Moana Makes It Right

 Part 3 of Moana Moves In, comes directly after Moana Search and Rescue.

***

Helen's scream was enough to scare me into action. 

I tried as hard as I could to wriggle my way into a standing position. My oar had landed about an arm's distance away from me, but my arm was pinned down by the chaotic twigs of the bush. My hair was caught in the brambles, and my knee felt like it had to pop. 

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" I shrieked, spitting more hair from my mouth. I reached down with my free hand and hammered the top of my knee.

Snap.

That wasn't a good sound. Pain shot up my leg in waves, and it took all my willpower to not also scream.

"I got it!" Steve called. He ran through Helen's tunnel and slung his shield onto his arm, preparing to strike. Helen, from what I could see, was trying to hold her balance on top of the frozen pond while being cornered by an animal that was definitely a predator. It refused to look away from Helen's face. 

"A fox!" I heard Steve say. "Don't run. It thinks you're a rabbit. It'll chase you."

"What should I do then?" Helen's voice, which was normally steady and composed, now trembled with panic.

"Stay still. I'll distract it. Hey!" Steve slammed the flat end of his shield down onto the ice. The thud alerted the fox, and it turned its head away from Helen.

"Get out of here!" Steve bellowed, making his voice louder and deeper. The fox only tilted its head in curiosity. Instead of leaving the pond, the fox crept closer to Helen, reaching out a round orange paw.

Helen clapped a hand to her mouth. The noise of their voices themselves weren't enough to scare the fox away.

Steve began to run out of ideas. He started slamming the shield down again, over and over on the ice. He switched from the flat end to the edge of the shield, carving the ice down into a dent. The surface shook with his force.

"Be careful!" I wanted to shout, but my own hair was choking me out. They couldn't hear me. I couldn't save them.

The fox began to bat at Helen, in the same way a cat would a feather toy.

"Hey! Hey!" Steve cried. He gave up and abandoned his shield, throwing it under the fox's feet. The fox yelped and shot up into the air. It couldn't get off the pond fast enough. We all watched it dart away into the nearby woods. Its sunny orange body melted into the dark.

Helen collapsed. Her breaths shook her entire body. Steve made his way over to her, getting his shield back onto his arm. He held her and tried to carry her off the ice, but he kept slipping and Helen's body was growing limp. It looked like she had fainted.

I desperately tried getting my oar again. It was so, so close. Close enough that my fingertips grazed the handle. I just had to get a bit closer, pull myself out of these brambles. I pushed and strained, until my middle finger could almost wrap around the end, and bring it in-

-something grabbed it away.

"Hey!" I screamed, more angry than alarmed. "Hey!"

Something small and dark moved through the bushes quickly. A shadow zipped around me on all sides, and one by one, I felt another tendril of hair fall free. They were sawing away the twigs, cutting me loose. 

"Raya?" I gasped.

"I'll need your oar," she said. Her voice held no emotion. "This is what I owe you now."

"Do you realize what we've gone through to find you? Helen was almost attacked by a fox, I fell out of a tree, Steve-"

Raya pressed some hair against my mouth. "Be quiet please. This is nothing against you."

"Then why are you leaving? Why won't you come back home?"

"That's not my home." Raya stated. The sound of sharp metal whooshed through the air as the final bramble was cut away. I was dropped onto the ground, hands stopping me from hitting my face to the dirt. My knee was limp and hot.

"It could be, if you gave it a chance," I begged. "Where will you go instead?"

"I don't know," Raya said. I wanted to believe she sounded sad. "Your oar is the last thing I need for my boat. It'll take me wherever I need to go."

"Wait, you have a boat? I love boats!" I said, trying to stand, but my knee buckled and I was instead crawling on the ground, trying to grab Raya's legs as she left the shrubs. In the dim moonlight, I could see a makeshift raft by the edge of the pond. It was set in the grass next to a thin stream of water, still running despite the cold. I followed the creek and saw that it went off into the forest where the fox had     run to. "Raya, no. It's dangerous there. Certainly coming back with us is better than going in there."

"How would you know?" Raya grumbled. "You've been a human's pet for however many years. You've never been outside of your comfort zone."

"Is that what you think?" I said, nearly laughing. I could hear Magneto's voice in my head going off on Raya, listing all the times we had gotten in and out of trouble. I latched onto her ankle, thinking my weight was enough to pull her back, but she kept on walking, dragging me through the sharp and frozen grass towards the raft. It stung my face, but I couldn't let her leave.

"Just let me go, Moana. It'll be easier."

"No!" I said, hoping to bring about some of Helen's stubbornness. I glanced over my shoulder to see her and Steve safe on the edge of the pond. They might be off the ice, but Helen wasn't moving. "If you're going, I'm going with you."

Raya suddenly stopped. She looked down at me, eyes wide and mouth tight. "Why?"

