Here's the new chapter of Wonderland. I began writing this on the eighth, Wednesday. In this chapter, we begin to look at the Contessa a little more closely and we see Cerlie's feelings about Neyla's betrayal.

Your POV:

Bored, stoned, sittin' in your basement all alone

'Cause your little conversations got around, and lookie what we all found out.

Lookie here what we found out that you have got a set of loose lips,

Twisting stories all because you're jealous.

Now I know exactly what you're all about.

So this is what you're all about?

Girl, you're such a backstabber!

You watched painfully silent as the police took Sly, Murray, and Carmelita away. And it's Neyla's fault. She sold you out. She would've handed you to the police too if you had been down there. Your freedom doesn't make up for the fact that Murray and Sly are going to prison. What if they're separated? Murray…and Sly…all you feel is guilt, regret, worry, and anger is defiantly mixed in there was well.

All I ever did was drive your broke-ass around,

Pick you up,

Take you out,

When your car broke down.

(Take it and twisting, so manipulating).

You turn to Bentley and despite your height difference, you lock eyes.

You have to work with Bentley if you want to break Sly and Murray out. Bentley's the brains, and right now he's all you've got. "Bentley," You start. "I know you don't trust me, and I know we haven't exactly been on good terms…" He nods. He knows where you're going with this. "But if we want Murray and Sly out of jail, we need to get past that distrust, and we need to work together. Truce…for now?" You ask, holding out your hand. He looks at for a few seconds, and then takes it.

"For now."

You set out in the forest, and you find the van that was hidden by massive leaves. Thank God they didn't find it, otherwise you'd really be screwed over.

Unfortunately…Murray's the only member on the team with any clue on how to drive…a stick-shift.

Fuck.

…

Getting out of the juggle wasn't easy. Bentley was the driver, and since he was so new at this, you kept getting thrown backwards and forwards, and every time the car shot forward and backward your chest and back would ram against the dashboard and your seat.

After you got back to the hideout in Paris (it felt lonely and miserable not to mention tenacious with just you and Bentley), it was a week of Bentley's data crunching before he found out Sly and Murray are in a place called Prague. They're under the Contessa, who's supposed to be a famous prison warden working with Interpol but according to Neyla she's actually a member of the Klaww gang. If so, it's hard to tell exactly who's the enemy since Neyla's probably going to expose the Contessa and then she's going to want revenge against Neyla too. But The Contessa is with the Klaww gang, the guys who stole the Clockwerk parts; you can't trust them, and Sly wouldn't have wanted you to.

Hopping back in the van, it was another long, awkward, not to mention rough drive to Prague. But you had to work fast, because the Contessa's prison is a criminal rehabilitation center; if you don't move now, Sly and Murray will be under her hypnosis and be working a nine-five job selling shoes!

…

You stand in the hideout you've secured, monitoring Bentley's position and staying in contact with him through your earpiece. "Are you ready, Bentley?" You ask.

"Yeah. I'm over near the Contessa's house. The feathers on my sleep darts vibrate near sounds. If I hit the Contessa with them and stand on this parabolic dish, I should be able to hear what she says from a distance."

"Alright. I'm looking at your position. Just holler if you get into any trouble."

You hear the sound that Bentley's made a shot, and then you hear from his earpiece, "The Klaww gang is falling apart. Spice shipments have all but stopped!" That's right! The spice makes you prone to severe anger, and more susceptible to hypnosis! "Argh! I never would've joined if I had known it would be this easy to disrupt the plan. At least the Cooper gang is under lock and key. Their lopsided mortality flies in the face of man's inherent selfishness. Ah well. They'll see it my way soon enough. Those fools at Interpol. They keep sending me criminals, and I keep making money. How come no one ever thought of this before? Hypnotize criminals and force them to reveal where they've hid their fortune…I'm a genius! If only I had more spice to help me with the hypnosis."

"…Damn…" You mutter, out of shock and anger. You need to watch your steps. First of all, you are not in safe territory. Second, this woman is evil, but brilliant. "Bentley, be careful."

You hear the Contessa again. "That blasted Cooper gang! The fat one…what's his name…em…Murray, yes Murray. He'll be the first to break. I should spend a few sessions probing that feeble mind. I can only imagine the wealth that gang has accumulated over the years. That Sly Cooper…such a complex and rebellious mind. A month or two in 'the hole' should break his spirit. Let him squat there, week after week. He's seen that the guards along the wall all have motions detectors. There is no escape. Slowly, the reality of his captivity will sink in…and I'll get to work on his mind."

"Inconceivable!" Bentley growled. "She's no health care professional! That's the most heinous crime I've ever heard of. Putting inmates into hypnosis so they'll tell where they're stashed their loot. It dishonors both law enforcement and thieves at the same time!"

"Bentley, keep your voice down, first of all. Second of all, get back to the safehouse so we can think of what to do. This woman is dangerous, Bentley. We're walking on thin black ice."

