Hey everrrrybody! :) This one took a while, I know *bows in shame*, but I've been dumped in tests and homework lately, as well as having story issues (a.k.a., I completed about half of this chapter when my sister slammed my laptop shut and deleted all of my hard, blood and sweat work D': ). So, here it is, *gasp*REVIEW!

"What brings you here, White," a tired voice groaned through the solid wood of the front door. Serena shuffled her feet, a feeling of unease pricking at her stomach. This man did not seem eager for company.

"I've brought a foreigner."

Without hesitation, the door of the beautiful brick tower flew open, displaying the figure of what seemed to be Julius. Serena met gaze with the unfamiliar eyes of the handsome man. He was certainly extraordinary, if you were going to understate it. He was tall, just inching over Peter, and surely in his mid-twenties by Serena's assumption. His long, midnight blue hair was held loosely behind him in a golden tie, it's length nearly meeting his waste. Dark shadows encircled his brilliant cobalt blue eyes, marking his lack of sleep and explaining the tired drone which resided in his deep voice.

"Eh, hi, I'm S-Serena." the young girl stammered. Julius's intimidating glare was certainly taking an effect on her. "I've came to ask you some questions about Wonderland." As Serena continued, the strength behind her voice returned, and by the time she had spoken her final syllables, she had relocated her confidence.

"Presumably," the man agreed before formally introducing himself. "My name is Julius Monrey. You may enter my home, but the dog will have to remain outdoors. Such weaponry is not permitted in this tower."

"Very well, I must be heading to the castle anyway. Serena, I'll be seeing you soon~!"

"Wait, Peter-"

"Oh, Serena, my love. It will be nothing but a short meeting with the queen. I will be sure to reconnect with you by the following morning."

Before Serena could respond, the rabbit had quickly fled the scene, leaving the mentally distraught young girl in his past. It's not that she had specifically wanted Peter to remain with her. She just didn't want to be alone with Julius. Especially since it was easily past midnight, and he did not seem to be in the mood to entertain. Hold it, did he just call me his love?

"Are you coming in?" Julius eagerly asked as he signaled for Serena to enter his home. She hesitantly walked into the heated tower, allowing Julius to shut the door behind her and lead her up a long flight of spiraling stairs. Finally, they met the top of the tower, opening a pair of doors enclosing a slightly cluttered office of different sorts of tools and clock parts. What on earth-

"I repair clocks," the man said flatly as he took a seat at his messy desk. Before Serena could comment, he had begun intently piecing together several different objects until as a result, a small ticking clock was held gently within the tips of his long, elegant fingers. The way he had done that, it had almost appeared mechanical. Almost as if magical. Since she was in Wonderland, Serena didn't find the idea too unlikely.

"Wow, that was amazing."

"Oh, really," Julius didn't ask, but rather stated lifelessly. He really did seem exhausted. Maybe he had been working all day until this late hour. It certainly appeared so. "What would you like me to tell you about Wonderland, Serena?"

Serena rolled her eyes to the ceiling as she pondered where to begin her long list of question. The list was endless, but she knew that she'd only receive clear answers if she took it one question at a time. Besides that, she didn't want to further irritate Julius.

"Well, I guess I'd like to start by knowing why I'm even here?"

"You are here because you had wished to come here. White would only have come for you if you had wanted to."

"Oh-"

"Is that it?" Julius interrogated stiffly, his patience level uneasy.

"Well, no. I'd also like if you'd help me to explain this." Serena slid her hand into the warm pocket of her hoodie, pulling out the glass vial which previously had contained the potion which now keeps her in Wonderland. Taking it from the young girl, Julius studied the container, instantaneously taking recognition to it.

"I'll assume that Peter explained that this will keep you in Wonderland."

"Yes, before I drank it," Serena agreed. Julius sighed, handing the tube back to it's owner and slouching back in his office chair. By then, he had finally denied the giant workload he had piled across his desk and addressed his full attention toward the new foreigner. Serena appreciated the effort he had made toward her cause, but the guilty conscience began to create tension within her mind. She didn't want to cause a problem for the man. "You know, we can do this in the morning-"

"In order to get home, you'll have to refill the vial until it is completely full. In order to do that, you must interact with the inhabitants of Wonderland. Only then will you return to your world."

Serena was silenced. Interaction was what would take her home? Therefore, she met a conclusion. She'd become the most antisocial foreigner to have ever entered this world.

"Hm, well then I'll just be going to my bed, Julius. Do you have a room that I could possibly stay in for, oh I don't know, a decade or so?"

"What do you mean by this-"

"If interaction is what is going to take me home, than no way in Hell will I be socializing anytime soon. So, if you be so kind as to lend me a room, I'll just be staying at the Clock Tower for a while. Oh, and don't worry! I'll work for my stay here. I can pretty much do all of the cooking, cleaning, mopping-"

"No."

Serena blinked twice. That was… harsh.

"What do you mean?"

"I will allow you to stay in my tower, but on the condition that you will leave every once in a while. It will not do me justice if I'm held accountable for hogging the foreigner. The role-holders most certainly would be intolerant. But since this is the only neutral territory within Wonderland, I do agree that it would be best if you stay here. And do not worry, you must only leave if you choose too."

The girl fell silent. Julius vocabulary had just thoroughly confused her.

