Oye vey! I need to get this story moving along, don't I? R&R pleaseee. Sorry, very short, only a little over 2,000 words…Trying to get past a little bit of writer's block :) Feel free to tell me if you want to see anything happen- I'm open to suggestions whenever you have them! I'm writing this for the readers (obviously) not necessarily my entertainment…all the time ;)

Disclaimer- Did you not hear me before? I only own Julia, the Hightopps (other than Tarrant) and maybe even Mirana's parents.

"Jealousy is nothing more than fear of abandonment"—Unknown

Mirana, 14 years old

I would not be Queen. I, Mirana of Crims, would not be Queen of Underland.

These few words were running through my mind for most of the night. It confused me though; I'd never given thought to being Queen. It had never run through my mind once, ever. Why was I suddenly so…so…jealous of Racy? It worried me intensely. I kept thinking of it all night. The one time I wasn't thinking about it was when Tarrant and I were dancing. It amazed me how much I like him. Oh, screw it. I love him! My parents would probably think we were too young to know what love is. And that may be true. But for now, I'm content with just being next to him. We had never gone farther than sitting next to each other, unfortunately. So, in the middle of the ball, I decided to move things along.

We were dancing and I grew a little thirsty. So, I abruptly stopped dancing, causing him to step on my foot. I laughed at this, only because he was blushing so deeply. I gently, cautiously, took his hand and looked up at him with a sly grin on my face. I kept hold of his calloused fingers and walked to the table that held the food and beverages. On the way there, his grip on my hand grew even more tightly. By the time we were at the table, my hand felt a little numb. I couldn't care less- I was holding his hand at last.

I tried to avoid Racy for most of the night. Yes, I was jealous. Yes, I was slightly angry. No, I was not going to take it out on her- she couldn't help it. It was decided who would be Queen before the eldest child's 18th birthday. It was a very gradual change, turning into the White Queen. I won't be surprised if she's only crowned queen in two years. I'm serious- Racy is much smarter than anyone would think. She was pretty, kind, generous, understanding, and rarely had a temper. I guess I was just afraid of losing my sister. We didn't have much to do with each other, but that doesn't mean I don't love her.

Tarrant Hightopp, 14 years old

It was my birthday! My 14th birthday at that! I was so excited! I could finally start working as the Royal Hatter! My step-father had decided that I was ready for the responsibility. He loved my 'skills' as he called it. He even wore one of the hats I made! I was actually in the middle of making a little top hat for Nennie when he decided to tell me he was stepping down from his position for me. I actually burst out in a laughing fit. I hadn't believed him.

"Tarrant, when you turn fourteen next week, you're going to take over as Royal Hatter. I'm retiring from this maddening job."

That was when I started laughing hysterically. He did eventually convince me that I would be Hatter. I was ecstatic for the whole week and that leads us up to my birthday. I had spent my day at home, celebrating with my family. Tarrance, Tommy, and Tyler had made me a top hat- it was dark green with details all over it. There were three pins sticking out of it and a little piece of paper that said "10/6." I had giggled at seeing this- they remembered how I marked prices on my hats. I had gotten one large present from everyone, something I didn't think they could afford. They gave me a set of golden pins, ones I shouldn't use so that I could keep them forever. I gave Tarrance a new sword since it was his birthday too. I'd found it out in the wood, stuck in a tree. I knew he loved sword fighting.

I thanked them all and headed to the Castle of Crims. I made haste, not wanting to miss out on the rest of today. It was no where near brillig when I could see the Castle, so I was making good time.

Inside, I ran through the halls, trying to avoid as many people as I could and then some. I was looking for Mira, she'd told me to come see her today. I didn't see her in the kitchen working on her potions. She wasn't in her bedroom, so she wasn't sick…well, sicker than usual. She wasn't with Julia, who didn't know where the lass was either. I started to worry- those were the three places she was all the time. I didn't know where else to look. I gave up eventually. I needed to get to work. I'd have to work today some time or another- why not now?

I entered my step-father's- no, my workroom and gasped. Mira was sitting in my chair, toying around with one of my latest creations. She looked so concentrated on something. She hadn't even realized I was in the room with her. I walked silently closer so that I could see her face. Her eyes were closed, so she couldn't see me looking at her. Her lips were quivering, like she was mouthing words or talking to herself. Her breathing was slow and deep, as if she was trying to calm herself. She swallowed every once in a while making it seem like her mouth was dry. It had to a have been a good 5 minutes that I was just staring at her. During that time, I really saw what she looked like. And, honestly, I was amazed.

