Chapter 4

What goes bump in the night.

Thanks for the reviews and hope you enjoy chapter 4. This came out alot faster than any of my other ones.

I stared around the strange room that I woke up in. Its "walls" were swirling with blues, reds, yellows, purples and greens. I looked down and the floor had the same colors but it looked like the floor never ends. This doesn't look like Mr. Tigers cage... Where's White? Where's the Circus?! I looked around in a panic. What was this place? Tears began brimming in my eyes as I began to think something bad happened.

"Calm down, young lady. You're perfectly fine, you're just sleeping."

I turned around looking for the voice but no one was there. I turned back around and screamed at the upside down face in front of mine.

It was a pale man with grayish purplish hair, fancy clothing, and an eye patch covering his bright purple eyes. I giggled as I thought he looked like a pirate.

"I'm not a pirate!" exclaimed the pirate man.

"You look like a pirate, Mister." I said pointing at him. He turned right side up and pouted.

"I'm not a pirate!" he yelled.

"Then give me your name, Mister Pirate Man."

Mister Pirate Man stopped pouting and said, "I'm Nightmare Gottschalk"

I nodded. "Well then Mister Gottschalk, I'm Raven Liddell!" I said curtsying like a proper young lady.

"LIDDELL?! A-Are your related to Alice?" He asked surprised.

I nodded happily and said, "Yup! But Mommy isn't with me." and looked down at the ground sadly.

"MOMMY! YOU'RE HER DAUGHTER?!" Nightmare screeched in shock.

"Yup!"I nodded and stood up. "So Mr. Gottschalk, where are we?"

Nightmare hesitated a little bit from shock before regaining composure and replying, "Call me Nightmare, calling me Mr. Gottschalk makes me feel old!"

"Okie dokie, Mister Night-"

"Ah no, no, no! Nightmare!" said Nightmare, acting like a strict teacher correcting you on a proper sentence.

"Kaaay, Nightmare!" Nodding approvingly Nightmare continued what he was saying before.

"As for where you are, you're in the Dream Realm."

"Dream Realm? So I'm dreaming? Cool!"

Nightmare nodded proudly and smiled. But it doesn't look like a dream... "Well what do you want it to look like?" I stared at him. How did he know that? I didn't say that out loud!

"Simple I read your mind. Did Alice not tell you about Wonderland?" he asked.

I shook my head and answered, "No Mommy never mentioned Wonderland." Nightmare's smiling face changed into one of shock.

"She never mentioned us? At all?"

I shook my head sadly. "Sorry." Nightmare didn't say anything when the world began to fade.

"W-What's happening?" I asked seeing Nightmare smiling as the world was slowly fading to black.

"You're waking up." Nightmare kissed me on the forehead before he faded with the blackness.

I snapped my eyes open and blinked, confused as to what just happened. Then becoming more confused when I woke up in Joker's bed. When did I get here? I was going to sit up but I felt a force tighten on me, which I guessed was from Joker's hold on me. I began to wander if the pirate man, Nightmare was a real person outside of my dreams.

"Quit moving..." mumbled Black.

I sighed, I wanted to play, not sleep in bed with Joker all day. I layed there waiting until I felt movement on my right. "Good morning, young lady." I heard White's voice yawn out.

"Good morning, White!" I greeted happily, turning my self around before giving White a good morning hug. Pulling away I smiled up at White. Just as I was about to say something I felt Black press up against my back and I was sandwiched between Joker.

"I told you to quit moving." Black mumbled quietly into my ear.

I giggled when Black's breath tickled my ear.

"What's so funny, love?" asked White.

"Black's breath is tickling me!" I giggled out.

Black hummed as White smirked. I gave him a questioning look as I felt Joker's hands tickle my sides. My eyes widened for an instant before shutting closed with laughter following after that. Joker chuckled as I laughed and tried to get away.

"J-Joker! Sto-stop it!" I yelled through my giggling fits.

After a while, Joker stopped tickling me and let me calm myself down as Joker breathed heavily from their laughter. I was quite surprised to hear Black laugh, it was really out of character for him to laugh from enjoyment instead of someone else in pain. I sat up and looked out the window seeing it was dusk. I sighed, how can time be so random here?

"Say, Joker?" I began to ask. They hummed in response. "Who's Nightmare?"

Joker remained silent for a few moments. "He came to you in a dream, didn't he?" questioned White.

I nodded as White sighed and Black growled. "He just had to come and ruin the fun!" hissed Black.

White nodded and said, "I agree, Joker. I do not feel like sharing our new toy."

"Yeah! Jokers don't fucking share!" I looked back and forth between the two red-headed twin Jokers as they agreed.

