Welcome to The Puppet Monsters:). I really hope that you guys enjoy :3. Please remember to VOTE and COMMENT. It means a lot to me and I like chatting with you guys. Not to mention I like hearing your thoughts:).  Click the video it goes with the chapter. Also here's the drawing I did of Taiga I couldn't figure out what clothes to put him in so I just drew him in his butler uniform because it's easier.~XOXO BUTTERBALL.

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-Corina-

Honestly, the officers didn't even look at me until I was standing right next to Matthew. In fact, I didn't bother to speak.

One of the detectives suddenly stopped speaking and glanced at me with a scowl. I saw him look down at a piece of paper before smiling slightly at me.

"Well you must be Corina if I'm correct," he said, which drew the other detective's attention to me.

I forced a bright cheerful smile onto my face. "Yes sir, you're correct I am Corina Dupont. And this is my older brother Matthew Dupont."

This is so disgusting it's making my stomach churn.

The seemingly older of the two detectives frowned at Matthew before letting out a chuckle. "You look a lot different from your picture, young man. I take it you're currently the man of the house?"

Matthew let out a small chuckle of his own as he ran a hand through his hair. "I was dealing with some business associates while in Europe. And I figured that I'd humor them by dying my hair for a bit. But yes I am the man of the house," he said practically waving away their question.

"Anyway, shall we talk inside perhaps around some refreshments?" Matthew suggested.

"That sounds appropriate, besides we have some questions we would like to ask you both while our officers resume their search, of the premises," the older detective told us.

I looked back and saw Taiga playing the part of the butler as he carefully set Opal on the ground and removed the luggage.

"And may I ask what these questions are about gentlemen?" Matthew asked frowning with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

I scooped up Opal in my arms as I watched Taiga.

"Well, we would like to question you about your mother Kathleen Dupont's disappearance and possible death," the older detective explained.

"Excuse me who is he?" The younger one asked gesturing to Taiga.

I grinned the cheerful smile still plastered on my face, despite the fact that my disgust for the two men before me was struggling to leak through.

Why would anyone want to look for that horrific monster?

"This is...Taiga my private butler," I replied instantly.

The detective nodded before scribbling something down on his notepad.

Once we walked inside and settled in the living room

"Taiga will you get me some tea, please? And some rum for our guest," I asked smiling at Taiga as I slowly tapped my finger on the arm of the chair.

The older detective chuckled as he smiled at me his dark gray eyes looking me over. "My, my Ms. Dupont you aren't you an accommodating home owner."

I forced back a smirk. "I'm just doing what I was taught. You can't have a good house without a good family," I giggled.

I could feel Matthew glance down at me and I noticed sadness glint in his eyes at my words.

I'm such a fucking hypocrite it's not even funny.

Opal pawed at my ankle and I picked him up cradling his curled up body in my lap.

"I'm Detective George and this is Detective Bruce. If you're ready we can start the questioning," The older detective George said as he placed a small tape recorder on the table and pressed the button.

After giving our names and stating the date and time Matthew and I began true questioning.

"Did you have any idea your mother was missing?" Bruce asked me.

I shook my head. "Our mother frequently leaves the house for days on end. Our assumptions were that she was always at some type of social gathering, with friends or auctions," I told him as I shrugged.

"Do you remember the last social gathering your mother said she was going to?" George asked Matthew just as Taiga returned.

Matthew scowled as he glanced at me. "I believe she said she was going to one held by the mayor. But at the time my sister and I were in a rush to board the plane to go Europe."

"Is that true Ms. Dupont?" Bruce asked me.

"Yes, our mother was always in out of the house doors. That day we told her we were going overseas for a bit, and like any other day she announced her plans to us before leaving," I said as I sipped my tea.

Taiga smiled slightly down at me as Opal leaped out of my lap.

"Did she pack a bag or give you a time she may be back?" George asked as a deep frown covered his face.

Matthew and I looked at each other for a moment because honestly, we both had the same memory of our mother. Her drugging us and trying to murder us and herself in her car.

"No and other than telling me to look out for Corina she didn't say much other than the usual," Matthew said softly.

"And what about your father? Where is he?" Bruce asked me scowling.

Both Matthew and I froze, a chill ran over my skin as my eyes grew wide. I saw Taiga scowl slightly as he began to pick at his stitches slightly as he quietly glanced at me. The room became eerily quiet and a moment later I felt Matthew hold my hand in a gentle yet firm grip.

George elbowed Bruce sharply in the ribs. "I'm deeply sorry about that Mr. and Ms. Dupont. When it comes to questioning at times my partner lacks tact," he apologized as Bruce coughed violently off to the side.

I just nodded while Matthew looked off to the side as if he was actually remembering that day all thoughts years ago.

Back then Mother was still evil, but at least she forced herself to love me. There seemed like there was a spark of light in the darkness. Something other than continuous torture that started after father died.

