THE 33 KEYS: Key 2 - ANSWER THE CALL "Listen for that Perfect Beat"

CHAPTER 54: THE TWO DOORWAYS

I hang on to those words as I go through the motions of bathing and dressing. Hazel is right. Didn't Ebony take her trip alone? Lily too? And they never returned no matter how hard I cried. So why must I be the baby of the bunch? I open the bottle of pills. There's just above half left inside. I pack them into my mouth before I change my mind then wash my last meal down with a bottle of water.

Ruby swims closer to me, her glow pulsating like an increased heart rate. I open the bottle and dump all her food in too. Why not? She's been begging for it ever since we met. On rote, I reach for my makeup and dip for my miracle in a tin, but come up empty. I stare at myself in horror. What now? Does this mean you postpone your homecoming yet another time? Or do you pass through these gates unmasked?

I run fingers over a face I will never see again then smear the blood that springs up on to Ruby's bowl and stand resolute. Inhale. Exhale. This is when my other self stares back at me with an expression not yet on my face. Then her silent companion lowers its head; both of them, moving at once. And I don't quite understand what any of it means. Besides, right now I really don't care. Still, I address them one final time.

"Thank you," I murmur between the tears. "Thank you for being my only true friends."

Then I fall into some sort of daze, switch the light off, tear the calendar off my door and walk through it for the very last time.

When I snap out of it, I find myself sitting next to a crying girl. But it is as if I am looking at my own self in the mirror, the version of me curled up into a tight ball, hands holding my legs prisoner. There is one version of myself after another cramming their way inside me, as though hoping to hide from a monster. When I can't take it anymore, I do something completely out of character; reach out and touch her. But it's mostly to see if she's real. The last thing I would want is for my mirror to have followed me from The Bunny House. For goodness sake, let me go in peace.

"What's your name?"

"Molly," she gives a weak response.

"Molly, I'm Mary. You've been crying since we drove off. What's wrong with you?"

Like a fool she answers the knock, tells me every evil thing that has happened to her since her mother died. And like clockwork, the bus comes to a sudden stop as soon as she finishes.

The front door opens with unexpected pomp and grandeur. A very tall woman with dark grey skin enters. Her straight, long hair is fully white to match the bodysuit. She makes her way to the back and plonks herself down between Molly and me, immediately sucking me into the pulsating of her onyx black eyes. Then she takes my left hand and places it against her thigh, to feel her snake-skinned bodysuit.

I try to pull away. However, her eyes keep me captive. Then she finally releases me and I look around to see if anyone else notices, But they're all gone. The driver too. Yet, somehow the bus is still moving. So I reach into my pocket and pull out the eviction notice, just to be sure I'm still in the land of the living. It's still there. Oh, God! Is this shit for real?

"My name is Xaxu," she says. "No matter what happens. Remember. This is just a game. Lose this round and you get to play again, like it never happened."

Then she shoves a black velvet box into my hands and a golden triangle forms on the top.

"All you have to do is stand in the aisle, place this box on the floor, uncover it and walk through the first door you see," she instructs; then disappears with the rest of the people.