Birds chirped and the sun shined in that beautiful spring morning. The little bird's songs and the sunlight made her stir from her sleep. She blinked her eyes open a few times before she turned her head. When she looked around, she frowned. She found herself in a wooden cabin surrounded by seven other single beds. It was quite the unfamiliar surroundings for her.

The platinum blonde girl looked up and scratched her eyes. She had no idea what she was doing in a cabin. She turned her head around the window and saw that the cabin was surrounded by some green plants. Was she in some forest?

"Sunlight." She found herself turning her head. She was sure that a familiar voice was calling her. When she turned her head, she found a tall, broad boy with short dark brown hair and light brown eyes. She recognized him immediately as her best friend, Starry Sir. "You're finally awake." He muttered and she pressed her lips together. She just remembered the odd dream that she just had. "What took you so long?"

Sunlight tilted her head. "I was having the oddest dream." She mused as she got up from her bed. "We were all in my dream. We lived in a castle that had teachers who taught us magic."

Starry Sir snorted. "A magic school?" He let out a laugh. "You always have the weirdest dreams, Sunlight." She didn't say anything and she looked down to her feet. She still didn't get why she would dream anything like that. It had been such a weird dream that when she woke up, she didn't know where she was. "Come on, we're leaving."

"I thought you all agreed that it was pointless to leave this early." During the night, she had argued with their group. She had wanted to leave in fear of the Noseless Man and his Crazy Makers. She was afraid that they caught up with them.

"We talked this morning and we realized you were right." Starry Sir let her know and she sighed. She had gotten angry for no reason last night. "So, gather your things and let's go." He exited the cabin leaving Sunlight to her own.

The platinum blonde girl walked to the mirror and started to comb her hair with her comb. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she noticed that she was wearing a blue dress that matched her eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows as she remembered her dress to be dark blue last night. She shrugged her shoulders as she remembered that she was in Wonderland. Odd things happened in this world.

After combing her hair, packing and putting on her white tights and black shoes, Sunlight exited the cabin and closed the door. A few feet away from her were her friends.

The first person that Sunlight spotted was Divine. Her friend Divine was the most beautiful girl in Wonderland. Her and Starry Sir had met her after they left the Chalk Warf village. She had been living in the City of Stars and she had been running away from Crazy Makers as well. Divine was a dark-skinned girl with curly brown hair, deep brown eyes and big eyelashes. Not only was she the most beautiful girl in Wonderland, but Divine was also an amazing cook.

After Divine had joined their duo, they had run into Foxy and Angel. Foxy was a girl who could turn into a fox. She was tall with long black hair and amber eyes. At first, Starry Sir and she didn't trust her. Foxes were wily and not to be trusted, but soon enough, Foxy had warmed up to them. Unlike them and Divine, Foxy came from Nakasendo, a mountain range in the Eastern region of Wonderland. Foxy had come with Angel. A brown-skinned girl with chocolate brown eyes and dark wavy brown hair. Angel had come from a Southern region of Wonderland called the Winding River.

When their group had gained two other members, they met three other boys. They met Blabber first. He was a dark-haired boy with fair skin and almost black eyes. He had been sitting on a small wall. He had been lost and he didn't remember where he came from. Even his true name was unknown to him. A woman he had run into had named him Blabber as he wouldn't stop talking to her.

Ulysses had come next. He was pale, had dark brown hair, ebony brown eyes and a gentle smile. He was reserved and calm, but Sunlight had noticed that he was quite wise and his bag was filled with more books than him. He came from a city called Offshore Bay. She remembered reading one time that the people of Offshore Bay worshipped the goddess, Ériu.

Last but not least, was Fortune. He was an auburn-haired boy with hazel eyes, a fair complexion and the most contagious laugh she ever had. He came from River Taff. Since Fortune had come in their group, they had become fortunate when it came to hunting. He was an extremely good hunter, even better than Foxy and he always knew the best meats and plants for them to eat.

This was their group of eight and Sunlight loved them all. She loved them so much that she had given them a name. She called themselves the Soaring Eagles. Because just like eagles, they were individually different from each other and unlike eagles, the eight of them had been working and being around with each other for months. Eagles didn't travel in a pack, but the eight of them did.

"Are you all ready?" Sunlight asked them as she approached them.

