It all happened so fast.

One second Alice had crossed over into another country, the next she was being chased by the guards of the castle.

Why is this happening? She thought in the panic. Ducking beneath some shrubbery, she prayed that they wouldn't find her. They were so aggressive, so much different from the Heart guards.

Feet ran in front of her face and yells stretched out in the expanse before being taken away by the wind. Once she thought that they had left the area, Alice sat up and tried to calm herself down.

What is with this place? Are they also fighting and thought I was someone from another territory? Getting up, she patted the dirt off her dress. She tired to figure out what is going on and where she should go. Looking around, it seemed like the Joker forest. Except the colorful signs... were all broken and the paint on most of them had chipped off. She began to walk on an old over grown path, chilled by the dense upper canopy.

"What do we have here?" The voice startled her, causing Alice to whirl around, trying to find the source.

Up in a tree, laid a girl who looked about Alice's age. Her clothes were black, with accents of hot pink. From what Alice could see, she wore a black button up shirt that had pink stripes on the shoulders, going down to a larger chuck of pink at the cuff of the short sleeve. Black short shorts, decorated with a pink belt with pink suspender clipped to them. She had one of the suspenders on her shoulder and the other one swaying in the wind by her hip. A pink choker with a bell was around her neck, along with a pink tie. The rest, black thigh high stockings and knee high black boots were barely in sight. What truly caught Alice's attention was the color of her hair and the cat ears and tail. Her hair was a bright magenta, tied in a fish tail off to one side. She had a bow by one of her equally magenta ears and one on her pink and purple stripped tail.

She is a female Boris. Alice thought.

"What's your name?" She called again, interrupting the blondes thoughts.

"What?" The cat girl tilted her head to the side.

"I said, what's your name?"

"Alice," the blonde replied, feeling a strange sense of familiarity in this situation. The cat girl laid on her stomach on the branch, kicking her legs back and forth.

"Dinah." It took Alice a moment to realize that she must have said her name.

Dinah? The name was like a fresh breeze, a familiar scent, full of comfort. For some reason, even if she looked like Boris, there wasn't this feeling that she was dangerous or had feelings that she wanted to hurt Alice. Instead, she seemed playful, with a wide grin on her face, tail swaying to and fro. She was like a kitten.

Perhaps a kitten Alice once knew.

But it hurt to think, to remember.

"It's dangerous for a girl like yourself to be here. I should probably take you to the boss, she'll know what to do."

"Boss?" Alice was perplexed.

"Yup! She's great!" Dinah said while jumping down from the branch. "The boss will help. We better hurry or I'll get in trouble." She grabbed Alice's hands and pulled her along the broken path. "I work at the prison." Her tone was so happy, it almost frightened Alice. She thought back to the Jokers and their intentions.

"Prison!?" Alice cried, she stopped following. Dinah looked back at her, a confused look on her face.

"Yeah... Are you scared? Don't be! We don't have any prisoners." This comment only bewildered Alice more.

"What do you mean?" She asked Dinah. The cat girl sighed, placing her hands behind her head.

"The boss may seem mean at first, but she is a big ol' softy on the inside. She doesn't like to lock people away..." Her voice trailed off into thought. "It's just me... and her. Oh! And the boss's pets."

"Her pets?" The smirk returned to Dinah's face as she grabbed Alice's hands again.

"Yeah! They are super cool. Come on, come on." She pulled Alice along the path until it broke out into a barren field. Beyond, Alice could see a circus, or what were remains of it.

"What happened?" Alice asked in a hush tone, afraid to talk in this silent place.

"Umm... you'll have to ask the boss that. It's...ah- a personal thing. Come on." Dinah began to push Alice on a different path. They had to walk up a cliff to reach the worn prison on top.

Dinah was right.

The concrete was cracked, ivy flourished on many sides of the building. From what she could see from the front, Alice could say that it looked like it had been abandon.

"Sorry about the place. It's just me and the boss... and well, the Carpenter is busy with her new resort she's been working on." Dinah lead Alice inside of the decrypted building. Going through a few gates, they passed an area, x'd off with tape. Dinah wanted to push Alice passed it as fast as she could. They made it to the top floor, Dinah leading to a large, double door.

