Sorry! I decided to also split this one up. I felt it was getting too long and I like stories shorter. So this is a continuation of HNKNA - Shattered Clock but this is taking place in April Season!
"What do you mean by 'bothersome company' Julius?" I ask watching his face contort into annoyance.
"Already ... ?" He grumbles, aggravated as he looks back over the couch.
"IT'S FREEZING! WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO D*** COLD?!" A loud voice complains. I jump, startled as I shoot up in my seat spying an impossible sight.
"Nightmare ... ? How?" I've only seen him once before. He's an actual person?
"Of course I am!" He shouts, sniffling as he tries to control his runny nose. A thin blanket is draped over his shoulders as he blows into his hankie, trembling.
"H-How are you here?" I ask, still in shock. The only other times I've ever seen him was in my dreams and now he's here in person?
"It's too cold at Clover Tower so I'm staying here!" He stubbornly huffs, hurrying over to the fire place. When was that lit? Julius embarrassingly sighs as he gets up, briskly returning to his desk and begins working. Annoyance sparks beneath my skin. Stupid Nightmare coming in and ruining my time with Julius.
Wait a minute.
"Nightmare, you brought me here didn't you?"
"Hm? Yeah?" He says, sipping a cup of coffee he materialized out of nowhere. He blinks as he stares at my enraged face.
"YOU STUPID IDIOT WHY DID YOU THROW ME IN HERE?!" I scream jumping up from the couch. Now that he's here in person I can throttle this idiot.
"EEEEEEKKKK!" Nightmare shrieks as he makes a mad dash to the door. I leap over the couch and tackle him to the floor, easily subduing him.
"Why?!"
"I-I've explained way please don't be angry! It was all for your benefit!" He shouts trying to worm his way out from beneath me.
"I didn't ask you!"
"GREY help meeeeee!" He shouts, with tears dabbing the sides of his eyes. Grey? I gasp as a blade glints across my throat. I lean back, thumping into a hard chest as I spin around to my attacker. He has bright yellow eyes and black hair with a cigarette in his mouth.
"Please remove yourself from Nightmare's back. He has work to do." He says tapping the side of his blade to my throat.
"You're his accomplice?" Did he help throw me into this hell hole too? Then that makes him my enemy as well.
"His subordinate." My eyes narrow as I snatch the cigarette from his lips. His eyes widen, surprised.
"Don't smoke inside. It's bad for everyone." I roughly retort, getting up from Nightmare's back and make my way to the kitchen.
"Grey! Watch your manners! This is the other foreigner I've told you about!" Nightmare scolds before sneezing.
"Oh? There's another besides Alice?" Grey asks, startled. I roll my eyes as I reach the sink running the water over the cigarette before chucking it in the trash. I don't care who he is I'm not going to let him give me and Julius lung cancer. I kinda hope it's too late for Nightmare.
"GAH -!"
"A-Ah! Master Nightmare, please calm down!" Grey frets in the other room. What is he a freaking mother or his 'subordinate'? Oh man ... I'm already in a sour mood just by looking at his stupid face. My hands tremble as I grip the counter. Oh man ... that really off set me. I never expected Nightmare to come here. And who's that new guy? I hesitantly rub my neck where his cold blade touched my skin. The was startling. I jump as Julius's hand covers mine on the counter, the other one gently gliding over my throat.
"Are you alright?" He softly mutters staring at my startled face.
"H-Huh? A-A-Ah ... yeah." Wow. That shook me up a little more than I thought. I heavily sigh and run a hand through my hair. "Just startled, that's all." Julius's eyes narrow before he kisses my temple.
"I'll take care of it." He mumbles before gliding into the other room. "Nightmare; get. Out."
"Why?!" He shouts, immediately getting lively. "Are you trying to murder me? It's freezing back in Clover Tower!"
"That's none of my concern." Julius heartlessly returns.
"B-But you even have an extra room! Just let me stay there for a bit! At least until April season passes!
"No. It'll be bothersome with you here." Whew~ go Julius. Is he doing all of this just because Grey scared me?
"I-Is this because my subordinate scared Jackie? It is! GREY! Go apologize to Jackie immediately!" Nightmare shouts, throwing a temper tantrum. I roll my eyes and walk into the other room with my own fierce glare.
"Forget it. I'm going back to the Amusement Park anyway. I'll be back tomorrow, Julius."
