Greetings! I want to apologize for chapter two. This is exactly the next morning after it was posted, and after rereading it I saw that I had made too many careless spelling and grammer mistakes and I hope they didnt cause too much of a confusion in what was going on for you readers..I've decide that there is NO WAY I am ever finishing or starting a chapter at any time past midnight ever again. Sorry for any inconviences and I hope that this PROOF READ chapter will make up for it..I'm thinking of making Chibi Gremlin my Beta, she's really the only one who pushes me to finish chapters. Anyways, enjoy!

I stood up and stepped out of the boat, standing in front of Rin defensively. This was too easy, how could we have possibly found her so quickly. Normally in books it takes two days to a week to find the first opponent after following a long trail of evil deeds they had reeked on the environment in the surrounding area. So why.."What do you want!"

She just stood there with a bewildered expression. She looked as though she had no idea who I was. But my double said that her second self was the one who attacked me last night. So wouldn't she know the face of the person she sent it after..? She only narrowed her eyes, placing her hand on her hips. "Look kid, you didnt seem to be from around here so I was looking to see if you two were okay. It's not often someone dares to go down this river."

I cautiously lowered my arms, though didnt let my gaurd down. "Why..? What's wrong with this river..?"

"What are you, stupid?" She bursted out. "This is the longest River in Wonderland! It flows right through all three of the main territories plus the castle! If anyone stays at the river too long they'll get swept away out of their own territory and into the next where they'll be murdered!"

Rin hopped out of the boat and hugged my arm, staring at the red woman. "Then why go to the River at all..?"

"It's to check to make sure it's still blue.." She said.

But why would that be good enough for Rin? She asked "Why would it be any other color?" Which is a good question..but did we want to know the answer?

"Because.." The woman turned her back to us and stared at the trees. "When the water turns completely red..it means we lost the game."

I was just about to ask what game she was talking about but she had cut me off, telling us she would take us to her town to stay with her until we were rested enough to leave.

She explained the rules of 'the game' on the way there. She said that a long time ago, a girl named Alice fell into Wonderland. She had no idea where she was or how she got there but she wanted to go home. She met so many different characters who all liked and hated her. Only few who knew her were said to still be alive.

Alice was the one who had set Wonderland free of the rule of the Queen of Hearts. A selfish ruler who would mold Wonderland into her 'perfect' vision. And anyone who stood in the way of that vision would loose their head without a second chance to speak.

Alice's friends had told her that she was the chosen one to go and defeat her. But she was just a little girl of age seven. What could she possibly do? Apperantly, it was a lot.

With the help and encouragment of the people of Wonderland, Alice went into battle. And in the relentless battle of pain and blood, Alice killed the Queens precious pet: The Jabberwocky.

The Queens kingdom was at an end. And Wonderland and ruled that the Queen should be punished like everyone else who had died by her hands..By losing her head.

Alice said goodbye after that. She felt like she wouldn't be here in the morning to greet everyone once again. And she was right. The next morning when her closest friend in Wonderland went to wake her, she was gone.

For a short time things were peaceful in Wonderland yet again. But that certaintly wouldn't last long. Wonderland began to look..disfigured..People began to battle each other for tivial things. Alice's friends had turned against each other, some even killing the weaker ones before they went off in their own directions. Only two truly believed that Alice would come back. And with that, they went to find her.

Nobody knows how they had gotten to Alice's world. But if only they had done so sooner. When they had found Alice, she looked horrible. Her hair was a different color. She was pale with a knife in her hand. She layed outside of a charred, flame filled building. There were many things they wanted to but the only thing that made her believe that they were even there were just a few simple words. "It's time to go back to Wonderland."

It's said she didnt hesitate to return and help as much as she could. She found out that there was a war on the chessboard. Between the new "Queens" The Red, and the White.

Alice fought her way through Wonderland again. A young girl of twelve years old. She slayed many to get to the Chessboard. She even clashed blades and sometimes killed her old friends. She did shed tears when the fights with them were over. But the two who found her pushed her forward.

Only one of them was with her to the very end. She killed the Red Queen without mercy. At first the people thought that the White Queen would rule. But when Alice stepped to the Queen for a last word, She rammed her sword through her throat.

"A ruler isnt needed!" Alice had said. "You must work together to create the perfect Wonderland! No one person should have the right to everything and everyone in it!"

