The girl's dorm was sullen, and the Joylings were nowhere to be found playing in the hallway. The bedroom where I stayed had its window removed. No scratches, no painting, not even a toy on the sight. The upper floor is empty. But it was a rare moment of peace—just enough for me to explore the corridor in search of my closest friend.
"Starglaze! Starglaze!" I searched my bedroom for him, but he was nowhere to be found. Not even on his special bed above mine. I know Starglaze very well, and he won't leave that bed in the early morning because he's a tired soul.
"Starglaze, where are you?"
"What a heartless creature," Carolina mumbled. Some people didn't see him as much as I do, like Carolina with Starglaze. Everyone hated him for the same reason that Starglaze was—much with himself. He has an attitude that I could not say is comforting to hear, but awful is not his entire personality.
"He's not here," Carolina searches through the drawers, the closet and even under the drawer's foot.
"I still don't understand why you somehow get close to him. I mean, is there any reason you befriended him more than just 'made for you' kind of reason?"
"He's not mean. He's good with me, and he wouldn't be rude to me. I know he's being mean to others, but he's very understanding than you think."
"I see. But maybe you should've learned to help his attitude a bit. We don't treat creatures like him here...except Fuss, Ruckus, and Fluster who have a snake eye on us. We really had to put more caretakers on these children."
I am speechless. I sat with a bummed face and disappointment as my friend left me on this important day. I realized how easily I had forgotten my closest friend since morning. I thought of Doorwell so much that I forgot my closest roommate.
Some Joylings are closer than others—and some surely didn't leave on one another. Yet I find it unamusing to see Starglaze nowhere in my presence, and I have grown more restless since. I shouldn't have woken up too early with this pressure.
"Aww, Starglaze. Why did you have to be so free? I've always had to find you when others can't,"
"Silly friend...you are too confident in yourself."
It was clear that he wasn't there. But I insisted because I had to stall for another time. It was unexpected that the egg siblings happened to eavesdrop on us by the window during our talk here. I can see Crack's colorful pastel pattern on the window and Yolk's creeping hands on the doorframe. They weren't a good hider.
"Yolk? Crack? What are you doing?" Carolina called the two out. They were embarrassed to find out their hiding tactics wouldn't work on me and her. These two people hadn't been good hiders since the first hide-and-seek in Easter.
"Oh, uhm...we were looking for Pearl. Does she remain occupied now or?" Yolk looked at me with a nervous stare.
"I'm free. What is it that bothers now?" I approached the egg siblings.
"Well, we've heard about you leaving this Institute and we didn't know what to say. We...we're sad that you're going to leave us now." Yolk slowly frowned upon me. Her eyes blinked rapidly, and her shell shivered like a salt bottle.
"I know it's difficult for you to imagine. But I need to leave eventually. It's time..."
"W-well, the thing is...we weren't too happy about it and we wonder if you could...uhm..." Crack intervenes, pointing his head between me and his sister.
"If you could offer us a ballet course?"
My eyes have never been so far wide. The last word coming from Crack's tongue immediately erases all my words and pride. I had never thought that bidding goodbye would go in such a distance. Not even Carolina was ready for what they were hearing.
"W-what?" I mumbled with a smile.
"Uh, forgive me if I ask, but what do you mean by that?"
"Ugh! I've been around trying to balance myself like you did since 5 years ago! I'm an egg, and all my siblings keep falling! We wanted to practice ballet because we wanted to be like you!" Yolk kneels before me, hands praying, and eyes teary.
"But I don't even—"
Before I could finish what I was about to utter for the siblings, a human arrived in my bedroom with a new Joyling behind him. It appears he was looking for me to leave this room, as I can see the mattress he was about to prepare for me.
"Excuse me! The laundry service coming! Is this the room for J-P-F-001? I hope you are ready to leave this room because another one is looking for this place. Come on out, young lady!" The man seems unaware of what happened in this place.
I couldn't stop a man like him, for Joyling's sake, who was waiting for a new life for me. She was scared, troubled, and helpless like me. After all, I was about to leave this place anyway. All my posters and belongings have been put out of the room, which means this room has nothing about me anymore.
"H-hey, young lady. I hope you don't mind, but we need to replace this bed now. Heard you were about to go outside now—" He kneels to my face, hoping to get my attention. The egg siblings step aside, greeting the new Joyling. Surprisingly, I have no memory or a name for this one. All I know is that she must've been a fierce Joyling to survive until here.
