Chapter 3: Alice's Unbelievable Test of Wits
Previously on Cardcaptor Alice…
"Okay, Nightmare… You just fly up to him as quick as you can and poke him in the eyes before he even realizes something's up. While he's blinded I'll just push him down the stairs and if we're lucky he'll suffer enough brain trauma from the fall to forget this all ever happened."
"Alice, he's wearing glasses, I can't poke him in the eyes!"
"Just go around the glasses!"
"What if he hits me away!?"
"Bite his finger until he bleeds!"
"Gross, I don't want his finger in my mouth!"
"I can hear you both…"
"He can hear us!"
"Ssshh, keep your coffee peach crème socks on. I got this. Ahem, Peter is your name, right? Well, nice to meet you. I'm Nightmare Gottschalk, Guardian Demon of the Seal for the magical Wonderful Wonder World Cards that Alice Liddell, this girl right here, opened and unleashed upon the world. We totally weren't thinking about physically handicapping you to a potentially fatal state all for the sake of keeping your friend's, Alice's, magic a secret."
"NIGHTMARE, NEVER SPEAK AGAIN!"
Cardcaptors!
"And that's what happened," Alice sighed heavily.
After promising Peter his answers at lunch time, the two had gone back to their first period. The whole time Alice had been panicking even though Peter appeared entirely enveloped in the boring lesson up ahead seeing as he didn't spare her a single glance all of class. After three more agonizing periods that just dragged on they finally made it to lunch.
The two plus Nightmare, who stuck around due to Alice's urging had gotten to an isolated area near the soccer field under a tree to eat and discuss Alice's not-so averageness.
Peter blinked once, a look of amazement still on his face as he took in the last bits of the story.
When another moment of silence coupled with Nightmare's obnoxious munching on Alice's crisps passed by, the brunette blew up a piece of her bang anxiously.
Alice closed her eyes with her demeanor beginning to wrack with worry, "I know it's all crazy and stuff, but I promise I'm still—"
"That's great, Alice!" Peter exclaimed loudly, his body perking up and Alice's eyes flew open in surprise.
"Uh, what?"
The white haired male's arms leaned forward while a grin grew on his face, "I said it's great! You're a magical girl!" He put a hand to his cheek, his expression becoming more blissful, "Just thinking about how you saved me back there brings chills down my spine! Ahhh, such a wonderful feeling!"
Alice laughed nervously as she watched her friend begin going on a tirade about her being a cute femme fatale for their love.
"He took it better than I thought he would at least." Alice glanced over at Nightmare with a smile and sweatdrop.
Nightmare bit the grape within his hands, "How did you expect him to take it? I've barely known him for a day and I can tell he'd follow you if you were a sociopathic murderer."
Shaking her head with a short exhale, Alice glanced back over to Peter who was now reaching over for her hands.
With a brilliant smile on his lips, Peter pulled her closer, "You have to let me film your adventures!"
It took Alice a couple of seconds to process his words before she frowned and shook her head, "Peter, that's really irresponsible. If you videotape it not only will there be the risk of someone else finding them, but also keep in mind that the Wonder Cards are crazy and unpredictable, you could get hurt—"
"If you let me film you, I'll buy you Starbucks after school today."
God damn it.
"I'm not saying that I'm giving you permission to film me, but I am saying we can discuss the details while you take me out to Starbucks." Alice stiffly informed as she straightened herself up, her expression incredibly serious though Nightmare watched at her through blank eyes.
Peter's expression lit up instantly, "Yes! Also, we can talk about your outfits that you'll wear when we're there too!"
Alice gave him a wary look, "Outfits…?"
Peter nodded with a cheery smile still on his lips, "Hm! All magical girls have outfits to wear when they're fighting for love and justice! Oh, I'll also try to make it so it doesn't get too dirty… Lord knows that you'll be dealing with so many germs when it comes to these cards…" He put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, "Perhaps you should use the White Rabbit card as a way to deal with that."
The brunette sighed with her head hanging downwards.
Starbucks.
She was dealing with this for the Starbucks.
After going back to class and finishing the rest of class, Alice decided that listening to Nightmare complain about staying with her after school for cheerleading practice wasn't worth it because she really just wanted Starbucks anyways. Peter already texted her that he'd pick her up at her house in about an hour so they could go out for fraps and lattes, something Alice desperately wanted to do.
Unlocking the front door to her house, she cleared her throat, "I'm home!" She sang before promptly making a beeline for the staircase.
Alice quickly locked the door to her room before tossing her book bag onto her bed.
"Careful with how you toss this thing!" Nightmare scolded her with a slight pout as he stuck his head out from the opened zipper.
Exhaustedly, Alice sighed, "Sorry…"
The Guardian Demon said nothing more as he flew himself out, within his grasp was the White Rabbit card and Alice gave the item a thoughtful stare from her spot at the end of her bed.
"I still have to say, you did a real good job as a Cardcaptor today, Alice! Seriously, you only have to capture 17 more of these things and you're all set!" Nightmare informed after laying the card out face up on the sheets.
