A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy as all heck these last few months, but here's chapter 8. Enjoy.
That night I came home to find Salem still fast asleep on my bed. I sighed as I walked over to pet him.
~Don't worry little buddy, I'll get you out of there. Just stay out of the enemy's reach. ~
I yawned. I looked over at my alarm clock and saw that it was now 10:15 PM.
~Maybe I should just go to sleep now. Lord knows I need it. ~
I changed into a baby blue nightgown that my mother had given me and slipped into bed. I closed my eyes and felt myself drifting far away into the world unconsciousness.
After what felt like only a few seconds later, I woke up and found myself leaning against a wall outside of what appeared to be a fort. I looked around frantically for a moment tying to figure out where I was. I saw that I was now wearing my blue dress and I chuckled lightly as the realization of where I was finally hit me. I got up and stretched. I looked around to find that CC was no longer with me. I scratched my head in confusion.
"Odd, he was with me when I got here. Where is he?" I wondered aloud.
"Right behind you, my sweet." I heard CC's voice say.
I turned around to find him slowly materializing before me. I smiled and walked up to him.
"Awe, have you been guarding me this whole time?" I asked.
CC's widening grin told me that he had. I reached down and lightly scratched behind his ear, earning a soft purr from him. I looked at the hole in the wall and was slightly startled by a scream coming from inside. I could feel CC's fur standing on end at sound of the scream. There was no mistaking what the scream belonged to.
"Whenever you're ready, there are a few friends who want to play with you." CC said.
"Well, I hope they like the sight of their own blood, because they're gonna be seeing plenty of it." I said.
CC disappeared and I went over to the hole and looked inside. I jumped back as a Boojum flew by and started screaming again. I sighed.
~Man, I am really gonna hate this. ~
I walked into the hole and looked around. I was so caught up in the scenery that I didn't see the Boojum coming at me until it started screaming, making me jump and hit my back against the wall. It screamed again and it hit me full force. I screamed in pain and fell to the ground. I held my hands to my ears to try and drown out the noise, but to no avail. When the pain stopped, I looked up and found that the Boojum was about to scream at me again. I flung a few cards at it before it got the chance, but it flew out of the way.
~Dammit, I missed! ~
I got up and flung two more cards. This time, I got it right in the chest. It screamed in pain and charged towards me, again. I ducked under it as it screamed again, missing me by an inch. I flung the knife this time hitting it in the back. It turned around and screamed at me again. I dodged out of the way, but not in time to avoid the scream's wave from hitting me in the leg. I winced and threw a few more cards at it. Upon impact, it exploded into a flame of blue light and blood squirted everywhere. I snickered and got the heart Meta that it left behind. I ran up the short flight of stairs and jumped onto the floating ramp. I ran across and could feel the ramp behind me getting higher. I tried to jump to the other side when I felt I was close enough, but I didn't make it and I fell to the ground. I cried out as I landed painfully on my back. I stayed there for a moment waiting for the shock of falling that hard and for the pain to stop before I got up and tried again. This time, I made it, but I lost my balance, and fell on my face in front of a portal.
~Boy, I sure do have great balance, don't I? ~
I shook my head and stood up. I dusted myself off and went through the portal. I couldn't begin to count how many different colors were swirling around in there. When I reached the other side, I found myself outside with a flight of stairs leading down to my left and a big lever my right. I decided to take a moment to look up at the sky. There were really big, transparent stars that seemed to glow in the midnight black sky and a bunch of opening and closing doors flying by. It was really quite a fascinating sight in a twisted sort of way. Straight ahead of me, I could see right through three open doors into a big open space. I was once again so caught up in the scenery that when a big door closing flew by me I jumped, startled from how loud it had been. I shook my head to snap myself out of my shock and my attention was once again brought to the lever. Curious, as always, I walked over to the lever and examined it for a moment before I grabbed the handle.
"Hmm… Let's see if it does what I think it'll do." I said.
