Well hey there again, folks! It's been a long time since I posted a story on here!

Now I hope you enjoy my newest story: Krystal in the Country of Hearts :D

Krystal in the Country of Hearts

"Let me warn you about something."

"Every game has its rules."

"And those rules are cemented the second you start to play."

"But you probably know that already."

Chapter 1 - Encounter

"Heart no Kuni no Alice – Wonderful Wonder World, huh?" I questioned, sliding my glasses up on the bridge of my nose again. Glancing down at the price of $11 and then up at the sale price of $9.99 made me rethink how to do this.

"Now if I spend a little of my paycheck on this, I'll have to wait another couple of weeks to get it back to what it is now…" I thought looking at the sale price.

"But it is less expensive than books like xxxHOLiC… Plus it's a new twist."

I had this heated debate going on inside my head, and I pretty much had steam coming from my ears. No, I can't deny this. I have to purchase it.

"Tough decision, isn't it?"

Looking up from my kneeling position, I saw my close friend Emily. I had known Emily for a long time and this was her first year in high school, while I'm in the third year. She and I had a thing for fantasy genre and many others that involve drama and slight romance. I had recently purchased a book called Vampire Game for her as a Christmas present and came back to the colors on the cover of the book currently in my hand. The cover had a couple of guys- one brunette and a white haired one with rabbit ears. There was also a woman in the colors violet and blood red with curly, royal violet hair with blush pink eyes.

The one in the middle of the two guys was a girl with dirty blonde hair and shining emerald eyes. A bluish indigo bow sat in the middle of her hair above her bangs with a dress on her body that matched the colors on her bow.

"She must be Alice." I thought as I flipped the book to the back.

"Wonderland is officially at war! And Alice is trapped in the middle of it all. Will she make it out alive? A little arrogant, stubborn, and determined to get back home, Alice isn't fazed by these challenges...until she discovers that every man is gun crazy and weirdly in love with her. What's going on in Wonderland?" I read.

"Sounds like a male harem." My friend Terry stated as he looked at the book.

"It looks interesting so I'll just buy it." I replied. "It doesn't matter if it has a harem like your Rosario Vampire, as long as the plot and characters are good." He instantly shut his mouth. Terry was another good friend of mine I had met in my second year. He and a couple other people had the same lunch time as I had and we would constantly talk about what recently came out.

"So it's like $10, right?" Emily asked. I nodded in response. It was still early in the morning, around 9:25 am and I had gotten a pass to the library. The book fair was going to be around for a week. Standing up with the book in my hand, I walked over to the portable cash register and dug into my wallet for a ten dollar bill. I pulled out a five dollar bill and several ones and paid the woman at the table. With the book in my hand, maybe some good would come out of this.

-(Later that evening)-

"Krystal, do you have any homework?" Mother asked in this tone that was sickly sweet. How I hated how she was like this to me. Ever since Father died in a plane accident it has always been like that. She treats me poorly and instead of a mother, she's a gambler. When Father died, she gained all of the inheritance and gambled it all away, leaving me pretty much penniless... And now here she is, trying to wring out money from me again for alcohol.

"I don't have any..." I spoke after a few minutes of silence. A hand was held out in front of my face.

"I need fifty dollars." she demanded.

"Oh great, she's going to buy more liver damaging poisons?" I thought.

"I'm not getting my paycheck until Thursday..." I mumbled. My part-time job is a nursing assistant at the local hospital. I'm in charge of making sure the amount of all medicines is precise and to disinfect wounds for ten bucks an hour. My usual paycheck is never a cent over seventy dollars and my mother takes a majority of it.

"Then tell them you need it now, you damned brat!" Mother hissed.

"But I can't do that. I'll be fired." I whispered.

"Do as I say, dammit!" she shouted and my cheek began to burn with pain. Before I could react, she slapped me across the face again. With fear in my eyes, I scurried into my room as she chased me with an empty scotch bottle in hand, slurring curses under her breath. I slammed my door, locked it, and push my weight against it. My cellphone began to buzz and I picked it up. Emily was texting me.

My fingers flew on the phone's keypad:

"Send 4 cops ASAP! ~KiWiHeArTs"

Mother was pounding against the door and shouted dreaded curses at me. The phone buzzed again and I picked it up:

"What 4? Something wrong? ~StRaWbErRy"

"JUST SEND COPS TO MY HOUSE! MOM'S ON A RAMPAGE! ~KiWiHeArTs"

The next few moments were full of silence. I didn't hear anything else except for blaring sirens. The sound of a door being battered down and the sound of heavy footsteps filled the halls.

"Police! Hands where I can see them!" I heard.

-(The next day...)-

Mother was arrested and brought down to the courthouse while I was brought down to the station for questioning. After being bandaged up by a medical examiner there, I was released. Mother, however, was to await trial on charges of child neglect and child abuse.

"So...how are you doing?" Emily asked as we sat down at the lunch table.

"Well, my side still has a bruise from last week and my cheek has what looks like a handprint.." I said nervously with a laugh.

"O-Oh...I hope you get better soon..." she whispered as she took a bite of her turkey sandwich. I nodded in agreement and began to eat, too. Faint dark circles were under my eyes from the night before after I left the station. I was desperately cleaning the house, getting rid of the smell of alcohol and smoke.

"Maybe you should go home. Get some rest and such..." my friend insisted. "I could copy notes for you and give assignments from the teacher."

"Yeah. Thanks, Em." I smiled sadly and got up after finishing my PB&J and tossing the wrappers in the trash can.

-(Later that afternoon)-

A yawn escaped my lips as I trudged down the block, my backpack over my shoulder. A break from the traumatic experience is what I needed. And maybe a cup of fresh, warm tea. Raspberry tea with a hint of mint.

Unlocking my door, I entered the house and set my bag down. I opened it up and dug in it, pulling out a scented candle of "Balsam". The house deserved a better scent than tobacco. I lit it with an electric candle lighter and a lovely scent emerged from it and I gave a weak smile. I got into the kitchen and picked up a stainless steel kettle from the stove and went to fill it with water. Walking over to the sink and turning on the faucet, I looked out the window. My gaze roamed around the backyard that had trees and not as overgrown bushes with few daffodils swaying slightly in the breeze.

The kettle was halfway filled with water but my new sudden expression cause my hands to release it and it a couple dishes broke from shock. My eyes widened.

There, behind a bush was a pair of long ears.

Long, white ears.

Okay! This was a nice long chapter. I'll present the second chapter soon, so send me some reviews :D And who could those ears belong to~?