It was a beautiful afternoon in Clover Country and everyone was doing whatever they could to enjoy it. Faceless of all ages littered the streets, some of which were shopping and others that were busy at work. Children could be seen either walking with their parents or playing amongst one another; much of which ran into a nearby candy shop. Role Holders, although none seen around town, went about their own business; some relaxing like Boris in the forest and others working hard like Elliot March. Also enjoying the afternoon were Wonderland's two foreigners, Alana Greenburg and Avery Fernandez.

Alana had been the first of the two to enter Wonderland. Much like Alice, she had been brought in against her will by Peter. Not because he fell in love with her but because he believed Alice was lonely and needed a friend from her world. Worse of all, she had been chosen by random; leaving her memories completely intact. Memories that haunted her soul and caused her to distrust everyone around her.

Because of this, Alana acted cold and distant towards everyone for a few time periods; including Alice. It wasn't until Nightmare witnessed a memory based nightmare that he understood the extent of what was going on. It took some time but with his help, and the alteration of her memories, the nineteen year old slowly began to open up and reveal her true self to the citizens of Wonderland.

Avery came sometime after Alice disappeared from Heart Country. Unlike Alana, however, she had been brought in for reasons only Nightmare knew of; with memories already altered. Also, unlike the other two, Avery hadn't been kidnapped by Peter but fell into the rabbit hole while out walking her dogs. When she first arrived in Wonderland, she was nervous, had little confidence and would constantly apologize for things she didn't need to. These things got better as time went by but the girl was no more used to Wonderland than when she first arrived.

The most unexpected thing about Avery, aside from her unusual height, had to be her dogs. A German Shepherd named Jaiden and a Doberman Pinscher named Jett. Somehow, unbeknownst to Nightmare, both had followed Avery when she fell into the rabbit hole. It was a mystery to the incubus how they were able to do such a thing, especially under the circumstances Avery came to Wonderland. It shouldn't have been possible but, however it happened, the two dogs remained and lived with both girls at Clover Tower.

"How do you do it, Alana?" Avery sighed as she watched a faceless couple walk in the opposite direction as them. As she walked, she held a firm grip on Jaiden's leash as he excitedly tugged forwards.

"Do what?" Alana asked, turning her head to her friend in confusion. She herself was holding onto Jett's leash, who was also pulling forwards though not nearly as roughly as Jaiden.

"Cope so well with all this." Avery clarified, using her free hand to motion around her. "I've been here for a while and I'm still not completely used to Wonderland."

Alana stopped walking and blinked slowly, caught off guard by the statement. Avery thought she coped? Well, compared to her, she supposed it made sense. Avery had only been in Wonderland a short while compared to the numerous time periods she had. Alana was able to experience so much more and had far more time to get used to things. The only problem with that was, Alana wasn't completely used to how Wonderland worked. The moment she thought she understood it, something new happened. Such as the move from Heart Country to Clover; which had happened only a few dozen time periods ago.

"Truthfully, I don't think I cope as well as you think. There are still plenty of things I'm not completely used to either. Every time I think I understand what's going on, it twists into something different. There are some things that don't phase me as much anymore but I think that's because I've been here longer. I also try not to think too hard about the things that don't make much sense." The brunette finished with a light chuckle and flashed her friend a grin. Avery weakly smiled back and slowly nodded.

"I- I suppose so. It's just- it's just I don't even know why I was brought here in the first place. All Nightmare will tell me is that it's for my happiness." She explained, her voice cracking slightly. Alana frowned and watched as Jaiden trotted over to Avery and licked her hand.

"I know this might not help, but consider yourself lucky. I was brought into Wonderland completely at random. Apparently some of the Role Holders thought the girl here before me was lonely and needed a friend from our world." The girl admitted softly. Having not been told this bit of information before, Avery looked at the shorter girl in surprise.

While Avery was unsure why she was in Wonderland at least she knew it was for her best interests. Or at least that is what she had been told. So, when Alana told her the reason she was brought in, Avery couldn't help but feel sorry for her. To be brought into a place like Wonderland against one's will was horrible. For it to be for a selfish reason was even more horrible. Avery herself didn't get the chance to meet Alice before she disappeared but that didn't matter. What the Role Holders did to Alana was selfish, plain and simple; she was pulled in for Alice's benefit, not her own.

"I'm sorry." Avery apologized as she lovingly stroked Jaiden's head. The dog panted happily and greeted the petting with more licks.

