Note: Sorry about the wait and the fact that I deleted this story momentarily. I found ONE detail (funnily enough, just a certain character's hair colour) that I had accidentally overlooked, and I had to change it. And in the process, I accidentally deleted my story. Well, now it's back. Sorry once again.

Also, apologies for the late update—one of my many talents is procrastinating.

Also, I do not own Alice in Wonderland. I should think that is obvious.

Terror…Answer me this. Are you working for Alice?

I stood there. There was nothing but dreaded silence. The lullaby still rang in my ears, its lyrics painting awful pictures in my head. Terror did nothing, said nothing.

"So you are working for her then?" I pressed. The Cheshire Cat, meanwhile, was looking reprovingly in Terror's direction.

"No. I'm not," Terror said. "I am taking you to a different castle."

I wasn't satisfied yet.

"Are you taking me to somebody who wants to kill me, then?" I asked. Before, I hadn't been worried. Now I was. Terror shook his head.

"No. I'm not," he said. "And there's something you should know. I don't follow orders from Alice."

That surprised me.

"But don't you all have to obey her orders?" I said. The Cheshire Cat was strangely silent.

"Yes," Terror said quietly. "We do. But some choose not to do so." I turned to the Cat.

"And what about you?" I asked him. He looked up and shrugged.

"I don't pick sides," he said.

I sighed.

"Fine then," I said. "I'll go with you. One last question though." Terror was smiling again.

"Go ahead," he said.

"Why have none of you tried to kill me?" I asked. The question seemed to be unexpected, at least by Terror. He looked taken aback. The Cheshire Cat's ears simply twitched.

"Like I said, Hazel, I don't choose sides. I follow Alice when I want to and sometimes I don't follow her," he said.

"And, just so you know, I don't want anybody to rule Wonderland," Terror said. "Not even me." Warm relief seeped through me. I hadn't realized then how much of a blow it would have been to me if he had in fact been planning on betraying me.

"Good," I said fervently. "Me neither. It would make everything much less complicated." The Cheshire Cat looked very amused at my saying this.

"On the other hand, Hazel, I think it wouldin fact make things much more… chaotic," he said. Terror glared murderously at him.

"Anyway, I should go or that blasted Hatter will have my head," the Cheshire Cat said. He paused. "Though last time he did that I still managed to get it back. Goodbye, Hazel dear." And with that quick farewell he vanished, his smile remaining longest before it too faded. I had to fight the urge to ask Terror, 'Did that make any sense to you?'. I decided against doing so. Chances were it probably did.

"Well, it's night. We should sleep while it lasts," Terror said. I complied, following him. I hadn't realized how tired I was, exactly. Now that he mentioned it… I felt the overwhelming need for a bed. More than was natural, I would realize later. I barely registered walking through crowds of people and laying down a bed in a building of glass… And the second I closed my eyes I heard something…

You don't want to be among mad people, Alice?

It startled me, and I wanted to stay awake to see who said it. This time it was not the voice of the Cheshire Cat. But I found myself falling asleep against my own will. I couldn't help but close my eyes and drift away.

There were mirrors everywhere. On the floor, on the ceiling, on the walls. I looked at my reflection. I was in my regular clothing, my hair tousled, my eyes confused. I reached out to touch the mirror in front of me. Then my reflection changed. A girl that was clearly me, but not me, walked forwards in the mirror. She had to be me, but her hair was blonde and she wore a blue dress…

Roses' petals were so white
And there was a feeling of dread
As, with a knife in hand,
Alice turned the petals red…

The girl in the mirror, me, now held a knife in hand.

See she dances with her dagger
Deep in her heart, fear resides
She's not afraid of Wonderland,
But the locked Madness inside…

I was paralyzed and couldn't move, even as my reflection stepped out of the mirror and advanced towards me.

Afraid to be among the mad
When we are all mad here
Come, Alice, walk closer now
Come face your darkest fear…

The girl that was not me, but clearly me, smiled. A sweet, simple smile. She was close to me, so close… And then she lunged forward with the dagger. I collapsed.

