Play With Me, Alice
August 17th 2014
Mary, Aunt Rhonda and Plot by Elise the Writing Desk; Characters by QuinRose; Cover from Pinterest
"None but ourselves can free our mind."—Bob Marley
It should've been a fun day.
First of April. The Circus came to town, and little Alice Liddell prepared herself to go with her sisters and have fun. She wasn't the energetic girl like Edith was, or the friendly role-model like Lorina, but Alice could appreciate the lively Circus just like any other children would. Only, her perspective was a bit different than others.
When they watched the trapeze actors flying with swings, Lorina would be impressed at how agile and fast, how they'd have been practicing such dangerous moves. Edith would be impressed by how magical it seems to fly around with ease, and how she wanted to play the swings as well.
Alice, unlike them, were in a different line. It's hard to understand what makes her excited. She rarely laughs at things that normally make children laugh.
Maybe she was being ignorant about being an oddball, or she was just incapable of expressing herself. Whatever reason that is, Alice put up her ribbon and brushed her hair, ready for the Circus.
"Alice, the carriage is ready to go. Are you finished?"
"Yes, Lorie,"
What an exciting day, the first of April.
~.X.~
Alice did not enjoy going with the entire family. Everyone just started to compare her to Lorina. At first, they also compared Lorina to Edith, but Edith was younger and didn't care, so Alice had to be the one to sit and listen to why she should be more like Lorina.
"Come here, Alice, let me look at you," Alice obediently came up to Aunt Rhonda, only to get frowned upon by the elderly. "How many times do I have to tell you? Do not wear blue, look how ugly you are," the woman began to pull off her ribbon and confiscated it. "I told you, Alice. Blue does not suit you. Your hair isn't gold like Mary—look at her, she's so beautiful, isn't she? She will fit this ribbon much more than you do, so I will give it to her, alright?"
"Okay, Auntie," Alice nodded obediently. She didn't think that talking bad would do anything good. With that, she dismissed herself and tried to find her seat by her parents, only to be frowned upon by her mother.
"Alice, where is your ribbon?"
"I lost it, Mum,"
"Ah, you always lose your things, Alice..." Mum sighed and ruffled her hair while taking her up to her seat. "Why can't you be like Lorina and keep your things? All you have to do is to keep it in place, is that so hard to do?"
"I'm sorry, Mum,"
Dad sighed as well. "Sorry, sorry, that's all you'd say. Did you learn anything, Alice?"
"Mum, Dad, it's just a ribbon," Lorina spoke up in defense of her little sister. "Let her have fun today," she smiled at Alice kindly.
Alice turned to look at the stage which was filled with lights and balloons. The children were holding balloons passed by the little clown kids.
"I want balloon, Mum, I want balloon!" Edith started to whine, tugging on her mother's sleeve. "Can I?"
"Keep it down, Edith, they will come and pass you the balloon,"
True to her words, the clown kids arrived and passed a red balloon for Edith, and then looked at Alice. Alice looked back at him, to see him frowning.
"What are you looking at, shrimp?" he said. "You think I'm going to give you a balloon? Ahah, yeah, right, in your dreams," he stuck his tongue out and turned away.
Alice was quite at loss of words at his attitude, but before he was far, he turned again and walked up to her with a really friendly smile.
"I was just kidding, here's your balloon, hehe," he handed her a blue balloon and grinned. "Enjoy our show, Alice,"
Alice looked up at the balloon. How unfortunate; she got a balloon that didn't suit her. A blue balloon. She turned to see the little clown had walked far from her, but he turned and waved to her. With his hands, he signaled for her to follow him.
"Follow me, Alice."
~.X.~
Alice tried to tie the balloon to her wrist. Lorina saw this and giggled, before helping her little sister to tie her balloon to her wrist.
"Thank you, Lorie," Alice said and got off her seat.
"Oh, where are you going, Alice?"
"To the restroom," Alice said and left. She narrowed her eyes, trying to find the clown kid through the colorful crowds. He was waving at her and ran out of the Circus tent. Alice then looked around to see where the exit was. She then carefully tried to pass the crowd.
"Blue balloon!" Alice stopped, seeing Mary was sitting nearby. "Alice, hand me that balloon! It looks ugly on you!" she said, walking up to Alice and tried to pull the balloon from her. Seeing that it's tied, she pouted angrily to Alice. "If you don't give me this balloon, I'll tell my Mum!"
"What is wrong here?" the two turned to see the clown kid was already there, frowning at them indignantly. "You want to take the balloon from her? Well, you can't! If you want to take the balloon from her, you have to fight me, curly poodle,"
Mary gasped and blushed in anger, before turning to Alice with a deeper pout. "Alice has a boyfriend!" said Mary, hands on her hips, "I'm going to tell Mum, and Mum will tell your Mum, and you'll be grounded!"
Alice didn't know how to fix this situation, but the clown kid became flustered and yelled at Mary again.
"Boyfriend? I'm not her boyfriend, are you stupid? Yes, you're stupid. If you say stupid things, you'll lose braincells, so stop talking!"