I pulled the handle back surprised by the fact that it wasn't all that heavy, and looked up. I heard a little melody play as each of the three doors closed. I walked over to the stair case and ran down. I was greeted by the sight of three more levers. CC appeared and looked at each one before turning his attention to me.
"The proper order of things has always been a mystery to me. You too?" CC asked.
He disappeared and I walked over to the levers. I looked up at the three now closed doors. I shrugged and picked a lever.
~Okay, let's see if I remember the right order. If anything, I can just go back up stairs and pull that big lever again. ~
I sighed and pulled the handle of the lever I was now in front of. I listened to the melody that played and found that it was equal to the one I heard upon the first door closing.
~Okay, so far so good. ~
I walked over to another lever and pulled the handle. I was very pleased to find that the melody I heard was the same as the second door I closed. I grinned and walked over to the last lever.
~Heh-Heh, one more lever to go. ~
I pulled the lever and listened to the melody. I looked up and saw all three doors open once again. I saw little green checkered blocks appear on the platform above me where the single lever was. I quickly ran back upstairs and got onto it. I got onto another one that appeared, then another, and another until I reached the other side where two club card guards were waiting for me with their spheres, ready to attack. I snickered and threw some cards at them slicing them right through the neck considering they had necks. I went through the doors and found myself in a room with floating checkered blocks that turned upside down when they all hit the ground.
~Okay, I've gotta time this just right. ~
I jumped onto the first board before it rose too high and sighed as I saw all of the blocks fly off in different directions. I looked at a block to my left and tried to jump onto that one. I almost didn't make it, but I grabbed onto the edge and pulled myself up. Next, I looked at one that was in front of me, one that to my left, and one that was to my right. The left and right were too far for me to jump to, so I decided to go for the one in front of me. When it lowered itself a bit, I jumped and landed right in the middle with no problem.
~Well, this isn't so bad. It's actually kinda fun. ~
After that, my only option was to jump onto the block to my right, so I did just that, but I failed to notice the open space and landed on the block that was below the one I wanted.
"Heh, this is what I get for not paying attention." I said.
I waited for the block to be leveled with the one I wanted to jump onto and quickly made my way over to it. This time I had to jump onto the block that floated slightly above me. It was a little far to jump and actually land on the block, so I had no choice to grab the edge and pull myself up again.
~Man, my arms are getting really tired from pulling myself up so much. ~
I waited a moment for my arms to rest before continuing. I looked straight ahead and saw the door I would have to go through was guarded by two spade card guards. I flung the knife at one of them to see if it would hit. The knife made a direct hit in the chest and the guard screamed in pain. I smirked. When the block was high enough, I jumped onto the little stone step and went through the door. The two spades flung some flaming cards at me. I dodged them and took off my ribbon. I flung the ribbon and wrapped both of them tightly and began to pull. They exploded and blood began to gush onto the floor. I laughed and collected the diamond Meta. I walked through the doors to find myself in a big open space full of twists and turns. It took me a while, but I finally found my way around to the center. There I saw a round stone step with a demon vile on top of it. I saw the turn I would have to take at the far end, only problem was that there were a bunch of card guards walking around. I sighed in frustration.
~If I could just get the demon vile I could take them all out with no problem, but there's too many of them. I have to distract them somehow. ~
I took out the cards and threw a couple at the wall. That got their attention just long enough for me to run to the stone, but some of them saw me and started to attack. I didn't waste time trying to retaliate. I just got onto the stone step and grabbed the demon vile. I cried out as the vile opened and sprayed its contents into my eyes. I saw CC appear just before the spray momentarily blinded me.
"Time to raise some havoc, the dogs of hell are loose" CC said.
I could my body growing hot and I saw that my skin had turned red. I could also feel something growing on my shoulder blades. I let out a growl as I stood upright. I turned around and focused on the card guards. I felt the rage grow inside me and I began to attack. I don't remember much of what happened until the effects of the demon vile wore off. All I remember was seeing all of the card guards dead on the ground with blood gushing from their opened wounds that looked like thick slashes all over their bodies and their diamond metas. My eyes widened and I brought my hand to my mouth in shock when I noticed that my hands were drenched in blood. I gasped and wiped them off on my dress. I was relived to find that it was the card guards' blood and not mine.
