Should I...? No. Okay, screw it-No! Gah! I was pacing outside the door to Nightmare's room, trying not to freak out and decide if I should ask him where the kitchen was or not. My hand gravitated over the doorknob before I pulled it away, holding it to my chest and scowling. God, damn it, why do I fail so badly at making decision!? It's just a simple question! I can just be like, Hey, Nightmare! How's it going? Know where the kitchen is? but then he'll be all, Kitchen? In MY tower!? What treachery is this!? Gray, kill the little girl! and then Gray would go all Hulk on me while I'm screaming and running for my life.

Buuuut, Nightmare could also be all, Oh, that's okay. It's over in that direction. Everything would be okay. But no! I fail at opening a stupid door and asking a question!

It's not even my house, so what right would I have to use the kitchen? It's not like I can just go out to the town and head over to a Wendy's or McDonald's and eat there. I have no Wonderland currency. This practically makes my five bucks useless.

A voice called out, causing me to jump and stumble backwards, "How long are you going to stand there, Alexis? Come inside." I visibly flinched, cringing at my inability to keep my thoughts, and myself in general, quiet. Reluctantly opening the door, I peered into the room to see Nightmare at his desk with a half-empty cup of coffee, looking bored out of his mind as he sat there writing with a pen on multiple documents. "You have something to ask me?"

"Oh, um, that's...uh...Well," Crap. Not going to ask! It's rude! Rude, rude, rude, rude, rude! It's completely rude to eat at another person's place! "That's-You see...I was-I was just going to see if I could hang out with you or Gray for a while, but I didn't know if you guys were busy, or, uh...yeah. That." I swallowed, feeling incredibly awkward and stupid. Nightmare looked amused.

"If you're hungry, you can use the kitchen. There's plenty of food." He then paused, and looked slightly hopeful as he asked, "Do you know how to cook?"

I looked surprised. I stopped fiddling with my fingers and shoved my hands into my pockets, saying, "Uh, a little bit. I can make simple things; mainly cheesy foods, though. Oh, and white rice. And pancakes."

Nightmare looked confused, but smiled anyway, saying, "Then can you make me something, pleeeease? If Gray finds out I'm hungry, he'll make me eat his cooking!"

I tilted my head confused and asked, "Is he bad at cooking or something?" I watched in confusion, but slight amusement, as Nightmare made a sour face, stress lines forming down it.

"You...have no idea..." Remind me to keep Gray out of the kitchen at all costs. Trying to think of foods that he might like, I asked,

"Do you like macaroni?" His look of confusion formed on his pale face again.

"What? What's that?" I gaped, horrified as I stared at him.

"You...You never..." My eyes watered as I sniffled, staring at him pityingly. "You poor thing!"

"H-Hey! I'm not poor! I'm impressive! I just never heard of macaroni before!"

I placed a hand against my face and another against my hip, shaking my head. "You...This is going to be a loong day. You haven't lived until you had macaroni. Have you at least had grilled cheese before? Or cheesy eggs?" He just stared at me before slowly shaking his head. "Please excuse me while a bang my head off a wall." I moved to a wall and made a motion that looked like I was about to slam my head against it, but stopped at the last moment and laughed. I turned my head to look at Nightmare, asking, "Do you have any uncooked noodles then? Oh..."

How is one supposed to make cheesy ranch chicken again? I forgot. Wait! Do I still have my phone? I dug around my pockets furiously, trying to find my Iphone. What I saw made me freeze, frozen to the spot.

Where are u? Alexis? Jack and I haven't seen u since lunch. :-( Where'd u go? School's almost over. U never skip class.

It was from Sarah. I looked at the time on my phone and saw that it was one forty-five. She texted me just ten minutes ago. Looking up to Nightmare, who frowned at me, said stammering, gesturing lamely towards the door, "I-I'll-I'll be in the kitchen..."

