"Garry," Ib said innocently. "What's Out like?"

"Out?" Garry said. "You mean the outside? My world?" Ib nodded vigorously. "Oh, well, it's a nice place. Good people, good food. I mean, it's not perfect, but still a nice place."

"Huh," said Ib. Her crimson eyes studied Garry carefully. "Do you have family?"

"Well, yes," Garry said. "But I don't talk with them much. It's really just me. So my family isn't really a family."

"Ib will be your family!" she blurted out. Garry looked at her on his shoulder and stopped walking. "Garry is a good man!" She clung to his jacket as he started walking again. He smiled.

"But you belong to this world, don't you?" said Garry smiling softly at her. Ib shook her head.

"I don't belong anywhere!" she said frowning. "I go where Garry goes! If Garry says Out is a good place, Ib will go!" She crossed her arms and pouted.

"Okay, then," Garry said. He pretended to look thoughtful. "But how will people react to a walking, talking china doll?"

"Who cares?" Ib said. "So about family, what do you want me to be? I could be a daughter, or a sister. Oh, I've heard of moms. I don't know what they are, but I could be one of those." Garry laughed. Ib laughed too, but she didn't know why they were laughing. Ib stopped suddenly.

"This," she said thoughtfully. "Is the first time Ib's laughed." She laughed some more, enjoying the feel of it.

"I know", Garry said. "You'll be my little sister."

"I like it!" Ib said. "Let's go, big brother!" They didn't walk much longer until they came across something.

"Ugh." Garry looked close to fainting. They were standing in a room full of Ladies in Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow. They were all on the wall, but Ib knew that they could pop off at any second.

"On the count of three," Garry said. "Hold on." Ib's grip on his coat tightened. "One… Two… THREE!" Ib gave a battle cry as Garry raced through the room. Ladies jumped off walls, but Garry was faster than he looked. He saw an open door and slammed the door behind him as he entered.

"A vase!" His face lit up as he put his rose in. The rose became much healthier. Ib looked up and screamed. Garry looked up too.

"Why is that there?" He went over to a sign. HANGED GARRY. The hanged and bloody mannequin head swayed from the ceiling. "I kicked a mannequin head earlier and broke it out of anger. Is that what this is?" Ib could tell he was trying to be brave for her.

"Garry, Ib wants to go!" she yelled. The head had Garry's face.

"Looks like we'll have to go through those Ladies," he said. "I saw another door too. But it's far away. Ready?" Ib nodded and leaned forward. Garry pushed the door open and ran for his- and Ib's- life. Ib suddenly felt a jolt.

"Garry!" He had tripped on a mannequin head that appeared out of nowhere and Ib was flung off his shoulder. Garry thrust out his hand and caught her just above the ground.

"Gotcha!" he said. He started to get up. "Whoa!" A Lady in Blue grabbed his legs. "Ib! Run!" he shouted as other Ladies began to close in on her.

"No!" she said, trying to make her small body look brave. "I won't leave Garry!"

"This is no time for that!" he shouted as the Lady started to drag him away. A Lady in Green grabbed his left arm. Garry quickly dropped Ib and pushed her away as a Lady in Red held down his right arm. The mannequin seemed to smirk at him.

"Garry, don't go!" she whimpered. Ladies rushed over to Garry.

"Go!" he ordered. Ib finally accepted she couldn't help him and ran into the door, dodging Ladies on her way. She forced the heavy door shut. She panted once she was safe.

"Garry," she muttered. She flinched and fell. Garry was screaming loudly on the other side. "Garry! Big brother!" If she were human, her red eyes would have tears in them. She could faintly hear him as he was dragged away.

"Run!" he shouted loudly. "Run, Ib! I'll come find you!" Over the snarls of the Ladies, she could hear some of them laugh.

"You'd better!" she yelled so loud her throat hurt. She ran down the long hallway. Mannequin head were everywhere, neatly put in rows. She saw paint letters on the wall. YOU BETRAYED US.

"Go away!" she ordered whoever wrote it. Paint suddenly splattered on the wall. Ib stopped dead in her tracks. More letters from nowhere. AREN'T YOU FROM THIS WORLD? YOU DON'T NEED THAT MAN… She kept running. Didn't this hall ever end? HELP US. AFTER ALL, WE PAINTINGS ARE YOUR FAMILY.

"No!" Ib shouted. "Garry is my family! Garry!" She continued to shout his name. It took her a long time to come to the end of the hall, but the letters didn't bother her. Until she reached the door, that is. On the purple paint of the door were red words.

POOR GARRY. Ib stood on tiptoe. Did she read the last line right? HE NEVER HAD A CHANCE.

"He's…?" Ib couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. Garry was alive. Her brother was alive. He was a nice man. Nice men don't die in this way. They don't deserve to. The letters changed.

YOU WANT TO SEE HIM, DON'T YOU? Ib nodded. New words. WE'VE PUT HIM BEHIND THIS DOOR. Ib gasped and pushed the door. It wouldn't open. ARE YOU SURE?

"Yes!" she screamed at the door. She stamped her foot. "I. Want. To. See. GARRY!" The door flew open. Ib ran inside and jumped when it closed behind her. She turned to what was on the wall. It was a painting, but it was empty. The sign under it said, RESERVED. But there was something else too. Garry was on the floor.

"Garry!" she said in delight. "You're okay!" She climbed onto his chest and pulled his green shirt. "Let's go!" She grabbed his hair and pulled. She desperately karate chopped his face.

"Come on!" she said. She bent over his ear. "Little sister wants to go to Garry's house." Garry wasn't dead. "Ib wants to eat good food." She sniffled like she was crying. "I want big brother to open his eyes…" She sat at his side and began to cry.

ARE YOU CRYING FOR A HUMAN? The words wouldn't stop bothering her.

"Shut it!" she screamed as she cried. "Garry isn't dead! Garry is sleeping! Sleeping!"

HE ISN'T SLEEPING. WE'VE DESTROYED HIS ROSE. Ib turned her head. It was true. She hadn't noticed the mangled rose in Garry's hand. POOR GARRY.

The sentence repeated over and over on the walls. POORGARRYPOORGARRYPOORGARRY

Ib sniffed. "No!" She turned to Garry again. "Wake! Wake up! Get up!" She kicked him and hit him to try and wake him up. Then the most wonderful thing happened: he moaned.

"Garry!" Ib said. Garry's eyes fluttered open. He saw Ib and grinned. He held her to his chest as she cried more.

THAT'S RIGHT. The words came back. Ib stopped crying and looked at them. HE'S ALIVE. WE'VE BROUGHT HIM BACK. BECAUSE WE WANT HIM TO PLAY WITH US MORE. WE WANT TO HAVE MORE FUN. HE DOESN'T HAVE A CHANCE ANYWAY.

"Don't listen to it," Garry told her. "We're going to get out of here. We won't lose." Ib nodded.

THERE'S A REASON WE'VE BROUGHT YOU BACK OTHER THAN THAT WE WANTED TO HAVE FUN. Garry glared at the letters and left the room.

MARY WANTS TO PLAY.