Author's Note: Hey guys! It's been a long time! Sorry I haven't updated in a very, very long time. But don't fret, I'm back! My almost one year hiatus is over (hopefully lol). I might not be able to post another chapter for a while as I will be graduating high school very soon and I need to focus on school these last few weeks and I will be moving across the country soon after and then start college. But to make up for it, here is an extra-long chapter! I actually had this sitting in my computer about 75% done for months and just barely started chipping away at it again. I know some of you are wondering if I'm going to continue this story and yes, I am. I fully intend to finish what I start no matter how long it takes! And I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm thinking of making a sequel after I finish this. So until then, sit back and let the chapters roll in gradually! Enjoy!

It was a long time before Ib and Mary calmed down. All the while Garry held them as they sat in the hallway in a huddle.

Garry was still trying to comprehend what had just happened. It was all a blur to him. One minute he was talking with the girls and the next he was trying to save Ib from being snatched away. If it wasn't for Mary, she probably would have been taken. Garry was so grateful she did what she did, although Mary seemed to be extremely upset by it. Garry could only hold her tighter in his embrace.

But aside from all that, there was something here that seemed extremely wrong to Garry. The fact that the painting tried to drag Ib away set off a major alarm in his head. The paintings had never done anything like that before. It always seemed that their only goal was to chase and kill any living thing they set their painted eyes upon. There never seemed to be any other goal beyond that. But that painting appeared as though it wanted to do something beyond kill. It wanted to take Ib. It never tried to harm her in any way, even though it could very well have. It hadn't even attempted to steal her rose away and rip it up, just as another painting had done to Garry ten years ago.

And if it was planning on taking her and separating her from the group, what was it going to do then, once it had succeeded? It was hard to imagine that it would go through all that trouble to simply drag her away to kill her in a secluded area. The only thing Garry could think of was that it wanted to keep her away from the rest of the group and hold her somewhere. Why would it want to do that? What was the reason behind it? Why would it want her alone and unharmed? Why did it specifically want Ib? Was there something it wanted from her?

As Garry was contemplating all of this, he heard a small voice. "Garry…" He looked down at Ib, her face still planted on his chest. Garry suddenly become aware of her trembling, weak embrace and the wet spot on his shirt from her tears.

Garry placed his hand softly on her head and stroked her hair. "I'm here." He whispered gently. It pained him to see her this way.

"I want to go home." She breathed. Her voice was slightly muffled because she still did not lift her face from his chest.

"I know. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to get you two safely back home. I won't let anything happen to you two."

Ib nodded feebly into his shirt. She continued to cling to him as if her life depended on it. Garry wished he could take her away from all of this. He wanted to shield her from the horrors of this world and never let her feel terror ever again. If only it was possible…

"I don't mean to rush you guys, but we're kinda out in the open here. If we don't wanna get clawed at again, we better hightail it outta here."

Garry jumped slightly at Ciel's words. He had completely forgotten that there where others here besides him and Ib. He forgot Mary was present, even though he was also holding her the whole time. She had been so quiet and still for such a long while, too long it seemed.

He peered down at Mary to make sure she was okay. She looked as though she was staring off into space and her mind was miles away. She took no notice to Ciel's voice. Mary simply wore a blank look on her paint-splattered face. Garry had to tell himself that it really was red paint splattered on her body; it looked so similar to blood.

"Mary…Are you okay?" She didn't respond. "Mary? Hey…can you hear me? Mary?" Mary continued to stare at the wall blankly. Garry grew worried.

"Yo…Mary…Mary? Mary, can you hear us? Hey! Mary!" Ciel also sounded concerned.

"Mary! This isn't funny. Say something!" Garry began to shake her. She didn't even look at Garry once. "Ciel…is…is she being taken by the madness again?" At his statement, Ib finally looked up and stared at Mary. Her dazzling red eyes were puffy and twisted with concern.

"I-I don't know. I thought I would have noticed…" Ciel stammered.

Ib suddenly raised her hand to Mary's cheek. She slapped Mary. The slap didn't look as though it would have hurt, but it was enough for it to be audible to Garry's ears.

"Stop…" Ib muttered. Garry almost didn't hear her. "Stop…Mary…That's enough…" Ib's expression had quickly gone from one of concern to anger. Her voice was steadily getting louder. "I've had enough of this. Stop doing this to me. Why are you trying to make me worry? Haven't I been through enough? Stop it. Stop it! I hate this! Stop doing this right now!" Ib's voice had escalated to shouting.

