Emma's POV

The minute I stepped inside, I knew I shouldn't have come here. The whole place had a creepy feel to it. I wasn't surprised. From what I gathered from Mortivia, this was where Anna rose got her creepy doll. I pushed open the door and shivered. Every direction I turned, I was watched by hundreds of dolls, all mutilated in some way. Some were missing limbs. One was missing its head. The whole place was dark and filthy. I tried not to notice the dolls as I walked to the cash register, where a man was sitting, looking as filthy as the store around him. I tried not to breathe in his stench as I approached him. "Hi," I said. "I'm looking for the store manager. Do you know where he is?"

"I am the store manager." The man had a gruff voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I tried a smile to show I was truly sorry. He didn't believe it.

"Git what you need, or git out of my store!"

I was taken back by the rudeness(I thought no one could be more ruder than me at times) but I pretended not to notice. "I'm here to ask about a doll. Her name's Rosetta, and I heard she was bought here?"

The man grunted. " Yeah, that's right. Sorry, miss, she's gone. Bought, like you said. Why you asking?"

"I knew she was bought," I said quickly. "No, I'm just asking, was she special in any way?"

He grunted again. " Yeah, for some strange reason, when I looked away fir a moment, I'd come back and she'd move! Her legs, her arms, and suddenly, shelves!"

Then he looked skeptical. "Why you askin'?"

"I saw something strange the other day. I ran into the owner of that doll and the girl looked away to talk to her mother-she's been writing lies about me and this man and I hate her-"

" Mortivia?" this answer surprised me. But I nodded. "So yer Emma Lair,aren't you?"

I nodded. Then the unexpected happened. The store manager lumber across the counter, yelling," Git yer filth out of my sight!" He chucked the nearest doll at me. The armless porcelain effigy nearly hit me. Instead, it hit the floor and shattered into millions of pieces. He continued to advance, spit flying from his mouth. I tried to say, "I'm sorry, so sorry,I didn't know-" but he continued to scream, "Out! GIT OUT!"

I ducked another mutilated doll head and ran out the door.

Conclusion: people who like that creepy doll Rosetta they tended to hate me. Yay.

I had to go somewhere else, but I leaned against the doll store and tried to control my breathing. Then I saw the store manager hobbling through the door and I ran.

I don't know how far I ran. It could've been twenty miles or merely five blocks. All I know is I was out of breath when I stopped. I leaned against the back of the building trying to catch my breath yet again and when I looked back he was no longer following. I realized I was lost. Then I checked my map that Mortivia so kindly gave me(!) and looked at the street sign. I was apparently on Dismal Street- a fitting name, since nothing seemed to grow here so it was all grey and black and none of the buildings was in good repair- and that I had to walk twenty blocks to get to where I needed to be. I sighed and followed my mental path to where I needed to be.

Doctor's POV

Raining. Again.

Did the people who controled the weather worry about droughts? It seemed like it, but sooned they'd have to worry about flooding. The basement of the hotel was already filled with water, or so Jenna's sister told us.

Crystal was getting antsy, too. She kept fidgeting and running around. To keep her energy at bay, I had her run up the staircases in the hotel. That tired her out usually at the sixth floor. Once she forced herself to do it until she passed out with fatigue. I found her asleep on the tenth staircase. What was amazing was how long Crystal could hold out before giving up. She was the only person that I knew who could run more than five stairways without giving out.

"You and Crystal are the same when it comes to rainy days," Clara commented one day. "Staying still isn't an option, is it?"

"I hate rainy days," I complained.

"Don't we all," Clara grumbled.

"There's no need to be like that," I told her.

She yawned. "How does Crystal do so much running in three hours?"

"Simple: she runs as many flights she can take, then takes a break," I explained.

Clara mumbled something and turned around. I paced the living room, trying to keep myself from going insane from boredom and lack of activity when Crystal came in through the doors, out of breath

but looking proud of herself. Clara lifted her head off the arm of the chair. " You've got to be kidding me. How could you run all 100 floors of the hotel?"

"I did it!" Crystal exclaimed. She sat down on the couch right across us. "I did it..." then she slumped down on the couch and passed out.

"Well, what do you know?" said Clara boredly. "She just barely made it."

"She passed out on the tenth floor, remember?" I reminded her. She yawned.

Emma had told us she wouldn't be long, so I hoped it was the bus ride that was taking her so long. In the meantime, night was coming soon, and fast. The doors of the hotel locked automatically at twelve o'clock in the morning. If she came back after that, and before seven in the morning- the time the doors reopen- she'd have to wait outside. I hoped Crystal didn't know this; she worried about her older sister a lot, and the thought of Emma waiting outside for Lord knows how long would turn Crystal into a wreck.

"When's Emma coming back?" Clara asked.

"Soon, I hope," I looked at the door.

"You hope?" Clara raised an eyebrow. I got up and paced impatiently. "I'm so bored, we can't do anything with this rain, we-"

"Doctor, do me a favor, and shut up," Clara said. She sounded rather bored, in my opinion.