Chapter 26
I See You
Maren blinked. Did he really have his arms wrapped around Tina? "Why?" she whispered. Maren jumped to her feet, and before she could stop herself, she yelled at the top of her lungs, "Let's go back to Fedonis, you two!" There was a rustling from the ceiling, and first they thought it was raining. Something dropped on Maren's hand, but it wasn't water; it was guano. A flock of flying creatures, similar to bats but magenta in color, swooped down from above, and the air was thick with noise and movement. Maren crouched low and threw her hands up over her head, while Lyrna leapt in the air, hissing and swatting at the winged creatures. After a few minutes, the bats dispersed, but had left their mark on Maren's skin, and worse, her hair.
When the air cleared, Jeremy and Tina appeared with their arms full of all manner of trinkets and objects. Jeremy sighed heavily as Maren pulled herself up off the floor. "What was that all about? You realize how ridiculously stupid that was, right?"
"I've realized a lot of things," she said coldly, turning away from him.
"We really should be going," said Tina, brushing against Jeremy's shoulder. "Nice outfit, Maren."
Jeremy raised his hands over his head and shot out three blasts of electricity. The blasts sizzled on the damp wall, causing the whole wall to light up for a moment. "There. Now I'm the reckless one and order has been restored." Jeremy smiled at Maren and brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. She turned her head away.
As they were walking, it occurred to them that they'd better figure out an alternate route so as not to pass by the Haze portal. "We have to avoid the demons at all costs."
Maren took a swig of oasis water from her bottle and then traced her finger across the map. "I don't see another path. This Maze is impossible." Maren held out the bottle and shook it. "Anybody want some?" she said to no one in particular.
"Hey, Maren." Jeremy carefully slid the bottle out of Maren's outstretched hand. "Is everything okay?"
"I just want to get back to Fedonis's. I just want—" Maren stopped and rubbed her eyes. "I need sleep. I want normalcy, a routine. I want to get out of this Maze. To want is to live, Jeremy."
"You never say my name unless you're yelling at me." Jeremy smiled. "I like to hear it spoken in a soft tone."
Maren threw her arms up. "I saw you two hugging. I'm glad that it's so easy for you to find romance, Jeremy, but this has never been the time or the place. You can't mix love and gore. That's sick."
"Maren, what are you talking—"
"I saw you, Jeremy!"
"So I hugged Tina! She was upset."
Tina frowned. "He said I was beautiful."
"And you are; you both are! But Maren, I'm with you."
"Lucky me!" Maren glared at him.
"Why are you with her?" said Tina. "All she does is nag you and ignore your talents. She's prude. You can't even open up to her!" Tina clawed at his shirt.
Jeremy rolled his eyes and started walking. Tina and Maren followed, while Lyrna circled cautiously around the party. "Now, now, there's more than enough of me to go around the Jeremy Fan Club," he sang out, wagging his finger in the air. Blue sparks shot out from his fingertips.
"No play," hissed Lyrna.
"I'm not playing, Lyrna. I'm embracing madness." Jeremy laughed. "Women are crazy." Jeremy pushed open a door. "We're right through here, this way." He held it open and Maren walked through, her cheeks stained a bright pink. Tina made a pouty face at him as she passed. They had entered the mirror room.
"Why are you being so mean?" Tina slid to the floor, her back against a mirror. "I'm not budging until you stop being weird."
"Tell me, have you been curing hats with mercury? I'd like an olive green one." Jeremy smirked and crossed his arms.
Maren sat on her heels facing a mirror. She combed her blonde hair with her fingers and stared at her reflection. She made her face stoic.
"Maren, you look like a mermaid, now that you've gotten all the bat shit off." Jeremy placed his hands on her shoulders and stroked her hair. She turned on him.
"Just stop it, okay!" Maren pursed her lips. "You're acting like a child. Get your hands off me."
"Jeremy, why won't you be with me?" whined Tina from across the room.
"Both of you are being so difficult." Jeremy whistled the Watican royal anthem.
"No, Jeremy," said Maren. "You're being difficult. There's something seriously wrong with you."
Jeremy reached for Maren again but Tina flung herself between them.
