“Welcome! Welcome one and all!” Mary’s voice filled the city, making Ruby wince. Ivy had led her and the others to the main square in the very center of the city. She was completely surrounded on every side by countless dolls. Ruby had never seen so many people in one place before. Something about it made her head spin and her knees shake. Why did she suddenly feel so overwhelmed? Her eyes remained on the ground. She didn’t want to meet anyone’s eyes. These people could turn into her enemies if that was what the overseers wanted. She didn’t want to make things harder than they had to be.
“Do you see that wall up there?” Mia whispered. Ruby followed the child’s gaze to the west. “Ivy says that wall is see-through. That’s where all the people watch,” said Mia. Yes, Robert had told her about that little detail. How many people were watching them now? At least thousands, maybe more. For a moment, Ruby’s vision blurred, and breathing became a struggle. “Are you okay?” Mia asked softly. Ruby looked down at Mia’s concerned face. There was no fear or panic in Mia’s eyes. This child had spent her whole life here. She had probably seen many horrors and suffered more than any child should. But Mia seemed to be facing the game with more courage and determination than Ruby could ever dream of having. “Don’t worry, you don’t need to be that scared.” Mia took hold of Ruby’s hand.
“I’m okay,” was all that Ruby could think to say. Suddenly she found herself looking to this tiny girl for strength and inspiration. Ruby forced a cheerful smile and straightened her back. How did Mia do that? Maybe she was just used to this way of life. Perhaps it just didn’t feel scary to her. That was a strange kind of strength that Ruby wasn’t used to seeing.
“Alright! We are going to begin today’s round with a classic event!” Mary’s voice blasted out once again. “You can probably already guess what I am going to say,” Mary laughed softly. “We will be beginning with hide and seek! But with a fun little twist.” Ruby frowned. Hide and seek? How strange.
“They usually start with traditional children’s games,” said Mia.
“All participants should have seven pieces of fabric, the same color as your clothes. Those will come into play. The seekers will be selected at random; the rest of the city will hide. Your daggers may also be used during this part of the game,” Mary went on. Now Ruby really wished that she had a notebook.
“Mia, come here,” Ivy hissed. She took Mia’s hand and pulled her closer to herself. “Stay close to me, Mia.”
“The selected seekers will hunt down those in hiding, defeat them and take their cloth pieces. The dolls who are broken will be taken back to be fixed for the next round. All hiders and seekers left standing by the end of the day will move up a level. Special rewards will be given to those who collect the most pieces of fabric. The daggers may be used in defense. Those of you who also have been given powers will be allowed to use those,” Mary said. The faces that surrounded Ruby were filled with fear, dread and silent rage.
“The seeker selection will begin now!” Mary called out. That same old panicked feeling took over Ruby. Once again, she found herself looking around at everyone as if they might attack her. To Ruby’s surprise it appeared as if everyone else was doing the exact same thing. Somehow, that made her feel a little bit better. Everyone else here was just as confused and terrified as she was.
Now Ruby was laughing softly. Was this hysteria? Or was it something more like relief? A warm orange light was filling the world around Ruby now. She watched, enchanted by the magical sight as golden rays of light shone down into the crowd. Why? Why did such an evil place have to be so very beautiful? Each ray of sunlight reached a doll and made them glow and glitter like a crystal.
“Take a look around,” said Mary. Everyone obeyed her. “Those who are standing in the light will be the seekers. So, take note, everyone.” There were way too many people here for Ruby to keep track of. Neither Ivy nor Mia had been chosen as seekers. Should Ruby think of a plan? Her best bet was to probably just run away and frantically find somewhere to hide.
“Is everyone ready?” Mary’s voice blasted. No, of course not. Ruby wasn’t anywhere near ready. Maybe it was just time for her to accept her fate. There was a good chance that she would just break in this first round. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too painful. “Alright! Seekers close your eyes! The timer has been started! Hiders you’d better hurry!” Mary laughed. For a moment, everyone stood perfectly still. Perhaps they were struggling to process what was happening. Or maybe like Ruby, they were trying to figure out what Mary found so funny. Then the spell broke and the game began. The whole city erupted in voices shouting and people pushing and shoving each other.
