"I see," was what I heard upon reentering Nightmare's room. He had recovered from the attack and wanted to talk to Alice. What happened next was a thinking session about what to do with two foreigners.
"Well, you are both welcome to stay here. I don't have a job for the both of you to do. I could use some help organizing my paper work. Are either of you good at that and writing?"
I sat and stared at Nightmare, feeling something watching the side of my head. I cocked a brow as I shifted my gaze to the left. Alice was staring at me.
"Just cause I liked to write when we were younger, doesn't mean that I enjoying doing work any more than the next person."
"You are my friend, and I care about you, but I'm really disliking you right now," time skipped and I was standing there in a black pencil skirt, white blouse, black blazer with the train station logo and an orange bow tie. I had demanded some black tights to cover my legs.
Somehow, I was voted to be the one to be Nightmare's secretary. I didn't feel that I belonged in such a position. Wiggling my toes, I glared at the shoes and hat that Alice held up.
"If I'm working, I'm not wearing either of those. I can barely walk as it is. Heels will murder me."The horror of learning to walk in heels was still stuck in my head. Alice sighed, lowering the items and setting them on a table. She left the room for a moment and returned with a pair of black flats. When I tried them on, they were a little small on me.
"I guess these will work." I said with disappointment in my voice. She gave me a sad smile and we left the room to return to Nightmare's office.
"Alright here it is." My eyes almost popped out of my head when I looked at all the papers that were strewn about the place. The faceless smiled and waved goodbye as she sped walk out of the room. My jaw hung open as I felt Alice's hand on my shoulder. I didn't have to look back to know that she was giving me a smile of pity. Walking over to the paper filled desk, I sat down very slowly.
I wish Gray was here. I screamed in my head while tearing up at the sight before me. The old Gray…. That is technically the new Gray while the new Gray is the old Gray…. Squeezing my eyes shut, I remembered the nice, caring Gray trying everything to get the older Nightmare to do his work.
I'm nothing like that Gray; there is no way I could get Nightmare to do his work. Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes, determined not to fail. Boy, this room is such a mess.
Alice's POV
She had left Sadie alone for an hour and wandered around the train station.
"Yo!" A familiar pink head came into view. Boris grinned at Alice and she returned it with a smile. "Hey, where's Sadie?" He asked.
"She is working on organizing Nightmare's paper work." Boris's face paled slightly and he rubbed the back of his head while letting out a small laugh.
"Jeesh, that sucks." They both walked to the office to see most of the papers in large stacks, but Sadie was nowhere. A meek help called out and upon looking around the room, Alice found a hand sticking out from a pile of papers.
"Sadie!" She gasped as she ran to help the red head up from the pile. Boris easily yanked the girl up from her crumpled heap on the floor. "What happened?" Alice asked, her eyes were full of concern when she saw many small cuts on Sadie's hands.
"I was just stacking papers, to get things out of the way. Then I accidentally tripped and papers went everywhere and collapsed on me. I tried to get up, but slipped on more papers and another stack fell on me. I gave up on trying to get up." Boris laughed, but stopped when he saw the two girls glaring at him.
"I'll go get a first aid kit," he said quickly while leaving the room. Alice shuffled along as her footing was compromised by the various papers on the floor. The girl sat down on the small couch in the room.
Sadie's POV
I honestly could not believe my bad luck in those moments. I shuffled uncomfortably on the couch as Boris came back with a first aid kit and Alice helped clean the cuts.
Paper cuts are terrible, and I thought the ruler was the worst. I thought angrily. Just the smallest little incision and it hurt like hell. I even got one on my face. With bandages covering my hands and a Band-Aid on my face, I tossed off the shoes that were causing my feet to lose blood. After a while of a beautiful silence, Alice broke it.
"I was thinking… of visiting the other territories." She offered insight to her thoughts. "I got to see the castle, but not much else before you found me. If we want to get along, I have this feeling that it would be for the best." I sighed. Yes, a replay of a game already done.
"Ya wanna see the other territories?... I suppose I can help show you around." Boris said while stretching. "Yeah, I didn't get to see Dee and Dum the last time. It would be best if I was with you guys. The territories… aren't really on good terms with one another."
"What's new?" I cursed under my breath. Luckily, they didn't hear me.
"I can take you to the Hatter's Mansion and the Clock Tower…. No way am I going near the castle or the graveyard." The cat said, shivering at the thought of the last two places. A graveyard? But... why would a graveyard exist in a world were everyone was reborn in a way? My thoughts were interrupted by Alice.
