Prologue

The trees were tall and sturdy, barely moving an inch when the strong winds blew. The grass, however, swayed violently in the breeze, whipping about beneath the moonlight. Two young girls and a tall woman huddled by the castle to keep warm, sitting in the Western Courtyard of the castle in the kingdom of Kirana. “Amara, can't we go inside?” one of the young girls whined, tugging on the woman's sleeve. “Not now, Summer. Not now,” the woman whispered. “We have to wait for your parents to invite us in, remember? Just because you are the princess does not mean you get to do whatever you want.” “But Mama and Papa are in a meeting right now, and it's so cold outside!” the young girl complained. Her sister stared at the moon, feeling that underneath such a beautiful silver disc, nothing could possibly go wrong. “Amara, let us inside,” the younger sister continued, now tugging on her caretaker's skirt. Amara looked down at her and smiled. “I already told you, we cannot.” She joined the older sibling in staring at the moon. Summer muttered to herself and took a seat on the grass. “The moon is really beautiful,” the older sibling muttered. “It is,” Amara agreed. “Don't you think, Summer?” Summer looked away, into the Eastern Courtyard, purely to avoid answering the question (she was mad at Amara right now, after all). But it was while she stared into the Eastern Courtyard that she saw him; a man dressed in a large cloak and a dark mask, holding what seemed to be a gun of some kind. Curious, Summer placed her hand on her sister's shoulder. “Alice, look.” Her sister blinked and looked over at her. Summer pointed into the courtyard. “Who's that guy?” she asked, glancing up at Amara. “Amara, Alice, look.” Amara and Alice looked out into the Eastern Courtyard. They watched, as the mysterious man shot something out of his gun that exploded on contact with the castle, setting the whole east wing of Kirana Castle ablaze. Summer and Amara screamed. Alice gasped. And then, as quickly as he'd come, the mysterious man vanished. Summer started to cry. Alice stared at the flaming hallway worriedly. “What on earth just happened...?!” Amara cried. “Our parents are in that wing!” Summer sobbed, burying her face in Alice's shoulder. Alice stared blankly at the dancing inferno. “It's not spreading,” she noted. Amara nodded slowly and knelt down, pulling both the children against her and backing into the northwestern-most corner in the Western Courtyard, huddling against the bleak grey stone of the walls and the castle entrance. “Stay here with me until someone is alerted and puts out the fire. If it spreads, we'll flee the courtyard. For now, we are safe.” Alice nodded and took Summer's hand. The three huddled together for at least two hours until a group of knights finally charged over to the raging fire (which, amazingly, still hadn't spread, and had also, miraculously, managed to set stone ablaze) and dumped buckets of water on it until it had been successfully put out. The knights went into the Western Courtyard to check with Amara and the two princesses. Amara assured the men that everyone was safe, then slowly rose with the children. The knights waited with them outside until a messenger came and informed them that the king and queen had invited them inside. Amara, Summer, and Alice walked with the knights into the throne room in the eastern wing of Kirana Castle. Summer spotted their parents alive at the end of the room and ran over to embrace them, her gleaming silver pigtails flying out behind her. The king and queen hugged their daughter tightly at the front of the room while Alice and Amara spoke about the strange occurrences outside.

“What on earth did that man use that was able to set the stone on fire? Not to mention that the fire didn't spread, meaning it probably wasn't magic,” Amara muttered to herself. Alice started fiddling with one of her long, blonde pigtails absently. She was the only member of her family with blonde hair—the rest had hair that was silver like the moon. Silver hair was treasured in Kirana, a kingdom that nearly worshiped the moon. In fact, almost all members of Kirana had that treasured hair, aside from Alice herself and a man who worked at the baker's shop in the village. Still, even the baker had hair that was a pure, shining white, and he was treated no different. Alice knew that when it came down to it, her silver-haired younger sister would inherit the throne before her. The thought bothered her just a bit. “Alice! Are you listening to me?” “Huh?” Alice looked away from her hair and turned to face Amara. Amara's deep brown eyes narrowed and she frowned at the princess. “I was asking you your opinion of this strange occurrence. What do you suppose it is? Why would someone light only the eastern wing, and how?” “I'm only fifteen,” Alice stated. “I don't know any more than you do. But, I just thought of something...” “You did?” “That man. His hair was black, wasn't it?” It was true, though no member of the trio had thought of it until just now. The assaulter didn't possess Kirana's famous silver hair, which meant he was a citizen of another kingdom. Alice had to wonder how he seemed to know his way around the palace so well, if that were true. “Odd,” Amara muttered. “Members of Minorea are magic-users, right? They all have black hair. It would explain why the man was able to vanish without a trace like that...” “Minoreans are sword-users. Yoancalens are magic-users. Yoancalens are blonde, like me.” “What? But that doesn't make any sense...” Amara groaned. “Alice, do you remember anything else about the man?” “He used a gun. We're the gunsmiths, aren't we?” “A gun from Kirana, hair from Minorea, and the magic of Yoancale. What kind of a superhuman was this man...?” Summer bounded over to them and sat beside Amara. Alice and Amara moved over in their pew to give her a bit more room. “What are you two talking about?” the thirteen-year-old princess asked. “That man that attacked us,” Amara answered. “He's awfully multi-cultural, don't you think? A Kirani gun, Minorean hair, and Yoancalen magic.” “His cloak was really fancy, not something any of those kingdoms could have made. The last kingdom, Rigalad, makes the best clothes. So his cloak was probably from there.” “Why target us, though?” Alice wondered aloud. “Who knows?” Summer shrugged. “Well, whatever he was, he meant business—” “Indeed I did, Princess.” Summer gasped and squealed. The trio looked around the room, searching for the source of the voice. It was nowhere to be found, though, and it seemed that no one else had even heard it. “Don't bother looking for me. You won't find me.” “Does anyone else hear that?” Summer called loudly. Amara and Alice nodded beside her. “Hear what?” the queen responded from the front. “Dear princesses, you're the only ones that can hear me. You, and your friend.” “Why?” Alice whispered. “Because you saw me, obviously. And now that you have, I'm afraid I have to kill you.” “What...?!” A large, swirling vortex suddenly appeared from out of nowhere only a few feet away from the edge

of the trio's pew. Summer screamed as she was pulled away into the vortex. Amara cried out her name and nearly dove after her. Alice clung tightly to her seat, but this didn't stop her from being yanked into the mysterious vortex. No one else even seemed to notice that they were gone...as if Amara,Alice, and Summer had never even existed.

Summer's Winter

Summer looked down at her hands just to make sure she still had them. Thankfully, she did. “Amara? Alice? Where are you?” “For crying out loud...” Summer gasped and whirled towards the source of the voice. A mysterious man with pitch-black hair and dark skin was lying on the ground a few meters away from her, rubbing his head. He slowly pushed himself to his feet, looking infuriated. “Who are you?!” Summer demanded. She backed away on instinct—and ended up crashing right into Alice. “Ow, what was that—Summer!” Alice gleefully hugged her little sister from behind. Summer grabbed tightly to Alice's arms, glaring at the man, who had not moved and was simply staring at the two girls. Summer looked around and spotted Amara pushing herself to her feet. Their brown-eyed nursemaid slowly made her way to the two princesses and embraced them tightly, murmuring into their ears about how “it's alright, little princesses, I'm here now. I will not let you get hurt. I swear it.” “Who are you?” Summer repeated, certainly glad to see her sister and caretaker, but also very concerned about the mysterious man. He stared at her for at least another five minutes before finally answering. “My name is Raven, otherwise known as the Mad Hatter. Welcome to Wonderland.” “Wonderland...?” Summer whispered. She'd heard of that place in the bedtime stories her parents had read to her and Alice when they were children. They were about a young girl named Alice who stumbled across a magic rabbit hole that served as a portal to a land called Wonderland— Alice! “What do you want with Alice?!” Summer demanded, clinging tightly to her sister's arms. Alice only stared at Raven quizzically. “It's not up to what I want, dear princess,” the man murmured. “Unfortunately, my master, the White Rabbit, has decided I don't matter anymore. I'm just as trapped as all of you.” “So?” “So, nothing that happens in here has anything to do with me. It's all up to what the White Rabbit wants.” Summer grumbled to herself something about deception. Amara and Alice slowly separated from her, but the trio stayed close together. “If you're the Mad Hatter, your master is the White Rabbit, and this is Wonderland, what does that make us?” Alice asked curiously. “Isn't it obvious?” Raven cocked his head. He pointed at Alice. “You're Alice.” “And these two...?” “The Queen of Hearts—” He pointed at Amara. “—and the Cheshire Cat.” He pointed at Summer. Alice cautiously walked away from her companions and made her way towards Raven. “Are you the one who brought us here?” “I'm the one who set your castle on fire, and the one that spoke to you, but the one who actually brought you here was my master.” “Why did you set my castle on fire?” Alice demanded. “Master's orders. He said something about scaring you and just sent me to take care of it. Maybe he hoped you were in the room so you would just die easily.” “Die...?” Alice took a step back instinctually; then she noticed that there was blood welling up in the corner of Raven's lip and stepped forwards again. “You're hurt.” Raven only chuckled and wiped the blood off with his sleeve. “No kidding. The White Rabbit doesn't take kindly to those he deems unworthy.” “You owe us an explanation,” Summer called from her place with Amara.

