Balan Wonderworld: Melody of Balance

Ch 18: The Chase

When Melody stepped back through the curtains, and back onto the stage, she felt a mix of emotions. Guilt because she had left her parents, and now was stuck in this mess, Anger for Balan taking her brother, sadness in the sense she may never find a way out of this theater, and Fear. A LOT of fear for a number of very elaborate reasons. Fear for the fact that Finn was still missing in this theater. Fear that Melody didn't know the way OUT. Fear that now she tricked Balan, the mischievous maestro would he coming after her.

Shaking the thoughts, she knew that she had two different goals right now: Find Finn, and GET OUT. Running off the stage, she darted towards a set of random doors, hoping to either find Finn, or find the way out...but it would seem that the theater had gotten much BIGGER than when she and Finn first entered. Several doors and various new hallways stood before her that she didn't see when the two of them first entered the theater.

Melody felt her eye twitch. She felt as if this was part of a very cruel joke being played on her. However, she narrowed her eyes "Fine. You wanna play that way. Let's play that way." She said. She didn't care if she had to look through every room in this strange theater. She WOULD find Finn.

Meanwhile, Back on the Isle of Tims, Balan was pondering over where Melody could have gone. He didn't understand, he had heard her footsteps when she entered the train, but didn't see her when she was supposed to hop off at the station. He flew down to the Tims hopping about the Isle, feeding them drops as he did. "Hello dear Tims, it's been a while! Have you seen our visitor when she 'came' to the isle?" He asked.

The Tims let out of series of chirps and peeps that could only be described as "Nope". Balan thought for a moment as his mind went back to the platform if he didn't see Melody, but heard her footsteps...no, she wouldn't have. She still had her heart to fix! But then again...snapping his fingers, he made a small part of the Isle reveal a small curtain like entrance back to the theater, he needed to make sure that this visitor wasn't trying to flee before her heart was fixed or worse...find her brother.

Back inside the theater, Melody found herself getting tired. REALLY tired. She had opened at least 35 doors, but none of them held the exit, or even a clue to Finn. Instead, she found herself in even stranger than what SHE could have imagined. From an entire balloon filled room to a very large rainforest, she found that she was slowly slowly SLOWLY losing her patience.

"Maybe I really have cracked...maybe this is all just some concussion induced dream that I have, and very soon I'll wake up in the car, next to-" Melody stopped when she still realized that Finn was still missing. And she still felt responsibility if anything happened to him. She decided to test the next few doors, hoping to at least find where Finn was

Finn meanwhile, began to wake up from his nap in the backrooms. He wondered where Mr Balan and the Tims were, but there was no one to be seen. Although Balan did tell him to stay there, he was curious about the other places in the theater. Looking around, he slowly made his way to the door, and gently opened it. He saw nothing but doors for miles. "Maybe Mr Balan went through here..." He said to himself, entering a random door.

Balan meanwhile was searching for Melody through the various halls. Hopefully the theater would confuse her and mess with her long enough for him to find her, that's if, she didn't actually FIND the exit. Suddenly, he felt as if another presence was wandering the theater...a very small and young presence. His eyes widened. It was FINN. Balan panicked, he couldn't risk the children finding each other, otherwise Melody's heart would never be repaired. Splitting himself in two, the maestro(s) rushed off to find the children before they found each other.

Melody meanwhile was still opening the random doors in the twisting hallways. Starting to abandon hope, when her ears caught a familiar voice "...Melody?" Her body tensed up. She knew that voice anywhere. "Finn?! Finn?! Where are you?!" She yelled out, running through the halls again. Melody quickly ran through the twisting hallways and the various doors, when something caught her eye. To her shock, she spotted what appeared to be the door that she and Finn had entered. Her heart began to flutter. She had found the way out.

"Melody? Melody where are you?" Finn's voice called out again. Melody turned back to the hallways that held the millions of doors, but her eyes looked back towards the exit door. Melody knew she had to make a choice. She wanted DESPERATELY to get out of this crazy theater, but she couldn't leave without Finn. Even if she did make it back out of the theater, it would be hard for anyone to believe that her brother was in a magic theater that held another world. And even if she did stay, she still had another problem. Balan probably knew she wasn't on the Isle and was looking for her.

"Melody? I'm lost. Where are you?" Finn called out again. His calls were enough to win Melody's choice. She HAD to find Finn. Taking her phone, she put in a very loud song so she could find her way back to the exit after she found Finn. She then ran down the halls in a attempt to find her little brother. She checked the various rooms inside of the theater again, hoping desperately to find the room or hallway that Finn was roaming.

Balan meanwhile frantically searched for the children. While Melody was smart enough to escape from the Wonderworld, Balan has one small trick up his sleeve: This was HIS theater. And nothing got past him in HIS theater. He patiently for Melody to pass the Tim nursery, before he made his move. Clearing his throat, he began to mimick Finn's voice "Melody? Melody? Where are you?" He asked out, knowing the paranoid girl would take the bait.

Meanwhile, Finn was starting to get tired of wandering through the theater. He couldn't find Melody, or Mr Balan. He rubbed as his eyes as his stomach began to growl. "Oh dear. Finn my boy, what are you doing here?" He heard. His eyes widened when he found Balan standing next to him. "Mr Balan! I was looking for you! I wanted to find you!" He said.

Balan playfully ruffled Finn's head of hair. "That I can see! It's a good thing that you found me!" He said, before picking Finn back up and taking him back to the backrooms. "Mr Balan? When Can I see Melody again?" He asked innocently. Balan gave him a look. "Well, She still has a long way to go. But what she's doing you do deserve to know." He said, waiting for the real Balan to catch Melody.

Speaking of Melody, she continued to follow 'Finn's' voice. She continously ran through the twisting halls until she saw What looked to be Finn at the end of a hallway. She let out a happy sigh of relief as she ran towards her little brother and enveloped him a a VERY big hug "Oh thank Goodness! You're OK!" She said as she closed her eyes in relief. She felt Finn hug her back...but his hand felt much bigger than what a child's should be.

"Oh dear Melody. Did you really think you could outwit me?" 'Finn' said as Melody felt his arms grow longer, and his body stretch to be taller. Melody grew confused and opened her eyes, but to her horror, she saw that it was Balan masquerading as her brother...and now she had willingly threw herself into his grasp. Melody struggled to get away from him, but Balan's grip around her was strong...VERY strong. Keeping one arm around her, Balan broght up his other arm and snapped his fingers, making the theater turn a full 180, with the way back to the Isle of Tims visible at the bottom.

Being the mischievous maestro that he is, Balan dropped Melody from the height they were at, and he gracefully dove down after her. Melody screamed as she fell from the tall height that Balan had released her from, but found herself sliding gently back onto the Isle, as Balan followed her as well. "That was a fun little chase my dear. But your heart is still in disrepair I fear. But fret not, You still have me! And very soon you and your brother will be home free!" He said.

Melody glared at him. She didn't know how much more of this she could take...but she knew that the only way she would he able to escape Wonderworld was if she had her brother in tow...and that might not be for a while...