The Cat's Maze

The door on the left was a hideous shade of blue with an orange trim that made Pearl's head ache. The door on the left was a blindingly plain white with an absurdly intricate golden handle.

She rubbed her temples. Which one is going to get us out of here?

Pearl thought back on the past doors they had encountered in the maze. Three sets so far, like the legends had said, and each time Pearl had followed her gut and opened a door that led to more maze, and not certain death. If she was remembering the legends right, this was the final set of doors. The stakes were very high, and now she hesitated.

"What on earth is the hold up?" Amethyst yelled from behind Pearl, breathing heavily. "Every other freaking door you opened practically without thinking. Just go! Choose!"

"I'm unsure now!" Pearl said, on the border of having a panic attack. "Its the final door, the right one will get us out of here." She looked back at them. Two doors so different from each other and leading to entirely opposing fates... and yet which one to choose? Her gut was indecisive. Her heart was indecisive. Both doors repulsed her.

The blue and orange one was truly hideous. It made her head ache and her eyes twitch just to stare at it. She didn't want to look at it, never mind open it and trust it enough to decide her fate.

But the white door, it was just unsettling. It was too plain, and then that giant golden handle didn't seem like it would even open. It looked to fancy to actually work.

Pearl cocked her head to one side, searching the details of the doors. Amethyst was right, she hadn't hesitated choosing the past doors, but now she was unsure. She just had to choose one.

She reached her hand towards the white door, and then jerked it back. She reached her hand towards the blue door, and then jerked it back.

Amethyst groaned and shoved her. "Pearl! Choose! That giant cat is fiddling around somewhere in this maze and it is likely to get here any second." She looked over her shoulder worriedly. She had been running through the whole maze, like the mythical cat was directly in sight, despite the fact that they had not seen it or heard it the entire time. Pearl wasn't even so sure there was a monstrous cat patrolling the maze. "I can't believe I got stuck in here with you." Amethyst rolled her eyes. "So go Pearl! Pick one!"

Pearl squeezed her eyes shut.

Oh how she wished she had never picked up that quartz sphere in the headmasters office. Why did he even have a portal that led to this wretched maze? And why did Amethyst know the exact words to recite that teleported them here?

"Okay fine." Pearl declared. "I've made up my mind." She took a step back and grabbed Amethyst by the shoulders, shoving her towards the door. Amethyst's soft black curls brushed the top of her hands. "You choose."

Amethyst whipped around, her face shocked and angry. "Oh no, you're not putting this on me."

Pearl put her hands on her hips. "I've chosen all the other doors. I've saved us from death three times now. And now its your turn, Amethyst."

Amethyst rolled her eyes. "Fine." She whipped around on her heel. "I'll just choose... Um..." Pearl saw her head bounce from door to door. Amethyst twisted a lock of hair around her finger. "What's on the side of either door?"

"Well," Pearl said, counting on her fingers, "behind one door is certain, painful death. And behind the other is the way out of here."

"If I choose wrong can't I just like, shut it and choose again?" Amethyst looked over her shoulder at Pearl.

Pearl thought for a moment. All the legends said would happen if you chose the wrong door was certain death. So she felt like that meant instantaneously opening the door would kill you. Plus, in other stories where people had to make life or death decisions, the consequences typically happened immediately. "Why don't you just try one out."

Amethyst let out a breath. "Fine. Once I choose the right door and get us out of here, I'm totally kicking your ass." Pearl rolled her eyes and Amethyst let out another deep sigh.

Slowly, slowly, she reached for a door, but was stopped by a distant meow.

Pearl and Amethyst turned slowly, shell-shocked by the sound.

They shared a single, terrified glance and then both lunged for the same door, the white one with the gilded handle. As soon as they opened it they were met with an unbearable heat and distant screams.

"Shut it! Shut it!" Amethyst shrieked.

Pearl squeezed her eyes shut and forced all her body weight against the door. It thudded closed.

Pearl and Amethyst sat panting for a second against the closed door. Pearl could still feel the heat from the fire on her face.

The girls shared a weary glance. "At least we know we could shut the door." Amethyst said.

Pearl almost chuckled, but the sound of a meow, that was getting closer now, sucked the joy out of her. "The other one!" She yelled, and the girls swarmed the blue door, both jostling to grab the handle until their four hands finally twisted it open and they landed in a heap back in their headmasters office, where they had been waiting for him.

The quartz sphere that had gotten them into the mess in the first place was back on its stand on the headmaster's shelf.

Pearl and Amethyst looked around. "We made it!" Pearl exclaimed.

They jumped up and embraced, laughing and cheering in each other's arms, until they remembered that in their 6th grade year a fortune teller had declared that they were natural enemies.

They parted and Amethyst cleared her throat, smoothing down her grey pencil skirt. "Well, um, Pearl, that was quick thinking in there. I know I was a little... intense, but you really did do a good job choosing the doors."

Pearl smiled and looked down at the carpet. "Thanks Amethyst." She considered adding on a snarky remark about how the only door Amethyst had picked had been the wrong one, but she thought better.

They heard the headmaster's feet in the hallway outside the office, so they scurried back to their seats, trying their best to look natural, and not like they had been transported to a mythical maze because they had fiddled with things they shouldn't have.

"Alright ladies," the headmaster said, moving to sit behind his desk. "Lets get our stories straight here."

"We can drop it Professor Gold." Amethyst said suddenly. "I think Pearl and I can both admit that we were both a bit to blame, and that we aren't angry any more." Amethyst looked over at Pearl, and she was surprised by how sincere her expression was. "And that... we're both sorry. I know I am."

Pearl smiled and nodded firmly. "Me too. I'm sorry Amethyst. I-I honestly I did start it. I just didn't want to get in trouble. So headmaster," she turned to Professor Gold. "I'll take responsibility. Amethyst can go."

Amethyst's eyebrows, and Professor Gold's eyebrows were raised in surprise.

The headmaster leaned back in his chair. "Well honestly girls, I don't think any intervention is needed. I'm glad you seemed to have handled it yourself in the..." he looked at the clock in the wall, "the two minutes I left you alone in here." Amethyst and Pearl shared a funny look. "You're free to go."

The girls stood and walked out of the office, pausing outside the door for a moment to look at each other.

Amethyst crossed her arms, her typical snarky look spreading across her face. "Glad you admitted that you were the one to blame. I was totally innocent. And besides, you were the one who picked up the sphere to begin with, so like all of this in the end is really still your fault Pearl."

Pearl's face heated up instantly, but before she could even respond and say she had only taken the blame in front of the headmaster because Amethyst had been so kind, and that it was Amethyst who had said the riddle that activated the portal to the maze, Amethyst was already turning on her heel and walking away.

"See you on our next adventure Pearl!" She called back, her heels clicking on the granite floor of the academy as she turned a corner, out of sight.

Pearl sighed and rolled her eyes. For a brief moment she had thought, or rather hoped, that the old Amethyst was back. The Amethyst that was sweet and funny and exciting, and didn't like to make Pearl feel stupid and useless.

Pearl straightened her shoulders and adjusted her auburn hair that was piled on her head in two neat buns. One could only hope that things would turn around with Amethyst. But for now, at least Pearl had avoided getting in trouble at school.