“Alice, dear, come back here,” Amara ordered. Alice shook her head. “Tell me what's going on.” Raven stared at her for a minute. “We're all trapped here in this makeshift land of evil until we die. The White Rabbit is a powerful sorcerer from Yoancale who was banished long ago for sending the queen into a parallel universe he had invented purely for the sake of torture. They sent him into the same world—this world—and it was there that he learned to control the occurrences that took place in this Wonderland. He killed the queen and waited for new victims. And he found them in the form of young royals. Ever since his banishment, he's been getting his entertainment by kidnapping princes and princesses and watching them get themselves killed. I was one of his minions—er, assistants—in charge of simply killing the kings and queens while he took over the kingdoms by placing a loyal servant on the throne.” “He meant to kill our parents by having you set the place on fire,” Alice realized. “Wrong,” Raven corrected. “He meant to kill you and take your parents here. He said something about mixing it up. But you saw it happen. To combat that, he sent me to call you in here.” “But why send you here too?” “I've outlived my usefulness, is all it is.” Raven looked away. Alice could tell he was upset, but decided not to say anything. “So we're just stuck here until we die.” Summer shrunk back against Amara, who hugged her close. “That's it,” Raven confirmed. “Is there ever some sort of order he goes in?” Alice asked. “An order?” Raven shook his head. “Alice always goes last, but the rest are fair game. Actually...” He paused. “I remember hearing once that if Alice could manage to find the White Rabbit before Wonderland killed her, then...she could kill him and destroy this place once and for all. Only Alice has the power to do it, but...that doesn't mean it's easy. No one's ever even found the guy before, never mind kill him.” “So if I find this man and kill him, I can save all of you.” “Only if we're still alive when you do,” Raven said. Summer whimpered and grabbed onto Amara's hand. Amara gripped her young mistress' hand back. The two stood staring at Alice and Raven while the two conversed lightly, exchanging tips on how to find and kill the White Rabbit and the kinds of things the sorcerer was fond of using to kill his foes. The two silver-haired girls only watched, torn between listening in and running for their lives. Summer examined the land. The sky and the “walls” were pure, glistening white, but the ground was decorated with grass and the occasional mushroom. Trees lined the east “wall” and dotted the plain, their leaves the brightest green Summer had ever seen. There were occasional dips in the ground that caused the appearance of hills, but the ground never rose above the height Summer and the rest were at now. It seemed to stretch on forever, and the only thing that blocked Summer from seeing the whole land was a giant, frightening black castle over to the south, and the line of trees at the east. The sky around the castle was dark and stormy, which only made it look more menacing. Summer hoped she wouldn't have to go down there. Alice turned to face Summer at the same time Summer turned to face Alice. Summer waved. Alice dipped her head. “I'm going to stay here with Raven for a while, alright?” Alice announced. “We're going to go on a hunt for the White Rabbit. Will you two tag along?” Summer frowned. “I don't trust that guy,” she whispered to Amara. Amara nodded slowly. “I mean, he probably won't hurt Alice, but what about us?” “We will just stay here,” Amara answered Alice. “I'm afraid we do not trust your new friend. We'll probably be safer just keeping away from him.” “Or you'll die faster,” Raven muttered, shrugging. Alice shot him a glare. “What? It's true.” “Please be careful,” Alice begged. She strolled over to Summer and Amara, looking confident. “I'll

be back in a few days. I promise.” “Alice, don't go!” Summer blurted. Alice smiled at her. “Don't worry, Summer. We'll see each other again soon.” Alice knelt down and opened her arms to the young girl. Summer sniffled and flung her arms around Alice. Alice embraced her little sister as tightly as she could, running her fingers along Summer's shining silver hair. Summer felt herself starting to cry, but she worked hard to hold in her tears. Alice pulled away from the hug and smiled at Summer. “Summer, I was always jealous of you, I'll admit,” she said quietly. “I wanted to have your beautiful silver hair, so that I could have the throne like I deserved. But...” Summer felt her heart sink. She hadn't even realized Alice felt that way. “But,” Alice repeated, “that doesn't mean I didn't love you, or that I don't love you now, or that I'll ever stop loving you. You're my sister, and I'm happy for you, and I love you so much.” This time, Summer couldn't hold in her tears, and they spilled out over her eyelids like a torrent of rain breaking out from the clouds. She embraced her sister again, and Alice wasted no time in hugging her back. Summer sobbed into Alice's neck, repeating the words, “I love you,” over and over again. When she had finally finished her crying, she slowly pulled back and wiped her eyes on her blue sleeve. Alice smiled and brushed some of Summer's bangs out of her face, then leaned in and planted a light kiss on Summer's cheek. Summer sniffled and forced herself to smile. “I'll be back soon,” Alice promised, her voice soft. She rose to her feet and smiled one last time at Summer, then went to go say goodbye to Amara. Amara and Alice hugged for a long time, whispering into each other's ears, then they separated. Amara kissed Alice's cheek gently, and Alice returned it with a kiss of her own. Amara smiled at the princess she'd cared for since Alice was a baby. Alice gripped Amara's hand once, then released it and returned to Raven, who had remained quite silent since Alice made her announcement. “You ready, Alice?” Raven reached out his hand to the princess, who grabbed onto it as tightly as she could. “I'm ready,” she whispered, hoping her voice sounded stronger to him than it did to her. Raven surveyed the two silver-haired beauties who had chosen to remain behind. “Don't stay in one place for long,” he warned. “After all, a moving target is harder to hit.” Summer and Amara exchanged a glance. Alice waved “goodbye” to them. Raven led her away, towards the line of trees over by the east. Summer watched her. “She'd better come back,” she muttered to herself. “Don't worry. She has a guide.” Amara sighed. “Princess Summer, where shall we go first?” “Anywhere but the creepy castle,” Summer groaned. “That place gives me the chills. ...Amara, wouldn't it be OK if we followed Alice? I mean, we don't need to travel with them, but...” “It's time to let go, Summer,” Amara said firmly. “We have to go off on our own. Alice is a strong girl. She'll be just fine.” “But what about us?!” Summer whirled angrily on Amara, more salty tears threatening to break loose from her eyes. “I don't want to die before Alice finds me again, Amara!” “I know,” Amara whispered. “...This way, dear. We'll head across the plain, far away from anything that can fall on us, and where nothing can sneak up on us. We're Kiranis, remember? Our gun-slinging skills are unmatched.” “I don't have a gun. I'm a princess, remember?” “Well, I never put mine down. I'll protect you, Summer. Just like I always have.” Amara's words seemed to soothe Summer. The younger princess smiled and grabbed onto her caretaker's hand. “Then, let's be on our way! We'll show Alice she doesn't need to be worried about us!” “That's the spirit!” Amara laughed, a light and airy laugh. “Let us get going, then! This way!” Summer forced herself to smile. There was a dark cloud of fear and apprehension that had followed

