I know that I lost a lot of my followers with this story. I'm sorry. If any of you guys are still reading this please let me know because I'd like to know that I'm not still working on this story for nothing. I would've updated sooner but my computer got a virus. Then we had to wipe the hard drive (I was a genius and copied all of my files first so they didn't get wiped out) and then we had put all of the files I copied back in and then we find out that it no longer connects to the internet! So I've had time to work on this. Then we dragged a windows 7 (HATE the format) from upstairs and we had to defragment it and I'm working on this from a flash drive so yeah. But I know what I want next chapter.

Ib - Lost in Dreamland

Chapter 7

Not so Deadly Sins

Ib found herself disoriented when she found herself in a small backstage dressing room. Everything was gold or bright yellow. Sitting in one of the chairs Ib saw curly yellow hair that could only belong to...

"Mary! Thank goodness you're alright. I've-" Ib turned the chair around and saw something that almost made her burst into tears. She looked like Mary. But it was obvious she wasn't. She also didn't seem to be the evil reflection from earlier so Ib thought it was okay. "Oh sorry. I thought... I thought you were a friend of mine." The girl in the chair did have curly yellow hair and large blue eyes, but they were puffy from crying. She was covered in burn scars, her mouth was sewn shut, like the ice cream kid, and she wore the green dress and black leggings from Mary's costume from the gallery. It was Mary, but younger. This was the Mary that should have been destroyed in the gallery years ago.

Fresh tears leaked from the girl's eyes as she looked at Ib. Her eyes seemed to be pleading. She held out the back of her hand to Ib. The word 'Envy' was seared into her flesh. The little girl shook, terrified of Ib. Ib didn't blame her for being scared, after all she had done this to her. "Here let me..." Ib said loosening the thread that sewed her mouth together. She pulled the string free. "There. Is that batter?"

"I... I can talk again..." The younger Mary said amazed that her voice still worked.

"How do you feel?" Ib asked. She winced.

"Pain... he's mad... you shouldn't have let me go..." She started rubbing her temples. Ib was genuinely concerned about her. She had messed her up before, now she would set things right with her other aspect.

"Well, um, Mary, why are there two of you?"

"I'm just the ashes of that painting put back together. I'm not Mary anymore. Mary, is your friend that needs the yellow rose in your hands, right? Call me Envy. The sin that destroyed me is what I've become. I may look like Mary, but I'm not. I'm a cursed work of art come to life!" It was at this point she started crying again. Ib held her in her arms and hushed her, that was how she'd learned to deal with littler kids. As she did this more kids, six of them, came out of the shadows and curtains. They all had their mouths sewn shut. One of them, a tall older girl with a suntan. She had long brown hair, cerulean blue eyes and glasses. Now where had Ib seen her before? The face looked too familiar. She gently took Mary out of her arms and pulled her into her own. 'Pride' was burned on her hand. The girl was too real, even more so than any reflection she'd seen. It was almost as though she was real. Ib undid the string from her mouth too. Ib remembered where she had seen her now. She was the girl Mary had been talking with backstage. The familiar face she still couldn't figure out.

"You should go" was all she said. Her voice was soft and unsure. It sounded more like a question than a command.

"Let me help you" Ib said. "Who are you?"

"Well, now I'm Pride. I was called Serena when I lived in the real world." That was where Ib had seen her before! She was one of those missing children on the news. That was years ago. She didn't look much older; maybe a year or two but not much more. Serena winced in pain. "They're looking for something..." she said.

"Are all of you real?" Ib asked. The children stumbled around. Ib wanted to help them.

"Please, don't end up like us..." Envy said. "Leave. Get out of here. There's no hope for me. But please, promise me that... promise me you'll get out with Mary."

"I'd never leave her behind again" Ib said. Serena unlocked a door that Ib hadn't noticed.

"Burn them..." she said. "Burn them and set our spirits free. We'll be able to leave then. Only we can re-seal our reflections. Don't let yours steal your life." Then her and all of the children disappeared. Ib walked into the door.

The room was maroon with shelves of life-like dolls in the room. "I... don't like this... I need to find out what she needs me to burn and get out of here." Ib said to herself. She walked along the corridor. At the far end were dolls that looked like all of the girls from the other room. All were there but Envy. "Is this what I'm meant to burn?" Ib said. "It must be!" She took the dolls with her. She didn't have anything she could use to burn them so she would have to find Garry.

~.~

Shay and Garry gaped at the door open mouthed. Ib had just disappeared. Shay and Garry could swear that Ib had been inspecting that door a minute ago. Garry shrunk on the ground and gripped his head. "I've lost her again..." He kept muttering. Shay honestly was shell-shocked. Partly because Ib had disappeared and partly because a college student, a college student, was having a mental breakdown on the floor over a twelve year old that was not related to him in any way possible just disappearing. Okay, so maybe Garry wasn't crazy but still.

