September 15th, I woke up excited. It was six-fifty-five, and everyone was still asleep. Awesome. I crept down to the deck, and stood by the alarm clock, waiting anxiously.
The second the alarm clock read 7:00, Eugene emerged from his shelf, saw me, and gave me that special little grin of his. Wow. He had really come out of his shell with me. I guess it just goes to show that sometimes, all someone needs is someone to talk to.
"Good morning," I chirped, and he returned the greeting. "Where do you wanna go?"
"I'm up for anything," he told me, following as I turned to start descending to the floor.
I dreaded the jump from the chair to the floor. Yesterday, I'd almost fallen on my face! I let Eugene go first, hoping he would turn away and I could jump without being made fun of. Not quite my luck. Eugene jumped down, looking a hundred times more graceful than I ever would...and then stepped away, turning to look at me.
Well...here goes. Time to show Eugene how horribly awkward I am. I made the jump; landed on the floor on my feet. That's a plus! But then I stumbled backwards, and tripped over my own hair. And fell on my backside...right in front of Eugene.
Here it comes. He'll start laughing at me...and who wouldn't? My face was flaming hot, and I wanted to just bury my face in my hands and disappear. I scrambled around and stood before I risked a glance at his face.
"You okay?" He asked, and even though there was a trace of a smile on his face, he wasn't making fun of me.
"Y-yeah. Sorry...I'm a clumsy fool," I laughed. "Don't mind me."
"Hey, that happens," he gave me that grin of his, again, and I wished he'd stop grinning like that. I was starting to really, really like him, even though I knew there was no way he'd ever want to be good friends with me...and that grin just made me like him more. And his personality and kindness?....wow.
"S-so, ah...what do you want to..to talk about?" I managed, looking away from him.
"Anything you want to talk about, m'lady," he said - I could hear his smile - , and I giggled, looking back up to see his face.
"I'm not very ladylike, though," I laughed, and he shrugged.
"You're just a little awkward. That's fine. I'm awkward, too,"
I smiled at him and we walked in silence for a few minutes.
Surprisingly enough, he was the first to speak up again. "You didn't get into any trouble last night?" "Nope. I told you - I'm invisible. Nobody noticed I was gone, and nobody noticed when I came back. This time, being invisible was actually something I was glad about," I said.
"You sound like you've been invisible to others for awhile?"
"Like...my whole life." I cleared my throat, hoping to change the subject. "I'm sure you can relate? Oh, look out the window at the sky! It's so clear and pretty!" I exclaimed, gesturing as it caught my eye.
He looked, and made a hum of appreciation towards the clear sky, but he turned back and watched me. "You're really sensitive about your past, aren't you?"
"Y-yeah," my voice cracked.
"Sorry," he told me, and I knew he was starting to withdraw back into his shell.
"No, no! It's fine," I said, giving him a smile, which I hoped was encouraging. "Um...What kind of stuff do you like to do?"
"W-well...I enjoy walking and reading. I don't mind listening to some songs, either," he said.
"Cool!" I exclaimed. "I like the same stuff. Sometime, we'll have to get together and read."
"I'd like that," he said, "it'd be fun."
I grinned, and we chatted for awhile more before I realized it was almost eight.
"Oh, no!" I exclaimed. "I need to get back up there! I'll...Ohhh, this is bad," I groaned, realizing we were halfway across the room. And it was seven-fifty-six.
He gave me a wide-eyed stare. "Oh, that's..that's bad..."
"Yeah...ah...I-I'll see you later, if you want? Um...thanks for walking with me and putting up with my weirdness. Bye!" I exclaimed, scooping up my hair so I could attempt running without tripping.
I didn't wait to hear his response, I just made a run for it.
I dove up onto the shelf at 8:04, and I tried to conceal my out-of-breath heaving. Everyone was still asleep. Whew.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
September 13-14, 2013
Hi everyone!
