She studied her arms as they once again stood in the middle of the puzzle. Alfred was eagerly waiting to push the buttons.
"Alright... Top middle, left middle, top right, top left, bottom right, bottom middle, right middle, and bottom left."
Alfred pressed each button accordingly, confident in her decisions. As he pressed the last button, a key fell from the roof and she had to quickly dodge to not get hit. It fell with a soft clank and they high-fived each other.
She picked it up with a smile. "We're almost there, I can feel it!" She said, her voice trembling with excitement. They rushed out of the building to the last house.
As they entered, she felt a wave of uneasiness wash over her. The room was empty except for one thing. A blue chest. She walked over to it and saw in messy handwriting, "Toy Chest" was written on the side.
"This is the toy box?" Alfred asked while looking around it. "It's pretty big." They peered into it. The inside looked as if it was a never-ending void. "That note on the pink building said there's a key in there."
"I can't even see the bottom..." She muttered.
"Is there even a key in there?"
"Wanna see?" A familiar voice asked and before either of them had time to react, they were pushed in.
She hit the ground with a thud and groaned. Her body ached and she squeezed her eyes shut. She laid there, regaining her breath before slowly sitting up. Her entire body felt like she had just run a marathon. Looking down, she could see all of her old injuries that had previously been healed, were all back. Every cut, bruise, bite, and scratch were bleeding and she looked for her rose.
Her eyes widened when she realized it was nowhere to be found. Her purse had fallen off her arm and the continents were scattered about. Quickly picking them up and shoving them into her small bag, she slung it over her arm and winced.
She took the time to look on the ground for her rose and noticed red petals. She followed them and sighed in relief when she saw the flower on the ground a bit away. She gently picked it up and was starting to panic as it only had one petal remaining. Ever so carefully, she held it close to her and looked around. Alfred wasn't by her side.
"Alfred?" She called out, hoping for a response. Silence answered her call and she felt her chest tighten. She gulped loudly and started staggering around.
She soon saw his blonde hair and rushed over as fast as she could to him. She gently shook his shoulder and he groaned.
"Owww... I hit my head..." He mumbled and sat up. His hand rubbed the side of his head and his eyes squeezed shut momentarily. "Are you ok?"
His jaw dropped when he saw her injuries, the fresh blood slowly dripping. He stared at her rose and saw the catastrophic state it was in. "No, oh no. (Y/N)!"
He stretched his arms out to bring her into a hug but stopped himself. He didn't want to hurt her any more than she already was. He stared at her, panicking at what to do.
"A... A vase. We need to find you a vase." He jumped up and frantically looked around. "Are we in the toy box?"
"Gabriel, he pushed us in." She mumbled. Her head ached and her words didn't want to form properly. She took a deep breath and winced at the sudden pain in her ribs. "We need to find that key. I think I saw a way out when I was looking for you."
"But you're hurt, really badly." He argued, raising a hand to his hair. She could see his rose sticking out of his pocket, a couple of blue petals scattered on the ground.
She grabbed the hand that was still at his side and held it softly, running her thumb calmingly over it. "We can get me a vase when we get out."
He stared at her, almost debating to argue with her before nodding. "Fine, but the moment we have that key we're out of here."
They slowly walked around the toy box for the key. They had no idea where it could be. She figured since there wasn't a table or anything for it to be placed on, it would most likely be on the floor. Alfred insisted that one of the dolls scattered about had it.
"I'm telling you, those dolls are monsters." He shook his head in disbelief. "And you thought they were cute earlier."
She stared at him in confusion. "What? I've never seen these dolls before. What are you talking about?"
"Back in that room after we met Gabriel. You both said they were cute."
She stopped to think about what she had found cute in her time there. "Are you talking about the rabbits?"
It was Alfred's turn to give her a confused look. "Rabbits? Where did you see rabbits?"
They stared at each other until a horrifying realization struck her. "Oh my god. I was hallucinating." She remembered reading about hallucinations in the rabbit room. The book was right, she hadn't even realized it.
She stared at the dolls that now surrounded her and felt her face scrunch up in distaste. She moved her foot, about say something when she heard a noise. It sounded like metal being scraped along the concrete.
She looked down and noticed there was a key on the ground, now a couple of feet away from her foot. Alfred picked up the pink key and frowned as he studied it. She tugged on his shirt to get his attention as she noticed it was getting darker in the room.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see slight movement and Alfred let out a yelp as the dolls moved forwards.
He wasted no time and picked her up. He heard her cry out in pain but didn't care. He would rather have her be in pain than risk one of the monsters touching her. With the key and her rose in hand, she helped guide Alfred.
