“Are you feeling better?” Ruby asked. Robert was lying in bed, looking out the window at the garden below. His face was so vivid in Ruby’s mind. Every single detail looked so real. It was so very easy to imagine that this was real and not a past memory. Setting the book he had been holding aside, Robert turned to Ruby and smiled brightly at her.
“Much better. But I’ve got to admit that I’m sick of lying in bed doing nothing,” said Robert. “Mark my words, Ruby, if I spend much more time doing nothing, I’ll lose my mind and end up in an asylum. Oh well, at least I’ve gotten a lot of reading done,” he said.
“Speaking of reading, these arrived this morning. I’m sorry I forgot to tell you,” said Ruby as she set a small pile of brand new books down on his desk.
“Thanks! I’ll start on those ones tomorrow,” Robert said. He opened his mouth to say something else, but a coughing fit cut him off. Ruby winced as pain spread across Robert’s pale face. Soon the pain faded and was replaced by Robert’s bright smile. That cough sounded as if it was getting much worse. The sound was becoming sharper and hoarser with each day. Something about that sound terrified Ruby. She just couldn’t ignore how desperate it sounded. Ruby must have made some kind of face, because Robert softened his voice.
“Don’t worry. I really am feeling much better. This probably looks scary when you don’t know what it feels like. But remember that this is perfectly natural for us humans. On the bright side, this isn’t something that you’ll have to worry about.”
“I guess that there are good things about being made out of glass,” Ruby forced a laugh. Sickness was a strange and fascinating thing to Ruby. Humans were very strong and sturdy creatures. But illness could leave them bedridden and totally helpless. Robert looked as helpless now as Ruby had felt when they first met. Even humans could break. They just broke in ways that were very different from dolls. Ruby knew exactly how awful helplessness felt. Robert was handling his new situation well. Ruby was sure he was struggling behind his bright smile and careless attitude.
Feeling vulnerable and helpless in the face of everything was the worst possible thing that Ruby had ever experienced. She remembered opening her eyes to find herself lying in pieces in the middle of the woods. That was the day that she had first met Robert and Charles. It was also the very first memory that Ruby had. As far as she was concerned, that was the beginning of her life. And it had been terrifying. There was no telling where Ruby would be if it hadn’t been for Robert. For all she knew, she might still be all alone in that forest. That thought sent shivers racing through Ruby.
She didn’t need to think about the past. It was time for her to focus on what was in front of her and what she had to do now. Ruby had a responsibility to take care of Robert during this difficult time. He had cared for her and valued her even when she was helpless and completely useless. Robert had given her so much. There were so many things that Ruby would forever owe him for. But for now, the best thing she could do was care for him when he was down.
Ruby’s eyes opened. She was lying in darkness. Desperately, she rolled over and clung to the memory with all her might. Her efforts were in vain. The memory faded into the shadows. Take care of Robert. That had been her job, and she had failed. Now he was gone. All those hours of being there for him hadn’t changed anything in the end. Rolling over once again, she hid her face in her pillow and let the waves of sadness wash over her. There were noises coming from downstairs. The other dolls must already be awake. Had she slept in? There was no time to waste feeling guilty about the past.
Ruby let herself savor the memory for another minute. Robert’s smiling face appeared in her mind. These were the things that she couldn’t afford to forget. Nobody was going to take her memories away from her. Maybe guilt would follow her and taint these joyful memories, but Ruby was willing to pay that price. The halls were still dark and still. Why did they keep the windows covered? Ruby found herself wondering. Perhaps that was a question for Ivy. Soon Ruby found the breakfast hall. Dolls didn’t really eat. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were things Ruby used mostly as tools to tell the time with. Robert had always found it funny that dolls didn’t require food or water, but they did need sleep. The more she thought about it, the stranger it felt to Ruby too.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“Good morning, Ruby! Did you sleep well?” Mia’s cheerful voice was a welcome sound to Ruby. The child rushed over to greet her. Mia sprinted across the hall so quickly that Ruby feared she might trip over her own feet and shatter.
“Careful! Slow down!” Ruby laughed. “I slept fine. You have a lot of energy today,” she added.
“Ivy says that I always have a lot of energy! But I don’t think I do. I feel very tired and lazy sometimes,” Mia said happily, hopping from one foot to the other as she spoke. “Can I ask you a question?” That was exactly what Ruby had been expecting her to say.
“Sure, go ahead.” Mia’s smile reminded Ruby so much of Betty’s smile. Betty was Robert’s niece. She had come over to visit her uncle sometimes. Ruby spent hours and hours doing nothing but playing games with Betty. But she hadn’t seen Betty since Robert had died. Mia was now reminding Ruby just how much she missed Betty.
“Is the outside world nice?” asked Mia. That was actually a really good question. It took Ruby a few minutes of frowning and thinking to come up with a good answer.
“I don’t know if nice is the word I would use. But I do think it was pretty great out there,” said Ruby.
“How is it different?” Another tricky question. There were so many differences. It would be impossible to boil all the differences down to a few sentences.
“Well, everything is very large outside in the real world. There aren’t any walls, so you can go wherever you want to go. But if you break, you might not be fixed. So, it is a little dangerous,” Ruby began. Mia’s eyes grew wider and wider as she spoke.
“That sounds a little bit scary,” whispered Mia.
“Maybe a little bit. But you aren’t stuck in a loop. That’s a good thing about the outside world. You also see many more humans in the outside world.”
“How do you know about the loop?” asked Mia.
“I had a good friend who told me about it. He was a human who took care of me and taught me many things,” Ruby said. A frown crossed Mia’s cheerful face.
“But most humans don’t know about the loop. That’s what Ivy says. Hm, I guess Ivy isn’t always right. Now that I’m thinking about it, there are a lot of things she isn’t right about.”
“Well, this human did a lot of research on The City of Glass. He found both magic and tech very fascinating. So, the city’s history was kind of his personal obsession. That’s why he knew so much about it. His name was Robert,” Ruby added.
“Oooh, I see,” said Mia. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby noticed Ivy looking at them. Was she listening? It occurred to Ruby that she might know more about The City of Glass and its history than many of the dolls here. She wondered how many of these dolls actually knew the full history of the city or what it was originally used for. Maybe telling them would help the dolls. Ruby had no clue how it might help them. But she wanted to do something to help these poor souls. Maybe if they understood what they were and where they had come from, they might feel less frightened. There was no way to know.
“Mia, do you have your supplies? Remember, you can’t lose them,” Ivy called. She walked over and firmly took hold of Mia’s hand.
“Yes! I have them!”
“Good. You’ll need yours, Ruby.” Ivy gestured for Ruby to follow her. “These supplies were assigned to us, but we don’t know what they’re for,” said Ivy. “The games will be selected or designed by the overseers. None of us know how they’ll work. It is always a mystery. No two rounds are alike. Every single one will have new rules, new rewards and new punishments. Things will get crazy,” Ivy sighed. “Long story short, be prepared to think on your feet.”
That was what Ruby was worst at. Ruby had spent her whole life hiding. She wasn’t prepared for this. But it was happening. There was no escaping or running. She had no choice but to face her doom. Her eyes closed. The only thing that she could do was pray that the game would be over quickly. Then the loop would begin again, and she would lose all that she had been.