HOORAY, another chapter! SO EXCITED I AM! -does a happy fox dance-
So, We all can assume who the man in the painting is yes? ROFL Let us continue and see how Ib reacts.
Also, cookies to anyone who can guess what new friend is going to be helping Ib out. I'll give you a hint, it was part of one of the puzzles you had to solve. BUT that be the only hint you get!
Presenting, CHAPTER TWO!
Ib felt her heart jump in her throat as his one visible eye opened. The intense blue iris looked around, widening when she was spotted. The ever present smile turned down as he looked at her. He did not look angry, or even annoyed. He just looked…really sad...
Ib trembled as the man continued to stare at her, unable to tear herself from his intense gaze. Half of her wanted to run for the hills, screaming like a scared child, and into her father's arms. The other half, however, felt unafraid, as if she almost knew this being would not hurt her.
Would he?
His unblinking stare was starting to unnerve her. She almost felt as those he was accusing her of something. She didn't like it.
She managed to turn away, breathing heavily and heart beating rapidly. Quickly glancing over her should, her eyes widened.
He wasn't staring anymore, resuming that impression of exhaustion he had displayed earlier. He was back to normal…almost…but…
He was still frowning…
"Are…are you mad at me?" She asked tentatively. "Did I do something wrong?"
Blinking she walked closer. "Did I hurt you? Is that why you visit me?"
The painting didn't move again. But she swore she could feel a strong presence emanating from the canvas. It was sad, so very, very sad. And lonely.
She leaned closer, her breath catching in her throat as something whispered in her ear.
"Ib…Ib…Iiiiib..."
"H-hello?"
"Ib…why did you forget me…why did you forget me Ib?"
"W-w-what?"
"We went through so much…why did you forget me?"
A long shuddery sob echoed in her ear, causing her to jump. She felt someone lay a cold hand on her shoulder and squeeze gingerly.
"Every time you visit…I keep hoping…you'll remember…Why can't you remember…oh Ib…Mary has…she…please Ib…please remember…"
"I don't understand…why…how…how do you know Mary!?" She cried, stepping away. Her reaction caused several other visitors to stare at her. She could feel her face heating up at the unwanted attention, but she continued to stare at the painting, heart pounding. There was no response, only a feeling of sorrow that seemed to pour out of the picture towards her. With a shake of her head, she turned, walking quickly away. She was hallucinating, that was all. Paintings couldn't talk.
A sudden gasp made her pause, and she unwillingly looked back.
The voice sounded scared when he spoke next,
"Iiib…Ib?...I-I…can…barely…hear…you…Ib? Please don't leave me again!"
The desperation in his voice made her stop then turn around, tiptoeing softly up to the frame. There was a shuddery sob as the presence began to weep softly. Her fear faded as she listened, and she suddenly felt the urge to comfort him.
"Please…don't be sad…don't cry…I-I don't know who you are…but I want to know…You show up every night while I'm sleeping…You say I forgot something, but I don't know what. All I know is that I feel as though I've know you all my life. Even though I've forgotten in my mind, my heart must know you because you look so familiar to me. Please don't cry anymore…I'm sorry…"
The sobs had subsided as she finished talking. There was a long silence, almost as if the spirit was contemplating what she had just said. She held her breath as she felt cool arms wrap around her, then the voice spoke in her ear, gentle yet weary.
"Go…to…the…mural…go…before…it's…too late…Ib…"
"The…the mural?"
The voice was fading fast, a mere whisper now, "Go…t…o…the…mur…al…Ib…before…she…fi…nds…out…hu…r…r y…ple…ase…"
There was a shuddery sigh as the arms squeezed her comfortingly.
"Pl…ea…se…he…lp…me…Ib…"
She felt something cool press against her cheek before it disappeared altogether, leaving behind the heavy scent of roses and smoke. She fell to her knees, breathing heavily.
"Miss…Miss are you alright?" She jumped as a woman touched her arm. "Are you alright? You looked as though you saw a ghost."
"I…I-I'm fine…I'm alright…" She stood shakily to her feet. People continued to stare as she walked away. Ignoring them, she stepped quickly around the corner and sank to her knees. Her heart was still pounding, and she could feel her hands trembling. She needed to calm down and gather her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she contemplated what the voice had told her.
'What did he mean…go to the mural? Unless…' She looked to her right. Around the next hallway was the famous mural of Guertena's. It was the only mural there…
Biting her lower lip, Ib weighed her options. On one hand, she really did not want to go near that mural. She still felt very wary whenever she passed by, and she had no desire to be near the painting.
But on the other hand...that sad voice...she couldn't let him down...
Nodding her head, she jumped to her feet and forced herself to go around the corner. A feeling of dread began to blossom in her chest as she got closer, but she brushed the feeling away and slowed in front of the painting.
