Whisper/Ami looked to Lavender. "She stole my identity and everything of my memories... My name is Ami and I'm Ib's older sister... Ozu and Kira are my parents... Do they remember me?" her eyes were glowing to Lavender.
Ib wasn't sure. She had seen pictures of a child with her parents before she was born, but she had assumed that this sister that if it was her sister had gone away somewhere. Her parents almost never spoke of her and when they did, it would be brief. Lavender nodded, no matter how much she felt sorry for Ami too she still really felt for Mary. It must be horrible for anyone to be trapped. It was then she decided she'd still get Mary able to leave.
Garry saw the headless statue that Mary and Lavender had trouble with before. He pushed it aside for the girls to allow them all to keep going like they had intended to. "Just how many statues have I pushed today?" he grunted, but smiled at the girls so they could go down the steps.
The group walked down the stairs and were surprised to see they were nearly floating in outer space on the side. Something flew past them, perhaps a shooting star. Lavender looked around and could feel the childlike feel. She wiped her eyes but the tears wouldn't stop yet. She saw as the world took on a childlike drawing state. The others bravely dodged falling projectiles and walked down the pink floor some more. There was an arrow pointing something called 'Sketchbook' and they followed.
Garry was moved by the change, seeing a house with some flowers in childish drawings. "Well, now, this is a significant change in atmosphere... But nothing we can't handle."
"I bet that door's open." Ib pointed to the house.
Lavender was silent. She remembered Mary had mentioned about loving to draw.
Inside the house was a portrait of an unknown person, a not ticking clock, and a bookcase filled with child storybooks. Seeing nothing interesting, the group left and walked along past a locked art studio, another locked building, a blank bulletin board and Ib couldn't help but notice two dolls being hanged that resembled herself and what Ami used to look like before Mary drained everything from her.
Lavender looked at the dolls, her face still looking sad. She didn't like the look of how they were hanging. She blinked slowly. As they started to look around she saw one of the black-haired, red-eyed, dress wearing dolls. Her hand slipped unnoticed from Garry's and she followed the doll. She felt so curious and almost drawn to the doll. Garry reminded them not to get into trouble. He didn't seem to notice that Lavender was wandering off. The doll seemed to have pulled itself away as the girl was trying to get close to it.
Lavender wiped her tears away and followed the doll. "Don't leave..." she says softly. Her hair fluttered as she walked even though there wasn't much wind.
The doll kept pulling itself back, purposely so Lavender would follow it. Lavender followed. She didn't notice that the doll was leading her to Mary. Mary had sent a doll to get Lavender, she truly cared for the girl now. She heard how she had defended her and got upset over how she (Mary) wasn't allowed a true life.
Ib, Ami, and Garry continued to explore. They had found another house and wondered about going into it. The door was unlocked though. Ib noticed that Lavender was gone. Garry groaned, he was afraid this would happen. The others went exploring and hid away when they thought they heard Mary again, but continued to go after she had left. They had to get Lavender back before they would travel back to the art gallery to be with their families again. Ami wondered if her long-lost parents would accept her and take her back for being missing for eight years.
Mary picked up the doll and handed it to Lavender. "Here, I wanted to thank you and let you know I want to stay with you..." she says softly. She took Lavender's hand.
Lavender held the doll and looked at Mary. She gave a sad smile and nodded "Okay..." she says quietly.
Mary pulled Lavender along searching for the group. Lavender clutched the doll close. She was planning what she would do to get Mary out too. Ib, Garry, and Ami looked in the mysterious house. They heard the door open and Mary had come with Lavender, so they all hid and made sure neither would see them. Especially Mary.
"Ib, Garry, Ami?" Mary calls out in a sing-song voice, but looking slightly sad.
Lavender looked like the true child she now was. The doll was clutched to her chest, her rose was in her hair and the bouquet flower was clutched in her hand and Mary's. It dropped onto the floor as they left. The group stayed hidden and quiet the very best they could. The two young looking girls left. The door clicking closed audibly. Mary pulled Lavender along gently. Lavender followed with a calm look.
Lavender looked at Mary. "I'll help you to leave..." she says evasively.
Mary nodded smiling "Thank you, Lavvie..." she says, using Ib's nickname for the girl. Mary kept on looking around. Lavender hoped no one would be hurt at all.
