Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Doll House ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

"So you haven't seen Zell since yesterday either?" Squall asked Mrs. Dincht over the phone.

"No not since yesterday." Ma replied but added. "Why? Is something wrong? Is Zell missing?"

Her voice was concerned, making Squall wish he hadn't called until he looked in all the possible places first.

"No nothing's wrong. Zell isn't exactly missing because the day isn't over yet, I'm sure he'll turn up."

"Squall Leonhart, I trust you enough to hope you'd tell me the truth..." She trailed off waiting to see if he had any confessions to make, but there were none.

"I'm sorry Ms. Dincht, I'll tell you if anything turns up. He may have just gone for a walk or something, and hasn't come back yet."

"You're right, he does tend to take long jogs in the mornings."

'Why didn't I think of that?' Squall wondered, hearing the woman saying goodbye to him. "Goodbye, Mrs. Dincht." He hung up the phone. He sat on his couch thinking to himself. 'Of course Zell is out jogging, he does it all the time. I even remember Seifer waking up some mornings asking where Zell was during breakfast.' He nodded to himself. 'I worried for nothing.' Feeling a little doubt, Squall grabbed his jacket and decided to go into town.

# #

"Finally!" I said to myself walking down a stairway. I managed to find the front door and I couldn't be happier to get out of this place. "Freedo-..." But my words were cut off. "Where's the knob?" I wondered out loud, staring miffed at where the thing should be but saw nothing just a smooth wooden door.

I felt every inch of the obstruction with my hands, but got nothing. No snag, no latch. Nothing. As far as I know the damn thing is painted on. "How the hell do I get out then - Whoa!" The ground was shaking again. 'It must be the owner!' I thought. Scared as hell wondering where to hide, I seriously feel cheated because the furniture in this room was too small to crawl under.

At a moment of fear I just leaped on the couch and covered my head hoping for the best until...

"Have either of you seen Zell?"

Huh? That sounded like Squall. But how could he get in here?

"No. Sorry, Squall." Two female voices replied in the same though differently worded.

"Is something wrong?" One of them asked him.

He must have shaken his head because there was no reply.

I straightened myself up on the couch and looked out the window next to me. Squall! "Squall!" I shouted banging on the window. "Squaaalll!" I kept banging as hard and loud as I could, but he didn't hear me - in fact, I just noticed that he was huge!

'Did I shrink?' I asked myself. 'I've gotta get to a higher part of the house. Maybe he'll hear me from there.' I figured. Jumping up from my pathetic hiding place, I ran back to the stairs. 'I hope her voice isn't gone yet.' I ran as fast as I could, turning into the hall where I left Pamela and Sherry.

"Pamela...Pamela." I shouted before going into the room. 'God, I hope Squall stays in the courtyard a little longer.' "Pam, hey. How do I get to the attic?"

I asked her, kneeling beside the chair. She isn't moving.

"Oh no."

Wait a minute! I moved her forward a bit, and yanked the string on her back. As the threading wound itself back in I straightened her back up. "Pamela?"

"Change my batteries." She said as though it were through a can.

"Wha-...?" I yanked the cord again, asking. "How do I get to the attic, Pam?"

She was quiet at first, then her voice came out. Her real voice and not the doll's. "Go left, and up the stair on the right side of the hallway. Cli-..."

"Pamela?" I shook her shoulder looking at her.

"Change my batteries." She said again, and again and again.

"Uh-oh, someone needs a change." The little girl was back!

I ran under the bed, but apperantly not fast enough.

"How did you get under there, dolly." The bed was shoved aside making me stand out like a huge red dot on a piece of blank white paper.

"Aaahh!" I hopped up off my stomach to an immediate standing position. I got into fighting stance. I might not be able to really hurt her, but at least I can fend her off until I make a break for it.

I swung my leg at her hand as she reached for me. The tip of my foot hit her right in the center of her finger.

"Heeheehee. You're fun." She said, not even fazed a little. "I'm gonna love playing with you."

"Oh no you won't." I reached for a lamp; and smashing it into the table I swung it back and forth. The glass cut her hand, and she withdrew it.

"That wasn't very nice." Her tone pouted, because I can't see much of her face from my position. "I'm gonna tie you down."

I ran like the wind out of the room and through the hallway. I noticed the ceiling was still over my head in the escape - if I could just make it to the attic... Making a bee-line, I suddenly realized that I was going the wrong way, so I had to turn around.

"Come back dolly. I won't hurt you." I heard the creepy little girl saying.