The International Mural, by Guertena. A strong pull tugged on her as she neared the frame. Yes, this must have been what he had been talking about. But what was she suppose to do? Break the glass? She couldn't very well do that…
She leaned in to inspect the canvas when a memory flashed through her mind.
She was nine and she had touched the frame. The lights flickered and the museum was mysteriously empty…
"H-hello?" She called, stepping fearfully downstairs…
Ib blinked, startled. She had been…transported through the painting? How was that possible?
Nevertheless she bent closer, reaching out and touching the old frame. Just like her memory, the lights began to flicker. The museum, which had been filled with the talk and laughter of other visitors, was suddenly really quiet.
She waited, straining her ears for any noise. The silence almost overwhelmed her. There was no one…
A chill went down her spine as another memory surfaced.
Walking down the steps, the lights flickered again then went out. Everyone was gone, including her parents. She ran back up the steps, frightened, and raced back to the mural. A sudden dripping noise caught her attention. From the bottom corner, blue paint dripped to the ground. Words formed on the floor, "Come Ib Come Ib." As she stared at the message on the ground another noise erupted from the painting and a new message appeared beneath the frame, "come down below ib ill show you someplace secret"
Ib clutched her head as another memory surfaced…
She stepped hesitantly onto the painting, gasping as she fell through with a wet splash…
Breathing heavily, the brunette leaned against the wall. She felt tears brimming at the corner of her eyes as one by one her memories slowly returned.
Finding the red rose…her red rose…
The ant painting…
Running….running….a headless mannequin chasing her and falling through the hole in the painting…and crashing to the ground below…
The Lady in Red…
Carrie Careless and her traitorous friend…
She trembled as the horrors of the gallery came back to her. How could she go through it all again? All the fear and pain she had suffered…
How could she forget such a terrible place!?
She hugged herself and took a deep breath before standing up. She was doing this for the man in the painting. She had told him she would come and she intended to keep that promise.
"Besides," Ib reasoned out loud, "I have the lighter and the monsters hate fire." She took the lighter out and flicked open the top, taking comfort in the friendly little flame.
Pocketing her weapon, she walked downstairs. The silence continued, almost as if the gallery was holding its breath. The paintings seemed to be watching her with apprehension as she passed, eyeing her pocket with wary eyes. She ignored them, eager to get to "Abyss of the Deep" before anyone decided to attack her.
The same footprints stood before a break in the rope. She stood by the edge, hesitating. If she went in, there would be no turning back. And there was no telling if the monsters were still there. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, then quickly walked into the "Abyss of the Deep".
She felt the coolness of the water flow over her skin and then sudden warmth. Blinking, she gasped.
She was in a long hallway.
A cold chill ran down her spine as she investigated. She recognized this place. This is where her adventure had begun. She absentmindedly chewed on her lip as she searched her memories. Yes…this is where she had gotten her rose…The plant had disappeared after she had escaped from the gallery.
"I wonder…"
Almost tiptoeing down the hallway, she paused as she spotted the table still shoved against the wall in the far right corner. Thief was still scrawled across the floor and walls in bright red paint. Everything was exactly the same as when she had left.
Was that a good thing?
She shuddered; probably not, knowing this gallery. 'Keep your eyes open Ib' she warned herself as she neared the table.
A sudden sense of relief washed over her as she stepped closer. Her rose was there, leaning eagerly against the vase as though it was willing her to come towards it. The flower bobbed happily as she wrapped her fingers around the delicate stem, joyfully inhaling the sweet scent. The petals felt soft and cool to her fingers and she was startled to discover that her rose had grown.
"Quite possibly because I'm an adult now." She murmured to herself happily. The rose seemed to nod in agreement, making her giggle.
She placed the flower in her hair, tucking the stem under her headband securely. Brushing the soft blossom gently, she let out a relived sigh.
Her rose…she had missed her rose.
Feeling happier, she turned, intending to enter the door down the hall. Instead she slid to a sudden stop and shrieked.
There was an eyeball staring at her from the floor.
Her hands flew to her mouth, eyes round with shock. The eyeball blinked at her, then crinkled happily. Rolling around her feet excitedly, the green iris sparkled with joy.
Ib blinked, confused. He wasn't going to attack her? She had been expecting him to jump at her or...
She mentally smacked herself, of course he couldn't. Obviously he was just an eyeball! What was he going to do, blink her to death? Shaking her head, she uncertainly waved at him.
"Uh…hello…" He stopped and blinked back at her, still sparkling.
"Umm…I suppose we've met before haven't we?" The eyeball blinked rapidly. Ib took that as a yes. Nodding back, she knelt by him. She giggled as he rolled around her again, eyelid fluttering even more excitedly, before finally settling next to her knee.
"Well it's a pleasure to see you Mr. Eyeball. I apologize, but I can't seem to remember where or how we met. All my memories of this place are just now coming back to me…"
He blinked again, looking rather sad, before perking up. Rolling back and forth in a strange almost patterned dance he slowly closed.