Foxy got up from her seat and huffed. "You're the one to ask us. We've been waiting for you for minutes." As soon as Foxy said that, the group all laughed. Sunlight bit her lip and looked away.

It wasn't her fault that she had slept so much. She had stayed up all night worrying that the Crazy Makers would find them.


Wonderland had always been a strange place. The town her and Starry Sir came from was surrounded by tall white houses that had trees and flowers wrapped around them. If the trees or the flowers of one of the house would die, the house would get destroyed. However, she didn't think that was strange. It was what she was used to.

Yet as they got into the deeper regions of Wonderland, it turned stranger. Right now, the eight of them were walking down a path that flowers and other plants were as tall as trees while trees were as small as flowers and bushes. It was a strange-looking place not just for her and Starry Sir, but for everyone else. The eight of them were shocked at what they were seeing in this strange region of their world.

"Do you think we're close?" Divine asked as she was walking behind her and Starry Sir with Ulysses on her side.

Starry Sir looked at the map that he was holding. "No." He muttered. "The place where the waterfalls meet is far away from here. It will take days for us to arrive there." The whole group let out a groan. They had been travelling for weeks and it was exhausting. The place where the waterfall met was at the edge of the world, but it was also the safest place to be.

"What's coming next?" Fortune wondered as he was walking before them.

"The Land of the Dread." They all shuddered at Starry Sir's response. While none of them had been in the Land of the Dread, they all knew what kind of place it was. It was a mountain range filled with cliffs and unsaved territories. It was hard to pass the Land of the Dread coming unscarred. Many people even died.

A few hours passed when they arrived in the Land of the Dread. From the first look, it made Sunlight quiver. It was the most dangerous place that she had seen. The cliffs were high and sharp. The ground was shaky and the air was too dense. It was the kind of place that she would see in her nightmares. To believe that they had to cross this place to arrive in the best place in the world.

She shook her head and followed her friend in the path. Her eyes remained on her foot as she was worried about falling. Sunlight was a bit clumsy. She had gotten many injuries because of it. She didn't want to fall to her death because of her clumsiness though. So, she was extra careful in her step.

As they walked up and down the cliffs, Sunlight heard a hiss come behind a big and thick bush. She stopped in her tracks and so did her friends. They all heard the hiss.

"It must be a snake," Angel muttered. When she said that, Foxy immediately turned to a fox while Fortune got his bow and arrow.

Again, they heard the hiss. Sunlight creased her eyebrows as it sounded more like a voice rather than an animal. She walked closer to the bush despite Starry Sir telling her not to. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed that it was a human figure not a snake behind it. If it had been a snake, she would have understood its hiss.

"Who are you?" She called as she came closer to the bush.

The other person let out a grain. "My name is Serpent." He answered her. "I've been bitten by a sphinx."

Her eyes widened and she immediately moved to face the person named Serpent. Sphinx bites were dangerous and if the person didn't get help, he would die. So, she rushed to come in its aid. When she came face to face with Serpent, she was surprised to find the boy around her age. He had black hair, dark blue eyes, a sharp jaw, a pale face and the most beautiful lips Sunlight had ever seen.

She froze for a few seconds as their eyes met. When Serpent smiled at her, she returned the smile and looked down to his injury. She could see the clear bite of the sphinx on his leg, but her eyes couldn't help but pay attention to the mark next to it. It was dark and it was shaped in some sort of skull.

"When did you get bitten?" She asked as she focused on the bite. Behind her, she could hear some of her friends take steps towards them.

"A few minutes ago." Serpent answered as he let out a hiss. She couldn't imagine the pain that he was in. She needed to help him. She didn't want him to die.

Someone behind her cleared her throat. She turned around to see Foxy, Starry Sir and Fortune behind her. "Where did you get that mark?" Foxy asked.

Serpent flinched. "I was born with it. It's a birthmark."

While the mark had taken her off guard as well, she thought that there was no time to deal with it. They needed to find some healer to help Serpent. "Who does it matter? We need to get him some help." She turned to look at the boy. "Is there a place around here that can heal you?"

"We can go back to my house." Serpent suggested.

Sunlight's ears perked. There was a chance that they could save him. "Where is your house?"

"The Lake of the Dead." As soon as he said those words, her jaw dropped and she heard Fortune gasp. It was known that the Lake of the Dead was rumoured to be the place where many Crazy Makers came from. After the Land of the Dread, the Lake of the Dead was the most dangerous place to be in Wonderland.

