--- Death, Delusion… A Chimera… ---
...Chapter 1 : A Sleeping Start...
An auburn haired girl was sleeping soundly in her small bed; a tiny smile plastered on her seemingly angelic face, suggesting that she was having a divine dream. She snuggled deeper into her warm nest of a blanket, a sigh of contentment slipping from her lips as she turned in her sleep. Suddenly, her eyes popped open, revealing bright-brown eyes filled with panic. She hastily twisted to look at the alarm clock on her table: 7.45am.
"Oh no!! Not again!!!" she exclaimed in pure frustration. It was the third day in a row.
She frantically struggled out of her pile of blankets and managed to fall over in the process, stumbling all the way into the bathroom.
After hastily closing her door, she started sprinting towards her classroom as fast as she could. Clumsy as she was, she almost fell down countless times and was excessively apologizing to people as she slammed into them. Scowling faces followed her scampering.
In the end, as was expected of her usual luck, she was capable of crashing into the person she least wanted to ---- Natsume.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch…" cried Mikan, attempting to stand up properly while simultaneously rubbing her pained butt.
"Hey, Polka-dots, can't you get to class the normal way?" asked Natsume in his typically monotonous voice.
"Oh, Natsume! Can't you stop calling me Polka-dots? And what do you mean the normal way? Don't you walk to class like I do?" came Mikan's puzzled reply.
"Yeah? Most people who walk the normal way don't ram into others."
Just then, the great bell of Alice Academy rang, signifying the start of lessons.
"Late again! Jinno is going to kill me this time and it'll be your fault. Don't you care if I die?!!" Mikan shouted back.
"It wouldn't bother me one bit if you weren't here." Natsume said, calmly walking past her, entering their chaotic class.
"You are so heartless!" Mikan accused, running after him. "Huh? Where is Jinno?"
"You are such a muddled girl. It's Friday, Mr. Narumi's class is first." came Hotaru's soft voice from behind her book.
"Hi!! Hotaru! Good morning!" Mikan exclaimed with a huge smile, her face instantly lighting up with happiness. She bounded over to Hotaru, trying to get close enough to give her a hug. Hotaru customarily retaliated with her baka gun, sending Mikan sprawling over to the other end of the classroom.
Seconds later, Mr. Narumi entered the class...
Meanwhile, in the middle of nowhere, a metallic building could be seen poking its head out from the natural scenery. Inside, a group of people united by their similar hate of the Alice Academy were discussing how to ultimately destroy it. They were referred to as the Anti-Alice.
"Are you sure of this?" came a musical male voice.
"If it works, we'll be but a faint memory in their minds. We could use that to our advantage and put our plans in motion." a female voice replied, her voice sounded confident but inside, she was full of doubts.
"We can never turn time back again."
"I understand that fact. This Alice-stone is too weak, too old. Once, that's all. It will work only once more." she confirmed.
"Can't that nullifying girl undo its effects?" he questioned.
"She can't." she answered, full of certainty. "She could… While it is being done. But after, she can't change it. Time is one whole matter in itself. What's done is done….."
"Time. How does that Alice-stone work?"
"This particular Alice can move the present. It can fast-forward or reverse time. Nothing can change it once it's done…. Except… Unless…" she paused. Then she gazed into the distance, shrugged and slightly shook her head.
"Unless…?"
"Unless something extraordinary happened. The bearer of this Alice once told us, apart from his Alice, only a truly amazing occurrence could reverse the flow of time."
"We need to be sure of what that means. What kind of incident will trigger that change?"
"Strong feelings. Powerful emotions."
"An Alice that changes time… Very well…"
"So it shall begin…"
Mr. Narumi entered class with his cheerful smile. "Good morning!" he greeted his class, full of enthusiasm. He was wearing his natural white shirt and black pants.
"Mr. Narumi is wearing something normal today. That's rare." came Sumire's snide comment.
"It just means that there is nothing exciting happening soon." Anna replied as she tried to give Mr. Narumi some support.
"And that the relieve teacher might be teaching instead." said Nonoko, joining in to rescue Mr. Narumi.
Just as Mr. Narumi began to take attendance, everyone felt an abrupt shift in their surroundings. It was a sickening feel, as if they were being twisted in many unimaginable ways.
Then, all of a sudden, a serene feel washed over them. They felt like they could stop their life at that breathtaking moment and rest forever in that tranquil time. Treasuring that precious split second of life, a picture taken and prized above all else.
Slowly, unknowingly, their eyes closed… And they entered a deep, profound sleep... Never in all their life, and beyond all reservations, would they have envisioned what they would wake up to find…