Chapter 3: Waiting

I've been busy in the past weeks. Got sick for a few days before my competition last sunday. But turned out well in the end, I got the first place. :')

Yay me! But now my throat got ukh again and I'm trying to get it back up for this sunday's competition. Another one!

Lemme give you this one and I think I'll post the next one in the next two weeks. :3

Disclaimer: I don't own HNKNA or any characters in it, they belong to Quinrose. I only own my character and this story.

"The assembly?"

"Yes."

"What is assembly?"

"It's a meeting."

"Oh... You go to meeting?"

"Sadly, yes." Nightmare answer with a bitter smile. "All of us role holders have to attend."

Remy fiddled her hands in Nightmare's grey strands as he laid his head on her lap.

"Wemy come too?" she asked, smoothing his hair with her tiny fingers.

"That is not necessary. This meeting will not be any more or less fancy like previous ones, as always." Gray answered, circling the new bandage around her head beside her.

"Huh?" she turned to Gray. She didn't really understand what he just said.

"Gray was saying, you don't have to come. It will be boring." Nightmare added, hugging a pillow to his chest, his feet dangling from the edge of the bed.

"Oh..." she nodded. "Then what should I do when meeting come?"

Gray finished with her new bandage and went to smooth her hair strands that were held back by the bandage. Nightmare turned himself to plop on his stomach and looked at her. She turned her attention to him.

"I will ask you to stay in this room and don't come out until I enter the room. Alright?" Nightmare said.

Remy believes she is an obedient girl, she will do what she was asked to do without asking. But she couldn't help to feel a bit curious why Nightmare would want her to stay in the room until he comes back. Is it that boring and not comfortable to go to? If it is, why would they go?

"L-Like what Gray and I told you, we have to attend this meeting." Nightmare answered, he smiled uneasily.

"It's an obligatory." Gray said in a sour tone.

"It's a must." Nightmare corrected.

"Why I should stay in the room? I could come and we could play in meeting."

Nightmare blinked and Gray looked at his master.

"Err..." Nightmare avoided her gaze for a moment. Clearly she didn't understand that you couldn't play in a meeting or any meetings. His eyes flickered to her forehead and an idea popped into his mind. He looked back at her, "Because you're wounded! If people see you, they would be worried."

Remy's eyes widened.

Nightmare gave a small smile and an uncomfortable expression, "You don't want to worry anymore people, right?"

Remy shook her head and gave a copied his expression. "Wemy will stay in the room."

Nightmare smiled. "Thank you Remy dear~ We will play once the meeting's over. That's a promise!" He winked.

Remy giggled and bobbed her head, making Nightmare looked at her with a calm smile.

"Now Remy. Remember this for me. You must not be seen by anyone, alright? If you see someone other than me or Gray, cover your face with your hands to hide the bandage. The bathroom is down the hallway."

She blinked and nodded. Cover face to hide bandage, got it.

Nightmare smiled again and nodded.

"Master, we must go."

"Ah right. And scream if you need anything, alright?" Nightmare said gently.

Remy frowned at that, but nodded nonetheless. "Alright."

Both men walked to the door and out the room, with Nightmare winking at her before the door closed. She giggled once more.

"Nightmare is so nice. Gray too. I like them." She said softly.

She then roamed around the room trying to find something to play, silently hoping the meeting would not be too long. She somehow felt like she's forgetting something, but couldn't figure out what. As she was trying to remember, she checked the bedside table and found some papers. Hmm.. Maybe she could make some paper planes while trying to remember. She took out the papers, closed the drawer, and walked to the window. The window was like a cage, it has more space than the usual type of window. She used this space to sit by it and spent her time there, making paper planes, and once in a while looking at the forest and pavement down below just outside the window.

"Hey Boris! Let's play after this is over!"

"Yeah! We got some new toys yesterday!"

"Naa~ I'm going home after this. This event's gonna be so tiring."

"Boo~ You're no fun!"

"Yeah! Boo~ You weak cat."

Vein popped on the cat's head.

The Hatters walked on the pavement with the twins and Boris in front. The twins are, as usual, cheerful as ever. Boris would, too, if it wasn't for this stupid assembly. He wouldn't come if it wasn't in the rule. And now he's walking on the road and bickering with the twins. Elliot walked not too far behind those three, just behind Blood. The march hare's eyes watching over his boss and once in a while would steal a glance at the foreigner behind him. The Heart Castle's residents were also present. The Queen walked beside Blood and engaged in a conversation with the mafia boss. While the white rabbit walked beside Alice and behind Elliot, with Peter looking a bit perplexed. The Knight was nowhere to be found.

