"Well, now that we introduced each other… what do we do next?" I asked, not expecting an answer.

  The girl didn't reply. As expected. She just sniffled beside me, arms tight around her bear.

  I looked at the poor teddy bear. You'll choke it to death, girl. No wonder the bear's neck so thin. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

  I looked away and immediately regretted it. The pair to our left was staring straight at us. I hesitated before saying the first nonsense that came to mind.

  "She, erm… just won the Pessimistic and Drama Queen competition. She's uh… practicing for nationals. You know what they say, practice makes perfect."

  They kept staring. Judging both of us.

  I mumbled to myself, "What bullshit am I sprouting? Even I wouldn't believe what I just said…"

  But then, something stranger happened. The pair looked at each other, nodded solemnly, and turned back to us.

  "I see," one of them said. Then, they looked at the little girl and said, "Congratulations."

  My mind short-circuited. Wait… those competitions exist? I never knew. Maybe I really should've listened to Ma and gone out more…

  A voice chimed in from my right.

  "What are you talking about? There's no such thing as a Pessimistic and Drama Queen competition."

  I turned to my right.

  Two boys stood nearby, an odd pair. One was busy inspecting the back of a mirror, and the other had milky-white freckled skin and eyes filled with constant dread. I don't blame him. If it wasn't for Ma's hellish torment when young, my mental state would have been long flushed into the drain and recycled.

  "Oh, really?" I replied, raising an eyebrow. "Good. 'Cause I made that up."

  The mirror-boy didn't even blink. "Oh, of course. Because I would've joined it… and won."

  Pessimistic? No. Drama Queen. Maybe. Delusional? Absolutely.

  I smiled awkwardly. "Ah… I see…"

  Then, he winked at his mirror. "Oh, I'm so beautiful. Aren't I?"

  "Whe-" Before I could complete the word, I slapped my cheek. It stung. The delusional boy just looked at me sarcastically from head to toe and huffed in a smug tone.

  I want to choke him so bad... so hard... until his eyes pop out. I clenched my fist. My hand stung. No. I can't kill someone just because I'm annoyed with them. Let's tease them instead. A corner of my mouth went upwards. "Oh you sure are if you flip your mirror."

  "Oh?"

  He flipped it. One second passed.

  "AAAHHH!! A BEAST!!!" He screamed, then dramatically fainted to the floor. His partner blinked… then fainted too, like it was contagious.

  I stared at the unconscious duo, expression flat. Did he just think… his reflection was a beast?

  Before I could process that, some brutish, armored men appeared from behind me and began dragging the fainted pair away.

  Wait. What? Why? How? Don't tell me my teasing killed someone? My eyes twitched in horror. My soul packed its bags.

  [Oh, would you look at that? Those two lost without even trying. Aren't you bunnies lucky? One team less. Now that everyone's been paired. Let the final game begin.]

  Some kids began stretching. Others cracked their knuckles or glared at nearby pairs. The two on our left waved politely.

  "Good luck. May the best pair win."

  I smiled back, peeking to my right. The saliva bobbed in my throat.

  The blue screen flickered. A countdown appeared.

  3.

  2.

  1.

  Start!

  The moment the buzzer sounded, chaos erupted.

  Children rushed into the maze's yawning mouth. Just a few seconds in, and already, screams echoed out. Wet splats followed. Metal clashing. Bone cracking.

  I didn't move. I waited… for the little girl to move first.

  One minute passed. She didn't budge. Not even an inch. I turned to her.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Want to go now?"

  She shook her head without hesitation. "What's the use? We'll die a horrible death if we go in. I don't like that. Outside is safer."

  I glanced at the maze's entrance. A strange feeling pulsed from within, cold and sentient. I trembled. "…I guess you're right." Just as my brain was about to take a well-deserved rest, a perfectly square shadow loomed over us.

  [Oh? Are you forfeiting, my little bunnies?]

  My head snapped up. Mr. James's face smiled down from one of the smaller blue screens.

  [If that's true…]

  He raised a hand and summoned them. Brute men. Bigger than the last batch. Sharpened teeth, no pupils, drooling like wild dogs in human skin.

  "ACK! They're coming! They're coming at us!" I screamed, voice cracking. "They look worse than the monsters inside!" I grabbed the girl by the arm.

  She struggled, arms and legs flailing around, making it hard for me to carry her. She yelled, "Unhand me, you brute!"

  "The brutes are behind you. Not me. Open your eyes."

  I looked up and saw Mr. James waving happily. I gritted my teeth. I swear, Mr. James has a huge grudge against me. I wailed as I bolted, while carrying two baggage into the maze.

  [Au revoir, my little bunnies~]

  "Huff… Huff…" I doubled over once inside. "O-Oui… Those brute men… look like they could eat us whole…" I glanced at the girl.

  She was pale. Her knees shook. She looked up at me, and her eyes brimmed with tears.

  "Scawyyyy…" she wailed, clutching her bear tighter.

  She crying? Why? What did I do? What am I supposed to do? I'm not a certified babysitter. Ah, I know! I've seen it in those entertainment shows.

  Waving my hands in front of her, I made a high-pitched voice. "C-Calm down! Don't cry! If you cry… Mr. Bear will be heartbroken!" I took her plush and made it 'talk.'

  "Grrr~ Don't worry, little one! Mr. Bear's here to protect you!"

  She sniffled. "But what if we die because that stupid girl pulled us in blindly?"

  Ouch. This girl sure has a sharp tongue.