~Oh my god. Did I really slice and dice them all with just my hands? ~
I could hear CC laughing behind me. I turned around to face him and he stopped laughing when he saw the look on my face.
"CC, did I really do this?" I asked in a quivering voice.
CC nodded.
"Yes, you did. You know, for having such a weak stomach, you sure do work up quite a bloodbath." He sniffed. "I'm so proud." He said.
He started rubbing against my legs. I looked over at the bloody bodies again and smirked. Surprisingly enough, I began to feel somewhat better. I turned back to CC and smiled.
"You know, I have been in a bit of a bad mood all day. I guess taking out my frustration on those card guards was just what I needed." I said.
CC chuckled and looked up at me, his eyes twinkled with mischief.
"Yes, I know. Why do you think that demon vile was there? 25 against 1 aren't very fair odds now are they?" CC asked.
I giggled.
"No, they certainly aren't, CC." I said.
I turned around and after grabbing some of the meta essence that was left; I began to walk down the passage at the end of the wall. CC walked with me and stopped in front of a door.
"Gee, I'm beginning to see why they call this the Fortress of Doors." I said sarcastically.
"Tsk, tsk, are you always this sarcastic?" CC asked.
"Oh yes, I'm very sarcastic. I have quite the potty mouth too as you may have notice, and I'm a bit of a smart ass too, but hey that's me." I said.
CC chuckled.
"We wouldn't have you any other way, Libby dear." CC said.
I smiled and CC stepped out of the way so I opened the door. I saw another one right in front of me. I looked to my left, then to my right, but saw the door was the only way I could go. I went through and saw another door. I went through and I found myself right above the open space with the stone circle that I had just been in. I sighed and looked around.
"Wonderland, once merely odd, now tattered and maimed by the anger and hate of one." I said.
CC looked at me with a quizzical look and tilted his head.
"What?" I asked.
"Libia dear, unless I'm mistaken, I do believe that you just spoke in riddle." CC said.
I looked at him with a puzzled look of my own.
"Did I really? Wow, I didn't think I could. Did you understand what I was referring too?" I asked.
CC nodded.
"Perfectly, my sweet. I dare not say what you meant, but I understood. I must say though that you are quite right." CC said.
I giggled. I looked ahead of me and saw three large stone pillars with door falling in front of them and the flying off. I also saw two Boojums flying around. I closed my eyes and shook my head. I opened them again and looked down at CC whose fur was standing on end. I had to scratch behind his ear to calm him down. He looked up at me with a grateful grin and disappeared. I turned my attention back to the stone pillars and started walking down the path that led to them. I saw various will shards along the way. When I reached the first pillar, the Boojums started to scream. I sighed and moved out of the way. I just used the cards secondary attack and flung 16 cards at once. It hit them, and they screamed again. I couldn't move out of the way in time though and I got hit by both screams. I screamed in pain and flung 16 more cards, hitting them both in the chest. They screamed again, but I got out of the way just in time. I flung another 16 cards and they exploded. Blue light and blood flew everywhere and I had to jump back so the blood wouldn't splash all over me. I got the heart metas and watched as the doors opened to reveal portals when they fell onto the pillars and close as they flew off.
~Hmm… Now, which was the one I had to go through again? ~
After a moment I remembered and waited for the doors to fall onto the pillars again. I ran for the door as it opened and made it just before it was about to close. I was once again memorized by all the different colors swirling around. When I reached the other side, I found CC waiting for me. I smiled.
"Wow, Wonderland is just one big mind trip, isn't it?" I asked.
CC chuckled.
"Yes it is, regardless of weather you're on some kind of drug, or you're sober." CC said.
I laughed.
"Yeah, I guess I should know, huh?" I asked.
"Now Libby, that wasn't your fault. You were tricked and that's why to this day you still won't go anywhere near mushrooms." CC said.
