To Michael, psychology was the finest art one could aspire to. Everyone he met he already put into fine little categories five seconds before they even began speaking.
Some called him a snob. He, however, felt a snob was someone who simply thought they were better and smarter than everyone else. Michael genuinely was. People's conversations bored him. People themselves bored him. He already knew what they were going to say before they said it. There was no point in sitting around and listening to them ramble.
He had few friends to call his own. He had a cat, whom he loved. He once had a girlfriend, whom he didn't love, and she left him shortly after he did a Freudian dissection of her childhood. So now Michael was completely alone, which is probably how he preferred it anyway.
Snow wafted outside, making piles on the windowsill. He sat inside, cold, miserable and trying his hardest to concentrate on a physics textbook.
He found his eyes glazing over several times. Eventually he tossed it aside and sighed.
The ideas from the textbook swirled in his brain. He had been reading a chapter on the theory of the multiverse, and the idea stuck with him. He stared at the mirror on the wall.
What if everything it showed was a reflection of another reality? What if there were whole universes contained in something as mundane as a mirror?
That'd be interesting, he thought.
On a whim he stood and placed his hand on the glass.
His hand went through as if the mirror wasn't there. He pulled back, shocked and stared.
He stuck his hand in again. Once more his hand went through, this way all the way up to his elbow. He could see his hand on the other side of the glass as if he had stuck it in water.
The hell? he thought.
With a curious expression, he put both hands into it and fell through.
"You know what I've always wanted more than anything else in the world, Julius?" Ashe idly toyed with a small knife in her hands. She sat on the edge of his desk, much to his annoyance. "I want something to put here." She indicated towards her chest. "I want a clock of my own."
"No," Julius said simply. It was an answer he had given her a million times before.
"Give me a clock," she repeated, an edge in her voice. "I need one. I need something to go here."
"You are an exasperating girl. How many times must I explain that you aren't part of the Game? I can't just give you a clock."
She sheathed the knife and settled back on the desk. "How about if I ask nicely?"
"Get out my room," he said.
"Julius! Take pity on me!"
"Pity for what? You have a decent job. From what I see, you're well taken care of and well-fed."
"There's more to it than that." She unhappily hopped off the desk. Suddenly, she turned, as if struck by something. A wicked smile played on her face. "Hey, Julius, I can pretend to be Alice for you. Just give me what I want, and I'll be Alice any time you need. Look!" She covered her red eye, leaving only her blue one exposed. "I look just like her! Mostly."
At her suggestion, he raised an eyebrow. "You're shameless," he said, shaking his head.
"I can be a fake Alice any time you need," she continued. "I can do that, at least."
He watched her, his eyebrow still raised. "Your mother was a good person, but you are not. You couldn't be her any more than a dog could be a person by wearing a coat. It's still only a cheap imitation."
Her smile turned strained. "That's what everyone sees me as?" she said. "Well, I am pretty cheap."
The door burst open before the dialogue could continue. Bryon stood leisurely in the doorway, his arms cross.
"There she is!" he said, smiling. "Come on. You have to perform today."
"I'm not going," she said steadily. "I go when I feel like it."
"Then don't go." He leaned against the doorframe. "But Black won't like that very much."
She huffed and looked away. "Such a bother," she muttered.
"Thank you for getting her out of here," Julius said to Bryon. "Now be quick. I have work to do."
"So grouchy," Bryon said. "Aren't you supposed to be attending the Circus or something, Julius? It's kind of a rule for you Roleholders to go from what I understand."
"I will go soon," Julius said. "After you two leave."
He held up his hands. "Fine, fine. Come on, sis." He grabbed his sister's arm and pulled her. "Let's go."
Getting ready for another monotonous show drained Ashe. She hated this time. Oh, how she hated this time.
She stared at her face in the mirror, at the heavy make-up and the bright, vibrant red color on her outfit was a multicolored leotard that glistened in the light that fell from above the mirror.
Always the same thing. She went in front of the crowd and threw herself into the motions of her routine. All the while she would like nothing better than to personally kill every single one of the audience members. They were like hundreds of wardens looking in on her. The feeling left her feeling caged, even as she flew freely through the air on the trapeze.
She turned away to pull on her shoes and turned back around.
There stood a skinny dark-haired young man with pale skin. He looked around, bewildered and confused. Most curiousl, he had a face.
They stared at each other for one long moment, neither sure what to say. Questions swirled in her mind (mainly "Where the hell did you come from?") but she couldn't decide which one to ask first.
He took one look at her large sparkling earrings, her sequined outfit and her heavy makeup and immediately concluded one thing: "You're a stripper, aren't you?" he said. "If you are, this is my new favorite alternate universe."
"Huh? No."
"Then what on earth could you be?"
"A circus performer," she said dryly. "Could you please get out of my dressing room before I stab you through the gut? Thanks."
"Look, I'll just go right back through this mirror and leave you alone. I'm not interested in dying today, anyway." He turned around and walked back into the mirror.
Except this time he didn't go through. He furiously pushed against the glass.
"What the hell are you doing to my mirror?" she said.
"I came through here," he said, still fumbling against the glass. "I just…stepped on through! I know it sounds crazy, but it happened! Apparently, it doesn't work both ways. Damn." He scratched his chin and tried to determine what to do next.
"You're telling me you came through my mirror?"
"Yes."
"Oh," was her only reaction.
"You believe me?" he said.
"I don't care," she said. "I just want you to get out of here so I can finish getting ready."
"Where am I supposed to go?" he said. "I don't know this place."
"Like I said earlier, I don't care. Go play with a gun or something."
"You're a bright, sunny personality, you know that?" he said. "You're just what I was hoping to find in an alternate dimension."
