So I may just be able to put chapter 13 up by tonight.

It will definitely be up by tomorrow, but tonight is still sticky.

"So you're Vivaldi? Awesome! I'd love to come to a tea party sometime. It sounds great right about now!" I giggled, bouncing on my feet impatiently. Vivaldi's so gorgeous~ She's like a model or something! I'm so jealous of her, gosh~ At least now I have another female to talk to. Even if she's willing to chop my head off, it's better than boring Alice. I bet she's never gotten into a fight, this gorgeous woman kills and looks this good doing it. She is Queen.

"That is most delightful. We would love for you to come see our castle very soon. We are sure that Alice would enjoy your company as well."

Uhh...

"Sure thing! How 'bout 2 to 3 time periods from now? Is that alright with you?" Maybe there will be some red velvet or carrot cake there!

"Of course. Do not get lost or come late, like that good-for-nothing knight of ours. We shall see you until then Victoria. Ta-ta~" Good for nothi- Oh, she means Ace.

Judging by how my first introduction with Ace was, I'd say he was doing a fine job killing people. Yeahh…

Wait a minute- EVERYONE LEFT ME HERE! Did they forget I was here or something? …Joker… Stupid time to come up with a decision now isn't it?

This place, it's so dead. It was such a joyful, happy place a while ago. Now, it's as if everyone died. Dead, like a cemetery. Garbage littering the pathways of the area, sprawled all about and left for someone to pick up. A few scattered toys were here and there; a doll, an action figure, a yo-yo and a stuffed rabbit. I picked them all up, I kinda feel bad for them, ya' know? Tossed out and left abandoned at this place, possibly to never be found again. Heh, the stuffed rabbit kinda looks like that pink rabbit, Usu-Chan from Ouran Highschool Host Club. Why would kids lose these? These are awesome toys! I might just keep these for myself, especially the yo-yo and the stuffed rabbit.

It's so depressing though. Even the tent lost its golden glory, instead choosing to look like a decrepit, worn out, striped cloth. Does all of Wonderland look like this behind the mask it wears? Rubbing the bunny's ear, I notice a little cut in the ear and a missing button eye. Nothing a new button and some thread couldn't fix, this just means that the cutie was used well by its owner!

Sensing something behind me, a cold chill runs up my spine, spreading throughout the rest of my body. I already know who it is too. "Is it always like this?" I question without the need of turning around, I know both of them can hear me and are listening. "So.. Barren, deathly, like a cemetery or a wasteland?" I sneer "Does nobody give a shit here?"

…

Silence

Clutching the rabbit, I place the other toys gently down on the ground leaning against a wall, altogether, that way nothing is lonely.

I start to turn around to see why Joker has not replied yet, I fail to notice the presence right behind me until it spoke in a low and serious tone.

"This is Wonderland my dear. It's kill or be killed. Eat or be eaten. In this world, caring for one another is meaningless. All that matters is territory and who's the best. Winning the foreigner just proves that all in one fell swoop of course." No, I don't accept that; I won't accept that. That's bullshit, to be so shallow in this world. There's some type of good in each person here, even Joker. "Alice was able to change people, even if only a little. Who's to say I can't? If she can do it, there's hope for me. Everyone here is capable of some type of good," spinning on my heel, I face him with a defiant face , "even you Joker."

Just us. We're the only two here in this wasteland.

Joker and I, me and Joker. "Care to make a bet on that, my little toy?" A bet. That I can't change him? As everyone else here seems to say, interesting.

"Yeah, why not? It's not just for you White; it's for both of you, Black and White."

Alice, she told me their names when I was done laughing at Nightmare…

Apparently she named them; Black for the warden and White for the ringmaster. I figured out who was Black and White. She never told me which one belonged to who. Black for the darkness of the warden, white for the purity of the jester. "Both of us? Me and "Black"? That can be arranged my sweet." As soon as the word "sweet" left his mouth the world slowly started to melt. Slowly, the circus turned into a prison ward. This must be where Black "works".

Dark greys were all over, the bars, the floors, the ceiling, hell, even the benches, beds and bathrooms in the cells were the same melancholic grey colour. A prisoner's hands poked from the cell to move around a bit in excitement of the new contact of a human besides Black in here. Looking from his hands, i notice that the head of the prisoner is not a normal man's head, but instead the head of a torn teddy bear. This is where the broken toys go then. At that, I look down at the rabbit in my arms and drop it into an empty cell hesitantly. Slowly, it rises into a sitting position and a prisoner with a pink torn rabbit head sits in its place.

That's- it's so.. upsetting.

"Joker? Our little toy wants to play a card game with us~" White sings in a sickly-sweet tone, a smile broadening across his face at the look of horror in my eyes.

Card game? Oh God no! I've only played Blackjack. I've never made time to remember or play the others.

"What?! That whore wants to fucking play now?!" Peering around the corner from under White raised arm, I catch sight of Black strolling down the hallway, casually swinging a baton in his left hand as he drags his right hand along the jail cell bars to his right. "What the fuck are you looking at stupid bitch?!" "Now, now Joker. Show Victoria some hospitality. She is playing with us after all. My dear~ Which game would you prefer? Craps? Hit 'em Up? You're choice, any game will do~"

Looking down at White, who was sitting and shuffling a deck on the floor, I try to swallow the lump[ in my throat and my hands become cold and clammy. I perceive the fake smile on his face right away. "Blackjack. Rules and Regulations please. I gotta' know though, what's your gain in this game?" "Wait- Blackjack?! Are you fucking kidding me foreigner?!" "Oh, uhh, was that a bad choice?" Please say no, please say no, please say no, and please say no. "Don't mind him, just a stroll down memory lane. Dealer says stand at 15, our gain in this game? It's simple little Victoria~ "

Dealing two cards to me, himself, and Black he glances up to look me in the eyes but Black continues his sentence. "You win; you're fucking right, which you aren't. We win, you're our servant for 30 time periods, and we get to do anything to you." Great. Please let my lucky hand come to me now… Lifting my cards, at first I look in fear and peer over the rim of my glasses. The two red haired men both have deceiving smiles on their faces, one a devilish smirk and the other the most wicked smile. Looking back down again, I squeal in happiness.

"YES! BLACKJACK!" Throwing my cards down in between our circle, I start to dance in place, my butt shimmying side to side on the cold concrete floor. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" "Oh my, it seems that we have lost." "I WANT A FUCKING REMATCH! BEST TWO OUTTA THREE BITCH!" Rematch? No! I pushed my luck as it is! "Nope. I won, fair and square. This was a one-time deal here chief."

I won. Just like I promised, I'll change this place, even if only a little. That's my goal before I go home.

"Well, a deal is a deal my dear Victoria. We won't bother you, for now of course." Black, in the midst of his baby tantrum, threw his cards down; a 20. White threw his down too; a 19. Damn, I'm so freakin' lucky right now.

I needed a Blackjack to win. If I got a 20, me and Black would've pushed and gone another round, which I would've lost for sure. This was pure luck.

Bringing my attention back to the Jokers, I see them arguing to each other over why the cards were probably jacked. Ya' know, they're not so bad after all~ They're likethe bad kids everyone knows at school and are afraid to talk to. Ypu wind up being that one brave person and they wind up being nicer than everyone put them to be."

Never judge a book by it's cover.