~I'm gonna have to eat them now, though. ~
I cringed at the thought and CC gave a sympathetic grin.
"Yes, I'm afraid you are going to have to eat some here. Don't worry about it though, I'm sure you'll find that the mushrooms are not as bad you think they might be. Remember, this is Wonderland." CC said.
I nodded and he disappeared. I looked straight ahead and found that I was now outside again. I saw a diamond card guard with a sphere a few feet ahead of me. I walked out onto the narrow path and the card guard came running at me. I smirked and took off my ribbon. I slashed him with it making him fly back. I laughed as he tried to come at me again. I slashed him again and he exploded. I walked right through the meta and figured I didn't need it. Ahead of me I could see two more Boojums flying around. I made my way over to where the Boojums were with my cards ready to attack. It didn't take too terribly long for them to acknowledge my presence and start screaming. I flung the cards at them. I hit one of them in the chest, but I missed the other one. I growled in frustration and just flung 16 cards hitting them both this time. They both screamed and I was knocked to the floor from the impact and my stomach felt sick from the smell of their breath. Now extremely pissed off, I got up and flung a set of 16 cards at them from each hand. They all hit them in the chest and they exploded. I laughed like a maniac as blood gushed onto the floor. My insane laughter stopped when I got one of the heart metas. I decided to the other one as well for good measure.
~Oh man, I've really gotta watch my sanity, especially with those damn Boojums. ~
I sighed and continued down the path. I made the left turn and saw the school rocking back and forth with someone walking around. CC appeared in front of me on top of the wall.
"Entering school requires a real leap of logic." He said.
He disappeared and I climbed onto the top of the wall. I jumped and almost didn't make it. I had to grab onto the bottom of the window and pull myself in. I landed with a slightly painful thump on the floor. I got up and saw that the window was gone, now replaced by a brown door. I heard gibberish and turned around to find a small deformed child with a metal device wrapped around his entire head. I gasped and walked over to the child. He didn't seem to realize I there as he just he just kept walking from one side to the other gibbering insanely. CC appeared and I sighed.
"Aw, the insane children. Surely you remember them, Libia." CC said.
I nodded and walked up to the child again.
"What is this thing that's wrapped around his head?" I asked.
"I don't know." CC said.
~I wonder if I can take that thing off without hurting him too much. ~
I gently grabbed the child by his shoulders to make him stand still. He looked at me with a confused and horrified face. He cried and tried to wiggle out of my grasp.
"It's alright little one, I'm not gonna hurt you." I said.
The child stopped crying and calmed down. He took another good look at me and he started to giggle. I sighed in relief and smiled.
"Let's see if I can get this thing off you, huh?" I asked.
I looked for a part I could pull when I found a small green button.
~Hmm… I wonder what this button does. ~
I pressed the button and the metal just inclined it self from the child's head. I smiled. I was happy to see that no blood came out and very surprised to see no open wounds. I took the device and threw over my shoulder as the child screamed in delight. He started running around and giggled. CC chuckled.
"That's right kids, the doctor is now in." He said.
I laughed.
"Yep. Dr. Libby at your service." I said.
The child came up and hugged me. I smiled and hugged him back. I looked at CC who was grinning wider than usual. The kid broke free from my embrace and ran through a set of double doors. I was about to follow him, but CC stopped me.
"Don't worry about him. He'll be alright. Right now, there's something I think you might like to know." He said.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I found your little kitten running around here in the school. I believe he is in the gymnasium." CC said.
My eyes lit up.
"Thank god. Is there a way I can just get him out of Wonderland when I find him?" I asked.
"Don't worry, once you find him he'll wake up the moment you do, and he won't come back the next time he falls asleep." CC said.
"Good. I don't want to have to worry about my little Salem running around this place anymore." I said.
"Well Libia, I suggest you get going. Everyone's inside waiting for you." CC said.
I nodded and he disappeared.
~I'm gonna find Salem and get him out of here tonight, if it's the last thing I do. ~
I looked up at the double doors and after taking a deep breath, I went through.