The last thing I remember seeing were white roses, slowly turning red, and I wondered how they got there…

"Hazel."

I opened my eyes. The amused face of Terror was looming over me.

"You know, you sleep like a rock," he said as soon as I sat up. "And you were completely out of it as we were traveling here." I yawned.

"You would be out of it too if you missed a couple of night's sleep," I said. "But sorry you had to deal with me." He laughed. I, meanwhile, looked around, because I had no idea where we were. The memory of last night before hitting the pillow simply wasn't there. I was in some strange room (walls and floors all made of glass) and it appeared the only thing in the room was, in fact, the twin sized bed I was sitting in. How odd…

"I hate to ask this for the millionth time," I began, "but wh—"

"—We are in one of the Hatter's many rooms and we had better get out before he figures out we spent the night here," Terror said before I could even get the whole question out.

"The Hatter?" I echoed.

"Yes. The Hatter. Actually, he's known as the Mad Hatter as well, and he can be set off at the slightest things. We should go," he said firmly. I was reminded of something, however... You don't want to be among mad people, Alice?

"Okay. We're leaving," I said, flinging off the covers and leaping out of bed. I was in the same clothes as I had been two nights ago which grossed me out, slightly. And my hair was a complete disaster. "I'm a mess." I looked at Terror. How did he manage to look absolutely perfect (hair and all) despite the fact he had gone through the same thing as me? He tried extremely hard not to laugh. He opened his mouth to say something, but was suddenly disrupted.

"Did somebody say they were a mess?"

We both turned around at the same time to see a very weird person standing in the doorway. He was dressed in a pinstriped suit, held a white important looking cane, and wore a striking red hat. His eyes were hard to look at because their colour kept changing at an alarming speed. Terror looked very surprised, but after a moment's pause gave a bit of a bow. I simply stared because I had no idea what was going on. It took a lot to swallow the question, "And who are you?"

"Hazel, this is the Hatter," Terror murmured. He looked up to face the Hatter again. "And I'm sorry we stayed the night without permission…"

The Hatter smiled (it was a very lopsided smile).

"No need to apologize," he said. He turned to me. "Nice to meet you, Alice."

"Hazel," I corrected automatically. The Hatter looked slightly confused.

"Oh. Sorry, Alice." His face brightened up considerably. "I'll get some tea." He was about to leave the room. Before he did so, he said, "And there are clothes in the dresser for you, Alice dear." Then he walked off.

"He doesn't always act this way," Terror said momentarily. "But be thankful he's like this now." I nodded.

"What did he mean by dresser?" I said. I looked about the room. And there it was. Right next to the bed stood a dresser. "That wasn't there before." Terror did not look surprised.

"So?" he questioned, and I couldn't give an answer. "I'll leave for a moment. You change." And then he, too, left me.

I tried not to think too hard. If I did, I would start to get a headache. Instead I walked towards the dresser and looked for some clean clothes. And there it was. In the first drawer. A pretty, cotton, sky blue dress. I couldn't help but remember watching a reflection of me, dancing and laughing in that same dress, holding a knife, suddenly lunging forwards with it…

Not that dress, I decided. I opened the next drawer. There it was again, that blue dress. I shut it quickly. This place… I opened the next drawer, and the next one. All it held was the same dress, over and over again. I know I shouldn't have detested a stupid dress that much. It was just a dress. It meant nothing. I took the blue dress out. I stared at it.

There was a strange sense of helplessness as I put it on. Like I was being forced to do this. Like there was nothing I could possibly do, that I was becoming…

Don't think about it, I thought fiercely. I looked in the mirror. The dress barely reached over my knees. But it did feel nice. There was something weird about it. I didn't like how it fit so perfectly and how I wore it so well. I dearly wished that something about it would look wrong on me. On my feet I pulled on some white stockings and a pair of plain black shoes (all of which I found in the drawer). They fit me perfectly as well. I turned away from my reflection. I couldn't stand looking at myself. I was scared my reflection would turn into that girl, that girl that was clearly me but couldn't possibly be me…

I opened the door. There stood Terror, who stumbled back in surprise when he saw me. I swear I saw the beginnings of Madness in his eyes.