  Still, I kept my act. "No worry. Everything will be fine. Trust Mr. Bear. Mr. Bear will protect you."

  The girl's eyes sparkled. Her face lit up instantly. "Okay! I'll trust Mr. Bear! And I'll protect you too, Mr. Bear!" She twirled in a little dance, her energy suddenly restored.

  I sighed in relief. If I ever survive this place, I can get a job as a ventriloquist.

  I looked around. Reflections. That was all we had. Our images warped and stretched across endless mirrors. There was no obvious path. No light source. And no sound except our breathing.

  I stood close to one of the mirrors, appreciating my stunning beauty. I gave a little twirl and struck a criminally attractive pose.

  The reflection copied me. A second too late. I noticed. My brain decided to save my processing power and sanity.

  "I dare say, even without Ma slapping watermelon skin every day on my face, I still look expensive."

  Silence.

  Slap!

  My cheek throbbed. "What is this? Was I under the mirror's influence? Gosh, what a terrible place." Looking at the endless rows of mirrors, I tapped a mirror, sighing. "But how do we get out of this place?"

  Then I remembered the dogs. How they were pulled into the mirrors like paper through a shredder.

  The mirror felt colder. "Now that I think about it, how did those monsters… jump in and out of these?"

  I checked the edges. Solid. Pressed. Nothing. I punched it. Regret.

  The girl poked me. "What are you doing? Aren't we supposed to go to the next level? Look!" She pointed at the screen, floating in the middle of the maze.

  It showed several pairs already reaching the next stage.

  "Oui… They're fast."

  She pouted. "Hurry, slowpoke."

  She ran ahead, and I chased after her. "Hey! Wait for me!"

  The surprising thing?

  She wasn't just fast. She was precise. Every turn, clean. Every step was certain. She navigated like she knew the maze.

  And around her? Silence. No monsters. No whispers. Just glass.

  And then...

  "We're here!" she said, skipping toward a ladder in the center chamber.

  I pulled her back.

  "Hey! What's the big deal?! Let go!"

  "Shh!" I whispered. "Did you forget? Mr. James said there's a guardian at the center!"

  She pouted. "The guardian's already dead, dumbo! Let me go!"

  But I held on. "It won't respawn?"

  She slapped my hand and glared. "No, it won't! So hurry!"

  She darted up the ladder. I followed cautiously. Surprisingly, nothing attacked us. We reached the second floor without incident.

  "Whew… Looks like there wasn't any guardian after all. How did you know?"

  The girl huffed, annoyed. "Mr. James literally said so just now. Didn't you listen?"

  Did he? When? Was I dreaming?

  "…Oh." I blinked. "Maybe not."

  "Start moving those dumb legs already," she grumbled.

  This girl's mood swings like a pendulum… I shook my head and continued following.

  The further we walked, the darker it got. Not just darker. Colder. The air carried whispers that didn't belong to either of us.

  I tapped her shoulder. "Be careful. We're not alone."

  She sighed. "Of course, we're not alone. There are other pairs here, duh. I can't believe I got paired with someone with no brain cells."

  That stung. But who is she to be so disrespectful? If Ma were here, she would have whooped her so hard.

  But before I could snap back...

  Bloop.

  A monster slipped out from a mirror. The surface of the mirror rippled for a while, then was still.

  The monster was small. Green. Grotesque.

  Red eyes with green pupils, long pointy ears, a bulbous nose, and jagged teeth. It held a wooden mace, a dagger, and a bomb tied to its belt.

  "Goblin."

  It blinked at us in confusion.

  "What's wrong with that monster?" the girl asked.

  "Probably thought it hit something… only to realize it missed," I whispered, backing away slowly.

  She snorted. "Are you afraid?"

  "…Are you not?"

  "Gwargh!" The goblin screamed, charging with its mace raised.

  Without hesitation, the girl pulled three metal needles from her sleeve and threw them with terrifying precision.

  Shnk. Shnk. Shnk.

  The needles pierced through the goblin's skull and neck. It collapsed, twitching, dead before it hit the ground.

  She strutted over and retrieved her needles.

  "Easy," she said, flipping her hair.

  I stared at her. "O-Oui… Thank goodness she's not my enemy…"

  Then...

  Kishik. Kishik.

  Above us. I looked up.

  Dozens of goblins clung to the mirrors, limbs splayed against the glass, weapons clenched between their teeth.

  My spine turned into an icicle.

  "RUN!"

  I lunged forward, scooped the girl into my arms, and bolted.

  "AAAHHH!! IT'S RAINING GOBLINS!!"

  They dropped with arms and feet outstretched. Screeches tore through the maze, echoed in every direction. I zigzagged. They slammed down behind us.

  By some miracle, none landed on us. I glanced back and stuck out my tongue. "Neh neh ni boo boo!"

  Something round rolled in front of us. I cackled menacingly. "You missed!"

  The goblin smirked. I ran past, then I saw the fuse. My smile died. The grenade exploded, and we flew.

  I skidded. My face became the brake. I rolled onto my back, groaning, rubbing my burning cheek.

  Metal. Smoke. I turned.

  Green blood splattered the floor. Mangled goblin bodies twitched in the mirrors. Black fumes curled upward from the blast.

  The girl's eyes narrowed. A smile curled up. She exhaled softly. "What a waste."

  I pushed myself up, my legs trembling.

  What kind of place is this? Chimera… now goblins?! This place is trying to break me… And we weren't even done with the second level. I demand a fat ass retirement fund.