The Mandala Girl (COMPLETED)

Chapter 12

Darkness surrounds us as we travel through the painting. I can't see him through the dense blanket of blackness, but I can feel Leon's cold fingers around my wrist. Little does he know restraining me isn't necessary; I couldn't flee even if I wanted to.

I'm too afraid to speak. A part of me wants to know where TJ I, if he's okay, but I can't bring myself to ask the question. It's bitterly cold during this part of the journey; ice crystals form inside my mouth. I just want it to be over.

Leon halts and I bump into him. Even though I can't see his face, I know he's scowling at me. He's always scowling. "Watch where you're going!" he snarls.

Seconds later, door hinges creak and a burst of white light blinds my eyes. We've made it through the painting! As we pass through the door, I make sure TJ is still with us. He's standing behind me with a hand held up in front of his eyes to shield them. Ardo is directly behind him with a firm grip on each of his shoulders.

Leon inhales deeply. "We're home!" There's a certain satisfaction in his tone that piques my curiosity. Home. I'm guessing he's referring to something more than a place to lay his head.

Unlike the beach scene I painted, this painting is entirely different. We're standing in a large bedroom. The walls and floor are made of pure stone, flowing drapes hang in front of the windows, and an enormous four-post bed is against the far wall. Flaming torches are mounted to the stone wall every thirty or so feet, but their warm glow does little to illuminate the area. Are we inside a castle?

Leon is no longer holding on to me, and I take that as my opportunity to flee. I turn for the door we came through and yank it open with anticipation of running back through the darkness to find my way home, but I find something else there instead. A closet. I should have expected this. The same thing happened when we were in the beach painting. There must be a reason why the passageway gets severed as soon as we pass through it.

Leon cackles, which echoes off the stone interior. "Going somewhere?"

"Wh-where did it go? The passageway?"

"Oh, that? Yes, well, it's . . . gone. So sorry." There isn't an ounce of sincerity in his voice. "Once we travel through the painting, the portal connecting the two worlds is severed. In this case, the portal happens to be this door." He lifts a chubby finger towards the closet door. "Which you allowed to slam shut. Basically, it's all your fault." He smirks, and I want nothing more than to smack it right off his face.

We're lost. We're lost in a different dimension, a different realm. I'll never find my way home. I'll never see my family again. I'm going to die here and no one will ever know what happened to me. I will no longer be known as the Mandala Girl, but rather the Missing Girl.

I take a deep breath, slowly letting the air drain from my lungs. This isn't over yet. I found my way out of a painting once already, I can do it again. I just have to keep a level head.

"So we're trapped?" I say calmly.

Leon bobs his head back and forth as if to consider my question. "Mmm, no. And yes. Well, no. Well . . . yes. It's complicated."

My neck twitches in irritation. I really hate it when he gives ambiguous answers. "But there is a way out, right?"

He laughs again, which reminds me more and more of a gremlin every time I hear it. "Yes, but only if you survive long enough to find it."

Survive? He makes it sound so perilous. "Where are we exactly?"

Leon waves his hand around in a circle. "The master's chambers, of course."

"Master? Who's your master?"

Leon looks over at Ardo and shakes his head as if to imply that I'm stupid. "You mean, you haven't figured it out yet? Let's look at the common denominators, shall we? A big castle, art, the Mona Lisa, the two of us." He motions at himself and Ardo. "Now do you get it?"