Stay(85)

Oh God. Her hair was real. My pulse pounded, and I felt instantly cold. I blinked. That didn’t mean anything, right? Maybe she came that way. Maybe Jeremy didn’t dress up another living girl, kill her, and cut off her hair.

Or maybe he had. I needed to get out of there before I became the next victim. Fear tingled along my spine.

“I’ll start with your hair,” Jeremy said and plugged in a curling iron.

I shivered with disgust when he picked my hair up off my back. He combed it with his fingers before running a Victorian style silver brush through it.

“The color is a bit lighter than Miss Molly’s, but it will do,” he said.

Jeremy parted my hair down the middle. Then he pulled it up into pigtails. He stepped back and misted my head with hairspray before he began curling it. He worked slowly and meticulously making sure each curl was perfect and even, humming along to the old-timey music.

“Beautiful,” he breathed and set the hot iron down. “Now,” he said and turned back to the vanity, opening another drawer. “Your complexion needs some work.” He reached inside the drawer and extracted several bottles of foundation, holding each one up to my skin to find the best match.

The liquid makeup was cold and sticky on my skin. I sat as still as my trembling body allowed. Jeremy had turned me away from the mirror. His face was close to mine as he leaned in to blend the makeup. I refused to look at him. My eyes scanned the shelves of dolls. Most were wearing frilly dresses in pastel colors, and almost all had large bows and shiny ringlets of curls. I started counting. There were forty-two crammed onto the top shelf across from me. Fancy teacups and antique silver jewelry boxes were randomly squeezed in between the dolls. I was sure if I looked hard enough I would find hidden jars of formaldehyde with floating body parts as well.#p#分页标题#e#

I flinched when he came at me with a mascara wand, causing little black lines to smear on my skin. Jeremy licked his finger and wiped away the makeup. I forced my eyes wide and didn’t blink until he was done. He curled my lashes, going back and forth with the metal device until they were perfectly even. Next came bright red lipstick and enough powder to cause me to cough.

“Perfect!” he squealed and put his hands up to his face. He picked up Miss Molly. “What do you think, my dear?” He looked at the doll. “You are right. She could use some more powder.”

I swallowed hard, anticipating that his next move would be covering my mouth and nose with a chloroform soaked rag. Instead, he spun me around so I could inspect my reflection in the mirror. My face was a shade lighter than its natural color. All the powder caused my skin to look cakey and fake. My eyes appeared surprisingly large on my face, and the cherry red lipstick looked ridiculous.

“What do you think?” he asked me.

“Beautiful,” I said right away, not missing a beat. I wadded up the hem of the dress to steady my hands.

“I know!” He twirled around with Miss Molly. “And to think, they said mortuary school was a waste of time.” He laughed and glided over to the table. “Now, come on, it’s time for tea!”

With timorous movements, I pushed myself off the stool and went over to the table. Jeremy pulled out the chair for me before seating himself. He uncovered a tray of tiny cakes and cookies. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, they looked good. Good, but sure to house some sort of hidden poison that would render me unconscious and paralyzed on the floor.

“I just made these this morning,” he said and picked up an oatmeal cookie. He broke it in half, giving part to Miss Molly. He put the other half on his plate. “Go on, be a dear and eat!”

If he was eating the cookies, they probably weren’t poisoned, right? I apprehensively reached out and took an oatmeal cookie as well.

Jeremy poured three cups of tea and nibbled on his cookie. He never took his eyes off me and seemed to get enjoyment watching me sip the hot beverage. My eyes flitted to the window; the sun was low in the sky, leaving me to believe that I had been here for at least two hours.

The moment I set my teacup down, Jeremy refilled it. He gave me a slice of strawberry cake. I picked up a small silver fork and cut off a tiny piece. Jeremy bit his lip and leaned in, watching as I put the cake in my mouth.

Lynn like strawberries and anything strawberry flavored. Strawberry wine was her current obsession. The cake wasn’t bad. The frosting was very sweet and it hurt my teeth, making me wish I had gotten the cavity in my back molar filled over spring break like my dad suggested.

I broke off another piece and put it in my mouth, forcing a smile. I inhaled a mouthful of sugarless tea, hoping the sooner I finished teatime, the sooner this creep would be done playing living dolls.