"Because," I realized nothing I said would change her mind. "Because you're right. I've been living in a human's house for five years. I'm ready for a change."

"You're lying," Raya muttered, kicking me aside. I rolled into the weeds by the edge of the pond. A couple tendrils of hair fell over the edge of the dirt and touched the surface of the ice. She stepped one foot onto her raft and began moving it back and forth, ready to go at any second. "You don't want to go with me. You're trying tactics to bring me back."

"Well if you're going, and I can't come, and I can't stop you, take this!" I unbuttoned the cape around my neck and threw it her way. She caught it quickly. Raya rubbed the fabric between her fingers and as she studied it, her eyes softened. "You're cold. At least if I'm going back to the humans I won't need one."

"This is handmade," said Raya softly. "Who made this?"

"She's grandmother. Years and years ago. They were for She's mom and her dolls. When She's mom outgrew the dolls, the clothes went to She."

"It's beautiful. Such a good color. I always did like red," she made a noise in her throat that might have been a chuckle. "You may be a human's pet, but at least you're having a good life," Raya smiled and wrapped the cape around her. It fit well. "I'm sorry I was so cruel to you."

"I'm sorry we didn't try to understand you. It was a crummy thing to do. Helen and I were talking on the way here. We'd like to watch your movie. To get to know you and make you feel welcome."

"That's all I ever really wanted," Raya confessed. "I can't help that I get so heated, so overwhelmed. So many dolls in that house and not one of them knew who I was."

"You must have felt devastated."

"I did. I felt like... like I didn't matter."

"You do matter, Raya. We're going to make an effort to know you."

Raya held the tip of her sword to my nose. "Do you promise?"

"I do. I promise."

Wordlessly, Raya bent down to give me her hand. I gave her mine even though I knew I couldn't stand up. I laughed a little.

"Raya, my knee, I think its-"

Crack.

Both of us fell silent, not even daring to breathe. Raya looked around. Nothing was on the pond behind her, but her right boot was still on the raft.

"Was that the-"

WHOOSH.

Plates of ice began breaking away rapidly. I shrieked and tried to tackle Raya to the ground, but her foot was stuck on the reeds that held the raft together. She began pulling me unintentionally towards the now-open stream.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Raya screamed. She was clawing at the ground, but the chunks of ice kept hitting her raft, eager to go down the river, and they were going to take her with them whether she liked it or not.

I couldn't even tell her she didn't have to say sorry. I couldn't even tell her everything was alright. The cracking noises continued, getting deeper and deeper and further away. It was cold, but not cold enough to freeze the entire pond. It was only cold enough to freeze a doll.

Raya was now halfway into the water. Her clothes were sopping wet and her arms shivering uncontrollably. The fear in her face was turning into something scarier- resignation. She was begging me to let go of her, but I couldn't. 

"Moana."

"No! I won't let you."

"You have to! Please."

 I slammed my free hand into the ground and tried pushing my way up the slope by hand.

"The ground's too hard, you won't be able to do it." Raya said. A sort of peace had taken over her voice.

"I can and I'm gonna!" I insisted. 

I pressed upwards again. I slipped, raking my palm across the icy ground. Raya fell deeper into the stream. Her body felt even heavier with the speed at which the water was flowing. I closed my eyes and braced to fall in with her and be swept away. 

I reached for a hold at the last minute.

"Helen!"

I had grabbed onto her boot.

"I came as fast as I could!" It was Steve! Helen's body was still limp in his arms. He set her down and reached out to grab my ankle. He used his super-soldier strength to lift me up, taking Raya and her raft into the air.

"Raya!" He cried. He sounded relieved.

She kicked the raft away and watched it somewhat longingly as it was swept downstream by the chunks of ice. It vanished into the big concrete tunnel that lead underground into the woods.

"It's me," she panted. "I'm coming back."

"Oh, thank God. Thank God," Steve could have been near to tears if dolls could cry. "Helen's fainted, she got really spooked by that fox. And then I didn't know if you had gotten out of the bush but I knew you couldn't walk and... you're wet."

"Yeah, that river really is something." Raya shivered and wrung out the red cape. It wouldn't do much good for any of us now.

"Steve, I think I dislocated my knee. I can't go home."

"You can and you will," he said. "Let's revive Helen with this cold water, and I can carry you back."

I had the largest hands, so I scooped up a handful of water from the shallows of the pond. This kind of cold would have knocked a doll right out of their body. I was surprised and grateful that Raya was strong enough to withstand it. I poured a little of it onto Helen's hands and head.

She sat up immediately, almost furious. "What the- oh! Raya! Moana! Is everyone alright?"

"We are, but you fainted," I told her. "We're fine. We're going home."

"You missed a lot," Steve laughed. "Let's go get warm."

Steve carried me bridal-style away from the pond, down the street, and through the bushes to She's neighborhood without the slightest complaint. I knew marriage wasn't for me, but I was grateful to Elsa for choosing such a selfless life partner. The four of us stumbled into She's backyard and followed the rectangle of light all the way up to the back door.