"Wait, but what is a role-holder-"

"We are the important faces within this game that you have now joined, Serena. You'll come to notice that with the exception of the role-holders, the residents of Wonderland do not have faces because the lack significant importance to the game."

The game? No faces… how do they breathe! Serena had become completely and utterly confused. Was her entire existence there apart of a game? Serena had the knowledge to realize that world she had entered was beyond her own imagination, but she couldn't help but wonder if the world held more of a purpose than to offer an escape from her reality. Maybe this game was the point. In fact, her feelings probably had nothing to do with her position. She was probably there only because she had been willing to play the mysterious game.

"Julius, what do you mean by 'the game' or whatever?" Serena asked, her mind melting in confusion. Julius thought to himself for a minute before explaining, but the little knowledge he knew did not come to benefit Serena all to much.

"Wonderland is the game itself, I suppose. All there is to it is some rules, but the specific point to it all is only known by what we call the game-maker." Julius paused, rubbing his weary eyes amidst a deep yawn. "I think it is about time you be heading to bed, Serena. I might as well get a few hours in before-"

Slam!

"Ace comes," Julius completed flatly as yet another resident of Wonderland, or perhaps role-holder according to Julius' definition, bursted through the office door. The young man, perhaps a little over twenty, stood about six feet tall in a strictly red knight's uniform. A long sword dangled dangerously at his side, bits of dried blood painted across it's blade and handle. His eyes withheld the same murderous beauty as Peter's had, a translucent ruby red which reflected his blood-tampered soul. Only his soft brown hair relaxed the appearance, as well as the ecstatic smile which spreads from ear to ear.

"Hey Julius! What are you doing at Heart Castle? I was headed to the clock tower to bring you some clocks when I got lost, so I just found my way back to the castle!"

Wow, what a complete idiot.

"You incompetent fool; this is the clock tower," Julius nearly shouted, but steadied his voice to an indoors volume. Waving his head back and forth with squinted eyes, Ace identified the premises of what he had previously believed was Heart Castle. Having met the conclusion that this was in fact the clock tower, the man began to laugh merrily, clutching his gut in amusement.

"I didn't even notice! Dang, Julius, for a man your age, you've certainly got some good eyesight!" Ace exclaimed without even the slightest hint of sarcasm. This led Julius to slap his forehead in irritation.

"A man my age? Give me a break, Ace, I'm but a year or so older than you."

"Really! But your always so tired and never stop working!" Ace had pushed it, and it was apparent across Julius's face.

"Watch it-"

Serena began to contemplate with herself. This would be a strategic time to interrupt. She was a bit over-stimulated for nuclear warfare. "Hey, I'm pretty tired, and trust me, exhausted and cranky Serena is not an amusing person to associate with, so… how about you collect the clocks Julius so that we can be getting to bed?"

Julius fed Ace a final glare before he viciously accepted the boxed clocks. Waving as he exited, Ace began to retreat sullenly, sighing dramatically as he slowly pulled the door inward. He knew the he would be incapable of finding his way back to the castle, especially through the dark, which meant that he'd be spending the night roughing the outdoors. The man didn't necessarily have anything against the idea; in fact, he liked it. It's just that he'd prefer to get to know a certain foreigner a little better.

"Uh, Julius, how about you let Ace spend the night? We don't want him to end up in the wrong place again, since it's the middle of the night-"

"Fine," Julius agreed quite irritably. He did not want the knight within his tower, especially when that deadly sword dangled at his side, but he trusted him well enough to allow it just this night. Unlike Peter, Ace wouldn't randomly fire at somebody because they had looked at him the wrong way. He was somewhat more responsible with his weaponry.

Ace smiled. He had gotten just as he had wanted.

"Gee, thanks Julius! I'll make sure to keep it down in respect of your sensitive hearing."

"What are you talking about?" Julius asked but instantly regretted it.

"It's just that for a man your age, you ears can become very-"

"Ace!" both Serena and Julius fired in unison. They had had enough of the man's immature play, and would strongly prefer to be laying between the warm sheets of their awaiting beds. Serena had woken up early the previous morning, where as Julius hadn't slept in several cycles. Ace laughed merrily in response, feigning hurt as Julius mercilessly pushed him down a long hallway of various doors enclosing bedrooms as well as other rooms of the sort. Once forcibly shoving Ace through the door of a small, dingy room, Julius led Serena to a luxurious suite which followed a beautiful green and golden color scheme. The girl graciously thanked her host before enclosing herself for the night. The evening had been bizarre, and the only intensions she held was to lay down and sleep. Serena threw herself across the mattress without daring to search for a nightgown amidst the several different closets and bureaus, letting her heavy lids fall shut. Slumber hit her instantaneously, and just as every night, terrible nightmares flooded her mind. This would be her first night in Wonderland. What was held in store for her, she didn't know. Perhaps a curious knight would come to visit.

This chapter was basically to explain Wonderland a little bit to Serena, and it seemed the Julius would be best for ze job. :) I also thought that it would be fun to have Ace join the excitement. ;D I hope it was to your liking, but this was all written tonight, so it could seemed a bit rushed.. -.- Sooooo, REVIEW my favorite readers so that I'll keep this going. I get discouraged every so often (especially when my little sisters ruins my entiree damned chapter!), but the reviews wake me up. :D