…

I keep thinking 'bout that lil' sparkle in your eye.

Is it a light from the angels?

Or your devil-demon side?

And what about the way you say you love me all the time?

Are you lifting me up to heaven

Just to drop me down the line?

There's a ring around my finger,

But will you change your mind?

And you tell me that I'm beautiful,

But that could be a lie.

You lay down on the couch as Bentley scans the area with his computer. You stare up at the ceiling, Neyla's betrayal still fresh in your mind. You're taking this too hard. It was over a week ago, you need to move on. But…you can't help that stinging feeling you have in your chest. You trusted Neyla. It's all because of her that you found out who you really are. But she betrayed. She took the knife, and stabbed you in the back. She gave out Murray and Sly to the cops-after all that you did for her and all she did for you-she betrayed you. Hell, you're amazed that you didn't get arrested with them. Neyla was just using you. She made you her friend, so she could get the Cooper gang in jail. Her plan only half-worked.

Are you a heartbreaker?

Maybe you want for the ride.

What if I'm fallin' for a heartbreaker?

And everything is just a lie?

I won't be living here alive…

Bentley's already coming up with plans for Sly's escape using the train system and his computer skills, but you are not in the mood to hear that incessant language that's alien to you. "Just leave me alone, Bentley." You mutter.

"Come on, Cerlie, be an adult." Bentley said from his computer.

You sit up and run your fingers through your hair, deciding that you need to cut it because it's past your shoulders and therefore way too long. You stand up. "I don't want to be an adult. I want to be an angst-ridden teenager that can't confront her own inner demons and takes it out verbally on other people instead."

"Well, you're doing a great job."

"I know right, thanks."

Temporary happiness is like waiting for the knife,

So I'm always watching for someone to show their darker side.

So maybe I'll sit back and just enjoy all this for now.

Watch it out play out,

See if you really stick around.

But there's always this one question

That keeps me up at night:

Are you my greatest love,

Or disappointment in my life?

You go silent, and you reach into the fridge for a soda. You anxiously tap your foot on the floor, trying to figure out what the hell you're supposed to do. Sly and Murray are stuck in prison, and it's just you and Bentley-Bentley may have the brains to get them out and your skills are decent enough, but your relationship with Bentley is more than a little complicated. Bentley doesn't trust you, and trust is the very foundation for teammate. If you want to break them both out, you need to get Bentley to trust you.

Of course, that's too difficult, and it's much easier to ignore the problem and walk around it. Avoid the situation, and just focus on getting Sly and Murray out.

It's going to be a long night. You can tell he still feels uncomfortable talking to you. He never looks you in the eye, and he'll avoid looking at you if he can. You're not blind.

For what you hoped to be the rest of the night, you just plug in your earbuds and just drown him out for a whole 15 minutes before he yanks them out of your ears. You growl, "I said leave me alone, Bentley."

"Cerlie, this isn't like you. The Cerlie I know wouldn't be sitting around moping like this."

"What do you know about me?" You snap. "After all this time, you don't even trust me! You don't know anything about me!"

The room falls silent with the truth. The tension in the air is so thick, you can cut it with a knife. You almost immediately regret your words; you don't want to take this out on Bentley. Bentley's been suffering just as much as you have. You might've been betrayed by your best friend, but his best friends are locked up in prison and are being brainwashed. But you're just so sick and tired of Bentley not trusting you. You're supposed to be friends, but-

"You don't know anything about me, either." He growls in response. He's giving you a dangerous look now. His eyes are narrowed and he wears a frown. He's either hurt, or really, really angry. You say it's the latter. It's a matter of seconds before the argument escalates. In moments, there's shouting to borderline screaming, swearing, and fingers are pointed.

"That's because, once again, you don't trust me! You never have! You still haven't gotten it in your head yet that I'm not Neyla-I'm not some cop who's trying to expose you and get you arrested."

"It's not Neyla-it's your parents!"

…

Silence again. Only this time, there's venom in the air. It sounds and feels like a bomb was dropped.

"That's what your problem is." You can't believe you didn't see it. That's why Bentley doesn't trust you. He thinks- "You think I'm a killer, don't you? You look at me, but you've never seen me, and you never will." You don't even know what to do. You just stand there, your feet glued to the floor.

He doesn't give a response.

He doesn't have to.

You throw your bow and quiver on the ground. You grab your jacket and zip it up. You open the door. "Screw you, asshole! And since I'm obviously not wanted, you can save Sly and Murray on your own!" You slam it behind you, walking out in the rain and you let it hide the tears you've been building up for the past week.

I won't be leaving here alive…

I might as well lay down a knife.

Wow. That's like the saddest chapter so far. I feel bad. Oh well, I'm updating this anyway. I love it. At the end of the story, you'll find the soundtrack in the credits.

See you soon!

~Mimi