So I see you're reading my blog! Yay!! (: I started this blog because, well...being a 12" doll can be complicated sometimes. I'm Rapunzel, and I'm a 2010 Disney Store doll. I came to my most recent home on September 13th. In a cardboard box. Wrapped in tissue paper and plastic. From several states away. It was a long week, safe to say...but at least I had my chameleon, Pascal, with me. I've been in two homes before this one - the first one, there was only me and a Flynn Rider doll. It was a long year...we didn't talk and there was no other dolls around. Until eventually, I was shipped off to my previous home. I spent two years there. There were some other dolls there, but none of them wanted to talk to me. You see...I'm awkward (thus the name of this blog), somewhat shy, and I'm just a general goof. There was another Flynn at my former home; he and I started so-called "dating" a few weeks ago...basically, just walking around and sitting with one another, making small talk. Yeah, I know - you're probably thinking "You call that dating??"...Yup. He never even held my hand, brushed the hair away from my face, or gave me a loving grin.
That's another thing. I'm a hopeless romantic.
But oh well. I should've known something was up when he wasn't like that. But anyway, it turns out that he just was using me to get the attention of Diane, a 2013 model Rapunzel that lived there as well. Shortly after I found out and he dumped me, they got married - yeah, they really rushed into things, personally! A week after that, I was stuck in a box and shipped off to where I'm at now - in Tangled Fan's bedroom, with other dolls.
So I'm gonna catch you all up with what has been going on in my life xD The titles will be the dates in which stuff happened. Annd I'll let you get started! (:
Piper and Emma were the two girls that came to help me out of my cardboard prison. Piper was the brunette Rapunzel wedding doll from 2012, and Emma was a 2013 model of Rapunzel as well.
"Welcome to Tangled Fan's bedroom. She really truly is a Tangled fan, so be prepared to see a LOT of Tangled stuff." Emma told me.
"Okay," I laughed, trying to push away my shyness. I could feel my face starting to get a little warm, though.
"Follow us - we'll show you to the shelf where you'll likely be staying." Emma said. "By the way, Piper and I are sisters."
"Okay," I said again, following them.
I took in the room as we walked.
There were plenty of shelves, and there were two guinea pig cages set in one side of the room, and then there was a bigger shelving unit/dresser on the other side. There were tons of books on a bookshelf, and another dresser by the bed, which is what we were on right now. We hopped down off of the bed, and went to the shelf.
"Our shelf is the middle-right one in the big shelving unit." Piper explained. "There are two others there - Punzie and Zelia. You'll want to watch for them...they're mean. Trust me."
I nodded, worry starting to seep into my plastic.
We climbed up on top of a chair, and then I saw a window - between the shelving unit and the guinea pig cages. I immediately knew where I'd likely spend the majority of my time - right on that windowsill, taking in the outdoors.
I followed them up on top of a bin, and then we used the drawer handles to climb up to the shelves. There was a small strip of wood sticking out from the bottom shelves; Emma explained that that was what they called the 'deck'. The next part was tricky. We had to carefully balance on an alarm clock - which was precariously balanced half on the deck and half off the deck in midair - , grab the edge of the shelf, and scrabble up to the shelf.
I let the other two go first, so I could try to see the best 'style' of climbing up.
I didn't even notice the doll in the bottom shelf. Until he saved me!
Of course, being the clumsy self I am, when I stood on the alarm clock, I forgot to stand off to the side that was on the deck.
It started to fall, and I gasped, trying to grab something before I fell. Pascal held tightly onto my shoulder. The alarm clock tipped over the side and crashed down, but I grabbed the power cord for it...so now I was dangling off of a power cord. Wonderful. But at least I hadn't fallen.
"Grab my hand," I heard a strange, but at the same time, almost familiar - for whatever reason - male voice call out to me.
I looked up and saw a worried face peering over the edge, a hand beside it, outstretched.
Feeling horribly embarrassed, I took it, and whoever he was, he helped me back up.
Once I was up on my feet again on the shelf, he gave me a bashful, concerned expression, and he pulled his hand away from mine. "Y-you okay?"
My face was flaming red, I was sure, but I studied his face, anyway - it was red, too.
"Yeah...um...thanks," I said. I knew he was a Flynn Rider from the Disney Store, but he looked so much different from the other two I'd known. Not physically, maybe, but he had a certain kindness in his eyes that made him just seem different. And he was painfully shy - the other Flynns I had known were all cocky, arrogant, and wayyyy too outgoing. "What's your name? If you don't mind me asking."
