*** I'm thinking of changing the title of the chapters. It's already chapter XXI, when I reach Chapter XXVIII (28) there won't be any words left. So starting from next chapter, I'll erase the 'Chapter'. It's just too long _ ***

Chapter XXI: Trapped in Wonderland

Rin woke up on the cold floor. She thought it was blur, but she wasn't imagining things. Rin was on a hallway. It seemed like a long hallway, she couldn't even see the edge of the hall. The lamps that shone down had many colors. Red light, blue light, green light, and yellow light.

'Red light for spade, blue light for diamond, green for clover, yellow must be for heart.' Rin remembered the cover of the book of Alice Human Sacrifice.

That reminded her. She must be in Wonderland now. Rin never knew Wonderland would be colorful. The floor was checkers, probably black and white. With so many lights on, she couldn't determine any color.

The hall was long, but its width was small. When Rin stretched out both her arms out, she could touch the edge of the 2 walls, from her right and left. So the width was probably half a meter. The hallways made her feel so big.

It wasn't plain at all. Aside from the colorful lights, there were paintings on the wall as well, framed with gold. It looked like gold, or maybe not. The light confuses her. Every 10 centimeters, there is 1 painting. There are many paintings, they're actually portraits of people. Some are men, some are women, and all were adults. Rin observed each and every portrait that was hung on the walls. It felt like the eyes in the portrait were looking at her. Surrounded with so many portraits made her nervous. Especially that she was no Len beside her.

'Why are we separated? He couldn't be that far, right? Aren't we supposed to be in 1 group?' Rin thought.

She didn't know what way to go. Rin couldn't see the end of the hallway, no intersections or anything. It was a plain straight line for the next few meters. Before she made any decisions, she thought hard first, reviewing everything she knew about the books.

Her life might be in danger, so she thought very very carefully. Who knows? Maybe one slip could kill her. All of the Alices ended dying, and since the author is trying to look for a 4th Alice, does that mean he expects all the contestants to die?

She remembered what Mark Tulhor told her.

'Passing through countless doors'

'Am I supposed to find a door?' Rin thought. That was the only option she could think of, so she picked which way should she go. In the end, there will be a door. Or a dead end.

'I hope the path I choose isn't a dead end.' Rin thought and walked straight following the hallways full of portraits.

Kaito opened his eyes. He was in a large room. Where was he? Oh, that's right. He was in Wonderland. He never knew Wonderland could be so... Plain.

The room was large, shaped like a circle. Its diameter is around 100 meters. Nothing was there. Walls and floor made of steel, a few candles were light up. Nothing else. Well, there was something some sort of box. It was quite dim, so he couldn't see very clear. The candles didn't help him very much.

He took a few steps closer to it. It was a box, filled with books, encyclopedias to be exact. There were a few volumes, he couldn't really make out what it was.

"Ready to solve a riddle, Kaito Shion?" Kaito heard Mark Tulhor's voice, it came from above him. He couldn't see what was above him, it was too dark.

"There is one exit from this room. In order to find it, you have to solve the riddle. You can found them inside the books." He announced.

That's insane. How could he read with light this dim?

'Well, at least I have some time to do it.' Kaito thought.

"You have a time limit, though." Mark announced.

'Darn, I thought there isn't any time limit.' Kaito said to himself.

Suddenly he felt something on his hair, water? He was sure that he was in a building. Wonderland is strange.

"Soon the room will be filled with water. When the water fills the whole room, your time ends there." Mark said.

It was like a tsunami, water fell from above like crazy. It's far worse from a heavy rain. Kaito closed the box and tried to protect the books. Water could destroy his only lead.

'How am I supposed to solve the case with water falling all over?' He asked to himself. He wouldn't just lose the competition. When the water fills the whole room, he'll be out of breath, and die.

Len hasn't opened his eyes, but something smelt horrible. A disturbing smell, what is that? He asked.

After he put himself together, his eyes widened. He woke up from his long dream and discovered what the disturbing smell was. Smoke. Smoke from a burning candle.

He was glad that it was just a little candle. The last fire he encountered nearly killed him, and this time, he knew Lionel isn't here to save him.

Len observed where he was, for a while he felt claustrophobic. He was in some sort a mirror. When he looked outside, he could see a hallway full of paintings, with colorful lights all over. The hallway was very long, Len couldn't see the end of the hallway.

Behind him was glass. He could see his reflection clearly. Below him was glass, below, and above him were glass as well. His reflections were everywhere, and it made him felt like he was in a mirror. Everything was glass, except for the candle.

Len tried to break through from the 'mirror cage' but it was sealed tight.

He couldn't get out by force, no matter how hard he tried. And it was strange, he gasped for breath for a couple of times, he wondered why?

Then he realized, that the innocent little candle was going to kill him. Len quickly blew the candle off and thought how stupid he was not to do that earlier. If that candle accompanied him for another 10 minutes, he might die.

He gave out a sigh of relief. At least he was still alive. After the sigh, he saw a figure. It was Rin! She was walking with a confused face, observing every painting she encountered.

To attract her attention, Len began smashing the mirror with his fist. Luckily Rin noticed it right away and ran as fast as she could to Len.

She just noticed that Len was in a mirror. The glass was so clean and clear she thought he was right in front of him, not trapped in a mirror. Well, at least she found him.

"Is there any way I can help get you out?" Rin asked to him.

Len swore Rin said something since her mouth moved, but he didn't hear anything.

"What?" Len shouted back.

Rin swore Len said something, his mouth moved, but she couldn't hear anything.

