Chapter 29

Eli stretched as she slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes caught sight of the ceiling of the room which looked shady. He felt his body was leggy from sleeping for too long. He hoped it wasn't late because if it was, he would stay up until morning and not be able to go back to sleep. 

"Where is this?" She muttered. For a moment he forgot where he was. Everything in his head was mixed up and it often made him confused. 

"I'm in James secret house, right? Why did I forget?" He thought. She didn't find her bag in the room. He looked at the clock on the wall and it was already 09.30 at night. 

It was already night and she didn't feel James's presence nearby. Even though the last thing he remembered, James was hugging him until he fell asleep. But now that man is not here. 

Eli got up and stepped outside, trying to find James's whereabouts. However, the atmosphere in this house felt very quiet. Not only this house, the surrounding environment is very quiet as if there is no life. 

Honestly, this silence scared him. Despite his mental needs that required him to win over himself for a while. However, Eli was not used to such a quiet atmosphere. 

Kreeettt... 

She was surprised to hear the sound of her own footsteps. After leaving the room, Eli discovered that this house was quite large and spacious, and even had stairs and a room on the second floor. 

"James, where are you?" She tried to call James. She hoped that the man wouldn't leave and leave her alone in this house.

She swallowed hard, fear spread throughout her body when she saw the dolls that seemed to be staring at her in the corridor. Yes, James even extended the porcelain dolls that he considered beautiful in the hallways of this house. 

I don't know how many dolls there are in this house, but it's clear there are enough to make someone want to run away from this house as soon as possible. 

When her feet stepped on the living room floor, Eli saw more dolls arranged on the shelves and cupboards. Surprisingly, this house was as clean as James's house which he usually visited. But the atmosphere in this house is much quieter and scarier. 

Eli was sure the dolls were looking at her with their big, bright eyes and their angelic smiles that made her hair stand on end.

Even though she was scared, Eli seemed quite curious about the dolls. He walked up to them and tried to touch them. Eli found a doll that was exactly the same as the one she saw in the antique shop at that time. The porcelain doll is a little girl with brown hair with big blue eyes. The doll is wearing a pink dress. 

"This is the doll from that time, right? So, he kept it here? But, why in this house? Why not in the house he lives in?" He thought. Eli continued to wonder in her mind. He didn't understand this strange situation, but what made him even more clueless was what James Huntington actually thought. What kind of interest led him to collect this many dolls? 

"Are you awake?" James, who appeared out of nowhere, immediately startled him with his voice. 

Eli gasped in surprise and immediately looked back, where James was standing behind her with a look that was difficult to understand.

Eli felt her heart beating very fast, as if she had just met a terrible creature. 

"Um...yeah, I just woke up and-" Eli stammered her answer. His chest was moving up and down and he wasn't quite ready to continue his words. 

"You must be hungry, right? I'll cook dinner for you!" James said. Eli just realized that Robert was standing holding several bags containing shopping items. 

"Did you just come back from somewhere?" Eli asked. He hoped that James would say no so that he wouldn't have to think that he had been alone in this house for several hours. 

"Yes, I went to the nearest supermarket to buy groceries. Actually I wanted to wake you up so you could come with me, but you were sleeping so soundly that I couldn't bear it. That's why I was forced to go alone, because if not, we wouldn't have food to eat ." 

"But, why is it so quiet here? Is this house the only house around here? Are there no other houses?" Eli asked anxiously. 

James went into the kitchen, he didn't seem too concerned about Soraya's concerns about the silence he felt. Behind him, Soraya walked after him because she didn't want to be left alone in the room. 

"Of course there is!" James said as he put his shopping packages on the table and started arranging them in the refrigerator and cupboard. 

"Is it true?" 

"Yes!"

"Where?"

"If you look carefully, you will see there are houses around this house. On the right there is a Spanish family's house, on the left there is a house occupied by an old couple, across the street there is a house that is being renovated and across the lake there is a backyard the house is empty because the occupants are on holiday out of town." 

"Really? But all I saw were big trees, I didn't realize there were houses around here!" 

"This house is deliberately planted with tall trees so that the neighbors don't have to realize that this house is there!" 

"What does it mean?" Eli asked. He didn't understand why this house had to be surrounded by tall trees. 

James was silent, the atmosphere became silent and it made Soraya feel uncomfortable. It felt like there was something Robert was hiding from him. 

"Maybe because the shape of this house looks strange and unique. Because of that, people are not comfortable enough."

"I think that's a strange reason to plant so many trees around this house. Doesn't that just make this house look more scary?" 

"Do you think this house is scary?" James asked. He turned to Soraya and stared at her coldly. Soraya shuddered, she felt that Robert was uncomfortable with her questions and curiosity. 

"N-no! I think this house is very, very beautiful, it's just that the dolls in the living room and corridor look quite disturbing!" 

"Bother?"

"Yes, I think there are too many to display in one room where people who visit will definitely be surprised because when they enter the house, they are immediately greeted by dozens of porcelain dolls staring at them." 

"Is that so?"

"Yeah! Maybe you could keep the dolls in a special room, that way people who come to visit don't have to deal with them! You know? Not everyone likes porcelain dolls."

'I understand, but that's not necessary!'

"Why?" 

"Because no one comes to this house besides me and you!"

***