Alice looked to her side to the rabbit whose head hung still, his eyes downcast. She never saw Peter this down before, not in her presence. The white rabbit had been quiet for the rest of the walk since they met in two ways road back there. He would usually talk her out or acted happily when she was around, but he wasn't. She decided to want to know what's going on.

"Peter?"

His white ears perked up and he returned her gaze. "Yes, my dear?"

"Are you alright? You seem down."

"Ah.. I am alright, my dear. However, my mind does not seem to be quite clear." He answered, a smile forced its way to his face.

Alice frowned. "You could tell me if you want, you know? I'll listen."

"Well..." Peter hesitated. His eyes lowering.

There was a long pause, and Peter didn't seem to be answering any minute now.

"...or you need time to think. It's okay, I won't push." Alice smiled.

Peter looked back at Alice and offered a sad smile, "Thank you, Alice."

Alice nodded.

Peter was thinking about the little foreigner who was with Nightmare right now. He still felt guilty about what happened to her. If he wasn't so lost in thought, he would've been able to sense her disappearance and stopped her from falling into the hole. He could still remember clearly her swelling head and that scar and all the blood flowing from her forehead after she hit the tree bark hard. He couldn't bring himself to raise his head after what had happened, not even when the Queen threatened and yelled at him for neglecting his duties. She didn't know about the little foreigner, he didn't tell her, and he wanted to keep it that way. Not just her, but everyone. Nobody needs to know about the new foreigner.

He came back to his senses when he heard the footsteps stopped and he stopped as well.

They have arrived.

As the gate to the Clover Tower opened, Peter sighed inwardly.

Remy raised her hand and moved the paper plane around pretending to fly it. She made swooshing sound with her mouth and a smile plastered on her face. It's been a few minutes since Gray came back with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for her. He left after she thanked him but she had not touched the cookies since. She's not hungry, yet. Though she admits the cookies looked yummy.

She let her eyes wandered to the pavement below and saw some figures walking. She stopped the paper bird and held it in her hands as she stared at them from inside. Her place was high, but she could still make out their appearance a bit.

There were two boys in the front, they wore hats and their clothes were the same, just different colors, and they were talking to a man with purple red hair wearing black clothes and purple...snake? Scarf? A long purple red scarf around his shoulder and body. That purple haired man has something on his head which Remy could not make out and something was swaying behind him. They seemed to be yelling at each other. What are they talking about and why do they yell at each other?

Remy gasped when she saw the boys kicked the purple man and making him fell to the pavement. Oh poor purple man, that must have hurt. Then she saw the boys ran inside the building and a girl with light blue dress running forward to the purple man. Ooh.. Lucky purple man, someone helped him. Remy smiled as she saw the girl helped the man stand up. But her smile faltered when she saw the girl was yanked back from the purple man by a man with orange hair and green coat. Hey that wasn't nice! She was just trying to help! Remy squinted her eyes at the orange haired man and saw the man had something on his head, what is that? Remy could not see it clearly, but it's something brown and long and twitching. Hmm... Then a man in white suit and big hat came into view, beside him a woman in a red dress, and beside her a man in red suit. That man also has something on top of his head, but it's white. What are those though? It's too far to make it out clearly. The woman and man in red suit said something to the orange haired man and he let the girl go. The girl shook her head and seemed to be saying something. Then they walked inside the building.

Remy looked at them weird. Are they Nightmare's guest? Of course they must be. Why should you ask an obvious question, Remy? She shook her head at the thought. She looked at the pavement again and saw the purple haired man looking at her. She blinked and just stared at him. Is the man looking at her? Is he...Is he looking at the bandage...? Remy's eyes widened and she backed away from the window.

Did he notice the bandage? Is he going to worry now? She does not want to worry more people. Nightmare and Gray were enough and she didn't want to burden more people with her wound. Oh... Is Nightmare going to scold her? N-No... It was an accident. She didn't know the man would look up. The man was probably just looking at the sky or the building, he might not see her. Err... Right?

She feels uneasy now. She walked to the bed and pulled herself onto it. She patted her chest softly and edged to the bedside table to take the milk. She drank the milk slowly and calmed herself down. The man did not see her. That was what she wanted to believe.

What she didn't know, the man was looking at her. And he is now curious with a certain little girl with a bandaged head inside the building. He made a mental note to look for her after the meeting's done. If it was just an ordinary girl, he would just brush it aside. But what made him curious is that this little girl, this bandaged little girl, has eyes. A pair of beautiful pink eyes he had never seen in all of Wonderland.