"How dare you talk to me like that! I will tell my Mum!" Mary angrily, almost crying, turned away and began to walk to tell on her Mum, but the clown kid suddenly pulled her hand.
"Alright, I'm sorry," he said with an apologetic smile. "Can't we just be good to each other? If you don't tell your Mum and let Alice keeps the balloon, then I will say I'm sorry, and I will give you a candy. Is that alright?"
Mary blushed, this time from surprise and flattered. She crossed her arms haughtily and scoffed.
"Alright, fine. This time, I will be mean and let Alice brings around blue thing—that will make her look ugly," she stuck her tongue at Alice. The clown kid smiled happily and handed ball of red candy for Mary, before taking Alice's hand and led her out of the Circus.
It was already night-time, despite the Circus hadn't even started yet. Alice hummed as the clown kid hummed a song and led her to one of the smaller tents. They walked past cages filled with amazing creatures. She could see flying pigs in one of the cages. A horsefly. From one of the tents, she caught a glimpse of singing flowers, with a rose as the conductor.
"What is your name?" Alice asked.
"Hmph, fool. You only asked now? Rude much," the clown kid mocked. "I know your name without asking, and you have the nerve to ask my name? What a loser,"
Alice hummed. "You're a jerkwad,"
"Well you're a shrimp,"
"I don't want to hold hands with a doo-doo head," Alice stopped walking and pulled her hand from his grip.
The clown kid blushed. "Who wanted to hold hands with—Doo-doo head? That's what you got? What are you, ten?"
"I am," Alice puffed her cheeks. She sighed and looked around, more amused by her surroundings. "Well, it's okay if you don't want to tell me your name,"
The two continued to walk, and they arrived in front of the last tent, which was significantly bigger than the small tents, but smaller than the big tent. From afar, she could see two lights glaring at her.
"What is that?"
"The Jabberwocky," the clown kid said. "He's really fun and cool. Do you want to see him?" he grinned and offered her his hand again, despite saying he didn't want to hold hands with her, earlier. Alice nodded and took his hand.
They began to run towards the tent, but suddenly, someone called for her.
"Alice, what are you doing out here?" Aunt Rhonda said angrily. "You naughty girl, you have no manners—you should ask for permission before leaving out—and what is this? Blue balloon!" she shook her head in disbelief, waving her hands at the balloon. "What did I tell you about blue? You don't fit this color—you should've given it to Mary, she looks perfect with blue!"
Alice turned to see that the clown kid had disappeared, but she could hear him laughing from the tent. She looked up to see Aunt Rhonda reprimanding her about how ugly she looked with blue.
"Now give me your hand, I will take that balloon from you,"
"No," Alice said.
Aunt Rhonda's eyes widen and scowls. "What...? Did you say something?"
"I am not giving the balloon, Auntie," said Alice, stepping back to defend her balloon. "It's not even mine. Don't take my things just because they fit Mary more than I do, Auntie. Mum scolded me,"
Aunt Rhonda crossed her arms. "She scolded you? What did you say to her about the blue ribbon?"
"I told her that I lost it,"
The older woman smiled and patted her head. "Good girl. Now let's go back, and you will give Mary that balloon,"
Alice glanced over her shoulder to see the clown kid was waving at her, asking her to come with him. She then looked up at Aunt Rhonda, who was looking down on her haughtily like how Mary usually did to her.
"I can't, Auntie. I need to go to the bathroom,"
"I see. Then let's go, I will show you the bathroom," Auntie Rhonda was about to take her hand, but Alice stepped back. "Alice...?"
"The bathroom is over there," Alice said, pointing at the tent.
"No, that's not the bathroom, Alice. Now let's go, I will show you the bathroom,"
Alice tilted her head. "How do you know if that's not the bathroom?"
Aunt Rhonda giggled and bended down to reach her height. "I know you're lying, Alice. You don't want to go to the bathroom, don't you? Why are you such a little liar?"
Alice stared straight into her eyes fearlessly. "Because you're a liar too, Auntie. And you taught me to take examples from liars,"
The elder woman straightened herself, glaring down at Alice indignantly. "How dare you...speaking back like that!"
Alice was suddenly became afraid of Aunt Rhonda, because the woman began to grow her neck and a pair of wings. Soon, Aunt Rhonda turned into a dragon, and Alice had already escaped into the tent before she was eaten by the vicious creature that used to be her aunt.
Though, she didn't see much of the difference, since everytime she met Aunt Rhonda, she always felt as if the woman wanted to eat her up.
~.X.~
The tent was bigger than the smaller ones, but smaller than the bigger one. Despite that, Alice found the insides to be hollow. It was dark in there, and she couldn't see the two gleaming eyes from earlier anymore.
She walked, and walked, and walked...and walked. The only voice she heard was her own footsteps, and the only thing she saw on the right and left were bars. It's as if there was a jail in that tent. Finally, from afar, she could see a spotlight dawning upon the familiar clown kid, who was inside the cage. He noticed her coming over, and walked up to the bars.
"Hello, Alice,"
"Why are you in there?"