Since her eyes were closed, I got a good look at her eye lids…which were so purple they looked black. She must not have gotten much sleep the night before. I'd need to have a talk with her about that now. I had been meaning to do that for quite some time. She always seemed so tired lately. I moved my eyes a little further down her face. Her cheeks were a pale white, but also the slightest bit red, as if she was blushing. Her dark hair framed her face, making her look paler than she actually was. It spread around her shoulders with ease, making her look like the prettiest girl I'd ever seen. She never did much with her hair- it fell perfectly without her trying. I finally looked at her lips. They were painted a dark red, but it was a natural looking color. Her lips were full, the bottom one just the smallest bit too big. I looked at her eyes again, mesmerized by the color of their lids.

She opened her eyes suddenly. When she saw me standing so close, looking at her eyes, she jumped backwards, nearly knocking the chair backwards onto the floor. I cackled- literally- and she blushed a deep red. It stood out against her pale skin and dark eye lids.

"Don't scare me like that again!" she shouted at me, smiling and still blushing.

"Well, you bluhdy well scarred me too, lassie!" My smile had dropped and I actually got a little angry. "I could nea find ye anaywhere! Ye should stay in one place," I retorted. She growled at me, something she's never done before. She turned her back to me and crossed her arms over her chest. I couldn't help the grin that replaced my frown. My accent retreated as I tried to make amends. "Come now, Mira. I didn't mean it in a bad way. You scared me, is all. Honestly. I was nervous you'd disappeared." She giggled; as she knew what I said was outrageous. She walked closer to me and gave me a hug around the waist.

"Well then, moving on. Happy birthday, Tarrant." I nestled my cheek in her very dark brown hair and whispered a thank you. I didn't want to move, but she pulled away and blushed again. I was tempted to ask why, but figured I would know in due time. "I finally decided what to give you for your birthday, you know. I was debating it for quite some time."

"Oh really? What is it?" I asked excitedly. She shook her head.

"You'll just have to wait. Follow me," she said, taking my hand. I loved it when she did that. I might as well admit it to myself- I love her. But there is no way in Underland that she could ever love me back. I was merely a brother figure in her life, wasn't I? I was yanked from my thoughts as I smelled the sweetest aroma possible. Evidently, we were in the kitchen. I looked around to try and find the delicious scent. I found it to be coming from the cake sitting on the table in the center of the giant room. I immediately looked down at Mira and smiled.

"You're giving me a cake for my birthday? Oh thank you!" I exclaimed. It'd been years since I last had a bite of cake.

"That is not your gift. It is for you, though. Go on, try it!" she urged. I found a fork and took a bite of the cake. It was delicious. It was more than delicious. I started eating more and more until I realized half the cake was gone. I stopped abruptly and dropped the fork on the table.

"I- I'm sorry," I whispered. It was my turn to blush now. She laughed at me.

"No need to be, it's yours after all. Maybe you should take the rest home to your family, let them try it." I nodded, still self conscious. I couldn't believe I'd devoured half a cake in front of her. It must've made me look animalistic. I had barely taken time to actually look at the decoration of the cake. Seeing what was left of it, it must've been magnificent. I could see that there had been 2 tiers all together, each decorated with blue icing. The top of the 2nd tier had a simple "14" written in a lighter blue icing. There were stars decorating the sides, each sporting 3 different shades of blue. I loved it.

"Thanks, Mira. Now, what did you decide to give me for my-" I was cut off as the White King himself tore into the room, his face red with anger. I pulled away from Mira, realizing how close I was standing near her, how close our faces had been. He stormed up to us and grabbed me by the arm.

"You get the hell out of here now, Hightopp. I don't want to catch you or your brother flirting around with my daughters again, hear me?" he asked, hissing through his teeth. When he let go of my arm, he had half thrown me to the ground. He had Mira's hand in a tight grip, leading her out of the room. She looked back at me with tears shining in her eyes. And seeing that…seeing her sad…it made me swear to myself this would not be the last time I'd see her- no, it wouldn't. I'd make sure of it.