A Sordid Story of Blood & Fluff

11: Lessons

    Powder could feel a slight drowsiness fall upon her—the detox. She wobbled up to the new doll, reaching out to stroke the feathers on his boa. He eyed her worriedly.

    "I'm Tart," he said, extending his hand while trying to twist his face away from the feathers sticking to his mouth.

    Powder shook his thin hand. "Take me to the M!" she said, perhaps with a little more enthusiasm than normal because she was trying to make up for her brain fog. Tart cast a confused look at Scotch, who clapped a hand on the new doll's shoulder.

    "Take care of Powder. Oh, and if you need to find me, good luck." Scotch was gone down the hall before the other two could say a word.

     Tart took Powder what must have been the extra-long way from the bedroom to the Core. "Did you say we were going to the Sewing Room?" she asked after passing a statue she had never seen before.

    "Yes, but someone reported a proto acting bizarrely nearby and I'm trying to avoid that hall."

    "Bizarrely? How can you tell?"

    "For one, protos try to tear us, not kiss us."

    Rotting Roses. Scotch. The back door. The floppy proto. Powder thought about explaining it all but she was barely holding together her alert appearance as it was.

    They found the Monstress, who was outside of the dressing room talking to Sours.

    "No," she said, "I have no idea why one of those things would try to snog Raspberry. Just tear it apart and have done with it!"

    Sours turned to leave, looking grim but still giving Powder a little bow as he passed.

    The Monstress didn't ask any questions about where Powder had been. After furiously tapping one of her white glossy shoes  on the floor she turned the girl around and started to strip the crunchy dress off of her. Tart stood by with wide eyes looking at the ground. When the Monstress had stripped Powder down to her bra and panties she tossed the dress over to him and he took off, running with it draped over his head.

    Madame let out a sigh. "I suppose I can't expect you to stay in one place for very long. I'm sorry the Dollhouse is so stuffy."

    Powder didn't say anything. She felt little need for apologies but was also afraid her voice would give away her rotting roses altered state of mind, which was luckily fading quickly.

    The Monstress grabbed both of Powder's hands. "I have a surprise for you!" Her smile was grotesquely bright.

    "Really?" A surprise from the M was about the last thing Powder wanted right now.

    The Monstress pulled a long, loose sky blue frock over Powder's head and took her to the sewing room. All of the chairs from before had been taken out and everything had been mostly cleaned up and organized. A large square table had been cleared in the middle of the room and had two pairs of scissors, a yardstick, a thick book, and several small boxes positioned at the far end of it.

    "I'm going to teach you how to make a doll!" The Monstress' words were obviously intended to instill excitement; the kind of excitement Powder wasn't even close to feeling at that moment.

    "What? Me? But—"

    "I've given it a lot of thought so don't argue with me. Sit down at the table, I'll be right back!" The door slammed behind the Monstress.

    Powder didn't sit at the table. She stood holding either side of her head to keep it from exploding. So soon? Why? Why couldn't she just be a toy for the Monstress to throw into the Globe? Why did the Monstress want her to make dolls when she could make them perfectly well herself? Powder didn't know how to sew! If anything what she made would end up looking more like a proto, and then the M would be sorry. But what now? Resist her? Tell her no? What was the worst that could happen?