His smile disappeared in instant. "Hmph, always so rude. If you have manners, you'd reply me with a 'hello' as well! It's not rocket science,"
Alice sighed. "Hello," she hummed. "I still don't know your name. I'm sorry. Can you please, tell me your name?"
"Liar, you're not sorry, aren't you, Alice?" he chuckled, all smiling again. "You're just curious of my name, and you don't want me to call you a loser, so you pretend that you're sorry, right?"
She frowned at him with a long stare. Well, since he had hit all the nails, Alice was just waiting for him to tell her his name. Was that so hard to tell?
"Well, since you're a liar, you can call me Joker. Now we're both liars, so we can get along,"
Alice frowned again. "I don't think I want to get along with liars...what if you lied about getting along?"
"What if you lied about not wanting to get along with liars?" Joker asked back with a playful smirk.
The girl sighed and sat on the ground, looking up at him. Why did he keep taunting her? Did she ever do something wrong? He lied about the Jabberwocky, didn't he? That's why there was nothing in this tent but a giant cage.
"So...where's the Jabberwocky you just told me about?"
"Ah, that?" Joker chuckled again. "It's out there. It's an April Fool today, so liars should be caged, and honest people should start lying," he tilted his head. "Hey, Alice, you should be here with me, since we're both liars,"
Alice shook her head. "If that's so, then you should bring Aunt Rhonda, my parents, Lorina, my uncle and my cousins with you as well, because they're all liars. If you can't, then I don't want to be there,"
"I don't want them to be here, they suck," Joker said, suddenly angry again. "You're so rude and mean, and you're a liar, that's why you have no friends, and that's why everyone hates you, you know that?"
The girl fell silent in instance. She knew that all too well. She was just afraid of someone telling that to her face, that's why she had been lying. Lorina was always acting like a good girl, but really, she just liked to be praised and judged as a good girl. Edith always acted like a brat, but really, she just liked to take any attention from Alice. Although, she's still small, so maybe she didn't meant that. Alice didn't hate Edith.
Mum and Dad always lied about loving all of them equally, but really, they're picking favorites, and Alice was not on the list. Aunt Rhonda always put up a nice face to Mum, but to Alice, she was always telling her things she shouldn't do, things she shouldn't wear, how she had to take Mary as a role model and all, saying that it's for her own good.
But that's a big fat lie. She just want to compare Alice with Mary. How Alice was plain and dull and Mary was a golden-haired beauty, true British lady. Mary was also a liar. She's just like her mother, putting up a good face for everyone and be mean to Alice, taking her things, saying that she's saving Alice from looking ugly.
How was Alice supposed to not become a liar?
How?
"Don't cry, Alice," Joker said, reaching his hand through the bars to comfort her by patting her head while she cried to her hands. "Don't cry...It's not true. You're not alone, Alice. You have me. I will be your friend,"
Alice stopped sobbing and looked up at him. "No, you're a liar...you'll lie about being my friend,"
"Then I won't lie to you, if you promise not to lie to me," he said with a warm smile. "The thing about liars...We can't trust others because we lie all the time and we begin to think that everyone are liars. That's why we don't have friends. But if it's you, I won't lie,"
The girl stopped crying. "Can you...prove that? If you'll prove that, I will prove to you in return, that I won't lie, by doing anything you want,"
Joker smirked. "Anything...?"
Alice smiled and nodded.
Joker reached both his hands out of the railings, and Alice stared at him, before taking his hands. He grinned, and she smiled back to him.
"We're friends, now," Joker said.
"Mmhm," Alice nodded and leaned her forehead to touch his. "I never had friends before,"
"Me too," he said. "So, if you want me to prove that I won't ever lie to you...will you play with me, Alice?"
Alice pulled back and tilted her head. "What do you want to play, Joker?"
"Will you or will you not?" the Joker scowled. "You can't just answer me with a question! How rude! Seriously, you have no manners!"
"Okay, I will play," Alice tried not to laugh. "So what's the game?"
Joker smiled again. "Let's play the Liar's Game, Alice," he tilted his head, his smile grew wider. "Because it's the First of April, we should play the Liar's Game. You just have to believe in me, Alice, because I'm the only one who won't lie to you."
"On the First of April, you just need to listen to what I have to say,"
"And if you do, you won't have Liars around you anymore."
Alice's eyes gleamed in hope, and she tightened her hold on Joker's hands.
"I'd like that."
"Good," Joker smirked. "Now, the first thing you have to do, is set me free." He pulled his hands from hers, and waved at the big lock that locked his cage. "You're the only one who can unlock that, Alice," he tilted his head to the left. "After you do that, let's play..."
~.X.~
Alice asked where the Jabberwocky was, and Joker said that the dragon running around outside the tent was the Jabberwocky. This was outrageous, because that dragon was Aunt Rhonda, and that means, all this time, Aunt Rhonda was lying about being human, and Alice began to wonder if anyone else knew about this.