Nightmare didn't say anything about how pale I looked, or worried, and merely gave me directions to the kitchen. Once I got in the kitchen, I quickly texted her back, It wasn't by choice! I-I don't know what happened- I paused in my typing, realizing how crazy I was going to sound. I quickly erased what I typed and thought of what to say. I settled with the truth. I found a rabbit. It thought it was cute, and highly random, so I followed it. It transformed into a person and grabbed me while I was unconscious, having passed out in the bathroom, and jumped into a huge hole in the ground. It was weird. I'm now living with a man named Nightmare, who happens to be Incubus btw, and a really tall dude named Gray. They're friendly. Remind me of how Jack and I argue. Despite knowing how weird that sounded, I sent it to her anyway. Looking around for evidence, I put on the camera and snapped a picture of the kitchen, with me grinning in the background, and sent it to her.

Then I texted my Dad and asked how to make cheesy ranch chicken, causing him to ask me why I needed to know, before giving the directions. Okay, so I needed multiple boneless and skinless chicken breasts, ranch, flour, and cheddar cheese... Did Nightmare even have all that stuff?

"Check the fridge and cabinets." I did as told, running around the room like crazy as I grabbed everything that I needed and set them on the counter. Two cups, tablespoons, and a glass baking dish. Luckily, and somehow coincidentally, they did have the chicken. I paused, wondering if Gray would want some too. Maybe I should try and make extra... Oh, god, but I'm really bad with directions...What if I ended up burning them?

...Again, Nightmare was right. I am a negative person. Ha! I laughed at myself before forcing myself to relax, looking at the directions on my phone multiple times to triple check that I was doing everything correctly. I mixed the ranch dressing and the flour together before coating the all the pieces of chicken in them. This took about ten to fifteen minutes for me to do. When I was done, I removed the chicken from the plate and into the baking dish, before, checking again to see that I was doing this right, spreading the cheese over the chicken.

"Alexis, what are you doing?" I turned my head in alarm to see Gray standing there, an exhausted and sweating Nightmare next to him. Nightmare looked as though he had ran all the way here, and being sickly didn't help him at all. "Here, I can take over. Why don't you wait with Nightmare until I'm done?" Gray started to walk over with a kind smile, and I almost said he could. Almost. And I would have stepped aside, if I didn't remember what Nightmare said.

"No." He looked surprised.

"I'm sorry?"

"I wanna cook!" I complained, waving my arms out to my side-revealing my powdery hands and jeans. I may have spilled a little flour here and there... "I got the directions, you guys are lettin' me stay here, so I wanna cook! Besides, Nightmare already said I could!" I pointed at the sick-looking man in question, causing Gray to turn his head to look at his boss. Nightmare looked up in surprise.

Seeing his piercing gaze, Nightmare stammered, "She-She insisted! I told her that if she wanted to, she could! I wasn't going to force her!"

"See! See! Besides, I'm almost done anyway! So shoo! My kitchen-Er, Nightmare's kitchen, his rules, but I'm cooking in it, so you have to do what the chef says! Shoo! Before I throw flour at your face!"

Gray tried again, "Are you absolutely certain-"

"Yes! Now shoo! I'm a girl, and a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! Now shoo!" Wow. I haven't used that quote since I was, like, eleven. "You can come back in when I say so, got it? Nightmare, go do you work!"

"B-But, I don't wanna~! I even came all this way to try and make Gray stay out of the kitchen for you!"

"I don't care! I'm making you food. Shoo!" Nightmare continued to protest, but Gray had picked him up by the collar and started to drag him away, leaving the silver-haired demon sputtering. I laughed loudly. I then jumped, startled, remembering what I was going to do. Okay... "I-I spread the cheese, I put it in the pan...Now what?"

Bake at 350 degree Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes. Okay...I'll pretend I remember how to use the-Oh! Never mind! I remember now!

I did as the directions said and stuck it in the oven, putting it to the correct time and heat. Now, all I had to do was wait...

I decided to make buttered noodles to go with it, as when you mix them and the cheese sauce it tasted delicious, and did that as it cooked. Then I moved onto the mashed potatoes and corn...

