Ivy wished there were a way for her to make time stop. Minutes slipped away and hours flew by. There was nothing she could do to stop it. Each day she woke up feeling more and more tense and less at ease. The peace that the break had given her was slowly turning into dread. She could no longer enjoy the little moments of play she shared with Mia. Ivy's mind was set on the future. Before she could even process it, the break was over.
Ivy found herself waking up to that awful realization. The break was over. This was her very last day of freedom. Then the games would begin again. Today was going to be a busy day for her. She wouldn't even have time to play with her friends. The overseers would deliver more supplies, and she had to get everything organized by nightfall. Perhaps Ruby would be willing to help her. Ivy sat up and stretched. Mia was still asleep, lying next to her. The child had been insisting on sleeping with Ivy for the past couple of nights.
Ivy really didn't mind. In fact, it was very comforting to wake up in the middle of the night and hear the sound of Mia snoring next to her. But now, that comfort was tainted with fear. Because the games were coming. She might lose Mia. Ivy had no idea how she could keep going without Mia. There had been a time when she had fought and lived without Mia in her life. But that time seemed so dull and empty now. Mia had brought a layer of light and warmth into Ivy's life, and she knew that she couldn't fight without that warmth. Panic began to swell up in Ivy as she looked down at the sleeping child.
No. She couldn't lose Mia. She wouldn't lose Mia. Nobody was going to take Mia away from her, Ivy would make sure of that. Gently, so as not to wake Mia, Ivy leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Oh, how she wanted to lie back down, close her eyes and just listen to Mia's steady breathing. But there was work to be done and Ivy couldn't waste any more time. So, she tucked the blanket around Mia's shoulders and headed down the hall to see if the supplies had been delivered yet.
There it was again, that stillness, that dread. Yesterday the hall had been filled with dolls, laughing, talking, enjoying life. Now there wasn't a soul in sight. Ivy's footsteps echoed through the apartment, filling the air around her. She seemed to be surrounded by a million unseen figures now. The city streets were quieter still.
Directly in front of the apartment lay several sacks of supplies, along with instructions. This was more than Ivy could handle on her own. She couldn't remember the last time that the overseers had given the dolls this many supplies. At some point she was going to need to find some other dolls to help her move and organize the supplies. Maybe that was something Ruby could help with. But it wouldn't hurt to get an early start. The bags were heavy, but Ivy managed to lift one with some effort. It was going to be a really long day for her.
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Suddenly a doll came charging around the corner. Ivy stumbled back in surprise. She hadn't heard the dolls sneaking up on her. Without pausing once, the doll grabbed the bag out of Ivy's hands and took off down the street.
"Hey!" Ivy called out. The doll didn't turn back. It was already too late for her. When the overseers counted the supplies, that doll would be caught and punished. There was nothing Ivy could do to help her or stop her. Ivy turned back to her supplies. Slowly, ever so slowly, the city began to wake up. Dolls began to trickle out into the streets as the sun turned the city into a glistening, shimmering piece of gold. Mia came running down the sidewalk to greet Ivy.
"There you are! I was worried when I couldn’t find you in the apartment, Ivy," said Mia.
"Well, I'm alright, see. Did you sleep well?" asked Ivy.
"I slept well! Once you're done with this, can we play?" demanded Mia. Ivy had known she was going to ask that.
"I'm going to be very busy today. I'll be lucky if I get this done by the end of the day," Ivy groaned.
"But it's the last day of the break. Are you saying that you won't be able to play with me at all?" asked Mia.
"That is a possibility. I'm sorry, Mia. But there are things I've just got to do," Ivy whispered.
Disappointment exploded across Mia's little face. Then the disappointment faded into anger and then sadness. At last, a look of melancholy understanding filled Mia's eyes, and she nodded.
"Alright. I'll just play with Rosy then," Mia whispered. Ivy winced.
"Rosy is probably busy preparing for the games. You have your own preparations to make as well, Mia," Ivy reminded her.
"Well... could I play with Ruby then?" There was so much hope in Mia's voice. It cut Ivy to her core.
"I-I was going to ask Ruby to help me with this," said Ivy softly.
"Oh. So, I guess it's just not a good day for playing."
"I'm afraid not, Kiddo."
"Alright." All the hope and joy had left Mia's voice. Now her tone was soft. She sounded so small and empty. But this was simply the way that things had to work. The time for playing was over now. Ivy watched as Mia headed back into the apartment. Hopefully, it wouldn't take too long for Mia to accept that. She had taken Ivy's response pretty well. Mia entered the apartment as Ruby left it. A small smile touched Ivy's lips at the sight of her friend.
"Ruby!" she called. "Could you give me a hand with these?"
"Sure," said Ruby, running over. This was the nice thing about little tasks like this. The work could always be shared with a friend and that made everything easier.