There was something off about Lu tonight. But then again, there always seemed to be something off about Lu. In fact, everything seemed quieter in Lu's apartment today. Maybe Lu had finally shared the bad news with the others. Mia also hadn't seen Blossom since the morning.
"I'll show you where the tunnel begins. I also made you a map. But we should go over it carefully before you head in," said Lu.
"Got it!" said Mia, rushing to keep up. She really needed to stay focused. This was her final chance.
"Lu, do you have any idea what happened this morning?" asked Ruby. "It was very strange. So, you think that there's some kind of malfunction in the city itself?"
"Oh, I have no idea. That was bizarre. We have had small malfunctions before. But Mary would always calmly explain what happened and how it was fixed. She seemed unusually flustered today," said Lu. "I've never seen anything like this happen before." Never? Lu was one of the first dolls that had been made.
She had been in the city for a long time. But she hadn't seen anything like this before. Wow. This was strange and new even to Lu. That somehow made Mia feel more nervous and excited at the same time. This was new. Something was changing. But were things changing for the better for the worse? Mia would probably just have to wait and see.
Only time would tell. Besides, she had a job to do right now. Lu's apartment was a lot larger than it looked. From the outside it looked tiny. But the long, narrow hall seemed to stretch on and on forever. The more Mia walked, the smaller the halls became. Soon they were all walking single file through the tiny, windowless halls.
These halls had a tunnel-like feel to them. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling though. There was something almost comforting about it. The space around Mia was so small that she no longer felt small. This place was cozy and safe to Mia. The darkness just made her feel more hidden and more secure. Hopefully this was how crawling through the tunnels would feel. Mia took hold of that cozy, fuzzy feeling and clung to it. At last, they reached a small staircase that led down into a pit of darkness.
"Watch your step going down," Lu called over her shoulder. Mia reached out and grabbed the wall for support. Each of her footsteps echoed through the hall and filled the air around her. It was even darker down here in the pit. It took Mia's eyes a little while to adjust to just how pitch black it was. They were standing in a small clearing, surrounded by tiny tunnels. Each tunnel was the perfect size for Mia. "I made you a map in case you get lost, Mia," said Lu. "But this route is extremely simple. Just keep going straight down the largest tunnel," Lu gestured to one of the slightly wider tunnels.
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
"Thank you." Mia glanced up at Ruby. She couldn't see her face in the dark. But Mia could perfectly imagine that look of panic exploding across Ruby's face. So, she gave Ruby's hand one last squeeze. "It's a simple route, Ruby. See, you won't have to worry about me. I promise I'll be extremely careful," said Mia brightly. Ruby didn't answer. Lu handed Mia one end of the rope to tie around her waist.
"Make sure it's tight. And remember we'll be right here waiting for you the whole time," said Lu. A faint smile crossed over her face. "Thank you, Mia. This idea really might make things much easier for us," whispered Lu. Those words made Mia smile to. What would Ivy think if she could see Mia now? Would she be worried or would she be proud? Maybe she would be worried and proud. "Do you have the letter I gave you?" asked Ivy.
"Yes. I'll give it to Alice. She'll be waiting for me at the other end of the tunnel, right?" asked Mia.
"Yes. I told her that you’d be coming." A sad sigh escaped Lu. "I'll be sharing the bad news with her today. I hope she takes it well." Mia hadn't met Alice before, and she had no sense of her personality.
"So, you're only going to share the news with Alice," Ruby spoke at last. "Why can't the other dolls at her apartment know? Isn't this just withholding important information?"
"No. I just want Alice to be able to tell her unit when she feels the time is right. This news is a hard pill for any doll to swallow. Well, not that we swallow pills, but you get what I mean. I don't want her unit to panic. It's my job to lead the people whom I'm in charge of. But I also think I should comfort them as best I can. I hope that we can be honest with each other... but on our own terms. I suspect Alice feels the same way."
That made sense to Mia. She was really glad that she didn't have to be in charge of anyone. Mia wanted to help, and she wanted to play a role. But she knew she wasn't cut out for leading the other dolls. How did Ivy and Lu do it? Poor Jasmine was probably worried about this herself.
"I'll make sure that Alice gets your letter," said Mia. "I promise!"
"Thank you." Lu placed her hand on Mia's shoulder. "It's a very short distance away. You'll be there and back again in no time. The tunnels really are an amazing short cut. Don't afraid, you'll do great."
"Got it!" Mia didn't feel frightened. There was no fear in her body whatsoever. All that she felt was excitement. "I'll see you two soon!" Mia called over shoulder, before crawling into the dark tunnel.