"They're home! They're home!" A little voice called. I knew it was Meiling. She seemed to have forgotten about Raya kicking her. Her face smooshed up against the glass was a welcoming sight.

She reminded everyone to be quiet before opening the door and letting us in. We were relaxed by a burst of warm air and the silent cheers of our family. She set up a cozy spot on the couch where we could get warm and dry. A kettle whistled on the stove, and a large candle was burning on She's school desk. Yeah, I thought. This could be home.

"So what happened?" Magneto asked. "You came back sooner than expected."

"I almost didn't come back at all." I said. I went on and on about the bushes and the footprints and the fox and the frozen river.

"You could have asked me for help!" Said Elsa, who was embracing Steve. "Do you want some ice for your leg, Moana?"

"What's this about your leg?" She asked. She brought us over a huge mug of tea to share. It was the apple cinnamon one She made a lot last fall. It was one of my favorites.

"I think I dislocated my knee. It doesn't hurt that much anymore but I haven't been able to walk."

"Let me see," She sidled up next to me and put both hands on my leg. "Count to three."

One, two three... snap! She forced it right back into place like nothing ever happened. I flexed my knee a few times. It felt a million times better. I thanked She and drank in the energy of the room. Helen was hugging her sister, Elsa was hugging her husband, and Magneto and Pocahontas refused to leave my side until I felt better. Who did Raya have?

"So I had a little plan for how to spend the rest of the night." She announced. I knew She was happy with the plan because She was biting her lip, trying to side a smile. She turned on the TV and the screen filled up with the picture of a furry-looking blue creature. 

"Sisu! That's Sisu!" Raya leapt up from the couch and starting pointing wildly. "Sorry. Huge dragon nerd."

"That's not what dragons look like to me." Said Meiling. 

"In our culture, dragons bring prosperity. They inhabit the water." Raya explained. As an apology to Meiling, she invited her onto her lap and the two of them snuggled under a big green blanket.

"In my movie, dragons are scaly and scary. They breathe fire."

"How different!" Raya said, amused. She took off her hat for the very first time and set it on Meiling's head. It was much too big.

"I thought we could all watch Raya's movie. Sound good?" She asked.

Everyone agreed. Midway through the movie, I touched Raya's hand. "How do you feel?"

"Better," she nodded. Meiling was asleep in her lap, sucking on the back of her hand. "You know, I don't really like kids. I'm not good with them, and I definitely don't want any of my own. But this one... I think we're gonna get along."

I smiled and squeezed Raya's hand. Pocahontas and I leaned our heads on each other's shoulders and let reality fade into the colorful world of Kumandra. It was time to be taught a different story.

Ioihi makamaka,

Moana of Motunui

Moana Search and Rescue

Part 2 of Moana Moves In.

***

"She's going to freeze out there," She whimpered. Her face was frozen in shock, but her legs were moving. She went over and opened a door by the entryway of the new house and pulled out a puffy coat. "I'm gonna go get her."

"She, no. You shouldn't. I'll go. I was the one that pushed her too far." Said Helen.

"No, I'll go. I'm the one who could have stopped it but I didn't." I said, feeling guilty and defeated.

"I don't care if she ever comes back. She hurt Meiling." Carol spat. Both her and Valkyrie had wrapped themselves around their daughter, trying to calm her worried cries.

Elsa stepped forward, fulfilling her duty as the doll family's matriarch. "Maybe she just needs some time alone. It does wonders for people and dolls alike."

"Fine, she can have it, but not out there. It's January. It's nighttime. The sun's not even out." She was franticly moving about the house, trying to remember what was in the boxes she packed. She started ripping the tape off of them and throwing different items around the room. She grabbed a flashlight and started pressing the button, but it had no batteries. She swore quietly.

Steve came forward as the voice of reason. "She, be serious. You've got work tomorrow and you're hardly settled in yourself. You don't have the time or energy to handle something like this. It's up to us dolls."

"Ve'll understand her plight," Idina chirped. "A human might be ze last thing she wants to rescue her."

"With a sword like that, she hardly needs rescued!" Magneto laughed. "Let her freeze. It'll teach her a lesson."

A smacked him on the head with my oar and gave him a look that said, "be nice, lolo."

She turned her head towards the analog clock on the wall. I couldn't tell time, but by the way She sucked her teeth, it had to be late.

"I hate to say it, but you guys are right. It's late and I have to still clean the kitchen. But this isn't the sort of stuff that can wait until morning."

"You have plenty of volunteers to go," said Meg. "Me, I'd rather clean the kitchen if I'm honest."

"I'll go," said Steve bravely. "When I first came into the family, I felt like I had to run away, too. I know what Raya is going through."

