I'm back! Did you miss me? I hope so, cause Dodo, Daphne and I missed you! This one's a little on the short side but you'll get to see three Roleholders, five if you count the first unseen one and who I leave Daphne getting ready to meet. So we hope you like it!
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" A high pitched scream comes from somewhere below me.
I jolt into an upright sitting position from the sound. As I look around, I almost fall off the branch, completely forgetting my current surroundings, but a vine tightens around my waist keeping me in place. Huh? That's weird... Did I tie that around me...
As I look around, I take in the sun's location in the sky. It appears to be around noon. How did I not wake up earlier...? I sigh and rub my eyes. My energy level still feels low, and my brain barely wants to focus. Why would someone be screaming... I blink a few times before remembering the cloaked figure from earlier. Oh. My. God. What if he's back?! I immediately start patting my pockets looking for my cell to call for help, but they're completely empty.
Think. Think. Think. Where is my phone? I message my temples trying to get myself to focus. My phone's in my backpack, under the tree where I was studying with Linus... UH! Why?!
I check my pocket watch around my neck and pop open the lid to check the time... This isn't right. It shows six twenty three, and it's not moving in a normal pattern... more like it's beating in time to a rhythm... And is it just because I'm tired, that it looks and seems a little bigger than it was before... I slowly close the lid and place the watch back inside my shirt. What is going on?! I need to get home.
I sigh roughly and begin trying to get the vine off me, but it won't budge. Upon closer inspection, I notice that the vine isn't tied at all, it's as if the vine itself had wrapped itself around me and wouldn't let me go. As I'm trying to figure out a way out of the vine, I hear a rustling in a nearby tree.
I freeze. I could have swore I saw something that was pink... As I watch, it makes it's way over towards me. Before I have a chance to do anything, something comes flying out of from behind a large amount of leaves at me. All I could make out was pink and black before closing my eyes to the impact. Whatever this thing was, it was really heavy.
I slowly open my eyes and look into the yellow-eyed face of a pink haired boy... with cat ears?! To be honest, I've never been much of a cat person, but I'm not saying I'm afraid of them or anything. They're cute and all, I just wouldn't want one for a pet.
He seems just as surprised as me. His mouth is gaping open as he stares at my face. "Who are you? Are you a new Roleholder?" He asks.
"A what?" I ask automatically.
"You're not from here are you?" I shake my head. He smiles, and it's so wide, it's face splitting. I haven't seen very many people accomplish such a large smile, which my mother and I like to call Cheshire Cat grins; but his was by far the biggest I've ever seen. "Then you're a foreigner?!" Excitement is oozing out of him.
"Sure... How do I get back to where I'm from?" I ask.
He shrugs. "Who brought you here?" He asks.
My eyebrows move closer together in confusion. "No one brought me here. I was running and fell into a hole." I state.
It was his turn to be confused. "Did you drink the Medicine of Hearts?"
"The what?" I shake my head.
"You know, a vile with a topper of a heart...?" He tilts his head.
I shake my head, "No. I haven't drank anything since I got here." I yawn, the urge to sleep more starting to come over me again.
"Woah. No, you're not going to sleep on me." He shakes me to keep my attention. "Come on. You should go to the Clover Tower. Maybe Nightmare will know what's going on." He gets off me and helps me up, but the vine keeps its grip on me. "What the-?" He tugs on the vine, but it refuses to release me.
Please let go... I feel like if you don't he'll cut you off me... I yawn, barely able to understand what I'm thinking. As if I could communicate with the plant telepathically. Definitely sleep deprived jibberish. But to my surprise, it slowly releases me and goes back onto the tree it was growing on.
"What just happened?" The pink haired cat asks.
I shrug my shoulders. "I never got your name..." I murmur, my eyes starting to close.
"I'm Boris Airay." He says but my eyes close and the last thing I remember is something grabbing me around the waist as I start to fall forwards.
DODO
I felt as if I was asleep for a while, with nothing but darkness. Suddenly, the darkness was shifting into many different colors, and the feeling of being watched came with this multicolored place. I look around me and see a silver haired man wearing an eyepatch floating nearby.
"Cool eyepatch." I say.
His unpatced eye widens. "At least you didn't think I was a pirate."
I shrug. "You're not properly dressed to be a pirate. An eyepatch alone doesn't make a person a pirate."
He gives me a warm smile. "Hello, my dear. I'm Nightmare Gottschalk. And who are you?" He asks.
"I'm Daphne Birdìe. So what's going on. I thought I was asleep."
"You still are, Daphne. I'm a dream demon. So I have the ability to enter peoples' dreams and chat with them. Boris brought you to my home, saying you were a foreigner. How did you get here? Because I didn't bring you here, and that's the only way in."
"It's not like I wanted to come here. I was running in the park and I fell into a huge hole. The next thing I know, I'm in woods and some guy in a bloody cloak comes walking through and I hid. Then it suddenly turned to night in the blink of an eye, so I climbed a tree and slept." I tell him.
