I was always the winner. You may think I lost, but I won.

Ib took a hesitant step back as the man before turned around and faced her. His smile seemed sweet, but those red eyes of his did not.

"W-who ar-"

"Now Ib, no time for questions. Please come closer Ib, I want to see you." He asked politely. She looked at him oddly as she slowly started taking steps closer to him. The door squeaked shut behind her as she got close enough to him that she could see her own reflection in the mirror behind him. The man's smile only got deeper as she got closer. "Wow. Ib you've grown. Look at you! You're so much bigger!" He seemed cheerful and genuine.

"How do you know my name?" Ib finally spoke up. She was… scared of this man. He just chuckled as if that was an absurd question.

"But Ib, don't you remember me?" He tilted his head.

"You resemble one of the paintings in the gallery, bu-"

"But I'm not. Ha, don't you see Ib! I'm real!" He laughed, seeming a bit hysterical. The stranger stepped forward. His old green-ish shirt shuffled across his chest as he reached his hand out to the shorter girl. Slowly he stroked he cheek, causing Ib to flinch. The flinch gave Garry irritation and pulled away. "Don't you know who I am!" He yelled, causing her to flinch again. Ib quickly shook her head in response. Garry clenched his hands into fists and growled under his breath. The longer Ib stayed clueless and quiet the angrier Garry got.

"I'm sorry sir. I'm sorry I don't remember. If this was something that happened with me as a child, then I doubt I'll remember. " Ib finally spoke softly, trying not to continue angering the man. Ib looked away from his direction. "I can hardly remember this place and I don't know why. That gallery was probably the most important thing ever to happen to me and I don't know why. So please sir, be patient." Ib tried to calm the stranger. Garry looked at the grown, a big frown on his face.

"I've waited 7 years for you to come back… I will NOT wait another second!" He yelled as he faced the ground. Ib just flinched and stepped back. When Garry finally looked back up at her it was with a fierce glare in his eye. It was clear that Ib was going to have to fight her way away from this guy.

She turned towards the door and ran towards it, looking forward with a beam of hope. When she reached the door she tried to turn the doorknob, but it was locked. The lacking and clicking of the door destroyed any hope she had of escaping him.

"Ib. Why are you running? I don't want to scare you. I never intended to-"

"Whatever business I had with you as a child… It doesn't matter anymore. Let. Me. Go!" Ib panicked, when suddenly the doorknob turned and the door opened. Ib ran straight out, leaving Garry standing there alone.

A bouncing blonde girl had jumped into the blue Abyss of the Deep. Her pale skin started to glow as she felt her humanity slipping away. She was sinking as well, but slower. Her blonde hair turned a more unnatural sunshine yellow. She could feel her appearance hanging. Her clothes faded away into a long green gown. When she walked through the door she knew she was no longer human. The hallway seemed just as dark and quiet as ever. None of the paintings talked with one another, they stayed and kept to their own damn business. Yet when they noticed a familiar looking yellow haired girl roaming the halls they had to pay attention.

Gurtena's last painting. The very face he created before dying. The every face that was born only to see her creator drop dead. Mary. The young face with personality. Mary… Pretty Mary.

Tears fell down her cheeks as she walked the halls, searching for her dearest sister. "Ib." She called repeatedly.

Meanwhile Ib ran and ran. The whispers and footsteps crowed her mind, but she just kept running and running. When she felt like she was far enough she stopped to catch her breath. Leaning again the wall she slid down the ground.

"Ib." Mary called out to her as she walked down a hall.

"Mary?" A man called to her, she recognized the voice instantly. Mary turned to the tall man smiling at her from a few feet away. "Ah pretty, pretty Mary. I see you've come back." Mary glared over at him with determination in her eyes.

"Where is my sister?" She asked strongly.

"There is the big question." Garry chuckled. "It is also the funniest question, since when was Ib ever your sister?" The dark tone of the tall man was like a stab in the heart.

"7 years ago when her parents brought me home and Ib started calling me her sister!"

"That may be true, you were brought into their home 7 short years ago, but you had to steal something in order to leave this hellish place. Mary, you stole my humanity and left me here to die. All you did was think about yourself and take another's life. What would little Ib do if she found out that her dearest sister is nothing more than a murderer." He continued to talk her down.

"Shut up!" She yelled angrily at him. Her hands kept in tight fists.

"Oh? Did I strike a chord?"

"Shut up Garry! Hell, are you even Garry anymore? I'm not a murderer, I'm not evil, I'm Ib's sister! I've been there for everything, everything!" She panicked. The more she spoke the more the ground shook, small cracks surrounded the floor around her. When she finally calmed down she realized she had caused that.

"See? You aren't human, but I think you already knew that." He laughed as he turned to walk off.

"You're a monster." Mary mumbled as she felt tears filling her eyes.

"Whatever I am… I have you to thank for." An odd grin shaped his face as he walked away, leaving his footsteps to echo. Mary let tears fall down her face and disappear to the ground below.

Ib let out a small cough before standing up straight. As she continued to calmly walk down the endless halls she noticed a small beam of light coming through, what seemed to be, a window. She hurried over to it. She was shocked to look into the gallery. The same white walls she was once surrounded by, her classmates looking at painting after painting. Ib gasped and banged against it lightly. Maybe she could catch somebody's attention.

"Hello!? Help, somebody! I'm trapped in here!" She yelled out but nobody seemed to answer.

"Hey look Eve, this one looks just like you." A girl pointed at the Ib as she looked through the window. 3 or 4 more girls walked over to her. They "ooo'd" and "ahhh'd" as they stared at her. Ib could only look directly at the small girl standing in front of the group. She had the same long blonde hair and dolly face as the younger girl she met once before. She even had the same striking red eyes, only she wore a simple black hoodie and light blue jeans. They called her Eve.

Eve stepped forward and looked up at the "painting" that deeply resembled her. She sent villainess glare Ib's way and only Ib saw it. While Ib shook in worry.

"Well lets go Eve, the bus is going to leave soon." The girls departed, with Eve alongside them.

"Who... was that…"

Just like the cycle of Mary she had been replaced. Ib looked closely at the window to see her own reflection. Her hair was a lighter brown and her skin was pure perfection. Her eyes were now a blood red. Ib's very humanity had been taking.

AN: Chapter 2, done and done! It's a bit shorter and that bothers me but whatever! Next chapter I hope to explain how the heck Eve and Ib even switched places... yey confusing and evil paintings!

Read and Review pwease! X3 I wuv you