I realized I was still looking him right in the eye, and I quickly averted my gaze to my feet, my face getting even warmer.
"Eugene...what's yours? You look like a Rapunzel doll, but they usually have different names. Around here, anyway...I guess."
"I'm just Rapunzel," I laughed awkwardly, feeling weird. He probably thought I was a nut. "No nicknames...yet."
"You just..y-you're new?"
I nodded, looking back up, and he was giving me a warm smile...which quickly vanished as soon as he realized I had seen it.
"Rapunzel? You're okay?" I heard Emma calling, and I glanced up to see her peering down at me.
"Yeah!" I called back. "I'm fine."
"I'll help you up," she told me.
I turned back to Eugene. "T-thanks for saving me, back there.." I grinned sheepishly, and he nodded, mirroring my expression. "I'll, um...see you some other time?"
He nodded again. "I'd like that," he said, and I think he said it by accident, because then he gave a surprised expression.
"Okay. Bye," I said, turning away. Emma took my hands and helped me climb up to our shelf.
I was promptly greeted by two other girls - a Mattel Rapunzel, who was shorter than the rest of us; and a 2011 Disney Store Rapunzel.
"That's Zelia," Emma pointed towards the 2011 Rapunzel, "and that's Punzie."
"Hi," I said, immediately feeling more shy, since I'd been warned about them.
"Hello. You're a 2010?"
"Hmm?" I asked, confused for a moment. "Oh! Oh. Yes. I'm a 2010 Rapunzel."
"What's your name?" The blond prodded.
"R-apunzel...?" My voice cracked.
"No, your nickname, silly." Zelia said, obviously expecting a different name. "We all have different names."
"N-not me..." I trailed off, and I could feel my eyebrows furrow with worry.
"Oh. Well, whatever. I guess it doesn't matter what your name is, as long as you mind your business and obey me and Punzie."
"Okay." I said, gulping.
"You didn't talk to Eugene, did you?"
"Yeah, I did."
"That's gonna stop."
"Why?" I asked.
"He's weird. I don't want anyone living here that talks with him. You seem weird enough." Zelia immediately spat out.
I tried not to let that affect me too much. I'd been called weird all my life. But I promptly felt a strange urge to defend Eugene.
"He doesn't seem that odd. I thought he was nice."
"Oh, brother. Just don't let it happen again, okay?"
I didn't say anything. Chills rained down my arms as I wondered what the consequences for going against Zelia's wishes were. I stood frozen to the spot I was standing, and the other two didn't say anything.
Everyone else went about their business, and I just sat in the corner, feeling like the outcast I was. If you'd ask Zelia, she'd add 'freak' to that, I was sure.
After what seemed like an eternity, Emma gave me a hankerchief.
"Here. Use that for a blanket. We're gonna go for a walk tomorrow, so get some sleep," she said, giving me a stiff sort of smile.
"Thanks." I said, smiling back, and then she left me again.
I curled up in a ball, cuddled Pascal up against my cheek, and then let him lay down beside me. And for the first time in a long time, I dreaded the morning....but at the same time, I dreaded going to sleep, too. But eventually, I drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up at seven. Nobody else was up, so I had to sit around silently for about an hour, until Zelia woke up.
"Good morning!" I said brightly. Maybe I could kill her with kindness.
"How can you be so bright and cheery this early?"
"I-I, ah..woke up an hour ago..it's not that early." I shrugged.
"Hmph." She rolled her eyes and ignored me. Until she finally caught sight of Pascal. "Ew! What is that thing?"
"My pet. It's a chameleon, and his name is Pascal!" I told her.
"It's disgusting. Get rid-"
"I will not!" I exclaimed. "He's my only friend. Please."
Her lips twitched in a sneer for a second, but then she grumbled. "Fine. For now."
I let out a breath I hadn't known I had been holding. "Thank you!" I exclaimed, very relieved.
"Yeah, whatever." She said, stepping over to wake everyone up - quite rudely, I might add.
When everyone was up and ready, we headed down to the deck.
