Milly didn't like to think about the fact that she wasn't a real person anymore. The implications were almost too horrible to contemplate. She tried ignoring the uncomfortable questions and concerns swirling in her head, pretending to herself that it didn't really matter if her new body routinely got taken apart and rearranged, chopped and screwed and put back together in whatever configuration was most pleasing to Miss Planner's warped, whimsical mind.

If she didn't turn me into this, I'd be dead, she reminded herself. And I'm still a person. Just a different type of person. I might not have a real brain or blood or muscles or skin or a heart, but I still have a mind. A soul. I can think and I can express my thoughts and ideas...and my feelings. It's all still me. I can still feel happiness and sadness and excitement, fall in love, cry, feel pleasure and pain, and do everything else a human being is supposed to be able to do.

Miss Planner doesn't own my soul. It's mine. She can move it around if she wants, sure, put it inside a little piece of pottery or a metal box or a featureless mannequin... doesn’t mean it belongs to her. She doesn't have the right to decide who I am.

I'm still me. The original Milly. The actual essence of who I am is the same as always. My body is the least important part of who I am. Everyone's body changes. Hair grows out and falls out, teeth fall out and grow in, muscles tear apart, organs break down, skin stretches, and eventually, everyone dies. That doesn't make us any less ourselves.

So... maybe I should just be grateful to Miss Planner for saving my life. I should be grateful to her for being my friend. She's not perfect, but she's the person who helped me in my time of need.

"Milly, are you listening to me?"
"Uh huh..." Milly mumbled. She was staring blankly off into space. Her head had gone all mushy and fuzzy after staring at the creepy dolls in Miss Planner's weird workshop for hours on end, and she was starting to think about things she knew weren't good to be thinking about. Sad, painful things, definitely not the sort of things Miss Planner would be interested in having a conversation about.

"Well then, what do you think we should do?" said the tiny blonde woman. "I'm not saying they deserve another chance in the warehouse or anything, not after they caused all this havoc, but they’re our brothers and sisters in the faith. It’s not like we can just fire all of them, right? Personally, I think we should just transfer them to Temple supply duty or something and leave it at that. Honestly, if we have to punish someone, it should be the managers, not the acolytes. They're the ones who created a culture of laziness. Premium product, inferior service. It's disgraceful, is what it is."

"Yes, um, that is true, ma'am."

Milly had no idea what Miss Planner was talking about. She kept getting lost in thought.

The two women were in the cafeteria. They were having a late lunch. Or possibly an early dinner. Milly wasn't really paying attention anymore. It didn't really matter, did it? She took a sip of her soup. Salty.

Miss Planner hadn't quite mastered the artificial tongue. Her puppets could taste the flavor of salt and little else. Milly figured out early on that she could trick herself into thinking she still had a more complete sense of taste by concentrating on her food's scent and texture, but she didn't feel like it was worth the effort anymore. She was starting to feel that the whole process of putting food into her mouth, chewing it, and swallowing it was kind of wasteful and gross. She didn't need the nourishment to live, so why bother eating at all?

"Is something wrong, Milly? Are you feeling alright? We just did your maintenance on Wednesday, but I can do it for you tonight if you want..."
"Thank you, ma'am. I don't think I need it. Everything's okay. But... yeah, maybe seeing you work on that doll made me feel kinda strange."

"Mmm. I'm sorry about that, Milly. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"No, it's okay, really! It wasn't your fault. You told me I could wait in the hall and I stuck around, so... it’s fine. It’s just, well, I think I forget sometimes that this... body isn't real. Not completely real. Not... permanent. You've rebuilt me three times now, and each new body feels a little more real than the last one... and that just makes it feels really jarring when I'm reminded of how temporary they are."

"That's very understandable, Milly. I know it's not easy having your soul inside that thing, and I'm very proud of you for adjusting as well as you have. You're strong. You've got a lot of courage. And I appreciate you coming to help me today. You deserve more than I can give you right now. I wish I could make a better, more realistic body for you. I wish I could make a body that didn't need as much maintenance, but there are certain limitations to what's possible. That's life. We all have to work with what we're given."
"No, it's not that bad, ma'am. No, I... I love the body you made for me. It just makes me feel sad sometimes that my old body is gone, and I won't ever get the chance to go back to it. But... I can live with this."

"I know you can. The important thing is to keep your head up and stay positive."
"Yeah... I've said this many times now, but... thank you for saving me and giving me a second chance. I'm grateful to be alive. I love being here with you. Working with you. Helping the Chosen Ones."

"You're welcome. My pleasure, really. I've enjoyed working with you, too. We make a pretty amazing team, if I do say so myself."
"Yeah... we do."

Milly was starting to forget what it was like to be human. It was getting harder and harder to remember things from her life before she became a Chosen One. She didn’t know exactly when that started, but she kind of figured that without a brain to contain her memories, she would start to lose them bit by bit until all she remembered was her name and the fact that someone cared enough about her to build her a new body. Maybe she was closer to an evil spirit than a person, now. She was a formless, lifeless thing trapped inside a doll. But she was still Milly.