Glass shattered, screams rose up and then faded away. The shouts and cries of pain were followed by a heavy silence. Without opening her eyes, Ivy reached out for Mia. She felt the child take hold of her hand. Mia was alright. That was all that Ivy needed to know. Slowly, Ivy opened her eyes and glanced around. Ruby was fully intact as well. Their eyes met and they exchanged smiles.
Alright, Ivy could make it through this now. Nothing could stop her so long as her friends were safe. They gave her a reason to fight and push forward through the games. Mia and Ruby, Ruby and Mia, these two were everything that she would ever need. The world around Ivy seemed to blur as she looked at them. Every other face faded away into the blur. Mia's small, round face looked up at Ivy with a trusting, affectionate gaze. The child's dark eyes seemed to glitter and glisten like black gemstones as her grip on Ivy's hand grew tighter. Ruby's bright, hopeful gaze could surely make anyone smile. Mary was speaking again. With some effort, Ivy tore her gaze away from her friends and focused on Mary's instructions. It was time to pay attention.
"Great job! Now can all the lucky survivors please lift their marbles out of your bags. Each of you should have four." Mary's voice sounded even more shrill than it normally did. Lucky survivors, was that really the word that Mary was going to use for them? Every single day, Mary gave Ivy at least twenty more reasons to hate her. But that was useless hate. There was nothing Ivy could do to punish Mary, at least not now. All that she could do was obey and lift her marbles out of the bag.
Ivy did indeed have exactly four marbles. They were a pale green color and felt very cold. Each marble was exactly the same size and seemed to weigh the same amount. But Ivy didn't get a chance to examine them any further because there was a sudden bright flash and within the blink of an eye, the marbles seemed to vanish into thin air. Mary really seemed to love bright flashes of light. Several surprised gasps rose up from the other dolls.
"All of the marbles have now switched places with each other!" said Mary. "Now someone else has your marbles in their sack. Your job is to find them. But the marbles will switch places again every five minutes. Whoever finds their marbles by the end of the day is free to go home early. But anyone who doesn't, will be eliminated!" Mary went on. So, as always, the losers would be killed. Well, at least the dolls wouldn't have to kill each other this time. The past few games had been surprisingly calm and gentle. Maybe Mary had been feeling extra generous lately. Ruby seemed to be thinking the same thing because her smile grew even brighter and she skipped over to Ivy's side without any hesitation. Perhaps it would be a fairly chill day after all.
The dolls would work much faster now that they were able to work together as one giant team. The three girls began to make their way through the square. Ivy reached into her bag and pulled out four black marbles. She held them up high above her head so that everyone nearby could see. Mia began giggling.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
"You look funny, Ivy!" she laughed.
"I’m just being smart about things; you should do the same. What color are your marbles, Mia?" asked Ivy. Mia opened her bag and squealed.
"They're my favorite color! I don't want to trade them," she whined. Her marbles were a bright pink. Oh dear, this was going to be a real challenge for Mia. Ruby laughed suddenly.
"Mine are also pink but it's a paler shade," she said. Mia frowned up at Ruby.
"I still think that mine are prettier!"
"Alright, alright, let's focus. The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can go home," Ivy reminded them.
"Will we get to play a game once we get home?" Mia asked.
"Yes, so come on, let's hurry."
"Yay! A game!" That thought seemed to do the trick. The child turned her attention to the dolls around her. Ruby was the first to find her marbles. In fact, she ended up being very lucky. After about two hours there was another flash of light, and her marbles appeared in her hand. It took Ivy and Mia most of the day to find theirs. If it weren't for Mary's ear-piercing voice and the threat of death, this would be a wonderful and chill way to spend the day. Ivy was pretty much walking through the pretty city in an unhurried and laid-back way. But as the sun grew lower and lower in the sky, Ivy's fear began to grow.
She couldn't let Mia see that fear. Ivy's eyes roamed the world around her for something comforting to focus on. There was another bright flash, and four blue marbles appeared in Ivy's hand. Ah, the perfect distraction. A smile crossed over Ivy's face. What a calming color that was. This felt very similar to the ribbon game, although it was a little less stressful.
"Does anyone have any blue marbles?" The voice instantly pulled Ivy out of her thoughts. Ivy spun around to face the speaker.
"Here! What color do you have?"
"Green!" the doll responded, running over to meet Ivy. To Ivy's surprise, she saw the doll who had been injured this morning. Warmth and recognition burst across the doll's face as she handed Ivy her green marbles. Sometimes this city felt really tiny. There were countless dolls in this city, yet this was a face that Ivy knew. Was this really just a coexistence? Well, what else would it be?
"No! You can't leave me all alone!" Mia whined.
"Hush, I won't, don't worry, Kiddo. I'll keep looking with you," Ivy said softly. Mia couldn't do this without her. She needed to at least try to stay with Mia. Hopefully, the overseers wouldn't come looking for her and force her to leave Mia. "Come on, we need to move quietly," Ivy whispered. The two girls quickened their pace. At last, just when the sun was beginning to paint the skies a blood red, they found Mia's marbles. Mia exchanged the brown marbles that she had carried with her, for the purple marbles that she had originally had.
"I'm sleepy. Maybe we won't play a game," Mia whispered as they walked back towards the apartment.
"Alright. Well, we don't have to play. Here, I'll carry you," said Ivy gently. Mia slipped her arms around Ivy's neck and happily snuggled up next to Ivy as she was carried. For a moment, the world seemed bright. Ivy slowed her pace and savored the love that pulsed through her soul. Then, the peace was gone, and screams filled the air once again as the losing dolls were shattered. Mia flinched and Ivy quickened her pace. They fell silent and did their best not to listen to the cries.