Marissa needed to move fast; she didn’t know how long she could stay ahead of her “owner.” Oh, Ophelia insisted she was going to turn her back, to get her out of this ridiculous get up. It’s not that she didn’t believe her “owner,” but she had been a toy for weeks now, and there was no sign she was doing anything to change that.

So, Marissa took it upon herself to undo the spell. If she was going to have a relationship with Ophelia, it was going to be as equals, not as owner and toy. The public library wasn’t her first choice, but it was the most convenient.

Walking around, though, something was off. Marissa was trying to find the section on magic and the occult, but nothing quite made sense. She couldn’t put a finger on what it was, either. Beginning to read the spines of the books she passed, her worry grew. Snatching the nearest book to her, she flipped open to a random page.

The words…were they French? No, they were English. She just couldn’t read because dolls didn’t need to read. And the spell placed upon her continued to reveal new depths.

“Miss?” an old librarian asked, approaching her, “I’m sorry, but toys aren’t allowed to wander the library unattended. I’ll have to take you to the lost and found.”

Marissa looked up, her brows creasing with worry. She already knew this part. Everyone she met was very convinced she was nothing more than a toy. But maybe, just maybe, she could convince someone this time.

“Please, I’m not a doll. Could you help me find…I know this is gonna sound weird, but could you help me find books on magical transformations?"

The librarian looked Marissa up and down in a non-judgmental judgmental way, from her bouncy hat to her curly toed slippers, and all the cloth and plush in between. She had never been quite so perceived as a doll before. “Why do you need a book on magical transformations?” She asked.

“It’s not for someone else, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Marissa said quickly. “It’s for me. I need to transform myself. But not, like, in a conceited, I need to be prettier way, you know?”

The librarian gave her a questioning look.

“Um, but the point is: I don’t want to transform someone else. I would never do that.”

“You just need it so you can turn yourself from a doll into a human?”

“Maybe?” She said, meaning yes.

“Does your Owner know you’re here?”

“Maybe?” She said, meaning no.

Somehow, the librarian picked up on both meanings. “Follow me, dear,” she said.

“No, but you don’t understand. See, I’m a person. Was, a person." Marissa said. She wasn't normally babbly, especially about this. But she had to tell someone, anyone. So the words just fell out of her. "Anyway, I met this amazing girl. She’s a witch, and she wanted to experiment, and she wanted to cast a spell on me. And she was hot, so I let her. And now I’m her doll! She swears she’s going to turn me back, but she uses me as her personal pillow, her plaything, and her kissy doll. Which is kinda nice, but—”

“I’m going to stop you right there.”

“Why? Am I being too loud?”

“You’re being too informative,” she said, taking the useless book from Marissa’s hand and leading her away. “We’ll try and get in contact with your Owner. But until then, lost items need to go to the lost and found.”