Deceiving countless people, she created a strange country.
That Alice was the country's queen,
Possessed by a warped dream.
Fearing decaying bodies, she ruled from the summit of the country."
Mekakushi Dan.
Seto brought her to it, once upon a time, so very long ago.
Kido was the leader. Kano nominated her, and Seto agreed. She's the level headed one. She's the one who could cook. She's like the mother. Mother had the last word in every family.
She remembered her mother once jokingly said that.
Seto, he's number two. He's like the father. He's the one who work the hardest.
She remembered her mother saying that her grandfather was a hard-working person too.
Kano was number three. He's the big brother.
The silly, mischievous big brother who wouldn't stop teasing her.
But he's kind.
Even after countless times getting frozen because of her power, he still wouldn't stop. Still smiled at her. Still played pranks at her.
She never had siblings before, and so did her mother, so she couldn't tell if it's what a brother do to his sister. But she didn't complain. Even if Kano was a bit annoying, she could never say stop. Truth to be told, she's a bit happy of the pranks.
Mary loved them all. And for a while, it's enough to be with them. Her new family.
And then, Momo came.
She's like a sister. A bit different kind of sibling with Kano. She's the unique sibling, with weird taste which could make anyone cringe. Even so, she's equally kind, and so Mary's happy.
And then, the incident happened.
Ene and Shintaro then joined her family.
Mary wasn't sure how to describe Ene.
She's weird. Momo had explained that for some reason that's beyond even her brother (whom she claimed to be the smartest person around), she's stuck in his computer.
Mary didn't know what computer is, so she asked if the small rectangular thing the others had too, which they'd call cellphone, was computer.
Momo said no, it's a cellphone.
She's confused. Why did she say that Ene's in computer if she's in this cellphone then?
Mary decided then, for the sake of her poor brain, that it's easier to just accept it as is. Ene was family, regardless of the weird circumstances of her existence.
Shintaro was comrade.
He liked Kido's food, just like her.
He's not strong like Seto, just like her.
He got annoyed at Kano's pranks, just like her.
He hated to be outside, just like her.
Mary felt comfortable around him. She felt like he'd understand her the best. Even so, she realized that she liked Seto more. When Shintaro named Seto incorrectly, she felt angrier than ever.
It's her new family, and Mary loved them.
Even though she only met Momo, Ene, and Shintaro the day before, she loved them as if she had been with them all her life.
All her more than century long life.
"Why… why… why is this happening?"
She questioned.
In front of her, her family were all laid down. Blood had long since stop oozing from the gaping wounds due to the madman's shooting frenzy earlier.
"I… I don't want this… No… No…"
The madman laughed.
Mary could still feel the shock when Kano step forward and got shot first. The shock made her unable to move. Kido and Seto though, didn't seem affected. Kido screamed and went to Kano's side, calling him repeatedly, begging him to stop deceiving…
Seto went to the madman. Somehow, Mary knew that his eyes had flashed red. Seto didn't like to use his power. But, it's an emergency, and surely he used his power. He must have wanted to know the reason why the madman shot his brother.
He froze. He started trembling, and then he was shot through his mouth.
Kido was next.
Momo shielded her, and Shintaro in turn shielded Momo. Ene screamed something incoherent.
The madman took Shintaro's cellphone (or was it computer? Mary wondered why in such a time her mind could even question that) and crushed it.
Shintaro was next.
Mary hugged her body and sobbed. She could still feel the warmth from Momo's body. She was the last to fall.
"Give… give them back!"
The madman laughed.
"I can't do that, My Queen. This is their fate."
He said mockingly with a bow, and Mary couldn't help but to cry harder as the scenes of her family's dath replayed once again in her mind. All over again, and she didn't even found it weird that there're two additional scenes to her nightmare.
A boy was pushed to the road by the madman.
And…
A man similar to her, with white hair and pink eyes. He was in pain. Countless snakes coming out from his body, and then the sight of the madman laughing filled her vision again.
No… no no no no no…
It can't be true.
It's all been going so well…
After years of solitude, she could finally have a family again, and… And it's too soon… Her mother had explained that unlike them who had blood of medusae flowing in the veins, humans like her grandfather and father would grow faster, and thus their lives would end faster…
But… but she didn't think it'd be this quickly. Too soon. She thought she'd have decades…
No…
"I don't want… to be alone again… No… Seto…"
And then she was suddenly engulfed with warmth.
She was still crying, she was still calling for Seto, so she the cause of the warmth was still unknown to her, as she's too shocked to realized that her surrounding had changed.
Seto, whom she was calling for, was now hugging her close, panicking and didn't know what else to do. His eyes flashed red then, more instinctive than anything, and then he hugged her closer and tried to calm her by saying that it's all over now.
The dream, the nightmare was over.
Kido was on the doorway, Kano by her side, looking at her and Seto worriedly before deciding that maybe warm tea would be needed. Kano for once, wasn't smiling, and he didn't say any teasing insults he usually said to her.
For once, he actually seemed like he was at loss to what to do.
It took another hour before Mary realized her surrounding.
It took another day before Mary was convinced that what she'd saw was just a nightmare.
It took another week before Mary buried the dream deep inside her, and she regained her smile again. Memories of Momo, Ene, Shintaro, the boy who got pushed to the way of a speeding truck and the white haired pink eyed man who resembled the madman who called her 'Queen' disappear without a trace from her mind.
It took another lifetime before she realized that everything that had happened was due to her existence.
It took the same time for the others to realized that fact too.