Although confused, Ib waited expectantly. This place was, she remembered, known for being strange and bizarre. The inhabitants would be no different.
The eye didn't fail her. The iris enlarged as the lids gradually opened until the white was completely replaced by black. A small figure moved in the center of the eye.
She leaned closer, her own red irises widening in astonishment.
She was looking at the eyeball's memories through his point of view! Amazing!
As she watched, many other eyes rolled and fluttered on the dark floor. They seemed to be relaxing and blinking at one another. This went on for a few minutes before the scene went dark. She realized that the eyeball she was speaking to had been moving at this point, because a few seconds later she was watching the other eyes from a different angle.
For a few moments, the eye seemed to be content just moving around the others, blinking at them in response when they blinked at him. Ib gasped as something suddenly jumped at the eye, wounding him. There was a squeak of distress and the eye closed and rolled rapidly away. The screen turned pinkish red and with a start she remembered.
"You…you're the eye that I helped!" She whispered astonished. The eye made no response, not that Ib had expected him to.
She watched as the eye rolled behind his friends, hiding away from the creature that had attacked him. The others surrounded him, staring sympathetically and fluttering in what Ib guessed was an attempt to comfort him.
Suddenly a dark shadow fell over the eye. Ib's heart stopped as someone suddenly spoke.
"YAAAAH! What is THAT! Gross is what! Why are there EYES on the FLOOR…!?"
The voice was soft, obviously male, with a very subtle British accent. He sounded very familiar…
Then there was another voice, a girl's, which giggled at her companion's disgust.
Two figures stepped up to the wounded eye. Her heart began to pound as she saw herself at age nine; her younger version peered over at the eye sympathetically.
"Poor eyeball…" Her image said sadly. The other figure leaned closer.
Ib gasped.
He was the man in the painting! The one from her dreams! No wonder his voice had sounded familiar.
She leaned back, her thoughts in a jumble. So he really had been in the gallery with her! But why couldn't she remember him? She blinked as he suddenly leaned closer. Not wanting to miss a second, she huddled forward, eagerly taking in his face, giggling as he scrunched his nose in disgust. There was a concerned look in his eye as he stared back at the injured eyeball on the floor.
"D…Does this lone eye have a congestion problem?" He questioned. Her younger self turned to him, confused, before grabbing his hand. He smiled at her gently.
There was another dark flash before she saw the two figures walking up again, the young Ib holding something small in her hand.
Ib smiled as they approached the hurt eye. She remembered now, the poor thing looked like he had been in so much pain…
She was glad she had helped. Smiling, she resumed watching.
The eye turned to the young Ib as she got closer, focusing on her face.
"Go ahead Ib." The man urged gently. She nodded, before tilting a small bottle over the eye. He trembled as several watery drops fell from the tip, landing with a plop right onto his iris. Suddenly, the red disappeared. The eye blinked for several seconds. Ib guessed that he had probably been really surprised. With a sudden jerk he rolled around their feet gratefully. She heard the figures laughing before the man spoke up again.
"I imagine that feels a lot better huh little fellow? It was no trouble. Well Ib, we better...huh?"
He paused as the eye suddenly bumped gently against his foot, then closed. Ib watched as he opened in front of a discolored wall. There was a silence before the younger Ib suddenly spoke.
"What's he doing?"
"I'm…not sure Ib…why don't we go see…"
"Okay."
She saw them step toward the eye again, peering at him questioningly. The eye turned to the wall, blinking frantically, then closed.
There was a shuffling noise before she heard the man exclaim excitedly,
"Oh! Ib there's a secret door here! Let me see if I can…Ah! Got it!" There was a grating noise and she heard the figures walk into a room. Someone gasped as something rolled across the floor.
"What's that?"
"I think...it's for that snake painting. It looks as though it might fit inside that little hollow. Why don't we go try it and see."
"Yeah!"
The man laughed warmly, prompting the young girl to laugh as well.
The eye opened, watching as they left. The young Ib was clutching a small red orb, which she waved eagerly as they walked away.
The image started fading as the eye returned to normal. But just before the sight completely disappeared the little girl said something that made Ib freeze.
"I hope we get home soon Garry."
The eye blinked rapidly, before his iris shrank back to normal. With a flutter, he twittered at Ib happily, rolling back and forth around her knees. Her silence made him pause, before looking confusedly up at her pale face.
Ib was shaking.
That name! That name! That was the name that Mary had mentioned in the car! Why hadn't she made the connection!
"G…Gar..ry…" She whispered anxiously. "Garry…Garry…"
A memory surfaced in her mind. She had found him on the ground, practically dead, clutching a bloodied silver key. She had somehow managed to rescue his rose from the Lady in Blue, before placing the flower in a nearby vase and reviving him. In gratitude he had made himself her guardian, seeking to defend her as they looked for a way home. He had protected her the entire way...