She smiled. "Thank you. I try. Wait, did you just say you're not from around here?" She watched him carefully. "…If you count coming in through the mirror as not being from around here then yes."
"A foreigner," she said, an unsettling smile on her face. "Wonderful. You could be useful to me."
"What? Look, I just want to get home."
"You're not going anywhere and the moment you try I'll stab you through the throat," she said evenly.
"Uh." He stared at her in disbelief.
"You're going to stay right here at the circus." She wagged her finger in his face. "If you leave, I will hunt you down. And I'm very good at hunting people down. It's a side job. After the circus is over I'll find you and we'll figure out just what use I can get out of you."
A voice yelled from beyond the room. "Ashe! We need you out here! Your performance is starting."
"Already," she said, sounding disappointed.
"Now stay right here." She forced him to sit in a stool by the mirror. "Don't let anyone see you."
With that, she turned and left. He sat in the stool, shifting uncomfortably. After a few minutes, when he was sure she was gone, he stood. He wasn't going to listen to her threats. He was going to find a way out of there one way or the other.
"Move over," Lilly said, coming up to the tree where Pierce was sitting.
He glanced up to see Lilly standing there, the cool breeze blowing through her long dark hair. She had an unhappy look on her face.
"Give me some of your coffee," she said.
"L-Lilly?" he said.
"Don't ask questions," she said. "Just fill my cup with some coffee."
"But-" he began.
"Come on. I don't have all day," she said.
Unlike the rest of the Hatters she, couldn't stand tea. It was something that caused her father no end of grief. If she wanted to enjoy coffee, she had to do so in secret.
"A-all right," he said, his hand shaking as he poured coffee from his canteen into hers. He wasn't happy about it, but there wasn't much he could do. It was something he was used to by now. There was also the vague fear that she might turn around and tell her father if he didn't do as he was told. It was a small fear because, after all, Lilly didn't exactly want her father knowing she was sneaking coffee from the resident grave-keeper.
She sat next to him, took a sip from her cup, and pursed her lips.
"I've been needing a fix all day," she said. "I've just been craving it, but you're the only place I can find it around here." She sighed.
He scooted away from her and hoped it would end soon. He didn't particularly like the Hatter's daughter. Few people did. She was a demanding woman with a harsh temper.
"And that damn Circus is supposed to be today," she continued, sipping her coffee. "What a waste of time and resources. I've told father before that if he wanted to attack one of the other territory leaders that would be the best time. But does he? No. Because apparently that's against the rules. Everything is against the damn rules."
Pierce remained silent as she jabbered, too afraid to talk back. He was shaking, scared that if he said the wrong thing he might anger her.
"And then there's the Circus's resident slut." Her face went dark. "Does anyone like Ashe? Honestly? My hatred isn't unreasonable, is it? Of course not. She's a violent, dangerous and constantly batting her ugly little beady eyes at my father. As if he would consider her…!"
At this point Pierce knew the girl was caught up in her own world. As silent as only a mouse could be he snuck away.
"If I go she'll invariably bother me and I look forward to seeing Ashe like I look forward to a bullet in the head. And then-" She continued speaking, only to realize a minute too late she was all alone. She grumbled to herself something about 'insolence in subordinates' and continued drinking her coffee.
"Little sister." The voice was one she did not want to hear.
Surprised, she spilled some of her coffee on her front. She stared at it soaking into the fabric of her white dress and groaned.
"Is that coffee we smell?" Dee leaned towards her. "Wasn't that banned from here?"
"I think so, brother. So why would Lilly be drinking it when she knows it's against the rules?" His smile was wicked.
"Don't you dare tell anyone." she said.
"But look!" Dum pointed at her dress. "She spilled some on her. Now she's going to have to take a bath."
"Why doesn't she take a bath with us?"
She stood up furiously. "Do you want me to tell Elliot that you're harassing me again? And that you're away from your post?"
"Do you want us to tell Blood you're drinking coffee again?"
Her shoulders slumped. "Why does everyone always pick on me?"
They laughed. "Because you're so easy."
"And short."
She drew herself to full height. "Thank you for boosting my self-confidence, you overly annoying bastards, now get away from me before I kill you."
"Sorry, we can't do that. We were sent to take you with us."
"Take me-What are you-!" She protested as together they lifted her up.
"To the Circus!" said Dum cheerily.
She beat on his back. "I don't want to be carried to the circus, you nitwit! Put me down! Put me down NOW!"
They laughed at her.
"I am getting so angry," she said, dangling in their arms. "I am now ANGRY!"
"Ooh! Did you hear that? She's angry? I wonder what she plans on doing about it?"
"I'm telling Elliot," she said. "Right after I've killed you both!"
"He's the one who sent us in the first place."
"I don't believe you," she said. "He wouldn't send you. He could've sent anyone but you."
"He would if he's busy, little sister."
Dum laughed. "Look how angry she is to be so small."
"It's a wonder she can fit all that anger into her body."
"Just get me to the Circus. And if anyone sees me in this position…" She groaned. "Well, I never had much of a reputation in the first place, did I?"
They carried her off, laughing and poking fun at her the whole time.
Based (re: stole) some of the ideas from Lewis Carol's Through the Looking Glass. If anyone is wondering, I'm thinking Lilly's role is the Red Queen, a role which was in the original book Through the Looking Glass and was a distinct character from the Queen of Hearts (who is Vivaldi), believe it or not. The Queen of Hearts represents a suit from a card deck. The Red Queen represents a chess piece. BTW, I think Roleholder's do age because Alice says something in the games about Dee and Dum growing up and not needing her any more. I don't know for sure, though. All the sources I have are vague on the matter. Other plot holes and questions will hopefully be answered in the story.