Alice nodded slowly, her eyes taking in the sight of the card before she picked it up for closer inspection on her own, "It was pretty cool and stuff though. I just hope I'm really ready for whatever the other cards have to throw at me, you know?"
"As long as we take baby steps you'll be fine. If you're really lucky the King of Hearts may be next!"
"Right, well—" Her words came to a pause as she felt her phone begin vibrating from within her blazer pocket.
Taking it out and unlocking it, she read the contents of the message.
Her teal eyes immediately grew wide as she read it.
From: Lorina
If you don't stop texting me, I'm not just going to just block you, I fully plan on eradicating your existence from this planet. Evaporate or spontaneously combust before I get my hands on you personally.
The brunette wearily eyed her screen, "Euh…"
Nightmare watched her curiously, "What's wrong?"
"I think Lorina texted me by accident… Again."
From: Lorina
OMGosh! I'm so sorry, that message definitely wasn't for you, Alice! I meant to text you to remind you that Gray is coming over for dinner tonight, so it'd be great if you cleaned the house a bit before we're over. I hope it isn't too inconvenient for you. Love you lots like jelly tots. Xx
"Alice?" Nightmare cautiously questioned the female that sat with wide eyes still staring into her phone, her body unnaturally still and motionless.
"Gray is coming over for dinner tonight." She whispered too softly for the Guardian to properly hear.
"What—"
"Gray is coming over for dinner tonight." Alice repeated as she slowly moved her phone down to her lap.
Nightmare nodded his head dumbly, "Is that a bad thing?"
"Gray is coming over for dinner… He's coming over here. Here. My house. Tonight. A couple hours from now… Ahhhh! I need to clean!" The teen hollered out with both of her hands flying to her cheeks in horror before she flung herself at the door as Nightmare stared at her blankly.
Slowly, he picked up the White Rabbit card, his mouth going slightly a gape, "Why not just use the card…?"
-.-
Alice wiped her forehead with the back of her arm as she kept a firm grip on the plate within her hand.
If she was going to clean, she might as well wash the dishes twice so they could be extra clean.
She could already imagine Gray's reaction when he got the plate before the food got on it.
He'd glance down at it, his beautiful topaz eyes would then widen in surprise before he'd gaze back up in nothing but astonishment as he'd ask in the ruggedly attractive voice,
"Alice, why didn't you pick up the phone? I called you like five times!"
Wait. What?
Alice blinked, her fantasy blowing away as her eyes fleeted to the side of her face where Peter now hovered, his red irises filled with nothing but confusion.
With a shriek, Alice jumped in fear, her hand dropping the plate back into the sink with a clatter. The teen put a soap covered hand to her heart, her eyes shutting, "Peter, don't scare me like that!"
"Oh, sorry!" The white haired male laughed while reaching over to turn off the running faucet, "I thought you'd be used to me sneaking into your house and whispering in your ear by now!"
Alice scowled heavily, "Why would I be used to it!? This is like your first time doing it!"
Peter's smile seemingly froze for a moment before he let out another laugh, this time a bit more forceful, "R-Right! Ahahaha, this is my first time! Definitely! Never have I ever snuck in through your window or made a warehouse copy of your front door key or anything!"
The brunette grunted, her hand reaching over the countertop for a paper towel to wipe her hands with while she pursed her lips, "How did you even get inside? I could have sworn I locked the front door when I came in."
"Oh, you know… Yeah…"
"What?"
"Starbucks!" He clapped his hands loudly and Alice blinked, "Oh, right! I completely forgot! You see, Lorina told me to clean up before dinner and stuff. But it's all about clean right now, so I guess we can head over there now." She smiled at him kindly causing him to grin.
Grabbing her hand, Peter nodded, his eyes dreamily looking into his friend's that kept her beam up at him almost lovingly.
With a lowly flushed face, the albino couldn't help but notice how Alice's own face appeared the slightest bit pink as well. After taking her other hand into his, he tilted his head to the side, "It's a da—"
"It's not a date," She interjected sweetly, immediately striking down the taller male with the hidden hostility in her words.
"C-cruel…" Peter sulked out as the two began walking toward the front door.
Alice shook her head before she glanced over her shoulder, "Nightmare, Peter and I are heading out! We'll be back soon!" She exclaimed loudly right before slamming the door behind her.
The ride to the coffeehouse via Peter's slightly shady appearing limousine was one that Alice found only a teeny bit awkward. Though she couldn't figure out if it was because of the bulky bodyguards with sunglasses on sitting next to her or if it was because the driver didn't play any music.
Her bet was on the later.
When they finally got there and she could practically feel White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino with caramel drizzled whipped cream.
"Thank you!" She eagerly said to the man that resembled Shaquille O'Neal with a shinier bald head dome after he kindly opened the door for her. Peter trailed out right behind her as Alice gazed up at the place in wonder, hearts practically replacing her eyes.
"Peter, it's times like these I'm really grateful that your Dad is Prime Minister!" The brunette exclaimed brightly, "Going places in a limo whenever you want is really convenient!"