"I'm with him," said Helen. "I know Raya's story. I'm sure our lack of knowledge is part of what's bothering her."

"Me too," I said, raising my oar. "It's all my fault that Raya did this. I'll bring her back."

Magneto tapped my foot as if to tell me to take him along.

"Not this time, lolo."

"You don't have to redeem yourself, you know. You're not responsible for another person's feelings."

I nodded at him, but I didn't really agree.

"So we have a team then." Elsa gave a queenly smile to Helen and I, but her face fell at Steve. She pulled him in close for a hug, and their daughter Thalia latched onto his legs. The room became white noise as my thoughts became louder and louder. She rustled around for flashlight batteries. Meg, Cinderella, and Snow White went to wash the dishes. Helen found Gene and convinced him to cough up her sword. Olaf offered Meiling a piece of muffin to distract her from her pain. Anelle loaned me one of her capes, but I was only reminded of how cold and lost and lonely Raya must be.

"Hey," Magneto tapped my foot again. "I'll keep your necklace safe for you."

"I know you will," I scooped him up in my arms for a hug. His arms weren't even long enough to wrap around my shoulders. "Be good while I'm gone."

"You know I can't promise that."

I rolled my eyes at him. As devious as Magneto was, he could always put a smile on my face.

"Ready to go?" Helen's gentle hand touched my shoulder.

"Mhm."

"She gave Steve a flashlight, and he has his shield. She told me that if we don't bring Raya back by morning, She'll drive around before work to look for us."

I thought it was a good plan. She wished us luck and made us swear we'd come home if we ran into any danger. Steve lead the way out the back door with the flashlight and shut it behind us. Into the cold we went.

The light from inside the house came through the glass door and cast a bright yellow square onto the grass. Already it was crisp with ice, and patches of snow rested under the shrubs that marked the end of She's yard. It was the first time I wished a Moana doll came with shoes.

"Where should we start?" Asked Steve. "Normally I'd say to split up, but with racoons and the cold, I don't want to risk losing either one of you as well."

"Let's try the trees," said Helen. "Raya has that retractable sword. It would be smart of her to use it to get off the ground."

I was already following their suggestions. I threw my oar to the ground and started scaling the tree, wrapping my arms and legs around the trunk and shimmying upwards. The bark was slick with ice. I guess it had rained recently, and the falling temperatures weren't making it any easier. I made my way over to the first branch and kept my body close to it as I went from trunk to end.

"Are you good up there?" Steve called.

"I'm okay." I breathed. In truth, I had never been so high up off the ground. Outside heights were taller than inside heights. It was difference between falling into a carpet or cozy pillow and falling onto grass, dirt, and mulch. I peered up through the branches of the rest of the tree but could see nothing that would be the shape of Raya. Only stars, barely glowing behind the dark clouds of a winter night. I shut one eye and held my palm upwards, spacing out my fingers between the stars. We definitely weren't going to be travelling far enough to use my wayfinding skills. Or at least I hoped not.

"Anything?"

"Nothing. I'm coming down."

"There's another tree over there." Helen pointed.

This one was shorter and more bare than the last, a sapling. It was obvious that Raya wouldn't be found in it. I didn't bother to climb it. 

"Do you think she would leave the yard?" I asked.

"Of course," said Steve. "She wanted to escape. She doesn't care about coming back. She'd go anywhere. Helen, I'll need your sword."

"Where are we going?"

"Through the bushes." Steve whipped the sword from side-to-side, carving out a hole in the dense shrubbery. Helen covered her face as twigs and berries went flying.

"Into the other neighborhood?" I said, bewildered.

"It's like I said. She wanted to escape."

"Wouldn't she cut a hole in the bushes too? We would be able to see if she crawled through or not."

"Maybe she didn't crawl. Look." Helen pointed at another tree, this time the underside. A small rectangular hole had been pierced into one of the lower branches. It was exact size and shape of the hole on the kitchen of She's ceiling, the hole Raya made when she used her sword to swing onto the ground.

"There's our answer," Steve nodded. "Come on. We're getting closer."

I let Helen and Steve go on ahead of me. They ducked their heads and passed under the archway of leaves that had been created. I looked solemnly behind me, wishing the light that came from She's back door could follow us. I sighed and followed them through.

The next neighborhood looked significantly different from She's. The houses were bigger, the roads were wider. They had streetlights and sidewalks. Everything looked older and more elegant. In front of every house, on the driveway, big gray bins stood straight and still.

"What do you think that is?"

"Tomorrow must be trash day," said Steve. "We'll have to be more careful now. Nocturnal animals like to go through those, and they'll notice us, too. I've had my own experience with mice," he returned Helen's sword and pulled the shield off his back. "Nasty creatures."

I shuddered and pulled my cape closer over my shoulders. This new neighborhood wasn't much warmer. We started down the road, keeping close to curb.