A/N: Sorry it so long to get this chapter out.
That night I came home to find Salem still fast asleep on my bed. I sighed as I walked over to pet him.
~Don't worry little buddy, I'll get you out of there. Just stay out of the enemy's reach. ~
I yawned. I looked over at my alarm clock and saw that it was now 10:15 PM.
~Maybe I should just go to sleep now. Lord knows I need it. ~
I changed into a baby blue nightgown that my mother had given me and slipped into bed. I closed my eyes and felt myself drifting far away into the world unconsciousness.
After what felt like only a few seconds later, I woke up and found myself leaning against a wall outside of what appeared to be a fort. I looked around frantically for a moment tying to figure out where I was. I saw that I was now wearing my blue dress and I chuckled lightly as the realization of where I was finally hit me. I got up and stretched. I looked around to find that CC was no longer with me. I scratched my head in confusion.
"Odd, he was with me when I got here. Where is he?" I wondered aloud.
"Right behind you, my sweet." I heard CC's voice say.
I turned around to find him slowly materializing before me. I smiled and walked up to him.
"Awe, have you been guarding me this whole time?" I asked.
CC's widening grin told me that he had. I reached down and lightly scratched behind his ear, earning a soft purr from him. I looked at the hole in the wall and was slightly startled by a scream coming from inside. I could feel CC's fur standing on end at sound of the scream. There was no mistaking what the scream belonged to.
"Whenever you're ready, there are a few friends who want to play with you." CC said.
"Well, I hope they like the sight of their own blood, because they're gonna be seeing plenty of it." I said.
CC disappeared and I went over to the hole and looked inside. I jumped back as a Boojum flew by and started screaming again. I sighed.
~Man, I am really gonna hate this. ~
I walked into the hole and looked around. I was so caught up in the scenery that I didn't see the Boojum coming at me until it started screaming, making me jump and hit my back against the wall. It screamed again and it hit me full force. I screamed in pain and fell to the ground. I held my hands to my ears to try and drown out the noise, but to no avail. When the pain stopped, I looked up and found that the Boojum was about to scream at me again. I flung a few cards at it before it got the chance, but it flew out of the way.
~Dammit, I missed! ~
I got up and flung two more cards. This time, I got it right in the chest. It screamed in pain and charged towards me, again. I ducked under it as it screamed again, missing me by an inch. I flung the knife this time hitting it in the back. It turned around and screamed at me again. I dodged out of the way, but not in time to avoid the scream's wave from hitting me in the leg. I winced and threw a few more cards at it. Upon impact, it exploded into a flame of blue light and blood squirted everywhere. I snickered and got the heart Meta that it left behind. I ran up the short flight of stairs and jumped onto the floating ramp. I ran across and could feel the ramp behind me getting higher. I tried to jump to the other side when I felt I was close enough, but I didn't make it and I fell to the ground. I cried out as I landed painfully on my back. I stayed there for a moment waiting for the shock of falling that hard and for the pain to stop before I got up and tried again. This time, I made it, but I lost my balance, and fell on my face in front of a portal.
~Boy, I sure do have great balance, don't I? ~
I shook my head and stood up. I dusted myself off and went through the portal. I couldn't begin to count how many different colors were swirling around in there. When I reached the other side, I found myself outside with a flight of stairs leading down to my left and a big lever my right. I decided to take a moment to look up at the sky. There were really big, transparent stars that seemed to glow in the midnight black sky and a bunch of opening and closing doors flying by. It was really quite a fascinating sight in a twisted sort of way. Straight ahead of me, I could see right through three open doors into a big open space. I was once again so caught up in the scenery that when a big door closing flew by me I jumped, startled from how loud it had been. I shook my head to snap myself out of my shock and my attention was once again brought to the lever. Curious, as always, I walked over to the lever and examined it for a moment before I grabbed the handle.
"Hmm… Let's see if it does what I think it'll do." I said.
I pulled the handle back surprised by the fact that it wasn't all that heavy, and looked up. I heard a little melody play as each of the three doors closed. I walked over to the stair case and ran down. I was greeted by the sight of three more levers. CC appeared and looked at each one before turning his attention to me.
