I am really starting to lose hope. I don't think that Ib will ever return. It hurts to know this. However, for some reason, I still make my way through the dark gallery and stand in front of the Fabricated World painting. It looks the same. No changes.
Wait! What's that?! In the corner of the painting is a brown haired girl in a white dress. There's a little bit of red near the collar of the dress, which looks a little like a scarf or a bow. It can't be! But, maybe it is! I gasp and laugh and smile. She came back! She really came back!
But wait. If I want to see her again, I'd have to bring her back here. Part of me really wants to. I desperately want to see her again and hear her voice. But the other part of me doesn't want to drag her back here. Even though most of my memories have disappeared by now, I still remember how afraid she was - how afraid we both were - when we first came here. I don't want to put her through that again. But, I've been here for a long time now. The others are really nice, and never hurt me. So, I'm sure that if I let them know how much she means to me, they would be nice to her too. It's decided then. I'll bring her back here. Just one more time.
I run back to where my siblings are. I find them in my room, looking at the many paintings that I've done. I tell them my plan and they easily agree. I make them all promise not to hurt Ib, and they all promise. I'm so happy!
Going back to the Fabricated World painting, I see that she is still there. I smile. I finally get to see her again.
"Ib, come downstairs," I say to the painting. "Come Ib. I want to see you again."
I watch as Ib walks through the gallery and then towards the Abyss of the Deep painting. Suddenly, Ib is gone. She made it! She's really here!
I run all through the Fabricated World. I run through the different hallways, passing many of my siblings. I have to find Ib. Finally, I find her. She's in the Green area, running and screaming as hands stretch out of the wall, trying to grab her.
"Ib!" I shout. She looks up at me. She looks older. How old is she now? How long have I been here? Whatever. I can ask questions later.
"What? How do you know my name?" Ib asks. She looks afraid. Afraid of me. This thought breaks my heart, but I continue to wave her towards me.
"Come on, I'll explain later," I say. "Just follow me! I can help you!" She seems hesitant at first, but she finally starts to run towards me. I hold the door to the next area open and we run through together.
We're in the yellow area now. Ahead of us is a large cat face with a small, fish-shaped key hole at the center. Ib looks at it nervously.
"Can you please open for me? I want to get through," I tell the cat. It looks down at me, and then it lets out a loud "meow". A path appears in front of us, and I motion for Ib to follow me.
"How did you do that?" she asks. Suddenly, she gasps. "Wait, I think I've seen you before!" My heart swells. She remembers me!
"You're that one painting in the gallery! That guy from the Forgotten Portrait painting!" Ib looks afraid. She starts to back away from me.
"No, it's okay! I don't want to hurt you!" I say. I can feel tears filling my eyes. I quickly blink them away. I can't let her see me cry.
"How do I know that? Everything else here wants to hurt me!" Ib says accusingly.
"I would never hurt you, Ib!" I exclaim.
"How can I trust you?" Ib asks. "And how do you know my name?"
"I know your name because," I hesitate. What if she doesn't believe me? "I know your name because we used to be friends."
"What? I don't even know you!" Ib glares at me, confused. However, her glare quickly disappears and is replaced by a look of confused sadness. I then realize that my disappointment must be written clearly on my face. My shoulders are slouched and my head is hanging low. I must look like I'm ready to cry.
"You really don't remember me, Ib?" I ask quietly. "It's me, Garry. We came here before, when you were only nine. We protected each other and you were able to escape. I've been stuck here ever since then." I watch Ib's reaction. At first, she still seems confused. After a few moments of thinking to herself, her face changes to a look of recognition. I watch as she studies my own face, and my heart begins to fill with hope. Tears suddenly fill her eyes and she begins to cry heavily. I gasp softly. I had not expected this.
"G-Garry?" she whimpers. I smile and nod. She laughs a little through her tears and then runs at me. She hugs me and I hug her back. We're both laughing and she's crying, and even I begin to cry a little too.
"You remember!" I exclaim. I'm so happy!
"I'm so sorry, Garry!" Ib cries into my shirt. "I'm so sorry that I forgot you! I'm so, so sorry!"
"It's okay. I forgive you!" I tell her. She looks up at me, tears streaming down her face. It is now that I realize how much taller she has gotten. Before, her head had just barely come above my waist. Now, her head is just below my shoulders.
"Ib, how old are you now?" I ask. She sniffles a little and wipes her eyes before answering.
