"A messenger?" Lu asked.
"Yes! Well, it depends on how small the tunnels are. But I could probably fit through them and deliver important information to the other units. Don't you think that is a good idea?" said Mia.
"Um, I'm not sure how Ruby would feel about that. It sounds like it could be a dangerous job. What will we do if you get stuck in the tunnels?" That was a good point.
"I-I can be very careful. Can we at least talk to Ruby about this?" whispered Mia.
"Of course. It really isn't a bad idea at all. I'm just not sure that you are the person to do this, Mia."
"But I'm small enough to fit through the tunnels!" Besides, it had been Mia's idea. It only seemed fair for her to do this.
"Let's tell Ruby about your idea and see what she thinks. I'll go find her. Would you like to wait here?" asked Lu.
"Okay!" said Mia without thinking. She regretted saying that instantly. Lu left the room, closing the door behind her. Now Mia was totally left alone in the dark. She swallowed and glanced around at the shelves once more. She didn't really feel frightened. But there was an awful, chilling sensation spreading across her. Eyes glistened and glimmered at Mia in the dark. It was so easy to believe that they were looking at Mia. But Mia was alone. Maybe this whole thing just felt confusing to Mia. Every single part of her wanted these dolls to be alive even though she knew that they weren't.
She saw dead dolls every day. So why was it only here that she felt so confused? Maybe the games were a good distraction. It was hard to really process the fact that there were people dying around her when she was busy running for her life. But here all that Mia could focus on was those cold, dead eyes. Many of the faces held fearful expressions. The eyes were wide, and the mouths were open in silent screams of pain and terror. At least they were no longer in pain. That was one thing that Mia could be grateful for. How did Lu come here every single day and not lose her mind?
Mia looked up as the door swung open. Ruby and Lu entered. Several looks of shock, confusion, and discomfort crossed over Ruby's face as she looked around. Lu led Ruby over to the table.
"Here is the map. Now you can see the old tunnels that Mia was talking about over here. As you can see, they run all through the city and are connected to the other rebel units. This made delivering information very easy," Lu was saying. Mia looked over the map carefully. She needed to memorize it.
"B-but what if she gets lost?" asked Ruby softly. Of course, Ruby didn’t like this idea. Mia couldn't blame her. Ruby had been acting very nervous and sensitive since Ivy's death. Ruby probably also felt responsible for Ivy's death. The last thing that Ruby needed was more ways to lose friends. But this was a plan that could actually make a difference. This was a plan that would really help people.
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"What if I tie a rope around my waist? That way if I get lost, I can just follow the rope back. Someone could stand outside of the tunnel and hold the other end of the rope!" said Mia, thinking quickly. Ruby's face wasn't making Mia feel very hopeful. "Please! I promise that I will be very careful!"
"I-I just don't want anything bad to happen to you, Mia. Ivy told me to take care of you. I can't let her down," said Ruby.
"Then what can I do? I can't fight. I doubt I'm strong enough to help you in the tunnels. Not to mention my powers are useless. This is something that I could do that would actually be useful. Besides, it's probably just as dangerous as working in the tunnels that you're working in. What am I supposed to do? Am I just meant to sit in the corner and watch as everyone around me dies? Please, Ruby! Give me a chance.”
I won't let you down. All that I want is to help. Isn't this a useful and fairly safe way for me to help?" Mia whispered. The words fell out of Mia's mouth like a waterfall. She didn't even know what she was saying. She couldn't read the expression on Ruby's face. Hopefully her words had conveyed something to Ruby. Ruby glanced over at Lu.
"It isn't for me to decide. I think the matter of her safety should be between the two of you," Lu said after a pause. Ruby turned back to Mia.
"Please." That was all that Mia could squeeze out of her mouth. Ruby didn't answer. She just looked at Mia. Just when the silence was becoming too much for Mia to bear, Lu stepped forward and let out a soft sigh.
"One of the old tunnels is very short. It connects to the nearest rebel unit. If you want, Ruby, we could test this plan out using that one. But we should certainly use a rope. I don't think that we should test this plan out tonight. That way you'll have more time to think things over. If you decide to test this out, wonderful. But I understand if you don't think it's worth the risk," said Lu.
"Yeah... I think we need to sleep on things," said Ruby. Mia swallowed her anger. She could wait a little longer. She had to wait a little longer. Ruby looked down at Mia. Her gaze was slightly more focused now. "I'm sorry, Mia. I just don't think I'm thinking very clearly at the moment. I'm just so tired of this whole thing and I'm sick of losing people," she said. That was something that Mia could understand. Ruby didn't have the same powers that she did. Ruby was probably feeling things more intensely. Mia had lost a few friends before. But nothing had hurt like losing Ivy.
Ivy had told Mia that Ruby had been taken care of by a human. But that human was now dead. What a strange life Ruby must have lived. It was amazing to think that there had once been a human who hadn't hated all of the dolls. How lucky Ruby had been to be found by that one human. Now that human was gone. Just like how Ivy was gone now. There was nothing that Mia or Ruby could do about that.
"I understand." Mia gently took Ruby's hand. "We'll think about it and figure something out tomorrow," she suggested.
Lu finished giving Mia her tour of the lab. But Mia had already decided that she didn't want to work there. She doubted that she would be able to work there without losing her mind. After the tour, Ruby headed back down into the tunnels to work. Lu also had lots of work to do. So, Mia headed out into the hall. It was times like this when she felt especially useless. There was nothing for her to do but sit in a corner where she would be out of the way and watch as dolls who were much more important and useful rushed by. The boredom was really starting to get to Mia. When suddenly, she caught sight of a face that she knew.