AN: Guess what guys? I'M STILL ALIVE! :D

The next morning I said goodbye to the Amusement Park and started on my way back to the mansion. Gowland offered a home away from home at the Park, but I told him that I was already staying at the Hatter's Mansion, and that they were probably worried about me, so I refused and got out of there as fast as I could.

When I reached the gates, the twins weren't there waiting for me - I assumed they went off to play - and I let myself in. It was a nice, bright sunny day, and some of the faceless servants were planting flowers and new trees. It must be there Spring planting, I thought, waving over to them. They waved back and called out their greetings.

"Hey, you're back!" I heard Elliot exclaim. I was about to turn to face him when arms wrapped around my shoulders and brought me against a large chest. I reached up and patted him in between the ears.

"I missed you," He said after he released me.

"I missed everyone here too, Elliot." I replied, smiling up at him. "Where are the twins?"

His smile faltered a little bit. "They didn't greet you at the gate? The little brats must be slacking off again..." He crossed his arms over his chest and glanced over at the garden. Suddenly, his ears perked up and he asked me, "Sabrina, do you want to start a garden of your own?"

"A garden?" I echoed. Back home, my Mom had a large garden in the backyard and tried to teach me how to garden, but I preferred to read books or bake cakes. Well, it's not like they have TVs or computers here, so I'll have to find something else to do with my spare time, other than running around and trying to find a way home. "Okay, sure. I think it'd be fun. Just let me go get changed."

"Changed?" Elliot caught my arm as I tried to go towards the mansion. "What's wrong with the dress you have on now?"

"I can't get in the dirt while wearing a dress, Elliot." I explained. "Besides, I'm tired of wearing dresses." I pulled my arm free and rushed up to the door, sprinting back to my room.

I had been planning on wearing the clothes I was when I first came to Wonderland but a maid told me that Blood had burned them while I was at the Amusement Park. "They were an atrocity." He stated when I confronted him. "A young lady shouldn't dress like a boy." I wanted to beat him to death with his crane - how great would that be if you died by your own crane? - but instead I grabbed the nearest male servant and told him to give me some of his old clothes, but they were too big for me. The maids had a simple solution by hacking off the pant legs until they were a couple of inches above my knees and sewing the shirt so it didn't show so much cleavage.

"My goodness gracious, Miss Sabrina!" A maid cooed. "You look absolutely adorable dressed as a man!" The others heartily agreed, but I didn't see what the big deal was. If you drove up to a farm in my world, any farm girl would be dressed the same way I was.

When I found Elliot again, he had discarded his coat and scarf and he was standing in the middle of a small tilled garden ready to be planted. His ears perked up when he heard me approach and turned to greet me, but nothing came out of his open mouth and his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"Um...what?" I asked, my cheeks tinted pink.

Elliot's blush was deeper and he crossed his arms again. "Where'd you get that outfit?"

"Blood burned my old clothes so I was forced to improvise. It's not that big of a deal."

"Women in your world dress as men on a regular basis?" His left ear twitched. "I'm starting to think that your world is very backwards."

I chuckled and he looked amused. We discussed where we would start planting and quickly got to work. I didn't exactly have a green thumb, so I needed his guidance on a few things, but I began to realize I liked doing simple tasks like starting a garden and it was nice to have Elliot to talk to.

Out of habit, I began to hum a small tune to myself. In case you were wondering, yes, it was Marukaite Chikyuu. It was extremely catchy and England's was my favorite, and Japan's came in a close second. I wonder why they haven't made a Greece one yet?

Distracted by thoughts of my favorite anime, I accidentally tossed a large clump of dirt over my shoulder and hit Elliot square in the back. He yelped in surprise and looked over his shoulder at me, a shocked look on his face. My hands flew to cover my mouth, but it didn't stop a giggle from escaping.

Elliot glared playfully at me. "Oh, so you think that's funny, huh?" The March Hare gathered a handful of dirt and flung it at me. It made impact with my chest, but some of it went down my shirt. I tossed some back and it went on for a little while before I cried out, "Truce! Truce! I surrender!"