Garry only watched as Ib shouted at Mary, who was still not responding. It felt strange to see Ib shout out angrily. He had never seen her angry before and had a feeling that seeing her this way was very unusual. Ib seemed to be the kind of girl who was always soft-spoken. She must have really been at her wits end. The stress of seeing the horrors of this world was finally taking its toll on her.

Ib slapped Mary again, harder this time. "Stop it!" She shouted. "I'm sick of this! I am so sick and tired of everything here and you're only making it worse! Why are you doing this to me?! Are you trying to add to my agony?!" Angry tears were flowing down Ib's cheeks as she slapped Mary once more. Garry noticed Mary's cheek was beginning to redden.

"Garry, tell her to stop. She's hurting Mary." Ciel demanded. "Tell her this isn't Mary's fault. Stop her!" Garry had a feeling that he shouldn't step in. This must be something she had to get out of her system.

"Don't you know hard this is on me too? Maybe even harder! I've been trying to keep a leveled head for you! Can't you do this same for me?! I'm drowning here trying to support the both of us! Do you know how hard it is to have someone lean on you all the time? Do you?!"

Ib paused to catch her breath. She struggled to breathe through her tears. She then quickly hugged Mary tightly and leaned on her. "Please…" She begged. "Don't make me go through this alone…I need your help."

Garry watched the two. He felt sorry for Ib. He also felt guilty. She always seemed so strong. She never seemed to be scared of anything in this world. Garry had always subconsciously thought of her as the supporting pillar that kept the group intact. So much stress had been put on her to support the group.

Garry almost didn't notice when Mary gradually lifted her arms and returned Ib's hug. "I'm sorry…" She whispered. He saw Ib flinch, but then hold her tighter.

"How long were you listening?" Garry asked quietly.

"The whole thing…I heard it all…" Mary responded in an almost inaudible voice. "I… woke up when she slapped me the first time."

She heard the whole thing. She just chose to stay quiet and allowed Ib to shout at her and slap her. She let Ib get everything out of her system. Now that it was over, Mary's once blank face expressed a combination of shock, guilt, and sadness.

"I'm sorry…" Mary whispered again. "I'm so sorry…I didn't know…I didn't know…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" She repeated those words over and over again until Ib spoke to her.

Ib pulled away from the embrace and faced Mary. "I'm sorry, too. I never told you how I was feeling. I was always harboring some ugly feelings, even before this. But we can talk about that later."

Mary looked even more shocked at Ib's confession. She appeared to be at loss for words and feebly uttered more apologies. Ib shushed her. "It's alright. You don't have to apologize anymore. I understand. And yet…I know it's wrong, but I don't think I can stop being bitter until we talk everything out." Ib gently wiped away Mary's tears as she spoke. "That's for another time, though. Right now we need to focus on surviving this place. Can you do that for me?"

Mary simply nodded and squeaked "Okay."

"Good."

Ib was about to lift them up when she stopped. She looked at Mary seriously and said, "There's just one more thing. Mary…I need you to promise me that you won't fall into the madness again. I need you to fight it with all you have. This isn't the time to be weak. I know it may not sound fair, but I need you to promise me this one thing. I need you to promise and swear to never break it."

Mary stared at Ib and after a long pause she said "I promise."

"You swear?"

"I swear on my life."

"Great." Ib said with a bittersweet smile. She got up and slowly lifted Mary up with her. Ib finally looked to Garry. "Do you want to get going?" She asked.

"S-sure!" Garry quickly scrambled to his feet. He handed Ciel to Mary, who had forgotten him on the floor. She quietly hugged him as the group proceeded down the hallway.

Talk was nonexistent as the group roamed the halls looking for a way out. Ib and Mary were no longer chatting cheerfully as they usually did. Garry also noticed that there was more of a gap between them as they walked. He hoped that their earlier fight had not damaged their relationship too badly. He hoped that they would find the exit soon. Being here was putting a huge strain on the girls.

Garry was engrossed in his thoughts when he observed Ib walking a bit strangely. She appeared to have trouble keeping her head up and was clutching her arm tightly. Garry grew worried. "Ib?" he asked.

She barely responded to him. It seemed it was a struggle to even lift her head to look at him. "Garry…" was all she could manage before her legs gave out.

"I-Ib? Ib! What's wrong?!" He caught her just before she hit the floor. "What's wrong?!"

"What happened?!" Mary cried. Garry was wondering the same thing as he kneeled down to the floor and gently placed Ib's limp body down. She was breathing heavily and still gripping her arm strongly.

