Mary walked down the hallway, swinging her pallete knife in her hand.
She started humming a song she had made up to herself as the stalked past the Ladies paintings.
She opened the door to the small room then walked down the long green hallway.
She came to the table and saw that the book was gone.
"Huh? Who stole my friend's book?" She said in confusion.
Where could it be?
Mary was worried. Her friend would be furious.
She decided to find her "friends" and ask them.
Mary started humming again as she walked up the stairs.
She came to the dark grey door and knocked on it.
"Hello?"
She heard a familiar voice.
"Ib!" Mary burst through the door and hugged her old friend.
"Mary! What are you doing here?" Ib asked.
"I lost a book. Have you guys seen it?" Mary said, letting go of Ib.
"Get away from us!" Aki yelled.
"Ib told us all about you!" Aya added.
Mary backed away from them, forgetting that she had trapped them in a room and tried to harm them.
"I...I'm sorry," she said. "I was angry when I made my friend make that room cave in. I didn't mean to hurt you. Well, I did, but I wasn't thinking, honestly." Mary widened her big blue eyes.
"I think we should give her the book." Viola said quietly.
"Oh, come on, Viola! You always see the best in people!" Ellen snapped.
Mary's eyes filled with tears and she ran out the room.
Why does no one trust me?
She sprinted down the stairs, through the many doors and rooms and got to her room.
A drawing of a mannequin head lay on an easel.
Mary grabbed it and ripped it up in rage.
I swear, I will get you. All of you.
"Where are we now?" Aya asked.
"Indigo area. Be careful, and whatever you do, don't go into that maze." Ib said, pointing to a roped-off area.
"There are headless mannequins in there." Viola whispered.
"Don't worry, Viola. We won't go near that place." Ellen comforted her friend.
"Let's try to keep moving," Ib said, rounding the corner.
Aya followed her, casting one last glance at the headless mannequins.
She was sure she saw one of them move, so she quickened her pace, catching up with Ib.
"A milk puzzle," Ib muttered, walking over to a white painting.
"What's that?" Aki asked.
"A milk puzzle," replied Ellen. "Is like a jigsaw puzzle, but there's no picture at the end. I've only ever read about them."
"Yeah, only smart people can solve them," Ib added.
"Well...Let's keep going. I don't like this place at all." Aya moved towards a desk.
A vase and two pages were sitting on it.
"More pages of the diary?" Aya wondered aloud, picking them up.
"Read them!" Madotsuki urged.
"Okay..." Aya muttered.
"I saw two girls today. Through a painting in a room. I grabbed one of them, and pulled her down here to be with us. The other one, I don't know how she got here. She may have jumped after her friend.
"Mary found two other girls, and trapped one of them in a room so the other could be her friend. The four girls met up. I didn't like it, so I made the room explode.
"One of them was injured. A girl with a dark blue rose helped her, and I made a door appear to the next room. The Lady in Red can have them."
"This was from a while ago..." Ib murmured, slotting the pages into the main diary she was holding. "I wonder who wrote it? Another human-like painting, I suppose..." Her voice trailed off as the six of them set off again.
"Don't bother going in there," Ib pointed to a door just before the end of the hallway. "It's locked for now."
"Then we have to go down here...?" Viola asked.
"Yes. Ellen, we're gonna have to move another statue. Are you up to it?"
"Of course!" Ellen snapped. "I'm not weak!"
She pushed past them, and into the room.
"I'll pull the cord first." Ib followed Ellen, while the others waited outside.
After a while, a call came from the room.
"Guys, I unlocked the door!" Ellen poked her head around the door. "Let's go."
Aya followed her in and out of the room.
They found themselves back in the first corridor.
Ib was examining writing on a wall.
"Abyss of the Deep, remember that." She told them, without an explanation. "Come on,"
They ran back around the corner and to the locked door.
"Abyss of the Deep," Ib said to the door.
"I heard a sound!" Aki said.
"Me too," Madotsuki and Aya spoke at the same time.
"Let's go. But be careful. It's dark in here." Ib said.
"I think I'll wait outside," Viola said.
"Me too," Aki added. "Anyone else?"
"I will." Madotsuki said.
Aya, Ellen and Ib walked slowly inside the door.
"Separation," Ellen read the title of the painting. "that's what happened to us before. Let's be careful, guys. This place doesn't sound good."
Suddenly, the lights went out.
"Argh!" Aya yelled. "Does anyone have any form of light?"
"My magic," Ellen said.
"Use it!" Ib said fiercely.
The room was soon filled with light.
"Are you guys okay?" Ellen asked.
"Yes." Ib said.
"I'm fine." Aya muttered, still shaken.
They met up with the others outside.
"What happened? Are you hurt?" Viola asked.
"We're fine, nothing happened. What about you guys?" Aya decided not to mention the lights going out.
"The lights flickered, and I heard footsteps, but nothing else happened." Madotsuki whispered.
"Guys," Aki sounded urgent. "Look at this,"
Aya and the others ran over to her. She was staring at the desk.
There was no longer water in the vase, it was filled with blood.
And there was another page on the table.
Ib grabbed it and read it aloud:
"Why can I not escape? This angers me. Or...could it be...Mary and I..."
Ib paused. "I can't read this. It's all blurred."
"I'll read it," Ellen said, gently taking it from her. "Mary and I...No! You cannot go in there! Stay out! I turned the lights off in the room. Then I ran. The others did not see me, they did not hear me. They didn't know I was there until the lights flickered...I must go...they're coming."
Aya gasped. "This...painting...turned the lights off?"
"Yes. I did."
They all whipped around and saw a girl standing there.
A girl with black hair and yellow eyes.
"I know you..." Aki said. "Misao."