Somehow, I ended up going all out. The kitchen had everything I needed, though I was sure I was practically emptying the cabinets by this point. By the time I was done, I was left sitting at the table with five minutes left on the timer.

I jumped in fright when the alarm suddenly went off. I quickly grabbed the oven mitts and ran over, opening it. To my relief, it look exactly like it was supposed to. Now, if it tasted the same...then I'd be happy. I tried to take it out without burning myself, and nearly cried when my shoulder wound tugged painfully. I've been ignoring it and the small pain it caused me, as when I took the medicine the pain mostly subsided, but now it hurt. I refused to keel over and drop the food, though, and instead moved over to place the dish on the counter on a rag. I turned around to look at the table and heaved a huge sigh.

I wondered if this was how my brother used to feel when he had to cook for Dad and I all the time. When he moved, Dad started cooking. He was really bad at first, but got better. He soon became really good. I kinda wished I'd be that good at cooking, but a person can only go so far until they reach their limit. I was kinda testing myself right now, as I never made this much food at once before.

I gave each of us two pieces of chicken, as I didn't know how much they would eat, and gave them a little bit of mashed potatoes and corn, with some of the butter noodles. If they liked it and were still hungry, they could go for seconds.

Suddenly, the door to the kitchen burst open just as I placed Gray's and Nightmare's plates on the table. "FOOOD!"

Oh, god, is that what I sound like when Dad announces dinner is done!? I didn't know whether to laugh or be horrified at myself as Nightmare ran into the room, again, with Gray trying to catch him.

"Lord Nightmare, please, calm yourself!" Nightmare paused and stopped running, staring at the plates at the table. I watched him turn his head and looked down at me before pointing at the table, asking bluntly,

"Which one's mine?"

"Uh...Doesn't matter." Nightmare practically launched himself at the table, grabbing a plate and fork and stabbing a piece of chicken with it. I tensed, wondering how bad it was going to taste or not. I wasn't even able to try it myself yet. He stared at it inquisitively for a moment before biting into it. "W-Well...how is it?"

His eyes lit up in surprise, a smile crossing his face. "It's good!" He bit into the chicken again, this time a little more greedily.

"Uh, Gray? What about you?"

"It's very delicious, Alexis." I felt incredibly happy at that moment. It was one of those moments when I felt truly happy and accomplished; something that rarely happened. I was someone who just went with the flow and dealt with what was thrown at me, just living every day, but not truly being alive. I think that was how most people were...not doing anything with their life.

"R-Really!? A, B, C, or D? Or an F?"

"I'd say an A."

Nightmare looked reluctant to say anything, before admitting, "A... B-But that's because I never had this kind of food before, so I don't know if this is how it's really supposed to taste!"

I placed my hands on my hip and raised my head, grinning egotistically. "You're just jealous of my mad cooking skills."

Gray sighed, placing his fork down on his plate. "Another child..."

"I'm proud of it! But I'm not a kid! I'm a teenager!" Gray looked at me with a confused expression. I blinked and stared at him. "How old do you think I am?"

"Twelve." I nearly fell over. Standing up straight, I exclaimed,

"I'm fifteen!" Gray looked stunned. I laughed at his reaction. "Yeah. I'm a High Schooler." Freshman, maybe, but High schooler, yes.

Soon, I found myself eating at the table quietly next to Nightmare and Gray. I felt awkward eating around new people.

... "Can you cook again next time?"

"...Hah?" I stared at Nightmare in confusion, my fork dangling in my mouth. I chewed and swallowed, asking him, "Like what?" What did he want me cook?

"Anything that's good and edible. Preferably some more foreigner food!"

I was surprised-stunned, even. I didn't think he'd like my cooking so much. Even after his rating of the dish, I was still doubtful. I still wondered how I was even able to cook all I had properly...and in just half an hour, too! Wow...I'm actually a little proud of myself now. I couldn't help the grin that slipped onto my face, and I had to smile widely at Nightmare and say, "I might. I can just keep texting my Dad on how to make things."

Nightmare looked slightly surprised at that, and asked, "Your dad? You're able to contact him?"

