Hollow, dull, empty, hopeless. These words spun through Ivy's mind as those emotions filled her soul. They crept over her mind and consumed everything. That hollow feeling didn't leave Ivy all day. Even when she headed back out into the sunlit streets, the hollowness didn't fade away. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get Blossom's words out of her mind.
Laughter and happiness filled the air around her. Everywhere that Ivy looked, she saw colors and smiling faces. They all seemed to blend together into one overflowing mass of joy. But Ivy couldn't join in wholeheartedly. She couldn't focus on anything other than the hollowness inside. Ruby was blissfully unaware of how hollow the city had suddenly become.
But it didn't take Ruby long to notice that something was bothering Ivy. Ruby seemed to be the kind of person who could read people like books. Ivy's people-reading-skills came and went depending on many factors. When Ruby asked the dreaded, "hey, are you doing alright?" Ivy just smiled and nodded. But the first thing that she did after the sun set was pass Blossom's warning on to Ruby.
"Did she say who saw us?" Ruby whispered. Ivy glanced around the dark, empty hall to make sure that it was really empty before answering.
"No. There's probably no way for us to know. We'll be extra careful tonight, okay? If we hear or see anyone else, we'll turn around. Alright?"
"A-alright. We should also notify Lu," added Ruby.
"Before we leave, I want to check on Mia one last time."
"Is Mia feeling, okay? Is it her powers? How exactly do they work? What do they do to her?"
"Mia's powers are focused on emotional control and mental clarity. That keeps her from feeling intense emotions under pressure. But there's a catch. Every once in a while, they reset and for a few days, all of her feelings come crashing down on her."
"That's awful."
"I know. It's hard to see her like this. But that's the way that it is. I can't do anything to change her powers. At least it doesn't last too long. She'll be better before too much longer."
"I-I guess that's a good thing," Ruby said.
"Well, I'll be back soon. I-I just want to say good night to Mia and make sure that she's asleep," said Ivy. Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door. Both girls flinched and spun to face the door. Now who could that be?
"Hello?" That was Rosy's voice.
"Yes?" Ivy said, carefully opening the door.
"Oh, I'm sorry to bother you, Ivy. I just wanted to ask if Mia's doing alright. She left the game so suddenly. I was a little worried about her."
"Yeah, she's not feeling too well. But I don't think it's anything too serious. I'm sure she'll be better soon," said Ivy.
"Oh, well that's too bad. We're on break. I hope she gets better. I didn't know dolls could get sick," Rosy said.
"Oh, she's not sick. She's just really worn out."
"That's fair. Those games can really take a lot out of a person. Well, tell her I hope she feels better. Sorry to bug you guys."
"No problem. Don't worry about it." With that, Rosy left, and Ivy and Ruby turned to each other. They both let out a sigh of relief.
"I was scared for a second," Ruby admitted.
"Yeah, me too. We should head out soon. I won't be long!" Ivy called over her shoulder. She was already halfway up the stairs.
Mia was sound asleep in her room. It was so refreshing to see such a peaceful look on her little face. All the terror had melted away. Ivy didn't waste time watching her. The last thing she wanted was to wake Mia. But the sight of the sleeping child made Ivy feel less empty.
Ruby and Ivy didn't speak at all on their way to Lu's apartment. No sound escaped Ivy's hearing. The city was painfully silent. Even the smallest sounds felt like thunderbolts to her. Empty, everything was empty here. Hollow glass buildings to hold hollow glass dolls. Now Ivy could feel that emptiness creeping over her soul once again.
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The stillness and the silence only added to that awful, soul sucking feeling. What did freedom look like? Was freedom death? That wasn't what Ivy wanted. Mia needed a better life. But Mia didn't deserve to die. Was there no way for the dolls to win? Oh, Ivy hated this silence. There was no sound or movement to distract her from her own thoughts. Ivy had no way of expressing her joy and relief upon reaching Lu's apartment and seeing the other rebels. Diving into a dark tunnel to dig for five hours straight, didn't sound fun. But right now, that was all that Ivy wanted to do.
"Have you guys had a good rest day?" asked Lu.
"Yup," they said in unison.
