Blossom's eyes fluttered open. It always took her a little while to realize she had woken. She just lay there for a few minutes, blinking at the bright sunlight that surrounded her. At first her mind felt numb and blank. She was aware of the things around her, but she didn't feel anything. Lu had once described feeling the same way after waking up. Lu had described it as feeling numb and robotic, unable to move or feel. She had described it as the worst part of her day. Blossom simply felt lightheaded and dazed. The world around her was distant like something out of a dream.
But slowly she began to wake up. She slowly began to take in everything. Then memories came washing over Blossom. The dazed and dreamlike feeling melted off of her. With a yawn, the spell broke and she was back to her old self. She was awake and she suddenly wanted to roll over and fall back asleep.
But she couldn't sleep. There was something that Blossom needed to do. It was something important. It was... it was... oh, right. She needed to get that letter to Lu as quickly as possible. She sat up. Everything around her was shining with bright light. Was it her imagination or was the sun five times brighter than it had been before? Why was she even asking that? It didn't really matter. It was late in the morning from the looks of it. Argh! This was going to mess things up! Blossom couldn't remember the last time that she had slept in this late. She had always been a light sleeper who woke up almost at the exact same time every single day.
It had been that way for as long as Blossom could remember. It had seemed automatic to Blossom. So, why, why did that have to change when it mattered most? What was Blossom thinking? What was she even doing? Why was she here?
"Argh!" Blossom buried her face in her hands and groaned. If only there was some way for her to turn her mind off. These thoughts weren't getting her anywhere. She needed to stay calm. Her head spinning, Blossom stumbled to her feet. She certainly wasn't a fan of the super bright sunlight. What in the world was Mary doing?
What was the point of all these stupid changes? Maybe Mary was simply trying to make her life worse. This wouldn't be the first time after all. After some stumbling around and rapid blinking, Blossom's eyes began to adjust to the bright light. Now she was able to peer out the window into the streets below without her head exploding with pain.
The streets mostly appeared to be empty. Blossom could only see a couple of dolls running towards the square. Those dolls were probably running late for the games. From the looks of it, the games would be starting any minute now. Fresh buds of panic began to bloom inside of Blossom's mind as she realized just how badly she had messed up. It would be impossible for her to get that letter to Lu at this rate. But she also couldn't just leave it on her desk. Could she destroy it? Maybe she would simply hide it.
"Can all members of this unit please head towards the square? The games are about to begin!" Mary's voice filled Blossom's room. She caught her breath with a little cry and leaped back. Where was Mary's voice coming from? Her voice sounded strange, and slightly robotic. Perhaps this was a prerecorded message. Lu must be right about the overseers. They really could see everything that the dolls did. Well, in that case, there wasn't really much point in hiding the letter. So, Blossom set it back down on the desk.
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Blossom had been told many times that the quickest way to get yourself punished was to refuse to show up to the games. But she hadn't expected it to happen this quickly. Mary had already noticed that she wasn't there. So, Blossom probably was being spied on right now. The thought of that sent little prickles of fear and discomfort racing down the back of her neck. Now there really wasn't nothing for Blossom to do but sit down and wait for her doom to reach her. They would be here any minute now. Her apartment was painfully quiet without the others here.
Blossom sat down on the floor in front of her bed. Sitting still was going to be hard with all the panic that was welling up inside of her. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Mary's voice filled her room once again. This time it was even louder and there was a sharpness to Mary's sweet tone. Now she addressed Blossom by name.
"Blossom, please make your way over to the square and join in the games," Mary ordered. Blossom opened her eyes and fixed her gaze on the ceiling with what she hoped was a defiant look on her face. "Please do not make this harder than it has to be," Mary said. This time the sweetness was gone.
It was the calmest and most human that Blossom had ever heard Mary sound. The cheerfulness had been replaced with a cold and firm sound. It was no longer an order. It was a threat. Blossom kept her mouth shut as Mary's voice faded away. Punishment periods could last up to two years. This might very well be the last time that Blossom would get to see her home for a while. As the silence grew heavier, Blossom glanced around the room.
It was so easy to hate this city. It was so easy to hate its bright colors and sparkles. But there was no denying that it was lovely. A prison was a prison. But even this was better than the tiny dark rooms that Blossom would soon be living in. She would miss the sparkling glass and dainty carvings when they were gone. According to Ruby, this place had once been for children. That made the city make more sense to Blossom.
Sometimes she wished she could see what it had once looked like before it was a prison. It didn't make any real difference what the city had once been. But it brought Blossom a little bit of comfort to know that it hadn't been built out of evil. The dolls had been meant to entertain children. That was what they had once been to the humans. Now Blossom didn't even know what she was or why she had been kept alive.
Why? Why had they built her? Maybe she could finally answer that question. That question had been eating away at her. She needed to know the truth. The pain would be worth the truth. Blossom could hear them now. At first, it was faint. Distant footsteps drifted down the street. They were far too heavy to be a doll's footsteps.
To say that Blossom's hearing was sharp would be a ridiculous understatement. Sometimes she wondered if her hearing was a leftover power from one of her past lives before she had been shattered. Maybe Mary had forgotten to remove it. But Blossom was glad that her hearing was like this. Hearing things from miles away had saved her life several times.
Down the street and into the apartment the footsteps came. Then up the stairs and down the hall. Blossom kept her eyes on the ceiling as her door was flung open. She held perfectly still as a small group surrounded her. Why? Did they really think that she could hurt them? It was as if they were afraid of her. Blossom held perfectly still as a hand was pressed to her neck. A stinging sensation shot through her, and she collapsed. The faces around her became a blur as Blossom's mind faded away into heavenly nothingness.