Chapter 2: Let the Game Begin, Alice!
All Alice could hear was her scream. All she could feel was this strange rabbit-man holding her tight. She at last dared to open her eyes, peered cautiously at the man. His white hair was silky soft, and his red eyes were like rubies. "It's going to be alright, Alice," he said gently, stroking her hair. No, petting her. The feeling was so comforting, she forgot her fears. Before she knew it, they'd stopped falling, and were sitting on a tower roof. It was night, and the moon was full.
Alice whimpered upon seeing it. She was a born-wolf, and could partially control the Shifts, but the sight of the full moon, her one true enemy, still scared her.
Peter's POV:
I felt her cling to my jacket, trying to hide from the light of the moon. I thought she looked lovely in the moonlight, but I knew why she would fear it, why she feared what it might make her do. Alice wasn't an ordinary girl. Far from it. She'd been born into a Pack of Werewolves, and had the instincts of both her human and beast sides. I'd known that when I'd shown myself in my rabbit form, but even though I loved her, it had still scared me when she'd snarled and lunged at me with that predatory glint in her beautiful green eyes. If her human side hadn't regained control, she would've ripped me to shreds.
I quickly pulled the vial from my jacket pocket and offered it to her. "Here, drink this, and you'll have full control over your powers," I said. It was the truth. The moment the potion inside hit her stomach, she'd have complete and total control over her abilities. She looked at it suspiciously. "How do I know it's not poison?" she growled. It was happening. She was losing control. I had to get her to drink it, whether she wanted to or not, or all that would be left of me would be a few shreds of fabric and a broken, chewed-up clock! Why did the moon have to be full tonight of all nights?!
Without hesitation, I poured the potion into my mouth, gripped her chin, and pressed my lips to hers. I heard her yelp in surprise, giving me the opportunity to insert my tongue and feed her the potion. She whimpered meekly, then swallowed the medicine, panting when I released her lips. It quickly began to take effect. Her eyes lost that hungry, wolfish glint, and her fangs returned to a more reasonable length. Her gaze became drowsy, then her eyes were closed, and she was asleep. I gently laid her down on the hard, cold stone floor, stroked her head. She whined softly, comforted, perhaps, by the touch. "Let the Game begin, Alice," I whispered, before leaving her in the hands of the Tower's grim owner. I knew she'd be alright. After all, if the Mortician tried to hurt her, she could easily fight back.
About half an hour later...
Julius's POV:
I sat at my work table, the clock I had just finished repairing in my hand, when I sensed an unfamiliar presence in my Tower. Something new, different, and possibly dangerous. Following my instincts, I found the source of this disturbance at the top of my Tower. A young girl lay on the cold floor, either asleep or unconscious. She was clearly an Outsider, for I could see her face. Gripped tightly in her pale hand was the empty Medicine of Hearts vial. She was shivering from the cold night air. I couldn't just leave her here to become ill and die, so I carefully picked her up and carried her inside.
I set her on the couch in my workroom, wrapped a blanket around her to keep her warm. I brushed a few strands of hair out of her face, heard her whine softly in her sleep. She was leaning into my touch! What did she think she was, a domestic pet or something? But... it was quite cute.