Foxy scoffed. "You come from the Lake of the Dead and you have a Crazy Makers' mark." She shook her head and tried to pull Sunlight away from him.

"I'm not a Crazy Maker." Serpent declared. "The rumours were spread by a boy named Snuffles after he was kicked out of his family. No one from the Lake of the Dead is a Crazy Maker." He turned his gaze to her and their eyes locked. Her breath caught in her throat because of it. "Believe me."

Sunlight bit her lip. Serpent was just a stranger, but he was hurt and he needed their help. He needed healing care as soon as possible or he'd be dead in a few hours. She was also sure that he wasn't lying. The way he was looking at her told that he wasn't.

"We need to take him home and then we'll head to the place where the two waterfalls meet." She announced and her friends gaped at her.

Starry Sir frowned. "He's not trustworthy, Sunlight." He tried to tell her, but she didn't believe him. She could feel it in her heart that Serpent was just a boy who was hurt.

"He is, Starry Sir!" Sunlight insisted. "Now, help me to get him home!"

"No!" Foxy snapped at her. "We're heading to our destination. We can't afford to lose time. We need to be safe."

Sunlight was appalled by her friends' behaviour. She got up and shook her head. When she turned around, she saw that Divine, Angel and Ulysses had come closer too. "He is hurt, Foxy! We need to help him before he gets hurt!"

"I've seen sphinx bites before." Divine informed her. "That one doesn't look real. And even if it is, it's not that deep!"

Serpent groaned. "I'm in pain right now!" He screamed at them. "And you all are wondering if I'm in pain." He shook his head. "I could die if you leave me here." She pouted her lips as she looked at him. When she did, he turned his attention to her. "So, please, help me and take me home. We have a healer there and he will heal the bite!"

Sunlight opened her mouth to speak, but Foxy didn't let her. "You're lying. I can sense it." Since she was a part-fox, her friend could feel the lies of people. Yet Sunlight didn't trust her. Her friend could be lying. after all, it was apparent that she didn't care about Serpent.

"He's not lying." She muttered. "And I'm taking him home."

Starry Sir's eyes flashed before they landed on her. "So, you're choosing him over us?"

Her heart skipped a beat and her hands began to shake. "I didn't know this was a choice." She had thought that she would take him home while her friends wait for her here.

"It is now."

Sunlight gulped down. The people in front of her were her friend. Six of them had been with her for weeks and had helped her a lot. Starry Sir was her best friend. She had known him before she could talk or speak. He was her best friend, one of the people she loved the most and the only person she'd die for.

On the other hand, Serpent was just a boy she met. However, he was hurt and in pain. He needed her help and she was raised to give help to those in need. And at the end of it, he seemed like he was a good boy. She couldn't leave him to die. That would be cruel.

"I'm going with him."

When she said those words, she could hear not only Starry Sir's heart shutter, but everyone else's as well. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her lips. She hated hearing their hearts break, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

"Fine." Starry Sir spat. "Suit yourself."

Sunlight heard their steps walk away from where she was. She opened her eyes and saw that all of her friends had turned their backs on her.

"Thank you." Serpent whispered and she turned around to look at him. When she did, he smiled at her. Her heart fluttered and she returned the smile.

"You don't have to thank me." Sunlight muttered as she knelt and started to help him get up.


Hours had passed since she had said goodbye to her friends. She and Serpent had passed the Land of the Dread. Now, they were on the Field of Poppies. They had stopped to relax and Sunlight had realized that they didn't have enough water in their flask. She pressed her lips together and glanced at Serpent.

"Is it okay if I go by that pond and fill this with water?" She asked him and he turned to look at her. "You'll be okay if I'm away for a few minutes." She studied his face and saw that there wasn't much difference in his face. He still looked tired and was sweating, but nothing else had changed.

"Of course." He muttered. She nodded her head and was about to leave. "Don't be long though." She turned her head to look at him. "Because I'll miss you if you are."

Starlight's cheeks flushed and she looked away. Her heart started to beat fast as well. "I'll try my best." She mumbled before walking away. As she made her way to the pond, she smiled and flushed even more.

Serpent was handsome, gentle, nice and smart. He told her all about the regions around them. Apparently, he had been looking for some special plants when the sphinx had bitten him. He told her that he needed it to for one of his experiments He was some sort of inventor. If her dad knew about it, she would like and maybe even approve him.

