11. Treasure Hunt

                                    

                                          
Finding the others was a royal pain in the everything, to say the least.

                          
Especially Taehyung, because he seemed to be thinking that we were playing hide and seek. Every time I spied him, he giggled and turned another corner and disappeared.
                          
I'm going to beat his three-centimeter-ass when I catch that little punk.
                          
Jungkook was the easiest to find because he stayed put out of fright. I found him tucked behind a pile of books, quietly sobbing. When he saw me approach him, he jumped up and quickly dried his tear-stained cheeks.
                          
He adorably clung to my shirt as soon as I picked him up to reunite him with Hoseok and Namjoon. I didn't care what anyone saw or thought as I comforted my doll by stroking the back of his small head.
                          
"Shhh, it's okay. You're safe," I whispered.
                          
Namjoon and Hoseok pulled Jungkook into a tight hug as soon as I dropped him off in my backpack. I zipped it up to make sure they wouldn't get back out while I went to look for the others.
                          
Four more.
                          
I wandered aimlessly, like I was a part of a treasure hunt with no map. The bookstore was basically my second home, so I knew it like the back of my hand. But navigating became difficult when it came to looking for small bodies that could hide in crevices that I wasn't familiar with.
                          
Luckily enough, I found Taehyung trying to hide himself under a fallen magazine. I smirked in victory as I pulled the makeshift blanket off of him and then scooped him up. I held him in front of my face as he stared back, eyes widened with fear.
                          
"You're in big trouble, buddy," I said with my voice low and menacing. Taehyung gulped.
                          
Before I could say more, or even take a single step in the direction of the registers to put him back in my backpack, Taehyung was snatched out of my grip. 
                          
"I'll be taking that, young lady." The mother from earlier declared, mid-process of lowering the doll to return to her daughter.
                          
Yeah. . . uh. . . I THINK THE HECK NOT, I screamed internally. My job was on the line at that point, but I stopped caring. Ever since I was gifted living and breathing dolls, my sanity and reasoning backflipped out the window.
                          
And that showed through as I dashed forward and clawed Taehyung back out of her grip. He clung onto my fingers for dear life as I sped toward the coffee shop section of the bookstore, where I spotted Jin carelessly sitting in a cup of abandoned coffee. I pinched his shirt as I ran by, awkwardly trying to avoid getting coffee on me as I scurried back toward the registers. 
                          
"What is going on with you today?" Sarah blocked my path with her arms crossed over her chest. Logan was trying to calm down the family that had unfortunately still not left. The parents were fuming over my behavior and refusal to let them have my dolls.
                          
"Are you okay? Do you need to see someone? Excuse my language, but you've been acting bat-shit crazy. You're done for the week. I'll see you on Monday," she sighed, then turned to walk away. She didn't turn around when she said, "I'm so close to just firing you."
                          
Logan gave a sympathetic smile as I casually returned to my backpack and dumped Jin and Taehyung in. I slung the bag across my shoulders as I smiled back and said, "I'll see you next week."
                          
I peeled Jimin off of my leg that he had somehow clung onto in the process of my running around. Yoongi was snoring on the shelf. I lowered my bag to stuff both of them inside despite their protests. Yoongi wasn't happy about being woken up but I could have cared less. He didn't have a right to be mad at me after all I went through.
                          
I did a quick head count. Yep, all seven of them are present.
                          
I stretched my lips upward at the family that made my day all the more stressful as I walked toward the entrance of the bookstore. I could vaguely hear Sarah muttering about my well-being as she tried to calm all the witnesses of my strange behavior.
                          
"Who acts like that?"
                          
"Is she alright?"
                          
"Why is she running?"
                          
"Was she holding dolls?"
                          
"Did she just steal a toy from a child?"
                          
My eyes almost rolled out of their sockets as I opened the door and stepped outside. I allowed the fresh air to flow through my lungs before running to my car. As soon as I was inside, I opened the bag to allow the dolls to breathe. They stared out of the opening, not daring to say a word as they read into my expression.
                          
"We'll talk about this when we go home," my voice was small and defeated when I meant for it to sound angry and frustrated.
                          
Little did I know that I was being watched, and that someone hidden and dressed in dark clothes made a phone call.