I crept up to Emma. "Could I maybe invite Eugene to come along? I'm the odd girl out, and he seemed lonely yesterday."
"You heard Zelia, and you'd better go with what she said. Sorry, Rapunzel...he's really backwards, anyway."
"I bet he just needs a buddy," I mumbled to myself, and I noticed him sitting in his shelf when we went past it. I gave him a shy smile and a quick wave, and he gave me a surprised look before he silently raised a hand in what I guessed was meant to be a wave in return.
I trailed along behind the rest of the girls...the whole trip. Emma and Piper were buddied up, since they were sisters; and Zelia and Punzie were...well...Zelia and Punzie. Punzie was just as bad as Zelia, which was horrible.
I could barely stand being out all day long with nobody to talk to; even though I should be used to it.
At five, we all headed back. Instead of going with all of them up to the shelf, I hung back, fully intending to talk to Eugene. If I could get him to talk. I doubted anyone would notice my absence, anyway.
Once everyone else had filed up to the shelf, I took a deep, nervous breath, and asked quietly, "Eugene? You in there?"
I stood by the alarm clock, and I didn't look in - I wanted to make sure I wasn't being too nosy.
"Ye-yeah," he said from the shelf. "Why?"
"Do you want to...I dunno. Talk or something?"
"Sure. Come on in," he said, and I did.
I gave him a careful, awkward smile, and he gave me a grin in return. His grin was absolutely adorable, when he actually let it come through his shy face.
"What's up?" He asked.
"Oh...I just thought you might appreciate some company. I know how I feel, and I've only spent a day here!"
"Zelia and Punzie being hard on you?" Eugene asked, standing up.
I nodded. "By the way...I might have to go, like, really quickly, because I'm kind of not supposed to talk to you."
"You'd better leave, then. I don't want you getting in trouble, over just me."
"No. They won't notice I'm gone, anyway. And if they do? Oh well!" I said defiantly...even though I feared what would happen if I got caught.
He chuckled. "You, ah...you can sit down if you want."
I shook my head. "I'm good, thanks." I said, and we both kind of just stood in awkward silence.
Noting Pascal, who was on my shoulder, he said, "Uh...so...is that a-"
"Chameleon!" I grinned, picking him up off my shoulder. Most people grimaced away at the mere thought of my reptilian friend. "His name's Pascal. Do you want to hold 'im?"
"Sure. I-I mean, if you d-don't mind." He stammered.
"I don't," I said, handing him over to Eugene. I made sure not to touch his hands, which was really hard to do. But I managed not to, and he noticed my attempt, giving me a small smile.
Pascal studied his face, and Eugene studied Pascal's. I was a little concerned. Pascal had a tendancy to stick his tongue in someone's ear, if he doesn't like the doll. He'd done that with Flynn from the previous home.
And then he started making his way up Eugene's arm. I watched him warily. Here it comes...
He just sat down on his shoulder.
I released a huge sigh of relief, and he gave me a questioning look.
"He, um..he tends to stick his tongue in peoples' ears if he doesn't like them. He's actually a really good judge of character. I didn't realize that till just recently...wish I would've figured that out a couple years ago." I laughed awkwardly, and realized I had let more information out than what I should have...and that he probably could care less about my past. I cleared my throat. "Sorry. I kinda...I ramble..sometimes....sorry."
He gave me that grin again, and my face got hot. "That's fine. It's nice to have someone that talks to me."
"Same here," I laughed. "Ah...so...if you don't mind me asking..how long have you been here?"
"Three months," he said. "Straight from the Disney Store."
"Cool," I said, giving a small smile. His eyes caught mine, and I could almost see his question. "I've been in...well..this is my third place."
"That's rough. I hope it's your last!"
"Me too," I laughed, glancing away from his eyes and nervously passing a hand through my hair. Or..trying to. My hand got tangled in my hair, and, horrified, I jerked at it. "Umm...excuse me-" I mumbled, my face getting even hotter as I turned to run from the shelf so I could pry my hand from my hair in private.
"Wait, wait! Here," he told me, snagging my shoulders, stopping me, and gently prying my fingers loose from my hair. I marveled at how gentle he was - I knew it was horribly hard to get fingers untangled from hair. I've done it myself for the past three years. "There you go." He brushed quickly at my hair so it laid flat again.
