1 I AM YOU

The room was dark and creepy. Dust particles floated around the space, a thick layer of it resting on every surface. A lone warm light penetrated through the dust, keeping the room in an eerie feel. It stayed like that, unmoving. Nothing new, nothing old. It was as if someone left this room in a time hole, never to be used again.

The door swung opened, revealing a teenage girl with soft brown locks. A scowl present on her face as she set her eyes in the room. With an audible sigh, the girl started fumbling with the switches to switch on the light. The light above her flickered for a few moments before steadying. The dolls reflected the light, each of them sitting side by side, hands on their dresses or suits.

Shyrine threw a disgusted look at the dolls. They sat there, the lifeless bodies and looks made Shyrine's skin crawl. There was something about their eyes that made Shyrine uncomfortable as she scanned the room. Their eyes seemed to be alive but dead at the same time. She thought she detected am evil glint shining in some of the dolls' eyes at times. A shiver ran down her spine. It wasn't everyday she step into the Doll Room. The dolls here were disgusting and she hated the eerie energy that was hanging heavily in it.

Some of the dolls were taller than Shyrine by a few mere centimetres. The life-sized dolls were sitting down on rocking chairs and small stools, a fake smile on their faces. Some of them were from the 19th centuries, some even older. Shyrine hoped that she would never have to deal with the creepy dolls as she stood in the middle of the room.

It wasn't pleasant. The doll room has never been pleasant anyways, Shyrine thought, it didn't even feel different. The same creepy aura of the room has lingered inside, barely taking note of how much time had passed. The room itself was chilling. No natural light, no spaces or tiny holes for wind breeze, yet Shyrine could feel the air changing inside of the room. The dark room stayed the same throughout the years, the only thing that changed was the number of dolls inside it.

The first-ever doll Shyrine could remember was a 19th-century doll. The doll was a beautiful female, with big, round eyes and a barely-there smile on her porcelain face. Her lashes were long and thick enough to see each lash clearly. Her hair was golden blonde colour, curls decorating it. She wore a simple dress that was laced with ribbons around the wrists. Her feet were in a thick black porcelain shoe, the surface of the shoe reflecting the light.

The doll has been inside of the room since Shyrine started going into the room. At first, she didn't pay any attention to the doll, but as time dragged on, Shyrine noticed how the doll still shone brightly as if it just received a polish. It sent chills down her spine. She tried to avoid looking at the doll whenever she was inside of the room, quickly gathering the things she needed before fleeting the scene. She couldn't help but realised that the doll's position seemed to change every time she walked into the room.

She had a mission on hand. She just need to grab a random doll to sell to some collector. It wouldn't do well if she kept standing in the middle of the room, dragging the time out to avoid getting closer to any of the dolls. The collector was still waiting for her return with a doll, and she didn't want to give the collector a bad impression. If Shyrine managed to find a doll the collector might be interested in, more customers might come in. She just had to choose carefully.

Creak.

Shyrine snapped her head to the source of the sound. The 19th-century doll. Its position changed, Shyrine noticed. When she walked into the room earlier, the doll was sitting with its legs slightly apart. But now, as Shyrine stared at the lifeless doll, it was sitting with its ankles crossed. Its hands were folded neatly on top of its knee, the barely there smile greeting Shyrine. The girl felt another shiver. She moved forward slowly, her hands reaching out towards the doll. Her body tensed as she closed the distance between herself and the doll, its eyes staring back into Shyrine's-

"Shyrine!" Shyrine flinched violently. She stumbled a few steps back, breathing heavily, a hand over her chest. "Are you done picking out the dolls?"

"Almost, ma'am!" Shyrine answered. Her eyes were still trained on the doll. The smile on the doll seemed bigger than before. She didn't like it. "You're just a doll," she said angrily, picking the doll up, "You shouldn't even scare me." She snatched another doll and left the room, still muttering about the doll. She didn't notice the soft smile the doll now sported.

Shyrine finally set the two dolls down on the counter top for the collector to see. "These two dolls may suit your preferences, sir," she said. The collector smiled, nodding to himself as he examined the two dolls, paying extra attention to the creepy 19th-century doll.

After what felt like years, the collector nodded to himself. "What's her name?" He asked, pointing at the 19th-century doll, "I'll take her."

"She doesn't have one," Shyrine answered. To her surprise, the shopkeeper tsked at her answer, frowning, as if Shyrine was the one who didn't give the doll a name.

"Of course she have a name," the shopkeeper said, "Her name's Shyrine." Shyrine stiffened. The doll shared her name? Was it just a coincidence? Shyrine couldn't help but stare at the doll, her skin crawling as she locked eyes with the doll. She paled even more when she realised that the doll's smile was getting bigger and bigger. Was she the only one who noticed the change?

"You seemed to be very interested in the doll," the collector chuckled. He pushed the doll to Shyrine, "Have it, then. I'll take the other one."

"Sir! It's fine, I really don't need this doll-" Shyrine was immediately cut off by the collector, saying that he didn't mind and she should have. The shopkeeper nudged Shyrine sharply. The young girl bowed, muttering her thank you's. The collector only waved it away, smiling brightly as he made a remark about how happy he was that the new generation was interested in dolls as old as the doll Shyrine.

On the way back to the doll room, Shyrine glared at the doll Shyrine. She hated that she shared the same name as the doll. Hitting the doll slightly on the face, she scowled, "You don't deserve to have the same name as me, you creepy doll." She opened the doll room and threw the doll inside, feeling slightly satisfied that the doll hit the wall with a loud thud. She didn't stop to make sure that the doll was in its usual position before slamming the door behind her.

Once the girl was gone, the doll shakily stood up, its smile returning. A bit of her face was ruined, tiny little cracks around its jaw. Doll Shyrine didn't mind. It walked back to its usual seat and settled itself on the stool, waiting for the next time the human Shyrine enter the room. It has patience, after all, it would take its chance when it has it.

Human Shyrine didn't notice the bruises on her jawline blossoming until the next day. She also have no idea that her bruises were on the same spot as the little cracks on the doll.

She has no idea at all.