Peter laughed lightly, one of his hands going upward with a point, "You know… If you really want to get used to that kind of lifestyle… You can always marry me—"
"No."
"But—"
"No."
"Alice!" He whined out childishly as Alice rolled her eyes, "We came here to discuss official cardcaptor business, Peter. Not marriage plans. Get your head in the game, geez." She huffed out before moving to walk toward the entrance.
As she entered, she couldn't help but grow a bit happy at the fact it was mostly empty.
She could hear Peter scrambling in after her and she glanced over her shoulder, "Save us a seat. Do you want anything? I'll pay for you."
Peter's eyes grew wide, "Huh? No! This is supposed to be my treat! I'll pay for you!"
Alice shook her head stubbornly, "Nope. You drove us here and I'll pay for your drink and snack." Before she could hear his protest, she began walking toward the register.
She wasn't exactly some freeloader. That was one label she'd hate to slap onto herself… Buying Peter's stuff would make them even after he drove her here and back home.
As she made it to the front, she watched one of the workers aiding someone at the drive-thru and she patiently tapped her fingers on the counter as she waited for someone to approach and assist her.
Glancing over her shoulder, Alice managed to briefly spot Peter disinfecting one of the seats with the disposable sanitary wipes he kept in his pockets and one of the other occupants typing away at her laptop diligently.
"Hey, sorry for the wait! I had some trouble in the back… Anyways, what would you like?" Alice nearly jumped in surprise at the sudden voice that was ahead of her.
Turning back around, she offered the man a kind smile, "Oh, it's no problem at all. Um… Can I get two grande White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccinos with caramel drizzle whipped cream and also a Ham and Swiss Panini?"
The worker nodded his head as he clicked away at the register and as Alice watched the subtotal appear on the tiny black screen, a loud crash sounded from the back room that made her wince.
She instinctively turned her attention to the opened room door though she didn't get a clear view of what was inside right as another crash that vaguely sounded like various objects falling from a shelf came to her ears.
With a groan, the man gave her a distressed look, "Uh, your subtotal is—" Crash. "—Ugh, excuse me for one moment, ma'am."
"Aha, it's no problem at all." Alice politely reassured before slipping a twenty on the countertop, her body flinching when a louder thud than the three previous hit her ears and the two workers behind the counter both fled back into the room.
Blankly, she blinked her eyes and scratched her cheek in slight wonder as to what was occurring.
After about two minutes, the man reemerged and he quickly took Alice's money before giving her the correct amount of change and began making her drinks.
Unable to fight the curiosity burning in her, Alice watched at him from the server counter, "Is everything alright back there?" She questioned softly just above the roar of the blender.
The man sighed, his hand moving the pitcher over to one of the opened cups before he began to pour, "I'd say yes, but honestly, I don't even know…" His eyes tiredly closed for a moment before he warily glanced back at the door, "It's all been like this since yesterday."
"Hm?" Alice questioned as he began filling up the top with whipped cream.
"Ever since yesterday evening, it's like the stuff in the back room can't stop falling… As weird as it sounds, we put something on the shelves or countertops and about a minute or so later, they're falling back down. It's kind of creepy actually." He frowned, "This morning when the manager was in, she said just leave the stuff on the floor as a way to solve the problem, but when we did that, the shelves and the countertops all began to topple over too."
Alice listened to the story with wide eyes, "Wow… Almost sounds like a ghost or something."
"Doesn't it? But it gets even more ghost-like… Apparently, during the lunch rush today, they decided to close the door when the crashing noises got too bothersome and they were tired of constantly picking stuff up. Soon, the supplies from in there began popping up all around the place out here when they did that. Out of thin air. One second, you're sipping at your espresso, the next, BAM! You got a face full of some stranger's G-string from in their bag."
Alice made a face of disgust.
"Anyways," The man obliviously continued before slipping both of Alice's drinks in front of her, along with her warm Panini, "I have no idea why the police haven't been called… Or the local exorcist… My guess is because the manager is white and you know how white people are when it comes to ghosts. Paranormal Activity and all that."
"Yeah." Alice nodded with a sip of her drink, her mind more thoughtful than anything right as she heard another crash come from inside the room.
She watched the man give her a small wave before he went back in and she couldn't help but become reflective while she made her way back to Peter.
"What took so long? Is everything alright?" Peter curiously asked after she took a seat across from him.
The brunette kept her gaze on the room door silently as another loud noise erupted from within, "I'm not sure… But…" She blinked before turning to him, "I think we should head back to my house. There might be another Wonder Card that needs some capturing." She seriously informed her companion that immediately became more attentive.
Peter watched her solemnly, "I see…"
Alice frowned, "If it's really what I think it is, we'll need to head back out here later tonight after they close."
Out of nowhere, Peter gave a noise that vaguely resembled that of a distressed cry as both of his hands flew to cover over his face.
In surprise, Alice looked at him, "P-Peter! Are you alright!?"
The male shook his head honestly, his body quivering slightly, "I can't believe this. This is all happening too quickly and too soon. It's not fair. It's really not fair to you."
