There was more than one human approaching me, but they weren't here to save me. I was being dragged away by a woman with a green coat. Such a face was cloaked behind a golden mask, preventing me from seeing who was behind this unlovely encounter.
"Augh...ugh...my body..." My thoughts are clear, but not from them.
I was numb, but not fully asleep. Doorwell can still see and hear, only can't move her cookie muscles or speak. The gold-masked humans are putting me into a crate like a toy—the kind of merchandise Doorwell has been made once for the studio.
"Terrible. How do you know the darts work?"
"I don't. I thought maybe she would've been unaffected. It doesn't look like the skin could be penetrated so easily if it wasn't for that dough getting soggy..."
"So, what now? Do we still take her? It doesn't look like the church would like this one..."
"I don't think we have time for that. Moreover, look at her...just as the deacon told us..."
"What about the others? Shouldn't there be more like her?"
"We'll find them. But now, let's bring this one..."
They were carrying me somewhere on a crate! Oh, is this another surprise for me? People in the studio used to do this to me on my birthday. But today was not my birthday, isn't it? I could only hope cake and presents were waiting for me by the end of this trip.
I feel a bump—like we are riding on a rollercoaster. Outside was tense, and I could barely hear voices with the engines roaring. This must be a coaster! What else could've made that sound? I only wish they didn't need to seal me inside this box while they were having fun.
"Augh...so weak...why so weak...?"
"Doorwell eat candy...Doorwell gets stronger..."
"Augh...doctor Volcker was right...I was too weak...candy made me weak..."
"Huhuhu..."
I wonder what my parents would think of me now. I should've stayed on the coast and waited for this to end, but it was too boring for Doorwell. Humans were strict and passive for a being who enjoyed love. But Doorwell likes to be outside shimmering with sunlight or playing some games like she did with the Joyling—not waiting inside the box for a surprise!
I saw lights shining between the creaks, passing in a line before it got dark, then bright, then dark, and so on. The humans are nowhere to be found, and I feel dizzy waiting on this ride for so long. I could feel myself crumble under the pressure. The funny machine makes a rolling noise, like a train. A funny train.
Bzzt...
This is not a good vacation for me. I should be on the beach, having fun with my family and not staying here doing nothing. I could hear the coast leaving my ears, and I didn't like that. Nobody called my name, yet I could hear a crowd.
"Where are they taking me...?"
"Huhuhu..."
—————————————————————————————————
[30 minutes]
It was really that long for me to wait. But when I woke up, I was already out of the crate with birds chirping and the sun shining through the window. Below me was a bed, but Doorwell wasn't in her home yet. The strange smell of grass covered the whole room, and I kept seeing these crosses along with a gold-masked man beside me.
"Aah!"
"Oh, you wake already? Good..."
"Please don't hurt me."
"Don't worry, little one. We're not Mr Sebastian..."
"Y-you're not?" I paused for a moment, then I returned with a sense, "How do I know that wasn't a lie?"
"Because I could have killed you with this dagger anytime..." The masked man pulls out a scary knife before Doorwell. Naturally, she would've been scared.
"Eeh!"
"But, that's not our way. We are not a murderer, child."
The gold-masked man was not hateful, even with a sharp knife in his grip. He was only sitting there, preparing me for something, when I woke up from the sleep he caused. My wings are still there, but my lyre and bow are not. This isn't a dream, and my skin is still pale but slightly soggy.
"Who are you? Are you here because of my cookie?" My legs are hanging by the bed, and my hands are holding my body like a pillar as my eyes watch the masked man still in his chair, pondering his dagger.
"We are more than just a person, child. You're standing at the very presence of Order."
"Why are you looking for me?"
"We've been looking for you since the past. But hearing your case was not as easy as it seems with the public silence. But I promise you, it won't be long and you'll return to your family afterwards."
"I don't understand. You've been looking for me?"
"You were Dorriel Valentine, aren't you? Your family may not have told you, but we were connected as an associate for a long. In fact, you can consider us as a family. A distant family."
"Oh! Really? You should've told me that earlier!"
He came to me to describe what had happened. Turns out, Doorwell was here because some humans were looking for her since she was out of the Institute. But they weren't informed, and they only got a glimpse of her when she was out of the coast. How can I not know about this side of my lovely family?