"Hold on, I'll peek if the boss is in... Boss? Yeah, I got here... Come on in." Dinah stepped aside, pulling the door wide open enough to Alice to step in as well. It was a large yet empty office. There where only a few chairs, bookshelves, and the desk in front of the large bay window. Alice could see a woman, her hair long and the brightest red she had ever seen. Splashes of orange were tangled in the curtain, almost making it look like fire. The woman turned, a cold, cruel glare in her icy blue/purple eyes. Even as far away as Alice was, her eyes were piercing and fierce.

"What did you bring me Dinah?" Her tone was strangely pleasant. Deeper than most women she had met, but it almost seemed seductive.

"I brought you Alice!" The ever chipper cat grinned, saluting. The woman sighed, the coldness dropped from her exterior. She sat down in the large chair that was behind the desk and she gave Alice a lazy look.

"Alice huh... Haven't heard that name for a long time." She took of the military style hat from her head, smoothing out her hair. "Most people call me either Boss, General, but my name is Celty. I run this prison. What brings you into the Looking Glass?"

"Looking Glass?" Alice asked. It become clear that she didn't know where she was. Dinah had pushed her forward to take a seat in front of the woman. She looked more like a military general than a warden.

"You don't know... Well then, the rumors are true. What do you think boss?" Dinah leaned against the arm on Alice's chair. Celty sighed, seeming to be stressed.

"What is it?" Alice asked, concern in her voice. Something about this world felt more comforting and open than Wonderland. It helped Alice feel more open to the inhabitants.

"You must have come through the Looking Glass mirror. See, we used to be connected to Wonderland. The Red and White kingdoms were on good terms with the countries in Wonderland...But.." Celty sighed, looking out her window at the ruined circus. "Things happened here and there. The Red kingdom over threw the White, leaving it in ruins. This caused friction between the worlds, at least on the Wonderland side. From what I know, the Red King is awaiting to reconnect, but Wonderland wont give him the time of day." Celty finished, looking at the lone book on her desk.

"So... why is it dangerous here? Are you still in a civil war?" Alice asked. The other females exchanged glances.

"Civil war? So that's what is going on the other side... No, we're not, but it's still not safe for someone like you. Well, I doubt we'll be able to get you back to the Red castle-"

"How did you know I came from there?" Alice asked. Celty's face twitched.

"It's the only functional connection to Wonderland. The other in the White Castle was destroyed and well..."

"Yes?" Alice seemed eager to know more about this place, not wanting to leave yet.

"The one here is in some disrepair. Hmm..." Celty stood up, but Alice could see a slight look of pain in her face. The red head quickly turned away, grasping the desk for support. "You, meaning you and Dinah, will have to get the pieces that were separated to the role holders. They are all different types of gears." Alice could see the limp in her as she reached the bookshelf. Taking out a folded piece of paper out, she returned to the desk to lay out a map. "They are scattered throughout the land. The Hattress's mansion is where you will find Anastasia, Elise, and those twins. Anastasia in my opinion is an annoying, fashion centered woman. They produce the clothing and tea as well. I would get in and out of there as soon as possible."

"Why?" Hattress... The name is like Blood, but she wasn't in the mafia.

"You don't want to be forced into one of her fashion shows." Dinah cut in, a visible shiver graced her shoulders.

"But you will probably face Dumpty and her bodyguard before you hit the Hattress's." Dinah giggled at the name. "I would make sure to take your best manners there. After you hit them, you'll have to go to the ruins of the White Castle. This will probably be the easiest. Mist was an old friend of mine, with Dinah with you, she'll give you the piece. You'll then have to cross the river to the Witch's house. Serah is a very logical person, but hates company. If you make your point as fast as possible, the better. Last is the Resort."

"The worst there is sitting through Lucy's act." Dinah said.

"Then you will be back here. Try to avoid the border of the Red Castle as much as you can. They will be looking for you." Celty finished.

"Why?" Alice couldn't help her curiosity. Celty's eyes slightly narrowed.

"Because you came from Wonderland."