"Don't talk to him like that!" yelled Tina, placing her hands on her hips. "There's nothing wrong with him! He was raped and it wasn't his fault!"
"How discreet, Tina," Jeremy massaged his forehead. "Everyone just relax."
Maren looked from Jeremy to Tina, and then back at Jeremy. "What is she talking about?"
Tina stepped protectively in front of Jeremy. "When he was at the Donegall Estate, he was raped. He told me."
"Jeremy?" Maren shook her head.
"What? I never said that! You're taking things out of context. I don't want to talk about this."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"And I was raped, too," blurted Tina. "So I know what it can do to you. You don't understand, Maren. You'll never understand!" Tina started crying and balled up on the floor.
Jeremy froze. "I shouldn't have said anything. I don't even know why—"
"How old were you?" asked Maren.
"Leave it alone. I never said I was raped." Jeremy watched the mirror in front of him as the words came out of his mouth. "It was nothing," he said with no inflection.
Tina sat up from the floor, her hand wrapped firmly around a heart-shaped horn. "It has two ends," she said between sobs, "like it was made for us, Jeremy. See? It's a heart. We found it together. I blow in here, and you..." Tina brought the horn up to her lips.
Maren's eyes widened and she lurched forward, but it was too late. Tina had blown into the horn. A deep, rounded sound reverberated through the room.
Tina looked at the horn as she held it firmly in her hands. It began to vibrate. She dropped it on her lap. She looked up. "Jeremy?" Jeremy was standing across the room with an empty expression spread across his face. He hung there as though on a hook, and stared dully at Tina.
"Yes?" said Jeremy, who was sitting quietly beside Tina.
"But you're—" She pointed across the room, but only saw herself reflected in the mirrors.
"The Dragon's Horn," whispered Maren. "Everyone, close your eyes!"
"But why...?" Tina stared at Maren and Jeremy; both were squinting ridiculously. Then Tina noticed again in her peripheral vision that someone was standing across the room. She blinked, and it was gone. But when she looked away again, there he was—the same electric blue eyes, wavy hair, jeans, and pink button-down shirt. The face bore a bizarre expression. A chill went up her spine. "Jeremy!" She shut her eyes tight. "What... what's it going to do?" she breathed.
"I don't know," said Maren.
"Tina?" whispered Jeremy.
"Y-yes?"
"Did you see me somewhere?"
"You were... over there in the corner." Tina began to sob again.
"Maren, what does that mean? She saw my doppelganger. What does that mean?!"
"Um..." Maren felt around for Jeremy's hand and slid closer to him. "If she saw a double of you... it's a bad omen."
"Lyrna!" Jeremy called out to his fizdruft. "Lyrna, are you here?"
"Maren," said Lyrna.
"Yes?" Maren could hear herself breathing in quick bursts.
"Don't open eyes." Lyrna growled. Maren's doppelganger had appeared in front of a mirror, and was staring at them from across the room, a strange smile on its face, head cocked to the side.
"Wh-why?" asked Maren.
Lyrna scurried across the floor and leapt about. A few seconds of commotion passed. Maren could hear that it was closer. "Won't go away," said Lyrna, hissing.
"Who won't go away?" Maren was shiver
ing.
"Maren now in front of you," said Lyrna. Maren's doppelganger slowly leaned over Maren, still smiling. Its long hair swung forward and brushed Maren's face, it's hair mixing with Maren's own. Maren began to hear a whisper in her head. Open them and see me, we belong together, it said. She saw an image of herself in her mind's eye, smiling back at her, head cocked. The doppelganger's eyes were wide and blank. They bore down on Maren's lids, pleading with her to stare back. A cold hand grasped hers.
Horrified, Maren fell back on the floor and turned her face onto the stone. She protectively wrapped her arms around her head. Too afraid to cry, she gasped for air. There was a long silence.
"Leaving, Maren!" meowed Lyrna. "Walking away! Gone!"
Maren sobbed freely now and felt Jeremy's warm hand rubbing her back.
"It's gone," he said.
Maren, Jeremy, and Tina sat in silence for some time before opening their eyes.