Chapter 1

So many people are here. I don't know any of them. I think I recognize a few of the people. A large but not fat woman stands in the corner and I conclude this must be the Duchess. The Duchess is here with her slave and child. Gods that child really looks like a pig, even though the duchess herself is quite beautiful. The cooking slave is younger then I expected but still as skinny and dirty. I'm surprised that Bill the lizard didn't come seeing as it was his roof I apparently fell off of. Honestly, Bill. And Ivory thinks her name is Katie. She must have lost her Whispering Ribbons. Bill will have to make her another.

Another woman stands closer to me. She is accompanied by a man in his late forties who has one hand on her arm and one around her waist.

She is looking at me like I'm god, or like god was in this awful white room. Ivory comes up to me.

"Alice, dear, these are your parents." She tells me gently.

"What the crap are you saying?!" The woman yells. "Her name is—"

"Shh!" Ivory hushes her quickly.

They keep telling me that my name isn't Alice. But it is! That what Reggie said. Ive been remembering things. I've been remembering little things for the last few days. Everything is coming back to me. I remember their names. I see their faces in my mind. Their names their stories. I know them. And I know not to trust any of them. Each of them is looking for a way to get ride of me. They've been trying to my whole life. I don't know which one is behind it, but whoever they are, its their fault that I fell off Bill's roof and I have to find out who they are before they get me. The only ones I can trust are the tea party creatures. Reggie, March, and the Doormouse. But I cant find them. I haven't seen Reggie and them in a while…

I stand by my self in a room. Reggie strolls in holding his teacup and saucer. His hat is cocked to the side, and he hiccups occasionally. He's obviously had too much tea. He and March are the only ones in the world that can get drunk and positively wasted on the stuff. Honestly. His cheeks are flushed, and he walks slightly off kilter. He saunters up and throws his arms, tea still in hand, around my waist. He NEVER does this! He's never been this inebriated before. Not even for his birthday.

'I loooooovvvve youuuuuu!' He slurs.

'Reggie! Stop this nonsense. You're drunk. You need to go to sleep.'

'Nooooooooo! I won't go! Not unless y—hiccup—ou come with me.' He managed to get out. Grabbing my hand he pulls me upstairs to his room. He starts trying to get ready for bed. Stumbling around in his drunken state, it doesn't go well.

"Reggie, sit down on the bed. Let me do it."

Gently I remove his positively mad clothing. Off come the coat and hat I love so much landing on the chair by the bed. His bow tie falls to the blanket as I undo the top few buttons on his electric blue shirt. He nuzzles his overly large freckled button nose to mine. He kisses me sloppily on the cheek. Slowly his head slides to my neck.

He pulls me to him. One hand on my back and the other on my neck. His light caramel curls tickle my cheeks and forehead as our lips touch. Our kiss is short but firm. I break away.

'Reggie! What are you d—doing?' I stammer.

'Icy, I need you. I want you to be more then a friend. I'm so s—ick of being just your friend Reggie.' He says in disgust. 'I want everyone to know your mine. I'm done with guys treating you like you're nothing!' He almost sobs.

I'm shocked. How long has he felt like this? Why hasn't he said anything. I'm so shocked I say the first thing that comes to my mind.

'Reggie! I don't feel that way. I mean I care about you. I do. And my feelings for you are very strong, but, I—I just—I don't know if love like that is what I'm—' I stop suddenly at the devastated look I see on his face. Tears roll down his cheeks.

'But, I—I love you! And—and tea. You love tea. Just like I do! And you—you…don't?' He sobs. The last word is barely above a whisper.

'No Reginald, I don't feel that way about you right now. I'm not saying I never could…but I—' I'm cut off as he breaks away from me.

'F—fine!' He hiccups. 'I'm not going to keep around if you can't feel like that.'

'No Reggie! That's not what I—' I'm cut off as he door closes. I run into the kitchen. March sits at the long tea table sipping his tea quietly. Tears well up in my eyes as I realize that he's hear every word. We sit in silence for a minute or so.

'You oughtn't to have being so hastening in your words.' He says suddenly. His words are slightly jumbled as ever. But he's and mad as the rest of them. I've lived with him and Reggie long enough that I'm more or less able to make sense of them.

'You knowledge the he is one but only thing between your living and the Ovel man. If he being the lefting, then you must being in the dangerous.' He quirks an eyebrow at me.

'I know! But he….he said he loves me! What am I suppose to do March?! He's leaving! Right now! How can I make him stay?' I sob. If Reggie leaves then my life will be over more or less. Ive been receiving notes every week or so and the minute I find and read the note there is an attempt on my life. The paper always reads

Ready or not. Here I come.

Your truly,

Mr. Ovel

It makes no sense. But after a while we realized that Reggie being near me after I read the note saves me some how. Like the last time I got the note. I walked out of the coffee shop and found the note stuck to my latte. A bus came careening around the corner out of control. Then Reggie walked out behind me with his tea and the bus just stopped inches away from me.

'You could speak at him that you are in loving by him too…' March whispers gently.

'I do love him! But not like that….I don't know if I ever will.' I know what he is going to say even before the words are out.

'Then you cant making him to stay put.' He says putting his hands on my shoulders. Tears fill my eyes once more. Marchy pulls me in and holds me tight.

'Tut, tut, no time for tears. No no. Don't want to be a drowning tea party!'

We jump at the same time as the door slams. March sighs. Slowly I make my way to the window. Reggie is piling his things into his car. As his car pulls away I feel my heart break.

March went into hiding soon after Reggie left taking his cousin Dormouse with him. There have been six almost accidents since they left. Every time there is one I see a reflection of Reggie in something. When I fell off the roof I thought I saw his reflection in a window as fell. And I'm still alive. Someone wants me dead. I don't know who or why but they are skilled and have something that stops them if Reggie is there. But now he's gone and they almost got me.

Ivory tries to calm me as I get up.

"All of you! Get the hell out of my room! I don't know any of you. Go away!" I yell at all of them. The longer they are here the mor danger I'm in. I grab Ivory's white shirt. I whisper threateningly into her ear. "Get me Reggie! He's the only one I'll see. If you bring anyone that's not Reggie into this room again I'll get you fired."