"The proper order of things has always been a mystery to me. You too?" CC asked.
He disappeared and I walked over to the levers. I looked up at the three now closed doors. I shrugged and picked a lever.
~Okay, let's see if I remember the right order. If anything, I can just go back up stairs and pull that big lever again. ~
I sighed and pulled the handle of the lever I was now in front of. I listened to the melody that played and found that it was equal to the one I heard upon the first door closing.
~Okay, so far so good. ~
I walked over to another lever and pulled the handle. I was very pleased to find that the melody I heard was the same as the second door I closed. I grinned and walked over to the last lever.
~Heh-Heh, one more lever to go. ~
I pulled the lever and listened to the melody. I looked up and saw all three doors open once again. I saw little green checkered blocks appear on the platform above me where the single lever was. I quickly ran back upstairs and got onto it. I got onto another one that appeared, then another, and another until I reached the other side where two club card guards were waiting for me with their spheres, ready to attack. I snickered and threw some cards at them slicing them right through the neck considering they had necks. I went through the doors and found myself in a room with floating checkered blocks that turned upside down when they all hit the ground.
~Okay, I've gotta time this just right. ~
I jumped onto the first board before it rose too high and sighed as I saw all of the blocks fly off in different directions. I looked at a block to my left and tried to jump onto that one. I almost didn't make it, but I grabbed onto the edge and pulled myself up. Next, I looked at one that was in front of me, one that to my left, and one that was to my right. The left and right were too far for me to jump to, so I decided to go for the one in front of me. When it lowered itself a bit, I jumped and landed right in the middle with no problem.
~Well, this isn't so bad. It's actually kinda fun. ~
After that, my only option was to jump onto the block to my right, so I did just that, but I failed to notice the open space and landed on the block that was below the one I wanted.
"Heh, this is what I get for not paying attention." I said.
I waited for the block to be leveled with the one I wanted to jump onto and quickly made my way over to it. This time I had to jump onto the block that floated slightly above me. It was a little far to jump and actually land on the block, so I had no choice to grab the edge and pull myself up again.
~Man, my arms are getting really tired from pulling myself up so much. ~
I waited a moment for my arms to rest before continuing. I looked straight ahead and saw the door I would have to go through was guarded by two spade card guards. I flung the knife at one of them to see if it would hit. The knife made a direct hit in the chest and the guard screamed in pain. I smirked. When the block was high enough, I jumped onto the little stone step and went through the door. The two spades flung some flaming cards at me. I dodged them and took off my ribbon. I flung the ribbon and wrapped both of them tightly and began to pull. They exploded and blood began to gush onto the floor. I laughed and collected the diamond Meta. I walked through the doors to find myself in a big open space full of twists and turns. It took me a while, but I finally found my way around to the center. There I saw a round stone step with a demon vile on top of it. I saw the turn I would have to take at the far end, only problem was that there were a bunch of card guards walking around. I sighed in frustration.
~If I could just get the demon vile I could take them all out with no problem, but there's too many of them. I have to distract them somehow. ~
I took out the cards and threw a couple at the wall. That got their attention just long enough for me to run to the stone, but some of them saw me and started to attack. I didn't waste time trying to retaliate. I just got onto the stone step and grabbed the demon vile. I cried out as the vile opened and sprayed its contents into my eyes. I saw CC appear just before the spray momentarily blinded me.
"Time to raise some havoc, the dogs of hell are loose" CC said.
I could my body growing hot and I saw that my skin had turned red. I could also feel something growing on my shoulder blades. I let out a growl as I stood upright. I turned around and focused on the card guards. I felt the rage grow inside me and I began to attack. I don't remember much of what happened until the effects of the demon vile wore off. All I remember was seeing all of the card guards dead on the ground with blood gushing from their opened wounds that looked like thick slashes all over their bodies and their diamond metas. My eyes widened and I brought my hand to my mouth in shock when I noticed that my hands were drenched in blood. I gasped and wiped them off on my dress. I was relived to find that it was the card guards' blood and not mine.