Garry came out and clutched the flower close, hanging his head. "Oh, Lavender..." he then suddenly cried out as Ib hugged him, making his arms flail out, he didn't do that when Lavender hugged him. "Oh, Ib... it's okay..." he muttered with a smile.
"I just hope Mary doesn't do to Lavvie what she did to me." Ami whispered.
The others decided to keep walking. They also hoped they would find Mary and Lavender before something terrible might happen. A tulip had bloomed as they passed one of the many flowers in the garden and had earned a key. They could now get into the chalk/crayon drawing art gallery. The three made it into the drawing art gallery and came across Pandora's Box with some drawings of Ib, Mary, Garry, and Lavender with their roses. There was also one of the creepy dolls on the wall. Ib looked at Pandora's Box while Garry and Ami were wondering whether to open it, but she did and a bunch of symbols came out randomly. Ib also found a little mirror in the box and decided to hold onto it for future use. When they left the gallery and made it past the frozen door again, there was a gleam of sunlight. Mary blinked as the symbols flew about. Lavender giggled gently.
"You girls are still holding onto your roses, right?" Garry talked with the girls before they moved on to their next step in their journey. As he saw they still had them, he continued. "Make sure you don't lose them and don't let anyone else have them, not even each other! Although, I still wonder why we have these roses..."
"I remember something about a sculpture called 'The Embodiment of Spirit'," Ami recalled. "I'm sure there's a connection there."
Garry was still shaken by the moving paintings they had encountered before and wondered why none have come out so far in this new area.
Ib saw the drawn sun and placed the little mirror down against it which melted the ice off the door they had saw frozen several times before.
Lavender and Mary were still searching, never meeting them.
Garry commented how it wasn't too shabby when the ice melted. They all went in and found an unusual puzzle. They each took the time to memorize it, it seemed like a map. They were to start at the heart, then to an open oval eye, a crescent moon, a gleaming sun, a spiky star, a little swirl, a strange unknown shape, and finally, another moon, only sideways. They must have been symbols from the Pandora's Box. They cautiously walked out and passed a house with a heart symbol and they dodged near the lukewarm pond was a flying axe from nowhere. Mary must have summoned it. Mary cursed slightly as they dodged. Lavender blinked surprised at Mary. She knew Mary wouldn't purposely hurt them though.
"Keep walking." Garry lightly told Ib.
The younger girl nodded and continued to walk with Garry and Ami.
There was a noticeable apple in an orange tree and the other trees looked normal. They all kept walking and on the way out they saw the bulletin board now had one of the symbols on it. There was a new butterfly in the garden. They were all yellow, but one was orange with an eye pattern.
Mary looked at Lavender "Don't worry" she says with a smile.
Lavender hugged the doll with her. "Okay..." she says softly.
After what felt like ages of solving that puzzle, it was finally solved. Their reward was a plastic key for the one house that had been locked forever and they were allowed inside. There was a rather big toy box inside as well. Garry wondered if there was a key inside there, remembering that a key was hidden as a clue in an earlier part of the world. What they didn't know was that Mary and Lavender had come behind the three of them.
Mary looked at them. "How did you get in here?" She asks angrily, still clenching Lavender's hand. She then ran fowards and pushed them in.
Lavender blinked. "Mary!" She gasps.
"The key is in there, but we'll follow to stop them if they get to my special room..." Mary tells her friend gently. She then took Lavender's rose as she had pockets. She jumped in with her and when they landed handed Lavender her rose back.
The others had blacked out and woke up in a very creepy room. There was a mannequin head, a few disturbing dolls, a broken down toy train and some haunting drawings surrounding them. Ib woke up and saw she was alone. She didn't have her red rose and neither Garry or Ami were with her. She would have to solve things on her own, hopefully she wouldn't get killed in the process. Ib found Garry and he was flat on the ground like he once was before, but not as bad.
"Ib... Are you okay?" Garry breathed.
"I'm fine, but I can't find Ami." Ib said calmly, but a little scared inside.
Garry and Ib were almost on their way to Mary and Lavender as they made it past obstacles together, combining their brain power.
"Mary, what do you want from me?" Ami frowned as she was with Mary and Lavender in an unknown place.
Mary looked at her. "I just want to leave this place, and I wanted to give you back your full memories... because Lavender promised to help me get out too" she says, being absolutely truthful.
Lavender nodded and offered a small smile. If one could read smiles they would notice it gave away how she would actually do this.
Ami blinked at her. "Why did you take my memories in the first place? Didn't you think that I would miss my parents and little sister?"
