I fell through a painting in the school.
Yoshino was bullying me again,
then...I slipped...and fell...
right into this place.
It's better than the school.
No one here bullies me, I'm free of Yoshino and the others.
I just wish there was someone down here I could talk to properly...
There's this girl-well, she's more of a painting-Mary.
She's nice.
She talks to me like I'm her friend.
She doesn't bully me.
I think I'll stay here with her, like she wants me to.
Forever.
This can't be...
How is she here...
I thought I left her behind.
She must leave.
Others are here.
Six, now.
Why are they here?
Why can't they leave me alone?
After all, that's what I wanted.
To be left alone.
When I saw them all...
working together like they'd known each other forever...
It was so comical.
My heart is not the same now.
Now my heart is fabricated.
There's no turning back now.
I must k- th- b-f-e t-y es-c-.
Ib stared at the last words on the page, but they were too blurred.
"What does it say?" Asked Aya.
"I...can't read it." Ib said, slotting the pages into the diary.
"Let's keep going. I don't like this place." Viola whispered.
"Is it those dolls?" Ib asked quietly.
"Dolls?" Viola frowned. "What dolls? All I can see is rabbits!"
Ib groaned. "What about you, Aya?"
Aya was staring at the painting on the far side of the room. "All I can see are rabbits with bright red eyes...they remind me of Snowball back home..." She murmured.
Viola patted Aya's shoulder gently. "It'll be fine, Aya. We'll get out of this place, you'll see!"
"Yeah." Ib added. "We won't let Mary or Misao stop us!"
Aya nodded. "I just hope he's alright..."
Ib closed her eyes for a moment.
If they can't see the dolls...then...
Ib shook her head vigorously to clear it. "Okay guys, let's go. We don't want Mary or Misao finding us here, especially not after we read this-" She waved Misao's diary in the air.
Viola shivered, imagining Misao's fury, and followed Ib over to the bookshelf where they would continue their journey.