"What a strange girl!"
The little blue doll's smile, a curved crescent moon, sent a chill down my spine. A purple bow held the top of its hair while the rest of the doll's long chestnut hair flowed down the back of its puffy pink dress. Its hollow white eyes stared at me as if peering into my soul.
"Oh, Emily, how rude of you! Naughty girl!"
The blue doll was perched on the left shoulder of the young gentleman sprawled out on a bloated crimson couch at the corner of the study room. He had short pure-white hair, most of which covered his left eye. His right eye was blood red.
He wore a long dark blue coat, that wrapped tight round his torso and spread out like bat wings at the bottom, as well as baggy black pants cut past his knees, and large white boots, each with a single black strap across the top. He donned the most twisted smile, charismatic but almost perverted.
Suddenly, his fingers suddenly slipped under his purple undershirt, and then pulled them out, revealing a small silver tin. Intricate carvings of candy decorated the sides. Holding it up to his face, he waved the silver tin and beckoned me closer.
"Want some candy, little girl?" He grinned, maniacally.
Puzzled, I stared at him then at the tin in his hand, contemplating. "What kind?" I asked.
"All sorts!" He proclaimed, happily.
I took a step forward, a little excited at the thought of what candies laid inside the tin. I imagined the taste of peppermint, chocolate, butterscotch, and so many more flavors. My mouth watered.
"But first, you must do something for me, my dear." He asserted with a sly slip of tone.
Surprised, I stumbled back a little, tripped over the violet ruffled rug beneath me, and landed hard onto the floor.
"You must join Pandora!" The man beamed.
My face flushed with untimely embarrassment, and in a storm of anger, I shouted at the top of my lungs, "You jerk! Stupid Jester!" My eyes froze to the man's face. Caught in a stupor, his eyes froze to mine. I tried to remain calm, slowing my heavy breathing.
The silence seemed to last forever, but then, a moment later, there came a slight chuckle.
Then he blinked and smirked modestly.
"You remind me of Alice with that temper of yours." The hearty man said, rising from his chair. He approached the window to his left, watching the specks of white snow flutter down alongside the glass.
"Alice?" I asked, pondering that familiar name.
"Yes…but…" A wide grin spread across his face as the man turned the snowy window. "Too bad the little bunny is now dead."
"What?" I gasped.
The man lifted up his hands in a carefree defense mode. " Yes, unfortunately."
"That mean rabbit deserved it!" The doll on his shoulder screeched.
"Don't be so cruel, Emily, Alice—" The smiling man started.
"Alice…the B-Rabbit…" I whispered.
"Oh…then…" The man's eyes sharpened towards me, curiosity oozing from him.
"I hate her." Bitterness buttered my words.
Astonished, the man's eyes widened.
"That rabbit…she…I will never forgive her."
With an eerie smile, the man leaned over my shoulder. "Well…the young miss is dead…Need not worry about such things now."
"Wrong!" I rolled my fists and clenched them tight. "Wrong! She has taken it with her."
"So…the notorious B-Rabbit has something precious to you…" The odd white-haired gentleman said, softly. He had turned his gaze away from me, and now, had his full attention on the delicate pale snowflakes that cluttered against the chalky frosted window.
Stooped against the wooden sill of the old window, the curious man peered out into the swirling expanse of sputtering snow. A curl of a smile appeared on his lips. "…Interesting." Then, he lurched away from the window and frowned with concern. "And…what are you?"
"I…I should be asking you that!" I shouted, angrily, still planted upon the ground; my bottom was still sore from the impact of the fall.
"Oh! We haven't introduced ourselves yet." The white-haired man beamed. "I'm Xerxes Break…" He whipped off his top hat and bowed. "And this one here is Emily." He pointed to the frivolous doll on his shoulder. "Isn't she just lovely?" He raved, merrily.
I stared at the doll in disgust, hoping its creepy smile would just disappear on account of how uncomfortable it was making me. "Yes, very lovely." I said, with sarcasm while shaking my head in disapproval.
"And what are you called?" The vibrant gentleman leaned down to face me, placed his serene right hand along my left cheek, and gazed deep into my indigo eyes.
