Fantasia

XXVII

"Let's go somewhere else!"

Eddy blatantly took Brett's hand and led him off the walkway, away from the joyous music. They walked pass the Bach and Paganini painting until they reached another staircase. Their steps were echoing through the broad flight of stairs as Eddy took Brett up to another floor which Eddy hadn't entered before. There were no doors, just vast windows on the right showing nothing but darkness. Eddy'd probably freak out if he'd have to stay here by himself because if he sucked at one thing, it was handling scary stuff. Luckily, he didn't have to and also, there was a much more pressing task lying in front of him: Making sure Brett Yang was okay.

Because right now, he obviously wasn't. There was a storm raging behind his wide, watery eyes, his lips were quivering ever so slightly and he was even paler than normal. If the violin and bow in his hand would be trembling just a tad harder, Eddy probably would have offered to carry the instrument for Brett for a moment. Good thing the other decided to slide down the wall and sit down on the marbel floor himself.

"Listen, Brett", Eddy said with as much certainty as he could muster, "I don't know why you're here and what all of this means, but we're going to find out!"
"How...", Brett stuttered, "how?"
"I don't know. But we're gonna! You being here and me being here and us meeting each other, that means something. It can't be a coincidence!"
"Eddy..." Brett raised his head and met Eddy's gaze, a panic Eddy had never heard before from his once best friend's mouth gripping every word Brett was saying. "What if I can't get out? What if I'm stuck here forever in some weird dimension?"
It was immediately clear to Eddy that this wasn't the first time these thoughts had crossed Brett's freaked out mind. Brett had told him about his first hours here, running around and calling for help without ever getting an answer. How lonely he must have felt, how scared he must have been...
But not this time! Now, Eddy was here and he had to make sure Brett's heart could gain a flame of hope, may it be ever so small.

"Brett, I'm sorry I don't have an answer to all of this yet, but I actually started looking for you in the real world."
Brett's eyes widened even more. "You did?", he asked weakly.
"Yes. And I do think it could help to know what's actually going on with you."
"... do you really think so?"
Eddy smiled encouragingly. And there it was. A glimmer of hope in Brett's big eyes. It had never taken long for Brett to believe things could get better. In fact, back in the days he'd always been the one who'd lift people's spirits when everyone was depressed.

"Yes! I do think so. And I will do my very best to find you!"
Brett blankly stared into nothingness, but Eddy did notice the shaking of his hands decreasing minutely, his lips becomig tenser and a more determined look starting to overcome his features.
He bobbed his head once. "Okay! It'll be fine!", Brett exclaimed, more to himself than to Eddy.
"Yes! It's gonna be okay! You're gonna be okay!", Eddy emphasized.

Brett glanced up at him. "Thank you, Eddy. I'm sorry I freaked out."
"I get it! I'd be the same if I were you." Yeah, Eddy couldn't even begin to imagine suddenly being here and never waking up, not knowing what was going on and being completely powerless.
Brett continued, "For all I know, you could be a stranger. And yet you help me out like this..."
"We aren't strangers", Eddy smiled wistfully, "and I've been a crappy friend before, so this is the least I can do."
"I'm sure you weren't that bad", Brett commented, seemingly having regained his composure.

There it was again. The sting of regret, of guilt, causing waves of pain ripple throughout his heart. Eddy grimaced and there was no point in hiding it. "You have no idea, Brett."

Brett looked at him soberly and tapped the floor next to him with his flat hand, gesturing at Eddy to take a seat. To share the cold of the white marbel he was sitting on.
"If you want to share what happened, I'm all ears. I still can't think of anything so awful that I'd hate you afterwards, so don't worry."
Eddy shook his head slightly with closed eyes while he tried to fight the small panic rising up in him, but there was another thought making way to the forefront of his mind:
It could help. Maybe telling Brett more about their shared past could bring back some memories for Brett and bring them closer to figuring out why he was here. And most of all, if Eddy owed Brett anything after what he'd pulled, it would be laying out the whole damn ugly truth!

He opened his eyes again and met Brett's calm, waiting gaze, plopped down opposite of him and inhaled deeply.
"I'm going to tell you what happened, but I'm not so sure if you're not gonna want to kick me back to my side of the mirror."
Brett's smile was a tad mischievous, but mostly gracious and simply radiant in Eddy's eyes. Amazing, how it had the power to take away most of the lingering fear inside the taller.

Brett's comment almost made Eddy crack up. "Go ahead! We'll find out."