"But you can trust me," said Joker with a smirk, "Everyone will lie to you and say that your Auntie is ill and is going overseas to find cure when you ask about it tomorrow,"
The first chance for Joker to prove himself. Alice and her family returned home without Aunt Rhonda. She didn't even see much of the Circus, and was getting reprimanded for getting out on her own, despite she had told Lorina that she was going to the restroom.
Alice changed into her pajama and climbed her bed, ready to sleep, only to have Joker slipping out from her blanket.
"Joker?"
"Hello, Alice,"
"Hello," Alice said, trying to be more polite.
Joker scoffed. "Hmph, what are you trying to prove, booty-licker? Acting all polite to me, now?"
Alice sighed and tried to ignore what a jerkwad he was. She dropped her head to the pillow and stared at Joker, who was sitting on her bed, looking around in her room.
"What are you doing here?"
"What? Can't a friend visit? What a snob,"
"You can, but it's bedtime,"
"Bah. Bedtime doesn't apply to clowns," Joker said, sticking his tongue to her. "Besides, it's the first of April. You can just lie to your parents about being asleep, can't you?"
As soon as he said that, Alice heard footsteps and Lorina calling for her.
"Alice, you're not asleep yet?"
"Oh shoot," Alice hissed and pulled Joker down, trying to hide him beneath the blanket and bolster, and she managed to do so right before Lorina opened the door.
"Alice? Why didn't you answer?"
"I'm sorry. I'm trying to sleep," Alice said. Lorina gave her a sweet smile.
"Is that so? Well then, don't forget to say your prayer, alright?" she giggled and left, closing the door gently. Alice sighed in relief and checked beneath her blanket to see a blushing Joker.
"Are you suffocating in there?"
"N-No, I'm not that much of a weakling, doh," he scoffed and got out of the blanket, turning away. "You know what, you should go to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day,"
Alice blinked hazily, actually getting sleepy. "Yeah...? Because you're going to prove your words...?"
"Another thing," Joker said, dropping his head to the pillow and looked at her. "Tomorrow will be the first of April again. Isn't that awesome?" he grinned.
"Hmm...? Again...?" Alice smiled weakly and shivered. "I hope it's a fun day...Today is...quite cold, don't you think?"
Joker blinked his only eye that was hidden beneath his mask. He scooted closer to her and put an arm around her, pulling her closer.
"Is that warmer?"
Alice had fallen asleep with an ominous smirk as the last thing she saw.
~.X.~
It should've been a fun day. It was the first of April, after all.
Alice blinked, rubbed her eyes and shook her head. The calendar was showing the same day. Alice turned to Lorina, who was helping to prepare breakfast.
"Lorie, haven't you ripped the calendar?"
"Yes, honey, I just did. Something wrong?"
"Is today the first of April?"
"Yes, you can just see it yourself, don't you?"
Alice hummed and took a seat. She wondered where the Joker went. He didn't lie, so she had to ask him what he wanted her to do, to prove that she won't be a liar to him. When her Mum served some toast, she heard a carriage came from outside, and soon, Mary came.
"Good morning, Mary, are you prepared for the Circus?"
"We can't come to the Circus today," Mary said, taking a seat. "My Mum has fallen ill and is going overseas to find a cure, so I'm here to play with Alice!"
Alice was going to be really interested by how true what the Joker had told her about Aunt Rhonda, but the fact that they're not going to the Circus that day shocked her more than anything. She glared at Mary as if she's grown a third head. If they're not going to Circus today, how would she meet Joker?
"Oh, how unfortunate..." Lorina said in concern. "I hope Aunt Rhonda will get better soon...Mum, this means that I have to go to work, since we're not going after all,"
"Oh why, I'm so sorry that you have to cancel your holiday, Lorina," Mum apologized. "Well, I'll clear things up here, so you go and prepare yourself,"
"Alright, thank you, Mum. Love you," Lorina kissed her Mum and smiled, before leaving the room. Alice didn't want to accompany the obnoxious Mary, who was asking her Mum for some tea, so she left and followed Lorina.
She knew that Lorina wasn't going to work. Lorina was just glad that she didn't have to go to Circus and she could just go and do something she wanted to spend her holiday. Alice watched her putting on her coat and brought her purse, and silently followed her out of the house. Before that, she made sure she stole Lorina's crackpipe, in case she had to make a deal.
Soon, Lorina was walking far from house and was going to catch a train to town.
"Lorie,"
"Alice?" Lorina was really surprised to see her. "Honey, what are you doing?"
"Take me to the Circus. It's halfway to the town, right?" Alice asked.
The woman turned pale for a second, and laughed nervously. "Oh, Alice, you silly...What are you talking about? I'm not going to town, I'm going to work,"
Alice stared up at her older sister. Lorina always put up the good-girl face, and she believed that everyone believed her. Alice just coincidentally, one day, saw that Lorina was in town when she had a tour at school. Lorina worked and she got money, but at the same time, she also did drug and hang out at the town.
This would be the first time she broke everything to Lorina. Alice pulled out the crackpipe, and Lorina froze in instant.