"Hmm. So, you didn't come here of your own accord, and I didn't open a portal... You were wide awake when this happened?" He asks seriously.
I nod. "There's no way I'd dream THAT." Images of what Linus did appear to the forefront of my mind.
Nightmare's eye widens. "A boy tried to assualt you?" He asks.
"How did you know that?!" I gasp. "Can you read minds?"
"You're quite the quick one. I actually had to tell the previous foreigner." He nods.
Great. So now my thoughts aren't even private.
"I'm sorry. Though I can ignore what I hear most of the time, but since it's just you and me here, it's hard not to focus on you." He informs me.
I sigh and nod my head. Then I suppose there's really no reason to talk...
"If you'd prefer it that way." Nightmare says.
Where am I? You said at your house, but where? What country, state, and city?
"You're in my tower, in the territory of Clover, in the land called Wonderland." He states.
"WHAT?! I'm WHERE?!" I shout, not believing I could possibly be in the fictional place. "That's it, I must have fallen and hit my head, and created this place. This is all just some huge elaborate dream. I've finally cracked!" I put my hands to my face.
"It's not a fictional place, my dear. It's real and you're here... Though I haven't the slightest idea how." Nightmare rests his chin in his hand, lost in thought.
"Well, I didn't want to come here. All I've wanted to do was go home." I state crossing my arms.
"Hmm... Why does that sound familiar..." Nightmare mutters, before the colorful world around us begins to shift.
"What's going on?" I ask, feeling unsure.
"You're finally waking up. You were out for at least two time changes before I entered your dreams; for some reason you wouldn't allow me access until recently." That's the last thing he says before I feel my eyes start to open.
And of course the first thing I see, is the yellow-eyed, pink haired, cat boy. I yelp and move away from him, falling off the bed as a result.
He smiles and looks at me from the edge. "So, you're finally awake?" I can see pink tail twitch above his head.
"So, you're really a cat?" I return his question with a question.
"Yep." He smiles.
I blink at him. If I'm really in Wonderland, does that mean he's the Cheshire Cat?
"Yes, he is. That's his Role." Nightmare's voice comes from behind me.
I turn to see him standing behind me, with another man. He has navy hair and yellow eyes that remind me of a reptile. Ok. Too many strange men. I begin to feel uneasy.
"Oh, there's nothing to fear, Daphne. You remember Boris, correct?" Nightmare asks.
"Vaguely." I mutter.
"And this is Gray Ringmarc, he works for me." Nightmare introduces the other man, who nods in my direction and gives a reassuring smile.
I return a small smile of my own.
"You must have been really tired, since you've slept through four time changes since I brought you here." Boris says from on the bed.
"Time changes?" I ask and look to Nightmare.
"Our days change at random compared to how days flow in your world, as you witnessed it when you first came here; it was afternoon then midnight. We call that occurrence time changes." Nightmare answers.
"Okay... So how do I go back?" I ask.
"Well, you said so yourself. All you've desired is to return home, so I don't know why you haven't been able to return... And Boris said you didn't have a vile when you arrived, is that correct?" Nightmare asks.
I nod. "Is it important? Do I need to have it to return home?" I ask.
"Yes and no. If you were to drink the vile, you'd partake in a game of having to meet the different Roleholders here and the more experiences you have with them, the vile would refill, then once full, you could drink it and you would return home... Otherwise, you don't drink it and you can return home just by wishing it." Nightmare explains.
"Well, obviously, my desire to go home isn't working... Maybe I dropped the vile when I arrived and it's out there in the forest somewhere?" I offer. Then I'll play the game so I can go home.
"Maybe..." Nightmare says quietly, looking lost in thought again.
"Then I'll go look for it." I stand with determination.
"You should take it easy. You might be ill, sleeping as long as you have been." Gray says concerned.
"Please. I rarely get sick." I state.
"Lucky." Nightmare whispers.
"I'm as fit as a fiddle and ready to get this game started. The sooner I find my vile, the sooner the game will start and the sooner I can go home." I strike a bit of a Superman pose, my hands on my hips.
"You forgot to tell her what would happen if she plays the game." Boris says, laying on his back, hands behind his head, and legs crossed, looking as carefree as ever.
"What?" I pause and look at the punk cat.
"All the Roleholders will fall in love with you." Boris smiles.
I stop short of the door, not sure to continue with this news. I only ever wanted to date Cas and have him love me. Could I handle these Roleholders falling in love with me?
"Think it through, Daphne." Nightmare cautions. "Some of the other Roleholders are more... eccentric, than us." He eyes Boris, who is now humming happily.
"What is a Roleholder?" I ask.
"People who are important here in Wonderland. We have jobs attached to our Roles. As you called Boris The Cheshire Cat, Gray is The Lizard, and I'm The Bagworm." Nightmare says.
Shouldn't it be Caterpillar?
"Bagworm." Nightmare states in a manner that I thought better than argue the point. "Good girl." He smiles.
"So is there a Mad Hatter, March Hare, White Rabbit, and Queen of Hearts, like in the book?" I ask.
