Phew, quite some time has passed since my last update .. Again, I'm sorry. Guess it'll be like this for a while, eeh .. Well, here is the fourth chapter :3

Please enjoy !

Disclaimer: All belongs to Jun Mochizuki~


Lifeless.

That was how she felt. As if her whole body had been trapped in a deep sleep of complete emptiness. Her head ached terribly and her eyes almost seemed to burn therefore she didn't even really dare to open them.

But she needed to. She needed to know where she was. What had even happened .. ?

All Alice remembered was that she had wanted to sleep. She had been tired. So tired. And she remembered that she hadn't felt comfortable in her bed. That was why she had left her room. The floors had been empty, no single soul had noticed her leaving the mansion. The next thing she could think of was the garden and how she had entered it.

After that ... Pain. She could only remember the pain which had haunted her in that place. But all these memories seemed to be so hazy, so unreal. It was more like a dream she remembered. Yet the pain .. No, it was impossible that this hadn't been real. She could still feel it, how it flowed through her whole body. Every limb screamed of the anguish she had felt. Even now it still hurt. This strange sharp, piercing sensation hadn't entirely disappeard. How could this have only been an illusion ? Alice was sure, all these memories were real.

Everything had happened. Still, she knew that something was not right.

She had been in a garden, outside in the cold. The air had been cool and a chilly wind had stroked her skin. She didn't feel any cold now. Instead it was much warmer and the air didn't have this fresh smell of a cold night. And she smelled something else ...

She couldn't say what it was but it seemed strange. Like it didn't belong to where she was. But where was she ?

In a room, that she was sure of. How did she get there ? After all she had been in the garden before. And no one had been ..

A clattering noise interrupted her train of thoughts. It made her tense inwardly but she kept her eyes closed. Was somebody else with her ? Maybe Oz. Hopefully. She wished that it wasn't Break or Gilbert. But how should Break have gotten there ? Well, he was a freak so he would've found any freakish way to get there without anyone noticing. Yet nothing seemed to make any sense. She had to open her eyes, to look where the hell she was. So she opened them – slowly and careful. Light flooded her sight and it only worsened the burning feeling.

"Ah. Have we finally awakened ?"

Now her eyes were wide open and she ignored how much it did hurt. It was going to take some moments but with every passing one she saw better and better. She sat on something, probably a chair. In front of her was something large, decorated with different smaller things. Most of them were white but she could also see something more colorful.

Alice waited until her sight was perfectly normal again. And then she realized.

She was seated at the end of a long table. It was covered with a pretty white tablecloth which almost glistened under the dazzling light. There were a lot of plates and teacups on the table in the same pure color. Her gaze wandered through the whole room. The walls, the curtains, the carpet – everything shone in almost divine colors. It was too bright for her tastes.

Only the flowers brought a bit of contrast into this. And she saw many of them. They grazed the table and nearly every spot of the room in pretty vases which were unquestionably expensive. Below their tender blossoms were other little guests. A lot of dolls and puppets had been placed next to the flowers and they covered some parts of the carpet.

To anyone but Alice they would have probably appeared as some cute and cuddlesome things. Plush toys which would bring joy and fun to every child.

How perfect everything seemed. Yes. Everything just seemed so wrong.

Even though all this white color made this place seem somehow comfortable and safe – she knew better. Nothing here was embraced by protective light or any kind of sacredness.

One thing that stood out from this flawless sight were the flowers.

Black roses. Disgraced by a lifeless color which gave them a rotting appereance. Their dark tears fell one after another and nothing could stop their decay. Black had already begun staining this place, eating away all innocence which was kept in this chamber. As if the world had gone wrong and dark snow would fall on white earth. But this was no snow. It were simple flowers. Tainted and lost in uncurable darkness. Yet not they alone helped to slowly shatter all the pureness of this place.

A child would most likely not have noticed, but Alice did. She noticed them and their truth.

Deadpan eyes watched every small movement. Scarred and twisted faces no matter in what direction Alice looked. All of them held a grinning expression which laughed at one. Creepy dolls.

It was indeed a creepy place to begin with. At least for her. This room seemed to tell her one specific thing - shadows lingered everywhere, even deep in the heart of light itself.

".. Well, it seems that we are still a bit absent, aren't we ?"

