#{JUST A LITTLE LYDIA MEETS PEARLS IN THE MIRRORS BLURB}

[thunderbabybear]

“There’s nothing wrong with being afraid." from Lydia :3

Pearls was anxious, her heart fluttered in her chest, rattling in her ribs and her hands knotted into fists, holding tightly onto her green jumpsuit. She stared briefly at the mirror ahead of her, awkwardly averting her own gaze, she couldn't bear to look at her warped reflection, she had shuffled quietly away from the party just moments ago and now she felt hopelessly lost.

Her small frame looked twisted and contorted in the dim lights of the maze, she turned on the ball of her foot, doubting herself, ready to rejoin the party. It had only been a few moments since she broke away, she was beckoned away by Lydia towards this section of the maze but her mind is filled with dread.

"This was a bad idea, I shouldn't have come this way... It must've been a trick of the mirrors", she mumbles under her breath. Her mind fogged with the guilt of sneaking around, making bad decisions in the hopes of regaining what was lost to her.

Slowly the fear rising in her creeps up again. She couldn't see any trace of her party in the tracks behind her, she wasn't sure which direction they went, she wondered if they'd even notice her go, her mind a frenzy. She listened intently but there was nothing but faint scraping, and creaking. "What if I die in here... What if they leave without me?...", her whispers as she thought aloud breaking the silence around her. Pearls mind raced back to the school, and the dark abandoned hallways filled with ghosts and monsters. She thought to scream, she thought to alert the party, but what if she called something else here, while she was all alone? The creeping feeling of being watched, hunted, and stalked washes over her.

Salty tears threatened to spill from her eyes, she crouched and held her knees and tucked her arms close to her body. Her small fingers gripping onto the raven feather adorning her from the Raven Queen as she silently begins a prayer. Pearls nearly leapt from her skin, when she heard the slow methodical steps approaching her. To her right a voice broke through the sound of her shallow breathing. "You know Pearls..." a silky murmur called out to her, "There's nothing wrong with being afraid".

When she snapped her head up she locked her eyes to the dark hallway of mirrors. At the end a faint vision of a woman, she couldn't be made out well in the light but Pearls knew this is who she came for. Despite all the warning signs, all the harrowing stories, the hair standing up on end when she heard the voice, Pearls knew, this was the woman who would help her, this is who could return her dads. As she stood back up she brushed the tears off her face and nodded, walking down the narrow corridor towards Lydia. The sounds of her footfalls on the dry, dingy wooden floors beneath her steps steady her breathing.

Pearls with every step feels an old saying of Antolio's ring in her ears alongside the thud of her heart, "Fear is there to let us know we're still alive, being scared means there's still something left to lose".

Her eyes finally meet Lydia's at the end of the path. Lydia stands before her, dressed smartly, a tidy little clown dress and appropriately fitting makeup, that begin to ease Pearls mind on the dangers that face her. Pearls looks at her longingly, reaching out for a hug, or any grip of confidence, any touch of kindness, and any sign she hasn't stepped into a trap that will lead to a swift death.

Pearls knows there's danger here, it weighs heavily in her gut, her intuition says run, but with a face like that, how could you not trust Lydia.... After all... There's nothing wrong with being a little scared....