I turned back to face him. "Thank you so much," I said, my face getting even hotter yet. I felt like I was in a sauna or something. And dolls should never feel that way! I covered my eyes with my hands and laughed at myself. "I'm sorry...I'm so weird! I hate when that happens."
"Hey, that stuff happens when you have long hair like yours," he said. "You're not weird."
I gave him a small smile, and then took a few breaths to calm my nervousness/awkwardness, only to notice his cheeks were getting a little bit red as well.
"Well..you'd be the first to tell me that. Um...so...do you, like...do you ever visit them up there?" I asked.
"No. Zelia has this thing against me...Probably cause I'm shy, but when I came here, I didn't like my entire life being dictated by her, so I was banned from the shelf; went to this shelf and she kind of banned everyone from talking to me. That's what she does."
"Wow. So you're just kinda...."
"Existing with no purpose in my life as a doll? Nailed it." He sighed.
"Why don't we go for a walk tomorrow...together? If you want, of course." I said, surprised that it even came out of my mouth. It just had.
He gave me a mildly surprised look, but then gave me a bashful smile. "That'd be awesome."
"When?" I asked.
"Umm...Is seven good for you?"
"Seven's awesome."
"Just don't get caught by Zelia, okay?" He said. "I'd feel terrible if you'd get in trouble, just over me." He repeated his earlier concern.
"It'll be fine. Even if I do, I don't really care." I said, even though I was still scared of the consequences. "I'll see you at seven tomorrow!"
"See you then," he gave me a small smile, handed me Pascal back, and I grinned back, turning to - carefully - climb up the shelf. I really didn't want to knock the alarm clock down today, especially since I wasn's supposed to be down here!
Thankfully, nobody was looking my way when I came back up, so I just slipped into a corner, sat down, and set Pascal on my lap, hoping to appear like I'd been there for awhile.
So I see you're reading my blog! Yay!! (: I started this blog because, well...being a 12" doll can be complicated sometimes. I'm Rapunzel, and I'm a 2010 Disney Store doll. I came to my most recent home on September 13th. In a cardboard box. Wrapped in tissue paper and plastic. From several states away. It was a long week, safe to say...but at least I had my chameleon, Pascal, with me. I've been in two homes before this one - the first one, there was only me and a Flynn Rider doll. It was a long year...we didn't talk and there was no other dolls around. Until eventually, I was shipped off to my previous home. I spent two years there. There were some other dolls there, but none of them wanted to talk to me. You see...I'm awkward (thus the name of this blog), somewhat shy, and I'm just a general goof. There was another Flynn at my former home; he and I started so-called "dating" a few weeks ago...basically, just walking around and sitting with one another, making small talk. Yeah, I know - you're probably thinking "You call that dating??"...Yup. He never even held my hand, brushed the hair away from my face, or gave me a loving grin.
That's another thing. I'm a hopeless romantic.
But oh well. I should've known something was up when he wasn't like that. But anyway, it turns out that he just was using me to get the attention of Diane, a 2013 model Rapunzel that lived there as well. Shortly after I found out and he dumped me, they got married - yeah, they really rushed into things, personally! A week after that, I was stuck in a box and shipped off to where I'm at now - in Tangled Fan's bedroom, with other dolls.
So I'm gonna catch you all up with what has been going on in my life xD The titles will be the dates in which stuff happened. Annd I'll let you get started! (:
Piper and Emma were the two girls that came to help me out of my cardboard prison. Piper was the brunette Rapunzel wedding doll from 2012, and Emma was a 2013 model of Rapunzel as well.
"Welcome to Tangled Fan's bedroom. She really truly is a Tangled fan, so be prepared to see a LOT of Tangled stuff." Emma told me.
"Okay," I laughed, trying to push away my shyness. I could feel my face starting to get a little warm, though.
"Follow us - we'll show you to the shelf where you'll likely be staying." Emma said. "By the way, Piper and I are sisters."
"Okay," I said again, following them.
I took in the room as we walked.