She clenched her teeth as one by one; more memories began to flood her brain.
Looking at paintings with him, including...the milk puzzle!
That horrible trap, with those headless mannequins...being chased and chased and chased...
That room, where the lights had shut off...He had been so scared that she wasn't there...
Mary…Meeting Mary for the first time…Mary had been there?
Ib brought her hand to her chest as more memories surfaced.
Mary and the room with the bunnies. That room had frightened and upset Garry for reasons Ib had not understood.
They had been separated after that, by the stone vines! Mary had insisted her and Ib should check the other room. They had left him...
Mary had dragged her through the room, looking at all the paintings and solving puzzles. She had been insistent they leave Garry to his own devices while they found a way out. Why had she been so eager to leave Garry behind?
Then Ib had found the key in the rainbow room. The blonde had begun to act so strangely, so insane.
The lips on the wall had begun to move, whispering Garry's name over and over…
Mary and the mannequin head, she had been stabbing at it frantically trying to get it to move. When Ib had left her to try to find a way out, Mary had followed, clutching her so fearfully, so possessively. Almost as if she was afraid Ib would leave her.
Then they had gone downstairs to find Garry...
He had gone insane! Sitting on the floor laughing and talking with the bunnies. Even though she had only been a child she had realized something was wrong. She had to slap him out of it. She remembered his confusion, trying so hard to recall what he had been doing.
As they had gotten upstairs, he had picked up Mary's rose to give back to her. Mary had attacked him! Garry had picked up her rose, a sudden look of fear on his face and she had attacked him. Why was Garry scared? Why would Mary attack him!? Why would she try to attack him!? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY!
Because...
Because… because…she…was a painting…
Ib moaned. Mary…her sister…she was never real! Gasping, she placed her hands on the ground to steady herself.
They had ran away then, ran away to a world of crayon and paper. The sketchbook. The sketchbook! Mary's sketchbook! She had been chasing them, had almost cornered them...
Then...the toy box...she had pushed them in...into the toy box...
Then…Garry's rose…
One of those dolls...those disturbing blue dolls...had found Ib's...and had taken it to Mary. Ib had been scared, watching that other girl playing with it, stroking the petals with a predatory grin. She would have killed her! But then…Garry...
He had traded his rose...
Ib stood shakily, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. Garry…she remembered now…he had saved her life…in exchange for his own...
"I like red...but I like blue better...Garry, give me your rose...and you can have Ib's."
"...Garry?"
"Agreed...my rose for Ib's..."
"No Garry!"
"Please give Ib back her rose."
"GARRY NO!"
"Pretty pretty flower! Pretty pretty flower! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
...Mary had killed him...she had killed him... She had taken his rose, slowly and tortuously ripped the petals off...one by one...
"Loves me..."
Garry stumbled...clutching his side.
"Loves me not..."
"Garry...Garry are you..."
"Loves me..."
"I'm...I'm fine Ib...lets..."
"Loves me not..."
He paused, breathing heavily. Turning to the little girl, he smiled sadly.
"Loves me..."
"Ib...I don't want to tell you the truth...but I don't want to lie either..." He gasped, a little trickle of blood running from his mouth.
"Loves me not..."
"Ib...go on ahead...If you need help...call me...and...I'll...catch...up..." His breathing had turned ragged. Whimpering, Ib had grabbed his hand, trying to urge him to follow.
"Go...on...without me..." He insisted. "Go on..." She sniffled, but nodded, running up the steps.
"Loves me..."
Ib watched in horror as Mary ripped the final petal off, giggling in glee. Tossing the tattered stem to the side, she skipped down the other set of stairs. Ib immediately grabbed the stem, racing back towards her friend. She paused when she saw him. He was slumped against the wall, head drooped tiredly. She ran to him, grabbing his hand.
"Garry?...Garry? Why are you sleeping Garry?"
She sank to her knees, the tears falling freely as she sobbed for her poor friend. He had stood by her through thick and thin, protecting her from the monsters, from the dangers, from Mary...
Only to be completely...and utterly...forgotten...
"Oh…Garry…" She whispered. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"
T.T Garry nuuuuuuuuuu! This is probably one of my most favorite chapters right now...may change a little later though. ROFL! So, did anyone guess the eyeball was the new pal!? Cookies for those who did!
Question though, I originally made Bally (Yes his name is Bally), a male. Right now I'm keeping him gender neutral since he is just an eyeball. But I may change him to be a male in the future. Just asking if anyone agrees with this or if I should keep him genderless. Please let me know! :D
Decided to make Bally a male, with a little prompting from MikaelaGrandchester. :D
Thank you MikaelaGrandchester and Sweetums128neo for your reviews!