"Ib, what's wrong?" Garry repeated. Ib looked as though she was trying to speak, but she couldn't get the words to go past her lips.

"G-Garry…I…I…I…" She struggled to sound the words out.

"It's okay. Take your time. Don't try too hard." Garry told her anxiously. He tried to appear calm, but he was steadily growing more alarmed and concerned by the second.

"Ib, does your chest hurt?! Is your heart acting up?! Is it your heart condition?!" Mary asked frantically. Garry was about to ask what she meant, but he saw that Ib was forming more words.

Ib shook her head. "M-my…I…I…control…can't…my head…" Tears were silently leaking from her eyes. "S-some…some…one…my head…a voice…"

"A voice?" Garry said. Ib nodded. Even still, he was confused about what she was trying to convey.

Ib went on. "It…control…please…stop…g-go away…leave…please…" She no longer seemed to be speaking to Garry. She lifted a clenched fist to her forehead in frustration. More tears flooded from her tightly shut eyes.

She then abruptly put her arm back down to her side. Garry noticed she was squeezing it more than ever. It was beginning to quake violently. He worriedly touched the hand clenching the arm to see what was wrong. He and Mary gasped when they saw a long, deep scratch underneath her tightened hand. It was on the underside of her forearm and was an angry red and bleeding from the tight grip. Why hadn't he noticed this before? Was she hiding it this entire time?

Suddenly, Ib's eyes snapped open and looked directly at Garry. "What is it, Ib?" He questioned in a concerned tone. As she loosened her grip and slowly raised her hand as if to touch Garry's cheek, she painstakingly uttered words with a look of desperation and fear.

"G-Garry…help…please…" More tears spilled from her terrified eyes. Her words and the look in her eyes made Garry feel as if he had to do something, anything, to get her out of the pain she was obviously in.

But, in a blink of an eye, the look was gone. Her hand froze just before it reached Garry's face. She put it down after a few moments and sat up. She was now breathing normally and wiped the tears from her eyes. Ib remained silent for a few more seconds before suggesting, "You want to get going now?"

Garry and Mary just stared at her, dumbfounded. Just a few moments ago, she was having trouble working her own body. Now she simply sat up and acted as though nothing had happened. What was going on?

Ib lifted herself from the floor and brushed her skirt off. She looked back at the speechless Garry and Mary. "What are you two staring at?" She asked curiously. "We need to search for the exit."

There was a pause. "Ib…you…just now…" Garry stuttered.

"Yes?" She replied.

"You were…you were…" He didn't know how to explain it.

"Ib, you were just on the floor and looked like you were in pain! You looked like you were trying to tell us something, too! What is going on?!" Mary interjected in dismay.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Ib answered, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Ib, you were in pain just now, but you're acting as if nothing happened. What happened? What were you trying to tell us?" Garry asked gravely.

"I…I have absolutely no idea what you two are going on about. That never happened. I feel fine." Ib now looked worried.

"So…you don't remember what happened just now…?" Garry examined Ib as she shook her head. "Then…what do you remember, since we got attacked by the painted lady that is."

Ib stared directly into Garry's eyes. "I remember us walking through the corridors after, um…Mary and I's talk…and then we went through several doors and corridors. We went through a crimson room just before this. And then…we were walking through this hallway…and then…um…" A look a surprise came across Ib's face. "We…we…I-I don't know…I just remember getting up and you two were on the floor questioning me…"

"You remember everything except these last few minutes?" Garry asked.

"Y-yes. There is an empty spot in my memories. I-I can't remember how we got on the floor…" Ib lifted a trembling hand to her head.

Garry stared at her and examined every detail, every emotion on her face. He even tried to read her body language. Nothing about her hinted that she was lying. What reason would Ib have had to lie? None, none whatsoever. But something about this whole situation…

"It's… it's okay, Ib. Don't worry about this too much." Garry finally said.

Ib looked back at him and seemed confused. "What? What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, Garry?" Mary questioned with a slight look of suspicion. "We can't just forget this whole thing happened, because it did."

"I'm not saying we have to forget this happened. I'm just telling Ib not to worry about it."

"Why shouldn't we be worried?!" Mary demanded. "Ib was just on the floor and she couldn't move! She was talking about a voice in her head for god's sake!"

"Well, didn't you mention something similar happening to you when you were under the madness?"

Mary stopped short at Garry's words. "Are…are you saying Ib was under the madness just now?"