"Please, take me to the Circus, I will give this back to you and not tell Mum,"
"What...Alice, you're being ridiculous!" Lorina looked around and snatched the crackpipe from her hand. "How on earth did you get your hands on—" she fell silent, noticing that Alice already knew her black side, and scowled. "Tell Mum? You want to tell Mum? Look, Alice," she laughed, bended down and smirked to the girl. "Just imagine, you, come up to Mum and tell her; Mum, Lorie does drug. Will she believe you?"
Alice pressed her lips on a thin line. "Mum will try to check, though..." she mumbled.
"Yes? She will, hm?" Lorina began to collect a handful of Alice's hair on top of her head. "And when she does, do you think I will be foolish enough to let the evidences in my room? No, little sister. I won't let you, Mum, or anyone to take away the only fun I have, because all of you, are driving me crazy!" she stood up and pulled Alice's hair.
"Now you go home, or I'll tell Mum that you're trying to go to Circus!" Lorina yelled, pushing Alice away. She scoffed and put her crackpipe in her purse. "Stupid weirdo,"
Alice saw red. She glared at Lorina's back in the crowd, and she heard the train was coming.
The next thing happened, Alice pushed Lorina off onto the trail, and blood sputtered the instant the train grinded her older sister to death.
~.X.~
It was the Circus train that killed Lorina. Actually it was Alice, but apparently, no one saw her in the act. Besides, who would believe that a ten years-old girl push her older sister off to hit the train? Being a liar, Alice knew the way people would think. Joker was laughing and patting her back proudly, though.
"That was amazing, of you, Alice, I am so proud of you,"
"I killed my sister..."
"Oh, no need to act sad. You pushed her. That's the truth," said Joker, and smirked devilishly to her. "You know what else is the truth?"
"You don't even feel sorry about it,"
Alice shivered. There was a denial. There was an acceptance. Will accepting that she wasn't feeling guilty make her a bad person? Yes. But will denying it also denies what she'd done? No. She wasn't sure what to feel. She was happy, but also afraid. What if someone found out?
Ah, what would they do to her? She was just a kid.
"Don't worry, Alice," Joker convinced her. "Believe me, you've done the right thing, taking that crackpipe with you. The good girl Lorina is no more, as of tomorrow. She's just in high and fell off the rail when she sniff her crackpipe, that's what eveyone will believe,"
Alice decided to believe him, since he had never lied to her. "Alright...you're right. I won't lie to you, and you're right. I don't...feel guilty." She smiled wryly. "So...what do you want me to do? I'll do anything to prove that I won't lie to you, Joker,"
"Right, you got to be, doh," Joker rolled his eyes. "The thing is, your Aunt Rhonda is going crazy, and we need to capture her into the cage, but we can't lock the cage,"
"You mean, the Jabberwocky?"
"Technically, she's your Auntie. However, back to the topic, I can't find the key. For some reason, the key is in the candy that I gave to your ugly cousin," Joker crossed his arms. "It will be darn fine if you can ask her that candy back. Get the key for me, can you do that much?"
Alice smiled happily. "I will. That's easy. Do I go to the Circus tomorrow to drop the key for you?"
"No, that's okay. Tomorrow is going to be the first of April again. I will visit you with Aunt Rhonda so you can lock her in the cage, alright?"
~.X.~
A cry of despair started the next First of April. Alice calmly woke up and sat on her bed. Across her room that was dim with the dawn sunlight, was the smirking Joker. She put on a smile. It was fun for her—she had a friend. Plus, Lorina wasn't here anymore, so no one would compare her to anyone.
Lorina's dead body came. Mum was crying, and Dad fell unconscious due to a heart-attack. Alice peeked beneath the cloth and cringed, seeing her older sister all crushed and bloody, her entrails were almost completely grinded in the shape of the rails.
"How could this happen...? Why Lorina...?" Mum sobbed hysterically. "My only pride and joy..."
Edith and Alice exchange bitter glances. Edith was too young to understand and care, and she wasn't interested with Lorina, so she wasn't hysteric.
"Your daughter fell off because she was in high, ma'am," the officer told her, and held up a bag of evidence, which was the crackpipe. "We found this, and she was also consuming a certain amount of coccaine after we did an autopsy on her body,"
The room fell silence, and Mum's hysterical cry was out of the window. The woman was incredibly pale; all with what she had to handle. Lorina died from being high on cocaine—what kind of nightmare was that? She had to take care of funerals, everyone would come, Lorina had a lot of friends, and everyone would ask why she was dead—what was she supposed to say?
The Liddell Mansion was silent as a cemetery that day. Lorina's dead body was left lying in the living room, Alice and Edith quietly waited for breakfast in the dining as usual. Mum and Dad couldn't bring themselves out of their chamber.
"I'm hungry," Edith said, holding her stomach. "Can't we ask Lorie to make breakfast?"
"Hmm..." Alice rubbed her chin. "No, we can't."
"Why?"
"She's dead. Dead people can't make breakfast," Alice explained, and Edith nodded in understanding. "Wait here, I will try to make some toast, Eddie,"
"Okay," Edith nodded again.