"Uh, yeah. And-And hey! Sarah finally replied back!" I pulled out my Iphone and opened up my messages, almost wincing at her reply.

Don't play games with me, Alexis! Where are you, really?

I made a face and clicked on the camera, holding it up to Nightmare, and said, "Say cheese!" He wasn't even able to respond before I took the picture. I did the same with Gray, who actually smiled for me. "Proof!" I said as I typed, sending her the pictures and the message together. "I-am not-insane. Nightmare and Gray-are real-and I just-happen to be-in another world. Done." I grinned cheekily and held my messages for the two surprised adults to see. "Phones! I can text people! And call, if I wanted, but I'm still not too sure how that one works."

"You can...contact them?" Nightmare repeated, frowning. "What kind of device is that?"

"A cellphone."

Gray spoke next, "A phone without a cord? I didn't think that they were invented just yet."

"Huh. Almost everyone I know back in my world has one."

"Is that so?" Gray asked. I nodded.

"Yup. I didn't get mine until recently, though, but that was only 'cause I kept getting lost during field trips and whatnot for school and band." I laughed. Gray and Nightmare looked at each other.

"You did mention you were directionally-challenged..." Nightmare trailed off, stress lines forming on his face. He then forced his face and shoulders to relax. He took another bite of his food.

"But," Gray started, looking at me, "as long as you do not turn into a blundering fool like that knave of hearts, then we need not worry."

"Gray~!" Nightmare called, sing-songing with a smile, "Can you get me some water, please?"

"Of course, Lord Nightmare." I watched in surprise as Gray stood up and pushed his chair in, moving over to one of the cabinets and grabbing a cup, before moving to the sink and filling it up with cold water. Huh. I still can't tell if he's a butler or not.

"He's not my butler. He's my subordinate."

"Stop that!" I ordered, complaining about him reading my mind. Nightmare grinned at me.

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!"

Gray interrupted, placing the cup in front of Nightmare and next to his plate of food, "Your refreshment, Lord Nightmare?"

"Oh! Thank you!"

...If I was forced to stay here, then I think I could at least like it here. It was amusing, and seemed to prevent me from getting bored. 'Cause if what Peter-or was it Jasper?- said was true, then drinking that potion meant I had to stay here for a while.

"Oh...I don't think I even fully explained it to you, did I? What the potion you drank does?" Nightmare said, frowning. I blinked and looked up at him. I shrugged.

"I know that it's keeping me here, or something like that..."

"Correct. The Potion of Clover is what's keeping you here, until you beat the game."

I looked at him, getting a sudden burst of adrenaline as I remembered something that Peter-fairly certain it was Peter-told me. "Yeah! That one dude said that once I drank the potion, I'd be able to go to Wonderland with him, and something about playing some game! What game? Is it a card game?"

Nightmare smiled wryly, saying, "In a sense. But this game you have to play... I haven't told you this yet, but "Everyone loves an Outsider". This is a key part in the game, Alexis." I set my fork on my plate, lacing my fingers together on my lap as I realized this was going to be a long explanation. Nightmare nodded at me, showing that I was right. "Whether it be love, a sibling kind of love, a friend love, or the love one holds for their enemy...You will be loved because you drank that potion, because you're an outsider, and because you are now residing in Wonderland and playing this game. Only when that vial you have is filled," I blinked, realizing he was talking about the thing the liquid came in, "can you make the decision to return home."

"Wait...I'm confused. Are people going to love me or are they going to hate me?"

"Both. It depends on the type of "love" we're talking about. It's the same with Alice; however, most of the people here love her."

"That's...demented." Nightmare looked surprised, and Gray started packing up the dishes since no one was eating anything else for the time being. He also started to put the leftovers in containers. "Why would you force people to love you? That's just not right."