"So, are you my uncle or my grandfather? Or my great-grandfather? Oh, I think you're my lost father swept by the ocean years ago! Isn't it?"
"I don't know why I think of that..."
"Wear, child..."
He didn't tell me anything. He only gave me a white mask that he wanted me to wear. I don't like covering this beautiful face, but the humans are insisting with a tone. Humans do love forcing others for something, just like my brother and his 'unusual' hatred for me. But this human didn't threaten me—just offering me a dress.
I'm not Pristine Pearl, so I wasn't really a fashion expert. But these attires they were wearing were filled with so much exaggeration of glimmers that I think Pearl would like to have. I mean, who could have resisted a white dress with a gold edge like that? Let alone glitters. Maybe the humans do want nothing bad from me. But Doorwell wouldn't trust a man in a mask.
*Sound of struggle from wearing a simple robe*
I looked in the mirror and saw the beautiful Doorwell covered in glitter and gold. I look priceless, but my wings didn't enjoy being laid under the thick, toughening cotton. The mask was giving me a memory of an old ball party in the studio before, but my thick pink cheeks wouldn't let it fit so easily. It was a party with so many masked Joylings, too! And Doorwell was invited alongside her cookie friends.
*Slice*"There. Forgive us for the lack of provision." The man cuts a hole for my wings to fly.
"Woah..." I muttered in the mirror.
"Can I keep them after we're done? I didn't want to lose the mask in case we'll have another party again!"
"I'm afraid not. Too sacred to leave this place..."
"Aww..."
The humans couldn't wait for me to stay here, and Doorwell couldn't let her parents wait in confusion. She quickly left the room with the masked man and followed him through the fancy hallway, which looked almost like her old home. So many humans with gold masks around her looking at her with awe. They were all my family.
"Hehehe...wee...woah..."
Doorwell sees so many hearts on the wall, a heart! This could only mean that she was chosen right for one thing—her heart. She sees statues with so many women bearing these hearts on their arms. But she didn't see a garden, nor a flower that wasn't just rose red. The humans here are blooming with love.
"I'm ready for the party!" I yelled with readiness. But every human looks at me strangely behind their golden masks.
"Sorry...not a party...?"
I was at someone else's party—One not-so-good party. Not only that I wasn't invited to this party, but I was served as a silent stock before the audience. The gold mask was looking at me with squinting eyes and immovable expression, feeling nowhere near love and favour for this angel.
"Hey, sir...where's the party?" My wings unfold, my arms lowered, and my head tilted down in disbelief.
"*Gasp* It's the angel. The angel!"
"Such divinity! Miracles truly exist for us!"
"Bless the winged child of God!"
These people are statues. I couldn't hear a scream of joy or a clap of excitement waiting for me, but I could smell boredom so strong that it hurt my nose—or maybe it was the candles? They smell like incense. I never thought a party would need incense and a pot filled with one.
"Thank you! Thank you! I appreciate your kindness, my human family. These wings are as real as you may see."
"I apologise I couldn't give you a music in return. But I promise I'll make it worth with a flight show. Anyone's ready to see?" My wings are spread, but the masked man behind me puts it down immediately.
"Ms Valentine, maybe you should move forward and wait there."
"Oh, okay..."
I headed onto the stage but found that it was not made for me—but for another man standing with a red mask. His mask looks lovely, and he has all red roses over his shoulders. He even held a staff with flowers on top of it—all roses again. Everything about him speaks of roses, and roses describe a lot about love.
"Ah, a child of Valentine. I thought my men would've disappointed me..."
"Hello! My name's Doorwell—I mean, Dorriel..." I pause for a moment, "Dorriel Valentine."
"Oh, this human name confuses me. But I hope you can understand that, my human family..."
"Hmm..." He grabbed a pinch of my cotton hair and rubbed it like how Sebastian was pouring a pinch of sugar into the bowl. He was satisfied with what he saw.
"Yes, you are not Dorriel for long. But now you returned as one, and that's what matters now. Please, come with me on the backstage so we can talk more about your ascension here..."
"Ascension? Sounds mysterious..."
I was intrigued by the man's charming offer. But to keep myself safe, I walked off a bit far from him when he guided me into an invisible door by the wall. There were no curtains on this stage, nor was there a blue sky and a tree for me to act. Maybe this party wouldn't be as fun as I thought. I would miss that masked man when he left me for a seat at the party.