I hadn't even realized I was crying until I felt Opal begin to lick my face. Seconds later Taiga was next to me.

"Would you like to leave the room and get some fresh air?" He whispered.

I shook my head slowly. "The quicker I get this over with, the quicker they'll leave," I whispered in his ear.

He frowned at me for a moment or two before nodding.

"There's just one more question I've been very interested in asking Ms. Corina," Bruce informed me.

"Um...o-okay," I whispered.

His partner was right about him having no tact at times but then again the four of us are no better.

"I was wondering how you obtained that such a horrific eye injury.  After looking at a few pictures it seems you've had that for quite a while," he asked me.

I let out a shaky sigh. "Well, Matthew used to practice fencing when he was younger. And I used to feel left out when I was little so I'd practice with that fire poker right there. I was a little too young to know that it being red meant that it had just come out of the fire, the next thing I knew I had tripped on the rug. The iron seared my eye shut," I explained my face twisting in disgust.

Both George and Matthew winced although Matthew less so.

~~~~

By the time the detectives left it was around two in the morning and all of us, including Taiga, were exhausted.

"That was ridiculous," I whispered as I stretched.

At my feet, Opal did the same his body flexing into the shape of an, n.

"Truth be told it was more tedious than anything. I've watched a person blink before that has more entertainment than that," Taiga grumbled.

I let out a chuckle as Matthew yawned beside me. "They said they'll come back in three days for more questioning," Matthew sighed as he began to walk off in the direction of his room.

"Taiga, will you brush my hair? It feels really nice and soothing when you do it," I asked him softly my face as my face heated up slightly.

He let out a chuckle and gently patted my head. "Of course I will Mistress."

The moment I opened the door to my room I honestly expected the dolls to do something strange, violent or just odd. However, none of those happened.

Instead, when I opened the door all of the dolls waved at me with their short fingerless hands.

"Are you guys....welcoming me back?" I whispered as I looked at all the dolls.

They were smiling at me in a cheerful tone as though I was their parent who had just come home from a long trip.

"Of course they're cheering for you, Corina. You're their Mistress and puppet master they're begging to not only be noticed by you but to be commanded by your hand," Taiga told me as he removed the vest from his uniform.

After grabbing a brush he sat down on my bed and patted his lap, which if possible made my face heat up even more.

Slowly and very carefully I sat down in his lap which made him chuckle.

A moment later though he removed my eye patch which made me jump up and scramble away from him.

Taiga laughed at me. "You know if your eye is bothering you I do have to look at it," he told me.

I pouted as I continued to cover my eye with my hand. "It just hurts a bit but the main problem is that it looks different from my other one," I mumbled.

"Corina, after everything you've seen you're worried about your eye being abnormal?" He snickered as he pulled my hand away.

Opal let out a low meow from the corner of the room.

"Oh be quiet flea bait. Don't you have bird bones to choke on or something?" Taiga said as he looked at Opal.

I continued to pout as I let Taiga examine my eye.

"Okay so maybe normal humans aren't supposed to have red irises," he said softly.

"Really you think so!" I snapped at him.

Then I sighed, "I'm sorry I'm just tired and my head is starting to hurt from all this stress."

"Well I could always dispose of those two investigators," he suggested.

"Killing two won't stop them. This is a problem that has to go away on its own," I grumbled as Opal began stacking his toys in a fort like fashion.

"Make sure you clean up your mess when you're done playing Opal, last time you built a fort you left feathers everywhere," I reminded him.

Opal let out a loud meow as he continued to stack objects.

I went back to letting Taiga brush my hair.

"It may sound silly but I actually missed this house a bit," I whispered.

"It's not silly. In a way your mind was used to this house so when everything became too complicated for you to handle, you wanted some semblance of normalcy," Taiga told me as his fingers ran through my hair.

Now that I think about it I wonder if he even remembers Millia.

"Do you remember having Millia as a Mistress? She came to me," I asked softly.

For a moment Taiga was silent as he continued to brush my hair. Then he chuckled. "Of course I remember Millia, it was one of the reasons it was so easy to find you," he told me.

"And what was she like? I get this feeling that I've seen her before," I whispered.

"Well, like Rose she learned magic but at the same time, it was different for her. She taught it to herself almost religiously where Rose only took it truly serious after I was summoned. While Rose magic encompasses everything, as you've seen. Millia was more centered on destruction and leaving corpses in her path," he explained.

My eyes widened in horror and I forced myself not to shudder as I remember my dream of her. "That sounds awful," I muttered.

"Actually it was very exhilarating, the only problem was constantly getting blood and viscera out of clothing when washing machines didn't exist," he said shrugging.

I rolled my eyes as I a small smile crossed my face.

Of course getting blood out of clothes the biggest issue for him.