AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My mouth opened in a silent ‘oh’ as blood oozed from the top and bottom of his hand. That area of the table was now one big puddle of blood. It felt like a punch to the gut, even though it wasn’t mine.
What could I do to help? Jeffery looked back at Drake with a cocky triumphant look.
My hand brushed the knife that lay beside my own plate. Thoughts of revenge pulsed in my mind the way Drake’s blood pulsed from his hand. No, not now. I told myself Jeffery would pay later if I could find a way.
“Maybe that will teach you to stay out of my business,” Jeffery said.
My hand closed on the napkin instead.
“Attachment to other dolls is a sign of foolishness and potential weakness. A very bad idea,” Sam announced.
Drake still hadn’t flinched. The only difference in his face was the flexing muscles of his jaw as he ground his teeth together. With remarkable stoicism he reached forward, grasped the knife, and yanked it out of his hand. A fine spray of blood flicked from the blade and spattered across Jeffery’s shirt. Drake slammed the blade back into the table once he’d removed it from his hand. The handle quivered.
I offered Drake my napkin.
Not taking his eyes off Jeffery, Drake grabbed it and wrapped it around his hand to make a tight fist to hold it in place. Blossoms of blood slowly appeared in the white cotton.
The cockiness on Jeffery’s face faded as he saw how little reaction his shocking act had elicited from Drake. Had he really suffered so much in this house that pain was something that could be so easily brushed off?
He reached out with his uninjured hand and lifted the dome off one of the trays, revealing hamburgers beneath.
“Time to eat,” Drake said and grabbed one.
We sat in wide-eyed shock as Drake took a bite of his food and went about his lunch as though nothing had happened. After a moment, Elise hesitantly grabbed a burger, followed by Liam. I was the last to grab my food and then we all ate in dead silence.
I picked at my own food but kept glancing over at Drake and his bloody hand. At one point I opened my mouth to ask if he was okay. He saw my face.
Glancing to the camera, he shook his head to stop me. The boldness gone with adrenaline, my shoulders slumped and I ate as much as I could. As I mechanically put food in my mouth, I looked around at my housemates, the other Dolls in this twisted Dollhouse, and wondered if any of us would get out alive.
Chapter 13
After lunch we were all sent back to our rooms as if nothing had happened. By the standards of this place, nothing had, and that made it worse. I waited nearly an hour before I received my session for the afternoon. The cuff buzzed and told me to go to the music room, and informed me that it was upstairs. I’d gotten a pretty good read on the rooms on the bottom floor, but was glad for the direction.
The tension in my shoulders eased once I’d made it up the stairs and saw the name plate for the music room next to the door. I was fairly certain I wouldn’t have to do something bloody or awful in a room filled with musical instruments and records. Unless playing them badly counted.
Maybe I’d be lucky and end up being able to sit and listen to something pleasant, sort of like when Drake and I had been able to sit and read for an hour in the library on my first day.
Crossing the polished wood floor, I headed over to the big black piano and sat on the bench in front of the keys. I looked down at the black and white rectangles and wondered what it must be like to know how to press these and make beautiful music. I’d watched videos of people who made it look so effortless and graceful. Lifting a hand, I pressed one of the middle white keys. A resonant and full tone sounded. I didn’t know anything about music, but something about the sharp crisp note told me this instrument was tuned to perfection. Whoever Sam was, he wanted everything to be flawless.
Bong. “Good afternoon, Dahlia. Please play a song for me. You can choose any instrument you like.”
Surprise and confusion swept over me as I glanced around the room. Guitars, violins, a massive cello, even a drum set at the back of the room. They were all beautiful and looked pretty cool. The problem was that I had no clue how to play anything. Music lessons had been the least of my parents’ concerns. They might have done it if they thought it would make me more valuable for pimping out. My foster parents had only wanted me for the government check they received. The thought of using some of that money to give me well rounded experiences had never crossed their minds.
“I don’t know how to play any of them,” I said.
It felt strange talking back to Sam. Would he even respond? That was something I should’ve asked Drake or the others. I didn’t think Sam could be reasoned with, but he had to know that I had no clue what I was doing. He certainly knew enough about me.
“There’s a book of music in the bench you’re sitting on. Read that. Play.”
I stood and saw that the bench opened and there were several glossy magazine style books inside. I grabbed one at random and sat. Once I opened the book, I freaked out even more. Page after page of lines and squiggly symbols. I knew what a music note looked like, but I had no idea what the hell you were supposed to do with them. What did they mean? Did each one correspond to one of the keys on the piano?
A small buzz tickled my wrist. Shit. A warning. I needed to start soon. Sweat was starting to trickle down my back. Quickly, I stood and opened the bench again. I found another book that had colorful cartoon-style characters on it. It was something a child would use to learn. I grabbed it and opened the pages as I sat. A small sigh escaped my lips. This one had pictures of where to place your fingers. A step-by-step guide for each song, showing exactly which keys to press.
I sat the book on the small stand and arranged my fingers the same way the pictures showed. The fear of a stronger shock sizzled in the back of my head the whole time. The first few presses didn’t go well, I’d put my hands in the wrong spots. I took a breath and tried again. This time they made a pretty sound that surprised me.
Over the next hour, I mimicked the pictures and played every song in the book. The panic and fear slowly faded away as I worked on the songs. My brow furrowed, and I did my best to keep the notes going, trying to remove the pauses as I looked at the pictures then back at my hands. The songs had started out sounding amateurish and a little flat, even to my uneducated ear, but I was getting better. Despite myself and my circumstances, I smiled.
Grinning from ear to ear, I completed the last song in the book. It sounded better than I ever anticipated. I kind of wanted to keep going, but my cuff buzzed, telling me to stop.
