When it came time for the Gifting Ceremony, a large box was brought in, wrapped in gold paper and tied with white ribbons. Lucian hadn’t touched any of his other gifts but he watched as they brought this one in and put it down before them.

Jacob’s grin was wider than Lucian liked and he walked up to the gift as if he had discovered something world-changing. The hall was silent and the Dolls filtered out of the crowd, retreating to the back of the room as the men gathered closely. Jacob took out a lighter, and to the shock of the room, lit one of the ribbons on fire.

Lucian watched as the flame travelled rapidly up the ribbon before setting the entirety of the gold wrapping on fire, a brilliant blaze of orange. It eventually began to flicker out, burning the wrapping and ribbons away to reveal a sight that had the crowd in applause. It was by far the most interesting and grand Gift Ceremony they had ever attended.

A crystal box stood before Lucian. Inside of the glass stood a girl, just as young as he but almost a foot smaller. She was petite, her facial features elegant and expertly curved like her figure. Her expression was serene, almost like a painting with her aquamarine eyes half-closed and hair the colour of pearls, shimmering with slight iridescence. She was dressed in a small, ruffle-abundant dress with lace detailing, and dripping in long chains of pearls with white flowers of all kinds scattered throughout the case, like a snow-globe. Baby’s breath and lilies filled her hair and rose petals twinkled down to her small, bare feet. Lucian was almost possessed by her eyes, large and bright but brimming with waking life. And yet he knew she had not just merely appeared before him, she had been groomed and altered her entire life to one day do so.

After the endless praise towards Jacob died down, the grandiose of the gift once again silenced the room. Lucian stepped towards the glass case and the girl’s eyes opened fully, revealing watch looked to be pearls rather than eyes, their colours shifting slighting depending on from where he looked at them. Her pupils were faint, making her seem almost ethereal in the box. She was truly a vision of beauty and Jacob smirked, his ego rubbed by Lucian’s reaction. It wasn’t obvious but many that had been around him since he was a boy could see that he wasn’t as composed as normal.

As the girl raised her head to look up at Lucian, her eyes and hair shimmered a little. He couldn’t tell if they were changing colour or if it was just a trick of the life. He hadn’t seen such a Doll before.

“My dear nephew, Lucian,” Jacob announced, “I present to you: Elisianna Von Celeste.”

Throughout the hall echoed applause and congratulations as the men remarked about the quality of a Von Celeste and the generosity of Jacob. The Dolls watched on, quiet and patient with their hands together in front of them. They stared at the ground rather than at the impressive presentation before them. Only Katarina looked at the crystal box but they all, somewhere in their moulded minds, knew that the box was not a gift-wrap and not a celebratory case: it was a prison.

However, the Dolls did look up eventually. It was an incredible bang and the shocked silence that followed that made them do it. As their heads tilted up and they peered through the taken-aback heads of the men around the gifted Doll, they saw something startling. Lucian’s fist pressed into the glass and a large series of cracks sprouting from where it had connected. The Doll within didn’t seem to have reacted and Katarina wondered if they’d pulled all of her emotions out of her.

Lucian lowered his hand, blood beginning to trickle down his fingers and dripping of the marble floors. He turned to Jacob and bowed his head slightly. “She is perfect, thank you, uncle.” And then he left the hall, leaving a red stream which Elisianna Von Celeste followed with her eyes.