"That's what I think what was happening. What else would explain it? When you think about it, she was showing similar symptoms to you when you were under the madness."

"Not being able to move…hearing voices in your head…" Mary said thoughtfully. "But…I was able to remember my experience. Ib can't remember a thing."

Garry shrugged. "Maybe the madness is different for everyone. We don't know enough about it to know all the symptoms for sure."

"The madness…? How? I wasn't feeling anything bad…" Ib mumbled.

"Well…it can come pretty suddenly. It's happened too often to me…" Mary noted.

"So do you agree, Mary? If this is settled, we should move on. We shouldn't be sitting wide open like this for long." Garry lifted Mary up as he spoke. She nodded and clutched her walking stick and Ciel tighter.

The group proceeded down the corridor in silence. All the while, Garry kept a close eye on Ib, who seemed to be acting normally now. He glanced at her when he thought she wasn't looking and looked towards the arm that had the long scratch on it. Garry was not able to see it too clearly, but he did see that it now appeared to be just a small scratch. Garry could have sworn that the scratch was deeper.

Ib and Mary abruptly stopped walking just as he was going to ask Ib about the injury. He looked at them and then looked ahead. At the end of the hallway was an unusual looking door. Garry walked closer to it in order to get a better look.

"Um! Garry! Maybe you shouldn't…" Mary trailed off nervously. Garry took no head to Mary's anxious suggestion and continued to cautiously approach the door.

He approached slowly, examining how the walls and floor gradually changed as they lead up to the door. They transitioned from neat realistic hallways to crude drawings done in crayon. They looked as if they had been drawn by a certain child many years ago…

Garry reached out and turned the roughly drawn doorknob. It fit oddly in his hand because it was not drawn into a perfect circle. He slowly pushed the crayon door open to reveal what was inside.

The walls were pitch black and outlined with a magenta-like color. The first thing one saw when they entered into the room was the frame on the wall with a ripped up canvas, as if something had burst out of it. Vines growing out and surrounding it. Yellow rose petals were on the floor directly under it. Mannequin heads were scattered everywhere, some with cracks in them and crayon scribbled all over their porcelain faces. To Garry's displeasure, there were a few of those creepy blue dolls lounging around. In one corner stood an easel with the stool thrown to the side. On the easel was an incomprehensible, sloppy drawing. Crayons littered the floor as well as crumpled and ripped up sketchbook pages. A lone sketchbook sat on the floor with a wooden box that held a few crayons. A cheerful sketch in crayon was on the first page. Garry examined it from a distance. It appeared to be the young Mary and Ib smiling happily while holding hands in a sunny field.

By now everyone had cautiously shuffled into the dark room. They were looking around, taking everything in. They walked around the room. Garry and Ib were too anxious to touch anything in the room, while Mary grabbed whatever she pleased. She picked things up, dug around the clutter, and hastily threw objects around. She was acting as if she owned the place.

Garry finally broke the heavy silence. "Mary…you, um…seem familiar with this room…"

"…Yeah…I am." She hesitated before resuming. "This was my room." She admitted as she continued to dig around the objects on the floor.

"Y-your room?" Garry stuttered. "You mean this is the place where you lived in and slept?"

"Well, I didn't sleep the entire time I was stuck here. But I get what you mean. When I wasn't walking around by myself, I was in here. This was where I spent a lot of my time." She blankly looked down at the small book she had found, as if trying to resist showing emotion. "I used to get glimpses of the other world when I looked through that frame over there. The painting that showed the entire museum was easier to look through, though. That's how I saw you and Ib…That's when I decided to pull you two in…"

Silence fell at her revelation. Mary's serious face changed to one of guilt. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm so sorry. If it wasn't for me we wouldn't be in this mess. I'm sorry for all the horrible things I've done…"

Garry bent down next to her and patted her head gently. "It's okay, Mary. We were all pulled into this mess by something we couldn't control, and that includes you. I'll admit, you made some mistakes," Garry went on, "but I promise you, it isn't your fault we ended up here. Not this time or ten years ago."

Mary nodded, but then looked guilty again. "But still…it's my fault you can't leave with us…" she stated.

Garry flinched. "Well…there's no way to control that. From the beginning we knew only two of us could escape."

"No. No. Garry, you're coming with us." Ib snapped suddenly. Garry turned to look at her. She had walked over and was standing above them. Garry sighed internally. It seemed like it was time to break it to Ib.

"Ib, I can't leave with you two. You should know this. Only two people can go back to the real world." Garry said.

