Hello, Rushers! Welcome to the darkest tale that I'll be writing. Welcome to "Carlos in Wonderland". The name is inspired by, of course, "Romeo and Juliet." Haha. All sarcastic jokes aside, it's inspired by "Alice in Wonderland". Then there is also "Girl, Interrupted", "The Time Traveler's Wife","Mai-HiME", "Mai-Otome" and more. ;D

I wrote this story ages ago (and took it down during my FF Sabbatical to keep it safe from anyone wanting to claim some stuff as their own) and dedicated it to a friend of mine. He was one of my best friends here on FF and I'm pretty sure he's forgotten about me now that it's been two three years since I've left. But I hope that he does one day stumble back into the rabbit hole which is this story. Haha!

So, I hope you all enjoy it! Don't forget to read and review! Constructive crticism is always welcome! :D

Overture: Once Upon a Time, There was You and Me

Carlos POV

Have you ever had a day in your life when the most beautiful thing in the world became the most evil monster?

Have you ever had a time when your dreams began to mess with your perception of reality?

Have you ever had a dream that started out so beautifully that you couldn't hold back crying, and then watched it crumble into the most traumatizing nightmare ever?

I guess we all have, but I have my story to tell. And I bet that one way or another, this story will save you.

FLASHBACK

I guess maybe it all began when I was thirteen years old.

My memory is bad, but I remembered a dream where I fell down a rabbit hole and entered a world that was totally topsy-turvy. If I recall well, I remember seeing two twins who always had constant skirmishes, a blue caterpillar that smoked some stuff on my face, a cat that can disappear, a king and a queen whose garden of roses I painted red with the knights that serve under the monarchs. I recalled growing large and shrinking small. There was even a tea party with this weirdo in a top hat and a hare and a dormouse as a guest. All of this happened because I followed a rabbit in a waistcoat into a rabbit hole.

I don't know what it was, but after that incident, every single day of my life, I always saw fragments of that dream... that place... those people... what did they call that place? Wonderland, I think.

There were so many crazy things that went down, especially the part where the king and queen I met held a trial because someone ate their tarts. How lame of them. The tea party with that crazy person in the top hat and his animal friends was beyond mad. Then, they told me tales of this unimaginably ugly, dragon-like creature they called the Jabberwocky. They told me that I must try not to run into it, even though it's been hiding for a long time. They even showed me how it was supposed to look like from a book. There was even a maze that seemed endless, and so much more. The journey to finding my way out overall was mystifying.

But the most mystifying thing was this boy I've met in that place. He was around my age now, 16. Back then, I was 13 and he was the best friend I've made in Wonderland. He was taller than me by a few inches. He had some muscular arms. He had pale skin, brunette hair, brown eyes and a smile that always cheered me up, even if he said nothing. His right cheek had a scar scratched across it, probably from something with wicked claws. He'd tell me stories and myths surrounding Wonderland that made my imagination fly about the place. However, the scariest tale he's ever told me was the one about a boy like me who wandered into Wonderland and ran into all the crazy things I ran into and how he valiantly fought the Jabberwocky till his last breath with the aid of his phoenix friend and a scythe made from sapphire and crystal.

He was not only my only companion in Wonderland, but also here. He was the one person who appeared to me out of nowhere to hug me whenever I cried or whenever I was totally alone.

That boy always cheered me up. In fact, he was my best friend, even though he constantly disappears after he cheers me up. I see him fade away, leaving his clothes behind. He was a great person to be with.

But the world is cruel. People bullied me for seeing these sorts of things; in fact, I was an outcast for seeing parts of Wonderland fuse with my reality. Sometimes, I'd see talking flowers in my parents' garden. I also encounter twins who constantly bicker like the ones in Wonderland. There was even a girl who was as demanding as the queen. I even heard voices calling out for me. The queen's sneering was always in my head. There were even times when I saw her face along a crowd, but when I blink, she disappears.

But he was always there. He stuck by me. I was never alone. And he gave me a reason to smile every day. He is why I wake up every morning excitedly – because I know anytime today, he'll be here to see me.

END FLASHBACK

"What else did you see, Carlos?" Dr. Hawthorne asked. Dr. Hawthorne was a rather sympathetic lady for as shrink. Red flowing hair, fair skin, blue eyes and a gentle smile – the last one I have not seen in the cruel world outside my home. Her office was rather homey. It was a mini-library, office and living room rolled into one. Plus, she even gave me a Diet Coke before we proceeded with my appointment. I liked this lady. She was sweet.

"Well..." I continued as I lay in her red velvet couch, my fingers laced together on my chest. I looked over to the window and saw my dad, Officer Garcia, pulling out a suitcase from the back of his police car.

"What is my dad doing..."

"Carlos. Please focus. What else did you see?"

I spoke up. "There were times when the boy would appear in one minute. Then, after talking, he'd just disappear. Like, poof! But whenever I talk to him, people would stare at us like I'm a nutcase. There was even a time when people would ask who I was talking to. When I tell them I'm talking to my best friend, they'd say that I'm just talking to myself. Then, I'd look over to my friend and he's gone."

Dr. Hawthorne continued writing on her clipboard while telling me to go on.

