I could see many shades of green and brown around me, but everything was blurred and confusing. It was like looking through a cheap kaleidoscope. It took me a while, but eventually my eyes began to focus. A leaf, a tree, another tree, more trees. I finally concluded that I must be in a forest. I took a moment to gaze at the canopy above me. I couldn't seem to remember how I had gotten there or what forest I was in. But then, all at once, I remembered. The hole, the voice, being pushed, and the horrible fall. I wondered if I was dead. Was this Heaven? This was not at all how I had ever imagined Heaven would look like, but I suppose nobody ever came back to describe it. I decided to investigate the area. I got up and walked around a bit. I didn't see an end to the forest in any direction. I searched and searched until I felt foolish. I began seeing the same trees over and over again, which meant I was going in circles. I sighed and plopped down beneath a tree. Would I die out here? But...if this was Heaven, I couldn't die...could I? Before I could get too depressed, a gunshot broke through my thoughts. I fell over in surprise, then cautiously pushed myself back up to a sitting position. I was on guard, but it sounded quite far away, so I didn't feel like I was in any immediate danger. But only a couple seconds later, there was another gunshot that sounded a lot closer. Then I could hear voices. Two male voices yelling at each other. It sounded like one of them was pursuing the other. Somehow I knew this would end badly, and they were heading right for me!

I jumped up and bolted out of the path of the incoming men. The adrenaline pumping through my body allowed me to climb up a tree with ease. When I felt I was high enough, I hugged the tree and watched the scene below, still breathing hard. The two men came into view. They were both dressed in suits. One of them had a gun. The other one, who seemed to have been running for a very long time, fell to the ground. He rolled onto his back and pleaded to the man with the gun. I was too far away to make out very many words, but it sounded like it had something to do with money. The man with the gun did not seem fazed by the begging. He shot him dead. Right there. I had never seen someone die before. I gasped and fell out of the tree. I hit the ground with a loud thud. Luckily, there were a lot of leaves on the ground that saved me from a lot more pain. But even still, the air was knocked out of me. I heard the killer exclaim in alarm. I was a little dizzy and not feeling 100%, but I knew that if I wanted to live, I had to run. I ran and ran and ran until I thought I was going to fall like that man had. I hid behind the biggest tree nearby and waited, my mind racing.

(So now you're all caught up to speed. I can't explain my life like it is a story anymore. I have no idea what will happen now.)

The running footsteps are getting close at a rapid pace and I begin running again. A bullet whizzes by me, grazing my right shoulder. I cry out in pain, but I don't stop. After several minutes, I don't hear anymore footsteps behind me. Relieved, I slow down to a walk and turn around. Nobody in sight. I can rest now. But when I turn around, my stomach gets the rollercoaster feeling again. The armed man is right behind me, aiming his gun at my heart.

"Wait!" I huff, "Wait, please! If you are going to kill me...please tell me why!"

The man looked at me like I was disgusting. "I don't know who you are, but you heard too much. It is my duty to the Hatter residence to kill you."

I stare at him, dumbfounded. "Hatter...residence? I don't know what you are talking about! Please! I didn't hear anything, I just was hiding because I heard gunshots!"

"I'm sorry," he said without sadness in his eyes, "But I still have to kill you."

Bang!

...

...

Am I dead...? I open my eyes and see the same forest as before, and I feel no pain. I feel something strange, however. Something wet. I look down at myself and see that I am covered in blood! I almost faint from the sight. But I am confused why I do not hurt if I am bleeding. Then I realize. It is not my blood. I look in front of me and see the man with the gun on the ground with a pool of blood around him. He had fired with his gun, but his aim was skewed because he had been attacked. But by whom? Then I slowly look further in front of me. A tall figure in a brown tattered cloak and a white mask stood ominously in the clearing, holding a sword that was still dripping with blood. He looks at me curiously. I quickly decide that I need to speak my gratitude. It would be rude to stay silent, even if he did look as scary as he did.

"Th..thank you. Very, very much. You saved my life! I—"

"Don't think that I won't kill you," he smirked.

My smile disappeared instantly. "Um..what?...but—"

"You just don't look like you're from around here. Are you a spy, perhaps?"

"N-no! I'm just—"

"But of course, a spy would say no..."

Suddenly, I become very angry. "I'm not a spy, okay?! I don't know where I am, I don't know who those men were, and I just want to go home!" I stunned myself. Did I just say that? I wanted to go home? Back to where I felt trapped and alone? My thoughts were interrupted by laughter.

"You have quite the short temper," he laughed.

This appalled me. "Of course I'm angry! You just threatened to kill me!"

It could have been my imagination, but it appeared as if his expression softened up a little.

"Alright, I'll let you explain yourself. Where did you come from?"

"Um...I'm not really sure where I am now, but I'm from Minnesota."

I watched as the man's expression turned from amused to confused to shocked. "Are you...an outsider?"

"Well..we are both...outside?"

The man continued to look shocked. "Forgive me! That was a very rude introduction! My name is Ace and I am a knight of the Queen's. What is your name?"

Is this actually happening right now? He began to talk as though nothing had happened! But I decided to play along, since he wasn't speaking of killing me at the moment. "My name is Kelly...I am a... high school student?" I don't really have a special title to give, so that's the best thing I could come up with. I try to reach out my hand to shake hands with him, but a sharp pain in my shoulder stops me. In all the commotion, I had completely forgotten about the bullet that had grazed my shoulder. I use my other arm to pull back my hair and examine the damage. The wound doesn't look too serious, but it is worse than most injuries I have ever received. Suddenly I feel really dizzy. Injuries have always made me feel dizzy. The more I think about it and the more I stare at the blood, the more the world swirls around and around. Then I passed out.