His words made Alice's frown grow…
He was right.
She'd just captured a card earlier in the day… Now she was being forced to wrangle with another.
She didn't even know if she could do it.
"I mean, I'll only have a few hours to make an outfit for you! It won't be made with the proper love and care that it deserves! This is a shame! Your first battle outfit that I had in mind was supposed to take a while to do, I still didn't order the proper threads that the waistband would need! Ugh, this is so inconvenient, I'm so sorry, Alice!" Peter ranted on sorrowfully right as Alice fell off of her seat.
"T-That's what you're concerned about…?" Her left eye gave a slight twitch while she smiled in irritation.
-.-
"So do you think it's a Wonder Card?" Alice questioned Nightmare genuinely after she finished her explanation, which she really had no idea why she chose to tell him when they were outside of the Starbucks at approximately 3 am in the morning. It would have made a ton of more sense for her to ask him when she got home earlier, or even on their way there.
What was she talking about again?
Nightmare nodded his head, a hand on his chin wisely, "I'm not too sure, but if the G-string thing is right, then there's a good chance that it is."
Alice sighed, her eyes glancing around the emptied street tiredly as she clutched her staff in her hands with slumped shoulders, "Forget all the magic and non-averageness stuff… Being a cardcaptor means staying up late on a school night, this sucks…"
"But you look so adorable!" Peter exclaimed with his video camera directed her way.
Despite herself, Alice felt her face warm in embarrassment while her head lowered a bit under his gaze.
Even with having so little time to put together an outfit, Peter still managed to make something up for her quickly, it was actually pretty impressive.
It wasn't much.
Well, it only had two main parts.
A pink leotard and a long flowing white cape that doubled as a hoodie with a set of floppy white rabbit ears on top, the insides a matching pink to her leotard. Her thigh high pink socks went down into her white simplified boots.
She wanted to hide behind the giant bow from the cape that was on her front.
"Thanks, but I really don't think I'm all that… I feel kind of out there." Alice admitted reluctantly as Peter began flocking around her, his camera still held up firmly, "Cute! Cute! Cute! Alice is always so cute!"
Nightmare let out a slight laugh, "The bunny ears were a nice touch."
"Why do I feel like the White Rabbit card's influence didn't fully leave him?" The female blandly questioned right before Peter lunged at her to encase her in a hug.
He rubbed his cheek against the top of her hoodie affectionately, "I just want to cuddle you forever!"
Alice kept her eyes blank, "Can we just get this on with before someone sees me like this?"
The Guardian of the Seal floated upward with crossed arms over his chest, "Pfft, well, just get us inside and we're good to go."
"Darn… If only we could teleport or something…" Alice muttered mostly to herself after she pulled on the locked door with furrowed eyebrows.
She then turned to Peter expectedly.
The male instantly caught her staring and he blinked his eyes while moving down his camera slightly, "Eh?"
"You're good with breaking into my house, I see no reason why you wouldn't be good with breaking into Starbucks."
"Well, technically since we're soulmates, I'm not 'breaking in' to your house… I'm inviting myself into our house—"
"Just get us inside!" The brunette huffed causing Peter to nod in determination, "If that's what Alice wants, I'll do my best!" Walking forward, he offered the camera to Alice and she accepted it while moving herself toward Nightmare.
The silver haired being tilted his head to the side, "Isn't Peter son of the Prime Minister or something?"
Alice nodded, "Yup."
Nightmare blinked, "How does he know how to break into places if he's in that kind of family?"
Alice shrugged, "I'm not sure, but it comes in handy when I'm trying to get pictures of Gray while he sleeps."
"What?"
"What?"
"And we're in." Peter stated proudly as he backed away from the now opened entrance, a smile on his face as Alice grinned, "Good job, Peter!
Nightmare shared her expression, "Curiously speaking, how did you do it?"
The white haired teen twirled a black hair pin within his gloved fingers, "With this bobby pin I found when I was under your bed a couple months ago."
Nightmare squinted, "What were you doing under her bed…?"
"Oh, you know… Just looking around and stuff."
"But—"
"Anyways, lead the way, Alice! I don't want to waste a single moment of this!" Peter cheerfully exclaimed, completely ignoring Alice's somewhat disturbed expression that instantly became filled with realization with his newer words.
The brunette nodded, "Right!" Twirling her staff in her fingers, Alice took a deep breath before cautiously making her way inside.
Behind her, she could hear Peter closing the door while Nightmare flew beside her quietly, "I definitely feel the presence of a Wonder Card. It's faint, but it's here alright."
Alice bit her bottom lip, a bit of anxiety going through her stomach, "Two in one day… Just my luck, eh?"
"Well, if my hunch is correct, this card is probably one that hates boring things. It wanted to cause mischief the second that it could." Nightmare explained as Alice put her legs over the counter to slide over.
"I just hope it's as cute and furry as the White Rabbit…" Alice sighed right as they came upon the room from before, "Let's hope it's opened before Mr. White tries using my stolen bobby pin to break in." She mumbled while putting her hand on the doorknob.