"Huh? But you can't." Nightmare says as he tilts his head.
"Why not?"
"It's not there anymore."
"...Excuse me?" I say, shocked. How can he say that?"
"It moved so it's not here anymore. Clover Tower took its place."
"WHAT?!" I nearly scream, backing up with horror.
My clothes.
My job.
My house.
My violin.
And more importantly -
"My money!" I shout, darting out the door.
"H-Hey wait a minute it's way too cold out to go anywhere!" Nightmare shouts.
"She'll be back soon." Julius notes as I dash out the front door. Freezing air immediately slaps my face as I slip, falling face first into a thick blanket of snow. How did this build up so fast?! I breathe heavily as I run into the snow covered street, goose bumps immediately forming over my arms. No way ... Boris and Gowland. Are they really gone too? The air sticks to the insides of my lungs making it difficult to breathe.
Oh man
Oh man
Oh man please tell me it's a lie!
Gowland has warned me about moves. They come suddenly and without warning and there's no telling when they'll return. I stumble to a sloppy stop, catching myself on the fence as I look over a giant building with a clover on top. C-Clover ... Tower? Is this Clover Tower? No, more importantly ...
Where is my precious Amusement Park?
White air spills from my mouth as I heavily breathe, my mouth burning from the needle sensation attacking the gums beneath my tongue. It's a lie, right? Where is my Amusement Park? My brother's violin. My house. My job. It's ... it's all gone. I slump to my shaky knees as my heart races, all of my building up emotions clashing into one another.
Again. I've lost everything again. For my workshop back at home and now the Amusement Park. What am I going to do now? Where am I going to live? How am I going to get money to buy myself clothes? My throat closes up as tears bud up in the corners of my eyes. Why? Why does everything crumple apart when everything starts to work out for me? Every time ... every dang time -!
"Ah, Miss foreigner, there you are." The man named Grey breathes, snow crunching as he approaches. "It's much too cold to be out here hardly dressed in anything but a tank top and pants - Miss foreigner?" He asks, touching my shoulder. I look over my shoulder, clenching my teeth as my chest heaves. His eyes widen as he jerks back, startled by my tears.
"S-Sorry ... I-I-It's just a l-lot of different things." I whimper, wiping my eyes dry. Grey hesitates before gently patting my shoulder.
"Um, t-there there. It's just fine. Let's get you out of the cold first." Grey worriedly says, picking me up in his arms. I shiver and place my head against his shoulder watching as he hurries over to Clover Tower, looking almost panicked stricken as he bursts through the doors. Only a few workers are seen and all of them have fairly thick jackets on. It's really cold in here. Did the heater break?
"...Take me back to Clock Tower." I mutter, harshly shivering as I rub my arms. It was stupid of me to run out in the cold. Grey pauses before nodding his head.
"Of course." He answers, changing directions.
"...I still think you're a jerk." I sourly growl glaring at him. He blinks, slowing to a stop as he looks at me in shock.
"H-How so? We just met!"
"You took me from my home!" I growl, venting my anger out on the man. His surprise turns to understanding.
"I can understand how you would think that. But, I had nothing to do with bringing you here. That was all Nightmare's doing." He explains, picking up his brisk pace. My glare softens as I heavily sigh. Well crap I acted like a total jerk and he didn't even have anything to do with it.
"Sorry for being so rude. I thought you were part of the reason I was put here in the first place." I apologize, deeply humbled by my stupid mistake. Whoops.
"It is fine, Miss foreigner."
"...Jackie."
"I beg your pardon?"
"My name is Jackie, Grey." I answer with a soft smile. Well, now that I'm not busy hating him for no reason I can see that he's a pretty nice guy. He blinks, startled as he sheepishly looks away.
"A-Ah. Alright, Miss Jackie. My name is Grey Ringmarc. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance." He returns, suddenly embarrassed. I laugh as he slips through a door. The room immediately dims of light as his shoes click down the stone hallway. Huh? We're back in the Clock Tower?
"How did we get here so fast?"
"There is a door here which connects Clover Tower here to the Clock Tower." Grey explains.
"Nightmare, Clock Tower does not have extra rooms for numerous guests! I do not have room to accommodate you!" Julius's voice vehemently argues. I jump as a scary thought comes to mind. Crap! If he sees this he might misunderstand!