"Okay, I get it...I'm already leaving, too... Please...please tell me...if you find...Starglaze..." I begged them. At the same time, the egg siblings looked low for me.
"That star guy gone again? Will do, young lady."
I watched as the man removed the cage bed where Starglaze had slept, emptying the traces of dust in my cabinet and sweeping all the glitters from the tiny table of my arts and crafts session. Everything in the room is now clean, new as I was once introduced to.
"Hey..." I wave at her.
The new Joyling awaits with his mind as unease as me. She looks strong for a troubled Joyling, bearing a strong red hue and a mysterious yet harmless presence. Her smile was not so bright, and she didn't even smile much. She looked so low and helpless as if needing more humans to comfort her.
"Is he...new here?" Pearl glances suspiciously.
"Definitely. We keep finding more and more Joyling even after we revisited the same vault many times," Carolina mumbled.
"Weird. I don't recognize that one...are you sure it's a Joyling?"
"Well, doesn't it look that Joyling?" She jokes. I admit that I had a laugh from that.
The egg siblings still lingered behind me, waiting for my confirmation. Even after greeting the new Joyling, their smiles looked as awkward as they begged for me. They only wanted to practice the balance I've had as a ballet.
"So...?" Crack awaits with a tutu set on his waist. His sisters also wear them.
"*Sigh* Ms Carolina? Can I spare an hour?"
"An hour? Is that enough for them?" Carolina doubted it. I couldn't blame her when the egg siblings were also flawed.
"Yes, an hour should be enough. You three, get one set...because I won't repeat."
After an hour, the egg siblings finally learn to balance themselves with one foot. They no longer bumped and fell as they wished, at the cost of my hours here. I was tired, but at least it was over. I couldn't be distracted anymore.
"Thank you, Ms Pristine!" Crack stands on one foot in gratitude.
"Yeah, you're welcome...just don't twist your joint again. I really don't understand why would you do that."
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"You look much happier handling those Joylings." Carolina stood by me as I continued walking.
"Oh, what I wouldn't do for my friends. Even Starglaze..."
My feet went down the stairway, leaving the dorm to the lobby as I was ready to look for Starglaze. To my surprise, Doorwell, my old and trustable friend, stood by the last step of the stairs with a black tie on her neck, taking the matter more seriously than I did. She has more flowers in her grip, with more on her head and her wrists.
"H-hey, Pearl. You're still here..." Doorwell replies faintly. Suddenly, she seems caring for me.
"Doorwell, you didn't have to. It's only—" Pearl was uncomfortable.
"It's important! If you're about to leave, then I coming with you!" She approached me in a hurry. I couldn't tell if she was joking or being serious.
"Doorwell, I don't think you could do that. The doctors won't allow you to go out until you finished your session first. Maybe you should ask Dr Volcker first about the—"
Once again, I couldn't finish my sentence. Another human walked in and intervened again. Dr. Eugene, Doorwell's caretaker, appeared with a smirk on his face as if he was taunting me. I remember when we used to have a little scuffle, which had nothing to do with Doorwell.
"Doorwell, what are you doing there? Aren't you supposed to pack up?"
"I'm about to, Mr. Eugene! But I need to tell Pearl, too! She was about to leave with me!"
"Mr Volcker? What is the meaning of this?" Carolina confronted Eugene with a suspecting look. He was a calm man facing that face from her.
"What is what? Two Joylings are ready to leave. That's what I see."
I was surprised to hear the words coming from Doctor Eugene's mouth. This morning, I saw Doorwell worried as I was about to leave, leaving me questioned as to her silence. But now, I discover that perhaps Doorwell wasn't holding onto me with a grudge or grief. She was worried about leaving me instead.
"As you can see here. This morning, Ms J-D-F-636 had already completed all her therapy course and recovery evaluation states that she was in the same level as J-P-F-001..."
"And I was in a hurry trying to help her out. This morning, Doorwell and I had trouble with preparation, and she seems troubled about leaving all of her friends, too."
She was as worried as I was! All this time, she was thinking about everything I was thinking. No wonder she was silent! She must have changed her mind when she heard me leaving, probably because she didn't expect me to leave with her, too. I could not feel so relieved and happy to know that she was going with me.
"Doorwell, you didn't tell me you were leaving too? You had me worried all this morning." I was mixed between anger and happiness.
"I was afraid! I didn't know you were leaving, too! This morning, I was trying to hold everything back because I wanted to meet you and hope we could spend more time!" Doorwell reasons. We both had a tear of joy.