There were plenty of shelves, and there were two guinea pig cages set in one side of the room, and then there was a bigger shelving unit/dresser on the other side. There were tons of books on a bookshelf, and another dresser by the bed, which is what we were on right now. We hopped down off of the bed, and went to the shelf.
"Our shelf is the middle-right one in the big shelving unit." Piper explained. "There are two others there - Punzie and Zelia. You'll want to watch for them...they're mean. Trust me."
I nodded, worry starting to seep into my plastic.
We climbed up on top of a chair, and then I saw a window - between the shelving unit and the guinea pig cages. I immediately knew where I'd likely spend the majority of my time - right on that windowsill, taking in the outdoors.
I followed them up on top of a bin, and then we used the drawer handles to climb up to the shelves. There was a small strip of wood sticking out from the bottom shelves; Emma explained that that was what they called the 'deck'. The next part was tricky. We had to carefully balance on an alarm clock - which was precariously balanced half on the deck and half off the deck in midair - , grab the edge of the shelf, and scrabble up to the shelf.
I let the other two go first, so I could try to see the best 'style' of climbing up.
I didn't even notice the doll in the bottom shelf. Until he saved me!
Of course, being the clumsy self I am, when I stood on the alarm clock, I forgot to stand off to the side that was on the deck.
It started to fall, and I gasped, trying to grab something before I fell. Pascal held tightly onto my shoulder. The alarm clock tipped over the side and crashed down, but I grabbed the power cord for it...so now I was dangling off of a power cord. Wonderful. But at least I hadn't fallen.
"Grab my hand," I heard a strange, but at the same time, almost familiar - for whatever reason - male voice call out to me.
I looked up and saw a worried face peering over the edge, a hand beside it, outstretched.
Feeling horribly embarrassed, I took it, and whoever he was, he helped me back up.
Once I was up on my feet again on the shelf, he gave me a bashful, concerned expression, and he pulled his hand away from mine. "Y-you okay?"
My face was flaming red, I was sure, but I studied his face, anyway - it was red, too.
"Yeah...um...thanks," I said. I knew he was a Flynn Rider from the Disney Store, but he looked so much different from the other two I'd known. Not physically, maybe, but he had a certain kindness in his eyes that made him just seem different. And he was painfully shy - the other Flynns I had known were all cocky, arrogant, and wayyyy too outgoing. "What's your name? If you don't mind me asking."
I realized I was still looking him right in the eye, and I quickly averted my gaze to my feet, my face getting even warmer.
"Eugene...what's yours? You look like a Rapunzel doll, but they usually have different names. Around here, anyway...I guess."
"I'm just Rapunzel," I laughed awkwardly, feeling weird. He probably thought I was a nut. "No nicknames...yet."
"You just..y-you're new?"
I nodded, looking back up, and he was giving me a warm smile...which quickly vanished as soon as he realized I had seen it.
"Rapunzel? You're okay?" I heard Emma calling, and I glanced up to see her peering down at me.
"Yeah!" I called back. "I'm fine."
"I'll help you up," she told me.
I turned back to Eugene. "T-thanks for saving me, back there.." I grinned sheepishly, and he nodded, mirroring my expression. "I'll, um...see you some other time?"
He nodded again. "I'd like that," he said, and I think he said it by accident, because then he gave a surprised expression.
"Okay. Bye," I said, turning away. Emma took my hands and helped me climb up to our shelf.
I was promptly greeted by two other girls - a Mattel Rapunzel, who was shorter than the rest of us; and a 2011 Disney Store Rapunzel.
"That's Zelia," Emma pointed towards the 2011 Rapunzel, "and that's Punzie."
"Hi," I said, immediately feeling more shy, since I'd been warned about them.
"Hello. You're a 2010?"
"Hmm?" I asked, confused for a moment. "Oh! Oh. Yes. I'm a 2010 Rapunzel."
"What's your name?" The blond prodded.
"R-apunzel...?" My voice cracked.
"No, your nickname, silly." Zelia said, obviously expecting a different name. "We all have different names."
"N-not me..." I trailed off, and I could feel my eyebrows furrow with worry.
"Oh. Well, whatever. I guess it doesn't matter what your name is, as long as you mind your business and obey me and Punzie."
