1.4

Effie Dollores was, in many ways, an irregular woman. This started with her appearance. Her, despite her progressing age, young face was always covered with a thick layer of makeup and she would never leave the house in bright clothes. Her black hair was always shining and so long, that it almost reached the ground.

Her daily routine was also quite irregular. Every day she would wake up around five a.m. and start her day with a walk around her neighborhood. Afterward, she would eat breakfast while watching the sunrise through her window. She loved watching how her room was slowly captured in golden light. When she finished eating, Effie would usually spend around two hours doing her makeup before she left for her, surprisingly normal, job. Effie worked as a software developer. She loved her job, even though she didn't miss the glances her colleagues gave her because of her looks. After a day of hard work, Effie would usually head straight to bed.

This day also started like that. It was a Saturday. This meant that Effie could spend as much time as she wanted on her makeup. She enjoyed watching her face becoming more and more perfect and doll-like. The smooth and the perfectly leveled always fascinated her. No, not always. Ever since the time in high school when her classmates started to make fun of her because of her acne. Ever since then she was drawn towards dolls. They meant everything for her, there was nothing more fulfilling than watching them. The perfect faces, the cute clothes, the sparkling eyes. They gave Effie a reason to live. She loved them so much that they filled out every corner of her two-room apartment.And most of the eye-pairs that stared at her every morning, were handmade. Effie even did the clothes all by herself. She already created all types of dresses, the only thing they had in common was that they were all made in cold and dark colors. Her dolls calmed Effie and gave her a sense of security that was matched by nothing she ever knew. After Effie finished doing her makeup, she put on her, irregular small, shoes and looked for her keys. Today was a special day. The new dark blue fabric was finally available. Of course, she pre-ordered it long ago so she wouldn't have to worry about it being sold out before she made it to the store.While she put on her jacket, she let her eyes wander through the stuffed living room. They stopped on a doll with sea-blue eyes and a fashionable black dress. Madam. That's how Effie called her. Her bright smile warmed her heart every time she looked at her.Even though Effie made this doll over three years ago, she has yet to create something that matched this perfection. But she was getting close. Maybe with the new fabric, she would be able to do it...

The ringing of her phone interrupted Effie’s thoughts. Probably her parents. Nobody else would call this early on a Saturday. Effie left her apartment without answering the phone. Once outside, she took a deep breath and looked at the sky. It was a nice cloudy day with a pleasant light breeze. Effie tightened her jacket and started to walk. As expected, the streets were almost empty. Why would anyone go out on a Saturday morning, just after eight o'clock? Effie started going faster. She was full of excitement and anticipation. Finally, after weeks of waiting she would get the new fabric. When the store was in sight Effie was almost running. Everything around her started to blend more and more the closer she got. The store. The dark-blue fabric. She was so close. Her new doll was only a few steps away. The doll that would surely turn out as good as Madam.She could barely hear the squealing tires from the tangle of sounds around her.

Then everything was black. The color she loved the most. Before she could feel any pain, she was dead.

End of part I 

Ps: In the next weeks there will probably be only very few new chapters because I will have to study for exams.