Like hell she won't. I bolted around the next corner and saw the stairs that Pamela was talking about. 'If I could just make it to them - Aaahh!'

I was grabbed and lifted into the air. "You're not being a good little dolly; I'm gonna put you where you can't get out."

"Where are you taking me?!" I struggled to get free, but one of my arms was pinned at my side. Pushing down on her hand with my left hand to dislodge myself proved useless. "Let go!" I bent over a little to try to bite her on the hand, but I suddenly felt myself falling. "Aah!" Cold water sloshed around my waist. I looked about. I'm in a bathtub. "What are you..." I started to say but she shoved my head under the water!

"Heeheehee! I'm gonna wash your mouth out, naughty dolly."

"Mmm bllmm..." I held my breath straining. "Stop!" I managed to shout when my head came above the water. Is she trying to drown me?!

"Heehee. Are you going to behave?" She asked me with a sinister air.

"Yes, please just stop pushing me under the water." I pleaded gasping for breath.

She yanked me out of the water, and threw me in the bedroom. I noticed she was holding some string in her other hand.

"What are you gonna do with that?" I asked her.

The little girl reply, instead she pressed me down on the bed and started to tie me up. I sucked in a breath as she was doing it, and held it tightly until she was done.

"I'm gonna leave you here until you're ready to play like a dolly. Sleep tight." She said. Withdrawing her hands from the room the ceiling was then returned to it's place. When I heard the ceiling securely snap in, I expelled my breath. The ropes loosened around me a bit. Escape method number 18-B in the Balamb Garden training manual, everyone knows it.

Sliding free of the constriction, I ran out of the room. My legs hurt. "Shit."

Lifting my pajama pant leg I saw the white was going up my legs now. Pretty soon I would lose the ability to walk! I gotta get out of this house. I rubbed my legs briefly in an attempt to get circulation going, but noticed my fingers had long since froze together on my right hand.

"This could be a problem." I muttered, unable to keep back my panic. I scratched at the crease to see if they would pull apart. "Ow!" Well so much for plan A, better keep moving.

Back in the normal world.

'If no ones seen him out here, then where could he be?' Squall wondered. He walked through town at a good pace, but slowed when he heard someone say his name. 'Huh?' The gunblader looked up and saw a woman coming up to him. 'Who is she?'

Her hair was shoulder length and redish brown, she's medium height, but maybe a few inches taller than most women, and her face looked kinda like a rat. The only recognizable thing about her was the uniform from Trabia.

"Squall Leonhart, SeeD commander?" She asked.

"Yes." He said.

"May I speak with you a moment? I'm instructor Buchanon from Trabia Garden." She introduced.

He raised an eyebrow.

...

"Well, one of the Garden's cadets came out here the other day to visit with Selphie, but she hasn't come back yet, do you know where she might be?"

Squall shook his head. 'I haven't seen Selphie with anyone - not lately.' He thought to himself. "When did you say this person came here?" He asked.

Instructor Buchanon looked as though she was ready to go into Balamb Garden herself, and bring the missing cadet home.

"Last week." She answered not at all concerned; she may just figure the girl lost track of time - anyone could when they've got Selphie at their side.

"May I go in to look for her?" She asked.

Squall felt silly being asked for permission to do something that she be taken up with the headmistress, but he nodded. 'This is starting to get a little weird; why would someone come to Balamb and not leave? Selphie would have said something about someone staying here, right?'

As the instructor and SeeD walked back to Balamb, something caught Squall's eye. He narrowed his gaze to a zoom, and confirmed that what he was looking at are, in-fact, Zell's night slippers. He looked at instructor Buchanon and then back at the slippers.

"Excuse me, I just remebered I have to do something. But, Willy can help you find where you need go." He said, pointing out the gate keeper in front of the entrance.

"Okay, thank you." She replied, and waved him off as he walked away from her.

He ran around to the side of the building where he'd seen the items. He stooped down and picked them up. "These are Zell's."

The martial artist identified everything that was his with his name or initials on it - his mother tells him to. Looking out around the courtyard, Squall started to worry now. He remembered how Zell chased after that weird little girl, and nearly jumped off the side of the garden.

'He wouldn't.' Squall tried to convince himself, but Selphie's words ran through his mind.

"I haven't seen him since yesterday."

"Oh no." He breathed out. 'But he couldn't have jumped...Where's his body?' He thought for a second and then it hit him. "The Balcony!" He straightened up and ran to the entry way of the school. He isn't sure what he's going to find, but he hoped it wouldn't be blood.