her around ever since they stepped foot in this twisted world, and she couldn't explain way. She just knew that something was horribly wrong. Something is really, terribly, horribly wrong... “Summer?” Amara grabbed onto Summer's hand and gave it a squeeze. “What's the matter?” “Nothing,” Summer insisted lightly. “Don't lie to me,” Amara ordered. “Tell me what is the matter.” “I don't know,” Summer relented. “I...I just know something is wrong.” Amara frowned. “I understand. This is such a...queer place. It's almost haunting...” “Yeah...” Summer suddenly stiffened. “Amara, did you hear that?” “Hear what?” Amara looked down at Summer, her expression that of confusion. Summer stopped to listen. Nothing. “It was nothing,” she insisted. “Probably just some birds or something. Anyways...” Thump, thump, thump. “What...?” Summer stopped walking again. “Amara, I heard something again.” “I hear nothing,” Amara said. “Something is coming.” Summer looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. All she saw were the woods to the east and the castle to the south. “You don't hear it?” Amara shook her head. Summer took a deep breath. “Whatever, I'm sure it's nothing,” she called loudly, as if trying to assure whatever was there that she wasn't going to fall for it. Come to think of it...what was there? Thump, thump, thump. “Amara!” Summer shrieked. “What?!” Amara demanded. “I...I hear footsteps,” Summer mumbled. “Amara, are those your footsteps?” That bad feeling was getting stronger, and Summer now feared it would take over her mind completely. She wished desperately for something, anything, to take her mind off of it. “I'm sure it's nothing, dear,” Amara murmured. “It's alright.” “No, no!” Summer shouted, forgetting about Amara for a moment. “No, it's here! It's going to kill me! I...I need to run!” Ah, the satisfaction that came with distraction. That bad feeling seemed like some sort of distant memory, and replacing it was this dull suspicion that Summer was going completely insane. “Calm down,” Amara soothed. “Nothing is here. Nothing will hurt you. Come this way.” “N-no.” Summer shook her head. “It's here. It's here, it's here...” “Summer?” Summer stared at Amara for a minute. She could still feel her sanity slipping away—was this madness? “The Cheshire Cat...” she muttered to herself. In those stories, the Cheshire Cat did often seem the most mad out of all of Wonderland's inhabitants. “Amara, I'm scared...” Amara clung tightly to Summer's hand. “I know. It'll be alright. This way.” Summer told herself to calm down and followed Amara. She knew she needed a new distraction, and soon. And so, she thought. She thought about Alice, and about Raven, and about her kingdom, and about the stories. She thought about the castle, and about the treeline, and about the grass. It was so endless. The grassy plain spread on for miles, and miles, and miles. Summer couldn't see an end to it. Were her palms always this sweaty...? “A-Amara. Amara. Amara,” she repeated, again and again. Amara looked at her worriedly. “Sit down,” she instructed. “Let's just sit down, OK?” Summer shook her head violently. “N-no, can't. Can't stop moving. He'll find us, we'll die...” It wasn't working. All Summer's thinking just led her in circles. It no longer followed a set path. That bad feeling returned, and, desperate to keep it away, Summer let herself slip back into her mild

madness. “Sit,” Amara ordered. “Can't. I can't. You didn't say 'Amara Says',” Summer trilled. Her head hurt. She didn't know why. She didn't care. “Let's go. Go, go, go. Keep going.” “Summer!” Amara was started to become terrified herself. “You are not yourself. Please sit down.” “Sit down. Sitting. Sat down. Satting. Who's there?” Summer looked around wildly. She wanted to keep thinking, about Alice and the castle and Raven, but she couldn't. She couldn't think at all. All she was thinking was how scared she was. How long had they been walking? “Footsteps, footsteps. Tap, tap. Tap, tap. There's more. Are they mine?” “Summer.” Amara forcibly grabbed Summer's shoulders and shoved her onto the ground. She knelt before the princess and stared into her eyes. Summer's lovely blue eyes darted around wildly, her body shaking, her pupils dilated. “Summer, calm down. Look at me. Look.” “Looking, looking,” Summer echoed. “Look at what? Amara, Amara. Amara. Alice. Summer.” “What is going on with you?!” “Moving target. Gotta keep moving. Won't die, I won't die. I won't.” Summer shoved out of Amara's grip and rose to her feet. She kept walking (or stumbling). She had to keep moving. Raven said moving targets wouldn't die. Summer was horrified. Petrified beyond belief. And her fear was literally driving her insane. She knew that. In the back of her mind, she knew she wasn't making any sense. But for some reason, she felt a little better knowing that if she truly lost all control, she wouldn't have to be afraid anymore. She wouldn't have to face that bad feeling anymore. She almost welcomed the madness. “You were perfectly fine just minutes ago,” Amara said calmly. She walked up behind Summer and tried to make herself heard. “What is wrong? What are you hearing?” Summer suddenly recognized what the bad feeling was. She had been steadily descending into madness ever since she arrived in Wonderland. Her terror mixed with her stress and her sense of loneliness after Alice had left combined to make this delirium she suffered. But her own mind was still aware. She still knew what was happening. She wanted to take control and try to think straight, but she just couldn't. “Hearing. I'm hearing something. Footsteps, footsteps. Where's the rabbit?” “Summer!” Amara was just as terrified as Summer by now. Summer could only assume she wasn't insane because she had been branded as the Queen of Hearts, while Summer was the Cheshire Cat. She wondered briefly how Raven, the Mad Hatter, was doing. But weren't they all insane? Even Alice? Summer suddenly started smiling, a wide, toothy, unnerving smile. “Gotta smile. Gotta keep smiling. I won't die. I'll disappear. Disappear, dipassear. But my smile won't. Amara, Amara. Queen of Hearts. Paint the roses.” Amara realized at last that nothing she did would help Summer—the very air itself in this place was infecting her. “Keep smiling, then,” she whispered. “It's OK. Smile.” “Smile. Smile. Smile.” Summer repeated that word again and again, as if it were necessary for survival. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she would be like this forever, and what would be worse—this, or death. Amara went silent. Summer hated it. She wanted Amara to keep talking. She needed someone to keep talking. More noise. She couldn't stand the silence. “Smile,” she said again. “Smile. Smile!” Amara did smile, but it carried a hint of fear, and Summer's own twisted grin only grew wider. Raven had known about this. He had definitely known. Was he suffering the same? Summer wanted to know. “Find Alice,” she called. “Alice, Mad Hatter. Cheshire Cat. Keep smiling, don't die. Won't die. Let's have a tea party!” “We can go after Alice,” Amara soothed. “Calm down.”

