A lot of puzzles and hidden messages in this one and there's a lot about Mary and her back-story, so sorry if that's not what you wanted. Too bad (I'll back to strictly romance + humour in the next story)! Set in the art gallery, but with rooms I made up. Chapter Summary: Ib and Garry have to find their way out of another puzzle, but things don't go as expected; then again, it never does. Ib: Age 16. Garry: Age 18.

Calamity & Chaos

Even after waking up, Ib was still feeling a little worn out. Garry seemed to be coping pretty well, and Ib wasn't too surprised. He seemed quite...strong willed, in her eyes. He certainly wasn't like anyone else she'd met. She still hadn't eaten the candy Garry had given him. She was saving it up for when she really wanted it. After all, it was a gift.

Ib felt lucky for being alive so far. Mary had been discovered to be a painting, and Garry had stopped her when she tried to attack. In a way, Ib felt sorry for her. She had good intentions, but just went around them the wrong way. A bad way, actually. But who knows what would have happened if Garry hadn't been there for her. She would have been mauled apart by all the animate artwork.

The newest mess of rooms was rather odd. A feet away from the two, were four statues of people, all painted one colour with no facial features carved into them. One was a statue of a red girl, a blue young man, a yellow girl and then a black statue of a an older looking man. All of them standing and sitting in different positions, with their hands carved to look like they were holding something.

"How weird." Garry said, "The colours are pretty familiar. I guess it's just another clue, right?"

"Two of the colours are like our roses. The red girl and the blue boy are like us, I think. If I'm right, then Mary is yellow and a man with a black rose is yet to be found."

"I hope not. That would mean he's still wandering around alone, possibly. We haven't seen him yet."

"Anyway, look at this." Ib said, gesturing Garry to follow her to the foot of the line of statues. "It's a plaque for the artwork. 'Words Of A Rose - Faith' it says. What do you think that means?"

"Maybe your little hypothesis was right. It's definitely something to do with people who have a rose. But what does it mean by 'faith'?"

"Let's look around. Maybe we'll find some clues."

"Alright. I'll go left, you go right." Garry suggested. Ib caught his arm as he turned around.

"I think we should go together." Ib said, leaving Garry with a slightly flustered look on his face. "J-Just because, there's been some pretty crazy stuff going on. We shouldn't split up, you know. N-Nothing else..."

Garry smiled to relieve Ib's stuttering. "Sure." The two walked around, looking around and turning knobs to locked doors. This area was more confusing to navigate, compared to the other areas. There were rooms, that led to rooms, that led to rooms that looked like the first room. Ib was glad there was someone around to share her confusion.

Finally, the two had reached somewhere worth being in. A room full of book shelves, but only one book. "Well this is interesting. I guess we read it then." Garry said, picking up the little book. "I wonder what language the title is in."

"It's Latin, I think." Ib said.

"You're pretty smart aren't you?"

"My parents make sure I'm well educated. But I don't actually know Latin." Ib laughed.

"Go figure." Garry opened the book and flipped through pages. There was a picture on the left and some info on the right. Garry stopped on a page that caught both his and Ib's eyes.

Then Garry said, "It's about the statues. Created and designed by Guertena, the inspiration for this piece came from seeing contrast in the way people are. The four personas in the piece are floriographical messages from the Victorian Era. The dark figure being himself, the yellow being the daughter he wished to have and the last two being a representation of love which he longed for. It is said the roses that the statues held were hidden by Guertena, who died before it his final masterpiece was fully complete."

"Oh wow. We probably mean that you and I are the only two real people here. And that our roses are like the remainder of his sculpture."

"And that Guertena was one creepy dude. What does floro-florion-floriographical mean? I hate hard words."

"It was symbolism in flowers back in the Victorian Era. Each flower had a different message. Red rose is for love. I don't know the rest."

"Cool. But I don't see how we're any closer to the answer."

"Let's just keep-Oh!" Ib squealed.

Garry turned around in shock. "Ib!"

Ib wearily blinked away the fuzziness shrouding her eyes. The room had purple walls and a few painting hung around. A few were some sketches. There was a chest of draws and dozens of books stacked up on each other.

Ib felt like she got knocked at by a baseball bat. Her legs were tied with old rope and her hands too. There was a weight on her back, almost warm. Turning her head slightly gave sight to strands of light violet coloured, messy hair from Garry's head. He was tied up too, and back to back with Ib. Ib could hear him groaning. "Are you awake Garry? Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah. A bit light headed but I'll be fine. How are you?"

"The same. I wonder how we got here."

"It was Mary. She grabbed you first then hit me on the head. We probably got knocked out and brought here by her."

"I thought she was gone forever."

"What was always dead can't die."

"Don't be mean. Maybe she wants to sort out the issues at hand."

"I love how you think like a child."

"Thanks, if that was a compliment." Ib giggled.

"You're welcome. Anyway, we should get out as soon as possible. I don't feel like hanging around in this gallery any longer."

