know. You took forever,” Gabby grouses. “There was no way I could get you out of there!”
“So she called me, and I figured now was the best time to test this out,” the professor says.
“Test
what
out?” I seriously do not like the sound of that.
“We transferred your consciousness into another doll!” the professor boasts. “It’s remarkable. Don’t worry, you still look like Ella. We found one who looks like you, but Sianne and I added upgrades.” He reaches for a hand mirror and tilts it upwards so I can see myself. He’s right—I’m still me, but… also different. My hair is blond, long, and thick, and I’m wearing jeans and a purple tee. And there are hundreds of tiny holes in my arms and legs—they’re like bullet wounds or something.
“Eww! Why do I have these holes? Eww, eww, eww!
EWWW
! I have trypophobia, you know!”
“They’re not holes, Ella.” The professor pats my hand. “Concentrate really hard for me, okay? On the count of three, you’re going to push really hard.”
“Push what?”
“Just push your insides. Three, two, one,
GO!
”
What am I, birthing out a mini-me? I so didn’t sign up for that. Still, I tense and push my innards, screaming when hundreds of spikes pop from the holes. “
AHH! I’m a porcupine
!”
Gabby and the professor laugh, but they don’t tickle me like they usually do when I’m anxious.
“You’re now your own best weapon,” the professor says. “These are very, very,
very
sharp spikes. Whenever someone dangerous picks you up, you simply push, and they should drop you.”
Gabby smirks. “Like a hot potato.”
I grimace at my reflection. I can barely see my face through the spikes. “Great. Please tell me I won’t be stuck like a sharp tumbleweed. How do I suck them back in?”
“Instead of pushing, pull. They should slowly slip back in.”
Tentatively, I try my best to rein the spikes in and am pleasantly surprised when they retract with minimum fuss. “Wow.” I inhale, running my fingers over the holes. “This could come in handy.”
“Only use it when you need to,” the professor warns. “There are additional upgrades. If you take off your left foot, for instance, you’ll find a switch. Press that, and you’ll be deactivated. Be extremely careful with this, and only use it in an emergency. You won’t be able to return to your doll form once you hit it.”
Whoa. That’s… that’s news. So I can easily change everything and show Gabby I’m not selfish? Just with a press of a button… I can be human again. I’m tempted to press it now, but I don’t. I have work to do.
“Hey, Earth to Ella!” The professor lightly flicks my nose. Plastic against plastic. It’s kind of sweetly creepy. “Couple more things to remember,” he says. “You can take your right arm off and use it as a gun, but it’s not all that powerful. Won’t level walls if that’s what you’re thinking. We’ve also been experimenting with fire. Now, don’t get alarmed, but we’ve filled your stomach with methylated spirits and inserted a switch inside your belly button. If it works, you should safely be able to shoot flames from your mouth.”
I laugh hysterically and rub my hands together in a vain attempt to get warm. “Yep, that’s me. I’m a superhero!”
“Or a supervillain.” Gabby rolls her eyes.
“Hey, the spirits that are in my belly…?”
“Don’t worry, they’re not
actual
spirits. It’s a liquid; not a ghost.”
“No, not that. Remember how I used to cry real tears? I mean, I don’t, but Gabby said the system was overloaded with dolls once so I could feel pain. She said real tears used to come from my eyes. Is that because you put water in my belly?”
“Yes, Ella,” the professor says. “I’ve explained this to you before, but understandably, you’ve forgotten. As a side experiment, I wanted to see if you could invoke emotion through your doll form. That won’t happen again.”
“Oh my God!” Gabby
“So she called me, and I figured now was the best time to test this out,” the professor says.
“Test
what
out?” I seriously do not like the sound of that.
“We transferred your consciousness into another doll!” the professor boasts. “It’s remarkable. Don’t worry, you still look like Ella. We found one who looks like you, but Sianne and I added upgrades.” He reaches for a hand mirror and tilts it upwards so I can see myself. He’s right—I’m still me, but… also different. My hair is blond, long, and thick, and I’m wearing jeans and a purple tee. And there are hundreds of tiny holes in my arms and legs—they’re like bullet wounds or something.
“Eww! Why do I have these holes? Eww, eww, eww!
EWWW
! I have trypophobia, you know!”
“They’re not holes, Ella.” The professor pats my hand. “Concentrate really hard for me, okay? On the count of three, you’re going to push really hard.”
“Push what?”
“Just push your insides. Three, two, one,
GO!
”
What am I, birthing out a mini-me? I so didn’t sign up for that. Still, I tense and push my innards, screaming when hundreds of spikes pop from the holes. “
AHH! I’m a porcupine
!”
Gabby and the professor laugh, but they don’t tickle me like they usually do when I’m anxious.
“You’re now your own best weapon,” the professor says. “These are very, very,
very
sharp spikes. Whenever someone dangerous picks you up, you simply push, and they should drop you.”
Gabby smirks. “Like a hot potato.”
I grimace at my reflection. I can barely see my face through the spikes. “Great. Please tell me I won’t be stuck like a sharp tumbleweed. How do I suck them back in?”
“Instead of pushing, pull. They should slowly slip back in.”
Tentatively, I try my best to rein the spikes in and am pleasantly surprised when they retract with minimum fuss. “Wow.” I inhale, running my fingers over the holes. “This could come in handy.”
“Only use it when you need to,” the professor warns. “There are additional upgrades. If you take off your left foot, for instance, you’ll find a switch. Press that, and you’ll be deactivated. Be extremely careful with this, and only use it in an emergency. You won’t be able to return to your doll form once you hit it.”
Whoa. That’s… that’s news. So I can easily change everything and show Gabby I’m not selfish? Just with a press of a button… I can be human again. I’m tempted to press it now, but I don’t. I have work to do.
“Hey, Earth to Ella!” The professor lightly flicks my nose. Plastic against plastic. It’s kind of sweetly creepy. “Couple more things to remember,” he says. “You can take your right arm off and use it as a gun, but it’s not all that powerful. Won’t level walls if that’s what you’re thinking. We’ve also been experimenting with fire. Now, don’t get alarmed, but we’ve filled your stomach with methylated spirits and inserted a switch inside your belly button. If it works, you should safely be able to shoot flames from your mouth.”
I laugh hysterically and rub my hands together in a vain attempt to get warm. “Yep, that’s me. I’m a superhero!”
“Or a supervillain.” Gabby rolls her eyes.
“Hey, the spirits that are in my belly…?”
“Don’t worry, they’re not
actual
spirits. It’s a liquid; not a ghost.”
“No, not that. Remember how I used to cry real tears? I mean, I don’t, but Gabby said the system was overloaded with dolls once so I could feel pain. She said real tears used to come from my eyes. Is that because you put water in my belly?”
“Yes, Ella,” the professor says. “I’ve explained this to you before, but understandably, you’ve forgotten. As a side experiment, I wanted to see if you could invoke emotion through your doll form. That won’t happen again.”
“Oh my God!” Gabby
Similar Books