"Don't be afraid," Helen cooed. "I know what's its like to venture into the unknown. Not everything that's different is against you."

"I know, I know. I used to be big on adventure, trust me. It was impossible to get me to be still. I was always running around, or running away. I had things to see and do. But as I'm getting older, I don't ache for it like I used to. I'm happy just being at home, doing small favors. I'd rather build up my community than go into the fray."

"Both are admirable." Helen nodded. 

"Really?"

"Of course. Everyone changes with age. It just takes time to find the things that matter to you, and the things that matter to you will change you. Some people get frustrated because they don't know what they value, or they feel like no one cares about them."

"Like Raya."

"It looks like it, yes. But we can show her that she's wrong. She does matter to us, and she can feel like she belongs in our home."

"What can we do for her?"

"We could watch her movie. All of us. That way, we know what she's like, where she's coming from, how to help her..." Helen's voice trailed off. "It may take a lot of convincing to bring her back."

"Can you do it?"

"I can't do it alone, Moana. We'll all have to pitch in."

"Yeah..." I hung my head with the weight of the things I had to do in the future. "Wait a second. Steve! Stop walking."

Steve stopped and straightened his posture. "What? What is it?"

"Tracks. Look! Doesn't that look like the print of Raya's boots?"

I gestured to the curb, which had parts of it that had been lightly powdered with snow. There was the shape of a rounded triangle with a square right behind it, over and over, repeating itself.

"Looks like it to me," Said Steve. "Let's hurry before we lose the trail."

We hurried our pace. We beat against the earth, veering this way and that. We went out of people's yards just as quickly as we came into them. We crossed the street, then ran back again. And then to the other side.

"What is going on?" I cried.

"I think she was trying to get us off her tail." Steve said.

Somehow I didn't believe him. There were the smallest pile of sticks found at each side of the road where Raya's footprints went. It's like she was running with a large bundle of sticks in her arms and kept dropping them as she went from side to side to gather more. I wondered what that meant.

Helen skidded to a stop right before leaving the concrete. Tall, unkempt grasses were blanketed thick with snow, protected from melting by the nearby trees. The trees looked old and brittle, they were not ones I would have normally climbed. 

"At least we know the general direction she went," Steve panted. "There's more bushes up ahead. Maybe she went back to the house."

I couldn't wait for Steve to cut through them again. I scaled the tallest tree and made my way out to the furthest branch, slipping the entire way. I didn't bother to hug myself close to it like last time. This tree hadn't shed its leaves for the winter, and it was impossible to see the stars whenever you looked up.

"Moana! What do you see?" Steve shouted.

"I see..." I leaned closer forward. These were clearly a different line of shrubs, because I didn't see the path of light that had come from She's back door. We were lost lost. Below me, the line of bushes made a circle, bordering something that wasn't grass and wasn't snow. It looked slick, but not smooth. It was silver, but not reflective. "I think it's a pond!"

"Is Raya there?"

"I can't tell," I leaned closer still, hanging onto a springy twig for balance. I squinted, almost shutting my eyes entirely before I made out something small and dark moving on the surface of the pond. "Wait, no! I think it's her!"

There was the whacking sound of Helen slicing her sword through the bushes. But this small dark thing was moving fast. They wouldn't be able to make it to Raya in time before she ran away again. 

"Stay there, Moana!" Steve ordered.

"I can't! You're going to lose her!"

"You're going to fall!"

I bit my lip and backed up, pressed my body close to the tree's trunk. Holding out my oar in front of me, I ran forward and dug the point of the oar into the branch, preparing to pole vault onto the surface of the pond. 

The branch gave way.

A cracking sound erupted in my ears.

I felt the air leave my body as I toppled over and fell, higher than I'd ever fallen before.

My body slammed into the scraggly shrubs below.

I heard Helen scream from the pond.

Ioihi makamaka,

Moana of Motunui

Moana Moves In (Recipe Included!)

The day was January 15th. It felt like forever since She had packed us away into her ottoman and took us to our new home. I could only imagine what was going on as it was happening- most of the other dolls drifted in and out of sleep- what else was there to do? I, Moana, was laying on the top of the pile, wide awake and listening in on the rumblings of moving furniture or the voices of She's roommates. Then, on that day, the 15th, She received her first package at the new house. It was late at night, so I didn't expect her to open it, but She did... and She needed my help.

***

"So, what is it?" I asked. Helen, the other other doll who was awake, stood quietly at my side.

She gingerly tossed the package around in both hands, feeling around for any easy place to open it. "A new friend. Someone I thought would be good at organizing things and uniting people. Something we definitely need." She looked around at the piles of boxes that surrounded the ottoman and winced. 

"So it's a doll!" I exclaimed. She had expressed the desire to become more minimalist in this new year of 2022, but I knew I shouldn't have believed her. There was always so much joy in growing the doll family.

"It is. And you're the only dolls awake to help me greet them," She nodded in our direction. "Do you think you can do that?"