"They're not going to fall for you right away," Nightmare cleared up, still causing me to frown. "It'll take time. Whether they become your friend, or like a sibling, or something else, is entirely up to you and the choices you make; whether you wish to clear the game or not. Are you going to go home, Alexis, or are you going to chose someone and stay here? That's what you need to figure out as you interact with the people of this world and fill that vial up with liquid. When it's full, and if you choose to go home, you have to drink it and chose a role holder to bring you back to your world. You'll have to pick carefully, though, as choosing the wrong one could be fatal. Understood?"

"Uh, yeah, I think..." So, basically, if I beat this game, I just have to chose a role-holder to take me back home? That's easy, then! I'll just have Nightmare take me back home if I win. "So...Question. How many time-periods has it been?"

Gray paused in his doing the dishes-when did he starts those?-and said, "Five. Once I make sure Lord Nightmare is doing his paperwork properly, then we can go shopping. Is that alright with you, Alexis?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, sure...but, uh..." I didn't feel very good with the fact that they were going to waste money on me. I mean, yeah I don't have any Wonderland money, and yeah, even if I wanted I couldn't buy myself clothes because I'm broke, but it... Them buying things for me was...uncomfortable in the least. I'm stingy with money in general, and...I just don't like it. I'm grateful and everything, but I just...don't like it. It wasn't fair. I didn't even do anything for them to do all this for me. I'm... I'm a bad person. Making them waste money like this... "You-You sure?"

"It's perfectly fine, Alexis." Gray assured, though I still wasn't convinced. They were doing too much for me.

Nightmare spoke this time, a small yet comforting smile on his face. "You don't have to worry about us wasting money, Alexis. Clothes are a basic necessity. We don't want you running around Wonderland in the same clothes every single day, now do we?" I opened my mouth to make a retort about me just, possibly, stealing their clothes, but cut myself off. How weird would that be to say to people you've just met?

I had a brief memory of when I kept stealing both my brother and my dad's clothes. Mainly their shirts though, as their pants would not fit me. They were quite a bit taller than me. Everyone's taller than me...Well, except for the uncommon few in my school. Nightmare appeared a little amused, and Gray just kept doing the dishes.

"I don't think you'll have to resort to such methods unless you truly need, and/or want too." He looked really amused. I felt a little embarrassed, and grinned sheepishly. "Besides, to finish what I was saying, we have plenty of money. Buying you clothes wouldn't be considered "wasting", as you really do need them. Besides, we still need groceries!" He clapped his hands together, grinning. His gray eye sparked mischievously. "We'll be killing two birds with one stone!"

Figuratively, I hope. I laughed at my thoughts, but was still a little uneasy. "Sure, I guess..."

"Ah, I see. Alexis, are you done with your plate?" Gray said, causing me to look up at him in alarm. Seeing there was quite a bit of food still on my plate, I quickly shoved it all into my mouth-only to receive a scolding from Gray himself. He quickly moved over and held a hand under my chin, plucking the fork out of my right hand and exclaiming, "Don't do that! You can choke! Unlike us, once you die you die! You won't be replaced. Stop being so reckless; chew slowly and swallow small pieces!" I was wide-eyed the entire time as I chewed, not expecting Gray to be so...motherly. I mean, I never knew my mother; she died when I was little. Gray however, was acting how I expected a mom to act...

Swallowing a small bit, I continued to chew and swallow, repeating the process several times until my cheeks weren't as bulged and there was no food left. Gray observed me for a moment, tilting my head back-and-forth and left-to-right, before releasing me satisfied.

"Now, eat the rest of your food normally. No stuffing your mouth full. You can kill yourself that way."

If I killed myself, a lot of people would probably be happy about the fact that my annoying self didn't exist any longer. I missed Nightmare's frown as my phone vibrated in my pocket, causing me to jump and pull it out in alarm.

Okay... U got me. You're in another world. when are you coming back

I frowned, feeling a twinge of sadness hit me at the question. Did...she really care? Did she want me back at the school? Or is she asking so she knows how happy she can be until the day of "reckoning" when I come back? I...don't know. Until I beat some game. I have to fill a vial up somehow and NOT get shot at. I have a bullet wound in my shoulder! Hurts like crap.