"I wanted someone to stay with me until I knew how to escape... I'm sorry..." Mary says.
Lavender moved her hand to scratch her head and then placed it back in Mary's. "I'm going to make sure that she can escape too, please don't be mad... she didn't see any other choice" she says quietly.
Ami blinked, now kind of having trust in Mary. "I'm sorry we abandoned you." she whispered softly.
Ib and Garry had gotten far, they made some noise which drew Mary's attention.
Mary smiled and then walked through the door of her special place with Lavender. "Come on, Ami, I need your help, please." she says softly.
Lavender prepared to help make sure Mary would be okay.
Ami nodded and came in with Mary. "Garry, Ib!" she cried out to them. "You're okay!"
Of course, based on what they knew, Garry and Ib were alarmed by Mary's appearance. And why hasn't she already harmed or killed or done whatever she had wanted to do with Ami?
Mary looked at them a little angry. "How did you get in here? Leave now!" She shouts, scared slightly in case they wouldn't listen about not killing her.
Lavender looked shocked and sad at Mary. She then sent a soft smile to Garry. The whole room shook with red rage from Mary. Ib ran off to the painting with Garry's lighter. Garry softly smiled back with some flushed red tint coming into his cheeks.
"Ib!" Ami cried out as Ib took more steps, disobeying Mary's wishes.
Mary chased after Ib. "Nooooo..." she screams.
Lavender ran too. "Ib don't please... I can get everyone out!" She shouts, not saying that she wouldn't be included.
Ib was close to flickering the lighter and stopped as Lavender said that. "You can?"
"Really?" Garry looked at her as well.
Ami blinked, a little surprised that her nine-year-old sister had a lighter on her hands.
"Yes, I can... and Mary is really good, she just wants a life denied to her..." Lavender says softly. She couldn't let them hurt Mary.
Mary looked at Lavender. "Oh..." she gasps softly. She then looked at Ib and Garry. "I'm sorry..." she says softly.
Garry blinked at Mary, but smiled. If Lavender could trust the girl, then he could too. "Very well."
"I would very much like to go home now." Ib smiled at her older neighbor.
"Could I come too?" Ami asked, feeling she may never get this chance again, not believing she was now finally able to go home. "I don't know if my parents would even recognize me after all these years..."
Lavender looked at her. "Yes, you will..." she says softly. She smiled softly "Your parents have missed you..." she says.
Mary led them all out to where the pink key would be used. She had no need to fear now. Something strange happened. It was all dark and suddenly, Ib's eyes opened.
When Ib opened her eyes, she looked around and things in the art gallery looked as though as they did before the mysterious flickering lights. It was only darker.
"This place looks familiar..." Garry murmured as they were in the normal art gallery that no longer seemed to be haunted.
Nothing was coming alive and all were held still and there were windows showing the outside of the gallery and not being a bunch of random mirrors. Ib, Garry, Lavender, Ami, and Mary stopped as they came in front of the Fabricated World mural. Were they home? Were they all really home? Lavender took a deep soft breath. She gave Garry a brief hug and then the girls.
"We can get out through there..." Mary says softly. She gave Lavender a hug back not knowing why she was recieving a hug.
Garry wondered how they could all jump through a painting because of the frame, but something made it disappear. "Ladies first." Garry told Lavender about jumping into the gallery first.
Ib stayed with Ami and Mary.
"Let Ami and Ibby out first..." Lavender says, making it seem she was putting the blue doll aside safely.
Mary raised an eyebrow but smiled. "Go on then, Ami, Ib." she says.
Ami took Ib's hand and they jumped into the painting together.
Garry looked down at Lavender. "Coming?" he asked gently before someone would come see them.
Lavender smiled sadly and came a little closer. "I just want you to know I love you... and make sure Mary has a nice life..." she says, her eyes filling with tears.
"What?" Mary asks confused. "NO!" She cries.
"Lavvie!" Ib called out.
"LAVENDER!" Garry nearly screamed, holding his hand out for her.
Lavender had pulled out her rose and started to rip the petals off.
"Oh, no!" Ami moaned.
Lavender tore off the last petal and then dropped the stem too. She turned slowly and pushed them through the portrait. "I love you all..." she says softly. She then slowly collapsed, feeling extremely tired.
Mary had screamed in sadness but was quiet when they were out. She had forgotten what they had been doing.