~Oh my god. Did I really slice and dice them all with just my hands? ~
I could hear CC laughing behind me. I turned around to face him and he stopped laughing when he saw the look on my face.
"CC, did I really do this?" I asked in a quivering voice.
CC nodded.
"Yes, you did. You know, for having such a weak stomach, you sure do work up quite a bloodbath." He sniffed. "I'm so proud." He said.
He started rubbing against my legs. I looked over at the bloody bodies again and smirked. Surprisingly enough, I began to feel somewhat better. I turned back to CC and smiled.
"You know, I have been in a bit of a bad mood all day. I guess taking out my frustration on those card guards was just what I needed." I said.
CC chuckled and looked up at me, his eyes twinkled with mischief.
"Yes, I know. Why do you think that demon vile was there? 25 against 1 aren't very fair odds now are they?" CC asked.
I giggled.
"No, they certainly aren't, CC." I said.
I turned around and after grabbing some of the meta essence that was left; I began to walk down the passage at the end of the wall. CC walked with me and stopped in front of a door.
"Gee, I'm beginning to see why they call this the Fortress of Doors." I said sarcastically.
"Tsk, tsk, are you always this sarcastic?" CC asked.
"Oh yes, I'm very sarcastic. I have quite the potty mouth too as you may have notice, and I'm a bit of a smart ass too, but hey that's me." I said.
CC chuckled.
"We wouldn't have you any other way, Libby dear." CC said.
I smiled and CC stepped out of the way so I opened the door. I saw another one right in front of me. I looked to my left, then to my right, but saw the door was the only way I could go. I went through and saw another door. I went through and I found myself right above the open space with the stone circle that I had just been in. I sighed and looked around.
"Wonderland, once merely odd, now tattered and maimed by the anger and hate of one." I said.
CC looked at me with a quizzical look and tilted his head.
"What?" I asked.
"Libia dear, unless I'm mistaken, I do believe that you just spoke in riddle." CC said.
I looked at him with a puzzled look of my own.
"Did I really? Wow, I didn't think I could. Did you understand what I was referring too?" I asked.
CC nodded.
"Perfectly, my sweet. I dare not say what you meant, but I understood. I must say though that you are quite right." CC said.
I giggled. I looked ahead of me and saw three large stone pillars with door falling in front of them and the flying off. I also saw two Boojums flying around. I closed my eyes and shook my head. I opened them again and looked down at CC whose fur was standing on end. I had to scratch behind his ear to calm him down. He looked up at me with a grateful grin and disappeared. I turned my attention back to the stone pillars and started walking down the path that led to them. I saw various will shards along the way. When I reached the first pillar, the Boojums started to scream. I sighed and moved out of the way. I just used the cards secondary attack and flung 16 cards at once. It hit them, and they screamed again. I couldn't move out of the way in time though and I got hit by both screams. I screamed in pain and flung 16 more cards, hitting them both in the chest. They screamed again, but I got out of the way just in time. I flung another 16 cards and they exploded. Blue light and blood flew everywhere and I had to jump back so the blood wouldn't splash all over me. I got the heart metas and watched as the doors opened to reveal portals when they fell onto the pillars and close as they flew off.
~Hmm… Now, which was the one I had to go through again? ~
After a moment I remembered and waited for the doors to fall onto the pillars again. I ran for the door as it opened and made it just before it was about to close. I was once again memorized by all the different colors swirling around. When I reached the other side, I found CC waiting for me. I smiled.
"Wow, Wonderland is just one big mind trip, isn't it?" I asked.
CC chuckled.
"Yes it is, regardless of weather you're on some kind of drug, or you're sober." CC said.
I laughed.
"Yeah, I guess I should know, huh?" I asked.
"Now Libby, that wasn't your fault. You were tricked and that's why to this day you still won't go anywhere near mushrooms." CC said.
~I'm gonna have to eat them now, though. ~
I cringed at the thought and CC gave a sympathetic grin.