Shay walked all around the room. He could not find anything. He continued walking around the room eventually stopping at the door with the moon on it. He noticed that it was now slightly ajar and a cold breeze was coming from behind. Shay got an uneasy feeling. "Hey, Garry…?"

"I've lost her again…."

"There's a door here" Shay said stepping closer.

"I've lost her again…."

"You jacket's on fire."

"I've lost her again…."

"I'll give you a hundred bucks to get up."

"I've lost her again…."

"What's it going to take to make you get up!?"

"Ib…." Garry looked like he was going to cry. Shay sighed. Adults, honestly…

"Garry, that door over there doesn't have a handle and it's firmly shut. We can't get inside. All we can do is go through that door there and hope she finds us soon."

"We could wait" Garry said weakly.

"And Ib could end up with that bloodthirsty reflection of hers if don't find her. Meanwhile, your reflection will get you if all you do is sit here." Garry looked conflicted for a while. Then, slowly, he stood.

"Let's go find her" Garry said. He and Shay walked into the doorway. "Is it even safe?"

Garry asked and looked incredulously at the door.

"Maybe…" Shay wasn't so sure. Doors didn't just open unless something inside wanted you dead.

"Well we won't find out by just standing here." Garry said, mustering up what little courage he had left. They walked inside. The inside was pitch black and cold as ice. There was frosty steam rolling on the floor. It was like the setup to a bad horror film. Shay wrapped his arms around himself.

"Wish I had a coat" Shay commented.

"It doesn't help much." Garry pulled his own coat tighter around himself. They continued down the corridor. Garry pulled out his lighter and checked the fluid. "I'm running low on fluid."

"Well maybe we'll find some somewhere" Shay said. He doubted it but anything seemed to be possible in this place.

~.~

Ib was done with mirrors. The entire backstage area was nothing but gold plaited mirrors. She hadn't found anything useful and the door still refused to budge. The dolls in the other room creeped her out more than she dared admit. Ib utterly refused to go back in there. Ib had an unsettling feeling that what she needed was to go back in there. She knew she was missing something. Probably a key. She searched once again.

She was rewarded with a key that looked as though it was made of crystal, but felt like ice. She found it under one of the vanities. Ib put the key in her pocket. Holding it was beginning to hurt. She had the key! Now where was the door? Something told her the doll room. The door opened slowly and beckoned her inside.

She proceeded carefully. The dolls seemed to be… standing at attention, smiling cruelly, like all of this was some sort of funny joke. Ib didn't like it. She continued down to where the dolls of the sins' used to be. Then she did a double take. Shay was sitting there.

"Ib?" Said Shay. He sounded confused. "Ib! Thank goodness I found you!" He said.

"Shay? What happened; weren't you with Garry?" Ib asked.

"Yeah, we got separated. We were in this dark corridor that was freezing and dark. Garry wanted to use his lighter but he said he was running low on fluid. Then, I'm not sure what happened but we got separated" Shay explained. He stepped closer. Ib thought something was off but she said nothing. "Let's team up to find Garry and Mary."

"Okay" Ib said. She wasn't too sure about teaming up with this Shay but she felt better not being alone in a room full of dolls.

"Oh, I found this on my way in here" Shay said holding out a wooden key. Ib took it. I have another key, but I don't think it goes here. The two of them walked out and into the gold room. All of the mirrors were broken and the color was dulled. The room had an eerie chill to it.

"Well, this is a change in scenery" Ib said. Her face had gone slightly pale and colorless, much like the room.

"It's a little creepy in here" Shay said. Then he wrapped his arms around himself "and cold." Ib nodded. They continued through the room. There was a wooden door that Ib hadn't noticed before.

"Let's go" Said Ib. The door was locked. Of course. "Wait a minute. Maybe that key you found opens this door?" Ib reasoned. Shay shrugged. Ib took out the wooden key and pushed it in the door. "It seems like it'll fit."

"What about the other key?" Shay asked. Ib took out her icy crystal key, Shay's eyes lit with a slightly maniac light. Ib got a bad feeling. She pushed the key in the lock but didn't turn it. She put the crystal key back in her pocket. Something told her that even though the key fit this was not the door to use it in. She took out the wooden key. The light in Shay's eyes died.

"Are you sure? Didn't you find that key here?" Shay asked.

"Yeah, I did, but I think that this key is the one we're supposed to use. It matches the door" Ib reasoned. Shay didn't argue. But he looked… disappointed?

The door opened to a desolate stage area. They were in the place where they had seen the acrobatics show. So this door led back here. Ib turned around but the door they had travelled through was gone. Ib had a bad feeling.

Just when things couldn't have possibly gotten worse. The door at the front opened. And in walked Garry, Mary and… Ib. She backed away. "Shay… I think we're in trouble." To her surprise (and horror) Shay just laughed.

"Correction, Ib, you're in trouble" Not Shay. Ib was completely cornered with some bloodthirsty reflections. And she was all by herself…

Ib was starting to miss the creepy dolls.

So that's it for this chapter. I cannot wait for the next chapter! Review please! My life (as well as Ib's) depends on it!