Page 36 of All the Things We Buried

I blinked again. The eyes shifted. Following me.

I screamed.

The doll slipped from my hands and hit the floor. The porcelain cracked across her cheek like a broken smile.

Heavy footsteps pounded from above.

Dorian came down from the attic, eyes on me. He didn’t say anything at first. Just stared like he couldn’t quite place what was happening.

Is this what it takes to get his attention?Screaming?Because I would scream until my throat bled if it meant he’d finally see me.

“You good?” he asked, nodding slightly.

I trembled as I stared at the doll, then gave a small nod.

He didn’t even look back. He just turned around and walked upstairs like none of it mattered.

But I wasn’t okay.

I needed him to hold me. I needed him to say it would be all right.

But I guess that was just a fantasy.

I rushed down the stairs, careful not to look at the doll whose eyes seemed to follow every step I took. I ran to the piano and sat down, trying to playFür Elise. My fingers moved over the keys, pressing down, but no sound came. The piano was silent, muted.

Still, I kept playing. Not for music.

But for him to hear me.

Because I couldn’t scream anymore.

Vivian appeared behind me, holding a cup of tea in her hand. She didn’t say anything at first. She just waited.

So I took it.

I brought the cup to my lips and let the heat burn my throat on the way down without a flinch.

“Time for bed,” she said softly, reaching for my hand. “Momma’s gonna take care of you now.”

She led me toward the bedroom. On the way, she picked up the doll. This time, the eyes didn’t move. They stared blankly ahead, like nothing had happened.

Maybe the tea was helping.

Maybe she was.

The bedroom door opened as she guided me inside.

My room.

I lay down in bed, and she tucked the blanket over me. Then she placed the doll beside me on the pillow.

My body was growing heavy.

I couldn’t move my arms, couldn’t turn to my side. A strange numbness spread through my limbs.

My eyes stayed wide open, fixed on the ceiling.

My lips tingled, then went completely numb. I couldn’t speak. I pressed them together, trying to form a word, any word, but nothing came out.