Made of Plastic, It's Not Fantastic!

TRISTAN:

I was sitting back on the couch texting Julie when I heard a scream from upstairs. Molly and Bobbi were supposed to be up there playing in Molly's room. It's easy to babysit when you don't have to do anything.

"What happened?" I called, too lazy to actually get up.

"Nothing!" It was Bobbi' s voice, followed by the door slamming shut.

I ignored it, glancing down at my new message and smirked at Julie's reply.

~oOo~

BOBBI:

I kicked Molly's door shut and kept my hand cupped over her mouth to stop her from screaming again.

Teresa stood with her hands on her hips at Molly's feet. "What the hell is this, some kind of illusion?"

"Watch your language." I warned her.

"She's six, she knows what an illusion is. Okay fine, 'magic trick'. There, you happy? You better explain yourself right now before I --"

"Just calm down, okay?"

"Don't you dare ask me to calm down! You're a giant beast of a -- Get her to quit squirming around like a wet noodle."

I set Molly free and she crawled away from me, her face bright red. "What are you? What's going on?"

"What am I?" Teresa laughed. "You'd think after playing with me every day you'd realize I'm your doll."

"She's Teresa." I explained gently. "She really isn't as awful as she seems."

Teresa shot me a look. "Yeah, and neither is Bobbi. You know, I don't get why you struggled so much. Talking to humans is easy."

"You're a doll. Dolls can't talk..." Molly looked to me helplessly.

"Um, it's a long story. You see,"

Tristan didn't knock, he just opened the door. "Who screamed?"

Molly grabbed Teresa off of the floor and shoved her in Tristan's face. "Look, look! She's alive!"

He stared at her, wide eyed.

Teresa rolled her eyes. "Hi, handsome."

Tristan sunk back against the door. "You have got to be kidding me."

Molly turned Teresa back towards her. She combed her tiny fingers through Teresa's hair. "Have you always been alive?"

"You bet, along with Blondie over here. Now put me down, you little...sweetheart." Teresa caught herself that time.

Molly did as she was told. "Bobbi, what is she taking about?"

I tucked my legs beneath me and sat up straighter. "You left me out in the backyard yesterday, after we were done playing."

Molly thought about it, her pigtails turning from side to side. "Oh, you're the one that got a haircut! But you're human! How?"

"Yes, Bobbi, enlighten us." Teresa folded her scrawny arms.

"I really don't know. That's kind of the scary part..."

Teresa decided to save the cursing and mean comments for later. "But you're okay?"

I nodded quietly, watching Tristan leaning against the door. "Are you okay, Tristan?"

His face was a bit paler than usual. "I'm just questioning whether I should call a mental institution."

"We're real, honey. Get over it." Teresa said.

We heard a voice, one that belonged to a girl and came out of a mouth other than Teresa's. She was calling Tristan's name. He jumped up at the sound. "That's Julie. Stay up here, all of you. Don't scream anymore, got it?"

"Okay." I looked down in my lap. He closed the door tightly behind him.

~oOo~

I slapped my arm and gasped at the smear of blood and bug guts on my skin. "What is that?!"

Tristan didn't even have to turn around. "Mosquitoes. This is the worst time of day for them." He continued leading me to what seemed like nowhere in the woods behind the house.

"Gross." I wiped my arm on the bark of a tree as we walked by. "Are we going camping?"

"Sort of." He slipped the backpack off of his shoulders and stopped walking. I was watching the mud under my feet and crashed into his back.

He glanced over his shoulder at me. "Do you like it?"

I followed his honey colored eyes and discovered a huge wooden box perched up in the tree like a little house. "What is it?"

Tristan laughed at me. "It's a tree house! Molly and I found it back here a few years ago." He stepped up to the wooden ladder nailed into the tree. "I think it's stable."

I frowned. "But you said its a house? Doesn't someone live here?" I couldn't see why anyone would want to live like a squirrel, but it's still impolite to steal a house.

Tristan tossed his bag through the hole at the top of the ladder. "Come on," He called to me.

I looked around and checked for squirrels before hesitantly climbing the ladder behind him. I poked my head through the hole at the top and took Tristan's hand as he offered it to me. It was a lot bigger than it seemed.

"Well? What do you think?" He leaned back and collapsed in a hammock dangling in the corner.

"It's cute." I decided. "Better than the plastic Dream House."

The last rays of sunshine before sunset coated his face. "Do you think you'll be okay here?"

The thought of being by myself all night long made my tummy turn, but I put on a brave face. "I think so."

"The house isn't far from here, and if you need me, use this." He dug in his backpack and pulled out a small black box with an antenna sticking out of it. He handed it to me and pulled out a second one. "Just press the button on the side and I'll hear you when you talk." He spoke into the box.

I did the same. "Even if it's really late and a bear is attacking me?"

He smiled. "Even if you can't fall asleep."

I enjoyed the warm feeling building inside me. "These are cool. Are they phones?"

"Walkie talkies. Good ones, too. The signal can be detected for six miles. " He said. I pretended to know what he was taking about.

It was quiet for another moment. I glanced around the tree house and decided I would be perfectly fine overnight. It was my fault for ruining my chance to sleep in Tristan's bed again after telling his mom about it. I would have to live with the consequences.

Tristan set his backpack down on the floor by the hammock. "There's a bunch of stuff in here that will keep you busy. If you need anything else, just let me know." He held up the box -- I already forgot what he called it.

I held mine tighter in my hands. "I will. Thank you."

His phone beeped in his pocket. "I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow?"

I nodded, though tomorrow would seem life lifetimes away.