“I can't calm down.” It was the first coherent, sense-making sentence Summer had managed to get out, and it sounded desperate. Amara heard, in that sentence, a trace of the old Summer that was struggling to be heard. “Summer, summer, autumn, winter. Winter! Let's have winter.” Her voice rose, almost defiantly, like she was trying to show Wonderland that she could take control of her own body. She missed Alice. When Alice was with her, she was completely normal. Where was Amara? Amara had gone missing. “I'm here.” The Queen of Hearts was still there indeed, but Summer just couldn't seem to find her. Where was her voice coming from? “Up, down. Left. East,” the mad girl spoke. “Mad world. Mad, mad world. Angry world. Delirious. Who's there?” “Amara.” “Knock, knock. Whose footsteps? Where are you?” Amara wiped a tear from her eye and put her hand on Summer's shoulder. “I'm here,” she insisted. “I'm right here!” “Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Whose footsteps? Summer, I'm cold. Amara, I'm Summer.” “Stop it!” By now, just being around Summer was making Amara herself go mad. Summer couldn't tell anymore. As time went on, that strange feeling only got stronger—that madness only got stronger—and Summer no longer knew what was happening around her. Was the White Rabbit toying with her? Was he just trying to get enjoyment out of watching her? She laughed, and when she had finished laughing, she smiled. “Smile, smile, smile. Gun. Amara, gun.” “No.” Amara's voice shook. “Gun, gun. No more games. I don't want to play.” Summer stopped and turned to face Amara. Her eyes were creepily wide, her smile terrifyingly large, and her hand outstretched. “No!” Amara repeated, trying to sound a bit firmer. “Tired. I'm tired. Don't want to play,” Summer rambled, reaching for Amara's skirt. She knew Amara hid her gun under her skirt. Amara wanted to move away and stop her, but she couldn't. Something held her in place as Summer reached over, pulled Amara's skirt out of the way, and removed the gun from the holster around her leg. “Stop,” Amara said weakly. She found she could move her arms and used them to wipe the tears from her eyes. She knew Summer was going to die. She knew the madness was going to kill Summer. Summer began to hum to herself, a song Amara recognized as the lullaby she had often sung to the princesses when they were children. Slowly, Summer lifted the gun and placed it against her forehead. “Don't,” Amara tried, one final attempt to rescue the child before she was lost forever. “Gun,” Summer stated. “Got to keep smiling. Won't lose, won't lose. I quit. Don't want to play.” Amara closed her eyes. “Goodbye.” Summer's terrifying smile only widened even more as her finger pulled on the trigger of the gun, and the loaded bullet surged through her skull and into her brain, her whole head exploding in blood. Amara kept her eyes shut as the “bang” of the shot rippled through the air. Her eyes only squeezed tighter shut as she heard Summer's body slump to the ground. Then, and only then, did her legs recover the ability to move, and she stumbled forwards, collapsing to the ground. Her whole body shook with her sobs, one hand hovering on Summer's shoulder and the other hoisting her out of the puddle of blood she'd faceplanted into. Slowly, Amara forced herself to open her eyes, and she instantly wished she hadn't. The top half of Summer's head had been blown to bits, piles of blood and brains scattered around the green grass. But the thing that horrified Amara the most was that Summer was still smiling.

(-*-)

Alice looked up immediately when she heard the gunshot. Until that moment, the only sounds had been her and Raven's steady breathing. She flinched, instinctually moving closer to Raven. “Please, please tell me that wasn't one of them,” she whispered. “Of course it was one of them,” Raven replied simply. “No.” Alice shook her head. “I don't want them to die.” “You know, Princess, I really wish it worked like that.” Raven chuckled, his hand tightening around Alice's. Alice fell silent. “...Raven?” “Yeah?” “Is it...always the same kinds of people in Wonderland? Do certain people always die the same way?” “Not always,” Raven answered. “Everyone who comes in here is assigned a role: the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare, Alice, and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Those last ones're usually reserved for twins.” “What about the Mad Hatter?” “I've always been the Mad Hatter. Ever since I was chosen.” Raven looked at the ground. “We have the Caterpillar, too. The March Hare and the Queen of Hearts were originally one of us until the White Rabbit decided they outlived their usefulness and sent them here to die.” Alice gulped. “How do they usually die?” Raven shrugged. “There isn't really a 'usual' way, but the March Hare and the Cheshire Cat almost certainly go insane.” “Cheshire Cat...” Alice trailed off. “Summer is the Cheshire Cat, isn't she?” “If I had to take a guess, I'd say she was the source of that gunshot.” Alice looked down. “She's my sister,” she said quietly. “I don't want her to die.” “I know,” Raven muttered. “A few more miles. We can still save the Queen of Hearts. And ourselves.” “If Amara dies, please promise me you won't,” Alice continued. “I won't be able to handle being alone.” “I wish I could make that promise,” Raven chuckled. “I really do.” Alice sighed. “...Raven?” “What?” “Are you evil?” Raven blinked, slightly surprised. “To be honest, I am,” he said at last. “I may be one of the most evil human beings alive. But I don't want to die any more than you do, and you're actually easy to get along with. Maybe I'm just scared, but I don't think I have the capacity to kill you.” “I'm glad to hear that,” Alice admitted. “...you don't have to be evil anymore, you know. We can get along.” “I hope so.” Raven looked over at Alice and smiled. Alice found herself blushing. He's really very handsome... The blonde shook her head to clear her thoughts and smiled back at him. “Raven, no matter what, I want to save everyone I can. Please lead me to the White Rabbit.” “I'll do my best.” Raven winked at his new companion and continued walking. Alice followed him. Despite her new-found hope, she couldn't help but feel like something had gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Amara's Tea Party

Three days had passed since Summer's death. Amara had taken one day to grieve and had spent the next two days traveling to the castle in the south. She couldn't explain the feeling that told her to go to the castle; she just knew she had to go. When Amara at last reached the castle, she was exhausted. She wanted to know how Alice was doing, and how Raven was treating her, but Alice was far too far away for Amara to go and check. Slowly, the Queen of Hearts pushed open the huge, wooden double-doors that blocked the entrance to the castle and walked inside, nearly dragging herself across the cobbled stone floors. “Welcome!” Amara jumped and screamed on instinct. She looked around wildly and found, at the top of the stairs, Alice. But it wasn’t Alice—it couldn’t be. Not only was she here in the castle without Raven, but she was also carrying her head in her left hand. Amara took a deep breath to compose herself. “Hello, Alice,” she called, figuring it couldn’t hurt to just play along. “Were you expecting me?” “Of course. This is your castle, after all,” “Alice” replied. She giggled. “Come with me, Queen of Hearts. Let’s play some games together. Let’s have fun together.” Amara didn’t know what kind of “fun” this Alice was talking about, but she really did not want to find out. “I’m sorry, Alice, but I’m dreadfully tired. Maybe we can play tomorrow.” “Alice’s” shoulders drooped and her face fell (quite literally, as the hand holding her head dropped a couple inches), but she seemed to understand. “Alright,” she agreed. “Come with me, and I’ll show you to your room.” “Thank you,” Amara said calmly. She folded her hands in front of her, lifted her chin, and began the ascent up the tall, stone staircase. The pair went through many corridors, past many doors, and Amara peeked into as many of the rooms as she could. Some of them were normal-looking rooms, but some of them were stuffed with what appeared to be dismembered animal corpses. Amara tried not to throw up, and worked hard to maintain her composure. “Alice” led the woman to the last room at the end of one of the corridors, opening the door for Amara. Amara dipped her head gratefully to the girl. She went inside the room and sat on the bed. “If you need anything, my queen, just call,” “Alice” told Amara. Her body bowed, keeping her head held upright in her hand, and then she turned and walked out, closing the door behind her. “Thank you,” Amara called after her. She looked around the room, searching for anything unusual, or any clues about how she might die. All she found were large white draperies decorated with red hearts, lots of the color red, and a few nice pieces of wooden furniture. Giving up, Amara lay back in her soft, plush, queen-sized bed, and tried to fall asleep. Amara's nightmare was vivid. She heard the tinge of terror in the insane Summer's voice. She saw the madness in the girl's blue eyes. She heard the sickening sloshing noise when the bullet pierced her brain and shattered her skull. And she experienced it all more than once. Each time one Summer died, another one was behind Summer, completely normal and sane. And then, slowly, that Summer would start fading away from reality, and once again, Amara could only watch and listen as Summer committed suicide, over and over and over again... Amara woke up screaming and sweating, her hands clutched around her sheets, her chest heaving in an attempt to gulp in air. She was safe. So was Alice. Alice was with Raven. Raven would protect Alice. Alice's double opened the door to Amara's room with the hand that didn't still hold her head. Her face was concerned, but seeing her only made Amara feel worse. “Did you need something, my queen?” “Alice” asked worriedly.