"Okay, okay," he grinned. "I think we've worked for long enough and I don't know about you, but I'm going for a bath." He smiled and asked innocently, "You want to come with me?"

My face turned a shade of red that could put Spain's tomatoes to shame and I stammered, "Y-You mean t-take a bath w-with you?" I must've misunderstood...

"Sure!"

I could feel my eye twitch and I was about to very calmly explain to Elliot what it meant when two people bathe together when I was saved by a maid. "Master Elliot, the boss has to speak with you."

"Eh? Oh, alright." He stood up and wiped off some dirt that still remained on his clothing. "See you later, Sabrina," he called over his shoulder as the maid led him away.

Later that night, I was lying on my bed, holding the glass vial a few inches from my face. A little bit of the liquid had returned and was sloshing inside. Blood had explained to me that the more I associated with the people of this world, the faster the liquid would return to the vial, and once it was full, I could go home.

How is that even possible? I mean, scientifically? I wondered. Well, this is Wonderland, after all Wait, could this be like the Disney film Alice in Wonderland or the Tim Burton version? Well, it certainly isn't the Disney version if they're violent. And it can't be Tim Burton's because they're humans with animal-like characteristics... Oh God, I don't even know anymore.

I reached over and picked up a piece of string on my bedside table. I knotted the cap of the vial and tied it around my neck. It settled on my chest and it felt warm on my skin. Satisfied, I buried myself underneath the bed sheets and hugged the pillow to my chest. Normally, I have a very hard time getting to sleep, but as soon as I closed my eyes, I began to drift off into sleep.

That night, I dreamed I was standing in a vast empty space, strange lights shining so close I felt like I could touch them. Gusts of wind made my hair flow and cover a part of my face. I felt like I was being watched, but I was the only person in that realm.

"W-What? Where am I now?" I asked no one in particular, but someone answered me, "You're dreaming, Sabrina."

I whipped around and a man was floating in the air behind me. Yeah, you heard that right, he was freaking floating. I gaped up at him. He had medium-length greyish-purplish hair with two long bangs framing his smooth face and a black eye-patch lined with yellow covering his left silver eye. He wore a black overcoat, a white button-down shirt underneath, a black tie, and black pants and dress shoes. He looked in his mid-twenties and his skin was very pale, but other than that, he was quite attractive.

Why is this world filled with so many hot guys? I wondered to myself. He smirked and said, "'Hot guys', huh? Typical logic of a sixteen-year-old girl, I suppose."

My eye twitched. Great, so now he can read minds. Can this world get anymore fantastical? "Who are you?"

"I'm Nightmare, the embodiment of bad dreams." He smiled down at me. "And you are the Outsider Peter White brought here, I assume?"

"How do you know about that?"

"I helped him bring you here, of course. This world is a game for those who seek to find a way to leave their world behind."

"A game?" I asked. Hey, did you know? Every game has its rules, and those rules are cemented from the moment you start to play. His voice! "Y-You're the one!" I shouted. "You're the one who made this weird world!"

"No, Sabrina." He floated closer until our noses were almost touching. "This world exists on it's own. I have no part in creating it. This is the world you wished for, and in this game, you are the Outsider that everyone will fall in love with. And that includes me, I love you as well. Allow people to get closer to you and they'll love you all the more. They will only have eyes for you, no one else. This is your role in the game."

I stared at him like he just grew a second head. "Everyone will...love me?" I questioned. "But that's impossible! Not everyone can be in love with just one person, it's not scientific! Besides, I've seen what love can do to people, Nightmare, and I want nothing to do with it. I've already sworn off love forever, so why would I wish for a world where people would love me? It doesn't make sense!" I realized I had begun to babble and bit back the rant I had started.

Nightmare chuckled lightly, as if this amused him. "A loveless outsider thrown in with people who will surely fall for her. How exciting. This will be an interesting game, to say the least."

"You sick bastard," I snarled. I reached up to hit him, but he floated away and made disapproving sounds with his tongue. "How unladylike. And such language!"

"Oh shut up, just shut up!"