"P-Put me down!" I demand, struggling in his grasps. Grey hastily sets me on my feet as I look down the halls making sure Julius didn't see. Safe~
"Then make some! I refuse to return until the heater is fixed! Besides, you've got an extra bedroom for Alice I know you do!" A knife stabs my painfully throbbing chest at the mention of her name. That's right. Sometimes Alice would stay over here with Julius. Heck, she stayed here for most of her time here in Wonderland!
"Jackie? Are you alright?" Grey asks, touching my shoulder. I jump and spin around, startled before recovering.
"Y-Yeah. Just c-c-c-cold." I stutter, entering the room to fine Julius standing up, tightly gripping his desk and looking like he wants to throw it at Nightmare. Nightmare hides behind the couch, refusing to back down.
"Leave!"
"No! Me and Grey can just stay in the extra room while you and Jackie share a room! See? Perfect!" Nightmare growls pointing at Julius. The room falls dead silent as an uncomfortable tension sets in on the room. Julius's expression falls into a poker face as he struggles to think of a comeback knowing that I am in the room as well. Oh boy ...
"T-That's fine, Nightmare. I'll just s-stay in Julius's room." I tremble both with anxiety and cold as I agree to it, rubbing my arms. All heads turn towards me as if acknowledging me for the first time. I nod before turning down the hallway. "N-N-Now if y-y-ou e-excuse me ... ," I mumble, walking down the hall as I vigorously rub my arms. Wow it's freezing. Not as cold as Clover Tower but close to it.
I silently slip into Julius's room noting how clean it is. It doesn't surprise me. He needs to be a very neat person to handle all these clocks and such. I shakily look over my wet clothes trying to ignore the numbing cold nipping at my skin. I can't go to sleep in this. I'll freeze to death! Maybe I can just sleep on the couch out in Julius's office? I jump as the door opens and quickly shuts behind me revealing Julius's wide eyes.
"W-What are you doing? Get those clothes off! You look like you're about to freeze to death." He nervously frets with a weak scowl, hurrying over to his small walk in closet. He quickly pulls down his silk pajamas giving me his top. "Here. Get dressed in this."
"T-Thanks, Julius." I stutter, slipping into the bathroom. Hm. This feels very soft. I quickly peel off my wet clothes and bound my chest with some well placed bandages that were above the sink within the mirror. I'm glad my underwear escaped the wet though. Even if it didn't I'd rather shoot myself then face Julius without underwear on. I take a shaky breath trying to calm my nerves. Relax. It's just Julius. He's a good man. Nothing is going to happen. Besides, I've slept in the same bed as him before so it's not a problem. I brave up and peek out the door spying Julius untying his long hair. He is wearing a tight black shirt along with the silk bottoms. I slightly flush as I enter the room shutting the door behind me.
"T-Thanks for the shirt, Julius." I say refusing to meet his gaze. He does the same with a faint flush
"I'm sorry I do not have pants for you. Nothing would fit." He apologizes, slipping into the bed. I take a deep breath. Come on Jackie. Man up!
"T-T-That's alright." I quickly cross the floor, needles driving into my feet with each step over the freezing floor. So cold! I practically dive onto the single bed and slip under the sheets, doing my best not to touch Julius. If I touch him I just know I'm going to go crazy! I remain tense as I flip over with my back facing his. This feels so strange ...
"I'm sorry I do not have the proper bed size." Julius says, breaking the tense silence.
"T-That's fine, Julius." Who could have ever seen this coming?
"Are you still cold?" I hesitate before sighing. What's the point of lying at this point.
"Very." I admit, shuddering as I try to curl up into a ball.
"That's because you were so foolish as to go out without even a coat on." He remarks as the bed shifts. I tense as his arm scoops me up, flipping me over and onto his chest. My breathing hitches as I lay over his chest, my head over his clock.
"W-W-What -,"
"It's warmer for you, isn't it?" He asks with a faint flush I barely see in the dark. I reassess my feelings, pushing my embarrassment aside.
"Y-Yeah."
"Good." He says, kissing my forehead. "No get some sleep. I doubt we'll have very many peaceful days in the time changes to come." He grumbles clearly upset with nightmare's presence. I sigh and snuggle closer listening to his ticking clock.
Ha ... he's really nervous too. His clock is ticking really fast. His arm wraps around my waist as he props his other hand beneath his head for a self made pillow. I softly rub my fingers over his chest, a nervous tick, as I try to relax. Oh man ...
What have I gotten myself into?