Alice went home that night. And within days, Wonderland began to get better. Things were going back to how they had used to be before the trouble of the rising Queens.

It wasn't until about thirty years ago that people began to fight again. They were lost without a ruler. People faught over land and food. Some even dared to go to the abandoned castle to try to take over yet again...Then a child came. Telling the people the 'rules' to what would be coming next.

It said that there will be a game. That Wonderland will be divided into the territories of the four suits of cards. And People in those suits will keep to themselves. When the time comes Four Children from Alice's world will arrive. They will battle amongst themselves in an all out survival of the fittest. The last suit standing will be the next ruler of Wonderland, and they will become the next 'Alice'. All they have to do is two things: Stay Alive. And Stay Sane.

During the course of this explanation I had lost track of where we were going as we walked down the trails. I assume not a lot of time had passed when we had finally reached a large steel wall. There was a set of three doors. A huge one with great width and length across the wall. A smaller one that went to half of its size inside the first door. And inside of that there was a normal sized door. The structure itself was red, each door having it's locks and hinges in the shape of spades. This girl who had introduced herself as Meiko opened the smallest door, leading us inside.

I couldn't tell how large the inside of the structure was. It had an open top for the sky to be seen. And inside looked to be like a primitive olden day village. She began to lead us through the dirt roads past the working people and creatures. All was silent between us after that..until Rin piped up.

"But isnt all of this ignoring Alice's wishes for you guys to settle it out for yourselves..?'' She asked.

Meiko responded with a scoff. "We had only come to one conclusion: She dosn't care anymore. If she truly cared about us she would have stayed and helped us instead of abandoning us to fend for ourselves."

"That isnt right!" I yelled. "If she didnt care about you guys then why would she come back so long ago to help you guys with the rising Queens!"

"Heh, now you see I'm not one to answer that question seeing as how I wasn't in Wonderland all of those years ago. It isn't an Alice's job to know how or why but to be the who that is where, to create the what, when it happens. The Alice's don't look at the past, only fight to create the future they see fit to Wonderland."

I didn't like the feeling that the atmosphere around us just gained. "And what happens when the Four Alice's arrive?"

"When the fourth Alice arrives we are to meet up at the Chessboard one week later, if any Alice's cross each other on the trip there, its fair game. Nobody ever said they had to make it there alive.''

Rin started off my own question. "So does that mean..?"

"Yes." Meiko said. "Including myself, there are three Alice's currently in Wonderland."

We were taken to Meiko's cottage like home. Only three rooms. She fed us and let us stay in her bed, though I didnt feel like sleeping. Knowing that we were so close I was afraid that if I went to sleep, that dream world would come back and She would find out who we really were. Rin and I decided to dismiss the fact that she was our cousin. Besides, even if she did believe us, I dont think she would show mercy..

I layed awake next to Rin, staring at the ceiling. It was really quiet that night. Not even a cricket chirped outside. I wonder if it was always this quiet in Wonderland..I don't think I could get used to it easily. But sudenly, something broke the silence.

Footsteps..I was really beginning to truly hate the sound of footsteps. Within the time we spent in Wonderland, footsteps so far only ment bad things for me. They sounded like they were far away, walking down the dirt road, the feet dragging as they kicked up the rocks. They were getting louder. Closer. It wasn't long before the footsteps stopped. The owner unsettlingly knocking the cottages door three times.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

I krept out of the bed quietly and looked out of the rooms door to the main door. I heard Meiko walk across the wood flooring as she came into my viewing of the door. Upon opening it, there was a little boy. His eyes were covered by his messy brown hair, but he looked up at her with a smile. He wore an untucked, wringled white dress shirt, and white shorts. He had one knee hight sock on, the other scrunched up at his ankle under his brown dress shoes. And these, I assumed were fake, he had white rabbit ears on top of his head. He spoke a few words her. Meiko had shifted her weight a bit, moving aside to give me a better view of what he was carrying.

It was a sheathed. Red sword. With a spade at the hilt.

For a split second, I thought he looked directly at me as his boyish smile turned into a grin. His next words, I heard so clearly, like he was talking directly at me.

"The Fourth Alice has arrived. Let the game begin."

Obviously this wasnt FINISHED the day after..but yeah, a lot's been going on lately, but I hope this chapter makes up for chapter two. And I proof read it this time! D