"On your left... head to your right!" Alfred jumped over one of the dolls and nearly tripped as it grabbed onto his leg. He looked down to see a head in front of him and his teeth gritted in anger.
"That's it, I've had enough of you!" He cried out and violently kicked the head. The action sent the doll flying and hitting the wall, while the head shattered. He quickly turned to shield her from getting hit with any shards.
"Over there!" She yelled and pointed to a door being guarded by two giant dolls. Without a second thought, he sprinted towards them and up the stairs, thanking every deity he could think of that they didn't go after him.
He stopped to catch his breath and gently set her down. She held her ribs and grimaced but spun so her back was facing him. She didn't want him to see the pain she was in. She frowned as she looked around and noticed they were in the same room the toy box originally had been in. However, it looked different.
The once white walls were now black, and instead of the toy box, stairs were leading up. Keeping them from going up the stairs were enlarged thorns with blooming yellow roses.
"It's blocked as if someone doesn't want us to go up..."
"Burn them." She said, her tone harsh and hardened with pain. Alfred spared a glance at her before taking his lighter out and setting the rose bush ablaze.
The flame barely had time to lick the vine before it burst into a large fire. Alfred jumped back from the intense heat and brought his arm up to his face. It didn't take long for the fire to clear and when it did, not a puff of smoke was left.
"It worked!" He cheered and started going up the stairs. "Look." He said, pointing to the far wall once they got to the upper floor. But before she could, they heard footsteps climbing the stairs behind them quickly.
"Who's there?" Gabriel asked with a shocked face. "Miss (Y/N), Alfred... You're both ok?" He asked, almost surprised they were both still alive. His shock soon turned to an enraged face. "How did you get into this room? Leave!"
"Gabriel, you..." She was cut off.
"Don't take another step. Leave right now!" Gabriel pulled out his pallet knife and screamed. "Now! NOW! NOOOW!" The floor under him seemed to crack under his young, yet powerful voice. "LEAVE!"
He quickly darted and she ran with Alfred following her. They ran towards the far wall and she had an idea. "Alfred, the painting!"
Alfred looked at the painting, the glass protecting the paper had been shattered with shards falling to the floor. The exposed paper was thin and delicate, leaving Alfred to connect the dots. He pulled out his lighter and brought it to the paper.
The glass that still clung to the golden frame shattered at the sudden intense heat. "No, please! STOP!" Gabriel cried out.
She watched with wide eyes as his body started to burn. She could see the panic and pain in his face and noticed glistening tears fall down his cheeks. He reached out with a small hand, desperate and begging for help. Flames started to envelop his hand and travel down his arm. Soon, the boy that had looked so real, was nothing more than a pile of ashes.
They stayed silent, nothing but their heavy breathing filled the room until Alfred fell to the ground. "I have to say..." He said through pants. "Kids sure can be scary."
She didn't say anything and stared at the palette knife that had fallen next to the ashes.
"Well, it burned up a lot more violently than I expected." He shifted and looked at her. "Are you ok? The glass shattered."
She finally turned to face him and nodded. Her eyes soon trailed to his hand. "Your hand!" She cried out and bent down to grab it. Alfred looked and surprise flashed through his eyes.
"Oh, I cut it... I didn't even notice."
She grabbed her purse and dug through it until she found what she was looking for. A white handkerchief with initials embroidered on it. She gently wrapped it around his hand and he watched with thin lips.
"I'm not a fabric expert, but isn't that real lace? I don't want to ruin it..."
She shook her head but gave a small smile. "Too late silly." She could already see a small red spot appearing on the fabric from the cut. She finished wrapping it and Alfred checked out her bandaging skills while she wandered the room.
Children's books of fairytales were spread across the floor, some partially open while others were bookmarked. She bent down next to one and picked it up. "How to Make Friends". She pursed her lips and set it down with a heavy heart. Moving to a different book she noticed it was all blank except the crayon writing.
"I like the visitors coming in to live with me but... I want to leave this place myself and live outside! But unless I take the place of someone from outside, it seems I can't do that... Won't somebody come soon? Won't somebody come soon..."
She felt a tear fall from her eye. It rolled down her cheek silently as she quickly wiped it away. Alfred came up behind her and peered at what she was looking at.
"That's..." He trailed off, looking at the pile of ashes.
She looked up at him as more tears followed. "Alfred..." She croaked out and he knelt next to her. "He was so lonely here." She muttered, wiping the tears as they kept falling. "He just wanted to see the real world, be a normal kid. He just wanted true friends." She fell completely to her knees.
