Lu ended up staying for almost a full hour. The trio played hide-and-seek. Then they played tag and Mia even taught Ruby and Lu how to play some of her made-up games. By the time the hour came to an end, the three of them were all panting and tired and smiling.
"See now, wasn’t that fun?" Mia asked.
"I must admit it was. Your games are a million times more fun than Mary's games," said Lu. That felt like an awfully low bar to Mia. "But I should get going now."
"Would you like our help with anything?" asked Ruby.
"No. Things have been pretty uneventful today. But I'll keep you in mind." Lu turned to Mia. "In case I need a messenger." Mia beamed up at her.
"Maybe we can play together again sometime!" Mia suggested. This was kind of like the time that Ivy had played with Ruby and Mia. Lu wasn't exactly like Ivy. They had some clear differences. But there was something about Lu that made Mia feel safe. She didn't feel as safe as she had felt with Ivy. But the feeling was similar. Ruby was a wonderful friend, and she knew exactly how to comfort Mia. Mia was very thankful to Ruby for all the care that she had given her. But there was a difference between feeling comforted and feeling safe.
Ruby made Mia feel comforted. Lu made her feel safe. Ivy had done both perfectly. Even if Mia loved Ruby with all her heart, she knew that there wouldn't be anyone who could replace Ivy. That was just a simple fact of life. Mia was okay with that. She did enjoy comparing other dolls to Ivy. But she didn't really want anyone to replace Ivy. Ivy was special. Losing Ivy hurt because Ivy was irreplaceable. Mia wanted her to be irreplaceable.
"Did you have a favorite game, Lu?" demanded Mia.
"Hm, let me think. I did really enjoy the game where you match colors. That was one that you made up, right?"
"Yup!" said Mia proudly. Few things made her happier than knowing that her game ideas had been appreciated.
"Do you think we can play that game again sometime, Lu?"
"Maybe. Either way, I hope to see the two of you again very soon." With that, Lu turned and headed for the door. But before she reached it there was a sudden, crackling sound; then Mary's voice filled the room.
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"Good morning, everyone!" Mary called out cheerfully. "So sorry for the inconveniences of yesterday. But all the issues have been fixed. We can return to our normal routine now. Can all dolls please make their way down to the square for today's game!"
That was it? Just like that everything had been fixed. Mary wasn't even going to mention the snow or explain what had happened to them. Lu was right. They were all going to have to get used to unanswered questions. Maybe this was all a weird prank. Maybe the humans were just trying to mess with the dolls. Maybe they were just trying to confuse and scare them. Mia wouldn't put that past them. She glanced up at Ruby who looked just as confused and frustrated.
"Well, I guess we'd better do what she says. We're back to the usual games," said Ruby. Ruby didn't sound the least bit happy to be back to the usual games. Mia doubted anyone was. But an order was an order. With a sigh, Mia followed Ruby and the other dolls out into the streets. Everyone walked slowly.
Mia lost track of how many slumped shoulders she saw. Well, at least they had had a very small break. At least Mia had gotten to see snow. These were things that she could be genuinely thankful for. Mia reached out and took Ruby's hand, the way she always did before games. Things were going to be alright. She could do this. They were going to make it through this. All that Mia needed was to stay focused.
Mia had made it through many rounds before. She was going to make it through this round too. She had a way of helping the rebels now. Lu needed her. There were dolls depending on her. She needed to stay alive for them. She needed to fight for them. She needed to remember Ivy and how brave and focused Ivy had always been. Soon, Ruby and Mia reached the square. It was quickly filled with dolls.
Mia glanced around briefly, looking halfheartedly for Blossom. But she didn't see her anywhere. Just because she hadn't spotted Blossom, that didn't mean that Blossom was dead. But the fact that Lu had also been worried about her didn't make Mia feel any better.
"Welcome back, everyone!" Mary announced. "I hope that you are all doing very well today. We would like to apologize once more for yesterday's confusion. But rest assured that nothing like that will happen again! Today's game is going to be a little bit different! For today's adventure we will be using our daggers," Mary sang out. Oh no, that wasn't a good sign at all. Slowly and carefully, Mia lifted her dagger out of her bag. What horrors was she about to go through? "Thank you, everyone! Now please turn your attention to the sky above!" said Mary. The dolls did so.
Several floating targets had appeared above them. Was this going to be an aiming game? Ivy had taught Mia how to throw daggers. Then suddenly, Mia realized that her dagger was changing. It was shifting and becoming smaller. She watched in quiet shock as it shifted into a dart. It was still an unusually large dart. But it was definitely a dart and not a dagger anymore. Mia had never seen anything like this before. She hated Mary and all other humans with a burning passion. But she had to admit, they knew a lot about magic and the things they could do with it would always be impressive.