The Rabbit, the Violinist, and the Tree Runner

Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I have no excuse.

Disclaimer: I don't own this )-:

Summary: Iris (the Tree Runner) and Martella (the Violinist) are taken to Wonderland by Peter to escape their real lives. Iris has met Pierce, Boris, Gowland and the Twins. Martella is about to meet Nightmare and they both have met Julius and Ace.

Chapter 8

Martella- the dream world

Expecting to be in my room I open my eyes but instead I find a pirate hovering over me.

"I'm not a pirate," he corrects me reading my mind.

"Who are you and where am I?" I ask plainly just wanting to sleep.

"My name is Nightmare and you're in the dream world, Martella," he informs me.

"How do you...?"

"I read minds;" he answers before I even finish asking.

"Anyways, I asked Peter to bring you here because after Alice left, Wonderland has been out of balance, so here you are. And yes you could just converse with me through thoughts, though I do prefer speaking."

"Okay then, so can you tell me about Wonderland?" I ask.

"Yes, first of all you were chosen to come because you wanted a world where you could live without getting teased all the time. Second, there are three major sections of Wonderland; the Amusement Park, the Hatters Mansion, and the Castle of Hearts. Iris, who came with you, has just met Boris and Pierce. Julius is the clock maker here and Ace, whom you've also met is his subordinate and the Knight of Hearts for Queen Vivaldi. Be careful, everyone here is trigger happy, but don't worry they will all come to love you. Also the Hatter is the leader of the Mafia here, our old one left, but the one who took his place is almost as terrible, so good luck. I'll explain this later on to Iris, so for sleep well and go explore when you're ready." With that the world goes black and I wake up in my room fully rested to find that the moon is shining bright in the night sky. I want to go and check the place out but it might not be safe. I search around the room for any type of weapon other than my instrument case. All I can find are some throwing knives; I have no clue why they would be in there but when I test them out I find that I'm pretty decent at them and decide to keep them. I make them accessible to me so I can use them while carrying the violin in one hand.

I would tell Julius I'm going out but I don't think he really cares what I do, so I head down stairs and out the door.

It feels nice to walk under the stars, but I'm on a mission to find someone who can fix my violin. I swear, if I ever find the power to go back to Earth just for a little bit I'm going to hurt that pansycake. Unfortunately that peacefulness I get from my violent thoughts doesn't last long as I stumble upon a certain bloody knight who appears to be lost.

"Martella! What are you doing out here?" Ace asks.

"Looking for someone to fix this," I tell him, slightly irritated.

"At this time of night? How 'bout you come to the castle? I'm sure Vivaldi would love to meet you and she might have someone who could fix it," he offers.

"Sure, that would be nice," I accept and then follow in the direction that seems to be the opposite of the castle but he lives here so maybe it'll end up being a shortcut.

Suddenly out of the blue it changes to daytime again and the building I see in the distance is not a castle but a mansion; the mansion that houses the Mafia.

After remembering the warning from Nightmare I get out my knives ready to pull my arm back and throw if I have to. And I do. An axe flies past my head and buries itself in the trunk of the tree next to me. My eyes find its origin, which looks to be two black shadows, but right before I throw the knives Ace holds me back.

"Hey Dee, hey Dum!" he calls to the figures.

"You know them?"

"Yeah, they're the gate keepers for the mansion," he tells me.

"Then why did they throw the axes at us?"

"It's their job," he tells me casually.

"Martella, meet Dee and Dum, the gate keepers for the Hatter's Mansion," he introduces. Dee and Dum appear to be twins, one perfering red and the other blue.

"We already met the other Onee-San, but you can also be ours."

"Do you mean Iris?"

"Yeah we dropped her off at the Clock Tower, she taught us how to tree run." I don't know what that is, I guess its sort of self-explanatory though.

"Hey! What are you doing here? Did you get lost again?" A man with rabbit ears demands. He is wearing a colorful scarf and overcoat.

"Hi Elliot, we were heading to the castle," Ace grins and Elliot just shakes his head.

"It's that way stupid," Elliot tells him annoyed.

"This is Martella," Dee and Dum push me towards Elliot.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Elliot, the March Hare," he smiles.

"Nice to meet you too. Um, do you know which way the castle is?"

"It's that way," he points beyond my shoulder. Then from behind the gates another voice rings out.

"Elliot, I'm gonna be in the gardens." A 13year old boy gallops up to the gate. He sports a suit and an elegant black hat decorated with cards and roses. I take a step back because he looks like an older version of my younger brother. I lost him and the rest of my family to a car accident, but I had gone to a friend's house at the time. Tears threaten my eyes remembering him and I beeline in the direction of the castle.

"Martella!" Elliot calls out, but I don't turn back.