I wasn't expecting an instant reply. Sarah was usually a lazy texter, but she responded almost immediately, saying: what? You got shot? what happened?

Running around trying to figure out where I was and got shot by a crazy mafia dude.

I hit send and stuck my phone back in my pocket, sighing dramatically as I slowly started to finish my food, wanting to avoid getting lectured by Gray again. I blinked the tears that were forming in my eyes away, both pained from the fact that I was "yelled" at and lectured, and the fact that it might be awhile before I see the people I cared about again.

...I didn't like being yelled at. It made me feel stupid. Pathetic. Worthless. Like I did something fatally wrong and I was going to get killed because of it. It...I disappointed the other person. That...hurt more than you would think. I liked to avoid trouble.

Shopping was really weird. Gray ended up being surrounded by stray cats and carrying most of the bags-though I said I could hold them. Thankfully I managed to convince Gray to just get me boy clothes-since they had little girl clothes that involved black, pants, and shorts. Unfortunately, Gray did buy me one dress-one dress. It was...actually rather cute. Oddly, it reminded me of a goth lolita-not that I minded of course. It was a plain black cotton dress with shoulder straps, as it was sleeveless, with silver ruffles at the bottom and the top. He got me a pair of boots to go with it. :)

Anyway, most of clothes consisted of black, brown, blue, green, and red-with the occasional white and purple. It was mainly black, though. I still feel a bit like a jerk, though, as they were wasting money on me. The shopkeeper lady eyed me like I was a curse to humanity, making this sour face as she stared at me, like she was thinking, "Ugh! Vile little girl; hasn't anyone taught this child not to wear men's clothing?" so, I did the normal thing and grinned and waved at her. It was actually rather weird since the lady didn't have eyes. It was very similar to that one time an old lady glared at me from a McDonald's window because I was wearing a bowtie and a fedora, along with red suspenders and a white-button up collar.

Hm... Ah! I jumped when a felt something climbing up my back and onto my shoulder, nuzzling my neck. I froze, should tensing as I resisted the urge to cringe, my neck being a rather sensitive, and ticklish, spot. "What's touching me, what's touching me, what's touching me, what's touching me-"

"It's a kitten..." Gray said, his face slightly red as he pet the kittens surrounding him. He had a smile on his face as we walked. "Aren't they so cute?" I tried not to laugh and pressed my lips into a thin line as the kitten started to lick my face, nosing my mouth and chin. Awww! So cute.

"What's Nightmare going to say when he sees you like this?" I asked amused, the black kitten climbing atop my head and resting it's paws in front of my forehead. It was taking all my willpower not to bust out laughing.

"Hm? Lord Nightmare usually lets us keep the kittens." My eyes widened.

"Seriously?" Oh, god, the tower was going to smell of cat farts. I grinned, however, as my dad's house was filled with cats and dogs alike. Three cats, five dogs. "Wow. Okay, then. Well...I'm going to name you..." I looked at the kitten above my head with a grin. "Amber." He had orange-brown eyes. The color of amber. I thought it fit. I then flinched as it started to paw at my earrings. "Ow, ow, ow! Okay, you're cute and all, but stop that! Bad kitty!" It meowed...and it was the cutest thing ever. Awwwwww!

Nightmare had better let us keep these cats.

I let out a yawn, tired, as we walked. "How long until we make it to the Tower?"

"Oh, we still have to get the groceries, Alexis. But, if you wish, you can head back on your own, though I don't suggest it safe."

I blinked up at the six-foot-tall man, debating whether or not I should just stay with him or go back and bug Nightmare.

Hm...spend time with Gray, or annoy Nightmare with my weird thoughts?

Tough choice.

"LUNCH!" I turned my head in confusion at the scream, only to let out a scream myself when I was suddenly barreled into.

"H-Help meeeeee!" I couldn't help but cry out at the pain that wracked my right shoulder, the wound from the bullet being roughly treated. I opened my eyes and barely got a glimpse of red hair and bright green, before the person who was on top of me lifted themselves up-still on me, but not crushing me. The person looked surprised and I, seeing how the person' face was right up in mine, leaned my head back as I stared at the boy in front of me awkwardly.