As she approached the pond, she noticed a tree branch had fallen on the edge of it. She shuddered as she realized it must have been windy the night it did. While inspecting the tree, she noticed an owl sitting on it. She paid no mind to it and started to fill the flask.

"Ignorance is bliss." She heard the voice of an old man speak. She looked around but saw that no one was around her. When she turned her head to the branch, she noticed the owl had turned to look at her. She gaped when she noticed that the owl had a silver beard and was hearing crescent-moon glasses.

"What are you trying to say?" Sunlight asked the owl.

The owl opened its mouth to speak. "Ignorance is bliss." The owl repeated. "It tastes sweet for a time, but the bitterness comes along soon after. The taste of bitterness can overwhelm and you'll find out it's a bit too late." She creased her eyebrows at it. "But you still have time, my child. So, open your eyes and see with your brain rather than with your heart."

Sunlight was beyond confused. She had no idea what the owl was talking about, but it seemed that it was speaking to her. She didn't get how she had been ignorant. She didn't get how she had been seeing with her heart rather than her brain. After all, she always prided herself for using her logic.

She was about to ask the owl what it meant, but it flew away. It flew away and left Sunlight alone with her thoughts.

Had the owl been talking about the war? Had he been talking about the Noseless Man and the Crazy Makers? Or had he been talking about something entirely different? Sunlight had no idea.

During the way back to Serpent, she thought about what the odd owl said. She pondered on his words as she came closer to her destination. When she was near her companion, Sunlight had already come to a conclusion.

"Did you fill the flask?" He asked her as she set down the flask.

"Yeah." She muttered under her breath as she walked near him. "How is your bite?"

Serpent let out a sigh. "It's getting worse, but slowly. She knelt next to him and glanced at his leg. He had covered it with his pants. "I think you shouldn't see it." She raised her eyebrows. "It might make you faint."

Sunlight took a deep breath. "I'm not scared of a bite." Without taking any longer, she lifted the pant up to reveal the leg. Serpent tried to move her hand away from it, but it was already too late. Sunlight saw his leg and her eyes widened.

There was no bite on his leg anymore. Divine had been right. It hadn't been real. He had faked the bite.

She got up on her feet and covered her mouth. Her eyes drifted to the mark on his leg. The mark in the shape of the skull.

"You lied to me!" She spat in realization. Instead of looking ashamed by his action, Serpent just looked at her. No true expression on his face. "You told me that you were hurt and I believed you." She should have listened to her friends. She should have known not to trust a stranger. How had she been so naive? She had thought she was smarter than that. "Are you a Crazy Maker too?" He didn't answer her. "Answer me!" She screamed for the whole field to hear.

"Yes." He stated. Her blue eyes filled with tears and her breath caught on her throat. She couldn't believe what a mistake she made. She had chosen not just a stranger, but a Crazy Maker over her friends. One of those friends she had known her whole life.

"Why?!" Sunlight couldn't control her emotions. She had to raise her voice. "Why did you lie to me?!"

"That's what we do." He told her. "Us, Crazy Makers, lie to get what we want and I wanted you."

Sunlight couldn't believe her ears. She had never been deceived like this. She had thought that he was good, but Serpent was the worst of them all.

As she saw him get up, she knew that she needed to leave. So, without eating any second, she grabbed her flask and her bag before she started to run away. She spared him one last glance and saw that he was behind her. She took a deep breath, turned her head and ran as fast as she could.

She had never been a runner. Out of all the kids in her town, she had been the slowest. Yet when her life was possibly in danger, Sunlight ran faster than light. She didn't stop, she didn't look up or down, she kept her head straight on and just ran.

Soon enough, she had made it out of the Field of the Poppies and was close to the Land of the Dread. Seeing the progress she made, she made the mistake of looking back. While Serpent wasn't chasing her anymore, another obstacle had been in front of her.

Out of sudden, Sunlight felt her feet stay in the air for too long. She tilted her head. Before she could process what was going on, she felt herself fall. She let out a scream when she realized that she was falling down a hole.

Her eyes closed and for a minute, she wanted herself to fall there. She had no idea how long the hole was and she didn't know what was she waiting for her there. Was she going to meet her death? Would it be an endless hole? Or were they going to be some creatures that would tear her to shreds?