"Agreed. Let's get to the draws over there." Ib said. She began shuffling around the floor to reach the chest, but was weighed down by Garry's weight. "Your too heavy. Help me get over there, otherwise I'll have to drag you."

"Try it then. Moving around will only hurt your butt. I've got a better idea anyway. Pull your knees inwards and tries standing. We can use each other's backs for support. I should work." Garry suggested. Ib started heaving up but again, couldn't match Garry's weight and slumped back down.

"I was going to say I should to it." Garry laughed. He got up with ease and Ib felt like she was being pulled into the ceiling. "Sorry. I didn't expect you to be so light. A lot of girls weigh more than the titanic but still have bodies like a stick."

Ib laughed at the thought and the two took a while to hop over to the drawers. The two bickered for a while, trying to decide who should opening the draws. There only means of doing so was using their teeth, since their limbs were uselessly tied up. "Come on Garry," Ib moaned, "Please?"

Garry sighed. "Fine, but only because it's you."

"Thank you." Ib said sweetly, as Garry pulled the first draw open unwillingly. The next was empty too, and Garry cursed when the third was also. The last one, and the largest, contained a purple key, a candle and a aqua coloured vase. "I guess we know what that key's for."

"A vase...That reminds me, we don't have our roses." Garry said. The two instantly lifted their heads, wide-eyed in fear.

"N-No need to worry. If Mary wanted to destroy them, she would have done so already. Right?"

"I hope so. Let's get the key and get the roses back."

"But what about the candle? Surely its there for a reason. Maybe it's some crazy switch or something will appear."

"Maybe. I have a lighter in my back pocket. You put the candle near me while I get it." Garry said. The two did as planned and Ib used her feet to bring the candle out as Garry reached into his pocket and put the lighter close to his hip. Using the edge of his shoe, Garry lit the candle and the area by their hands felt hot. The rope binding them started feeling warm too. Almost wet.

"What's happening to the rope, Garry?"

"It's...melting. Maybe the rope had a high wax content. Or was coated in it. It's dripping away."

"Good thing we had the lighter than. It'll be handy later on." Ib and Garry pulled away from each other to break the remaining rope. They did the same for their feet and were finally moving properly again.

Grabbing the key and walking to the door, Ib clicked the purple key through the lock and opened it with her eyes shut tight. A slight mistake and Mary could pluck away either of their roses without a second thought. If Mary even saw them there, she could bring them down on their knees in pain. Ib was afraid of pain, and suffering. Especially if it was happening to someone right in front of her eyes.

The two relaxed when none of that was there. "No Mary, no mannequins, no creepy paintings. Finally." Garry said.

"And no roses either. Let's look through some of the rooms." Ib whispered. "We might be able to save ourselves if we work together."

"Right. I chose left."

"What a bad pun." Ib laughed, despite what she said. As the two wandered on, things were getting noticeably confusing. One door led to another door, leading to another door, then another door, and then, back to the first door.

"It's sort of weird how all the rooms are unlocked, don't you think?" Garry said. His observation wasn't wrong. Before Ib could say anything, the door behind them locked with a creek, slam and click.

"Oh gosh, were we being followed? We're stuck in here now!" Ib said frantically, tugging at the door knob hopelessly.

"C-Calm down. If it's not in here, at least we're safe." Garry said, seeming just as worried himself. He had a feeling it wasn't Mary. This didn't seem like something she'd do. The lights flickered and went out. Ib waved her arms around, looking for Garry, then clung onto his arm tightly.

The light turned on again. There was something different about the room. Ib and Garry turned around, seeing Mary standing on the opposite side of the room. There was a door behind her, one that wasn't before. Standing around her were several creepy blue dolls, mannequins, and painting woman. "Mary...your here." Ib stuttered, that was all she could manage to say.

The blond haired girl was around a year younger than Ib with an unnaturally beautiful face. As though it were painted. "Ib, Garry. It's nice to see you again, it really is." Mary said with a smile, "I've been looking forward to seeing you two, but you always seem to run away. Why would you leave me behind?"

Mary had genuine sadness on her face as she looked down at the four roses in her hand. Blue, Yellow, Red and Black. Ib felt like there really was a part of Mary that wasn't too bad, like her good self was buried under confusion. But Garry wasn't buying it.

"Mary, you have to stop. Give Ib back her rose. We don't belong here so we have to get out." Garry pleaded.

"And leave me out, right? Leave me stuck here forever."

"It's not like that Mary." Ib said sharply.

"Then who will it be Ib?" Mary yelled fiercely, "I've been stuck my whole life, I deserve to leave!"

Garry knew there wasn't time. This conversation was bound to end a bloody mess if he didn't find a way out. Garry took a breath, lifted his leg and kicked the door a few times, until it cracked into pieces. Mary and the other animated creatures began charging forward and Garry took hold of Ib's arm and dragged her out of the room and down the hall with all his might.