I thought about it. Elsa was usually the one to do these things. But I had been in She's life for about five years now. Many dolls had come and gone in those years. And I had Helen to help me. Peaceful, compassionate Helen. She was special somehow. If the new doll was like her, she could understand them. But if they were like me... I was ready!

She fumbled with the doll box for a while, being careful to keep it out of our sight until the big reveal.

"These are always the worst part," She grumbled, tossing twisty ties to the ground. "Alright. She's ready."

I clasped my hands tightly together and She turned the doll around. Straight black hair swept under a wide-brimmed hat that cast shadows on her small brown eyes. She wore a practical outfit in all the colors of the rainforest. I didn't recognize her.

"It's... Raya?" Helen whispered, reading off of the box She had set aside. It was clear Helen didn't know her, either.

Hearing the name "Raya" triggered the doll to wake. She blinked once, and blinked ahead, and swiveled her head around. Once she realized she was being held by a human, she pushed away and stood tall.

"The Code is already broken, isn't it?"

"Has been for some time," Helen giggled. She stuck out her hand for a shake. "I'm Helen. Welcome."

"Moana." I said. I told her to "feel at home" in the native language of Motunui, wondering if she knew it.

Raya frowned. Okay, maybe not.

"Make yourself at home." I said, this time in English.

"This is home?" Raya asked.

"Well, it didn't used to be," She sighed. "Call me She. The dolls and I used to live with my parents in a different house, in a different town. This is the first time I've gotten a chance alone."

"And this is the first time we've been out and about," said Helen. "We should do something to celebrate. Make all of us feel more at ease with this new place."

"I wouldn't know what to do." She said.

"What about baking?" I suggested. "You used to bake all the time. Remember how many recipes went on the blog just within the past few months?"

She shrugged. "It's become a sort of a passion."

"Well let's go then!" I insisted. I took up my oar and used it to pole vault onto the stove. I only had to press a few buttons to preheat the oven.

"I do have a recipe I'd like to try..." She let Helen and Raya step into her hands like a little elevator and carried them over to the kitchen. "Brown sugar spice muffins. Sound good?"

As She was mixing the ingredients, Helen and I decided to get to know our new friend.

"Tell us about yourself, Raya."

"I don't normally bake," she confessed. "Actually, I'm a terrible cook. I can cure my own jerky, but I wouldn't say it's edible."

Helen and I laughed. Raya didn't, and I was worried we had hurt her feelings, but she just continued on with her story.

"But my Ba made the best soup. He's the chief of Kumandra, which is where I'm from. Originally it was called Heart, before the dragons were restored, and it's like a rainforest biome."

Already I was reeling. 

"Then there was the snowy forests of Spine, the floating markets of Talon, the desert villages of Tail, and Fang. They used to be Heart's enemies, or at least Namaari was my enemy. She was the daughter of Chief Virana," Raya smiled coyly, the first smile she'd made since being out of her box. "Yeah. We used to be enemies. It took a lot of trust and bonding to get us into a better place."

I felt bad for not paying attention as much as Helen was. She stood gracefully by the stove's dials, nodding and acknowledging all of Raya's lore. I myself was handing She ingredients, fixing the ratios of the spices (She never made things flavorful enough for us dolls to smell) and judging her quietly for using a casserole dish for the dough instead of a mixing bowl.

"It's all we have," She said quietly, casting me a hopeless look. "I haven't even unpacked half of my boxes."

She also didn't have a muffin tin or cupcake liners. Instead, we had to substitute for a nonstick mini loaf tin. It looked brand new. She poured the mixture into each hole and wiped the sides clean with a paper towel. Into the oven they went.

"You told me something earlier. What was that about?" Raya asked me, as we peered into the oven.

"Oh, that was Tagalog. It's the language of my people. From Motunui."

"I haven't heard of it."

"I'm afraid we haven't heard of you, either." Helen stated.

"That's what I thought. My movie came out in 2021. You all seem... older. No offense."

"Yeah, we are," I admitted. "But there's nothing wrong with that. She is expecting a lot of you so that you'd be able to help us get organized. To make us feel more at home."

"That's a lot to expect," said Raya. "You're lucky I'm used to it."

The three of us went quiet. She pretended to busy herself with reading the recipe. 

"You won't be alone," said Helen. "And no one is expecting you to be perfect. This is your first day, after all. You need to settle in, too."

"I know," said Raya. "I've told you about me. What about you?"

For the time the muffins (loaves) baked, Helen and I shared the stories of our movies. That's the cool thing about being a Disney doll. You knew all of it, start to finish, even the things a regular human watching might not notice. I knew exactly what kinds of fruits Moana took on her journey to find Maui, and Helen knew the exact names of all of the Northuldra people Anna met in the forest. The minutes dragged on, and I was beginning to feel like this was more of a show-and-tell session than making a new friend.