It didn't matter, she thought to herself. Whatever was waiting for her, she deserved it. She had chosen Serpent over her friends. She had chosen to go with a suspicious boy rather than her friends who had seen through his lies. She deserved to meet her end.

Before Sunlight fell in the hole, a hand caught her arm. She let out a gasp at the hard tug and her eyes widened. Could it be Serpent? Had he been hiding behind her? Was he catching her just to end her life himself? She closed her eyes as tears welled up in her eyes.

"We'll get you out soon." Her eyes widened when she didn't recognize the voice. It wasn't Serpent's voice, it was someone's she didn't know. "Just hold on my hand, okay?" Sunlight bit her lip as more tears welled up in her eyes. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes." Sunlight croaked.

"Come on, boys." She pursued her lips when she realized that there were a few people that were trying to help her. She sighed in relief and realized that her death had to wait for a little longer.

As she was hanging on the man's hand, she felt a few people move to pull her from her shoulders. Yet they couldn't fully reach her. One of them could only touch it while the other tugged her shoulder. They needed to be taller to be able to lift her.

"Fuck, Howl and I can't reach." She heard another person say. "What we should do?"

Sunlight closed her eyes in defeat. There was no way she was escaping this hole. It was over for her.

"Blondie, raise your other arm." She looked down at her other arm that was down. "When she raises her arm, you take a hold of it, Howl."

"I don't think I can do it." Her whole body was hurting. She didn't know how much she could take. Her other arm was already losing its battle. "It's better if you let me go."

The man scoffed. "What are you talking about? I'm not letting you go." He snapped at her and she gulped down. "The only way we can help you is if you help yourself." He told her. "Now, raise your arm."

Sunlight hesitated for a second. A part of her wanted her to fall and meet her death. It would be deserving after what she had done.

"Come on." Four voice urged her.

She breathed in, squinted and tried to raise her arm. Just as she did, she felt someone take her arm and squeeze it. She held her breath as she waited for her to be pushed up.

The two boys tugged her, but they failed to bring her up. at seeing the struggle, she put her feet on the wall next to her and pushed herself upwards. As soon as she did that, the boys had no problem lifting her.

Sunlight was pulled from the hole and the boys settled her on the ground. She let out a deep breath as she laid down. She couldn't believe that she had been a fall away from death.

"Are you alright?" The first person who had caught her spoke up. This made her open her eyes. She wanted to see who her rescuer had been.

She opened her eyes just to be met with stormy grey eyes. She blinked a few times as she followed on the face. She could see that the boy was her age. He had grey eyes, long dark hair, high cheekbones, a pale complexion and a black dog ears on top of his head.

"Yes." She answered him as she sat up. "Thank you for saving me." she looked around and saw his other friends. The other one standing close to her was a pale skinned boy with dark green eyes, scars all over his face, dirty blonde hair and matching wolf ears. She guessed that he was Howl. Behind the dark-haired boy was another one with a similar height. He was a boy with olive skin, messy jet black hair, hazel eyes and rectangle glasses. She noticed that he had antlers on top of his head. At last, came a small pale boy with ash blonde hair, dark brown eyes and teeth that reminded of a rat. besides the teeth, he had a long tail that reminded her of a worm. "I'm Sunlight." She told them. "What are your names?"

"My name is Antler." The messy-haired boy introduced himself. "This is Cheesy." He pointed to the small boy. "Howl." she already guessed that he was Howl. "And this one is Snuffles."

Sunlight raised an eyebrow at the name. This Snuffles couldn't be the same Snuffles that had spread the rumours about Serpent's family and other families, right?


The next few days, Sunlight travelled alongside the four boys. They all were heading to the place where the waterfalls meet. They weren't heading there for safety though. They were heading there because Sunlight was reminded that Serpent had found out about their haven. So, they were going to warn the other inhabitants from the inevitable attack.

During these few days, Sunlight had become comfortable with the four boys. They were funny and a good company. Cheesy was a good cook, Howl was an amazing hunter, Antler was a smart leader while Snuffles was a quick thinker and navigator. They were the perfect group of people like she had been with her friends.

Sunlight's hands started to shake. She wondered if her friends would ever forgive her for her mistake. She would be surprised if they did, but she was foolishly hoping nonetheless.

"I can't wait to kiss Fiery Red." Antler beamed behind her. She had found out that he was completely in love with a redhead girl named Fiery Red. He would never shut up about her. To her luck, this time, she was disturbing Howl and Cheesy.