“Go away!” Amara shouted, instantly regretting her harsh tone. “I...I-I'm sorry, Alice, but I need to be alone! Please just go wait for me in your room! I'm going to get more sleep. In the morning, we will play.” “Alice” stared blankly at her for a few minutes, then smiled. “Alright, Queen of Hearts. In the morning, we'll play.” Her body bowed again, and she turned away and left the room. The door slid shut behind her. Amara took a few deep breaths, glanced out the window behind her bed, and saw that it was just starting to get light out. She guessed it was around five o' clock in the morning. Sighing, Amara lay back in her bed and tried again to fall asleep. She had the same nightmare again, but thankfully, this time she woke up when light was streaming through the window. It was morning. Slowly, Amara forced herself out of bed and headed for the door. She slid outside, noticing that “Alice” was already waiting for her. Amara forced herself to smile at the blonde demon. “Hello, Alice. What would you like to do today?” “We're going to have tea,” “Alice” answered. “A tea party. We're going to have a tea party.” “Is that so?” Amara smiled a bit bigger. “That sounds lovely. Please lead me there.” “Of course, my queen.” Amara followed “Alice” through the hallways until they came to a room decorated in red drapes and lots of little cushions. There was a table close to the ground covered by a big red tablecloth. “Alice” wandered over to the table and sat down on a cushion, placing her head on a separate cushion beside her. Amara took a deep breath and headed inside. It was only after she had taken her seat on the cushion opposite “Alice” that she noticed that Summer's head was hanging suspended from the roof in a corner of the room. Her eyes were half-closed and she was smiling. Her body was nowhere to be seen. “W-where is Summer?” Amara stuttered, her eyes fixed on “Summer's” head. She knew it wasn't real, and frankly, she wasn't bothered, but the sight of “Summer's” head brought back memories of her nightmare. She forced herself to look away. “Right there, silly,” “Alice” trilled, pointing back at the hanging head. “Remember? Last time you were here you got mad and turned her into one of your creations.” Amara suddenly remembered the dismembered animal corpses from before. She suppressed a shudder. “Shall we drink?” “Alice” lifted a cup from the table and smiled. Amara forced herself to calm down. “Yes. We shall.” The tea party proceeded much like a regular tea party would. “Alice” continually lifted the cup as though she would drink, tilted it back towards her exposed throat, then tilted it forwards again and placed it down before any liquid could come out. The blonde demon told Amara many stories about how she had captured animals and helped Amara slice them to bits and store them in some of the empty rooms. Amara, truthfully, wasn't bothered. For some odd reason, her only sense of fear came from the feeling that she was going to be ambushed and killed soon, and the memories of her nightmare that came flooding in every time her eyes caught on “Summer's” hanging head. But when hours went by of Amara and “Alice” just talking, and nothing horrible happening at all, Amara's fear changed to annoyance. “That is it!” she shouted, slamming her eighth cup of tea onto the table. “I'm not afraid of you, whoever you are! If you are going to kill me, why do you not just do it?!” “Amara? What's wrong?” “Alice” asked quietly. Amara narrowed her eyes. “Did you intend to drive me mad? To frighten me? Listen! I know I did not kill those animals, so why would that frighten me? I know this is not the real Alice, so why would she frighten me? I know that I didn't truly kill Summer, so why would this head frighten me?” “Amara!” “Alice” gasped. Amara was angry by now. “It's as though you didn't even try,” she scoffed. “I mean, there isn't even

any blood! Were you really this lazy?! You could have at least tried to frighten me!” “M-my queen!” Amara fell silent. Her little rampage had cleared out all of the pent-up frustration and irritation she'd carried around, and had helped her empty out the last of her feelings of terror. Now, she felt calm again. Now, she could continue her tea party in peace. “I'm sorry,” she muttered. “I needed to get some things off my chest. Please, forgive me.” “Alice” didn't move. “Alright. It's alright, Queen of Hearts. Let's drink.” “Yes, let's.” Amara and “Alice” ate in silence for a few more minutes. Amara had just started on her ninth cup of tea when she heard it—a deep, booming laugh, echoing off the walls of the stone castle. She stiffened, and instinctually backed away from “Alice”. The door to the tea room opened, and Raven walked in. He was the only other member of Amara's “party” who was still completely intact, and briefly, Amara wondered if he were real. “So you aren't scared, I heard.” “No.” Amara quickly reached under her skirt to grab her gun...and remembered that she had forgotten to grab it from Summer's hands back when the young princess had used it to shoot herself. “That's just fine, Amara. That's just fine.” Raven (or was he really?) walked over to “Alice” and bent down, lifting her head from the cushion. Slowly, he reached across and placed the head on “Alice's” body. “Alice” was suddenly fully reformed, and she stood up, her eyes glazed over and void of any life. Amara gulped and grabbed the first thing she could think to use as a weapon—the teapot. “Go away!” the nursemaid yelled, wielding her teapot like it was a legendary sword. “Alice” only walked closer to her. “I mean it! Go away!” “Are you scared yet, Amara?” Raven cooed. Amara could hear the smirk in his voice. She swung the teapot with all her strength at “Alice”. It shattered on contact with her delicate, pale skin, and blood welled up on her abdomen, staining her neat white bodice. Amara felt tears in her eyes and wiped them away. In that split second while her eyes were covered, “Alice” knocked the broken handle of the teapot out of Amara's hand, yanked Amara's arms away from her face, and pulled Amara's face against her chest. Amara let out a choked sob and struggled to shove away from “Alice”. “Let go of me!” Amara ordered. “Release me right now, Alice!” “Do you want to watch yourself die that badly?” Raven murmured. Slowly, he headed for one of the sharp shards of ceramic that had once been the teapot. Amara sobbed against “Alice's” chest, knowing deep in her heart that she was going to die. She felt the edge of the ceramic pierce her back and held her breath in anticipation of what would come next. The painfully sharp edge entered her skin slowly, as if Raven was teasing her. “Get it over with,” she hissed, letting herself fall limp. She took a deep breath, sniffled once or twice, and closed her eyes. If she was going to die, she would die with dignity. Even if she was terrified, she would die with dignity. “If that's what you want.” The ceramic was yanked out of Amara's back, taking a chunk of flesh with it. Amara let out a small scream. Again and again, Raven stabbed the ceramic shard into Amara's body and ripped it out, tearing her back apart. Amara screamed, over and over again, though she tried her best to suppress it. Raven yanked Amara away from “Alice”, shoved her onto her back on the floor, and resumed his work on the front of her body. Amara kept her eyes firmly shut, realizing that she really didn't want to watch herself die. But she could feel it, and that was enough to draw bloodcurdling screams from her pale pink lips. Again and again, the shard pierced her skin and tore her apart. And every time it did, Amara squeezed her eyes shut tighter and tighter. When Raven was satisfied with the work of art he'd crafted out of Amara's once-beautiful body, he stopped his attacks. “...there. You truly look like the queen of Wonderland now, Amara,” he whispered.

“Come along, Alice. It's time to go wait for our next victim.” “Yes, Raven.” “Alice” stood and followed the man away, leaving Amara's slowly dying body to bleed out. Amara cracked open her eyes when she was certain they'd left. She stared at the ceiling for a long time, thinking. She thought about Alice, and more blood flowed out of her body. She thought of Summer, and she grew more tired. She thought of the king and queen back at Kirana, and her breathing stopped. And with the last of her life, she thought of Wonderland, and how much more beautiful it was in the stories. The Queen of Hearts...will reign no more.