"So, Mr Red Mask. What was your occupation here? You look like you lead
"I am. You may refer to me as the deacon of love."
"Deacon of love? Oh, I didn't know love has a leader! Forgive me for my rude manner, dear leader..." I bow in honour.
"Thank you. Now come, there are people who were waiting for you with that pure heart of yours..."
"My heart has always been pure. How do you know that?"
When I arrived backstage, I found more masked men in the changing room wearing black robes that covered them from head to toe. They were gathered around a small circle on the floor with candles, where a strange drawing of a heart was set in the center.
"Hey, family!" I waved.
"I—ooh!" My wings are spread out of my back. I couldn't hold it.
*Splash* A red pool is filling on the floor.
"I'm so sorry! Sorry, please don't be mad at me! I'm just—oh?"
I dropped something by accident when I spread my wings, which poured these red liquids out onto the floor. I thought they were going to be angry at me, but they weren't. To my surprise, they were only looking at me silently without a comment.
"Ah, I couldn't believe it! She was indeed the Valentine."
"What an unfortunate tragedy, but you are still here with us."
"Such a heart. You have come for the right place, child..."
"We were saved! The Saint has come to us!"
Their heads tilted so quickly, but their voices immediately went silent afterwards. I thought maybe the red juice was severe, but it was not. It was me that they were looking for more. Some couldn't even stand long enough to ignore it—they had to kneel in the presence of Doorwell, the love bringer.
"Y-you're not mad at me?" I wondered.
"Mad at you? We adore you! We've been waiting for your arrival here!"
"Holy one, fear not! You are here not to be harmed, but to be loved. You are here because you are the only one who could helped us."
"I...I am? Really?" I glance in awe.
The humans said they were desperate and they needed me. I had never thought I would hear those words after everything that happened in the morning with my family. Even the humans on the chair were praising me in that need.
"Yes, yes! I knew it! I knew I hadn't lost it yet! But...why did you put me here? Why not just...call me instead? It was rude to put me in a box without my permission!"
"Forgive our rudeness, child. But we could not risk carrying you from Valentine's grip through a soft agreement."
"Why? It's not like they would hurt you or that they hated their own family. Right?"
The humans are silent, especially the one with a white robe standing tall at me. After I asked that question, the wind turned stale and quiet like a breeze. My pale, cookie skin feels thin and cold through their ignorance, and the audience of humans whispers and chatters behind me.
"Why? What happened?"
I didn't know what to say, but the human silence was giving me a tense moment. Before I could say anything further, they quickly sent me into the red circle for a reason.
—————————————————————————————————
Me and the humans get along so well, but my parents are still out there looking for me. It was a sad thought to imagine they would get lost without knowing I was here under a green tent. Moreover, I'm starting to wonder about my brother, who was not happy with me far from them.
"What do you mean you don't know where is she?"
"Darren, she was running so fast chasing up a candy! We've lost her!"
'We shouldn't lose her! Don't you know what happened if she was gone?"
"We know, but I'm sure she's not far from here. She couldn't ran that far out of desperation."
"Well now, she did! And we've lost her!"
"Darren. Please be patient, son..."
"Patient? How? She's gone!"
"Wait...she said she was after a candy, right? Who would lure her away with candy on a bait like that?"
"Oh, oh no..."
"Then be quick and find her! We couldn't let her go!"
"Aww, you're so caring. But I think you were caring so much for someone you just yelled at."
"Darren? Are you okay, son?"
"He just left. Not even a word?"
"I guess he just wanted to help his sister. Who are we to stop him? We should've followed him, too."
"I don't know, honey. Darren never get used to be this...emotional. Not since Dorriel was gone...do you think he felt guilty not helping her back there?"
"Definitely. What else would bring him to guilt? It's not like he made her like that."
[Darren's Journal #3]
Dorriel.
No longer my sister.
No longer alive.
May they forget you.
May you never return.
You should have stayed away.
Sister never stayed away.
Now you stayed away.
Thank you.
Brother had a girlfriend.
Mom and dad are happy.
Brother had a future.
Mom and dad are happy.
Sister is gone.
Mom and dad aren't happy.
You are not good.
Please never return.