Chapter 4

PEDIOPHOBIA: Fear of dolls

TRUMAN'S SYNDROME: A psychological disorder in which patients believe they're in a reality TV show.

"Good morning" I heard a familiar masculine voice as soon as i woke up. I blinked away the blurry vision and noticed it was Mr psychologist.

What a surprise?

"I brought you a present" He smiled and as soon as those words left his mouth a bag entered through the little opening. I didn't go close to it but the plastic bag was transparent enough for me to see the content. It was a doll, an oddly huge doll. It had a pink dress on with a stuffed crown fixed on It's head. It's hair was as dark as mine with green eyes. The fact the doll had just like my birthmarks only made it weird. It looked like a replica of me. Well, without the dumb pink dress. I guessed it was new because of It's neat appearance.

What did he think i was? Six?

"No, i don't think you're six"

I was more than shocked. He just said what was in my mind. I hadn't said a word since his arrival. He read my mind?

"Yes, i did" He paused "And I'll keep doing it till you talk"

I had not experienced anything like it in my life. I had to admit, it was the first time something unusual happened here. I couldn't still believe he read my mind even with the fact it just happened right now. It felt like i was living a magic show.

"What do you want?" I asked "Why won't you leave me alone"

"I got you a doll" he avoided my question "I expect you to appreciate it. It looks just like you"

God forbid.

"I didn't ask for it"

"But you get it anyway" he pointed out "Look Caeli_"

"My name is Mary" I corrected." Not Caeli"

"You don't know who you are" he chuckled "This is more work than i'd expected"

"Is this part of your job?" I asked "They can see you from those cameras, you know?" I pointed at the cameras at every corner of the room. Any moment from now, angry red would walk in and hopefully fire him for giving me a doll.

"Don't underestimate me. I know what i'm doing"

"And that is?"

"The nightmare you had_"

"Step away Mr Warren" A familiar feminine voice cut him off. "Sorry for interrupting your session but we have to conduct a test urgently. You'll continue as soon as we're done"

He nodded and leaned to the nearest wall. Red took his place afterwards with a scientist i'd recognized earlier today. Since life was so against me, a couple of other people walked in. They were more than i'd seen for the past eight years. Some of them were dressed in normal formal wears and others in white coats. Scientists.

Red stood like a tall tree mounted to the ground. She was dressed in a sleek black suit with a white shirt beneath. Her red hair was up in a tight bun, nothing more than what she wore everyday. Her hands were folded behind her as she gave me a look i wasn't so used to. It looked like hate but i hoped it wasn't.

They started pressing some buttons and whispering things i couldn't hear. It really didn't take a genius to see something bad was going to happen soon and it was directed at me.

It took a while for them to arrange cameras, computer sets and some other technological devices i wasn't familiar with.

I looked at Lux for a moment and all he did was smile at me like nothing unusual was happening. He mouthed a 'good luck' to me and plastered a sick smile on his face.

Before my mind could comprehend the whole situation, i head a 'puff' from the top and little holes, not more than two centimeters appeared at the top of the box. I had no idea it could do that since the past eight years of my life.

"Commencing test on case 1452 stage five." I heard Red say before nodding at the lady scientist beside her. She gave me a last glance and pushed a button.

As soon as she pushed the button, thick fumes of white smoke were released into the box through the holes at the top. It started slowly till it diffused and clouded my vision. I could barely see a thing past the smoke. It was so thick, it felt like i could cut through it.

I could perceive the smell of something sharp and pungent and it was nowhere near good.

The temperature of the room dropped as every minute passed. I wrapped my arms around myself to keep myself warm. My skin got paler as the temperature reduced. It felt like i was being refrigerated. My lips were dry and chapped, my palms felt like ice and with every breath i took in, it only got worse.

I brought my legs up to my chest till my arms were hugging my entire body. It felt like the temperature was at least a minus or even worse. I rested my head on my knees and felt it become warm immediately. I brought my head up sharply when i realized my face was the cause of the sudden warmth. I then i brought my palm up to my cheek, it got warmer as my heartbeats picked up. It felt like it increased the more i got scared. At least it wasn't that frightening till i saw green light reflect on my palm. It was coming from my face and it felt warm.

I brought both my palms to my face. It came from my birthmarks. My birthmarks were glowing bright green. I hoped it was a reaction to the gas but even if it was, whose face glows as a reaction to gas? I expected suffocation or unconsciousness. Things expected of a normal human being with only little supply of oxygen.

I closed my eyes and waited to suffocate but it didn't come. I didn't feel my chest constrict or my throat go dry. Instead, weird noises came from the holes at the top and soon enough, the gas was being replaced with warm air.

It continued fro minutes till the gas was completely out of the room. My vision was restored and i could see Lux with a little smile plastered on his face. Red was starring at me with a look i could only describe to me surprise mixed with a hint of fear. I didn't fail to see the same look on their faces. They sure didn't get what they expected.

I realised my birthmarks were still glowing but not as bright as they were earlier.

"Extraordinary" Red whispered and turned to the others "Pack it up. We continue tomorrow"

They listened to her like she placed a spell on them. The cameraman, however, was exempted. I felt flashes of his camera hit me from different angles. The others slowly packed up their devices as told, stealing glances at me every second. They whispered things to each other but the reality was, who wouldn't?

As much as i hated being the center of attention, my main focus was on my birthmarks at that moment. The glow was slowly fading, getting replaced by their formal black colouration. I was relieved the glow was gone but i still got the same looks and constant flashes from the camera.

They left one by one till i was alone with Red and Lux. She nodded at him and said "You can resume your session if she pleases" She took one last look at me and left.

"That was lower than i'd expected"

"What did they do to me?" I asked "Why were my birthmarks glowing?"

"Your birthmarks glowed because they wanted to. That's your body fighting against the gas even when you didn't move a single muscle"

"What was the need to fill the place with gas?"

"I don't think you noticed" he started "But that gas was meant to kill you"

I almost choked "Kill me?"

"The day you had the nightmare, extremely high frequency waves were traced to this room which is harmful to human health if i might add. It's very impossible for a normal human being to do that"

"And that means?"

"You're more than their capability. They can't handle you because they don't know what you are"

"So they're gonna kill me"

"They're gonna try" he paused "But they can't"

"What are you proposing?"

"We escape tonight"

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