(-*-) Two weeks had passed, and Alice ad Raven were still no closer to the White Rabbit than they had been when they first started out. But as time went on, Alice found herself trusting Raven more and more. “Do you think Amara is still alive back there?” Alice whispered, her hand clutched tightly around Raven's. No matter how many times she let go of it, or tried to resist, Alice always found herself holding Raven's hand. The only thing that bothered her about it was that she was happy to. “If she went to the castle, she's definitely dead,” was all Raven said. “What's in the castle?” “Who knows? It changes every time.” “What's usually in the castle?” “The Queen of Hearts' worst nightmare, and her most beloved friends.” Raven looked at the ground and stopped walking. “She probably saw us.” “Us?” “I'm her worst nightmare, and you're her closest friend. She probably saw us.” “I don't get that,” Alice admitted. “I mean, you're so...” “So...what?” Raven pressed, smirking. Alice blushed and nudged him with her shoulder. “I was going to say 'kind',” she said. “I was afraid of you too, but...you've taken great care of me. Feeding me, and keeping me warm at night, and...” “And sleeping with you?” Raven laughed. Alice blushed harder. “That's what I meant by 'keeping me warm'. W-why are you laughing?” “You should see your face. You're cute when you're embarrassed.” “Stop it.” Alice looked away, definitely very embarrassed. Why does he have to be so blasted handsome? “Aw, come on. I'm just teasing you,” Raven sighed, giving Alice a nudge. “Hey, we'll find him. The very edge of Wonderland is rumored to be near here. Once we find that, finding the White Rabbit will be a breeze.” Alice nodded absently. She couldn't shake the feeling that something horrible had happened to her beloved nursemaid. The feeling had taken root in Alice's mind about four days after she set out with Raven. No matter how hard she (or Raven) tried, Alice just couldn't get rid of it. “You want to sit down?” “Huh?” Alice turned back to face Raven. He looked genuinely concerned. “I...yes, that might be a good idea.” “Then we'll take a break,” Raven decided. He let go of Alice's hand and went to sit down against a particularly tall oak tree. Alice slowly went over to sit beside him. “You can take a nap if you want. I'll watch over you.” “I would have thought you wanted me dead,” Alice muttered.

“What?” “I thought you would've wanted me dead,” Alice repeated, clearer. Raven was quiet for a few minutes. He blushed and looked away, muttering something under his breath. “I can't understand you,” Alice remarked. “At first, I was just using you to get out of here,” Raven said quietly. “...I didn't care about you, really. I was just scared. I just wanted to get home. And you were the only one who could help me.” Alice felt her heart sink. She was just about to stomp away and leave Raven to himself when she remembered how he had started his confession. Those two little words, “At first,” made Alice hope that Raven had a “part two” to what he'd just admitted. “It took me a while to realize it, but I don't think I want you to die.” Raven paused and looked over at Alice to see if she was listening. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. “I think...I'm willing to die now, if it means you can be saved.” “That so?” Alice leaned onto Raven's shoulder, truly ecstatic that she could still trust him. “I'm glad. I thought you were going to betray me.” “I thought about it,” Raven sighed, sliding his arm around Alice's shoulders. “But I've changed my mind.” Alice grinned. “Thank you.” “No problem.” For the first time since the bad feeling had taken root in Alice's mind, she felt completely at ease. She wondered what it was about Raven that could make her feel so pleasant. The young blonde could only guess that this was how it felt to be in love.

Raven's Landing

To Raven and Alice, it felt like years of walking had passed, though in reality it was only about a month. They could see the end of the treeline by now, and knew that they would soon reach the rumored end of Wonderland. The White Rabbit was within their reach. “We're really almost there, aren't we?” Alice breathed. She gripped Raven's hand harder. He chuckled. “Yeah. We really are, Alice.” “It's been a while since you called me by my actual name,” Alice teased. Raven laughed. “Sorry. Should I go back to 'Princess'?” he asked. “No,” Alice said quickly. “I-I mean, I like that you call me by name. It means we're more familiar.” “I guess that's true.” Raven looked over at Alice. “Alice?” “Y-yes?” “You OK?” Alice looked down at the ground. “I...well, no. I miss my sister, and Amara. I'm scared. I don't know if I can fight the White Rabbit.” “At the very least, you can try.” “By the way,” Alice began, “I've been meaning to ask you. Do you remember when you set our castle on fire?” “How could I forget?” “How did you do it?” Raven blinked. “Oh, right, I never explained it to you. See, the top barrel of the gun fired gasoline onto the stone. The bottom barrel was like a flamethrower and shot fire. That's why it didn't spread out. It would have been enough to cause that section of the castle to collapse if no one had put it out, I'd guess.” “That's actually...quite brilliant.” “The White Rabbit doesn't have ill-equipped followers, at the very least.” Alice giggled. Raven laughed. Slowly, the pair emerged past the edge of the trees to the edge of Wonderland. Ahead of Alice was nothing but white, white that seemed to stretch on forever. She took a step out past the grass to keep going ahead, but Raven yanked her back by her hand. She yelped and fell against him. He caught her. “Careful. There's nothing else beyond this grass. You would've fallen to your death.” “Certainly not the best way to die,” Alice admitted, blushing. Raven continued to hold onto her. “...Raven?” “Yeah?” “I'm steady now. You can let go.” “Huh?” Raven blinked. “Oh, right. Yeah. There you are.” Alice took a small step away from Raven. He released her. She turned around. “Well, then? Where do we go?” “Along the edge,” Raven answered, turning right and beginning his trek. Alice hurried to keep up with him; Raven's legs were far longer than hers, and one of his steps was about equal to three of hers. She didn't want to get left behind. “The White Rabbit should be in one of the corners of Wonderland. Last time he was at the north, so rule that out. We'll try south first. “OK,” Alice agreed. “...um, Raven...” “What?” “I...um...” Alice trailed off. I should tell him how I feel about him, but...I'm so embarrassed... “You're blushing,” Raven pointed out, a sly grin on his face. Alice pursed her lips. “Hey, hey, calm down. Just teasing. You know I think you're cute when you're embarrassed.” “Stop it,” Alice muttered. Raven laughed.

“It's weird, isn't it?” he sighed, reaching for Alice's hand. She let him hold it. “I started out completely planning on killing you, and now...” “Now...?” Alice pressed. “Now I don't even want to imagine life without you.” Raven's tone was serious, and his eyes equally so. Alice blushed. “I...” The blonde princess trailed off, admittedly lost for words. “I don't know what to say.” Raven chuckled. “Yeah, that was pretty sudden,” he said quietly, gently caressing Alice's hand with his thumb. She smiled and moved closer to him. “...Alice?” “Yes, Raven?” “I love you.” Alice stopped walking. Raven stopped beside her. He cast her a cheeky smile. “It's that easy, you know. Three words.” “Four, in my case,” Alice corrected. “I love you too.” “See? It's not hard.” Raven looked down at Alice. “...hey, Alice...” “Yes?” Alice looked up and met Raven's gaze, her eyes filling to the brim with tears. “You're crying.” “I'm terrified,” Alice whispered. “I...I don't want to die. And more than that, I don't want you to die. Not now...” “Hey, it'll be alright,” Raven soothed, reaching over to wipe the tears from Alice's eyes. “...Alice—” “It won't be alright!” Alice lashed, surprised at her sudden outburst. “It...it won't. And you know that! Summer and Amara are dead!” “I'm sorry,” Raven said quietly. “...I'm so sorry, Alice. I'm trying.” “I know that,” Alice sniffled. “But...it's hard. It's so hard...I miss them so much!” “I'm sorry,” Raven repeated. Alice wiped her eyes. “I...I forgive you. It's OK...” “Can you keep moving?” Alice nodded. “Yes. Yes, I can keep moving...” “Good.” Raven slid his arm around Alice's shoulders, pulling her close against him in a quick side-hug before loosening his grip. “It'll be alright, OK? We'll make it.” “What if you don't?” “Well, then you will.” “I don't want to go on alone. I'm scared.” “Me too.” Raven sighed. He started to continue the walk. Alice hurried to keep up. “Don't worry about the future, Alice. Just focus on now. OK?” Alice sniffled again. “Alright. I won't worry.” “That's my girl. We're gonna make it.” “...yes.” The two continued their journey, walking for miles and miles, searching for the White Rabbit's castle. Alice tried to keep up cheerful conversation with Raven, but that bad feeling had returned, stronger than ever, and she found it hard to focus. Weeks went by before they saw it. A giant, eerie black castle loomed ahead of the pair, only miles away. They could make it in a day's walk, but they were tired and needed rest. So Raven and Alice settled down by a tree to take a little break before finishing their journey and defeating the White Rabbit. Alice held Raven's hand tightly, shaking in fear. She knew she wasn't ready to challenge the White Rabbit, and more than that, she knew she wasn't ready for Raven to die. Even if he does survive, he'll either be imprisoned for life or executed once we return to Kirana, Alice realized. She whimpered, scooting closer to Raven. “You're alright,” Raven whispered. “You're alright, and so am I.” “But for how long?” Alice sighed. “Once we get back, you'll...”