"We're near," Snuffles whispered to her and she glanced at him. "In a few minutes, you'd return to your friends and we can everyone the bad news."

Sunlight crossed her arms together and sighed."They're going to kick me out." She muttered under her breath. "This is all my fault."

"It is." From the past few days, she had learned that Snuffles didn't sugarcoat situations. "But it was bound to be found out. If we heard about it, it would have fallen to the ears of the Crazy Makers." At his words, she was reminded of what Serpent told her.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Sunlight turned to him and he looked down. "You were the one who told people about Seprent's family and other families being Crazy Makers and aligning with the Noseless Man." Snuffles nodded his head in answer. "How did you know?"

Snuffles snorted. "What do you think?" She creased her eyebrows. "I came from one of those families." Her eyes widened at the information. "For a long time, my family were only supporters of the Noseless Man. I knew it was wrong, but I ignored it. I ignored it because I stupidly thought it wasn't a big deal." He clenched his jaw. "Everything changed when my little brother joined them." Her lips parted. "I was furious when I found out. So, I left my family and told everyone the truth. Some people believed and some didn't. However, it didn't take long for people to find out I was right."

She wrapped her arms around herself. She couldn't imagine how it must have felt when he found out about his brother. She knew that if she had been in his place, she would have lost her mind. "Is your brother still a Crazy Maker?"

"My brother has been missing for a few weeks," Snuffles answered.

"I'm sorry." She muttered under her breath.

"Don't worry, I'm not." He stated. Yet when she glanced at him, she noticed him sniff and bit his lip. He was sorry, but she didn't press. She didn't want to make him angry about his brother's disappearance.

Behind her, she heard Antler let out a gasp before he laughed. "There it is." He pointed and they all turned their heads.

A few yards away, Sunlight spotted a heavily guarded granite wall. There were people on the top of it, watching out for the enemies. Her eyes widened with what she saw behind the wall.

It was the place where the waterfalls met. It was the most beautiful thing that Sunlight had seen in her life. What made it more beautiful was the rainbow that was standing before it. It gave the waterfall an ethereal aura to it that drew her to it.

"Come on." Antler passed them as he started to run towards it. Cheesy and Howl followed behind him, leaving her and Snuffles alone.

Her body shivered when she realized that she was going to reunite with her friends. Well, her ex-friends. She doubted that they thought her as a friend now.

"Hey, are you coming?" Snuffles asked her.

She turned to look at him and breathed in. "I'm just worried that my friends won't forgive me."

"Everybody makes mistakes." He reminded her. During their journey, she had opened up to the four of them about what happened to her. While they all agreed that she had been in the wrong, they had told her to ask for a second chance with her friends

"Not as big as mine."

"Yes, they do. I did." Her lips parted at Snuffles' confession. "I made a mistake a while back. It hurt all of them, but mostly Howl." He looked down and pressed her lips. "What I did is ten times worse what you did. When I did it, I thought I was just like my family." She raised an eyebrow. "But I was forgiven by Howl and you will be forgiven by your friends." Her baby blue eyes met his stormy grey eyes. she shivered at the intensity of his gaze. "Trust me."

To her surprise, Sunlight found herself trusting Snuffles. She thought that she had learned from her naivety with Serpent. However, Snuffles wasn't Serpent. He had proven that to her these past few days.

The two of them followed the three others. after an immense interrogation, they were allowed to enter the haven. The moment they did, someone let out a scream and ran towards them.

Sunlight caught the sight of dark red hair for a brief second before that person jumped to hug Antler. She immediately knew how it was at the smile on Antler's face. It was Fiery Red, the love of Antler's life.

Her alongside the three other boys laughed at the moment before that parted ways with the reunited couple. While making their way through the place, Sunlight spotted a familiar person.

"Goldilocks!" She called for the girl. Goldilocks was an old friend of hers. She had lived in the town next to hers and had come to visit quite often. While she wasn't as close with Goldilocks as she was with Starry Sir, Goldilocks was still a dear old friend of hers.

The blonde, fair-skinned and green eyes girl faced her. She gaped at the sight of her and rushed to Sunlight. "What are you doing here?" She asked. "Starry Sir told me that you-"

"There was a change of plans." She informed her friend. "But it doesn't matter anymore. I'm here."

