CHAPPY 10! -_- IKNOW I SHOULDN'T BE SO EXCITED. BUT STILL! PLEASE REVIEW!
CH.10: The Catch
I cracked my eyes to see the strange and colorful scenery of the Dream Realm. I sat up and looked about; searching for the incubus I knew was here. As though my thoughts had summoned him, he appeared before me… right side up this time. "Hello again C.J, I suppose now I'll have to explain precisely what I meant last time we met here." I crossed my arms, sending my best threatening aura at him. Probably because we were in the Dream Realm, he didn't even flinch. "Damn straight. Start talking. Why did Peter White bring me here?" He cocked his head to the side. "Well, it's a little complicated C.J. You see, Peter is madly in love with Alice, which is why he brought her here. However, Alice refuses to accept his affections as anything more than an obsession and that Wonderland is really a dream. I'm not sure why, but he takes her rejection towards him as an outlet for her loneliness, so he requested to bring another foreigner here to keep her company. He hopes that your companionship will help her to open up and accept Wonderland as reality."
I massaged my temples. "O.K, so this is all because bunny boy has a crush an Alice. But why me, out of all the people on Earth?" He shrugged, "You just happened to fit the bill." Well, that's f***** up. "Alright, I'll buy that. So what was all that stuff you said last time? What did you mean?" A strange smile curved over the dream demons lips. "As you know, the only way to get home is to interact with the people of Wonderland. But there is one catch." I perked, "I knew it! What is it?" His smile broadened.
"The catch is simple. All of the people of Wonderland will fall in love with foreigners. Namely you and Alice." My jaw nearly hit the ground. "W-w-w-w-WHAT!" He gave me a sympathetic smile. "It's not like they will fall for you at first sight. For most it will take time. But, they will eventually fall in love with you. What kind of love they will hold for you, I cannot say." I just kept starring at him, slack jawed. "The real problem with going back is that you'll have to chose between all the people you've come to know here and going back to the life you once lived." I finally found my voice, "What! What kind of sick bastard came up with this game!" Nightmare smiled sheepishly at me, "It isn't all bad. When the time comes, I'm sure you'll make the decision that will make you happy." The Dream Realm began to tremor, signaling my awakening. I didn't even have time to grab Nightmare before darkness enveloped me once again.
A voice that was light and bright as tinkling Christmas bells rang out through my head; grating on my raw nerves. "Rise and shine C.J! I brought your clothes for you!" I peeked over the comforter to see Alice standing by the window. "Time to get up sleepy head!" She gave me a smile that was almost as blinding as the light that poured in as she pulled the thick curtains wide open. I pulled myself into a crumpled but technically upright position and rubbed sleep from my eyes. "Alice? Why…" She grinned, "Get dressed! Breakfast is almost ready and I've got a big day planned!" She turned and trotted out the door, closing it behind her. I dragged myself out of bed and found she had laid my clothes out and the bureau. I picked up my shirt and let a smile twitch on my lips. They had even ironed them.
After dressing, I followed the smell of food down to the dining room. All of the Clover Tower residents were assembled and eating steaming, fluffy pancakes. My mouth watered as I took a seat next to Alice. A faceless servant emerged from the kitchen and placed a plate with a large stack of pancakes piled on top. I grinned at the maid, "Thanks a lot!" If she had a face, I think she would have looked surprised. I turned to the table and slapped a large pallet of butter onto my pancakes, followed by a thick stream of maple syrup. Smothered in butter and syrup, that's how I liked my pancakes!
"I turned back to the maid, "Could I please have a glass of milk?" I love milk. Aside from water, it was all I ever drank. She nodded and darted of to the kitchen, returning almost instantly with my milk. I grinned as I took it, "Thanks miss!" She flushed as red as a cardinal and bowed. "U-u-umm, your very welcome Mistress Thourn." Mistress Thourn? Ugg. I gave her another big smile, "Please, just call me C.J! You look older than me anyhow." She flushed again, "O-o-of course." She bowed and fled the dining room. Gray gave me a questioning look. Did I say something wrong? I wondered vaguely as I started to devourer my mountain of pancakes.
I finished it all off in about 3 minutes by chugging my glass of milk. It was then I noticed the various looks I was getting from around the table. I blushed slightly. I lived alone, so my table manners weren't the best. Nightmare laughed wholeheartedly, "My, my! You can certainly pack it away! Where do you put it all?" Nightmares light attitude got everyone, even me; the insulted one, to at least crack a smile. Strange, I thought, he's acting like he didn't cause me to almost go into shock last night. I shrugged off the thought without further consideration.
Alice began to stand up, "If you're finished eating, we should head out." I shot to my feet, a grin upon my face. "LET'S GO!" I grabbed her hand and dragged her out the door. Once we were outside, Alice stopped in her tracks. "C.J! What are you so worked up about?"I turned to her, my face aflame. "Well… it's just that I've never gone out with a friend before…" Her eyes widened. Then she giggled. My blush deepened. "What?" Alice looked at my sweetly with her kind eyes. "You called me your friend!"
By now my face was reminesent of a strawberry by now. "S-s-s-so?" She laughed again and took my hand and started to lead me away from the gate of Clover Tower. "Nothing. Come on…friend." I grinned and let my first best friend lead me down the trail.
SHORT CHAPTER THIS TIME. JUST THINK OF IT AS COMPENSATION FOR THE SUPER LONG CHAPTER 9!