She wanted to jump as she had completely ignored the voice before. Her attention hadn't stayed for long on the subject who in the hell had brought her here. But no matter how big the possibility would have been that she would have fallen from the chair because of the sudden voice which absolutely surprised her.

She did not fall nor did she jump in any way. She couldn't even really move at all.

Something held her down. And this fact bugged her unbelievably. Even though she could think of what it was she looked nevertheless. Which confirmed her fear. Someone had bound her wrists to the chair with ropes. So tight that it felt as if they tied her hands off. "W-What .. ! Which ... which pervert did this ? .."

"How cruel of you .. Have you already forgotten me ? And here I thought your brain wouldn't be all that useless."

Now she remembered. She remembered it all.

The voice, what happened in the garden, him. "You .. ! You disgusting little rat !" Aggression flooded her words and hate filled her violet eyes.

And he gave her the pleasure to aim her deadly glare at him directly. He came out from behind her chair and walked slowly past her alongside the table. Tender fingers skimmed over thin tablecloth and a small smile curved up his lips. He let out a weak sigh and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Mannerless as ever .."

While he opened his eyes again the smile on his face grew even bigger. He turned towards her and nodded slightly to himself.

"But what else should we expect ? .."

Alice growled in annoyance but tried not to scream like a fury. Instead she took on a much lower voice, grumbling and cursing under her breath. "Oh, I get it .. You somehow cracked your skull with your own stupid scissor and became a much worse sicko than before, right ?" That seaweed head would have shot her right away. But not his brother. He only snickered at her words. Again and again, no matter what she said, all this guy did was to chuckle and to laugh.

But she knew, she knew so well of the deep contempt which was hidden behind this ever so false smile of his.

He did not bother to answer her and brought his hand to a beautiful teapot. While completely ignoring her cold stares he poured himself some tea into a cup.

"You're a .. guest at our mansion. And a girl as yourself should not walk around outside all alone at such a time. So I'll be taking a bit care of you .."

She twitched at his strange undertone. "I'll pass."

"I don't think you're in any position to pass .."

He flashed her an even brighter smile.

"And I've already prepared a little tea party for you."

Tea party ? Was this just a party for him ? Alice gritted her theeth and hissed something he couldn't quite understand.

"Don't you like those ? .."

He spoke to her while his voice sank deeper into sarcasm and a mocking smirk replaced his smile.

"I remember otherwise .."

"What ? .. I never liked such stupid parties ! And I surely won't attend any with you !" All the time she never stopped trying to free her hands from the ropes that bound them to the chair. And no matter how useless it was she surely wasn't going to simply give up.

Vincent placed the teapot back on the table and threw a more silent look at Alice.

"I think you already do."

"Surely not voluntarely ! Now untie me ! I'm going to kill you !"

"Fufufu .. ahaha !"

A laughter filled the air which faded away seconds later as a sardonic smile. He leaned against the table, still holding the teacup in his hands and eyes rested on the petite girl.

"Yes, you told me all the positive aspects as to why I should untie you. And yet I don't feel the need to do so .."

"Youu .. !" Her face lacked any expression near calmness or cheerfulness. Only darkest anger and burning loathing were left.

If her hands weren't tied to this stupid chair she would've used the ropes to strangle him. To erase this freakish smile from his dumb face. Oh how she would turn this whole shit to her own advantage. And he would kneel down and beg her to stop and to forgive him .. If she wouldn't kill him first.

"I feel flattered by your intense stare which is obviously aimed at my body .. But I won't undo my clothes, Miss Alice .."

"W-What ?"

"How interesting. You seem quite shocked by that fact .."

Did he .. Did he dare taunt her ? "You .. ! .. Bullshit ! I would never … !" She could feel a red color creeping over her cheeks. But she didn't know if it was because of wild rage or anything else she didn't want to think of. "You're .. you're disgusting !"

"I apologize .. Maybe I should give you something of better taste then ? .."

He moved towards her step by step. Slow, if not even kind of graceful .. Like a devil who resided in a white hell, watching his prey with careful eyes. Seeing how it struggled and tried to come free. Noticing it's wrathful and yet so desperate expression.

She was his little toy to play with. And his game hadn't even started.


Nothing against Gil or Break, god I love them~ Maybe I'll write something about either of them after this one here's finished .. ?

But I like writing about Vince & Alice too, they do have quite some things in common .. Nyehe~

R&R~ ^^