Locking cards hadn't worked out quite as well as Jade had hoped it would.

She shivered. Snow inside was a terrible idea, especially in someplace as wildly unpredictable as the Maze. She tried to run to the next door, only to slip on ice. She hit her head against a very solid snowdrift as she fell. Frozen water slithered down her shirt, making her jump.

"Nope!" she decided, leaping to her feet. "Not dealing with this today."

Jade opened the door she came into the blizzard through. A much warmer room embraced her, to her delight. It appeared to be Rose's bedroom. She recognized it easily. There was the poster she had given her last Christmas, and strewn on the floor was a shirt Rose had worn last Wednesday. Jade had never been happier to see a familiar place.

The closets were open. Both held the same mysterious, inky black that every door showed between rooms. No sneak peek into the next room, and no glance back at the last one. No exceptions.

She was still chilly. The snow had put a cold in her bones. She rubbed her arms, wondering if Rose had happened to leave any jackets out. She hoped she wouldn't mind if she borrowed one, especially that comfy looking blue hoodie in the corner.

She slipped it on, content in its warmth. It fit well. She wore the hooded sweatshirt the way her face wore a smile; it made her look even better. She wrapped it around her slender body happily.

Jade found a pen under Rose's bed. She tore a piece of paper from a note book and scribbled a message onto it. She left it on the bookshelf. If Rose found her room before Jade found Rose, she would know what happened to her sweatshirt.

She left through the main door.

X

Alone with his thoughts, James found his hard not to dwell on Phoebe. She hated him, but why? What had he ever done to her? He knew she kept a tough exterior. Maybe something tragic had happened to her, caused by someone with his looks. Maybe he reminded her of that. But could that really be it? James didn't buy it.

He crossed through doors as quickly as possible, hoping each new room would bring him to her. He found a swimming pool, a library, a hidden tunnel, and the kitchen where he had first started his journey. He took a moment to make another sandwich before continuing on.

A room full of old-fashioned paintings greeted him next. Each set of beady eyes seemed to follow him, stalking his every step. He munched his ham sandwich, eyeing the paintings right back. Things would be okay as long as they didn't do more.

He was glad to be out of that room the moment he left. Bare walls never looked as inviting as they did after rows and rows of suspicious portraits. It felt good to be unwatched.

A mouse skittered across the floor, scratching against the door. It was sealed, top and bottom. The mouse couldn't get through.

"Hey, little guy." James scooped up the tiny, big-eyed brown creature. He placed him on his shoulder. The mouse leaped off. "Guess that only works in cartoons," James reasoned, catching the field mouse before he hit the floor. "Come on, buddy. Let's go together."

Something caught the corner of his eye. James turned to see none other than Phoebe, watching him with a quizzical expression.

"Hey." James said gently. He wondered how long she had been there.

She turned and left, as suddenly as if she had never been there at all.

X

She must have been deep in the Maze. Underground tracks guided her. Jade figured she had to have found the very bottom. This wasn't a room as much as it was a mine. She could see carts of jewels piled up, glimmering in the distance. She wanted to snag a few, but then, she thought of Indiana Jones and thought better of it. The last thing she wanted would be to unbalance something and spring a trap on herself. The Maze was exactly the kind of place to trigger something like that. The sapphires were beautiful, but they weren't worth her life. She doubted she could avoid a rolling boulder as well as Indy had in his first movie, but she knew she'd at least have enough sense to get out of its path by running sideways.

Jade followed the mine cart tracks. Whether they would lead her the right way or merely deeper was yet to be determined. Still, it felt good to be near an edge of this monstrous place. With a hand on the wall just to reassure herself, she pictured the outdoors. It felt like a lifetime ago she had last seen them. To be so close was almost soothing.

The door in the wall jarred her of that feeling. With a sinking feeling, she realized she was still in an ever shifting room. She was no closer to escape then she had been in the last room, or the one before. The mine tracks carried on in the same direction, across level ground. She chose to go through the door instead, letting the tracks move forward without her.

Knowing Indiana Jones would do a lot better if he was in her situation, Jade continued in the Maze.

X

Following Phoebe was pointless. James ended up in the woods, alone. He opened his hand, allowing the field mouse to scamper away into the grass. James already felt lonely. He had only held the creature for a few minutes, but he had liked him. He missed his little pet.

The path went straight, but James decided to veer off of it. He went towards the sky, through the trees. The Maze had to stop somewhere. If he was really outside, he would know soon.

A breeze floated by, caressing his skin. James grinned, taking it as a sign he was closer than ever to freedom. He began to run, jumping over fallen logs and a small stream.

He doubled back to that stream. Cupping water in his hands, he took a long drink to quench his thirst. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then continued on.

James broke into a run again. He could see hills in the distance. He could see open sky. He began to feel ecstatic. He had made it! He had survived the Maze!

He could hardly believe it.

And, then, there was nothing to believe. James collided with a wall painted to look like the outdoors. He fell backwards, cursing loudly as a stick jammed against his side. His head ached. He rubbed his side, throwing the broken stick away. His barrage of choice expletives signaled his vivid frustration. James threw a punch into the wall, leaving a gaping hole. "Argahhh!" He growled, angry.

Would he never find his way out? Would any of them? Or, were they all doomed to die in the Maze? Questions attacked James with the intensity of lions hunting a gazelle. Who knew what would happen when the twenty four hours were up? Were they up already? James had no way to tell. Would anyone survive the twisting, winding, ever changing trap that was the Maze?!