Chapter II

She had a sinking feeling in her gut as she froze in the midst of the road, wondering if she was going the right way. Thinking back on the cat's final words disturbed her, but the last piece of advice that it gave before it started fading away seemed much more threatening. She had suspected that there may have been a reason why it had chosen to give her this particular piece of advice as she was about to hurry off down the sandy path. Both sides of the path were lined with various species of flowers, many of which fairly familiar to the brunette. The only significant difference was the obvious lack of colour. The rigid roses, the dainty daisies, the tender tulips... not a single one of them had colour, just like the rest of the lazy landscape.

She looked towards her right, where the other path should be. A wall of foliage blocked her sight, vines seemingly reaching out for her as she wondered if she ought to turn back and head down the other road. The cat, although suspicious, did not seem to mean her any harm. There was a chance that listening to that cat would lead her out of here, back home. Back to Alice.

Alice. My dear, sweet Alice.

As she stayed in the very same spot without moving a single step, a sudden flash of white shot past her. Upon realising that it was a white rabbit, she dashed after it without thinking. A rabbit in itself had not been that rare of a sight, but a rabbit that happened to be wearing a black suit and a monocle, and holding a silver pocket watch while muttering 'Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!' , was most certainly not a normal sight. Had she been in her usual calm and composed state, she would not have been too surprised, nor have reacted as recklessly, as she would have reassured herself that she was in Wonderland, and such things were not supposed to be surprising here. At this point in time, however, she was too worried to think, and could only chase after the rabbit, under the faint hope that the white rabbit would be able to bring her back home, just like how it had once brought Alice to Wonderland.

I must get home. I must.

As she chased after the bustling bundle of white fur, she finally reached a point where she could no longer keep up, and lost sight of it. She looked down the path, and was surprised to find that it had lead her to a dead end. It seemed as though blindly following the rabbit had not been a wise idea. Looking up at the high stone wall, which seemed to be staring down at her pitiful self, she started to wonder if it would be possible for her to get to the other side of the wall. Placing a hand on the rough surface, she considered climbing up the wall for a few moments before realising that she would definitely not be able to make it, and banished the thought. She let her eyes roam about the area she was in for a few moments, hoping to be able to find something - anything - that could give her a clue on where else to go, before attempting to turn back down the path that she had taken. The only problem was, the path on which she had set foot on had seemingly began to melt into a murky, gray sea.

It looked like quicksand, although she had never seen quicksand in real life before. Her suspicions were, unfortunately, confirmed as the ground where she was standing on proceeded to swallow up her foot. Thanks to her reflexes, though, she managed to escape the experience of being buried alive, and merely lost her shoes. The problem now was, she had to find a way to escape it. The silvery sand was spreading, and at a considerably fast rate as it was. It seemed to be following the young female, for what reason she did not know, and figured that it would be useless to know either way. She had to run away from it, but there seemed to be no other place that she could escape to.

Alice!

There was a soft tug at the edge of her sleeve, and when she looked back, she found a young girl wearing a black hood, clad in a silvery gray dress that almost reached her ankles and holding a ragged stuffed rabbit in her right hand, pointing with the same hand towards a pile of greenery. Hidden behind the lifeless plants were nothing but more plants, yet she had no other choice but to listen to the girl. It was a better option than being swallowed up by dust, choking and suffocating to her death. When she glanced back down for the girl in the next instant, the child had already vanished.

She could do nothing but to run away as the quicksand crept closer and closer to her, yet the only image that remained imprinted on her mind was that of the little girl, who seemed to be no older than her lovely sister...

...and how she had responded when she had called out for Alice.

Bits and Pieces :

ø Who is the girl? Do you know? I know I don't.

ø James Birdsong: Thank you for the compliment! I hope you will enjoy the rest of the story as well. :)

ø Neko: *stares at you too*