The first time Bones saw it, she screamed.

The doll wasn’t scary, per se. But she was so unused to seeing anything like it in Gina’s house, least of all peeking out from around a doorway. Gina had dolls around, sure but most of them were plastic replicas of video game and anime characters. This one was…old, by the look of it.

From this distance, Bones couldn’t be certain of much, but she couldn’t miss the large crack in the side of its pretty, porcelain face. It looked startled. Like her response had spooked it as much as it had spooked her. Despite that, it didn’t move. Just watched. Bones did the same.

They stayed like that for a short while, daring each other to make the first move until, surprising even herself, Bones took the initiative. “H…hello?”

The doll stared, and Bones started to wonder if it could even speak. She was about to say something else, but then:

“Hello.”

 Its voice was…quiet, hollow. But it carried clear across the room. Slowly, measuredly, it stepped out from behind the doorframe and stood to its full height. Bones swallowed. Even from here, she could tell the doll towered over her. It had to be…six, seven inches, compared to her four. And now it was coming closer, oh gosh.

It was wearing an older style of dress. Forced to guess, Bones would call it Victorian, but she didn’t really have the period knowledge to say so with any confidence.

Bones was alone. Gina had left on a snack run, and instead of jostling around in her pocket, Bones had opted to wait here. In the rare quiet. And then this happened. She tried to stay calm. “W-what’s your name?”

The doll was closer now. It seemed closer every moment. Though she couldn’t see its feet underneath the long, billowing skirt, couldn’t hear its steps. It paused at the question, seemed to mull it over, then answered, “Marionette.”

“Oh! That’s a pretty name…”

An honest reaction, and it made the doll smile. Then it asked in turn, “What’s yours?”

“I-I’m Bones.”

“Bones.” Marionette giggled, a low, echoey sound that seemed to fill the room and linger behind her ears. “That’s a silly name for a doll.”

Bones blushed. “W-well, I’m not a doll…not really…”

Marionette edged closer. Bones could see its eyes more clearly now. Large, dark, unblinking, and locked directly on her. “No? You look like a doll. Pret-ty, lit-tle do-lly.”

“W-well. I…well…gosh…” Bones took a deep breath, tried to reset her fluttery little heart and her flustery little head. She needed to take some semblance of control before she was wrapped around this frightening doll’s finger. “Well, what about Marionette?”

Marionette tilted its head. “What about Marionette?”

“It’s!…pretty…” Focus. “But isn’t it more of a…puppet’s name?”

Marionette stood still. “…a puppet?”

“You know…w-with strings…”

“Strings…” Marionette rested its chin on its curled fingers. The sound of porcelain gently clinking against itself rolled down Bones’ spine. Its piercing gaze drifted slightly. It smiled.

Bones took one step back and its gaze immediately returned to her. It was only a few strides away now, when had it gotten so close? It loomed large, soft smile contrasting its wide-eyed stare as it drifted closer. “You would look pretty in strings…”

Bones swallowed. Her heart raced. She wondered if running would make any difference. Then she decided it couldn’t be any worse than just thinking about running. So she ran.

That was a mistake. The moment her head turned, Marionette was on her, and she collapsed under a mass of skirts, which were in turn pinned down by rigid, unyielding doll parts. Marionette’s hands snaked up her arms, cold porcelain fingers gliding over her skin and sending shivers to her core before weaving themselves between her own and pinning her hands to the floor.

All Bones could do was thrash her shoulders around uselessly and turn her head to see the doll’s big, dark eyes in the corner of her own.

“Soft…” It laughed again, gently pressing its cheek to hers. “Soft, silly dolly. But badly behaved…”

“I’m not your doll!”

At this, Marionette gasped, but its hold on her remained firm. “My…?”

Bones could half-intuit the wave of emotions rolling across the doll’s face as the word seemed to give it pause. Until finally its hands squeezed tighter, drawing a gasp out of Bones. “My doll? No... But…you could be.”

Despite the fear rising in her chest, Bones was a hot mess. The fight in her was dying. She told herself she was preserving energy, that struggling right now was in vain. “Let me go!”

“Why?”

Bones’ voice caught in her throat. It was a simple question, and while it did nothing to loosen its hold, Marionette did seem to be waiting patiently for her answer. “W…well, how would you feel in this situation?”

Marionette paused, then a wide grin started creeping onto its face. Wrong question. She tried again. “What do you want? Why me?”

No pause this time. “Cute dolly…”

“Not a doll.”

“Prove it.”

Bones opened her mouth, then closed it again. She wracked her mind for an answer she thought would convince the doll, but curiously, the few stray thoughts she could piece together only served to upset herself.

After a sufficient amount of silence, Marionette pressed itself down against her. Its sculpted porcelain chest pressed into Bones’ back, and it brought its arms in close, smothering her in something resembling a hug. It pressed its cheek against hers. “Knew it…”

“N-no! Wait… Look at my arms!”

Marionette did. “Pretty…”

“And no joints!”

Marionette lifted her hand for her, never loosening its grip, and made her bend her arm back and forth at the elbow. “Joint.”

“But it’s not the same.”

“No,” Marionette agreed. “Special dolly…”

“Can you at least stop saying dolly?”

“Okay…Doll.” Marionette giggled, and Bones felt it resonating through her entire body.

Bones sighed. “I’ll take it…”

“Not the one taking…” It’s voice carried an almost sing-song tone as it pressed tighter, closing on on all sides, compressing Bones under the weight of its…not love, surely. Fixation?

The front door rattled, and Marionette shot straight up, or as straight as it could while still straddling its prey. There was fear in its eyes. “What…?”

Gina’s key crunched into the lock and the doorknob turned right after it. The doll’s grip slipped for just a second and Bones took her chance, rolling hard and managing to knock it off-balance and scramble out from under it.

“Alright! Now-” She twisted to point at the doll, but it wasn’t moving. Wasn’t pursuing her. It was just sitting there. Its smile was gone. Its eyes were locked on the door, but when Bones pointed, its gaze turned to her, and she could swear it flinched.

“I’m hooome, Bonesie~” Gina’s voice rang out as the door opened. Bones turned her head to look, then whipped back toward…nothing. Marionette was gone. It was just her, sitting alone on the floor.

“Bones?” Gina walked into the room, bag crinkling in her hand. “I got snacks…what’s wrong?”

Bones looked at her girlfriend, but the truth caught on her tongue. She shrugged, smiled. “Oh, you know…floor time.”

“I feel that. It’s been a shitty week.” Gina crouched, offering her hand. Bones hesitated for a moment as her body caught up to her, then she climbed aboard. Gina gave her a little peck on the top of the head. “Let’s go see if Edie can make it better, hm?”

Bones’ eyes drifted to the corner she’d first seen Marionette. She couldn’t get that last look on its face out of her mind. But she looked up at Gina and gave her a tired smile. “Yeah…yeah, that sounds nice...”