Chapter 13: A Doll’s Choice
731 Words
Jade walked through the pristine white halls, his footsteps light, controlled. His heart, however, thundered against his ribs. Midnight. That was all the time he had to make a choice—one that would define him forever.
His mind raced. Eliz knew. She had always known. And yet, she had given him an out. A way to survive.
Stay by her side and betray the others.
Or refuse—and die.
As he approached the dormitories where the others slept, his pulse slowed. No, it wasn’t just his life at stake. Mina. Rai. Eve. Every doll who had begun to awaken. If he didn’t act carefully, they would all be erased.
He stepped inside quietly. The dim glow of the emergency lights painted the room in soft shadows. Mina sat on the edge of her bed, arms wrapped around her knees. Rai paced near the window. Eve dozed, curled into a tight ball.
Mina looked up first. “Jade.” Her voice was hushed, urgent. “What did she say?”
Jade hesitated. “She knows.”
Rai froze mid-step. Mina’s breath caught. Even in sleep, Eve stirred, as if sensing the shift in the air.
Mina stood. “Then we need to leave. Now.”
Jade shook his head. “No. We don’t have a way out yet. If we run without a plan, she’ll catch us before we even reach the gates.”
Rai scowled. “So what? We just sit here and wait to be executed?”
Jade met his glare. “No. We use the time she’s given me.”
Mina’s eyes narrowed. “Given you?”
Jade exhaled. “She made me an offer.”
The Newest Rebel
Before they could react, a soft voice broke the silence.
“She wants you to stay.”
Eve.
She sat up in her bed, violet eyes wide, yet knowing. Her small hands gripped the edge of her blanket, knuckles white.
Jade studied her carefully. She had been the last to awaken, the youngest among them. Even now, she rarely spoke during their secret meetings, listening instead—watching.
But she had been listening now.
Mina turned to her. “You understand what that means, don’t you?”
Eve nodded. “She’ll never let him go.”
A small, chilling truth.
Jade sat on the edge of her bed. “Eve… why did you decide to join us?”
She hesitated, then reached under her pillow. Slowly, she pulled out a small metal tag—her serial number.
“I found this in the archives two weeks ago.” Her voice trembled. “It says I was made after I arrived here.”
Jade took the tag gently, fingers brushing over the cold surface. It was just like theirs, stamped with an identification code. But Eve hadn’t been assigned one like the rest. She had been placed among them, her past rewritten.
“I was… human once.” Her breath hitched. “I think.”
A heavy silence fell over them.
That was why Eliz had always been softer with Eve. Why she had never been sent for reprogramming.
Mina clenched her fists. “So they’ve been experimenting on humans too.”
Eve looked at Jade, searching his face for an answer. “If I was human, then I could have been… anyone.” Her eyes darkened. “They took that from me.”
Jade set the tag down, his grip firm on her shoulder. “Then we take it back.”
Eve nodded, small but determined.
The Decision
Mina’s voice was barely a whisper. “What kind of offer?”
Jade’s hands curled into fists. “If I stay with her… she’ll let the rest of you go.”
Rai cursed under his breath. Eve clutched the blanket tighter around herself. Mina’s expression was unreadable.
“And?” Mina pressed.
Jade clenched his jaw. “And I won’t do it.”
The tension in the room broke like glass. Mina exhaled, looking away. Rai ran a hand through his hair, muttering something under his breath. Eve released the breath she’d been holding.
“She’s going to come for us,” Mina said finally.
“I know,” Jade answered.
Rai cracked his knuckles. “Then we better make sure we’re ready.”
Jade nodded. Midnight was coming. And when it did—
They would no longer be dolls.
- Writer