"Don't be, I'm over it. Besides, it's not like I have much of a life back in our world anyways. My mother's a controlling tyrant and my father did little to stop her. It's why I ran away in the first place. All I have left is my brother, but he'd want me to be happy." Alana said with a chuckle and used her free hand to wave it off. Avery looked as though she wanted to say more but bit her tongue as the two continued towards the park.

As they walked, Avery smiled fondly as Jaiden eagerly pulled forward. He knew exactly where he was going and seeing him, as well as Jett, so happy made her feel a lot better. It wasn't very often that the two dogs got to go outside. They were allowed out on the balcony from time to time but, unless they had to use the bathroom, were otherwise trapped inside Clover Tower. It wasn't that Nightmare forbade them from leaving or anything like that, but rather because they were former police dogs.

Avery didn't like it and she wished she could allow her dogs out more, but understood the risks behind it. Though retired, Jaiden and Jett's training never left them and, in a world filled with 'criminals', it was dangerous to let them run around. Especially when they were trained to chase down people who ran from them. That was partly why Jett wore a muzzle when out for walks. He was the more dangerous of the two, and the youngest. Jaiden himself wasn't nearly as dangerous but often got himself into trouble. He was an elderly but very smart and hyperactive dog.

Surprisingly not a lot of people were at the park when the girls arrived. A few kids ran around as their parents watched from benches but otherwise it remained pretty empty. Considering how busy the streets and stores were, one would think the park would have at least a few more people in it. However, that was honestly probably for the best. While it was unlikely either dog would hurt the kids, Jett was somewhat testy if too many people were around; especially if he felt they were running from him.

The second the girls unhooked the dogs, Jaiden ran for the nearest group of kids, with Jett following close behind. Avery wasn't worried and smiled as Jaiden circled one of the kids before flopping onto his side. The elderly dog often liked to play with the kids whenever he came to the park; especially if they rubbed his belly and gave him treats. As for Jett, though still unlikely he'd hurt the kids, he had his muzzle on. Plus, he knew better than to jump on someone when it wasn't for work; though a few of the parents did look a little concerned.

With no nearby benches free, the girls sat on the ground and watched the dogs play. The grass in Wonderland had a cool softness to it that Alana had always admired. She could easily fall asleep on it which was good considering she found herself camping with Ace every now and then. Avery also enjoyed the grass but more so for the sake of her dogs than herself. Fortunately, she hadn't had the displeasure of camping with Ace... yet. Alana had made sure to warn her about his bad directions and, luckily, Ace had not yet had the chance to force Avery to go with him.

"By the way, Avery, have you been feeling well lately?" Alana asked after a few minutes of silently pulling at the grass. With a blink of confusion, Avery pulled her gaze away from her dogs and looked to her friend curiously.

"Huh? Y- yeah. Why do you ask?" She asked, surprised by the sudden question. The brunette uncomfortably fidgeted slightly and tried, but failed, to hide a worried frown.

"I'm asking because you haven't been looking good for some time now." She answered softly, her tone worried. Avery bit her bottom lip and turned to look away from Alana.

"O- oh. I'm sorry." Avery apologized meekly. Figuring that she took her statement the wrong way, Alana's eyes widened as she quickly held up her hands, dropping the grass that was in them as she did so, and shook her head.

"No, that's not what I meant!" She said quickly and lowered her hands with a small sigh. "I mean you look sick."

It was true, Avery really did look sick. Really sick. Like, should probably go see a doctor or should have stayed in bed sick. Her skin, which was normally a tanned olive color, had become so pale that it almost rivalled Nightmare's. Dark circles formed around her eyes and even her hair seemed to dull in color. She wasn't coughing or sneezing, nor had she complained of headaches or chills. In truth, Alana would have probably preferred if her friend had those systems. At least that way she'd have an idea what was wrong with Avery.

Alana had actually noticed her friend getting sick a few time periods ago but had paid it little attention. Oh, she was still concerned but figured Avery was just over tired and not eating well. After all, Gray's food was so inedible animals wouldn't eat it and Avery did admit to having a hard time sleeping in new places. To Alana it made sense that her friend would look a little sick because of these two things. However, now Avery looked nearly as sick as Nightmare and it worried her.