Alice had to use a stool so she could reach the stove. Luckily she often watched Mum and Lorina cooking, so she could flip some sunny side ups beside the toasts. She was done serving their breakfast when the carriage arrived again at the exactly same time as yesterday. Mary came barging.
"Why is there no one taking the time to greet me!?" she yelled angrily. "You Liddells really have no manners, hmph! As a punishment, we're not going to the Circus today,"
Edith hummed. "Why not?"
"Because you don't respect me, little wee!"
"Oh, I thought your Mum is sick and is overseas to find a cure," Alice said, biting off her toast. Mary looked really surprised, she opened her mouth, about to say something, but then closed her mouth and pouted.
Alice then remembered her promise to the Joker.
"Mary, do you still have that candy?"
"What candy? As a matter of fact, unlike you poor Liddells, I eat candies everytime I want, so I can't remember all the candies,"
"The candy the clown gave you when we went to the Circus," Alice said, and Mary narrowed her eyes. The golden-haired girl crossed her arms and looked down on Alice, pursing her lips.
"Oooh, that candy? Now why would you want that?" she smirked. "Are you jealous because he didn't give you one? I think he likes me,"
Edith stared at Alice, and Alice stared back at her little sister.
Since when did a boy giving a girl candy is the same as proposing for a marriage? Though, they knew Mary all too well to say the truth, and the sisters just let Mary swim in her delusion. There were some liars; liars that lied to others, and liars that lied to themselves. Mary was the latter liar, most of the time. The rest, she spent making sweet-faces to people she liked. Alice sighed. Joker wasn't lying that talking to Mary would only make them stupid.
"So, where's the candy?" Alice asked.
"Well, if you have to know, I've already eaten it. I know you'd want to take it from me, so I just eat it!" Mary said in a mocking tune.
Alice gasped and stood up. Mary was delighted by such reaction. The dark blonde began to think fast. She had to prove to Joker that she would keep her promise—she didn't want to lose her friend...not Joker. Alice glared at Mary's satisfied face. She had to someway get that key, which was probably inside of Mary.
And at the tail of her eye, Alice caught something shining.
The next thing happened, Alice was stabbing Mary.
~.X.~
"Edith, help me to drag her to the garden,"
"Okay..."
"Heave, ho...Heave, ho..."
"Alice?"
"Mmhm?"
"Mary looks better in red, rather than blue, don't you think?"
"Yeah, you're right, Eddie,"
~.X.~
Edith and Alice were trying to find the key in Mary's entrails. First, Alice used the kitchen knife to tear open Mary's stomach. Edith then helped Alice pulling out her cousin's entrails, and Alice cut them off from her body.
"Eww..." Edith cringe as half-fragmented feces fell off the end of Mary's entrails. "Mary's poo..."
"Did you see the key there?"
"No," Edith sat down and Alice cut off Mary's anus so that they didn't have to deal with it. Next step, they try to squeeze everything out from the duodenum. Edith poked on the gastric and heard something clanking. "Alice, I think the key is in here,"
Alice had to carefully cut open Mary's gastric, because she learned in her class, that human's gastric contained acidic chemical that could corrode things. Fortunately, they found the key in Mary's gastric alright.
"What do we do with Mary? She's not waking up," Edith asked, kicking Mary's limb.
"It's okay. Let's leave her here," Alice said, pocketing the key. "Let's clean up. Mary's so fat and oily, she stinks..."
"Okay,"
"I will wash your hair, Edith. You should wash your hands first,"
Alice and Edith returned home. Their parents were still inside their chamber. Lorina's body was still in the living room. Mary's torn in the garden. The two sisters washed themselves. Edith said she didn't want to wear her clothes anymore because it's dirty and smelled bad, so Alice threw it in the incinerator.
After cleaning up themselves, Edith returned to eat her breakfast while Alice mopped the blood in the dining room and wiped the table clean. The door bell rang, and Alice was quick to attend it. It was Joker. She grinned.
"Hey, you're right on time, I just got the key!" she then noticed the person behind Joker. "Oh, Aunt Rhonda, good afternoon," she curtsied.
Aunt Rhonda glared at her, looking really pale, but she didn't yell or scold her. Alice thought that she was still sick, poor woman. Joker smiled, it seemed that he was in his kind mood.
"Good, you found the key, Alice. Mary came, didn't she? I was thinking of letting her see her daughter for the last time. Can you show her?" Joker asked.
Alice frowned and looked up to stare at her aunt for a moment. Aunt Rhonda will definitely be angry. She killed Mary, after all. But Aunt Rhonda wouldn't believe that, right? Mary was perfect, she wouldn't believe that Mary was killed by the plain Alice, right? She smiled and nodded.
"Okay, follow me, Auntie," Alice said, and led the way.
~.X.~
The Liddells had a rose garden. The roses were fenced with beautiful, sharp metal fences, so that no one could easily pick the flowers. As a matter of fact, it was dangerous to trip in the rose garden. Because you might die and impaled on the fences just like Aunt Rhonda when she fainted after seeing Mary.
"Ah...mu...murd...er..." Aunt Rhonda gasped.
Alice and Edith hummed.