He looked older than me-maybe by a year or two, with red hair that covered his right eye, a thick part of his bangs colored yellow. He had forest-colored eyes, which was quite different from my own pale green, and tan skin. He wore a black hat on the right side of his head. He was cute. However, I was taken aback when the boy leaned forward and sniffed my face, commenting, "You smell different..." His only visible eye opened and he stared at me with a smile, "You're a foreigner?" I then noticed the big brown mouse ear on the visible side of his head. My eyes trailed down to the side of his head, seeing no human ear.

I paused before answering, confused, "Um, yeah..." I said in a voice that made it sound like I was stating the obvious. I felt bad at how mean I sounded.

Suddenly the boy was lifted off of me, Gray having picked him up by his jacket color. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't put Alexis in such a position, Pierce." The boy in question squeaked, flinching as he was put on the ground. "She's currently injured." I looked down at my shoulder and was more than relieved to see that it wasn't bleeding.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU RAT!"

Tears quickly welled up in Pierce's eyes as he screamed, running of in a random direction. As he ran, another person in punk-like clothing came running past Gray and I, a fork and knife in his hands, with a greedy look in his one golden eye. "C-C-Cat!"

I blinked, looked at Gray, and asked once both men were gone, "What just happened?"

Gray looked down at me, and I frowned realizing that all the cats were gone. "Pierce ran into you, as he was being chased by Boris, and took off. Come, we should go get Lord Nightmare's groceries. There's going to be a meeting in a few time periods. We must make sure Lord Nightmare is prepared and ready for his speech."

Nightmare's giving a speech? Well, that's going to be interesting...He'll probably do well, though. I mean, this is Nightmare we're talking about. He seemed perfectly fine explaining to me what all the different areas and stuff of Clover are."

Which confused me at his sudden reluctance to go to the meeting at all, and why Gray was currently trying to force him off a chandelier while on a ladder...

Apparently Nightmare could float in real life, too, which I found totally unfair. He could use my fear of heights against me! He could freaking grab and lift me up in the air before dropping me, in which I would fall and splatter across the floor with my guts everywhere and damn it, why are my thoughts so gruesome?

Due to my violent thoughts, Nightmare ended up hacking blood and losing his concentration, causing him to drop and scream as Gray reached out and grabbed him, slinging the silver-haired man over his shoulder. "L-Let me go! I'm not going! You do the announcement!"

"You're the Lord of Clover Tower, Lord Nightmare, not me. Therefore, I can not do the presentation."

"Then I won't go!"

"You are a role-holder, so therefore, you must go as it is part of the rules."

These rules are really confusing me, but I didn't question it. If I did, I'd just end up more confused. However, I do know a few things about the rules from my coversations with Gray when we were shopping.

1: The rules have to be obeyed, otherwise you're stuck in prison (Somehow, that didn't surprise. Their "rules" were basically the same as the "law")

2: If you died, you'd just be replaced. (That still confused me. Replaced as in "random person comes in" or replaced as in "Person who looks like you takes over"?)

3: Interferring with a Foreigner's decision to stay or leave Wonderland is forbidden.

4: You don't steal other peoples clocks (What the heck is that supposed to mean?)

5: The rules are more important than someone's life. (Suuuure they are. That's what they all say when someone commits murder to a little kid)

6: The reason why Nightmare wears an eyepatch is because he has to keep one of his eyes closed. (Why? Just...why?)

7: To participate in the game, the foreigner has to drink a liquid called the "Medicine of Heart" or the "Medicine of Clover". As that game begins, all people in Wonderland will fall for the foreigner. The foreigner has to accumulate liquid in their glass vile the medicine came in, and once that vial is filled, they can choose to either stay in Wonderland, or to have a role-holder bring them home.