Turning it, she found herself a bit surprised at the fact it was unlocked.
"It's so dark." Nightmare whined and Alice put a finger to her lip, "Sssh!"
"Good thing my camera has night vision." Peter remarked from the back and Alice groaned, "Sssh!"
"Does it have a flashlight?"
"Sssh!"
"No."
"Sssh!"
"Damn it."
"Ssssshhhhh!"
"Don't you have magical Guardian powers or something for that?"
"Ssssssshhhhhhhh!"
"If I did, I wouldn't be asking you for light."
"WHAT PART OF SSSSSHHH DO YOU TWO NOT UNDERSTAND!? I'M TRYING TO BE QUIET SO THE CARD DOESN'T KNOW WE'RE HERE! EVER HEARD OF THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE!?" Alice hollered out in frustration and right at that moment, the lights within the room flickered on, temporarily blinding her and her companions.
The brunette groaned with a squint to her eyes, "Did you hit a light switch, Peter?" She curiously questioned the boy that shook his head slowly, "No… I thought you did."
Alice felt her eyes widen as she looked over at Nightmare to see what he had to say about it and Nightmare looked around the room cautiously, "The Wonder Card presence in here just increased tenfold! It's definitely in here!"
Now at alert, Alice held onto her staff defensively, "If you're a Wonder Card and you're in this room, I'm going to need some license and registration please."
Nightmare gave her a vastly unimpressed, slightly exasperated expression at her word choice while Peter grinned hugely.
Slowly, the female turned around to look at her friend who was still recording her, "Did I say that right, Peter?" She innocently inquired causing the male to eagerly nod his head, a blissful expression crossing his features, "Perfect!"
Alice cleared her throat and stuck her staff outward, "Anyways, show yourself to me!"
The lights above began to flicker and Alice unsurely hesitated, her lips frowning whereas Nightmare pursed his lips, "Though I suppose now would be a good time to ponder if the Wonder Card at work here is in a bad mood or not for us waking him up so early… Maybe coming so late wasn't such a good idea."
Alice twitched, a vein pulsing on her head as she turned around to glare at him, "You couldn't have thought about this earlier!?"
"Slipped my mind."
"You—!"
Before she could reach for him, from the side of her eye, she was able to see a phallic shaped object torpedoing straight toward her and at the same time, Peter released a shout of her name.
Alice instinctively pulled both of her hands over her head as she hit the deck and as she did so a loud thud echoed throughout the employee room as the bookshelf was sent falling down.
The female winced, her eyes peeking open to catch sight of the object that had been throw her way warily before she gazed over at Peter who was crouching down on the ground in a familiar position as her.
"Ooh, so you're the girl that woke me up with your shouting, huh?"
The new unfamiliar voice made Alice snap her attention over her shoulder in surprise.
Her eyes grew wide the moment they landed on the male that now sat on top of the toppled down bookshelf with his legs crossed Indian-style, his head tilted to the side with a wide grin on his face.
Bright fuchsia hair that dropped into a bang over the side of his face which had matching triangle tattoos that were on his exposed and pierced midriff and striking golden eyes that were silted like that of a cat were aimed her way and Alice could barely catch her gasp of surprise when she came to observe the pair of cat ears on his tail and even the swishing tail that appeared connected to his butt.
He didn't look any older than her.
Seriously?
"A Goth-dressed cat boy!? Really!?" Alice hotly asked in disbelief, "Is this some kind of joke!?" She questioned to no one in particular as her hands clenched and she stood to her feet in annoyance.
How did the cards go from a cute little rabbit to this?
The male twitched, "I'm not a Goth. I'm a punk."
Nightmare made a low noise, "Careful, Alice… He's not someone you want to upset. The Cheshire Cat card is normally friendly, but you shouldn't get on his bad side."
"I don't care. You're creepy either way to me." Alice solidly announced and the cat boy hummed, his body leaning back on his hands while he eyed her, "You're calling me creepy when you're the one parading around like a rabbit wannabe. That's a bit hypocritical."
"I'm not a rabbit wannabe!"
"Your little hat says otherwise."
"It's a cape-hoodie-thing, not a hat!"
"You've woken me up and you still continue to shout. I thought pretty girls were supposed to be seen not heard… Unless times have changed?" He arched a brow, a cynical grin rising to his lips and despite her situation, Alice found herself blushing slightly.
In the back of her mind she could hear Peter protesting angrily about the 'pretty' part, but she ignored him in favor of glaring at the nonchalant card before her, "Sexist and creepy! It doesn't matter to me, I'm still going to seal you!"
The bright haired male appeared genuinely confused for a second before realization set into his eyes and his grin broke out into a knowing smirk, one of his black gloved hands rose and brought his fingers into snap formation.
Adjusting her staff, Alice cleared her throat, "Wonder Card created beneath the deck of Time—"
"Alice, wait!" Nightmare exclaimed though she never got to hear the rest of his words as suddenly her entire environment was warped and changed.