"Then... there was this one time when I went to the movies with him. And then, a few rows below us... I saw someone's head transform into... into the..." I began to panic as the memory of the creature's disgusting countenance began to cloud my mind once more. It terrified me. Its glowing red eyes were piercing my mind with its venomous instincts. I began screaming maniacally, causing Dr. Hawthorne to shut her ears as I clutched on to my head, fell off the sofa and began rolling around the beige, carpeted floor.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" The door busted open, and my dad, Officer Garcia, entered. "CARLOS!" He ran to me and fought my flailing arms and tried to cradle me.

"NOOO! LET ME GO!" I continued fighting my dad's arms, but I couldn't see those familiar, comforting arms. All I could see was that exact same moment in the past, when I saw the Jabberwocky inching its way to me with its claws. I tried to push them away. I didn't want to die just ye—

I felt a painful slap land hard on my face. It saved me from the Jabberwocky. It saved me from reliving the same memory all over again.

But if you were in someone else's shoes, they just woke me up from my daydream with a slap. I found myself on the floor, my dad on top of me with a concerned face. Dr. Hawthorne knelt next to my dad, worried about what could possibly be wrong with my mind.

"My son... what is happening to my son?" Dad turned to Doc, who worriedly shrugged.

Doc looked at me and asked once more, "Carlos. What did you see?"

I was gasping for air now. The room felt smaller and lacking in oxygen somehow. I wanted to push my response, "The Jabberwocky" out of my lungs, but I couldn't and instead, all I could say was, "Big… dragon."

Both adults exchanged worried looks. Dad stood up, went to the fireplace and began pacing back and forth. Doc stood up and pulled out her phone. She began dialling on the device and pulled it to her ear. "Hello? Yes. I have a reserved taxi under the name of Dr. Catherine Hawthorne, 14 Marmoreal Street... yes, okay... thank you very much." With every pause, I could hear the person on the other line responding. Soon, she dropped off and pocketed her phone.

"What's happening?" I sat up became paranoid. "You're letting that taxi take me far away from here, aren't you?" I pointed angrily at Doc, but I didn't want to do that. She was a nice lady, after all. I looked over at my dad, who stopped pacing. "And you were in it, too, weren't you? You're going to disown me for being crazy, aren't you?"

"No, hijo!" My dad ran over to me and pulled me in for a hug. "We have nothing against you!"

"Then why did Doctor order for a taxi?"

"Because... son. Doctor Hawthorne and I have been discussing the matter lately and it's been decided by me, your mother and Doctor that you need to be admitted into Rutledge."

"WHAT? No! Not Rutledge!" I panicked. Rutledge Asylum was one of the best mental institutions in California. There was no way I was going there! That place is filled with crazy people! "Dad! Please! You have to believe me! I'm not crazy!" I clung onto my dad's leg in desperation.

"Hijo." He knelt down, his thigh putting pressure on my hand, causing me to retract my clinginess. "I believe you. But these things you see aren't healthy. You need help."

I wanted to contest more, but anything more I'll say will fall on deaf ears. All I did was nod now and accept my fate as the new inmate— I mean, patient of Rutledge Asylum.

Thirty minutes later

I looked back at my dad as the cab driver began stuffing the trunk of the taxi with my luggage. My mom walked here ten minutes ago to give me a final hug and a goodbye. She also came to give me my helmet and my blue, stuffed velveteen rabbit, the only two things that would comfort me there. My dad gave me one last hug before I boarded the cab and took off.

I watched the 4:00PM sky as the clouds began shifting around. Soon, the skyscrapers and people became fewer and the noise became less. All I could see were trees and a few houses along the drive. Soon, I fell asleep.

Few minutes later

"Kid, wake up!" I shot up from my surprisingly calm and dreamless slumber and heard the taxi driver shout from outside the cab as he took out my luggage from the trunk. Rarely did I sleep dreamlessly. Good. I didn't want any more attention on me right now. I unbuckled my seatbelt and exited the vehicle to see a huge building made of yellowish-beige bricks surrounded by flowers and trees. It doesn't look as scary as what you'd see in horror films, but I was already scared to be here with other... people.

"Good luck, kid! Get well." The cab driver patted me on the back, got back into the driver's seat and drove off.

I looked at the building, breathed out my anxiety and made my way to two, big brown doors and pushed them open, accepting my fate and deciding to let this place cure me of my "illness".

So now, I formally introduce you to the story of how I, Carlos Gerardo Garcia, Patient Number 09-00678, tried to save my mind. You may say I was crazy the whole time. You may say that everything I've been seeing was real.

Maybe I was just crazy.

Maybe Wonderland really was real.

Or maybe I was a boy... interrupted.

Hehe. See what I did there in the end? ;D That'll have greater significance in the end. Trust me.

Well, tell me how I did! REVIEWS ARE VERY APPRECIATED!

The chapter title is from "Tsubasa Chronicle". The song is called "Once Upon a Time, There was You and Me" composed by the great Yuki Kajiura. Well, some chapters might include a song (and the chapter title will be the name of the song I used) if it's fitting. Other chapters will be named after a YK song if ever.

That ends chapter one of "Carlos in Wonderland". R&R! :D