"Food's done!" She exclaimed, right on time. We were running out of things to say. "This is going to be a great recipe to share." She ran back into the living room, opened her laptop, and starting typing away at what I figured must be the blog.

“Welcome Home” Muffin Loaves

For new places and new faces alike.

Ingredients:

Loaves

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• sprinkle of ground ginger
• hearty sprinkle ground allspice
• 1 stick of cold butter
• 1 cup unsweetened original flavor almond milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 1 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Be aware this recipe works best using a nonstick mini loaf tin. A nonstick baking pan will not require any parchment paper or cooking spray.
• Combine the dry ingredients together in a bowl. This includes the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and spices.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together with a fork. This includes the milk, egg, and vanilla. Whisk until bubbles are formed in the mixture.
• Cut the stick of butter into small pieces and toss them into the dry ingredients bowl. Mix using your hands, squeezing the butter in with the flour mixture until it feels even.
• Pour your wet ingredients in with your dry ingredients and stir well. If it’s a little lumpy, that’s okay. It will change with baking.
• Bake the muffin loaves for about 15-17 minutes.
• As soon as the loaves are out of the oven, spread the melted butter evenly over each one.
• Stir the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl or shot glass and sprinkle over the loaves. They should set and create a crisp and sweet topping.

She immediately grabbed a loaf from the pan and shoved it into her mouth. "Who wants to cut into it?"

"Let me." Said Raya. She unsheathed an elaborate sword she'd been hiding behind her back and began to divide a loaf into three equal pieces.

"A retractable sword!" Helen exclaimed. "That's amazing. Mine's made of ice."

"And it doesn't melt?" Raya marveled.

"Oh no, we have Elsa to take care of that. I would show you but it's in Gene's mouth right now, and he's sleeping."

"I can't wait for Raya to meet them. I'm sure she's gonna get along great with Jasmine," She said through a mouthful of muffin. "They have the same curly-toed shoes."

"Gene? Elsa? Jasmine? Who are these people?" Raya's voice was becoming more and more energized.

"The family," Helen beamed. "All of She's dolls, starting at the very beginning. Come on, we'll show you."

"It's about time they wake up anyways," said She, taking Helen back on her hand. "They'd better stretch their legs before my roommates get suspicious. I only have the living room to myself for so long."

Raya barely waited for me to catch my breath before grabbing me tightly and swinging us down from the stovetop, the tip of her sword stuck into the ceiling. She's landlords weren't going to be happy about that, but we were too excited for introductions to care.

"This is the ottoman," said Helen. "It's where we've been for days now, waiting to be welcomed into our new home."

"Tonight's the night to do that," I agreed. "Raya, meet your doll family!"

I jumped up and knocked the lid away. Inside were my friends and family, and they were now moving and muttering, probably waking up because of the wonderful smell of baked muffins. I grabbed my oar and started knocking it on the side.

"Wake up, everyone! A new doll is here!"

"A new doll, a new doll?" They repeated, one after another, down the line of dolls all the way to the bottom of the storage chamber where they lay. They began to yawn and stretch and form a parade out of the ottoman to greet Raya. 

Everyone was thrilled to see her, or maybe just thrilled to be out of the ottoman, but they shook hands and introduced themselves and tried to hug- or at least Olaf did. And Raya wasn't a fan of hugs. 

After the first few dolls, it became the same pattern. "Nice to meet you, my name's this-and-this. I'm from the movie that-and-that. What's your name? Raya? Oh, I haven't heard of that one. Are you new? Yeah? What's your movie? No, I haven't heard of that, either." Raya may have been grinning broadly, but it all looked fake. Her eyes kept darting this way and that, looking for an escape route.

"I think it's getting to be too much," said Helen to me, sadly. "We should intervene."

"How? She's in charge now." I replied.

Our human sat crouched on the ground, forcing Raya in to each introduction, pointing out little things that each of them had in common. They all felt silly and forced. "And this is Pocahontas! She lived in a forest too! Maybe not a rainforest, or a bamboo forest... but she does have a love for small creatures. Don't you, Raya? Yeah, I guess Tuk-Tuk isn't small anymore."

She was the only one out of 30 plus dolls who knew Raya's movie, or anything about her. It was kind of embarrassing.

"Well if you're not going in, I will." Said Helen. It was hard to believe someone so demure could be so stubborn. 

"Wait!" I said, grabbing her wrist. 

I wish I hadn't stopped her.

"I can't take it anymore!" Raya cried out. The circle of dolls that surrounded her bowed away in fear and surprise. Their eyes followed the path of her sword, which was raised high in the air. "This is too much. This is just too much. I need to go. I have to go." The princess raised her legs and stepped over the dolls that had once been vying for her attention. Her speed began to increase and we watched with horror as we realized she was running towards the back door. 

"Ryan, no!" A small voice cried. Meiling was holding onto her boot. 

