CHAPTER 1

We were finally moving into our new house. We'd move around a lot, living in apartment while my parents saved up so our family could have a house of our own. And now here we were, finally, with a beautiful brand new house in beautiful village. Moving was a bit of hassle, though, what with lugging things into rooms and trying to arrange everything.

I heard my phone ring. "Hello?" I answered. It turned out to be Drix, my best friend since grade school. We spent a lot of time together---hanging out, doing stupid things, just relaxing and living life. He and I even looked like one another. At least that was what people had said. And also our names, Drix and Travis, sort of sounded similar.

"How's the move going?"

"Vlad and I are trying to sort our clothes."

"Can I come over?"

"Sure go ahead."

"Alright. I'm already here."

I snorted. "Idiot. I knew it!"

He laugh. "Whatever, man, just come down and let me in."

"Yeah, yeah," I said before disconnecting the call hurrying downstairs to greet him. I found him chatting with my dad. He raised his hand in greeting and complimented me on the house. I nodded because, yeah, it really was nice. "It's all my parents doing," I said

"You wanna go play basketball?"

"What part of Vlad and I trying to sort our clothes did you not understand?"

"Don't be a bad host. I'm your guest. Entertain me."

"You're idoit who decide to just show up!"

Drix waved his hand at me to dismiss my complaints. "Whatever, man. I'll go get Calvin and drag him to the court. After you're finished, follow us there, yeah?"

"Who's Calvin? And I don't know where the court is"

"A friend who lives around here. You guys don't know each other. Anyway, the court is pretty near here. Just ride your bike and ask around, man," he said before leaving with a wave of his hand.

I went back inside the house to finish up. I got everything done at around 3:00pm, and after quick shower, I got on my bike and went in search of the court. The village was picturesque, with lots of trees and real nice landscaping. It was obvious it was in a prime location. I stopped when I saw a slope that led to a sort of grassy clearing.

The air felt fresher there, with acacia tree providing shade overhead, and I spied a couple of swings and monkey bar. A park, then? I got off my bike, leaned it up against a tree, and inhaled deeply, just taking it all in

I though to myself, I've found my heaven.

I lay flat on my back on the ground and looked up at the sky through the branches of the trees. But then a movement caught my eye, and I realized I was looking up into someone's dress. Wait! What? And then BAM!

Impact!

The person whose dress skirt I had inadvertently looked up into fell on me, and damn was it painful. I let out groan at the sudden weight, my eyes closing in a pained wince. And when I opened my eyes, and I saw a doll had landed on me.

"Thanks."

A talking doll.

She smiled.

That's when I realized that this was no doll, but an actual----and beautiful-----human being. She looked familiar, and I though I had seen her before, but I just couldn't recall where that might have been. Her dark hair cascaded around her shoulders and down her back. Her bangs were cut to a length just above her eyes. She was wearing a black doll dress,the kind that's all the ribbons and the lace. She had on doll shoes too, like the ones with the buckles that elementary school kids wear. Perched on her head was a headband too frilly for normal use, but which went well with her overall

She was a living doll.

"Are you trying to kill yourself? I asked.

"You're not going to be successful if you jump from the height. The most that can happen is you'll break a couple of bones, maybe."

"I'm not. I was trying to cry, but tears just don't want to fall. I think maybe there's something wrong with my eyes. That's why I tried to jump, so maybe they'd fall too, while I was Falling. Did you feel anything wet?"

What? I stared at her, not understanding the nonsense she had just spouted. Who the heck would jump off a branch to make themselves cry? She stood up, and I realized she really did look like a living doll with her flawless porcelain skin. I could see the veins on her neck, her skin was so pale. She held one hand out to me to help me get up. She was nice after all, although she also seemed kind of shy. I reached out to grab her hand and noticed scars on her wrist. It looked like she was a cutter, a pro at trying to commit suicide.

"I though you weren't trying to kill yourself?

Doesn't look like it. I said, pointing to the thin lines on her wrist. "Why did you do this? Think about God and what a sin that is. And life is such a gift, so why would you waste it?"

"I didn't make those, at least not all of them. I made one cut, but that was because I was asked to. The others cuts... Someone else made them. But how do you that life is such a gift and that dying would waste it when you've never felt how it is to die?"

Ah, a pessimist then. A masochistic pessimist if what she said about other people hurting her were true.

"I'm sill alive, even though I'm considered dead," she said.

"Miss, you still have something to hold on to. Don't be like that."

"The truth is, there's nothing."

"There's always something. You have friends, don't you?"

"No, none."

"Family?"

"None that I know of... I think."

"Huh? Then how do you survive?"

"Don't you want to know my name first? Your question are a bit personal, you know... And you don't even know my name. I'm Ashyie. What about you

"Uh, yeah sorry about that. I'm Travis," I said

I felt torn, unsure if I should feel in awe of this girl or afraid of her because of the manner in which she smiled. Her lips were small and pink and dainty like a doll's. Her eyes were huge in her gamine face, her eyelashes thick, long and full. I would have been tempted to think she had make up on, but I had seen her up close and I could tell that her face was bare of any cosmetics.

She continued to smile at me. "Until next time, Travis," she said. "I'm happy to have met you." She waved at me, smiling once more, and turned to leave.

I didn't realized until later that she had been clutching a teddy bear close the entire time, hugging it as she walked futher and futher away from me.