"No. You're coming. I'm not leaving you. I'm not going to leave you here ever again." Ib's eyes were becoming watery. "Garry…You have to come…You have to…"

"You know I can't. You can't keep on denying it anymore." Garry felt a tear drop fall on his face. He finally stood up and faced Ib seriously. "You need to leave without me."

"No. No! You're coming!" Ib stubbornly shook her head over and over.

"You have to understand, Ib. I promised myself I would get you two out and that's what I'm going to do."

"No! You're coming with me!" Ib suddenly reached out and embraced Garry. She clung to him with all her might.

"Ib…" Garry looked down at her and returned her embrace. He knew breaking it to her would be difficult, but this was almost unbearable. His chest throbbed and he didn't want to let her go. He didn't want to be left behind and never see Ib again. He didn't want to spend all eternity here. But he didn't want her to either. "We have no choice," Garry went on, "This is the only way I can get you and Mary out of this terrible world."

Ib said nothing and silence fell for a long time. She simply held on to Garry without making any noise. Garry pet her long, soft hair to comfort her. He was trying to cherish this moment with her while he still had the time.

Garry looked up and glanced at Mary. She was staring down at the floor while holding tightly onto Ciel. She lifted her head to look at Garry. She gave him a sad, apologetic, pitying look. "This is the way it has to be." Garry stated solemnly.

No one said anything at his statement. There was silence until Ib suddenly spoke. "No."

Garry looked back down at her. "What? Ib…Yes, it is."

"No, it isn't." She finally raised her head to face him. "There is another way for you to escape." She said fiercely.

"Ib, how could there possibly-"

"The key to leaving is to exchange places with someone else, right? All you have to do is leave someone behind."

Garry's brows furrowed in deep confusion. "What do you mean? There is no one else to change places with, unless you mean Ciel. But I don't think he counts."

"Not Ciel. Mary."

"What?! Ib, you can't leave her behi-"

"Yes, I can."

Garry stared at Ib in shock. She had a straight face on. She was completely serious. She really was serious about what she said. Garry quickly shifted his gaze to Mary. Garry's shocked look was reflected on her face. She was just as confused as he was.

"I-Ib, what are you s-saying?" Mary stuttered, appalled. "I-I thought we were going to get out together. You said we were. Why a-are you-"

Without letting go of Garry, Ib snapped, "Oh, shut up already! Would you just quit your whining?! I'm sick of hearing it."

Mary opened her mouth, stunned at Ib's harsh words. "I don't understand. You promised…" she uttered.

"Yeah, we all say things we don't mean. Get over it." The cruel words just kept on slithering out of Ib's mouth. "I'm sick of you hanging around me. You're just a whiny crybaby who can't do anything for herself."

Ib went on and on without taking a breath. "You're just a burden. You're useless to us and you can't pull your own weight. We don't need you. You only drag Garry and I down. If I found the exit right now, I would leave you without thinking about it, no question. I regret calling you my sister. You're just a piece a trash nobody could ever lo-"

At that moment, Garry abruptly pulled away from the person in front of him. He grabbed her upper arms tightly and made her face him. He stared into the girl's eyes. Then, he knew.

"Who are you?" Garry questioned sternly.

The girl's face changed to a look of puzzlement. "What are you talking about, Garry? It's me, Ib."

"Stop playing games. I know you're not Ib. I'm going to ask you again. Who are you?"

"Garry, you're holding on too tight. It hurts."

"Drop the act, it's not fooling anyone. What did you do with the real Ib?"

"You're scaring me. I-I don't know what you're tal-"

"I said drop the act! Where is Ib?! What did you do with her?! Where did you take her?!"

"Garry, stop! I'm scared! O-Ow!"

"I'm not playing around anymore! Tell me what you did with Ib!" Garry's grip gradually tightened. He was going to get this person to answer him one way or another.

"Y-you really don't believe me?" She said with frightened, tearful eyes.

For a few seconds, Garry wavered. But he gathered himself. He wouldn't be fooled by this stranger. "No."

The stranger stared at him with puppy eyes for a few more moments. And in the blink of an eye, she dropped the act. Her face went blank and the crocodile tears disappeared. Then a sinister smile slowly crept upon her lips. Her face took on a look of wickedness, a look Ib would never, ever make willingly.

"How did you figure me out?" The stranger wearing Ib's face asked menacingly. She made Ib's wonderful face and voice seem like the ugliest things Garry had ever seen and heard.