Alice released a startled cry the moment she came to realize that her surroundings were no longer the brightly lit employee room within the coffeehouse, but rather the silent, dark apparent rooftop of some building.
Her hands froze with her staff still held overhead and she blankly watched ahead at the card that sat on the ledge of the building across from her, his grin back in full force as he watched at her in amusement.
"So you're the Chosen One?" He asked and Alice sputtered, "What did you do!? Where did you take me!?" Frantically, she gazed around, "Peter!? Nightmare!?" She called, though silence was her only response.
She was alone on some rooftop with a card. This couldn't get any worse.
The Cat yawned, "You'll get more answers if you answer my question first."
Alice flushed, her rabbit ears sullenly lowering while she stared at him in disbelief, "Why should I answer your questions? You're just trying to destroy me, aren't you?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. If you answer my question I'll answer yours. Are you the Chosen One or not?"
Realizing things wouldn't really go anywhere unless she answered, Alice pursed her lips, her guard not lowering, "I don't know what you mean by Chosen One, but if you mean if I'm the one Nightmare chose to capture the Wonder Cards, then you're right. So I'm definitely going to capture you, no matter what!" She proclaimed in determination while one of her hands moved to her heart, "You terrorized the employees here enough!"
The male was silent for a moment, as though taking in her words before he let out a large laugh, "Pffft! Terrorizing? Hardly! I was just having some fun!"
"Throwing G-strings in people's faces isn't fun! It's gross!"
"Oh, come on. It was one time and it was totally funny. Why do you think I tried throwing a dildo at you earlier? If it'd have hit you, it would have been hilarious."
"That's so nasty!"
"You're the Chosen One, better get used to it." He stood to his feet on the building's ledge easily, and Alice got a better view of his tail against the lights the streetlamps below were giving off against his back, "Anyways, I suppose since you're the one that set us free, you should be totally powerful and stuff, right?" Anticipation began to line his face as his hands flexed, "If you are, we need to fight! It's been so long since I got a good work out!"
Alice frowned a bit, fear setting in at the thought of actually going up against him, "Well, I—"
Her words went a miss as the sound of a gunshot rang throughout her ears, and her eyes grew wide the second she gazed down at her right shoulder where her cape had been evidently grazed by a bullet.
She brought her gaze back over to the Cheshire Cat that now had a bright colored pistol in his hand pointed her way. He grinned widely, his smile nearly taking up a majority of his face, "Let's play!"
Alice let out a whine, "I seriously don't know how to fight!" She cried out fearfully as she turned around and began running and she could hear the gunshots going off somewhere behind her and Alice could only attempt to zig-zag her stride in an attempt to avoid being shot in the back.
There was only so much space for her to run and when she was nearing the ledge of the rooftop, she found her heart fleeting from her chest as the Cheshire Cat suddenly appeared sitting on top of the edge, his gun pointed directly at her forehead.
Before Alice could speak, the card rose one of his fingerless gloved hands her way in the shape of a mock gun and Alice could only watch in amazement as a ton of chain links suddenly appeared around her before they all snapped around her body, nearly crushing her lungs.
Huffing for a breath, the female hunched her body over as she squirmed in her bindings, "I think you broke some of my ribs…" She weakly rasped out.
The Wonder Card didn't appear concerned with her little plight as his tail swished back and forward, "What kind of Chosen One runs away from her opponents? Geez, you suck at this game." He scolded her lightly with his grin still on his face.
Already coming together with one of his abilities to be teleportation and chain bindings or something of the like, Alice huffed tiredly, her eyebrows creasing as she thought of using the White Rabbit card for something, but she honestly didn't know how it could assist her now.
Even if it could, she couldn't even move her arms to reach for it in her pocket to use it.
"Well, sorry! I only set you guys free like yesterday! Not to mention, I'm still a beginner at this cardcaptoring stuff! I'm not much of a fighter in the first place!" She exclaimed out crossly while wiggling in the tightened chain links that still constricted her body.
Her words made the Cat appear confused for a moment before he lowered his gun and snapped his fingers, the action instantly causing the chains holding her to evaporate into nothing.
Alice held onto her heart with a wince as the crushing pain left her chest and sides before she glanced back up at the bright haired male that was now tilting his head to the side in wonder, "How can you not be a fighter? You broke the Seal on the book."
Alice scowled, "That doesn't mean anything! It was an accident!"
"It doesn't mean anything? Carroll specifically put a strong ass spell on that Seal so that only someone with strong magical abilities could break it. You're saying that you broke it by accident, aka not even trying to use magic to open it, that must mean you're really strong!" He praised out with his eye sparkling in amazement.
Alice cautiously eyed his gun as she frowned, "I'm really not. I swear I'm just an average girl… Or at least I was until Nightmare stuck with this job." Sighing, she watched him tiredly, "But I seriously can't fight. I only have the White Rabbit card on me so if you wanted to shoot me, you wouldn't have a challenge or anything."
Pondering on the idea for a brief moment, the Cheshire Cat jumped down from his perch before taking a single step toward her, his one visible eye seemed to glow in the dark with the way they watched at her so steadily, "You know, you actually are pretty cute. I'll be merciful on you."