Lu looked much more at ease. Clearly the break had done her some good. The more that Ivy looked at Lu, the more she reminded her of Blossom. How did Lu feel about being a doll? Lu was leading the rebels and doing a good job. Surely, she didn't feel as hopeless as Blossom did. Ivy didn't want to feel this way. But the more she thought about what Blossom had said, the truer her words seemed.
The darkness of the tunnels was a strangely comforting sight to Ivy. She had felt so uneasy here just a few days ago. Now that had changed. Now this place felt almost like a second home. How did the other rebels feel? Did they think they were fighting for a hopeless cause? There were so many questions about Blossom that Ivy wanted to ask Lu. But she waited till the work had begun to ask.
"Blossom used to be a part of this, right? Do you know what made her want to leave?" asked Ivy.
"Punishment. It left an impact on her and made her look at things a little differently." Lu didn't hesitate to answer.
"Do you know what they did to her?"
"Yes. But I'm not going to tell you. That isn't my story to tell. But I can see how it changed her. Now she thinks what we're doing is pointless. For all I know, she's right."
"What do you mean, Lu?" Ivy didn't like that answer at all. She had been expecting to hear something comforting and encouraging from Lu.
"Well, we could fail. It's as simple as that. The odds aren't in our favor. You'd have to be completely blind to not see that. They built the world we live in, they have everything," said Lu. Ivy wanted to fling her slab of glass across the room and crumple into a heap on the ground. The whole reason she had joined this group was because Ruby had inspired her. She had begun dreaming of a hopeful future and a new life. Had that been foolish of her?
"Why are you even doing this? If it's pointless, wouldn't you be better off focusing on the games? For crying out loud, you're the leader! It's your job to inspire and protect! How can you do that if you don't believe in what you're fighting for?" Ivy knew that she shouldn't be raising her voice like this. What was wrong with her today? It was like she had lost all control over her emotions. Lu seemed completely unaffected by her outburst.
"I do believe in what we're fighting for." Lu kept her eyes on her work as she spoke. "It's the only thing that keeps me going. I've never believed in something so fully before," she said. Ivy glanced around the room. The other dolls were all looking at them now. Ivy had expected to see anger and concern on their faces. But there was none. They all just looked vaguely confused.
"How can you believe in something if you think it's pointless?" demanded Ivy.
"What do you mean by pointless? I don't know for sure or not that we will ever be free. But I'm not going to let that stop me from fighting. The humans want me to give up. I might die trying to gain freedom, but that is my own choice. That is something they can't take away from me," said Lu. Ivy hadn't thought about it that way.
"We live, we die, we fight, we die. Is that all that we can ever do?" Ivy whispered. The hollow feeling was back.
"Maybe. But we choose what we die for." Ivy felt Lu's hand on her shoulder. "We have that, if nothing else. I believe that freedom is worth dying for. If you don't feel the same way, you don't have to fight. But I will never give up, just because a happy ending isn't guaranteed," Lu said.
"I do understand why Blossom left." Everyone in the room turned to face the Lux doll who sat in the middle. "She said that after she was punished, life felt empty and numb. I feel numb sometimes. But it's a numbness that I want to fight. I love this place. I love these people. I want to care about them. If I go numb, if I let go of everything, I'll lose the things that make life worth living," said the Lux doll softly. Mia's face filled Ivy's mind. Just seeing Mia smile was enough to make life worth living. Ivy would die for that smile. That was something the humans couldn't take from her. There was power in that smile. Ivy turned back to Lu. It was starting to make more sense now.
"The humans didn't give us the power to choose. We gained our ability to think years after the glass city was created," said Ruby. She was smiling brightly. Was there nothing in this world that could bring Ruby down? How Ivy wished she could be as strong as Ruby. "Humans fear us because we have thoughts and feelings that they can't control. They only began hurting us when they realized we could feel pain, remember that, Ivy," said Ruby. She slipped her arm around Ivy's shoulder and held her tightly. "Even in their world, we have control over ourselves."
Ivy clung to the warmth and comfort that was filling her. She no longer cared if these feelings were useful or not. She just wanted to feel all of these wonderful feelings. Oh, how wonderful it was to feel things. How wonderful it was to care.
Level
7
XP
57
Strength
30/100
Stamina
100/250
Health
250/250
Skills/Powers
Forti