“I'll what?” “My mother won't forgive you for trying to kill us. You'll either be killed or imprisoned.” Raven blinked. “Wait, seriously? I save her daughter's life and she kills me for it?” Alice giggled. “There's no guarantee you'll save my life.” “No. I will.” Raven's voice was serious. “I will save your life, Alice.” Alice was silent. And it was in that silence that the rumbling started. “W-what is that?!” Alice gasped. “Earthquake,” Raven answered without hesitation. “Get up, now.” “Why—” “No questions! Run!” Alice and Raven scrambled to their feet, the rumbling getting louder and harder with every passing second. Before Alice had a chance to ask Raven what was happening, the tree they were near collapsed. Alice looked up, expecting to be crushed right then and there. She let out a scream. “Alice!” Alice felt herself shoved at least two feet forwards. She tumbled to the ground and rolled around a bit before turning back to check on Raven. The second she did, she wished she hadn't. The dark-skinned man's entire lower body had been crushed beneath the tree, rendering his legs unusable. Just by the look on his face and the blood seeping under the trunk of the great tree, Alice could tell Raven was in a lot of pain. She charged over and fell to her knees in front of him, trying not to cry. “Raven?! A-are you OK?! Hang on, let me get this off of you!” “Alice.” Alice ignored him, struggling to get to her feet. The earthquake was still raging on, oblivious to Raven's agony and Alice's terror. “Alice, look at me.” “Be quiet!” Alice nearly sobbed. She wrapped her arms as far around the tree as she could and tried to lift it. When that didn't work, she squatted down and grabbed hold of the bottom of the tree. “Alice!” Alice tried again to lift the tree. Two times, three times... When she couldn't lift the tree even after her eighth try, she gave up and looked at Raven. “...what?” “Look.” Raven weakly raised one hand and pointed at a nearby tree. It had almost completely unrooted and was soon to collapse on top of the duo. Alice gasped. “R-Raven...” “You can't get me out,” Raven said quietly. “You have to run.” “No,” Alice sniffled. “I'm not leaving you.” “Alice...” “I'm not leaving you!” Raven gently placed his cheek against the grass, letting his eyes close. “Even if you get me out,” he began softly, “I'll bleed to death within minutes.” “I don't care,” Alice whispered. “I won't leave you.” “Please, Alice. Don't make this all have been for nothing.” “It wasn't all for nothing! I'm glad I met you, and got to know you, and...and fell in love with you! It wasn't a waste!” “Please go, Alice,” Raven begged. “If you don't, you'll die.” “But—” “Go!” Alice sniffled. “I...” “Please.” Alice was silent for a moment. Gravity forced the tree down even further, and Alice knew she'd have

to run soon if she ran at all. And Raven was right, as much as it killed Alice to admit it—even if she did get him out from under the tree, his crushed legs would cause him to bleed out and die after all. She started to sob, leaning over and wrapping her arms around Raven's exposed head, holding his cheek against her chest. Raven didn't say a word. “I'm so sorry,” the blonde princess whispered. Raven let out a small chuckle. “It's not your fault. I always knew it'd end like this,” he responded. Alice slowly separated from him, casting a glance at the tree. It lowered another inch, and Alice tensed up. “Alice? Aren't you going to go?” “Yes.” Alice looked down at Raven. She moved to kneel directly in front of him, then slowly lifted his face away from the ground and leaned closer. “I...I'm sorry.” “Just kiss me already, Princess,” Raven breathed, smiling sadly. Alice tried to stop herself from crying, only to let out a loud wail. She tilted her forehead against Raven's, letting her tears stain his skin. “I love you, Raven. Thank you,” Alice said through her sobs. She stared at Raven, into his beautiful grey eyes, slowly tilting her lips towards his. “I love you. I...I love you.” “I love you too.” Raven lifted his chin just the slightest bit, and his lips met Alice's. She let out another small sob, letting herself kiss him for as long as she possibly could. It was only when she heard the creaking of the massive tree nearly falling completely loose that she pulled away. Raven only smiled at her. “Thank you,” Alice whispered, smiling back at Raven briefly. She reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a quick squeeze before releasing him. Slowly, Alice stood up and stepped away from Raven, distancing herself from the falling tree. “Good luck, Alice,” Raven called. Any words the two of them may have said after that would have been drowned out by the sound of the great tree finally crashing to the earth and crushing what remained of Raven's body beneath its weight. Despite the fact that she knew it'd been coming, Alice let out a scream. She heard herself scream again and again, sometimes yelling Raven's name and other times just shouting nothing in particular. It seemed hours went by when Alice was finally able to calm down. She forced herself to direct her attention to the White Rabbit. Her anguish turned to fury, as she realized that all of this had been his fault in the end. It was his death trap that had killed her sister, and her nursemaid, and the love of her life. It had all been his fault. Gritting her teeth, Alice marched towards the White Rabbit's castle, her will to win strongly reinforced. I won't be like the other Alices who let you get away. You will pay for the lives of my friends with your own life!

Alice's Wonderland

It seemed an eternity of walking passed before Alice finally found herself in front of the White Rabbit's castle. It may have been because she couldn't seem to walk any faster than a slow gait, dragging her feet, but it also may have been because it seemed with every step she took, the castle only got further away. None of that mattered to Alice now—she was in front of the castle, about to enter, and about to defeat the White Rabbit. She would defeat him. She had to. Clenching her fists and gritting her teeth, Alice stepped into the towering black castle, with its sharp, pointed steeples rising for miles into the blank white sky. She moved through the rotting wooden double doors, sliding across the dirty marble floor towards the tall, winding staircase. Against the wall of the second floor hallway was a nice, shining suit of armor, carrying a sharp and well-polished sword. The sword looked heavy enough, but when Alice pulled it out of the suit of armor's grip, she found it was light enough to carry. She remained in the hallway, swinging the sword around for practice, for quite a long time—Alice absolutely did not want to fight the White Rabbit unprepared. In fact, she remained with the sword, practicing to be able to actually handle it properly (without cutting herself, which did in fact happen, and quite a few times at that) for so long that it began to get dark. Alice found herself quite tired, and she meandered around the labyrinth of a castle until she found a bedroom. Wary, though also exhausted, Alice placed her new sword next to the bed and crawled under the covers. At the feeling of the soft mattress, Alice felt herself relax—and with this relaxation came the sorrow induced by having no one left to talk to. She let the tears flow once again, giving herself that one night to mourn and grieve for the sister, caretaker, and lover she had lost in the past year. She fell asleep grieving, and dreamt of those she grieved, and when she awoke, she instantly wished she could sleep some more if only to see their faces one more time. Instead, Alice dragged herself out of bed, picked up her sword, and practiced with it some more to be sure she could actually use it. She jumped, ducked, swung her sword, and thrust the shining silver blade into the bowels of her mattress, before finally deciding she had done enough and setting out to find and destroy the White Rabbit once and for all.

(-*-)

“You're hiding from me.” This statement was void of any emotion. Alice was far too tired and annoyed to put any feeling into her words. She had been searching endlessly for the White Rabbit for at least a month, feasting on the food stored in the castle's kitchen whenever she got hungry and sleeping in the room she'd claimed on her first day. “Are you scared?” Alice called again, nearly at the point of hallucinations. All she wanted was to defeat the White Rabbit so she could go home. “Do you know I'm going to kill you? You're hiding.” “I am never afraid, child.” This voice—this deep, booming voice—could only belong to the White Rabbit himself. Alice whirled around, her sword (with which she had since become quite proficient) gripped in her pale hands. “Where are you?!” Alice demanded. “If you aren't afraid, come out?” “So be it.” Alice felt the ground soften beneath her feet—and when she looked down, what had once been

marble flooring had transformed into a swirling black mass, one that swallowed Alice into its depths. Even with all her newly-developed skills as a swordswoman, Alice couldn't manage to escape. And so it was that the darkness overtook her within minutes, and her heart seemed to stop.