"So it's decided." Alice said happily while clapping her hands together.
The decision was to be carried out the next time change, as Nightmare felt pity for my cut up hands and gave me off then. The cat boy lead us through the forest and eventually, we came upon a large mansion. It was painfully obvious and almost just like the one back in Clover Country. This meant I had to keep an eye out for Blood.
"Halt!" Two voices laced together with the same frequency and pitch, called out to us. There stood Dee and Dum, the gate keepers of the Hatter Mansion, but something was different about them. So different that I found myself blinking and rubbing my eyes to check that I was seeing this.
They weren't kids who would sack you like a quarter back and squeeze the life out of you anymore. They were legitimate, tall, young males.
Now I'm only taller than Alice... and little Nightmare. I thought sadly.
"Oh, it's you." They sounded a bit disinterested in Boris, but then they noticed Alice and I. "Who are they?" Their comment reminded me of the first time we met in the Country of Hearts and how they thought I was a spy. Apparently Alice received the same treatment, so I was glad Boris was here to not have the past repeat itself and maybe end up with a bad ending.
"These are the foreigners. Alice, and Sadie." Boris said while pointing to us.
"Hey you two better not be slacking off again!" Another voice echoed through empty air. Two pair of long fuzzy ears came into view before the body appeared.
"Shut up newbie hare." The twins sang together as they threw the taller male a glare.
This must be rather soon after Blood broke Elliot out of the Joker's prison, I thought as this old scene played out.
"What are you doing here cat?" Elliot growled at the pink haired male, who put up his hands in defense.
"I'm just showing these ladies around." Boris replied. Elliot's ears flattened as he gave us the eye.
And just as I thought he would, Blood has appeared. My thoughts were interrupted by the strange feeling deja vu, conflicted with newness. Blood introduced himself and asked Alice her name as he lifted her hand and planted a kiss on the back of it. The flustered blonde responded with a blush.
"And you fair lady? What happened to your hands?" It was hard to catch if it was genuine concern about my bandaged appendages.
"I'm Sadie, and it was a very long serious of unfortunate events," I quoted, with a bow of my head. It was a tingly warmness when his lips met the bare part of the back of my hand. The feeling I got from this Blood was … different. He seemed, younger, although so did everyone else, but it made him seem rougher around the edges. More of a sharp, jagged edge, than a pristine, straight blade.
"My, and to have two lovely women come to see my mansion. Just in time for tea." He smiled and I could see why he was seen as a lady killer. Alice used to talk about how flustered he made her, claiming it was rage instead of her being attracted to him. I could see the reflection of remembrance in Alice's eyes, but I concluded it was the ex that Blood looked like.
We followed him around back to where the table was already set.
"I'm quite interested, as no foreigner has come to this world." Blood stated after we had sat down. "And two very different ones." He was smooth, deadly smooth. I had a sinking feeling that we had fallen down a hole into a world, more dangerous than the last. Sighing, I sat down besides Alice, but was moved and both twins sat beside me. It was startling and I stared at them both bewildered. They mirrored each others movements, setting their elbows on the table, staring at me. It also didn't help that Elliot was giving us the evil eye the whole time. When I looked over, I saw Blood, talking with Alice.
The most awkward tea party, for both of us.
So, I've been revising Follow Me Down, Down, Down, which means I had to do the same to the chapters of this one, cause there is a change in Sadie's character. She is a girl who tries to follow up on her lady training, although she hates herself for it. The reason for her wanting to not show skin will be revealed in Follow when I get to that part. It's because the boarding school she went to was very strict and they would hit the girls with stuff and it would leave scars on their arms and legs.
It's also hard cause you have to remember that the guys aren't the same as they would be if you wrote a story in Heart, Clover or Joker.
I was naughty though... and I bought the Diamond Artbook... money that I shouldn't be spending cause I'm going to France after the spring semester. But it is interesting to see. Everyone, except for the kids, Boris and Twins are basically in their early to mid twenties. And Elliot is the tallest I believe, which doesn't matter cause everyone is taller than me T.T... Boris is the same height about. His ears probably give him a few inches. It unfortunately, doesn't give you compare and contrast of character of the characters.
So if you read Follow, the first five chapters are pretty different. If you don't, well.. the first chaps of this a little different. I just felt I needed to refine the character... cause she was like me and nobody wants that. hahahahhahahahahahhahahhahah ha ha...
I actually don't want to write the introductions all over again, but it's technically new cause ahhhhhh Help... dying.
