Leafy sat on the sofa, slightly unnerved. The Firey doll was sitting next to her, excitedly staring at her. Even though they weren't doing anything, he just seemed happy to be with her.

        It was almost as if he hadn't seen anyone in a decade. He scooted closer to Leafy, causing her to flinch. She didn't know what to think about him.

         On one hand, it felt nice to have her friend back. On the other...she wasn't sure if this doll really was her friend. Something about his personality felt off.

          His voice and figure may have been accurate, but Leafy couldn't help but feel like there was something else lurking beneath that kind smile...

        She was broken out of her thoughts, when Firey placed a hand on hers. She looked at him, curious about what he was doing. He stood up, pulling her with him.

        "Come on!" He said, gently leading her out of the parlor. "I want to show you every room!" Firey dashed up the stairs, turning down the first hall he came across.

          "This hall has some cool rooms, an art gallery, a theater, a hobby room, the works!" He told Leafy excitedly. Turning another corner, Firey chuckled.

          "Down here is where we store things, we have 7 of these rooms, and all for storage!" He explained, before turning down yet another hall. Leafy tried to keep up.

            Then, she thought of something. Was Firey going to explain the doll room? She decided to ask him. "Firey-" She started, only to be interrupted.

           "And then we have the upper stairs! This place has 3 stories after all!" He said, starting to lead her up. They both reached the top of the stairs.

        "I think it's mostly just bedrooms up here." He told her, as she glanced to the side. That was when she noticed a door at the far end of the hallway.

Firey winced when he noticed her stare. "Oh, I'm not sure you'd like that room." He told her, gently tugging her away from it. "Let's just focus on the fun rooms!"

He took her out of the room, hoping to get that room off her mind. This only made Leafy more curious. Now she knew he was hiding something.

She decided to ask him about the doll room first. "Firey...?" She started, as he turned his head towards her. "Why is there a room full of dolls?"

His smile fell slightly, as he avoided her eyes. "O-Oh...s-sounds like you f-found a kid's r-room." He nervously stuttered. Leafy shook her head.

"No...it was an actual room hidden away. Filled with dolls that looked like the contestants." She told him, and he tensed. Firey's grip on her hand tightened.

He stayed silent. "Firey..." Leafy said, trying not to freak him out. He muttered something under his breath, and she blinked. "Are you okay?" She asked him.

Firey looked back at her, nervously smiling. "Never better! Just stay away from that room, okay?" He said a little too quickly. Leafy paused for a moment, but eventually nodded.

"Okay..." She said, as he pulled her into another hug. She hugged back, curious of why he seemed so afraid. Firey was one of those dolls...wasn't he?

Taco sat at the picnic table, tapping her fingers against the surface. Her team was still ignoring her, much to her dismay. She wasn't sure why they were doing this to her.

It wasn't her fault she got stuck in a jawbreaker. She never abandoned them, despite what they thought. Taco sighed, deciding to take her mind off things.

She thought back to the other night, remembering the mysterious figure running across the field. She smiled, thinking of a fun idea.

Taco was going to find them.

Leafy opened her eyes, feeling the weight of Firey leaning against her. She smiled, gently patting the top of his head. He was asleep, surprisingly.

His arms held her waist tightly, like he was holding onto her for dear life. It was obvious he had some sort of separation issue, but why? In the short time she had spent here, Leafy had accumulated more questions then answers.

Leafy couldn't help but worry for her plush friend...even if his actions only grew more suspicious with each encounter. Surely there must have been a reason for that...right?

He didn't seem dangerous in the slightest, and he was more kind to her than any other contestant. So why did Leafy still feel uneasy around him?

A sudden booming noise shattered her train of thought. She snapped her head towards the window. Everything looked fine...She looked towards Firey.

Surprisingly, he slept through all of that. Leafy turned back towards the window. "Maybe I should check it out..." She thought to herself.

Leafy gently moved Firey off of her, laying him gently on the couch. She pulled a pencil off the desk, writing a note on a small sheet of paper.

She stuck it to the desk, then covered Firey with a nearby blanket. Then, Leafy walked to the front of the house. She exited, staring towards the source of the noise.

She quickly ran through the trees, eventually coming across the field. She hid behind a tree, sighing in annoyance. "Figures they would be behind the explosion."

Leafy stared at them, watching them talk about something. She couldn't make out what they were saying. She squinted her eyes, trying to see if she could read their lips.

"Hey." A voice suddenly said.