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Ruby stumbled back as several dolls pushed themselves forward. Screams of pain filled the air as dolls were shoved to the ground and trampled over. Horror seemed to paralyze Ruby as she watched them each be shattered into countless little pieces. The screams pierced into her soul and tugged at her nonexistent heart. A part of her wanted to rush over and help the shattered dolls. The other part of her wanted to run and fight and push everyone out of her way the way that the other dolls did. A third part of Ruby just wanted to sink to her knees, close her eyes and pretend that none of this was happening.
Her eyes looked around for Ivy and Mia, but the two of them had vanished into the crowd. Right, these people weren’t her friends. She didn’t really know any of these dolls. Now Ruby had no one to turn to for any kind of help. At last, the shoving and screaming stopped. Ruby didn’t hesitate for another moment. She found herself running as quickly as she could. The world around her became a blur. She didn’t know what she was doing or where she was running to. Get away! That was what her mind was screaming at her. Louder and louder, it howled. GET AWAY, RUBY! Her eyes caught sight of a small, narrow alley. Now she was running towards it.
The dark shadows and stillness were a welcome and comforting sight to Ruby. Relief filled her soul as the shadows swallowed her. Perhaps she would be safe here. Slowing her pace so as to make less noise, Ruby crouched to the ground and began crawling along the walls. If only her clothes weren’t so bright and colorful. It would be so easy to blend in if it wasn’t for the red in her dress.
“W-who’s there?” a sharp voice called from the shadows. Ruby froze. She could faintly make out the face of another doll. The doll was dressed in blue and lay semi-shattered on the ground. Her left arm was in pieces and her face was twisted with pain. What should Ruby do? Run away, right? The smart thing to do would be to keep going and find a better hiding place. But Ruby couldn’t tear her gaze away from the awful sight.
Something about the look on the doll’s face made Ruby melt. It was a look that Ruby often carried on her face. It was the look of helplessness. This doll knew exactly how vulnerable she was. She knew that she was at Ruby’s mercy. Trying to help this girl would probably just be a waste of time. But Ruby had already made up her mind. She didn’t feel like being smart today.
“P-Please, just make it fast. The sooner I run out of health, the sooner the pain will go away,” the doll whispered. Ruby sat down next to the girl and began to examine the damage. Robert had never fixed Ruby using magic. But he had described the spell to her a couple of times. How could she do this? Even if she could remember the instructions, she had never cast a spell before. Ruby pretty much had no experience with magic. This was just crazy and stupid. These logical, reasonable thoughts faded away when Ruby looked back into the girl’s frightened face.
“I’m going to try to help you,” she whispered. The girl’s eyes grew wide. Carefully, Ruby crossed her hands the way that Robert had demonstrated. His kind, gentle voice filled her mind as Ruby focused. The doll’s expression had changed now. There was hope, glittering in her blue eyes. Ruby had to do this. Robert’s voice guided her carefully as Ruby closed her eyes. It was as if he was right there next to her. For the first time since he had died, Ruby felt a warmth fill her soul. She forgot where she was.
Every part of her felt relaxed and safe and happy. Her mouth opened; her lips moved as she whispered the spell’s words. There was no dramatic flash of light. Ruby felt nothing change. Robert’s warmth faded away and she opened her eyes to find the doll sitting up. The cracks were completely gone. Before Ruby could stop herself, she let out a joyful cry. It had worked! The doll’s eyes were shining now. Ruby smiled as the girl stared at her own hands as if in disbelief. A sharp stinging sensation spread across Ruby. Then her stats appeared before her eyes. But now they were different.
Level
0
Xp
3
Skills/Powers
Fixing-spell
Strength
10/100
Stamina
75/100