Man, Jokers have a lot to agree on. Maybe I should leave and let them continue. I quietly snuck out of the room still hearing them talking. I rounded different corners until I cam to a big double door. Maybe this leads outside, it's too creepy and boring in here. I pushed the door open and was greeted by the night sky.

I could hear the owls hoot and the crickets chirp as I slowly walked toward the forest. Looking inside the deep, dark, creepy forest, I swallowed the lump in my throat and took a step past the trees and into the forest. Just as I was about to turn around and go back to Joker there was a rustling coming from one of the bushes.

I quietly stalked over to the bush and peeked past it, hiding in the bushes was a black and gray striped cat. I went around the bush and layed down next to the cat.

"Hi there!" I greeted in a soft whisper as I reached my hand out and pet the cat. The fluffy cat stared at me awhile before purring.

"Say Kitty Kitty, want to come home with me?" I asked.

When it didn't do anything I picked it up and went back on the path. I turned to go to the left where the prison was, but I stopped when I seen something move across the shadows. The thing popped up from the ground and turned into a black mass. I held the cat tighter as I took a step back.

It took a few steps forward as a few more creatures popped up. I started to cry as they moved about, not really toward me, but non-flesh bodies that were practically see through. When one got to close I screamed and ran for the hills in the opposite of the way I was suppose to go, carrying the cat with me.

After running for what felt like twenty minutes I stopped and leaned against a tree trying to catch my breath, the cat still in my arms.

"Kitty, where do you think we are?" I asked looking down at the cat after scanning the dark unfamiliar area. The kitty meowed in response causing me to sigh and continue walking down the way I was facing. I wish I never left Joker's side.

White's POV

I sighed as Joker and I stopped agreeing and it turned into a random conversation. The only reason we stopped was because we remembered Raven was there.

"I'm sorry, lo- Raven?" I asked once I seen the young girl was no longer standing there.

"Where the fuck did she go?!" yelled Black.

"I don't know. Maybe she's in the kitchen?"

Joker and I stood there looking at each other before hurrying down the hall. Slamming the door open, we quickly inspected the room. "She's not here!" Black hissed.

"Where could she have gone?" I asked to myself.

Joker was about to answer when there was a scream outside the prison. Not a normal scream of an adult faceless, but a high pitched scream that a little girl makes.

"That must be..." I trailed off as Joker and I broke into a run toward the exit.

Bursting through the door we called out to the Liddell girl.

"Raven!"

We received no answer, all we could see was the spirit of those who died and yet to be reborn move around in the shadows. "She must have seen those damn things." mumbled Black. "That was why she screamed."

"But they're no threat to her."

"That is true, bu she is a mere child. She has yet to know the wonders of out world."

We both sighed and Black asked, "Should we go get the damn kid?"

I shook my head no. "Let her wander, she does have to play the game after all." Black cursed and mumbled while stomping back inside, with me following right behind him praying that she was at least safe and not dieing somewhere.

Black's POV

Finding out that damn kid was out in the forest at night, I grumbled cursing and wishing we never let her out of our sights in the first place! Damn kid was probably scared out of her damn mind, after seeing those damn things! I scowled thinking about the pipsqueak being out there at nigh. Alone.

I glared at the prisoners wondering why I cared so much. Maybe it's because she's that whores kid? I scoffed as White caught up to me. That fucking kid better be alright or I'll shoot somebody. White nodded in agreement when my thoughts crossed over to him.

Raven's POV

Still running from the shadows, I ran into something. Lucky for me the cat was on my shoulder and was not hurt, but I can't say the same for me. I pulled away from the thing I ran into and rubbed my reddened face.

"Owie..." I mumbled.

I looked at the object seeing it was a wall, backing up more I found out the wall was attached to a tower. A VERY big tower.

"Woooow!" I said in awe.

I ran around the tower until I found the door that would take me inside. Quickly rushing inside I slammed the door closed and locked it. "We should be safe kitty cat" I calmly said to the cat scratching the cats ear.

I looked around for any signs of people living here. My eyes trailed over to the staircase that led further up into the tower. I walked cautiously toward the stone staircase and peered up. "Is anyone here?" I called out quietly.

"Helloooo!"

Getting no reply I stalked up the twisting staircase until I came to a small platform with a door attached to its wall. Carefully and quietly I opened the door and peeked inside. Sitting at a large desk was a man with purple-ish hair and glasses staring down at something, not taking notice of my arrival. What's he doing? Approaching the man I quietly popped up by his side. The man did not look up from his work to even acknowledge my presence. I looked over the tall large desk I seen that he was messing around with a clock.

"What are you doing, Mister?" The man jumped and glared down at me.

"What are you doing here?" asked the man, who decided to not show any emotion.

So I decided to introduce myself, "I'm Raven Liddell!" before doing a small curtsy.

"...Liddell?..." the man questioned trailing off as he stared down at me.