Actually, now that she thought of it, Alana was surprised that Gray didn't stop them from leaving the Tower. She knew how over reactive the man could get when he thought either one of them was hurt or sick. All Role Holders insisted that outsiders were much weaker than them but Gray seemed to take it to a new level. Hell, he once covered the girls in a mountain of blankets because he thought they'd freeze otherwise. Luckily he didn't do that anymore but he still had a tendency to overreact when one of them even gave off a hint of being sick.

"Oh. W- well, I guess I just haven't been sleeping all that well with everything that's been going on." Avery replied with a small stutter and forced tired smile. Alana's frown deepened and she sighed deeply when she realized her friend wasn't going to admit anything.

In all honesty, Avery's response didn't surprise Alana all that much, though it did disappoint her a bit. Ever since they met in Heart Country, Alana knew how stubborn the taller girl could be. It was a trait she both loved and hated about her. She herself could be quite stubborn so she could understand when Avery would do things against being told otherwise. On the other hand, it annoyed her when she denied or neglected things; even if it wasn't intentional. Such as caring more about the health and well-being of others over herself. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing but could become a little annoying to those that cared about her.

Though reluctant to do so, Alana dropped the subject and returned to watching the dogs play. As much as she wanted to, the brunette knew nothing good would come out of pushing the subject. Avery was just way too stubborn to admit she needed help. Even if Alana outright told her she knew she wasn't just sleep deprived, Avery would find some way to avoid the subject. Most times she'd try to change the subject or, if that didn't work, would stop responding altogether. Sometimes she'd even walk away. She had done it many times before so, with how sick she looked, Alana didn't want her walking off.

As a silence grew between the two girls, Avery frowned as she tried to hide just how bad she actually felt. Both physically and mentally. She had noticed a few time periods ago that she seemed to be getting sick. Since there were no symptoms aside from weakness, Avery truly believed that the cause was from lack of sleep. Then the weakness began getting worse. By this point Avery felt so weak that she struggled to walk long distances. It had been her determination and will power alone that allowed her to make it as far as the park. How she managed to make it without so much as stumbling, however, was impressive.

After a couple minutes, Avery released a small sigh and pulled her gaze away from her dogs to look at Alana. She felt bad for lying to her. Really bad. She knew all her friend wanted was to help her; as did the people back at Clover Tower. It wasn't as if she opposed getting help, though. In fact, she acknowledged that she should probably see a doctor before she got worse. Yet that would only make everyone worry, and she didn't want that to happen.

Ever since she was a child, Avery disliked being fussed over. She also disliked making people worry about her. Growing up, Avery had learned to be independent. So much so that, when she got older, it was her that took care of her older brothers rather them take care of her. She was the one that cooked for them, cleaned for them and helped nurse them when they got sick. Of course that wasn't to say that, while she didn't liked to be fussed over, she didn't enjoy being spoiled every now and then.

'I'm sorry Alana. I wish I could tell you the truth. Please don't hate me. I promise- I promise I'll see a doctor soon.' The former MMA fighter thought and turned her head back towards the dogs.

The girls sat silently in the grass for about an hour before the time period finally switched to evening. The children who had been playing with the dogs all groaned when their parents declared it was time to go home. One by one, everyone started to leave until only Alana, Avery and the dogs were left. With no other kids around to play with, a still very energetic Jaiden took to tackling Jett, much to the Doberman's annoyance.

"M- maybe we s- should h- head back to t- the T- tower now. I- it's get- getting late." Avery suggested weakly and slowly, and shakily, pushed herself to her feet. Alana frowned as she noticed this and pushed herself to her own feet with ease.

"Avery, are you sure you are feeling alright?" She asked, stressing the question as concern flooded her every fibre. Avery was stuttering far worse than she usually did and it looked as though she was ready to keel over.

"Y- yeah, I- I'm fi- fine-" She breathed and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Before Alana could react, Avery fell backwards and landed on the ground with a hard thud.

"AVERY!"

So if you read this as a one shot you can likely see some differences. Well I edited it slightly (sorry for lingering mistakes) Some things were just a little OOC for Alana and I wanted to add a few things here and there to explain other stuff, and change other stuff that I think fits better and makes sense. Doing this has also made this 943 words longer. I will be posting chapter 2 in a week and, though I will post it regardless, I'd like to ask for at least 5-10 reviews.

Avery and the two dogs belongs to peekodemeeko12. I haven't fully decided on love interests for the girls so the character category might change later on.