Raya looked into She's eyes. Her expression was angry and betrayed. "You don't even know my name."

"Raya, it's not like that. Don't do this. Don't go," She begged. "You don't know what it's like out there. I don't even know my way around town yet. I won't be able to find you."

"Good." Said Raya. Her voice was hard as stone. With one swift motion she kicked Meiling away, and her sword reached out to pull open the handle to the back door. A cold and strong wind pushed all of us away, and muffled our voices and we tried to call Raya back. 

It was too late.

The last we saw of Raya were her lips in a thin line, and her brows coming down over her eyes. She took off into the backyard, disappearing into the shrubs that created the border between neighborhoods.

And it was all my fault.

Ioihi makamaka,

Moana of Motunui

She's Big Change

It came to our attention a little while ago that She would be moving! At first, none of the dolls knew quite how to feel. We were proud of our human for graduating college and having the means to move out of her parents' house. Then, as the days passed and the date grew closer, several questions began to make us nervous. Who would be able to go with her? What all would change? And would it be change for the better? It seemed that we wouldn't get any answers until the big day. But being the loyal doll family we were, we decided to help She pack up and clear out her room- for better or for worse.

***

Each of us had our own role to play. She's mom and gathered a slew of boxes over the course of the month and they needed filled. She would be taking her desk, desk chair, two dressers, and various wall items like a floating shelf and a clock. This place needed days of effort. Luckily, we were happy to pitch in.

Thor and Tony pounded down the boxes and sealed them up with packaging tape.

Merida stacked the boxes in the Room She Lives In and kept them in stable towers.

I was in charge of making sure that "box mountain" in the hallway was well organized.

Snow White wrote the description on each box with an extra-bold Sharpie.

Dortha and Helen emptied She's bookshelf and threw them down for us to pack.

Mattias tucked the house plants into a laundry basket so they wouldn't tip over. 

Jasmine and Meg took turns filling the donation bin, which She would take the Goodwill later.

Rapunzel cleared off She's bulletin board and used the thumbtacks as a rock wall to reach the top.

Cinderella wrapped all of the fragile items like candles and crystals in white tissue paper.

Tinker Bell took the hardware off She's walls.

Pocahontas and Moana cleaned off the top shelves of She's closet. You wouldn't believe how many journals were in there!

She took all the boxes from "box mountain" to the garage, despite Thalia's best efforts to convince her to use my powers to turn the staircase into an ice slide and push everything to the first floor.

There was one last box that didn't make it. She kept filling it with things. DVDs, books, and mailing envelopes. She explained to us that this box would be "to sell". Later on, after settling in to her new home, She would attempt to list the items on eBay.

Blake interrupted her. Since most Funko Pops don't have a mouth, She couldn't understand Blake's non-verbal way of talking, but Moana got to translate. Blake said that he and the Funky Warriors were growing tired of living there and wanted to move on to a new home.

"Are you sure?" She asked. "I can't guarantee where you'll end up."

Blake didn't seem to mind. He gathered together the Funkos and they talked it out amongst themselves. The rest of the dolls waited and held their breaths. No one had ever chosen to leave She like this. Sure, there was the mistake of her giving Zayn and his boyfriend away, but that was years ago, before She knew about The Code of Dolls. 

Still, it's not like we could stop them. If the Funky Warriors wanted to leave, they had the right to do so. And unfortunately I could see why they wanted to. Only a few dolls understood their form of nonverbal communication, and Funkos were very territorial dolls as it was. They just... didn't feel welcome. And I was guilty about that because it was hard to welcome them. Maybe they were better suited to a different home. And now was a good a time as ever to do that.

In the end, we had a whole group of Funko Pops who wanted to go. Blake, Heimdall, and Iron Man, of course, but also Maia, Time, Bob Ross. We made sure to get a good picture of them before they left.

As a final hurrah, She made us a giant pot of hot chocolate. The smell was absolutely heavenly, and it was as warm as the home we remembered. 

Finally, it was time to pack ourselves. She said we'd have the comfiest spot in her ottoman, which had a huge storage space when you lifted the lid. Being the tallest, Anna and I settled ourselves in first. 

"You ready?" Said Anna, crossing her ankles.

"Definitely."

"You nervous?"

I sighed. "A little."

"We have nothing to worry about as long as we're together," Anna grasped my hand and held it tight. "Remember what you told me? You were waiting for a sister all of your life. And when I finally came, it was like the world was new. We're going into a new world. That's all. And this time you'll have me with you the entire way."

"You're right," I said. "This will be good for us."

Anna and I slowed our breaths until we stopped entirely, and I shut my eyes as more dolls were piled up around us, tight and cozy as sardines in a tin. Steve was on my other side and Thalia was on my lap, and I couldn't have been more contented. 

Let's go, I thought. Let's start this new life.

Moving on,

Queen Elsa Rodgers