"My name…is Ruin." I stuttered, shivering from his touch.
Frowning, Break ran his fingers through my short but curly dark-brown hair. "Quite a peculiar name…destruction is it?"
"Why exactly did you bring me here?" I asked, confused.
Break's smile faded and what came after—rapidly and tremendously—was a ludicrously absurd laugh. "Silly, I didn't bring you here. Raven did…and it's a good thing he did. He felt sorry for you—sitting alone on the street and all. Such a cute and foolish little girl." He teased, chuckling as he did it. "But I noticed that you aren't any ordinary kid, are you?"
As his menacing eyes bore down on me, my body froze stiff, feeling the slight hint of nausea.
"I—"
"I would like you to join Pandora." Break smiled tenderly, gesturing to the small silver tin still in his hand.
"Wha—?" I stepped back a few feet.
He plucked the container open, revealing small wrapped assorted candies inside and as he reached into it, he uncovered a cherry-red lollipop and plopped it into his mouth.
He suckled on the lollipop then bit down, crunching the hardened sweet sugar between his teeth, and after spewed out the stick.
"Do you have chocolate?"
"I suppose I have chocolate." Break speculated, diligently scanning around in the silver tin. He clasped a small golden candy he laid in my hand, craftily murmuring, "My My… don't we fancy sweets, my dear."
"You have no room to talk." I remarked, hastily unwrapping the small block of fudge and sliding it into my mouth. The creamy taste of the bittersweet morsel wetted my tongue.
"Yes, well, welcome to Pandora. I'll see to all the accommodations to ensure you fully registered. For now, I'll have you see him. I'm sure you'll both get along swimmingly. You both are…rather odd." He said, chuckling to himself, as he hurriedly rushed me out of the room. I could hear the crackling noise of the lollipop between his teeth.
When the door flew open, a young girl with wavy caramel hair tied with a large purple ribbon, stumbled back away from the doorway. Her pink eyes widened at the sight of me. She held a silver tray of steaming tea, gushing light milky cream.
"Oh, Lady Sharon." Break exclaimed, with a jovial smile.
"Why Break, who is this?" Sharon asked, smiling warmly. Suddenly a thought seemed to strike her and she presented the tray to me, gesturing to one of the cups on the tray.
I carefully lifted one from the tray and held it steadily. The tea was set on the brim, on the verge of spilling even if I slightly tipped it off balance. Still, some cream slid down my hand, but I licked it away modestly when Sharon's eyes had turned.
"Thanks for the tea." I smiled back at her.
"Oh, this here is the newest member of Pandora. Try not to scare her off, Lady Sharon." Break laughed, patting my head.
Sharon gave him a faint glare. I'm sure he saw it in the short time it lasted but Sharon's smile returned thereafter.
"A contractor?" She suggested with bewilderment. "Where did you find her?"
Break completely ignored her question and instead turned around as if he meant to leave. "My Lady, this young woman needs to go see that Oz. Would you mind taking her?"
"Wait! Break!" Sharon called, reaching out to grab his coat, but she stopped in her tracks. The tea tray wobbled in her hands. It was too late. Break had already disappeared down the corridor.
Suddenly, she fell out of balance. Stumbling backwards, she tripped over her dress and the tray of tea slipped from her hands.
Without any time wasted, I threw myself in front of her, extended my arm and caught the silver tray on my palm. On loose footing, I steadily balanced the tray, widening my eyes in concentration.
Sharon stared in surprise and awe; her hand lay on her chest as she breathed wearily. I held the tray with ease in one hand, watching Sharon with worry.
"Thank…you." Sharon sputtered, her chest heaving. After a moment, she collected herself. "Sorry, I'm so clumsy." Her beating red face whirled away from me. I stared at her in confusion.
"Ah, no, it's fine. Things happen. No need to worry about it." I tried my best at cheering her up.
When she looked back at me, I noticed her expression seemed relaxed. I sighed in relief.
"I can take the tray back. There's no need to force yourself to carry it." She smiled.
Smiling back, I waved my hand. "I can handle it."
"So you are a contractor? What is your name?" She asked, placing her hand on my free hand.
