I relisted Xithe in different categories; I don't think I had her in the right ones, even though I got a lot of hits. So we'll see. This will be the last and only relist. I don't relist more than once, so if she doesn't sell, I'm keeping her for the craft show in November.
The other doll, who is actually a character named Kayleigh in Nightshade, is still awaiting the rest of her hair. So I guess she's a StoryStuffed Doll as well, even though I had intended to make her a witch.
Hmm. I guess I still could--even vampires dress up for Halloween, right?
An excerpt:
Aaron stopped in front of the cell. David made a sound deep in his throat again, almost as if he wanted to spit. Or protest. Or something.
"Kayleigh." Aaron sighed and glanced back at where Ella and Ben waited. "I should have known you'd be here."
"You are Aaron! In disguise!" Thin hands curled around the bars and a dirty face peered out between them.
It was a child's voice. Not like Scarlett's voice, or Penelope's, for that matter. A real child's voice. In her ill-fitting jeans and dusty black t-shirt that fell to her knees, she looked even younger than Ella thought she was. A vampire, for certain. She'd colored her hair bright blue, so Ella couldn't tell what color it had been originally, but she resembled Penelope quite a bit.
"Hi, David." She grinned, showing her fangs. "A bit tied up, are we?"
David scowled and kicked at the bars.
"Are you a prisoner here, or feeding the prisoners again?" Aaron asked.
Kayleigh cocked her head to one side and peered at him. "Are you here to rescue Gryphon, or are you back for good?"
"I'm here to rescue Gryphon and Justin," Aaron said mildly.
Kayleigh pushed on the cell door. It swung open. "Then I was just feeding the prisoners. Who is Justin?" She danced out of the cell and smiled at Ella. "I don't know you. Or him."
"He's the vampire in the cage in the courtyard at the moment," Ella said before Aaron could speak. "And my brother."
Kayleigh stared at her. "Oh, I'm sorry. Is he dead yet?"
"Not yet. Kayleigh, this is Ella Warner and Ben..." Aaron glanced at Ben. "I don't know your last name, Ben."
"It's McElfresh," Ben said.
"Kayleigh is..." Aaron began.
"Penelope's sister, but don't judge me because of that bitch," Kayleigh interrupted. "I'm much nicer than her." She clapped her hands over her mouth. "I shouldn't say such things. How are you planning to rescue Ella's brother?" Her voice was muffled until she lowered her hands. "Ella, did you know your father's here?"
"Ella poisoned the fountain, so we're hoping Marcus takes him out of the cage," Aaron said. "But we need to hurry, Kayleigh. Do you know where Gryphon is?"
"In the cell through the door," Kayleigh said. "Right where you thought he would be."
Right where Aaron thought he would be? Ella stared at the little girl. Could she read minds?
"Yes," Aaron said. Again, answering her unspoken question.
"That's the second time you've done that," Ben said.
"What?" Aaron asked, but there was something haunted in his gaze now.
David gave him a sharp look. And Ella realized that it might not be a good idea for David to know this particular secret; if there was a secret in the first place.
She shook her head at Ben. He frowned, then followed her gaze to David, and nodded in sudden understanding.
"Nevermind." He stepped away from Ella and gave David a nasty look. "We'd better get going, don't you think? Gryphon might not be in any shape to travel."
"Oh, he's fine," Kayleigh said. "But you can follow me. I'll take you to him."
The cells continued on either side, all the way to the end of the hallway and another heavy wooden door.
Kayleigh knocked. Ella heard no answer, but the little girl seemed satisfied.
"There are no wards on this door," Ben reported, pocketing his computer.
"Of course there aren't," Kayleigh said. "If you've gotten this far, Marcus assumes you're supposed to be here."
David growled at her.
"Can I bite him?" Kayleigh asked.
"I have first dibs on him," Ben said. "I owe him for a lot of pain and suffering. But I might leave you something to snack on."
Ella stared at him. If she didn't know any better, she would have said Ben had just made a joke.
"Drop the seemings, Ella," Aaron said. "I don't want Gryphon to think we're his executioners."
Ella wiped away the seemings. Ben and Aaron looked no different to her, but Kayleigh clapped her hands.
"Bravo!"
Aaron pushed David towards Ben and opened the door. He half-turned, as if to motion them inside, and a hand closed over his arm and jerked him inside the cell.
"Gryphon, wait!"
Ella ran to the door and threw it open. "Gryphon!"
Gryphon knelt on the floor, straddling Aaron's body. Aaron's arms were up, protecting his face. As Ella watched, Gryphon raised his fist, then lowered it as he realized who lay beneath him.
"Damn it!" he growled. "What took you so long?"
(Copyright belongs to me, as always.)
Anyway, this version of Kayleigh is a bit more cleaned up, and has purple hair. So who ever said I had to be accurate, anyway? I'm thinking that the doll will come with an excerpt from the book, since it's over 100k and very much in need of a rewrite. But we'll see.