"She's saying something," Edith said. "What is she saying?"
"Murder," Alice told her little sister.
"That's nasty," Edith huffed. "Auntie, don't say nasty things, Auntie is naughty!" She scolded the agonizing woman.
Joker chuckled. "We have to punish Aunt Rhonda, don't you think so, Eddie?" he asked Edith.
"Yeah, we should," Edith nodded agreeingly.
Joker handed the same kitchen knife Alice used to tear Mary. "Alice, I'll teach you how to punish a dying bad-mouthed woman," he said, and Alice took the knife from him. He held her hand, and they approached Aunt Rhonda, who was glaring at them in fear.
"Hold the knife high, and as fast as you can," Joker controlled Alice's hands to stab Aunt Rhonda's tongue. "Stab her tongue repeatedly,"
Aunt Rhonda was screaming in agony, but Alice obediently repeated what she was doing. Joker even got angry at how loud Aunt Rhonda got, and Edith also scolded her.
"Shut up, mean aunt! This is what you get for talking and acting nasty!" Joker said angrily.
"Nasty Auntie! Nasty Auntie!" Edith sang.
Soon, Aunt Rhonda's tongue was turned into soup, and she slept in pain forever, with her body impaled on the fences, right in front of her daughter's entrails.
~.X.~
Alice got blood splattered on her face, so she had to take a bath again. It was noon, and the mansion was dead silent. Joker had an idea; they should play hide and seek. Edith was excited, because neither Alice or Lorina ever played with her.
"Okay, Edith, you're it first," Joker said. Edith pouted.
"No! I don't want to be it first!"
"I said if you're it first, then you're it!" Joker yelled angrily, and Edith quickly fell silent, really afraid.
Alice hummed as she watched Edith began to close her eyes and counted. Joker tapped her shoulder and grinned, signaling her to come with him. Alice grinned as well and was more than happy to follow him. They hid in Dad's study, and Joker regretted doing it.
"Ugh, why does it smell in here?"
Alice turned around and saw the camera was prepared. She then explained to Joker that the room smell bad because of the toxic chemical used for the negative rolls. Mum and Lorina used to complain a lot about Dad's hobby.
"Why?"
"Because Mum said that a bit of flame in this room can burn us into crisp," Alice said, remembering exactly what her Mum had said. Soon, Edith found them, and it was Alice's turn to be 'it'.
"Edith, do you know what is fun?" Joker asked, when Alice began to count. "Campfire. Have you seen a big campfire before?"
"I want to see a big campfire!" Edith exclaimed happily, and Joker laughed, shushing her with his finger on his lips. The two then began to hide before Alice stopped counting.
Alice finished counting and turned around, obviously she wouldn't see anyone there, but then she saw Joker was running, his clown hat was jingling its bells.
"Joker! I found you!" she laughed and chased him to the corridor, but he was gone.
Alice then heard him laughing and running up on the stairs, his bells were jingling. She giggled and went to chase him upstairs. When she arrived at the second floor, Alice could hear voices from her parents' chamber. What surprised her, was that Joker slipped into her parents' chamber ever-so-sneakily.
Unsure if she should give up, but worried that Joker would get scolded by her parents, Alice reluctantly approached her parents' chamber and peeked from the gap of the door.
"Cocaine," Mum cried. "Never, in my life, I'd..."
"Where did we go wrong...?" Dad muttered. "I thought she was perfect...Now we're left with nothing..."
"What are you talking about?" Joker spoke up, and her parents turned to the kid. "You still have Alice and Edith, doh,"
Mum and Dad glared in anger. "What are you doing here? Who do you think you are, child?" Mum said, clenching her fists on her laps. She then glared at Alice, noticing her peeking. "The two of you are no better than Lorina. Edith is autistic, and I just don't know what's on your mind, Alice,"
"Well it's all your fault that Lorina did drugs," Joker spoke up again, and her parents flinch, glaring in wrath. "Always brag about her, how she's so perfect, so beautiful, never do anything wrong, just drop everything on her—she's stressed. Lorie wanted to be free too. No one can be an angel,"
"You shut it!" Dad yelled. "Unlike you," said the man, nodding to Alice indignantly. "One who don't understand sacrifices. I worked hard, to keep this family alive, and Lorina was the only girl I could be proud of, because my other daughters are mental—you should be grateful I still take care of you,"
Alice slowly began to laugh in a shivering voice.
"Take care...of me...?" Alice smiled eerily. "Look what you've made me become, Dad. A liar, just like the two of you. Mum always said to everyone that we're such a perfect family. I have to deal with Aunt Rhonda picking on me, comparing me to Mary, and I never told you, because you'll fight,"
"You said you didn't pick favorite, and today, you've left all your cards out in the open," Joker chuckled. "Mum and Dad, you are the biggest liars ever," he clapped his hands. "You're blaming Alice and Edith because you can't accept that you've grown your...'pride and joy'...to a crack addict, right?"
Dad suddenly got up from his seat, and the chair fell off slamming the floor. He walked up to Alice and slapped her numerously.
"Where did you learn talking like that to me!?"