(-*-)

Alice awoke lying on a cold, hard surface. Shivering, she sat up, wondering why she was so cold. Had that White Rabbit done something to her? Was she even wearing her clothes? Worse off, was she even alive? She looked around, and in the dim light saw herself in a room covered in ice. She looked down at herself to find she was, in fact, still dressed. She let loose a sigh of relief. “Are you cold, child?” That voice had returned—the voice of the dreaded White Rabbit. Alice looked around for her sword and found it lying a foot or so away. She scrambled to her feet and darted after it, lifting it into the air and looking around the dim room to find where the White Rabbit was hiding. She saw no one. “I asked you a question, dear.” “I'm freezing,” Alice mumbled. “Sorry about that, Princess. Shall I warm it up for you?” Before Alice could answer, the room of ice became a room of fire. She screamed, swinging her sword around aimlessly as if it would do something. Presently, the flames vanished, leaving Alice in a room of the castle she hadn't explored during her month of wandering about—the piano room. Seated at the piano was what appeared to be a man in a dark coat. Alice stared at him while dousing the flames that had caught on her clothes. Just as she had brushed off the small fire on her left sleeve, the man at the piano stood and turned around. His hair was a bright, golden color, and his skin a sickly grey. He had deep-set eyes, though from where Alice stood, she couldn't make out the color. He smiled at her, though the way his mouth was twisted made it seem like a smirk. Alice gripped her sword in both hands and held it out towards him. “Are you the White Rabbit?” she demanded. “The one and only,” he replied with a bow. “You look...different, than the others in your kingdom. You have my kingdom's golden hair.” “Yes.” Alice advanced forwards, her eyes narrowed. “Sir, I hate to say it, but you are going to die here.” “You're just like all the other Alices I've toyed with,” the White Rabbit sighed. “You stomp into my playground thinking you can beat me at my own game—” “It is not a thought, Sir,” Alice interrupted. “I'm going to kill you.” “Au contraire, my dear princess,” the White Rabbit murmured. “You can't kill me. Many have tried, and many more have failed.” “Then I will be the first.” Alice didn't pause to carry on any more conversation. Gripping her sword in her hands, she raced at the White Rabbit, her jaw tightly clenched and her eyes narrowed. The second she got within a foot of the White Rabbit, he vanished. She gasped, whirling around to face him. Again she charged the man, and again he disappeared. This process was repeated three more times before Alice finally gave up and waited for the White Rabbit to attack first. “Let's see,” he mused, pacing back-and-forth, “how should I kill you? The first Alice simply starved, the second was burnt to a crisp, the third froze, the fourth was killed by a mad lover, the fifth crushed...” Alice listened as he rambled on, beginning to feel terrified by the sheer number of Alices who had died in this world, and that never once did the White Rabbit repeat a death. At the very least, it

narrowed down Alice's options; so far, she could either be poisoned, impaled, or gutted with a spoon. None of them sounded very pleasant, but at least Alice knew what to expect. “...the ninetieth Alice was impaled...” Well. “...ninety-first was tossed off a cliff, the ninety-second was gutted with a spoon...” I suppose that leaves poison. “...ninety-third was...oh! My! You are the ninety-third, my dear! How exciting!” Poison it is. “Which means...let's see, poison?” The White Rabbit shook his head. “That's far too boring. What else?” “Just kill me!” Alice blurted out. “If you are going to try and kill me, do it!” “Patience, Princess,” the White Rabbit cooed. “All good things to those who wait. A shame your parents are still left behind. They will grieve for you, won't they?” “Of course.” “Not for long, love, not for long.” “Don't call me that!” “I plan on bringing them into this world once our little game is finished. Have you enjoyed it thus far?” “Hardly.” “You're not having fun, love?” “I told you not to call me that!” “Oh dear, how dreadful. I suppose I'll have to entertain you to the point of excitement, hm?” “I never said I was not excited, Sir. In fact, I'm simply delighted.” “Oh? Why is that?” “I'm about to finally destroy you.” The White Rabbit clicked his tongue and resumed his pacing. “You're still going on about that, love?” The third time that man dared refer to Alice as “love” made her furious. So furious, in fact, that she charged him a sixth time. He vanished again. “Stay still!” Alice hissed. “And stop calling me 'love'!” “Every time you tell me to stop, I'm reminded of why I haven't,” the White Rabbit sighed. “Alright, would you like a real fight?” “Of course.” “Then come. We will duel.” Without warning, the White Rabbit suddenly appeared in front of Alice and blasted her with a good-sized rock, right in the chest. Alice stumbled backwards, but managed to keep her footing and ran at the White Rabbit, swinging her sword with a cry at his chest. He blocked it with a steel-covered arm, thrusting Alice back a few feet and shooting a spike of ice towards her face. Alice wanted to back up but at the last second her mind told her to do otherwise, and she ducked, moving forwards and slamming her body against the White Rabbit's. He stumbled, surprised, and that brief moment was all Alice needed to thrust her sword through his shoulder. She would never forget the wonderful sensation she felt when she saw blood welling on her mortal enemy's torso. The White Rabbit seemed genuinely stunned. “My,” he murmured, “you've managed to draw blood from me. That's never happened before.” “I told you I would kill you,” Alice nearly growled. “Unfortunately, love, you're still mistaken.” “Stop calling me that already!” “I cannot be defeated.” Suddenly, a large fireball shot out of the White Rabbit's injured hand and hurtled towards Alice. Alice jumped out of the way and started towards the White Rabbit again, but to

her surprise (and fury), he was nowhere to be found. “Get out here!” Alice ordered. “As you wish, love.” Alice opened her mouth to correct him for calling her “love” yet again, when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach and looked down. Instantly, she wished she hadn't. Sticking through Alice's abdomen was a long, thick spear of ice. She gasped, and immediately afterwards coughed up a spray of blood. The spear inched slightly further through her stomach. In desperation, gasping for breath, Alice whirled around with a cry, swinging her sword in a wide circle, hoping to just kill the White Rabbit where he stood. To her immense dismay, he had long since vanished. Alice sunk to her knees, struggling to breathe. She felt tears well in her eyes, felt the blood drip down her body, felt her life slowly slipping away... Slowly... Slowly... And that was, perhaps, the worst part—Alice could feel herself dying. The White Rabbit appeared before her and knelt down directly in front of the girl, lifting her chin gently. Alice burst into sobs and squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting the see the product of her failure. “I'm feeling sorry for you,” the White Rabbit whispered. “And besides, I've already killed the eightieth Alice with a sword through the stomach...” “Just kill me,” Alice whispered back, all her former fire gone in the face of her doom. “I plan to.” The White Rabbit stood and stepped back a few feet from Alice. Alice tried to steady her breathing and sit up straight, but only succeeded at the former (and just barely, at that). She glanced around her and saw that the walls had suddenly grown thousands of sharp, protruding spikes. Instantly, she knew what the White Rabbit was planning. She let her eyes close. Alice could hear the walls moving. She could feel them separating from the room and hurtling towards her. And the last thought she produced before the spikes crushed her dead was: I'm so sorry. (-*-)

The White Rabbit moved the walls back into their proper place, going to observe the mutilated body of Alice, princess of Kirana. “Ninety-third Alice,” he began, “crushed in a spike trap. How dull, but I suppose I've done worse.” He knelt down, scooping up a bit of Alice's blood onto his white glove. He stared at the girl, wondering honestly what had so possessed her into coming in to fight the man herself. Ninety-three Alices had ventured into this trap, and this Alice had been the only one to actually hurt the White Rabbit. For that, she had earned his respect. “It was fun, love,” he whispered. “Your sister was fun to kill as well, I loved the composure of your dear nursemaid even as her life faded away, and that wretched mutt had such a serene expression when I finally got rid of him. And now you have helped make this the greatest game I've ever played. Congratulations, Alice.” The man rose to his full six feet of height, a smirk coming to form on his thin lips. “And now...we see if your parents can live up to my standards.” Laughing maniacally, the dreaded White Rabbit opened another portal.