"He didn't have parents to love or raise him, he didn't have friends to play with or keep him company. He didn't even know what snow felt like! He wanted to be a little boy and we killed him."
She sobbed and Alfred wrapped his arms around her. It hurt to cry, her ribs ached with every sob and every movement seemed to irritate her injuries but she didn't care. Gabriel might not have been human, but his last moment showed that he felt things. He felt the sadness of them leaving him, he felt the pain of flames eating at his skin, and he certainly felt the betrayal of being burned by those he thought of as friends.
They stayed like that until she calmed down. Her breathing back to normal and dry cheeks. She sniffled before having Alfred help her stand, leading them out of the room. She took one last glance at the pile of ashes. 'I'm sorry,' she thought as they walked down the stairs.
The trek from Gabriel's room to the pink building wasn't very far, but with her injuries, it felt like years. Alfred helped her as much as he could without causing any more discomfort or pain, something she was grateful for.
As they reached the pink building, he pointed to a table in the corner with a vase. Taking her delicate rose, she placed it in the water. The surviving rose petal grew back its life, going from a dark dying maroon to a bright red again. The petals grew back on the stem and it stood straight instead of bent over wilting.
Her body no longer ached and all the injuries faded away, leaving faint scars. The only thing keeping the memory of pain was the blood staining her skin.
"I know we want to leave, but can we clean up first?" She asked and Alfred nodded.
"Of course, probably best not to show up covered in blood anyway."
The walk to the pond was quiet, she didn't know what to say. At the moment, nothing seemed right. Alfred kept glancing at her, worried. From the moment he met her, he knew she was a fighter. He also knew this place was taking a lot out of her. Perhaps Gabriel had been the final straw.
He watched as the blood washed from her body, slowly turning the water red. "I didn't realize there was so much." He murmured.
"Yeah, I got hit a lot." She said, standing up. She shook her arms to rid of the loose water droplets and sighed heavily. "I think I'm ready."
Alfred could see the hesitation in her eyes and understood. They were ready to leave, they had been for a long time. But what if this door wasn't the exit? What if it was just another puzzle and they'll never get out?
"Are you ready?" She asked and walked over to him. She held her hand out as if to say "Together". Alfred took it and smiled.
"Yeah, let's go."
They stood in front of the pink building, the pink key in her grasp. Shakily, she put the key through the hole and twisted until she heard an unlocking sound. Alfred opened the door and they entered. They descended the stairs and watched the walls grow darker and the flooring turn to a dark gray carpet.
"Watch your step." He said while keeping a hand on the wall for support in the dark. The staircase was long and she wondered if there would ever be an end until she finally saw the bottom.
"This looks familiar." He said, walking towards a desk.
"It's the gallery." She said, looking at the familiar poster on the wall. "A darker, more spooky version, but the gallery nonetheless." She noticed the stairs going to the upper floor and pointed to them. "That painting, "Fabricated World". That's where we need to go."
She rushed up the stairs, faster than she thought she could, and ran to the large painting, almost tripping as she halted to a stop. She stared at it again. A hard-induced determination was coursing through her. This was the way home, she knew it.
Alfred looked at the plaque below it.
"Once you go in, there's no going back. All your time here will be lost. Will you still jump in?"
"Does that mean, if we jump into this we'll go back there?" Alfred asked, and looked closely at the frame. He could see a ledge about a foot thick, just enough space to stand. "How do you jump into a painting exactly?"
A flash of light flickered in front of them and suddenly the frame was gone. The portrait no longer showed drawings of the other gallery, but instead looked as if they were looking through a window.
Alfred jumped onto the ledge. "Holy Batman, I'm really in!" He cried out surprised and crouched down for her to take his hand. She reached out to grab it but heard a voice she never thought she would again.
She looked over her shoulder, the way she had just come from, and saw a familiar old woman with white hair tied in a bun.
"Grandma?" She whispered, shocked. Her grandma just smiled and held out her arms, inviting her for a hug.
"Hey, (Y/N)... What are you doing?" Alfred called but she ignored him.
"Oh, my sweet (Y/N). You've grown so much!" She cooed, her voice raspy with age.
"You'll be fine, don't worry!"
"Why don't you come with me? We can have some coffee and ice cream. I know you still love your sweets."
"I'll help you up... (Y/N)?"
"I'm so lonely, won't you come with me?"
(Y/N) stared at her grandma, her heartbreaking with every word. She could feel tears forming in her eyes but blinked them away. She gently smiled.