"Look at yourself!" Joker laughed. "You're asking your own fault, how funny!"
Alice laughed hysterically, despite her father was beating her up. "Mum and Dad are meanie...meanie...meanie...liars...How can you ask why I'm the way I am?" she laughed and pushed Dad away, trying to escape, but Dad grabbed her hair.
"Henry—stop! Stop it!" Mum screamed and pulled her husband, trying to stop his rage. She glared at her daughter. "Leave us alone, ungrateful girl! No daughter of mine would ever has such attitude!"
Joker scowled, tapping his foot impatiently. "Attitude?" He turned to Alice. "She said attitude, Alice. What attitude?"
Alice laughed again, beat up and her mouth was bleeding as she glared at her Mum.
"Oh...I should be taking examples from Mum, right?" she tilted her head. "I'm sorry Mum. I should have been a better liar. I should lie to myself that my children are just too lazy, spoiled and stupid...because I can't accept to giving births to sociopaths. I should lie to my relatives that my family is alright and I should only brag about Lorie, because she's the only thing I can be proud of..."
Joker glared at the couple. "Well how lucky—your pride and joy is a crack addict! Next, you're going to make up a lie about her death. Wow, Alice, this family is a hellhole of liars!"
"Silent, Alice! I've never taught you to raise your voice!"
"You just did it, Mum! Thank you!" Alice laughed and Joker stepped out of the room. "Thank you for everything, Mum, Dad! Maybe I'll also become a crack addict, just like Lorina, since you kept telling me that she's a role-model—"
"OUT OF HERE!" Alice slammed the door before her Dad could beat her again.
She ran into her room and locked it, she quickly sat and hugged herself under her table. Alice slumped her face between her knees and started crying.
Why were everyone in denial? How come they lied about not being a liar? They're all liars. Alice was a liar too, but she accepted that she was a liar. Was it really a matter of life-and-death to be seen perfect and angelic? To compare and feel better about yourself while hurting others while lying to them that it's for their own good?
Alice looked ahead. "I don't want to lie anymore..." she said to Joker, who was sitting beside her as well. "I don't want to be a liar..." she murmured. "I don't want to act like I'm alright and a good girl..."
Joker chuckled and embraced her from her side.
"Good girl," he hummed. "Hey, Alice. It's still the First of April. It should've been a fun day, right?"
Alice hummed, and nodded. She had an ominous smirk on her face.
"It can still be fun," she offered her hand to him with a warm smile. "Play with me, Joker?"
~.X.~
My name is Edith. I'm seven.
Today is the third of April, according to the Calendar.
It's dinner time. My older sister Alice is struggling to make dinner for us.
Mum is sad, so she can't cook dinner.
Lorina is dead, so she can't cook dinner too.
Alice is weird.
She's been talking to no one.
Sometimes she's rude and mean.
Sometimes she's kind and warm.
Alice said she has a friend.
His name is Joker.
I don't know about this. Maybe I just can't see him because I'm still seven.
Alice said, that the Joker said, tomorrow would be the last First of April.
So we should do something fun, but we can't go to the Circus.
Alice tuck me to bed.
I haven't fallen asleep when she comes back and help me to jump off the window.
And then, we watch our house burn.
Mum and Dad are screaming and waving at us from their windows.
They must be really happy and excited.
I always liked campfire, but seeing our house on fire is really amazing.
I'm really happy today, because Alice played with me all the time.
Today is a fun day!
~.X.~
Alice develops a bipolar disorder and creates an alter-ego called Joker. To Edith, Alice appears to be talking to herself, acting kind and then mean in turns. The reason why it's always April the 1st for Alice, is because the liars in her life are still alive.
She has been suppressing her disorder, due to her parents' pressure and Aunt Rhonda's critics. Her parents don't believe in psychological disorders, and can't accept the fact that Edith is autistic. Alice is pressured to take Lorina as a role-model when she knows that Lorina is a crack-addict, and it creates a clash in her young mind, and she begins to learn how Lorina is a fake. Ever since, Alice begins to notice how many people lied to her, and how she's forced to lie and act like no one has been lying to her.
This is how the Joker was created. However, Alice is still in denial. When she visits the Circus, she begins to see the meta-physic of her bipolar, Joker. And when she unlocks his cage, she embraces the truth of herself and goes berserk.
No matter how hard you try to fabricate this world, it's not so beautiful all the time. Alice lives up to her name, and no matter how painful the truth is, it's not so painful all the time.
"Are you going to blame your parents for doing what you did?"
"No."
"Why would I lie about that?"
"It was a fun day, after all."
I didn't expect it to turn out like this, but oh well.
Anyway, the inspiration for this fanfic are: Corpse Party (Sachiko's tortures), Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Series of Unfortunate Events, American McGee's Alice, Madness Returns (Lorina's death scene), Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea and Re: Kinder. It's also heavily affected with Circus and Liars game, Joker no Kuni no Alice.
Not all of them are popular, so if you find out while reading, then kudos for you!
I know I've been saying this a lot, but I'm having an exam again next week, so wish me luck, please? :D