"Don't start calling me Alice," I said. He blinked.

"And why would I do that?" he said. "You do look different though." My heart skipped a beat.

"I know. It's this dress. It really doesn't look good on me," I said quickly. He shook his head.

"No. It really makes you…" he trailed off. He stared at me, hard. "You don't look like an Outsider." I had to stop myself from shouting, "Don't say that!"

"This place," I said, "is really starting to get to me." It was true. I was even starting to feel different.

"I can see that," said Terror, which made me feel all the worse. The Hatter chose this moment to barge into the room.

"And what," he said in a trembling, angry voice, "are you two doing here, uninvited?" I suppose his sudden change of mood should not have surprised me, but it did. Terror grimaced.

"But you did invite us," he said. "Just now." The Hatter glared at him.

"Well now I've changed my mind," he said. His gaze fell on me. "Who are you, girl?"

"Hazel," I said, even though I had already told him this.

"You think me mad?" he questioned me, which was exactly what I had been thinking. "You should see yourself, darling. You look half mad yourself."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my throat tight. I refused to look in the mirror. I was too scared. The Hatter laughed (and kept laughing a bit longer than necessary).

"Your eyes, dear girl. I can tell just by looking," he said. "Now may I as k you to please leave, before I really start to get angry?"

"Yes," Terror said quickly. He grabbed my wrist and practically dragged me out of the room. I had to run to keep my arm from being pulled from my socket as we ran through a large building—all of it, I guessed, was the Hatter's. Terror dragged me through what I supposed to be the back door. It was weird, but as we stepped out I realized we weren't in the City of Glass anymore, but rather, a beautiful garden full of bushes with perfect white roses blooming on them. I did not ask where we were. I was growing tired of the question. Aside from that, I wasn't even thinking of where we were.

We stopped running.

"Terror," I said. "I'm not mad." He looked at me, a strange expression on his face. My eyes pleaded with his to not contradict me.

"The Madness here affects everybody," was all he said. I swallowed nervously.

"The Hatter was wrong, you know," I said.

"Come on, Hazel. And be quiet. This place is dangerous," he said, avoiding me. I steered my thoughts in a different direction, forcing them not to dwell on thoughts of Madness.

"Why is it so dangerous?" I asked. He walked ahead of me as we came to a corner. The garden was beginning to feel somewhat like a maze. He peered around it.

"We are in the Queen of Heart's garden," he said in a low voice. I felt panic crouching nearby me, ready to pounce.

"You mean Alice's garden?" I said.

"Yes," Terror answered shortly.

It was strange, but any mention of Alice's name was starting to throw me off. Alice, that girl who had wandered into Wonderland. I wondered if she had done it of her own accord… Perhaps she knew about its existence all along… Alice, the one who undoubtedly hated my presence here because I was people's free ticket to becoming the ruler of Wonderland. She couldn't want that. Alice, that person people kept calling me. I wasn't Alice. I didn't come here of my own accord. I didn't know why I was here. Was it all a dream? No, everything was too realistic. I think it's odd, I thought, but there must be a strong connection to people's Madness here and to the Queen of Hearts…

I felt a drop of rain. I looked up at the sky. The sky, which always seemed to be a different shade of blue every time I glanced up, was now full of clouds and beginning to pour rain. We walked in complete silence. I wondered if Alice had demented bunnies working for her. It struck me as a possibility. And she probably had people who tended to these gardens, who might see us sneaking around, now drenched to the bone as the rain was falling in buckets now.

"Terror," I said in a low voice, "why did you take me here?" He did not turn to look at me; he was too busy searching if the way was clear or not.

