May has been sent to her room. Her bedsheets are still rumpled from her encounter with Drew, and the cracked lights are flickering dangerously.
She curls into a small ball and tries to tune out the haunting melody of the song in her head.
The castle doors bang closed, and she knows the boys and the girl have left. She is alone, except for scurrying servants.
A loud slamming sound echoes around her room, and she looks up, quivering.
She rises slowly, shaking in her redredred shoes, and pushes open the door of her room. She makes her way down the stairs, wobbling on her feet, and when she reaches the entrance room, she opens the door.
A figure soaked in rain stands, dripping on the doorstep. His face is covered by thick glasses, and a feathered tricorn hat.
"May," he mutters. "May. Where is May?" he looks up, revealing glimmering brown eyes. " I need to find my sister, May."
May steps back, shuddering, and whispers, "Max?"
Dawn sits, curled in a ball on the wet leaves. "Murderer!" she accuses hoarsely.
"Despicable bastard!"
Paul stiffens, and his arms hang still.
Dawn laughs dryly. "Oh? Nothing to say? So, you really are a cold–blooded bastard, huh? Killer!"
Paul clenches his fists. "Shut up."
Dawn continues, oblivious to his anger. "How do you even live with yourself, knowing that there are families missing members because of you?"
Paul shoves her roughly against a tree, holding her by her skinny wrists. "Now you listen," he growls ferociously. "This has nothing to do with you. I have my goddamn reasons, and they're none of your business."
Dawn scowls. "It's absolutely my business! Y'know why they call me the White Rabbit? 'Cause I catch criminals like you."
The purple–haired boy's eyes flash. "You can insult me," he hisses, "and you can call me a killer. But don't you dare compare me to filthy scum. I would never – ever – be like that. They're the ones that fucking murdered my brother, and I don't ever want you to fucking call me that ever again."
Dawn quivers, sapphire eyes alight with fear, and when Paul releases her, she crumples to the ground, trembling. Tears hit the packed earth, leaving pricks of wetness on the brown dirt.
Paul's expression softens, and he crouches down next to her. "I didn't mean to be so angry," he admits gruffly. "I – I'll take you home, if you want, but I'd guess you wouldn't exactly want to be taken home by a killer."
Dawn grips the tree trunk and rises shakily to her feet. She exhales deeply. "I didn't mean to call you a, um, criminal," she bites her lip. "I'm – I'm sorry," she eyes him from under her thick blue lashes.
Paul shoots her a quirky half–smile – something Dawn guesses is the closest thing to a smile he's capable of – and asks, "Where do you live?"
Dawn points further into the forest, and says breathily, "In there. And, if you're lucky, you'll meet my next door neighbor, Barry."
He isn't sure, but Paul gets the feeling she's being sarcastic.
Misty treads through the forest, hair plastered to her cheeks, beside Ash. He's holding her hand, something she would typically blush at, but she's too tired and hungry. They've been walking for hours, and they still haven't caught even a trace of this girl named Dawn.
Drew shouts from ahead, "I found something!"
Ash drags Misty over to him, and asks, "What?"
Drew squats, and points to a pile of leaves. "This has been sat on recently," he explains. "And this – this tree – is scraped, like someone's been pushed against it. And there's a trail of leaves leading deeper into the forest."
Misty pulls on Ash's shirt, glancing at him meaningfully.
"Misty wants to go back," Ash announces loudly. "Dawn seems alright, if she's walking, so maybe we should return." He yawns, stretching. "I could use some grub, eh, Myst?"
Misty grins at the nickname and nods empathetically.
Drew sighs, and flicks his hair – not vainly, as if he were trying to impress her, but out of habit – before giving in. "Alright. Besides," he bites his lip, "I wanna get back to May."
Ash smiles lopsidedly before commenting in a gaudy soliloquy, "And it seems that Drew still wants to get into May's panties."
Misty's cheeks flush red, and she covers her mouth with a hand to suppress uproarious laughter.
Drew also turns scarlet, and leads them back in silence, silently fuming over Ash's bold exclamation.
Ash grins satisfiedly the whole way back, and Misty thinks to herself with a small smile, I think I like it here.