Ib was running too, trying to keep up with Garry and was felt herself gaining speed every time she looked back to a possible death. Eventually Garry had to make the decision of which door to go through. He'd burst through doors while Ib would struggle to close them in hopes to slow down the mob. Door after door, Garry could feel his body losing out. His whole chest was pulsing, heart, lungs and all and Mary and the others showed no sign of slowing down.

"G-Garry, we need a diversion!" Ib yelled out. Somebody had to say it. Eventually they'd reached several fleets of stairs and had made their way as high as they could. Luckily the mob had struggled getting themselves through such a narrow space, and Garry had managed to buy a few seconds to realise that they'd come back to the room with the 'Words Of A Rose' sculpture.

"Ib, I think we need our roses, we have to get them off Mary!"

"How!? We can't fight off that mob, there's no way!" Ib said, close to tears. Just as she turned around, a strange and unfamiliar voice appeared.

"Beautiful roses belong in a garden together." Said the voice. Ib and Garry turned around to see a middle aged man standing with a face, saddened over time, much like Mary. "My children have come to grow so well, have they not?"

Mary had finally come, her army behind her and ready. "Father..." She said softly. She looked to shocked for other words.

"Father?" Garry interrupted.

"Garry, it's Guertena." Ib said, clutching his arm.

"My dear Mary, what have you done? Why have you let jealously overcome you?" Said the man named Guertena.

"But father I-"

"Hush." She said, walking over to the mortified girl. "A golden rose must have an equal balance of love and darkness. You must not let yourself become what I am."

"It's all because of Garry. If I want to leave, I have to get rid of him, so Ib and I can be friends!" Mary said, eyes welled with rage and salty tears. Real tears.

"Mary, no one ever said you had to get rid of Garry." Ib said, "Wasn't that the original plan? For all of us to leave together!"

Mary kneeled down on the floor, her hair shrouding her face and her faint sobs echoed the room. The creatures behind her began disappearing, fading into tiny dust particles. The whole room around them began tearing apart from the inside out. "Mary, Ib, Garry, have the honour of finishing Guertena's last masterpiece. My world is collapsing, but you shouldn't die with it." said the artist.

"But what about you?" Garry asked.

"As long as Mary is safe with you two, I think I'll be okay. Once she leaves, she'll be free. She never deserved this anyway."

Mary handed out the roses, leaving Guertena with his. The three placed their roses on the statues' hands, and the whole of the dimensional plane tore apart, leaving its only escapers.

Garry, Ib and Marry were back in the art exhibit. The mural behind them and a few people walking by. The lights were on. Things felt real. Mary was collapsed on the floor. "Mary, are you okay?" Ib said, kneeling down and shaking her.

"Maybe something happened because she isn't human." Garry said, kneeling to join Ib. A few moments past and Mary jolted to life and sat right up.

"W-Where am I...?" She whispered, sounding scared. "Don't kill me, please."

"Mary, are you alright?" Garry said. As much as he had a bad feeling about this, he couldn't to something that would upset Ib.

"Who are you people?" Mary asked, "And what happened to the art gallery?"

"What the hell just happened?" Garry mumbled. "Mary, don't you remember what happened in the gallery?"

"Where are my parents?" she said, "How long did Guertena hold be captive?"

"Captive? Mary, your a painting. What are you talking about?" Garry said.

"No, I'm not. I came here with my mother and father and I was put in a strange version of the gallery, were I nearly died. Somehow, Guertena had taken me, saying I'd be his favourite work of art. I lived there for what felt like years. What's the year now?"

"Uh, we're in the 2000's now." Garry said hesitantly.

"O-Oh my God...It's been a hundred and fifty years." Mary said. "Mama and papa...their dead, arent' they?"

"Wait, let me get this straight. The same thing happened to you as it happened to Ib, except you were made all crazy and into a painting because of Guertena." Garry said, "But now, your back to normal. Please tell me that last bit was right."

"Yes. I feel better than I was before but who are you again?" Mary said.

"Ib, and he's Garry. We're...your friends. Let's go and get this sorted out. Mary, we're friends. And Garry is...my boyfriend." Ib said shyly.

Garry blushed insanley and turned his head. Despite his humbleness, he did his own little victory dance in his head. Marry laughed, "Ah, I see. Garry is shy now! You two are all romantic, correct?" Her giggling only made the two more embarrassed. "Well then, since there isn't much we can do waiting here, why don't we go get this all sorted out?" Mary suggested.

"Y-Yeah. We should all, uh, go." Ib said.

"Ib," Garry said. The brown haired girl turned her head and was met by Garry's lips pressing gently on hers. Marry squeaked and turned around, leaving the two to their buisness. She was still giggling.

Garry released his hold on Ib and said, "All ends that ends well."

I hope you liked it! Sorry it was so loooooooooong. The hardest thing about writing this was RESEARCH about the flowers and writing the chase scene thing. Apologies if the puzzle ideas were no good. But was the ending satisfactory? I think so even if it seemed rushed. Honestly, I don't like making Mary a villain. Next story will be soon, bye for now! Review/Fav/Follow too.