"I'm fifteen years old now," she says quietly. Fifteen years old? That means I've been here for six years! For a moment, I say nothing. I simply stand there, and stare ahead.
"Garry? Are you okay? You look pretty pale!" Ib exclaims. Before I can respond, she helps lead me to the wall and has me sit down on the floor.
Six years. I can't believe that it's been six years.
"Garry, what happened to you?" Ib asks after several moments of silence. "I thought you were…"
"I know, I thought I was too," I reply. "But, I guess I'm not. I think I was somehow turned into a painting, and that kept me alive. I don't even need my rose any more. Wait!" I sit up straighter and look at Ib worriedly. "Where's your rose?"
"It's okay, I have it right here," Ib says with a slight chuckle. Reaching into a small pocket in her dress, she produces a small, red rose, just like the one that she had when we had come here all those years ago. As I look at it, I notice that two of the petals are missing.
"Ib! You lost some petals! We should find you a vase!" Ib nods and the two of us stand up. I pull her to the right into a small room full of ceramic heads and statues. In the corner of the room, sitting on top of a box, is a small vase. She places her rose into the vase and the petals magically grow back.
"Feel better?" I ask. Ib nods. "Come on, let's continue."
We leave the room and walk through the passageway that the cat had made for us. We find ourselves in the next part of the Yellow area, and I take Ib towards the right where a large pair of lips hangs on the wall.
"Uh, Garry," Ib says, "don't we need to give it an apple or something?"
"Oh, it's fine," I reply. I turn to the lips. "Do you think you could let us through? Please?"
"Oh sure, Garry!" the lips say happily. The lips then open and I pull Ib through. Once we make it through, we find ourselves in a small hallway, with various paintings of a guillotine. We proceed cautiously and when we finally reach the end of the hallway, we watch as a guillotine falls to the ground in front of us. Ib shrieks in surprise.
"You okay?" I ask.
"I think so," Ib replies. "I just forgot about that, that's all." I smile and continue moving once the guillotine has risen.
Together, we walk down a set of stairs that soon change from yellow to red. We're in the Red area now. We make our way through a hallway and through a red door, and then find ourselves in a large red room with various paintings and sculptures.
"Oh no," Ib mumbles to herself.
"What is it?" I ask.
"I just remembered that this is where the Lady in Red hangs out," Ib whispers. "Last time, she was over there." She points to the right side of the room in a small corner. Just as she says, the Lady in Red is hanging in her frame, looking like a completely normal painting.
"Oh, she's fine," I say with a wave of my hand. "Hey Red!" The Lady in Red looks over at us and then pulls herself down from the wall. Dragging her frame behind her, she crawls towards us and smiles at me.
"Garry! Why did you call her?!" Ib exclaims before she prepares to run. I gently grab her shoulder and stop her. Red crawls up to us and looks from me to Ib, and then back to me.
"Red, this is Ib," I say, motioning to Ib. "I don't want you or any of our other siblings to hurt her, okay?" Red nods and holds out a hand towards Ib. Ib looks at me and then down at Red. Slowly, she takes Red's hand and shakes it.
"Hi, uh, Red," Ib mumbles. Red grins at her happily.
"Garry, can I talk to you for a second?" Ib asks. Then looking at Red, she adds, "Alone?"
"Sure Ib," I nod. I look down at Red, who nods understandingly and crawls off.
"Garry, did you just call all of the other things in here your siblings?" she asks. "And how are you not so terrified in here? From what I remember, you were really scared of everything here. When we first met, you even screamed when a painting spit at you."
"Well, I've had six years to get to know everyone and everything here," I say. "And besides, I'm a painting now. They kind of are like my brothers and sisters. And about being scared, well, like I said, I've been here for six years. Nothing scares me here anymore."
Ib is silent for a minute. She simply stares at me in surprise.
"Garry, are you okay?" she finally says.
"Of course I'm okay!" I reply, somewhat surprised that she would ask such a thing. "You're here and I get to see you again! And I'm so happy that you were able to make it out safely!"
"I'm glad that I get to see you again too," Ib smiles. I smile back. She takes my hand.
"Come on, let's keep moving," I say. Ib nods, and we walk together through a red door and into the next room.
Yay! Ib and Garry are finally reunited! Now comes the tricky part: figuring out what happens next. The story has only been planned up to this chapter, so now I just have to figure out what kind of stuff that I want to put Ib and Garry through. Anyways, until I update, please review and let me know what you think! Thanks!