Disclaimer : I don't own any little bit of Heart no Kuni no Alice's properties. This is a work of fiction and any resemblance of event is just a coincidence.

A/N : Well, duh, I hope no one encounters something like this. It's just . . . uhealthy.

Beyond and Between : The Reality

It's really dark.

And damp.

The air has too much water vapor to my liking; I feel suffocated just from breathing. The musty smell of my unwashed body doesn't help either. However so, I still have to take it in if I were to continue living.

Although it will also be great if I am not.

I let my index finger runs through the cracked stone that serves both as the floor and my bed. The tiny clump of dust and earth crumbles into smaller bits as I put what little force I have left in my finger.

The fact that I feel the secure when I lie down on my stomach like this bothers me. What is it that makes me feel safe? The cold vibe on my cheek given by the stone? The tangy smell of metal? Or is it blood?

I don't know.

Then again, what is it that I know about? I can't even tell what time period is it now.

I roll aside, not caring that my once glossy hair turns messy and sticky from the nasty assortments splattered on the floor.

I just . . . don't care anymore.

I close my eyes, trying to retreat the sweet embrace of the dream realm.

Of course it fails.

Instead I smile at my own thought.

I am supposed to hate this, but no. Even though it's vague, I know that I have come to like it. I grow to enjoy it. Is it that I'm going crazy? Or is it a self-defense mechanism?

I don't know.

I force my eyes to shut tighter when I hear the screeching sound of metal bars getting removed, along with a rough, hasty rhythm of shoes clicking against the pavement.

No, it is inaccurate to define it as a rhythm; it is far too haphazard to be rhythmical.

Not longer than a while later, there is a small click that can only mean that the safety bolt is unlocked.

I cringe.

Along with it is the voice that is too familiar that it takes talent to mistake the owner.

"Hey, bitch. Wake up. Why are you even sleeping on that filthy floor?"

I remain as dead as a corpse, although I will not complain if I'm truly to become one.
I've tried to, but he kept interfering each time and made sure each time he found out, it would be much worse than hell itself.

"Ah, forget about it. Things like this suit a whore like you the best."

Even though I can't see his face because of the light behind his back, I can tell, however, that he has a smirk planted on.

"Hey, did you hear me? Or are you deaf now?"

I stay as I am, mustering every courage that I have to ignore him.
I expect him to throw a fit, so when he lets out a sigh out of nowhere, I am kind of taken aback.

"Never mind. I will be more surprised if you've gone obedient."

After that it is silent.

I'm tempted to open my eyes when suddenly a dull brute force hits me hard on my chest.

My body skids across the small room. The pain from the impact depraves my lungs out of any little air they have.

I really can't get my hopes high around him.

He just kicked me straight where it hurts the most. At the same time, where it won't give me a life-threatening injury.

This man is insane.

He's far too insane beyond help.

I bring my palm to the throbbing area. It seems that what he did just now fractured one of my ribs.

Now, as much as I dislike it, humid air is truly a much better choice compared to me choking on my own blood, but I'm too tired to do anything.

"Oh, playing tough. You don't even cry out?"

As if I can. Each word I form just spreads the fiery flames across my chest.

"Even though your dress dyed red from your blood, you're still not going to utter a word? Or blink a tear, perhaps?"

I look blankly at him.

Even if I want to, my tears dried since a long time ago.

"No answer? Well, that's okay. I like my toy to be sturdy."

Through the gaps between my uneven bangs, I can see the one-eyed man in front of me smiles whilst pulling out a long black object from his waist.

It's okay.

I can endure it.

Just like usual, I can do this.

Just grit your teeth and keep quiet.

Just swallow back what you have to say and it will be over.

You just have to close your eyes and nothing will go wrong.

"Hey, you agree with me, right?"

Nothing will go wrong, Alice.

"A good toy should be able to withstand minor damages."

Sharp cracks ring in the air.

Nothing. Nothing . . . Nothing . . . . . .?

"Or else,it won't be fun for this Joker, will it?"

And it is the last thing I hear as a whip comes accelerating towards my face.