded spectacles.
"Lemme get this straight. You're daring me, to spend the night in this abandoned house, because it's haunted? What do
I
get if I do it?"
Mika blinked, then steepled her index fingers together and looked away. She... Hadn't thought of that. Kelly sighed, and Mika turned bright red. Normally this went better than thi- "AHA!"
Kelly stepped back. Mika had gotten an idea. It never went well when Mika got an idea.
"I'll give you... My wand. Give it to ya. I
knoooow
you've been eyeing it! Ehehehe..."
It was Kelly's turn to blush and look away. Not only was Mika right (How the heck could she afford one as good as Mika's?), more to the point, she'd sealed the dare. Mika and Kelly were friends with benefits, but Kelly had been uncertain about being tied up.
That
was what was waiting for her if she lost.
Well, she'd have to at least
try
now. Looking stern, she nodded at Mika, then spoke. "You
did
at least bring me a bedroll and some snacks, right?"
Mika merely grinned, and pointed to her backpack.
Welp
. Last excuse gone, Kelly shouldered the backpack, and started striding away. "See you in the morning then,
brat
."
"Heeeeyyyy, no fair! Buuuut see ya soooon!" Kelly sighed. Mika really
was
a brat, sometimes. But she did like her. She was at the house now, and honestly... It didn't look that worse for ware. The windows were dusty, but unbroken, and the wood had merely hardened some. Since Mika had gone, there wouldn't be any problem sleeping
outside
if the door was jammed. Doors did tha-
She gripped the handle, and the door swung, smoothly open. Not even a groan. She sighed. Okay...
This
door didn't do that.
Hefting her backpack, she looked around. The house was large, and spacious, but most of all, it was
empty
. There were seemingly no furnishings left. She sighed.
Those snacks had better be good
. Squaring her shoulders, she set to exploring for
somewhere
decent looking, while it was still light enough.
Later
...
Kelly had explored... Almost all of the house. And what she had found could best be described as "Jack" and "Shit." She'd even muttered as much, a few times. Spacious rooms, well appointed (but dusty floors), and not a
single
piece of furniture. She was about to give up hope, and just lay down, when she opened the next door, right at the back of the house, and found... A big difference.
Curtains. A table. A comfortable sofa. And, on that sofa... A doll? Life-sized, it looked... Well, it looked kinda hot, to be honest. A busty gothic lolita, with her voluminous red skirt not hiding what was clearly a bulge. Kelly couldn't stop staring, and her backpack fell to her side, her cheeks turning beet red. Hurriedly, she closed the door behind her, dropped her backpack, and stepped closer.
She was
really well made
. Pale skin, deep red hair, curly and voluminous, and her dress was made of quality materials. She looked like she'd been untouched by time, and Kelly couldn't help but reach out, and touch her face.
The doll's eyes
flicked
open, and Kelly, startled, fell on her ass in shock. She tried to rationalise it. Maybe it had... Been that the eyelids were...
All that flew away, as the doll
smiled
, and spoke. Its voice rang like a bell, a pleasant, light contralto.
"Oh! Are you my new playmate?"
Kelly's eyes widened, and she instinctively backed up a little. "P-p-playmate? I just... I was dared, er... ahh... Tocomeinherepleasedon'thurtme!" The last words rushed out of her mouth in a torrent, and the doll's response?
Laughter. A tinkling of bells, a sound of joy. She remained seated, but one arm lifted, and her hand waved. "Hurt you? Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. You are perfectly safe, and I'm sure you have a lot of questions." She tilted her head, and giggled. "Assuming, I would start, with 'Why are you a doll that talks?' That's usually the first one I get asked, and then most people run away. I've always wanted to ask why I'm so scary to people!" Her tone was more of disappointed confusion than anything threatening, so Kelly... Felt reassured. This wasn't a
monster
doll, then, like she'd seen in movies. She was (her glance involuntarily moved to that bulge again)
something else
. Still sitting backward, she squared her shoulders as best she could.
"I... I mean, that
is
a good question, and I would like to know if you do, but..." She gulped, and pressed on "I... I'd rather know what you mean by 'playmate.'" Again, that light peal of giggling.
"Ohhhh? Well, I can certainly explain
that
, although you're quite right, I
don't
really know how I came to be. But, well... You won't run if I stand up, will you? I'd like to show you more directly what I mean... Without coming any closer."
Kelly looked away a little. "I... We'll both stand up, yeah." She pushed down on one hand, and stood, and the doll... Stood also, smoothly and gracefully. This was still weird as heck, but... She didn't make a move, so that was good. Right?