Secret Novel Chapter 12: Never-ending Cycle (Patreon)

For two whole days, Madeline had clear skies above her head. Clear bright skies that dried her damp and chilled form from the rain. She was so incredibly grateful for the good weather, for it not only warmed her, but it brightened her mood. Not that she ever found rain depressing before in her life, like many did. In fact she rather enjoyed sitting and listening to the rain while she read. But having to wade through the damp cold rain, whilst trying to navigate and ever changing Maze was never fun. That being said, though the weather brightened her mood, the outcomes of her ventures into the Maze never felt good.

When Madeline found she had come back to the same fountain the first time, she was annoyed. Annoyed that she had lost nearly two days worth of progress heading east. Annoyed that she had just done a full circle. Quickly she set back out into the Maze, and for most of the day she was doing her best to keep moving east. The Maze, though, seemed to have other plans for her. Before it seemed like it was just trying to mess with her. Hinder her attempted escape. But now, at nearly every turn, it would block her path, or lead her in a circle. Then eventually, she would come back upon the fountain for the second time. Frustration filled her, but she wouldn’t be deterred. Not even after the third time. Then the four, and fifth, and so on.

No matter what Madeline tried, she always found herself returning back to the same fountain square. Sometimes it would take her hours to circle back around to it, other times it would only be a couple of minutes before she found herself back there. And with each return she grew more and more frustrated. Then the rain came back…

Shivering in her soaked cloak and clothes, Madeline stormed around the next corner of the Maze. She had been on this run for nearly four hours now. And with every corner she wondered if she would just be finding herself back at the fountain. The gods be damned fountain. If she ended up back there one more time, she is going to lose it. The gods must have been laughing because the very next turn led her just there.

“What the fuck!” Madeline screamed. “What the hell do you want from me!?” Not caring anymore, the young woman tore off her pack and threw it on the ground beside the one she had abandoned. She didn’t care that it would get wet, it was already soaked. Without thinking she stormed up to the fountain and kicked it with as much force as she could muster.

“Mother fucker!” Pain blossomed through her foot. It was a dumb, stupid idea, but it felt good to vent some anger. There was still more blossoming inside her as Madeline started to pace back and forth. She wanted to keep screaming. Scream at the top of her lungs till her voice went hoarse, but no, everything was just boiling up inside her. Hot tears stung her eyes as the anger inside her shifted and blended with other emotions that she had been holding back since she walked into this Maze.

Before she knew what was happening, Madeline was on her hands and knees bawling her eyes out. She wanted to go back home. She wanted the comfort of a mom who wasn’t alive anymore. She wanted the security of a sister that loved and supported her, but now that sister was calling her a name that wasn’t hers. That sister was ready to kill her, and wouldn’t have even felt a thing. That sister murdered a young boy, just so she could test out a spell. That woman wasn’t her sister. She was alone in this world. Alone and scared.

Slowly the crying woman shifted to a sitting position, her arms wrapped around her legs as her head fell on her knees. And there she stayed. Crying openly as the cold rain poured down on her. The millions of thoughts rushing through her head slowly turned to blankness as she let the emotions wash over her. But one thought kept coming back to her. The thought of why the Maze kept bringing her back here, and the only answer she could fathom was that she had tried to climb it. Maybe the Maze was mad at her for it.

Pulling her head up, Madeline looked around the fountain square. All the openings were in front of, or to the side of her, with the large solid wall that never changed right behind her. The Maze was all around her, and she had upset it.

“I’m sorry I tried to climb you,” Madeline said just barely above the sound of the rain. “I shouldn’t have tried to cheat you like that… I just want to go home… Please let me go home.” It was probably stupid to talk to the Maze. It probably couldn’t hear her, or understand her, but saying it out loud made her feel a little better.

Looking up at the sky, Madeline closed her eyes and let the rain fall down on her. Why? She wasn’t really sure why she did it but she did. It felt calming to her. Taking a deep breath the young woman fell back against the flat wall of hedge. Every fiber of her being expected it to catch her but it didn’t. She fell backwards as a strange and horrible feeling of things moving through her filled her upper half. In sheer panic, Madeline opened her eyes for a split second as she continued to fall. In that split second, pain flared through her. Through her skin, bone and muscle. It was excruciating for the brief period her eyes were open before closing in agony. Then she finished her fall hitting the ground hard enough to make her cough. The strange sensation still filled her upper half as she lay on the cold wet ground.

Madeline couldn’t help but panic and open her eyes again one more time, inviting the pain back into her. It was a stupid idea, but she had no idea what was going on. When her eyes were closed it didn’t hurt, but it felt so unsettling, the way things ran through her without pain or injury. What was happening? Still in a state of panic, Madeline shuffled her way back out to where she had been sitting up moments ago. The strange sensation left as she moved past whatever it was, and finally she was free from it. Sitting back up, the young woman turned to find what had done that to her, only to find the flat hedge.

“What?” Madeline questioned out loud as her hand reached out to touch the hedge where she had supposedly fallen threw it only a few seconds ago. Her hand was met with the familiar feeling of solid hedge. Even pushing hard did nothing. Did she actually fall through the hedge, or did she just imagine it? No, she definitely did something. It wasn’t just her imagination. She fell through the hedge for a split second. But how though? What did she do differently? The only thing she could think of was that she had her eyes closed. Was that it?

Taking a deep breath, Madeline closed her eyes and reached back out for the hedge. This time her hand passed through it, filling her hand with that strange feeling of something inside it. Opening her eyes again filled her hand with pain, but while withstanding it she could see that her hand was really inside of the Hedge. Quickly she tried to pull her hand out, only to find it stuck inside, but when she closed her eyes again she was able to pull it out freely. There also appeared to be no actual harm done to her hand.

“What the hell?” Reaching forward and closing her eyes again, Madeline stuck her whole arm inside, trying to see how far it went, but found that her arm wasn’t long enough. Pulling out she looked back over the Maze. Was… Was this why the Maze kept turning her around and leading her back to the fountain? So that she would find this? Madeline took slow and deep breaths while she stared at the hedge, wondering what she should do.

“Fuck it.” Turning back, Madeline went and picked up her wet pack and threw it on her back. This was crazy. This was dumb. This would probably get her killed. But what other choice did she have? The maze would just bring her right back here. So she had to take the chance, and walk through the hedge.

[The plot thickens! Things are happening and I hope you guys are liking it!]