'Did he say something?' Rin thought to herself. She decided to repeat herself, but a bit louder this time. Rin took a step closer to the mirror and shouted.

"Is there any way I could help you?"

It was useless, the mirror was sealed shut. There's no way they could communicate. Len could write a note, unfortunately Mark must've confiscated his bag, it wasn't there.

Len breathed to the mirror and it condensed. He wrote on the glass so Rin could understand what Len want to say.

'GET HELP! NOT MUCH OXYGEN LEFT! MIGHT DIE SOON' He wrote.

Len didn't bother to explain about it. He didn't know how long he passed out, but he was in 1 room with a burning candle.

To make a fire, you need oxygen. That's why when Len was still passed out the fire took all the oxygen in. The cage is completely sealed, no oxygen is coming in to that room. That's why Len blew the fire. To prevent any more oxygen being taken.

If he tried to waste any more energy, his body will consume more oxygen. So destroying the mirror won't be a good idea.

But Rin had something else in mind. She panicked when Len wrote that message, especially the part when he said 'MIGHT DIE SOON.'

Len did a very good job on calming her down.

So, Len couldn't destroy the mirror from the inside. But Rin could destroy the mirror from the outside.

She grabbed one of the painting hung on the wall and was prepared to destroy the mirror that trapped him inside. Len took a step back to avoid the pieces of glass that would burst out.

"You're not allowed to do that." Rin was about to destroy it, when someone stopped her. Mark Tulhor stopped her.

Len shouted something from the inside, but neither of them could hear his voice. It was probably something related to

'Mark Tulhor you're gonna DIE!'

He brought Len's leather bag and grabbed the notebook and pen. He wrote something and sticks it on the mirror with his palm.

Len read it for a while and was confused at first. He was still wondering what his answer is.

"What did you write there?" Rin asked, she put down the painting.

"If you or he breaks the mirror, you two are out of the competition." He said and crushed the paper. He carelessly threw it to the floor.

Rin noticed that Len wrote something on the mirror again, and she began reading it.

'DON'T BREAK THE MIRROR! GO FIND A WAY OUT! I'LL BE FINE!' He wrote.

Rin said something from the outside, but Len couldn't hear a thing she said. It's probably related to

'I can't leave you behind!'

Or something similar to that that. But Len wasn't done, he adds another note to her.

'I TRUST YOU! RUN FAST! FIND KAITO!' Len added an exclamation mark after one sentence.

Rin was confused for a moment, and it made Len impatient. He adds yet another glass note.

'I'M YOUR BOSS! GET OUT!'

Although he thought it was rude to say get out, but it's the shortest sentence he could think of. He realized it's much shorter than 'go find a way out'.

It was hard for her to abandoned Len like that, but Rin decided to run as fast as she could. There should be 2 edges in the straight hallway.

1 edge is Len, so the other edge must be the door to freedom.

Rin ran for around 5 minutes, she hasn't found any doors yet. As she thought, it's a straight line, no turnings at all. There were endless amount of paintings as well. 10 centimeters each paintings.

It's like running in an endless loop. But her worries fade when she saw a wall right in front of her.

No, wait. It's a dead end.

Rin pushed the wall, slide it, no hidden words or hidden levers, nothing. It's just a plain wall. Also known as, dead end.

'But this couldn't be... Until now there aren't any doors. Are we really trapped in here?' Rin thought about what Len wrote. Might die soon.

Mark was able to go in, and he probably already left by now. Rin decided to double check. She observed the walls as well this time. But would she have time for that? Time is running out. Rin was so confused, she decided to run towards the mirror Len was in, while observing the paintings.

Man, woman, man, woman, man, man, woman.

None of the paintings were the same. Rin thought, does the paintings even matter? Maybe it does, but so far, she could think of nothing that could get her out from the hallways.

Len decided to rest, and not take too much energy. It's been around 10 minutes. He was amazed to see him still alive. Len calculated, he'll probably be alive for another half an hour.

'Rin knows more about Wonderland than I do. She can do it.' Len thought to himself. He went inside somehow, he could get out.

Sitting there won't improve anything, so Len stood up and analyze the cage.

Len knocked the glass above him. Mark Tulhor might throw him from the glass above him and sealed it tight. Something heavy is above the glass so it's impossible to move it. A while later he heard a tap from the mirror.

It was Rin. She looked really worried, and sad. Around 90% of worried and 10% sadness and depression.

Rin noticed his leather bag was still there and picked up the notebook. She wrote a letter to Len.

'There's no way out. It's a dead end. What should I do? Are you okay?'

Len was confused HOW to reply. Condensing was really troublesome, but it was the only way to communicate.

'WE CAN GET IN WE CAN GET OUT. I'M FINE.' Len wrote.

He was lying of course, Len was dying from lack of oxygen. She didn't want Rin to worry anymore. It would ruin her concentration.

'What should I do?' Rin wrote back.

Len thought she could trick Rin's eyes. She could see how pale his face looked. But that didn't matter right now. It matter a little bit, but that's not the point.

Len looked at the paintings, he thought it might lead them to something.

'PATTERN FOR PAINTINGS.' Len wrote.

Rin was calmer than before, she wrote back to him.

'Man, woman, man, woman, man, woman, so on.'

'CHECK FOR STRANGE PATTERN.'

Rin thought for a moment. Did she miss something? For now, it was her only lead. It's better than nothing.

'I'll check. Please wait.' Rin wrote and rechecked the paintings again.

This time she didn't run. She had to calm her mind in order to think.

Their life depends on it.