"What's wrong, mom?" Tanya asks without turning around.
"Why are you drawing?"
Tanya looks up at Hilde, her expression changing slightly.
"My dad gave me his old crayons, but I forgot to bring them home, so..."
Hilde smiles at her daughter, then crouches down in front of her.
'Wait, no... this is not my daughter.' she shakes her head.
Tanya smiles at her, but Hilde can see right through it. Her smile seems forced and almost forced. Her eyes seem dull as they stare blankly ahead.
"You're acting weird. What's wrong?"
Tanya sighs. "This is about to end. Lose your mind for me."
Hilde frowns and grabs one side of Tanya's face with both hands. She raises her head and makes eye contact with her.
"Tell me what's bothering you."
Tanya looks at her mom and sighs again "...I'm going away."
"Huh?"
"I know this isn't real. I'll tell you how to go back. But it's not that easy." she replies.
Hilde looks confused.
"Trust me on this, will you? Please?"
Hilde doesn't understand what's happening, but she nods anyway. Then, Tanya starts explaining.
"This is part of my punishment."
"Punishment?"
"It happened before I came here; my mother gave me this domain; she made me touch a golden cup, and I woke up in the middle of the woods, alone and in a daze."
"So this place is actually yours...?" Hilde asks, trying to make sense of everything she's being told.
"Yes. I'm not supposed to be here."
"Why are we here?"
"I don't know. It happens when people are visiting, and they rarely get out." Tanya says.
"But why do I feel like I've been here before?"
"Because you have. It is a replica of your house," she explains, looking straight into Hilde's eyes.
"What?"
"Will you give it up?" Tanya asks.
"Will it kill me?"
"You won't die."
Hilde thinks for a moment, then takes a small step forward and looks into Tanya's bright green eyes.
"Give it up, please."
Hilde nods and holds out both her palms.
Tanya puts a hand on her palm and pulls something out. It looks like... a piece of glass?
"Are you sure this is what we need?" she asks as she scrutinizes it, noticing how clear it is, how transparent.
Tanya looks up and sees Hilde's questioning gaze.
"Yeah..." she answers.
A bright light shines overhead, and Hilde finds herself back on the sofa in the familiar cluttered manor.
***
The woman enters the room where they fall asleep; the television is playing static. The four of them had just woken up, groggy from their nap and hungry.
"Uh... Yes… I would love pancakes." Annie replies.
The woman is still tinkering with something, so she nods, beckoning them to follow her.
The house is like a labyrinth, full of doors and twists. After passing through several corridors, the four arrive near a large staircase. They climb the stairs and enter an elegant living room. At the other end of the room is a large window overlooking an expansive garden filled with plants and various flowers.
"Sit anywhere! Make yourself comfortable." the woman invites them.
They take a seat on the oversized couch on one end.
"How come the rest of the house is so dusty but not here?" she asks.
"There was a time when the owner didn't spend enough time in his mansion." the woman responds.
"Oh... Where is he now?"
"Dead," she deadpans, "He passed away during our journey there."
Annie gulps. The woman turns her attention toward each of them.
"Now, let's eat."
The woman brings plates full of food from a side room. She places each one of them on a low table in front of the couch. Once done, she gets up and leaves them alone. As the four of them are eating, none of the girls say a word.
The room is quiet as everyone seems to gather their thoughts, or more accurately, try to find some conversation topic. The room looks early renaissance, with baroque candles and windowsills, the wind blowing past the garden at a howling pace.
Eating the food is in no way calming, for it seems like it's been aged and recooked. Seeing the state of the manor earlier, Hilde could guess why. She could also feel a blurry memory of her being in another place just before this, but she's just chalked it up to being dreams.
Elmo first speaks up. "Are you all okay?" he asks.
The rest of the group shuffle in their seats before one of them replies. "I don't know; we didn't really do much," Annie says, munching on pastries.
'That's weird. Tanya's domain doesn't really appear this randomly.' He caresses his chin, deep in contemplation.
The woman from earlier enters the dining area once again, but this time she's wearing a dusty jumpsuit and is tinkering with little machines and what looks to be… a piece of glass?
She sits down on the head of the table, dusty footprints on the ground as if it is a trail that leads to her. She looks out of place in this room, surrounded by her entourage of human-sized robots, and they are faceless; they omit no words of their own.
"It looks like I haven't introduced myself." She smiles. "My name is Tanya Piech."
She looks at everyone with her piercing green eyes, almost staring into their soul… or rather, the missing pieces.
"So It's you, Tanya. What did you want from us?" Elmo questions her.
Tanya feigns ignorance and proceeds to eat her meal. The robot dressed as a maid beside her, scanning the room before saying in a raspy voice. "It looks like I haven't introduced myself." It smiles. "My name is Tanya Piech."
The creepy robots have no eyes, just painted-on cheeks, and a smile; the age of their metal seems to be eternal.
"Why do you have those creepy robots, Tanya?" Elmo asks shakily, holding his cup of water.
"Aren't they cute? They follow my commands unconditionally." She smiles, taking a swig of her cup.
Elmo slowly stands up from the couch to get confections from the table. "What's your end goal, Tanya?" he asks.
"Oh, nothing much. In fact, you guys can go on to Reims after this." She replies.
Elmo raises his eyebrows. 'Why keep us here and ask nothing from us?'
He shrugs that nagging feeling he has and nods. "Then I will take my group with me and go."
"That would be optimal." Tanya smiles.
The group of four finished eating, their stomach full after sleeping without food. Horus eyes Elmo warily before grabbing Hilde and leaving. Annie follows them outside, where the door opens willingly to let them out.
Tanya sees them at the door.
"Are you sure you'll be fine alone?" Elmo asks. Of course, he has to report to Rada about her daughter and whatever she plans to do.
"I've always been alone, Mr. Schoeler. I'll be fine." She says, waving at them.
The four of them step from the front steps of the manor, feeling like something is missing from inside them, but they can't pinpoint what exactly.
They enter the car and restart it. As they drive away, the manor disappears as if it's just fog in a foggy forest.
***
Tanya closes the door behind her, her cheeks are flushed red, and sweat trickles down her forehead, making her dark hair stick to her skin. Her emerald eyes glitter with excitement.
"Maybe I have been always alone…" she pauses, clutching the 'pieces of glass' between her palms.
"But not anymore."