"I didn't mean to," he whispered back. "The Hatter's back door always leads to different places…"

The sleeve of my dress got caught on a roses' thorn. I yanked it off and glared murderously at the rose that dare do such a thing. A perfect, white rose… And there was a feeling of dread as with a knife in hand, Alice turned the petals red…

A high, cold cry tore through the sound of the rain.

"Terror," I hissed. "Listen." He stopped walking abruptly. The sound came again, crying out eerily.

"What were you thinking?" he questioned me, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Nothing this time!" I said. His eyes darkened.

"Then somebody sent this one," he muttered. He seemed to stiffen for a second. "Don't look at me."

"What—"

His face broke into that insane grin. "Don't look at me, Alice. Here it comes."

This Madness, I thought. It was getting on my nerves… But at least I was a little prepared for it this time… I stood back to back with a Mad Terror, completely weaponless, soaking wet, waiting. A bush shuddered, and then a large black shadow emerged. The Devourer stood. It didn't hesitate. It only had eyes for me. It ran forward, its sideways mouth opening. Its claws reached me first. I managed to stumble aside; its claws scraped my arm, the arm that had already been injured once before. Blood spattered on the rose bush behind me. Those roses, the roses that had been white before, now dripped red.

"They sicken me," I muttered. I didn't even notice that Terror charged the beast.

Oh, Alice. You grow Mad so easily, do you not?

Terror got tossed aside by the Devourer.

"Watch out!" he shouted at me, his Madness releasing its hold on him. His dagger flew away from him, spinning. It landed at my feet. I bent down. Everything was now completely calm. Slowly, I stood up with the thing, and I felt my lips curve upwards slightly. I did not realize what I was doing; it was as though I was not me. I charged. The Devourer's teeth suddenly were close to my face, but it melted into shadow as I plunged the knife deep into its body. I faced Terror, realization hitting me…

"Here," I said. "Your dagger."

He stared.

"Take it," I said. I didn't want to hold the thing. It completed the picture too perfectly. He shook his head.

"No. You need a weapon anyway. I have a spare."

I grew annoyed. Everything in this place wanted me to become that reflection. I could feel it. I didn't want it though. I fought the feeling.

"Fine," I said. "I don't have anywhere to store the thing, though."

"Here, use this," he said, handing me a black belt with a sheath attached to it.

"But don't you need that?" I asked, taking it and fastening it around my waist and slipping my dagger into it.

"I have other places in which I can hide a dagger. Trust me," he said.

And then, without warning, Terror collapsed. Standing over him with sword in hand was a strikingly beautiful woman. Her hair was wavy—a natural brunette, and I caught sight of a tattoo on her right arm. A tattoo that seemed to form the letter "A" in intricate patterns. They looked like the thorns of roses. Her eyes locked with mine; they were a blazing red. Not the red that I associated with Madness, though, it was much different.

"You," she said in a voice that rang with authority, "You come with me." I felt I had no choice. I looked down at Terror. He was unconscious, not injured. I nodded, unable to speak. At the same time I felt fear. She started to walk. I stayed behind.

"What about him?" I asked, my voice slightly weak. She simply looked at me.

"The guards will get him. Come," she commanded. This time, I followed. I couldn't run. A thought did occur to me: use your dagger. I could defend myself. I could pull it out of the sheath and throw it at her, for she surely wasn't taking me anyplace good. It would be easy. Throw it. Watch as the pretty white dress grew stained and then leave her to die. I fingered it. I realized what I was about to do. The thought repulsed me.

Why so hesitant, Alice?

She knows I have it anyway, I told myself, battling myself. It would be pointless. She'd see it coming.

"Who are you?" I questioned as we walked.

"I am Ace," she said. "Be quiet."

And where are we going? At least, I wanted to ask that. I bit my tongue. It was a stupid question. She had to work for the Queen of Hearts. I knew where she was taking me. Of course I knew.

She was taking me to see Alice.

To be continued...

I was going to add more onto this chapter, but decided you guys had waited long enough. ^^