"Yes, I'm afraid you are going to have to eat some here. Don't worry about it though, I'm sure you'll find that the mushrooms are not as bad you think they might be. Remember, this is Wonderland." CC said.
I nodded and he disappeared. I looked straight ahead and found that I was now outside again. I saw a diamond card guard with a sphere a few feet ahead of me. I walked out onto the narrow path and the card guard came running at me. I smirked and took off my ribbon. I slashed him with it making him fly back. I laughed as he tried to come at me again. I slashed him again and he exploded. I walked right through the meta and figured I didn't need it. Ahead of me I could see two more Boojums flying around. I made my way over to where the Boojums were with my cards ready to attack. It didn't take too terribly long for them to acknowledge my presence and start screaming. I flung the cards at them. I hit one of them in the chest, but I missed the other one. I growled in frustration and just flung 16 cards hitting them both this time. They both screamed and I was knocked to the floor from the impact and my stomach felt sick from the smell of their breath. Now extremely pissed off, I got up and flung a set of 16 cards at them from each hand. They all hit them in the chest and they exploded. I laughed like a maniac as blood gushed onto the floor. My insane laughter stopped when I got one of the heart metas. I decided to the other one as well for good measure.
~Oh man, I've really gotta watch my sanity, especially with those damn Boojums. ~
I sighed and continued down the path. I made the left turn and saw the school rocking back and forth with someone walking around. CC appeared in front of me on top of the wall.
"Entering school requires a real leap of logic." He said.
He disappeared and I climbed onto the top of the wall. I jumped and almost didn't make it. I had to grab onto the bottom of the window and pull myself in. I landed with a slightly painful thump on the floor. I got up and saw that the window was gone, now replaced by a brown door. I heard gibberish and turned around to find a small deformed child with a metal device wrapped around his entire head. I gasped and walked over to the child. He didn't seem to realize I there as he just he just kept walking from one side to the other gibbering insanely. CC appeared and I sighed.
"Aw, the insane children. Surely you remember them, Libia." CC said.
I nodded and walked up to the child again.
"What is this thing that's wrapped around his head?" I asked.
"I don't know." CC said.
~I wonder if I can take that thing off without hurting him too much. ~
I gently grabbed the child by his shoulders to make him stand still. He looked at me with a confused and horrified face. He cried and tried to wiggle out of my grasp.
"It's alright little one, I'm not gonna hurt you." I said.
The child stopped crying and calmed down. He took another good look at me and he started to giggle. I sighed in relief and smiled.
"Let's see if I can get this thing off you, huh?" I asked.
I looked for a part I could pull when I found a small green button.
~Hmm… I wonder what this button does. ~
I pressed the button and the metal just inclined it self from the child's head. I smiled. I was happy to see that no blood came out and very surprised to see no open wounds. I took the device and threw over my shoulder as the child screamed in delight. He started running around and giggled. CC chuckled.
"That's right kids, the doctor is now in." He said.
I laughed.
"Yep. Dr. Libby at your service." I said.
The child came up and hugged me. I smiled and hugged him back. I looked at CC who was grinning wider than usual. The kid broke free from my embrace and ran through a set of double doors. I was about to follow him, but CC stopped me.
"Don't worry about him. He'll be alright. Right now, there's something I think you might like to know." He said.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I found your little kitten running around here in the school. I believe he is in the gymnasium." CC said.
My eyes lit up.
"Thank god. Is there a way I can just get him out of Wonderland when I find him?" I asked.
"Don't worry, once you find him he'll wake up the moment you do, and he won't come back the next time he falls asleep." CC said.
"Good. I don't want to have to worry about my little Salem running around this place anymore." I said.
"Well Libia, I suggest you get going. Everyone's inside waiting for you." CC said.
I nodded and he disappeared.
~I'm gonna find Salem and get him out of here tonight, if it's the last thing I do. ~
I looked up at the double doors and after taking a deep breath, I went through.
A/N: Sorry it so long to get this chapter out.