Alice brightened up.
"If you can answer at least one of my three riddles, I'll set myself up to be captured by you with no resistance." He offered and Alice nodded eagerly, "Riddles? Alright, go! I got this!"
That didn't sound hard at all.
She was pretty good with riddles and stuff like that… Or at least she was thought she was…
How hard could it be?
"Wait, what happens if I don't get any right?" She curiously inquired and the cat eared male grinned hugely, "Isn't it obvious? I won't accept you as my Mistress and I guess I'll just spend my days throwing condoms and dildos at unsuspecting people."
"Okay, don't you have anything better to do than—"
"And then just kill people when that gets boring."
"… Are you sure throwing condoms won't be fun forever? I mean it sounds so funny." Alice forcibly laughed as a bead of cold sweat began to drop from the side of her face.
The card snickered, "Anyways, let's start with the first riddle? Ready? I travel the world and I am drunk constantly. Who am I?"
The brunette paused momentarily, her mind taking in the riddle with an opened mind.
She put a hand to her chin thoughtfully.
Obviously if the person was traveling the world while drunk, they had to be famous or something—Wait, no… That was too obvious. It had to be something else. But she couldn't think of anything else…
Biting her thumb, Alice looked at him unsurely, "Is it Kesha…?"
Snorting, the card shook his head, "Wrong! The answer is water."
"God damn it. Whatever, okay the next one I got for sure!"
"If you say so. Well, this one a bit easier. I have no wings, but I fly, I have no teeth, but I bite. What am I?"
Alice took a deep breath.
She couldn't really think of anything that flew without wings…
"Alright, I'm like 98.45% sure that the answer to this is time!" Alice confidently exclaimed and immediately after her words, she found her body going rigid with fear as suddenly a bright fuchsia automatic pistol was thrust into her face.
Turning a bit blue in the face, her teal irises trailed over to the card that kept his gun leveled with her nose steadily. His face kept the same cynical grin on his lips cheekily, "Sorry, babe, but maybe you should have listened to the 1.55% that was against you. The answer is a bullet."
"Ughh!" Alice groaned while swatting the gun away from in front of her, "God, I'm so stupid! That makes sense!"
With a laugh, the card took a step backward, "You only have one more riddle left. Are you prepared, Miss Chosen One?"
Feeling her heartbeat increase infinitely at the amount of pressure now being placed on her, Alice unsurely nodded.
"Great, well, here we go. Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
Why did that riddle sound so familiar?
Regardless, Alice had no clue.
"Ugh! I'm a Hufflepuff, not a Ravenclaw! This really isn't my forte!" The girl whined out, earning a tsk from her opposition that shook his head pitifully, "If you can't get this, then just give up."
His words made her frown.
How pathetic was she? She couldn't fight the card and even when he gave her the easy way out, she still couldn't win…
No. She shouldn't think like that. She could do this. She couldn't give up, if she did the card would run rampant! She had to get this!
"Ravens and writing desks don't really have any similarities… Like at all… Ah…" Alice mumbled dejectedly with as hard a concentration face as she could manage, "Unless…"
"Unless?"
"Unless the answer is gloominess!" Alice declared with a fist hitting into her opened palm in realization.
The male watched her blankly.
"Ravens are a sign of creepy and gloomy things while writing desks usually mean essay and writing assignments! They're both depressing objects!" The teen proudly exclaimed with a nod to her head, "Don't fight me on this, I'm totally right."
Shaking his head, the Wonder Card raised up his gun once more, "Unfortunately, you got it incorrect. Looks like you really aren't the Chosen One." He turned on his heel in preparation to walk back to the edge of the building's rooftop and Alice found her panic rising.
"I-I am too the Chosen One!" She exclaimed after him, and her shout managed to make him pause and glance over his shoulder at her plainly,
"You didn't get a single one of my riddles right and you couldn't even fight against me. You aren't."
"Maybe because your riddles were impossible!"
"Oh, please! Lewis Carroll loved my riddles!"
Alice pouted, "No one ever said I didn't like your riddles! They're just super hard! I bet you wouldn't be able to answer any of mine!" She quickly lied and the card now did a full out 180 degree turn to face her once more.
His tail gave a swish while he eyed her in anticipation, "Is that a challenge I smell?"
Pushing back her anxiety on the situation, Alice nodded in an attempt to appear confident, "Yup. So are you ready for a Chosen One riddle or not?"
"Hit me up whenever you're ready, Miss Not-So Chosen One."
"Alright… Well… You have to do as the riddle says as it goes along if you figure it out… Uh, it doesn't make sense now, but when we get to it you'll understand!" Alice quickly said and the card yawned, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I just want to hear the riddle."
Alice sighed, "It's more a joke than a riddle, but okay… Knock knock."
The Wonder Card squinted his yellow eyes a bit before responding, "Who's there?"
"Kiss."
"Kiss who?"