"Okay." I said, gulping.
"You didn't talk to Eugene, did you?"
"Yeah, I did."
"That's gonna stop."
"Why?" I asked.
"He's weird. I don't want anyone living here that talks with him. You seem weird enough." Zelia immediately spat out.
I tried not to let that affect me too much. I'd been called weird all my life. But I promptly felt a strange urge to defend Eugene.
"He doesn't seem that odd. I thought he was nice."
"Oh, brother. Just don't let it happen again, okay?"
I didn't say anything. Chills rained down my arms as I wondered what the consequences for going against Zelia's wishes were. I stood frozen to the spot I was standing, and the other two didn't say anything.
Everyone else went about their business, and I just sat in the corner, feeling like the outcast I was. If you'd ask Zelia, she'd add 'freak' to that, I was sure.
After what seemed like an eternity, Emma gave me a hankerchief.
"Here. Use that for a blanket. We're gonna go for a walk tomorrow, so get some sleep," she said, giving me a stiff sort of smile.
"Thanks." I said, smiling back, and then she left me again.
I curled up in a ball, cuddled Pascal up against my cheek, and then let him lay down beside me. And for the first time in a long time, I dreaded the morning....but at the same time, I dreaded going to sleep, too. But eventually, I drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up at seven. Nobody else was up, so I had to sit around silently for about an hour, until Zelia woke up.
"Good morning!" I said brightly. Maybe I could kill her with kindness.
"How can you be so bright and cheery this early?"
"I-I, ah..woke up an hour ago..it's not that early." I shrugged.
"Hmph." She rolled her eyes and ignored me. Until she finally caught sight of Pascal. "Ew! What is that thing?"
"My pet. It's a chameleon, and his name is Pascal!" I told her.
"It's disgusting. Get rid-"
"I will not!" I exclaimed. "He's my only friend. Please."
Her lips twitched in a sneer for a second, but then she grumbled. "Fine. For now."
I let out a breath I hadn't known I had been holding. "Thank you!" I exclaimed, very relieved.
"Yeah, whatever." She said, stepping over to wake everyone up - quite rudely, I might add.
When everyone was up and ready, we headed down to the deck.
I crept up to Emma. "Could I maybe invite Eugene to come along? I'm the odd girl out, and he seemed lonely yesterday."
"You heard Zelia, and you'd better go with what she said. Sorry, Rapunzel...he's really backwards, anyway."
"I bet he just needs a buddy," I mumbled to myself, and I noticed him sitting in his shelf when we went past it. I gave him a shy smile and a quick wave, and he gave me a surprised look before he silently raised a hand in what I guessed was meant to be a wave in return.
I trailed along behind the rest of the girls...the whole trip. Emma and Piper were buddied up, since they were sisters; and Zelia and Punzie were...well...Zelia and Punzie. Punzie was just as bad as Zelia, which was horrible.
I could barely stand being out all day long with nobody to talk to; even though I should be used to it.
At five, we all headed back. Instead of going with all of them up to the shelf, I hung back, fully intending to talk to Eugene. If I could get him to talk. I doubted anyone would notice my absence, anyway.
Once everyone else had filed up to the shelf, I took a deep, nervous breath, and asked quietly, "Eugene? You in there?"
I stood by the alarm clock, and I didn't look in - I wanted to make sure I wasn't being too nosy.
"Ye-yeah," he said from the shelf. "Why?"
"Do you want to...I dunno. Talk or something?"
"Sure. Come on in," he said, and I did.
I gave him a careful, awkward smile, and he gave me a grin in return. His grin was absolutely adorable, when he actually let it come through his shy face.
"What's up?" He asked.
"Oh...I just thought you might appreciate some company. I know how I feel, and I've only spent a day here!"
"Zelia and Punzie being hard on you?" Eugene asked, standing up.
I nodded. "By the way...I might have to go, like, really quickly, because I'm kind of not supposed to talk to you."
"You'd better leave, then. I don't want you getting in trouble, over just me."
"No. They won't notice I'm gone, anyway. And if they do? Oh well!" I said defiantly...even though I feared what would happen if I got caught.
He chuckled. "You, ah...you can sit down if you want."
