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They follow Madison upstairs and into an enormous room that's the size of the apartment Eliana and I share.
On one side of the room, a glass table exhibits the most exquisite dolls, with perfect features. They are dressed in gorgeous clothes that look expensive, made from velvet, silk and satin. There is nothing cheap and trashy here.
I've never seen anything like it. The girlsooohandahhhover the collection.
“Don't touch!” Madison yells.
The girls whip their hands to their sides again, obeying Madison's order.
“Shall we start the film?” I need to get them away from this expensive-looking collection quickly.
“Yes!” They cry out in unison.
“Show me the way to the movie room!” I say to Madison, rather dramatically and with a flourish of my hand. She looks at me with suspicion.
Beside me, Zara and Brooke giggle. They're holding hands, and I see Madison's face twist as she notices this.
“Follow me.” With her nose in the air, she leads us into a movie theater. As we walk in, I almost choke with surprise. It’s a small movie theater with seating for about fifty people. But this is the real deal. A thickly carpeted floor. Spacious, wide seats with leg rests that raise up with the touch of a button. The armrests have trays that contain boxes of popcorn, candy, and slushies which one of the staff has finished setting out.
The girls take their seats, the lights turn off and the movie plays.
It's theBarbiemovie.
Even I'm delighted as I sit behind Brooke.
During the film, a few of the girls get up and go to the bathroom, which is at the back, but still inside the theater. When Brooke needs to go, I go with her. It's not just one toilet in there, but five.
My eyes widen, and I take a quick video of it to send to Eliana later. I'm still trying to wrap my head around where I am, and what I've seen, and I can't wait to tell her everything.
When the film finishes, it’s time to head home.
I remind Brooke that we need to thank Madison's mom, and we make our way over to her. Abigail’s mom is all smiles, but I can’t shake the weird tension from earlier. It’s like I’ve been under a microscope all day, judged for not belonging.
Just then we hear the loudest wail.
“She broke my doll!”
Everyone whips their head around, to see Madison holding one of her beautiful dolls, snapped in half. She's pointing at Brooke who shrinks against me.
I place a protective hand on her shoulder.
Madison's mother rushes over. “What happened?” she asks her bawling daughter.
“Brooke broke my doll!”
“I didn't.” Brooke protests, and bursts into tears.
I'm horrified. “Don't cry, sweetie. You didn't do anything.” I say it loudly so that everyone hears.
“She broke my doll!” Madison insists.
I try not to glare at her. “She did no such thing.”
“Don't you dare talk to my daughter like that!” Abigail shrieks.
“Brooke did no such thing,” I say to Madison calmly, remembering the warning Celine gave me earlier.
“Madison, baby.” Her mother bends down and takes the two parts of the doll. She gets up and looks at Brooke with a horrified expression on her face. “How could you?”