"Hello, Mia. What in the world are you doing here?" asked Blossom. "I thought that Ruby wanted to keep you away from this place."
"She let me come here. Lu wanted to talk to me. We're trying to find a job that I could do to help the rebels. But Ruby wants to make sure that it'll be a job that won't put me in too much danger," explained Mia.
"I see. Have you agreed on anything yet?" Blossom sat down next to Mia in her corner.
"No. It's probably going to take a while for us to agree. I just hope that it won't take too long. I feel so useless sitting here doing nothing. Oh... I'm not interrupting you, am I?" said Mia.
"No, I just finished today's work. So, we can sit here and feel useless together," laughed Blossom. Mia couldn't help but smile. It had been a very long time since Mia had seen Blossom look like this. She looked so alert and awake. Most of the time, there was a sleepy, lost look on Blossom's face. Had this all really happened because Ivy had died? It was strange to think that such an awful thing had given someone motivation to keep fighting.
Ivy had really wanted Blossom to rejoin the rebels. She would be very happy if she knew that her death had given Blossom more to fight for. But then again, Ivy might not be dead. Had Lu told Blossom about that? It didn't feel right to ask. Lu seemed like she only shared her discoveries with others when the time felt right. But Mia didn't have to ask Blossom. Blossom asked first.
"Did Lu tell you about how the doll cores work?" she asked.
"Yes!"
A bright smile, brighter than any smile Mia had ever seen on Blossom's face appeared. "It's wonderful, isn't it? It feels like a miracle. For once the system is kind to us. Honestly, that's the real reason I came back here. Lu needs to keep learning and working. But there's a small chance that there are other dolls who are still out there that I used to know.
“It's a small chance. But the thought of seeing them again makes everything feel so much easier," whispered Blossom. Mia nodded. She knew that feeling well. They had to cling to whatever hope they had left.
"That's why I'm here. I want to help the people that Ivy fought with. Everything I do here, I'll be doing for her. I just hope that I won't become a burden to the other dolls," said Mia.
"You won't, trust me. I felt like a burden at first. My Lux spell is pretty weak after all. But once they find a job for you, it'll feel right. We need all the help that we can get." Blossom's words brought new strength to Mia's limbs and a smile to her face.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"Well, I hope that I find a job here sooner rather than later. Then I'll be able to work with all of my friends," Mia agreed. So, Blossom knew about the good news. Had Lu told her about the bad news? Probably not from the looks of it. How would Blossom take the news when Lu finally told her? Would she go spiraling back down into despair, or not? Mia would probably just have to wait and see. For now, if not forever, Blossom looked like she was full of life and purpose. That was a wonderful thing. Everything was wonderful!
"Mia, are you ready to go?" That was Ruby's voice. Mia looked up. Ruby was heading down the hall towards them. She looked worn out and sleepy.
"Yeah. See you soon, Blossom!" Mia called over her shoulder as she rushed over to Ruby's side. What time was it? Mia had no clue. It was so dark in here that she had pretty much lost all sense of time. The two girls headed out into the streets. Ruby dragged her feet as she walked. Everything about Ruby looked weary and slumped over. She didn't just look tired; she looked downright miserable.
"This is going to be much harder than I thought that it would be," whispered Ruby. She didn’t look at Mia as she spoke. It was as if she was just thinking out loud to no one in particular.
"What do you mean?" asked Mia.
"Doing this without Ivy is going to be much harder than I thought it would be."
"Oh, I see." That was all Mia could say. Hadn't Ruby been the one who had first convinced Ivy to join the rebels? Why was she acting like this now? Maybe Ruby had just lost one too many people. If Ruby's life with the humans had really been as perfect as she had made it out to be, then Ruby probably wasn't used to loss.
Mia had lost many friends, and her powers had made it much easier to let go of them. Ruby didn't have powers. She also wasn't used to losing people. No wonder she felt so awful. No words came to Mia's mind. She wanted to say something that sounded smart or comforting. But her mind remained blank.
So, at last, she did the only thing she could think of. Mia reached out and hugged Ruby. It was hard to hug Ruby when she was standing up because she was so much taller than Mia was. Ruby stopped walking. Her eyes drifted away from the sky. Her gaze landed on the child as if noticing Mia was there for the first time. The look in her eyes remained dazed and sad, but a small smile appeared on her face. That was something. That was enough for Mia. Hopefully she had brought a little spark of comfort to her friend.
Hand in hand, the dolls walked back home together. They weren't as careful as they had been before. There was no need to be careful. At last, they reached home and headed up the stairs. Several days had passed by since Ivy's death. Mary still hadn't chosen a new leader for their unit. Why was it taking so long? Maybe it was because there weren't many dolls here who were fit to lead. Besides, Ivy had been so good at her job.
Mary couldn't snap her fingers and replace someone like Ivy so easily. It would probably take a while. It didn't matter who was chosen. Things would fall apart soon. Mia could feel it in her soul. Ruby led Mia to her room and tucked her in. Mia hadn't realized how tired she was. But now, in her soft bed, it was easy to relax. Her eyes closed, and dreams of Ivy filled her mind.