"If I know you were also being released today, I would've tighten my lyre's string quicker!"
"Aww, I didn't realize how much I burden you today! I'm sorry!"
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry! You weren't even aware I was leaving, too! You must have tried stalling the hours because of me!"
Both of us are apologizing to each other for our actions. We couldn't be happier to not only be the two Joylings who were ready to leave this place, but to see the sun together. Our caretaker immediately stopped us from stalling another time with our apology, and we were rushed to the packaging when the clock reached nine.——————————————————————————————————————————
The two of us are standing next to the vault door—one large door that separates this place from the outside with a sky we have yearned to reach for long. A few Joylings wouldn't think of our leave as nothing, for they cry, grieve, and then smile before the two of us. The only thing we carried for this trip is only a briefcase with our personal belongings, and my ballet dress is not one of them.
"Glad to be here with you, Pearl! A place won't be the same like this ever!" Shimmer raises her bulb for me. The bright light sparked from it caught me off guard.
"When I'm out there, please remember me, okay?" Doe raises his hat for me.
"I'll let you know when I visit you! Maybe we can even have a tea party there?" Due raises her cup.
"Don't forget about Doorwell, too! She deserves the tears for all she does in the studio, too!" I gave my share fairly for her, even if Doorwell didn't appear so willing to have it.
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"N-no! I don't deserve all of this! I'm not the star here, Pearl! It's you!" Doorwell insisted. Even she was still humbling herself before me.
Now it was goodbye for all my friends, even Starglaze. I was hoping I could bring him with me, but the little star has changed a lot since he was here. Maybe it's finally the time I accept that he had never found interest in me. Maybe all this time, people were right about him.
I never thought out of all the Joylings here, my closest friend wouldn't be with me to witness the sun together. We always dreamt of seeing the world outside, watching the first dawn as we leave the moon we've been moulded with. For once, it was not the moon we were looking at. But maybe Starglaze wasn't ready—perhaps he wasn't too eager to see that sun.
"Are we ready to leave now, Pristine?" Doorwell waited for me by the vault as it was being opened. All Joylings were stepping aside as they could not see the sun yet. Their minds are still too raw for the light outside.
"Yeah. I think we should..." I have to make up my mind as soon as possible. At least I wasn't going alone.
"So, this is it. I thought I could've played Gleam with you before we left." Doorwell insisted. It's funny that she acted like I'm the only one leaving here. Does she think we wouldn't be able to do so in my new home? Or in hers? I wonder if humans still have one. I couldn't wait for the two of us to play Gleam when we're at our home.
"Who says we couldn't?" I joke.
As we were about to leave this place, the remaining Joylings wanted to give us a farewell gift. Of course, we couldn't forget our friends here who have been learning and crafting new things with the humans. I couldn't say I ever cooperated with humans enough to make these crafts like them.
"Have some dictionary, young lady! You don't know if those humans could speak a different language. I noted 125,000 types of words for you to read in case you need to know." Graham gifted me a thick black book. I suppose it would be useful when I meet a lot of humans.
"Some humans here like to talk nonsense."
"Graham, do not call me a young lady when I am more mighty than you. But thank you for your kindness." I reply.
"Here! Don't forget that some humans could hurt you! Made it with what human called baking soda on the kitchen!" Fuss offers me a funny gadget. I think it's an explosive.
"Thank you, but Pearl may not need that." Carolina came to the rescue.
"Thank you, everyone. I'll make sure your kindness won't be missed there."
The gift I had been given was perfect. But my curiosity now lies with Doorwell as I watched her standing beside me with the gift of a bell and a cape from a few Joylings. I couldn't believe how I wanted to have those gifts now instead of these. But it's not that I'm jealous or anything!
"Here you go, Doorwell. Use this bell whenever you feel lonely, and when you need the sound of the harmonious presence of Bellum!" Bellum humbles herself before Doorwell.
"Thank you. I'll make use of this..."
*Thought* "Why can't I have something good like that?" I'm not jealous.
For one last time, the Joylings gathered for a hug. Hands wrapped around me and Doorwell's shoulders as everyone cried for us. We Joylings shouldn't cry, but these tears are happy tears that we can no longer hold. I began to wonder if Carolina was also touched by this.
"Oh, Cyrus. If only you could have seen this, too..." I couldn't tell who she was talking to, but I believe it was almost someone deep.