Once upon a time, there was a girl who went by 004...
~~~
A new teacher is covering class- a strange substitute, who seems to know more than she's saying.
Meanwhile, many years ago, a girl named Four grew up in a lab...
And now the murders are happe...
Max pried open her eyes, to find the hazy face of Bonnie Quatre coming into focus. They seemed to be sitting at some kind of table- a diner booth- Bonnie's chin resting on her folded hands, Max's head down on the table as if she had been having a nap.
"And... we're back." Bonnie straightened as Max sat up. "You okay?"
The place was bathed in the multicolours of florescent lighting; bright, graphic shapes dancing across the walls. The floor was a checkerboard of black and white. They were sitting together in some kind of diner booth, the chairs covered in a burgundy coloured vinyl. There was a jukebox in the corner, playing something like music, but not quite; the notes familiar, but the tune meandering and senseless. Vague figures seemed to move around in the haze; dancing, although their shapes were indistinguishable.
At the far end of the room, a neon sign spelled out the words: Welcome to the Mind Palace.
(Far away, back in the real world, a similar sign in an ice cream shop read Welcome to the Ice Palace.)
"...Am I... dead?" Max asked.
"Only as much as I am." Bonnie crinkled her nose and pursed her lips in thought. "Mostly dead. Which means, slightly alive."
Bonnie herself seemed glorious. There was something unearthly about her, something ethereal- she was clothed in all black, but her suit jacket, high-collared and sharp-shouldered, seemed to be bursting with a whole galaxy of colour. Spiderwebs sewn in glistening thread- the colours changing like liquid under the light- were embroidered onto the fabric.
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Bonnie's hair, for once, was swept back from her face, done up tightly in a high braid. Her eyes seemed to almost glow from the florescence, blue and red dancing across her irises. She seemed almost... creatorly, goddess-like; something akin to Persephone or Gaia.
"Wha- how?" Max stuttered.
A self-pleased grin stretched across Bonnie's face. "I snatched you." She made the motion with her hand, right towards Max's face. "Right from underneath his nose. Didn't think it had worked, initially. But... here you are!"
"And... where exactly is here?"
Bonnie did a quick glance around. "I think it's supposed to be the ice cream place I take my sister after her band concerts. Well, mostly anyway- dreams are never quite exact."
"Dreams? This is a dream?"
"Of course it's a dream- where else do you think we would be?" Bonnie shook her head, smiling all the while.
Something else caught up in Max's brain. "Wait, you have a sister?!"
Bonnie quieted Max with a finger to her own lips, an amused expression on her face. "What, you think I don't have family? That I just sprung from the ground, fully-formed, as I am? I'll have you know, that I am the best big sister."
She fell silent for a moment, lowering her hands to the table, a distant look in her eyes; then she turned her gaze back to Max, tilting her head at her. "You know, you remind me of her a lot. Smart. Head-strong. A little impulsive. Heck, she's even got red hair- although, not a lovely, natural red like yours. She's dyed hers this heinous colour out of a bottle. She plays piano, and keyboard, and is a genius when it comes to music- she's had offers from at least two different conservatories. She does me proud that girl, truly." Her smile was warm and proud as she leant back against the seat; then it slipped from her face with a sigh as once again she looked at their predicament.
Max felt the shift in conversation also. "So... What do we do now?"
"We wait." Bonnie said, her gaze turned up to the ceiling. "...He's out there, you know. Henry. Like a spider crawling around inside my mind." She looked meaningfully at Max. "He wants in- wants to get inside every part." She saw the worried expression on Max's face. "Don't worry. You don't know him as long as I have without learning to build a few mental forts. For now, he can't get in. So, we shore up the walls and watch for the next move."
There was a chessboard on the table between them- Max was not sure how she hadn't noticed it before. Maybe it had just appeared. Unlike a usual chessboard, this one was divided into three; three colours of square, three courts of pieces- black, white and red.
"For you see, Watson." Bonnie said with a wry smile. "The game is afoot."
A/N: Early update because I'm going on Holiday and didn't want to leave you hanging on the last chapter! (Can't believe it's the last! Last of THIS book, anyway. XD)
Pretty sure it's a bit clunky in the middle, but oh well- if I figure out how to improve it, I'll fix it when I get back. XD (Anyone spot the Princess Bride reference? Top marks if you do!)
Anyway, who else has heard that they're doing a stage play about Henry Creel? I'm so psyched for it! (Maybe I'll have to do my own equivalent mini-story for Bonnie.)
As always, please leave a like and a comment! Luv ya all!