Goldilocks smiled at her before the two of them embraced. As they were, Goldilocks moved her lips to whisper in her ear. "Starry Sir is next to the Center." She told her. "I think he has been spending most of his time worrying about you."

After thanking Goldilocks and saying goodbye to Snuffles and his friends, she started to walk towards the direction Goldilocks had been pointing at.

Sunlight found her best friend sitting on a big rock in front of the Center. He was tapping his foot while rubbing his chin. She knew that he only did that when he was nervous or worried. She took a few steps towards and cleared her throat.

Her best friend turned around and his eyes widened. She winced at the sight of him and pressed her lips. "I'm sorry." Was all she could muster telling him.

Starry Sir stopped tapping his foot and rubbing his chin. He rose from the rock and walked towards her. She expected to be berated by him, but she was in for a pleasing surprise. Her best friend wrapped her into the tightest and warmest hug and she relaxed into it.

"I'm sorry." Sunlight repeated.

He ran his hand up and down her back. "I know." She buried her head in his neck as she was reminded that the enemy was coming to get them.


When the enemy had come, a battle had commenced. Many lives were lost, many buildings had been destroyed and many people were injured. One of the few people to survive the battle had been Sunlight herself. She didn't know if it had been luck ot skill, but she was alive while many people weren't.

Tears gathered in her sky. There had been too many people who had died. Too many people that she knew and three of her friends. She couldn't believe they were gone, but she knew that she had to make peace with it. Sunlight also knew that it would take a long time until she did.

The only good news was that the Noseless Man and his Crazy Makers were defeated. A bolt of lightning had struck Noseless Man while his followers had been killed by the people on her side. Sunlight herself had directed death blows to people. It hurt even more when she knew one of them.

Sunlight found herself walking away from the battlefield and making her way to the forest nearby. She didn't know what she was doing. Her brain wasn't working, only her feet were.

Her feet took her deep in the forest. They stopped when they came close to the most beautiful tree that was standing in the middle of the first. The tree was tall with reddish-brown wood and light pink leaves. It was majestic and heavenly. She had thought that the waterfalls were beautiful, but nothing could compare to this tree.

She approached the tree and looked up to it. She found herself being distracted by it and filled with some form of content. It was strange as she had seen her friends die on the battlefield a few minutes before.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Sunlight's heart fluttered in her chest. After the battlefield had ended, she hadn't seen it and had thought the worse. She didn't turn though.

"Yes, it brings light with-"

Snuffles cut her off. "With its heavenly flowers." He finished her sentence making her spin around. She saw that he was standing a few feet away from her.

She was about to jump for a hug, but she saw that his eyes were red and his nose was runny. He had lost people too.

"Who?" She asked.

"Antler." He answered her. Her heart dropped. The boy who had made jokes throughout the whole journey and had spoken of his lover with so much passion and joy was dead. She couldn't wrap her head around it. People like Antler should live a longer life. His energy was too good to be distinguished. "Fiery Red is dead too." She sniffed and covered her mouth. She could see that Snuffles was close to tears too. "I saw your friend, Goldilocks die as well." She bit her lip as she had the fortune to see it as well. "Did your friend group come out unscathed?"

Sunlight shook her head. "No, two of us were killed." She said as she tried her best not to cry. She could cry later when she was in bed. For now, she was going to relish in the beauty of this tree.

As she turned around, she exhaled and inhaled. She refused to cry. She needed to be strong just for a few minutes. The Wonderland needed her as she was maybe one of the few people left who could help.

Sunlight could hear Snuffles take a few steps towards her. When he was standing by her side, she spared a glance towards him.

"Do you think we'll ever find happiness again?"

It took a long time for Sunlight to answer him. The truth was that she had no idea. she had no idea what the future held and there was no way that she could know. Yet somehow as she was standing in front of this tree while having Snuffles by her side, she saw a glimpse of hope.

"I don't know, but we can try," She moved her hand to hold his. Snuffles didn't react for a split second before he intertwined their fingers together. "together." She added as her baby blue eyes met his stormy grey ones.

Evelyn stirred from her sleep as she heard a familiar voice call her name. She let out a groan as she opened her eyes and looked around.

She found herself in the girls' dormitories in the Ravenclaw tower. She was in her nook bed with Sabrina at the edge of it. She turned around to find Diana smiling down at her.

"I thought it was about time I woke you up." Her friend remarked making Evelyn frown. "It's a bit late."

