Ellen slowly got to her feet and stared around the now bright red room. The floor was covered in rubble.
"Viola? Aya? Ib?" She whispered. Her heart was hammering in her chest.
"Ellen..." The witch heard a groan. "I...I'm okay...I'm over here..." It sounded like Aya.
"Aya? Is that you?" Ellen picked her way carefully around the debris and over to Aya. Aya was lying on the ground, her leg trapped under a piece of the ceiling that had fallen down.
"Are you okay?" Ellen knelt down and lifted the block off Aya's leg.
"I'm fine," Aya replied. "where are the others?"
"I don't know. I think-" She was interupted as she noticed a small movement over by the door she and Aya had toppled through. Ellen helped Aya up and they made their way slowly over to the pile of rubble.
"Hello?" Ellen and Aya said simultaniously.
"Ugh...Ellen...hhh..." Ellen recognised Viola's voice.
"Aya! Help me move the blocks of concrete off her!"
Aya did as she was told. Together they managed to move all of the blocks off Viola.
"Viola?" Aya whispered.
"A..ya?" Viola sat up and blinked. "What happened?"
"There was an explosion of some sort," Aya told her. "it knocked us against the walls and..." Her voice trailed away. "Where's Ib?" She looked at Ellen.
"I haven't seen her." Ellen listened for the sound of more movement, but there was nothing. It was completely silent.
"Ib!" Aya yelled. Nothing.
Ellen blinked hard as she stared around the room. She suddenly saw Ib, propped against a wall, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open. Blood trickled from a wound in her head.
"Ib!" Aya rushed over to the girl. Ellen helped Viola stand up and they followed more slowly.
Aya was crouched over Ib. "Ib! Wake up, wake up!" She turned to Viola and Ellen. "Can you get something? A piece of cloth will do."
"I have a bit of torn fabric from my dress," Said Ellen. "Will that help?"
Aya nodded. "Thank you." She said gratefully, pressing the piece of cloth to Ib's forehead.
Are you sure you can help her?
Ellen frowned. This girl had a funny way of treating her 'friends.' So do you, Ellen thought. You didn't switch bodies with Viola because you found a cure for your illness. Ellen covered her ears with her hands. She looked at Viola, who was staring at Aya fixing Ib's head injury.
"How did you learn to do that stuff?" She asked.
Aya looked up quickly. "My father's assisstant. She taught me how to cure things and fix wounds. I still don't like her, though." Aya frowned and turned back to Ib.
"Wait a second...just how old are you?" Ellen asked Aya.
"I'm eleven."
"You sure know a lot about healing and stuff." Viola smiled. "You must be really clever."
"Thanks," Aya smiled back at them. "but it runs in the family. My father is a doctor. He's always locked up in his basement."
"Doesn't that worry you?"
They all gasped.
Ib had opened her eyes.
"Ib! Yay!" Aya grinned.
Ib sat up slowly, rubbing her head.
"Uhh...what..." She sat up properly. "What the heck happened here?"
"There was an explosion. We all got knocked back. You know the rest." Ellen told her.
"Oh," Ib got to her feet, using the wall and Viola as supports.
"Hey...was that there before?" Viola pointed across the room to a red door.
"No...I don't...think so..." Aya sounded puzzled.
"Let's go! Come on!" Viola rushed ahead of the others.
They all followed her.
Viola opened the door.
"Wow! It's all red!" She gasped.
"Oh no!" Ib exclaimed. "I know this place!"
"What? What is it?" Aya said, panicking.
"It's the Lady in Red! she has the key to the next room!"
"What's so bad about a lady wearing red?" Ellen tilted her head in confusion.
"Well...she'll chase us and hurt us if we don't get away." Ib took a few steps forward. "One of us will have to lead her away."
"I'll do it," Ellen raised her hand. "I'm a witch, it'll be easy for me!"
"No. We'll all do it. We need to help each other." Viola spoke now.
"Okay...Viola and Ellen...you lead the Lady in Red away from the key, and Ib and I will get it." Aya decided for them all.
"Let's go then!" Ellen grabbed Viola's wrist and tugged her around a statue named "Ah".
"There she is!" Viola whispered, clutching Ellen's wrist. "The Lady in Red!"
"Let's go," Ellen took a few brave steps forward, though inside, she was trembling.
They got close enough to read the name of the painting.
"Lady in Red." Viola read.
"Nothing's happening. Let's get back to the others." Ellen spun around and started to walk away.
Suddenly, there was a smashing sound. Ellen whipped around and saw a lady, half inside a painting, lying on the floor. She wasn't moving.
"Umm...Ellen? Is she okay?" Viola sounded concerned., moving foward.
"Don't touch her!" Ellen shouted.
The Lady in Red suddenly turned her face up. She had red eyes, like Ib. In fact, they looked extremly similar.
"Viola, run!" Ellen shouted.
Viola turned on her heel and sprinted away.
"Over here!"
Ellen heard Ib shout.
Ellen stepped backwards a bit.
The Lady in Red followed. She was very fast, Ellen thought, as she lead the Lady away from the red key that was lying on the floor.
"Aya, Ib, now!" Ellen yelled.
Suddenly, Ellen dropped her lilac rose.
The Lady in Red made a lunge for it.
"No!" Viola screamed.
The Lady giggled and plucked one petal from the rose. It floated gently to the floor.
"Ouch!" Ellen stepped backwards, feeling a sharp stab of pain run through her body.
"Loves me," the Lady said.
She plucked another petal from the rose.
"Loves me not,"
"Give it back!" Aya leaped for the Lady in Red, grabbed the rose, and ran. Ellen followed, with the Lady close behind her.
Ib was waiting at a red door, and shoved the key in the lock and turned it.
"Get in!" She yelled.
They all squeezed through the door, and Ib slammed it shut behind them.
"The Ladies can't open doors on their own." Ib panted.
"Ladies?" Viola gasped. "There are more?"
"Yes. A lot. But I don't think we'll see them for a while yet."
"That was terrifying!" Aya handed Ellen the lilac rose. "Be careful with that!"
"I will," Ellen said.
"Let's rest for a bit, then get through this door." Ib decided.
Ellen stared around the small room. There were bookshelves all over the place.
I remember how the cat taught me how to read.
But the cat wasn't here right now. The cat was back at her house. Wasn't he?
"Right...if I remember rightly...it's...this book!" Ib announced, pulling a book out from a bookcase and brushing dust off the cover.
"Carrie Careless and the Galette des Rois?" Viola said curiously. "What's it about?"
"You'll see," said Ib, as she began to turn the pages...