"You're not real."
She grabbed Alfred's outstretched arms and fell into the painting with him.
(Y/N) stood in front of a painting, blinking. What was she doing? Had she zoned out again? She adjusted her purse and walked away. She faintly remembered the steps as she descended and decided to make one more trip around the gallery. She passed "Abyss of the Deep" and felt the hair on her arms stand up.
She shrugged it off, chalking it off to the nature of the painting. A sculpture of a red rose came into view and she gently smiled. It was beautiful. She stood next to a man who was also admiring it.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" She murmured, not sure why she was talking to him. Normally, the thought of talking to any stranger made her feel uncomfortable, but this man had a different aura around him. A comforting one.
"Yeah, but... When I look at this sculpture, I feel somehow sorrowful. I wonder why?" His face scrunched up in confusion as if he was trying to pick a memory from the deepest parts of his brain. She stared at the flower, somehow feeling a strange attachment to it as well.
"Sorry if I said anything to trouble you (Y/N)." She looked at him in surprise.
"Who's (Y/N)?" He whispered to himself, unsure where that name came from.
"Um, I am."
His blue eyes widened as he looked her up and down, studying every part of her face. But no matter how much he stared, he couldn't pin where he would know her.
"Your name's really (Y/N)?" He asked as if making sure she wasn't pulling his leg. She nodded and he placed a hand on his hip. "That's so weird dudette, I mean, I don't know you at all." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "It kinda just came out." He chuckled nervously. "Have we met before? Maybe in high school, or through Arthur?"
She shook her head and his arm fell at his side with a slap. "Well, never mind then. See ya."
He started walking away. As he left he brought his hand up to his face in embarrassment. Thinking he had just missed an opportunity with a cute girl, he sighed. He felt something soft against his face and looked at his hand. A white handkerchief had been wrapped around it, he could make out the faint brown of old blood.
"When did I get this?" He said, unwrapping it to take a closer look. She noticed the white fabric in his hand and looked through her purse. Hers was missing.
"I think that's mine." She softly said and turned around.
"Yours?" He asked and looked at it. He noticed in the corner the name "(Y/N)" embroidered. "You're right your name is right there. But why did I have it?"
A sudden flicker of remembrance flashed through his eyes as he stared at the girl in front of him. "I was, hurt. Cut on the hand. And a girl wrapped my hand." He slowly said. A smile starting to form on his lips. "A girl named (Y/N)!"
He grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I remember! We were stuck in the gallery getting chased by those scary statues! And, and Gabriel too!"
She looked at him in shock. The name Gabriel echoed in her head. 'Gabriel. Gabriel. Gabriel.' The picture of a young boy with blonde hair and baby blue eyes suddenly appeared in her head. A little black hat sat on top of his head as he smiled up at her.
"Miss (Y/N)! Thank you Miss (Y/N)! Do you know what snow is?"
She held her head as a piercing pain shot through it. Memories that had been hidden flowing to the top. She remembered the gallery, the creatures. Her rose and the puzzles. She remembered Alfred and Gabriel, sweet little Gabriel who she killed to make it out. She looked at Alfred and wondered how she had ever forgotten him.
"Alfred?"
He hugged her and she felt the air leave her lungs at the strength of it. "It's hard to think it happened, but it must have, right?" He asked as if needing reassurance. He let go and winked at her. "We got out! We did it! The hero saved the day!" He cried out and she smiled.
"We did it." She breathlessly repeated and stared at him. He was real, they both remembered, they were both alive.
"Oh shoot, I have to go. Arthur is waiting for me." He said, looking at the time. "But we need to talk about this." He quickly said, as if he was afraid this would be goodbye. "I'm going to ask Arthur to help me clean this and give it back to you." He said and stuffed the handkerchief in his pocket. "We'll see each other soon, ok!" He said and started making his way towards the door.
She grabbed his jacket to stop him with one hand and dug in her purse with the other. She fished out her phone and sighed in relief to see it was working again. "I need your number!"
Alfred facepalmed and gave her his number. She sent a smiling emoji to him so he could save her number as well. She didn't want to say goodbye, not so soon. Not after everything they had been through, but also knew he had things to do. She let him leave with a goodbye and watched him run out of the gallery.
As his shape disappeared she put her phone away and stared at the rose. She knew she was going to have a lot of recovery to do. But maybe with Alfred, she would be ok. A soft smile appeared on her lips. No, she would be ok. She had survived that twisted gallery of Feliciano Vargas, and she would be fine.
After all, she had a
"Promise of Reunion".