"Book?" Gray and Boris ask in unison.
"In her world, there is a book called Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."
"How can they know about Alice?" Gray asks.
"She's from a different time and place than our Alice." Nightmare answers, probably knowing from reading my mind, what my home is like.
"So Alice isn't here anymore?" I ask, from the sad vibe coming off the three.
"No, she left a while ago." Nightmare says.
"Oh... Did she play the game and leave?" I ask.
"Yes. Then The Hatter brought her back, though..." Gray answers.
"She left again." I finish and they nod.
"Master Gottschalk." A woman's voice comes from the door. I turn to see a woman in a maid's uniform, though the most surprising thing about her was that she had no face.
My eyes widen as I take in the featureless woman. I feel I should be more surprised and freaked about this turn of events, but I'm not. I move closer to her and inspect her. She had a mouth and a small nose, but no eyes. I wave my hand in front of her face, and she grabs my hand. "I can see, even if I don't have eyes." She states.
"You shouldn't talk that way to a guest." Gray commands, and she bows.
"I'm sorry." She says to me, keeping her head down.
"No, it's alright. It's just different. It'd be cool to not have eyes... So, she isn't a Roleholder?" I turn to look at the guys.
"No, she isn't. Eyes are the main way to distinguish Roleholders from the everyone else in Wonderland." Nightmare answers. "You're not more surprised about this? Alice had been very shocked upon seeing her first faceless."
I shake my head. "Do you have a name?" I ask, turning back to the maid.
"Faceless don't have names." Boris says.
I glare at him. "Let her speak."
"No, ma'am." She shakes her head.
"I'll call you Tilly than." I whisper into her ear.
She tilts her head and looks at me strangely, at least as well as one can without eyes.
"So, are you going to leave a foreigner to wonder the woods alone?" I ask, looking at the three.
"I have to ensure Nightmare does his duties." Gray answers looking at the silver haired man, who pales slightly, though for one already so pale, I'm surprised that's possible.
"Hey! I'm not that pale!" Nightmare whines, sounding like a child.
I feel like my heart's being poked with a needle at the sound of his voice suddenly. I clutch my chest. What? What was that?
"Boris, go with her. You're the only one who knows where she was in the forest." Gray says, giving me a worried look before escorting Nightmare out and Tilly follows behind them.
"Alright, let's go." Boris stands and stretches before grabbing my hand and pulling me down a couple flights of stairs then out the door.
I'm surprised by the sight of the city. There are many Faceless civilians milling around me. Though it's a city, something about it feels like I'm really not in New York anymore.
Before I can fully get my bearings, Boris pulls me again. Soon the city surroundings are replaced with forest. As I'm looking around the forest, at some point I loose my grip on Boris's hand. I don't fully realize it at first, but the pink feline had disappeared.
"BORIS?!" I call, worried at the idea of being in the forest alone. Damn that Cheshire Cat. Honestly, I should have seen that coming. He's unreliable, likes to disappear, and cause trouble.
I continue walking further into the forest, against my better judgment. Though, for some odd reason, my fear ebbs away the further inside the forest I get. It isn't until the sun's morning rays turn into early evening that I truly start to panic.
As I continue to walk, I see a small light a little further ahead. Is that a campfire? I tentatively head towards the light, the closer I get, I can hear the crackle of the wood burning. It looks like a campsite... I wonder who set it up?
TA: Well, I think we all know who she'll be running into next.~~ I feel a little evil ending it there, but I gotta get it out when I can (both my evil moments and story updates). XD I love cliffhangers!
Dodo: There were no questions for us to answer for our 'Questions for Dodo' segment, though TA has a couple from AmorEva Luna.
TA: Right. She wanted to know...
AE L: Also is Daphne later in the series gonna change back into her original dodo bird form or no? Will she ever remember that she came from wonderland or no?
TA: Well, that's the point of the story, so I can't give the definitive yes/no answer. But I can say, they are tied together. Daphne won't turn back into her 'original dodo bird form' until she remembers EVERYTHING. And I mean EVERYTHING.
Dodo: I'm doomed! *cries*
TA: *pats Dodo* And something I think would be fun to mention to you viewers, since you can't actually see Dodo, she's still her eight-year-old bird self, even though Daphne's grown. Weird, huh?
Dodo: Why would you tell them that?!
TA: Because they should know. *turns back to you* So please review with your thoughts of the story so far, we'd love to know what you're thinking about this, because I have absolutely no idea. And/or if you have questions you'd like answered, because we will answer them to the best of our ability/knowledge.
Oh yeah! I forgot last time to mention a cool book I read with a twist/new take on Wonderland, it's called Splintered. Definitely a good read. Check it out if you love new takes on Wonderland!;) Also, I found a really helpful person, (can't remember where, on a manga site or something) who had talked about the differences between the game the manga's based on and the manga series that was really helpful, so if in the future I might add things to the story that might not add up with something said in earlier chapters, it's because I learned more, and I'll blame it on DaphneDodo's still being young and not knowing everything.
Until next time! Thanks for reading! Hope you come back!