The other doll, who is actually a character named Kayleigh in Nightshade, is still awaiting the rest of her hair. So I guess she's a StoryStuffed Doll as well, even though I had intended to make her a witch.
Hmm. I guess I still could--even vampires dress up for Halloween, right?
An excerpt:
Aaron stopped in front of the cell. David made a sound deep in his throat again, almost as if he wanted to spit. Or protest. Or something.
"Kayleigh." Aaron sighed and glanced back at where Ella and Ben waited. "I should have known you'd be here."
"You are Aaron! In disguise!" Thin hands curled around the bars and a dirty face peered out between them.
It was a child's voice. Not like Scarlett's voice, or Penelope's, for that matter. A real child's voice. In her ill-fitting jeans and dusty black t-shirt that fell to her knees, she looked even younger than Ella thought she was. A vampire, for certain. She'd colored her hair bright blue, so Ella couldn't tell what color it had been originally, but she resembled Penelope quite a bit.
"Hi, David." She grinned, showing her fangs. "A bit tied up, are we?"
David scowled and kicked at the bars.
"Are you a prisoner here, or feeding the prisoners again?" Aaron asked.
Kayleigh cocked her head to one side and peered at him. "Are you here to rescue Gryphon, or are you back for good?"
"I'm here to rescue Gryphon and Justin," Aaron said mildly.
Kayleigh pushed on the cell door. It swung open. "Then I was just feeding the prisoners. Who is Justin?" She danced out of the cell and smiled at Ella. "I don't know you. Or him."
"He's the vampire in the cage in the courtyard at the moment," Ella said before Aaron could speak. "And my brother."
Kayleigh stared at her. "Oh, I'm sorry. Is he dead yet?"
"Not yet. Kayleigh, this is Ella Warner and Ben..." Aaron glanced at Ben. "I don't know your last name, Ben."
"It's McElfresh," Ben said.
"Kayleigh is..." Aaron began.
"Penelope's sister, but don't judge me because of that bitch," Kayleigh interrupted. "I'm much nicer than her." She clapped her hands over her mouth. "I shouldn't say such things. How are you planning to rescue Ella's brother?" Her voice was muffled until she lowered her hands. "Ella, did you know your father's here?"
"Ella poisoned the fountain, so we're hoping Marcus takes him out of the cage," Aaron said. "But we need to hurry, Kayleigh. Do you know where Gryphon is?"
"In the cell through the door," Kayleigh said. "Right where you thought he would be."
Right where Aaron thought he would be? Ella stared at the little girl. Could she read minds?
"Yes," Aaron said. Again, answering her unspoken question.
"That's the second time you've done that," Ben said.
"What?" Aaron asked, but there was something haunted in his gaze now.
David gave him a sharp look. And Ella realized that it might not be a good idea for David to know this particular secret; if there was a secret in the first place.
She shook her head at Ben. He frowned, then followed her gaze to David, and nodded in sudden understanding.
"Nevermind." He stepped away from Ella and gave David a nasty look. "We'd better get going, don't you think? Gryphon might not be in any shape to travel."
"Oh, he's fine," Kayleigh said. "But you can follow me. I'll take you to him."
The cells continued on either side, all the way to the end of the hallway and another heavy wooden door.
Kayleigh knocked. Ella heard no answer, but the little girl seemed satisfied.
"There are no wards on this door," Ben reported, pocketing his computer.
"Of course there aren't," Kayleigh said. "If you've gotten this far, Marcus assumes you're supposed to be here."
David growled at her.
"Can I bite him?" Kayleigh asked.
"I have first dibs on him," Ben said. "I owe him for a lot of pain and suffering. But I might leave you something to snack on."
Ella stared at him. If she didn't know any better, she would have said Ben had just made a joke.
"Drop the seemings, Ella," Aaron said. "I don't want Gryphon to think we're his executioners."
Ella wiped away the seemings. Ben and Aaron looked no different to her, but Kayleigh clapped her hands.
"Bravo!"
Aaron pushed David towards Ben and opened the door. He half-turned, as if to motion them inside, and a hand closed over his arm and jerked him inside the cell.
"Gryphon, wait!"
Ella ran to the door and threw it open. "Gryphon!"
Gryphon knelt on the floor, straddling Aaron's body. Aaron's arms were up, protecting his face. As Ella watched, Gryphon raised his fist, then lowered it as he realized who lay beneath him.
"Damn it!" he growled. "What took you so long?"
(Copyright belongs to me, as always.)
Anyway, this version of Kayleigh is a bit more cleaned up, and has purple hair. So who ever said I had to be accurate, anyway? I'm thinking that the doll will come with an excerpt from the book, since it's over 100k and very much in need of a rewrite. But we'll see.
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