Evelyn yawned and stretched her arms. "What time is it?"

"A few minutes before lunch."

Her eyes widened at the news. "Lunch?!" She exclaimed. She had never slept this late. "Why didn't you wake me up before?"

"Because you needed your sleep, Eve." Her friend revealed. "The exam weeks you were studying all day and barely getting sleep. Your whole being desperately needed those hours of sleep." She supposed her friend was right. During those weeks, all she had done was prepare for the exams. Although, she had already been prepared. "And you seemed to be having a good dream."

At the mention of her dream, Evelyn tried to recall it. She creased her eyebrows as she remembered nothing about it. Not even the slightest detail which was odd. She always remembered something about her dreams.

"Do you remember it?" Diana questioned.

Evelyn shook her head. "No, all I can remember was that it was odd and long."


This was a weird chapter, but after 'You Are My Sunshine', it's the chapter I enjoyed the most writing. Most of its elements were taken by the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol. It's mentioned a few times by Evelyn and others that it's her favourite book and she is shown to read it many times. You can call this chapter as the chapter of foreshadowing. It foreshadows many events in the future. Some are a bit obvious and some are hidden. Not all of these things will happen in the future, some of them are an exaggeration while some others are going to take a different route. With this chapter, we're going to start a new arc which has to do a lot with these dreams and future events in the story. You should all know that in this arc, the mystery behind the person of Hart's talks will continue. Thank you all for reading, favouriting, following and reviewing the story, It's very much appreciated.

averyeve5: I'm glad that you liked the turn of events. The explosion time is nearing is all I have to say. I'm glad that you find that part of Evelyn resonate with you. As you said, the explosion is not an easy process for anyone. Will Evelyn have someone to lean on during those moments? We'll see. I'm glad that you are loving this story so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

The Booknerds: Yes, Evelyn is a bit self-absorbed. You are very right about that. In some cases, I try to show that and in some others, I make mistakes. I promise that I will try to tell what her friends are doing at the moment. Although when Christina is in Quidditch practise, Carter is with her. He is a Beater but thinks it as his hobby while for Christina is her life calling. You're also right about Evelyn's health. There is something that Evelyn has which was caused by two factors in her life. One of them you guessed and that was the genetic one. While your theory is good, I have to remind you of something. Hart didn't just have a talk with Evelyn, he had it with Sirius as well. Her father and grandfather don't even know that Sirius exists. So, how would they know to touch on a weakness of his? I'm glad that you are enjoying the mystery though. Evelyn does communicate with her parents, more with her mother than father because of the distance and because she's closer to her mum. I get why you would like to see that. The reason why I choose not to show is that it's not important to the story for the moment. Also, the matter of discussion is mostly Evelyn and her life (with her mum) and studies (with her dad). I'm glad that you are enjoying the story this much. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Guest your fan: Right now, on the outside, Evelyn is the person everyone wants to be. She is perfect. So, her fall will be a lot for her to take in. I'm glad that you enjoy how I write Evelyn. Most people have someone or a few people who seem to live an always happy life. To her friends and many others, Evelyn is one of those people. Her and these people just do a better job of hiding their problems. Of course, Evelyn takes it up a notch by creating a whole perfect persona outside her true self. So, I think Evelyn's story should be seen as warning guide for people who idolize other people in their lives. When an explosion happens, we don't care much about the explosion, but more bout the damages. In Evelyn's case, the damage is the consequences of those explosions. It doesn't matter if it happens in the next chapter or ten years, she will have to face consequences she isn't prepared for. Right now, our girl, Evelyn needs honesty. This situation would be resolved if she had been sorted in Hufflepuff. Gryffindor traits would help her through it, but Hufflepuff traits would be her best friend. Yet Evelyn is using the wits of Ravenclaw and the cunningness of Slytherin to get out of this situation (or delay it). Your theory about Rose is good. Although, how would Rose know about Sirius? She's met him a few times, but she doesn't know him at all and she's not a Legilimens. Also, does Rose even know what her daughter does in school? What kind of person does she become around other people? Rose and Don are the only people right now who know her for who she is, but are they aware that she fakes it all the time? It's been shown that Evelyn doesn't tell Rose everything about her life. Fifth-year is going to be tough for Evelyn and you need to brace yourself for it. I hope you enjoy this weird and interesting chapter.

Next up, The End Of Another Year