I shook my head. "I'm good, thanks." I said, and we both kind of just stood in awkward silence.
Noting Pascal, who was on my shoulder, he said, "Uh...so...is that a-"
"Chameleon!" I grinned, picking him up off my shoulder. Most people grimaced away at the mere thought of my reptilian friend. "His name's Pascal. Do you want to hold 'im?"
"Sure. I-I mean, if you d-don't mind." He stammered.
"I don't," I said, handing him over to Eugene. I made sure not to touch his hands, which was really hard to do. But I managed not to, and he noticed my attempt, giving me a small smile.
Pascal studied his face, and Eugene studied Pascal's. I was a little concerned. Pascal had a tendancy to stick his tongue in someone's ear, if he doesn't like the doll. He'd done that with Flynn from the previous home.
And then he started making his way up Eugene's arm. I watched him warily. Here it comes...
He just sat down on his shoulder.
I released a huge sigh of relief, and he gave me a questioning look.
"He, um..he tends to stick his tongue in peoples' ears if he doesn't like them. He's actually a really good judge of character. I didn't realize that till just recently...wish I would've figured that out a couple years ago." I laughed awkwardly, and realized I had let more information out than what I should have...and that he probably could care less about my past. I cleared my throat. "Sorry. I kinda...I ramble..sometimes....sorry."
He gave me that grin again, and my face got hot. "That's fine. It's nice to have someone that talks to me."
"Same here," I laughed. "Ah...so...if you don't mind me asking..how long have you been here?"
"Three months," he said. "Straight from the Disney Store."
"Cool," I said, giving a small smile. His eyes caught mine, and I could almost see his question. "I've been in...well..this is my third place."
"That's rough. I hope it's your last!"
"Me too," I laughed, glancing away from his eyes and nervously passing a hand through my hair. Or..trying to. My hand got tangled in my hair, and, horrified, I jerked at it. "Umm...excuse me-" I mumbled, my face getting even hotter as I turned to run from the shelf so I could pry my hand from my hair in private.
"Wait, wait! Here," he told me, snagging my shoulders, stopping me, and gently prying my fingers loose from my hair. I marveled at how gentle he was - I knew it was horribly hard to get fingers untangled from hair. I've done it myself for the past three years. "There you go." He brushed quickly at my hair so it laid flat again.
I turned back to face him. "Thank you so much," I said, my face getting even hotter yet. I felt like I was in a sauna or something. And dolls should never feel that way! I covered my eyes with my hands and laughed at myself. "I'm sorry...I'm so weird! I hate when that happens."
"Hey, that stuff happens when you have long hair like yours," he said. "You're not weird."
I gave him a small smile, and then took a few breaths to calm my nervousness/awkwardness, only to notice his cheeks were getting a little bit red as well.
"Well..you'd be the first to tell me that. Um...so...do you, like...do you ever visit them up there?" I asked.
"No. Zelia has this thing against me...Probably cause I'm shy, but when I came here, I didn't like my entire life being dictated by her, so I was banned from the shelf; went to this shelf and she kind of banned everyone from talking to me. That's what she does."
"Wow. So you're just kinda...."
"Existing with no purpose in my life as a doll? Nailed it." He sighed.
"Why don't we go for a walk tomorrow...together? If you want, of course." I said, surprised that it even came out of my mouth. It just had.
He gave me a mildly surprised look, but then gave me a bashful smile. "That'd be awesome."
"When?" I asked.
"Umm...Is seven good for you?"
"Seven's awesome."
"Just don't get caught by Zelia, okay?" He said. "I'd feel terrible if you'd get in trouble, just over me." He repeated his earlier concern.
"It'll be fine. Even if I do, I don't really care." I said, even though I was still scared of the consequences. "I'll see you at seven tomorrow!"
"See you then," he gave me a small smile, handed me Pascal back, and I grinned back, turning to - carefully - climb up the shelf. I really didn't want to knock the alarm clock down today, especially since I wasn's supposed to be down here!
Thankfully, nobody was looking my way when I came back up, so I just slipped into a corner, sat down, and set Pascal on my lap, hoping to appear like I'd been there for awhile.
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