Mia clung to the blankets around her. She tried to relax. But she hated the stillness and the silence in the room around her. She should have asked Ruby if they could sleep together. Mia knew that she would feel this frightened if Ruby was here with her. There was nothing more soothing to Mia than the soft sound of a friend's snores. But everything around her was quiet and dark. It was as if the world around her was just as frightened as she was. It had been a rough day. Mia had become used to feeling safe and protected during the games. Now Ivy was gone. At least she still had Ruby. But she still felt less secure. Mia had come unusually close to losing her life.
If she died, she would either be dead forever, or worse, she would have her memories erased. She would lose the person who she had once been. She would have to fight alone. Little shivers raced up and down Mia's spine as she thought back to the time before she had met Ivy.
Mia's very first memories were of a white room and pale, blurry faces. Then she remembered her first day in the games. She hadn't been able to understand what was happening around her. It just looked like pure madness to her.
Everyone was screaming and fighting, pushing and shoving. Why were they doing this? Fear had filled Mia. Even then she had been painfully aware of how small and defenseless she was. She had known that she couldn't fight off any attackers. There had been nothing for her to do but run and hide in a dark little corner. Her whole world had been a cycle of death and despair. She had also felt alone. All the dolls around her would form little groups and they would fight in the games together. But Mia didn't know who she could trust.
Things had become a little easier after she had gained her powers. Mia had learned to numb her pain and distance herself from her fear thanks to her powers. But her powers still felt useless compared to the powers that the other dolls had. She would have much rather had an attack spell or a spell that she could use to protect herself with. The worst part about the games had been how lonely she felt. She was always surrounded by dolls. But none of them had known her. All of that had changed when she had met Ivy.
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The first thing that Mia had felt towards Ivy was fear. How could she not be afraid of Ivy? Ivy had taken charge of the unit without any hesitation. She had fought fiercely without ever showing the slightest hint of fear. Everything about Ivy had been intimidating to Mia. Then Ivy had begun helping her through the games. She had taught and guided Mia. She had protected and supported her. The world wasn't such an awful place with Ivy in it. If nothing else, Mia had a friend. She didn't have to fight or hide alone.
"Are you ready, Mia?" Ivy would ask her each morning.
"Yup! Do you think that today's game will be hard or easy?" Mia would reply.
"Hm, I don't know. What do you think, Mia?"
"It's going to be easy!" Was always what Mia would say.
Mia pulled her blankets up over her head. Ivy was gone now. But Ivy had left her with many important lessons. These were lessons that Mia would never forget. Mia also wasn't alone. She had Ruby and she had Lu. She had people who cared about her and who she cared about. She had people that would fight for her. And she had people that she would fight for. That was something. These thoughts filled Mia's heart with hope as she drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were filled with a variety of things. Danger, joy, hope, sadness and so much more. But through all of her dreams, Mia was aware of a presence beside her. She didn't know who it was.
But someone was guiding her through all of her dreams. It might have been Ruby; it might have been Ivy. It might have been someone else. But that guide was by her side all through the night. Even though Mia couldn't remember the face of her guide, she knew that her guide was a friend. At last, Mia's eyes opened, and she sat up. Sunlight filled her room. She could hear the sounds of several dolls talking outside. The sleepiness of the night melted off of Mia, along with her dreams. She was alone now. But she didn't feel afraid.