The last one irked me. It was demented. That was basically forcing them to fall in love with you. I mean, yeah, I'm a lonely person, but that's just sick. I pity the poor girl named Alice. (I found it rather obvious that if there was a Wonderland, there had to be a girl named Alice. I'm sure there's one out there somewhere)

I tried to keep track of all the people I met, staring at my glass vial curiously. I wondered what would happen if I dumped it, or if I drank the small bits of the liquid I had already in it. My curiosity was strong, but my hesitance and cautiousness was even stronger. I could dream about what would happen if I did something with it before it was full, but I would never act upon them. I was a dreamer, and a realist, and I don't like taking risks. I take things as they go and act when something happens. I just go with the flow.

I will cry, I will scream, I will laugh, I will react, I will be loud, and I will remain silent. That's how I worked. That's how the world worked. That's how everyone worked. They reacted. Whether they cry, whether they scream, whether they flinch in pain or laugh in joy; it was how we worked.

Though...I really don't think this shirt that I'm wearing is actually mine... It was huge on me. I mean, yeah, I grabbed it from the laundry room because Gray said all my clothes we bought were done being washed and that I could put them in the room I was staying in, but I don't think we bought me a huge cream-white shirt with ruffles on it...

Why does it look like one of the shirts I saw Nightmare wearing earlier?

Oh...Oh! I bursted out in laughter, practically dying as I clapped my hands together loudly. "Ha-Ha! I knew I would end up stealing one his clothes! Hahahaha! Ha-Ha!" I was kneeling over at this point, my arms wrapped around my stomach. Oh, god, what have I done? He's gonna be so ticked. I paused then at that thought, a slight sliver of fear coursing through me at the thought of being yelled at and hated. No. What should I care? I...If he yells at me, so be it. I'll live.

I could handle it. I'd handle anything that was thrown at me...except bullets. I don't like bullets-bullets are mean.

Well, I'm tired. I let out a huge and loud yawn as I stretched, before trudging slowly over to my bed, turning off the lights. Another twinge of fear and uncertaintly hit me. I hated sleeping in new places. Especially if there were those creaking noises...

I held my breathe, waiting silently for something to happen-for a madman with a gun to pop out and shoot at me. (Yes, March Hare, I'm talking about you) When nothing happened, I slowly made my way over to the bed and laid down, covering myself up with the green blankets and burrowing myself underneath them as I turned onto my left side, swallowing and praying that I wouldn't have any bad dreams.

...How much am I going to get yelled at by Jack and Sarah if I get back? I wondered, squeezing my eyes shut as I curled into a ball. Sarah noticed...but did Jack? And what about my dad? Erin? Even my brother? Did...they even really care that I was gone? I remembered Sarah's texts, and inhaled sharply. What if that was just a front? Maybe she didn't really miss me... The idea that my best female friend didn't care put a figurative knife in my chest, twisting it into my hearts and slicing it up. The idea that my two male best friends didn't miss me involved the knife ripping the heart out of my chest, and thinking that my very brother and father didn't even care...

I could only watch in my head as my heart was chopped up into tiny squares and sliced up with a rusty cheese grater. I had to open my eyes and blink the tears away, wiping them away with the blankets and my pillow, sniffling a little. I didn't want to go to sleep. I didn't want to go back and see their reactions...see them mad at me for coming back home...

Maybe it was a good thing that I followed that crazy rabbit... Then I wouldn't have to deal with the day when they told me that they hated me. It felt like we were growing apart anyway; they were always together, and whenever I tried to talk to them, they seemed to not be listening some of the time... They were so obsessed with each other. I mean, I loved them, I loved the fact that they're a couple and are in love with each other, I just... I never felt like a third wheel until truly recently.

They didn't care anymore. The texts were a lie. I know...so why...why does it hurt so much to just think about it?

I don't want to sleep...

I'll dream... I don't want to dream...

I'll see them. They'll hate me...

Why do I have to be such a selfish person?

Something sudden overcame my senses, luring me into a deep sleep...

"It'll be fine. I'll give you good dreams. You're the Dreamer, after all."

Right...whatever...that means... I drifted into a deep sleep, breathing softly as my eyes fluttered shut, no longer tense and relaxing as I uncurled from my ball.