"Kiss me." Alice commanded, "And since you said you'd do as the riddle said, you have to kiss me!" She declared and the instant after she did so, the card's face faltered in mortification and annoyance, "You've got to be kidding me."
"Nope! I got you! Now just give me a little peck and we're ready to go!" She clapped her hands, "Chop, chop, kitty boy!"
"That wasn't even a riddle!"
"You still fell for it, no take backs!"
The bright haired male gave a groan of apparent frustration and Alice pointed at her cheek expectedly as he walked over to her begrudgedly.
"I can't believe I fell for such a cheap little joke. I'm so done." He murmured out as he stood in front of her.
Alice couldn't help the grin that came to her face in pride, "I'm the Chosen One, I guess. Can't help it if my wits are too much for your feline mind to handle."
Eyes now flickering with a new emotion, the card stared down at her, "You think your wits are better than mine?"
Not liking how the conversation was about to take a turn, Alice wearily eyed him, "Just kiss my cheek so I can seal you, please."
"Hmm… Technically you just said to 'Kiss me' in your joke. You didn't specify where." He gave a toothy grin that Alice blanched at.
She tried to take a step back, but found her back being held close by the Wonder Card's arms snuggly.
"U-Uh, just my cheek is fine, you know." Alice nervously stated when she noticed the cat eyeing her lips steadily.
"Yeah, but I think your mouth would be even better. You are pretty cute. Heh, maybe having you as a Mistress really won't be all that bad. I like you already." He declared before moving his mouth down to meet with hers.
Alice viciously squirmed in his grasp in an attempt to free herself as his lips descended down towards hers, in the process of moving her head around so much, the card's lips ended up meeting with her chin, and her's awkwardly on the space above his upper lip and below his nose.
The card narrowed his eye after Alice finally managed to break free, her hand bringing up her staff once more while she cleared her throat, her face growing redder with each passing second, "W-Wonder Card created beneath the deck of Time, I command you to return to your true form, Cheshire Cat!"
She struck the staff in front of her before the white card shape began to form and the former boy that had been standing before her was soon warped into the magical energy beneath the beak of her staff.
When it was all said and done, the card flew straight into her awaiting hand and Alice had to sigh in relief as she caught sight of the face of it.
Still wearing that cynical grin of his, the Cheshire Cat held onto what appeared to be a striped boa with a bunch of chain links wrapped around his body. Curiously, Alice went into her pocket to bring out the White Rabbit card in comparison.
Just watching them both in her hands made a smile arrive to her face.
The White Rabbit.
The Cheshire Cat.
Two cards in one day, she was beyond exhausted, but she was still proud of herself.
She managed to do it and without Nightmare there to guide her too.
It wasn't until then that she realized she had no idea how to get off of the roof.
"PETER! NIGHTMARE! SOMEONE, HELP ME PLEASE!"
-.-
Riiiiiing.
"Ah, next period already." Peter airily remarked as he glanced up from his lunch to gaze over at Alice who was practically asleep on the lunch table.
After the capturing business last night, Alice had been a wreck since she woke up in the morning and seemed to be catching up on her lost hours of sleep in her classes.
Groggily, the brunette rose her head upward to look at her friend, "I hate being a Cardcaptor. I want to be average and get my average eight hours of sleep every school night again." Alice whined through tired eyes.
Peter laughed obliviously, "But you make such a good Cardcaptor! I still need to edit the video of you last night! I'm just really upset that the stupid card teleported you away, I couldn't tape you capturing it! Though I suppose there's always next time…"
Alice released a groan, "I think you're excited for all the wrong reasons."
"Whenever Alice is involved, there's never anything wrong!"
"If I'm getting less than three hours of sleep, there is definitely something wrong." Alice sarcastically mumbled into her arm, "Ugh, stupid Boris."
Peter blinked, "Boris?"
"Yeah, it's what I named the Cheshire Cat card. He looks like a Boris. He's just lucky his powers are useful, otherwise I'd have burned him for making me so exhausted. Hmph, him and his dumb witty riddles." Alice answered with a yawn, her eyes fleeted to her book bag where she knew both the Wonder Cards were situated.
At that moment, Peter got up from his seat, "Anyways, we should get to class. We can't be late for that big test we have next period."
Alice's eyes grew wide as she snapped her attention up at him, "Big test!?"
"Mmhm! The big math test that's like twenty grades!"
The brunette slowly allowed an aura of despair to cover over her, "Ugh…"
"I'm sure you'll do great on it, Alice!"
"Uggggghh…"
-.-
Wonder Card Index
Cards Captured: The White Rabbit, The Cheshire Cat
Cards Remaining: 16
-.-
I apologize for my sudden absence! All these exams and preps have been keeping me busy, it's suffocating in a way. Anyways, my updates will all be slowed down (I think haha) but I'll still try to finish up some of the shorter ones, namely Tangible Loneliness and Perfectly Pure Polarity. I also want to just end A Darker Wonder sometime soon, but time will tell.
Hopefully this was enjoyable! I take requests for certain cards because they don't need a particular order, but you know haha. Tell me what you think if you'd please :D