"Contractor?" I said, bemused.
"Do you not know?" She asked, puzzled. "Has the incuse appeared?" She muttered to herself, as she gently touched my neck, and then clasped my collar. "May I?" She glanced back at me.
"Hey…what…are you?" I stuttered, backing away; my face flushed red. She tugged my collar down to my chest slowly, began to unfasten the buttons, and stared deeply as if searching for something. Before she could, I immediately grabbed her fingers, hindering her from continuing.
She pondered at me.
"Here." Sharon whispered, as she gently collected the tea tray from my right hand and set it upon the ground beside the door, gingerly.
"Seems like Break has taken an interest in you…come this way please." Sharon said, delightfully grabbing hold of my cold hands before she led me through the grimly lit hallway. Flickering lanterns lined along the walls passed us by.
Sharon's hands were pleasantly warm, like the touch of pure glowing sunlight. Being as simple-minded as I was, I would waste no time or petty words. I had to follow her.
In time, Sharon and I arrived at a strange but elaborate door lined with gold, with a large gilded doorknob embedded with crystal. Bright white light glimmered from the keyhole.
Sharon turned the knob and guided me inside.
A gold-haired young boy lay on the floor of the library nearby the fireplace. He was curled up in a ball, snoring soundly; his face sunk between a couple bulging white pillows.
"There here is Oz, the heir to the Dukedom of Vessalius." Sharon said, mysteriously.
I stared at Oz, then leaned down to poke and prod him in curiosity. He hugged the pillows even tighter, burying his face deeper and deeper between them.
"But…I…" I turned back to Sharon but to my surprise, she was gone. I shrugged, and then looked down at "Oz" in daydream land.
"Brilliant."
I scooted to my knees and began to prod him continuously in the shoulder and the side. "Hey Mister Oz…Oz…Oz…Oz…Oz!" I whispered, loudly. "Hellllooooooo!"
Suddenly, Oz moved so suddenly, I fell back. He opened his eyes gradually, peering up towards me. Drool trickled from his mouth. At once, his emerald eyes widened with shock and surprise, and he shot up from the pillows. Puzzled, he looked around in a daze, scratching his head, then turned and faced me.
"Um…who are you, my Lady?"
Taken aback in surprise by his friendly and charming attitude, I stuttered in nervousness. "My name…my name…?"
Oz stared at me, curiously. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He looked to the ground. His childish disposition caused me to feel somewhat guilty for being so indirect.
"My name…my name…is Ruin." I staggered to my feet, clenching the sides of my dark blue coat with a tinge of angst.
"Ruin? But you're so cute. How can you be 'Ruin'?" He smiled, kindly.
I blushed, feeling a wave of powerful heart rush through my body, and when his eyes met mine with interest, my heart beat faster.
"My name is just Ruin." My bluntness caused Oz to become even more puzzled.
"Um…Miss Ruin…how do you know my name?" Oz twiddled a lock of his blonde hair nervously.
"Oz, right? A girl named Sharon called you that." I said, blankly, staring at him with uneasiness.
"Sharon? Sharon's here." Oz's face lit up.
"She was…she left me here and I guess she had to go do something….or something." I averted Oz's eyes.
"Are you also a member of Pandora?" He asked, as he pulled his legs up to his stomach and hugged them tight. His eyes, like green orbs, seemed to grow large as he ogled at me.
I could still taste the sweet creamy chocolate on my tongue, and Break's sinister smile still send chills across my skin. "I believe I am." I said, with a grim tone.
"Um…Ruin…"
"Uh, you can call me Ruin." I interrupted.
"Ruin…have you heard anything…about Alice?" His voice was filled with a deep sorrow. As I looked closer, I noticed his body was now trembling and he suddenly tightened his grip on his legs.
I froze. "Alice?"
My eyes kept fixed on Oz in amazement. "B-Rabbit?"
"…Yes." Oz sniffled.
"Alice." The frightful tone in my voice caused Oz to flinch. A violent burning malice arose from the pit of my stomach and flooded my body all at once.
Oz widened his eyes at my expression. "Have you heard from Alice?"
"Alice…Alice…is lost."