As he got in his pajamas, Robbie couldn't help but notice the Barbie doll on the nightstand. There was something... off about it. For some reason, every time he looked at it, he felt like the doll was watching him. It was strange considering that he never had a problem around Daisy's dolls before. When Daisy came out of the bathroom, he turned in his sheets and looked to her.
"Man", he thought, "She is beautiful. I just wish I could tell her how I feel." He knew Daisy liked to think of him like a brother, but the truth was that he'd been into her since middle school. They were approaching their Freshman year of High School soon and he was worried that Daisy might never know the truth. The only reason Robbie wouldn't tell her was because he was too scared of losing her friendship. As Daisy got into bed and smiled at him, he couldn't help but notice the doll and get that uncomfortable feeling again.
"Um, Daisy?", he asked.
"Yeah?"
"That Barbie doll there, I've never seen it before. When did you get it?"
Daisy looked at the doll on the nightstand and sulked. "My mom brought it home last week. She said that she found it at some shop and thought it was cute." She sighed. "That was the last day before all this happened."
Robbie looked at the doll, feeling his skin crawl. He didn't understand why though. The thing looked harmless enough. Sure, the clothes were a bit on the skanky side, but it's not like it was coming to life and trying to stab him. But he still couldn't shake the feeling. "Wait", he said. "You mean she got that on the day before this all happened?"
"Yeah", said Daisy. "Why?"
"....Nothing", he replied, deciding it was too crazy to believe. He paused, then asked, "Why'd you bring it with you here?"
"I...", Daisy stared at the doll and scratched her head. "...I'm not sure. But it is kind of cute and it's the last thing I got from my mom before she changed." She then put her hand to her chin and continued. "Kind of funny. My mom actually wanted to keep it in her room for a while."
Robbie was finding it harder and harder not to wonder about the theory he was getting. But he kept it to himself and lied back down on the mattress. "Okay", he said. "I was just curious. Goodnight, Daisy."
"Goodnight, Robbie", she replied. Daisy turned out the lights and went to sleep. Robbie took a long time to nod off. But the whole night, he kept getting an eerie feeling about being in the same room as that doll. It didn't help when he heard a shuffling sound. But it just turned out to be Daisy shifting in her sleep. Eventually, Robbie finally got to sleep, unaware that something sinister was at work.
The next morning, Robbie got up and looked towards Daisy. She had the covers over her face and he smiled, hearing that same cute snore she always had. Robbie headed downstairs to get breakfast with her grandparents. They were still noticeably upset about Daisy's mom. Daisy's grandma tried calling her again and Robbie shuddered at the kind of conversation they were having. From what he gathered, Daisy's mom had been doing some very inappropriate stuff with some guy, who was in the shower. Daisy's grandma kept spouting off about how upset her grandaughter was when something must've happened. There was a pause on the other line.
"Amanda?", asked Daisy's grandma, "Are you still there?"
The voice he heard reply on the phone had just gone from sounding aroused to sounding confused.
"Yes, Amanda, it's me", said Daisy's grandma. "What's wrong?.... What do you mean, you don't remember?... Daisy's with us.... Amanda?..." Suddenly, the same tone as before could be heard from the phone and Daisy's grandma got back to looking shocked. "How can yo say that about you're own daughter?!...Amanda!" But the line went dead and she put the phone down. Looking more worried than ever. "Something is very wrong with her."
Robbie wasn't sure what to say. After seeing that doll and learning about how Daisy had gotten it, he couldn't help but wonder...
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Looking to the kitchen entrance, Robbie was greeted by the sight of Daisy. She looked...