Chapter 1

It has been about a month since I came here to the country of joker. I have met each roll holder without them knowing, and I find it interesting. Most of the roll holders liked cats, much to my disappointment. I am a dog person, but I will be a cat if I have to. The first person I met is Gray of course, since I started at the clover tower. He keeps petting me whenever I see him. The only difference between him and Vivaldi is that he will actually go back to work after a while. Vivaldi keeps on ordering the beheading of multiple servants every time that she needs to go back to work.

Julius is not a person to be near in a cat's form. He keeps throwing wrenches at me. I keep away from him most of the time. Ace on the other hand loves me. I am usually a dog around him, and boy do I get a work out with him. He is always thinking that he is faster than me, even though I am clearly faster than him. We usually go from one place to another, and for some reason, he knows all the long cuts. Not short, long.

I met the Tweedles once, but I don't like 'playing' with them. Eliot will play with me as a dog, but only if I make myself have really long ears that are abnormal for my size. I can't look at Blood without getting shot at. I usually look like a maid near him, but I stopped going to the Hatter's place ever since he got bored, and tried to pass some time with me. I stayed around him a little in the rose garden, and I heard him tell his sister about a horrible maid who slapped him, and ran away. If she ever finds me, she will behead me. I am not looking forward to that day.

Gowland likes me as a tweeting little bird to play the violin to. I don't change into a bird very often. Boris on the other hand is very nice. He likes little kitty me. He even gave me the name Midnight. I found out that he can talk to cats, so I talk to him about stuff, and he is either clueless, or very smart. Pierce is nice too. He likes me as a mouse, and he gives me cheese. Because of moments like this, I have almost been eaten by Boris twice. A lot of help Pierce is near Boris.

Joker nearly killed me before I even saw him, so I don't ever see him. Peter is the same, but I see him more from Vivaldi. He doesn't kill me near Vivaldi
only because he will have more work to do.

Strangely enough, the hardest part is when I am with Nightmare. He wants me to spend more time with him, but I want him to finish his paperwork. At the moment, I look like one of the faceless maids, hair black that goes to the middle of my back, and pail skin. No matter who I look like, I always have the same pail skin tone. I don't understand how I can see without eyes, but I can.

"But I did finish all my paper work!" Nightmare complained to me as I neared the window.

"Oh, yeah, well, How about now?" I turned into a black cat with a dark blue glare as Gray walked in with 50 more pages to complete. He was wearing his usual black coat that nearly touched the floor, black pants, a black suit jacket, and a white shirt complete with black tie.

"Lord Nightmare, these papers came just now, and need your signature. I will come to collect them in the next time period." Said Grey as Nightmare coughed up blood.

If you finish them, I will spend all next time change with you. I thought to Nightmare as Grey picked me up, and took me out of the room.

"Midnight, if you don't stay home, I will have to follow you home. In fact, take me there now." Grey said as we left out the front door. Boris had gotten me a collar, so I wear it as a cat now. It says Midnight since that was the name I was given. Grey put me on the floor, and stared expectantly at me.

"Go home. I need to see where you live, so I can take you there the next time you come here. The person who gave you that collar must miss you." I started walking through the path leading to the town. Grey would not let me alone. He will be disappointed to find that I don't live there.

As we neared the town, I began to worry even more. What would happen when he finds out I don't live here. What will he do to me? If he expects me to live in his room, he has another thinking coming.

"Midnight?!" I froze at the sound of that voice. Of all the people, why did it have to be him?

"Boris, is this cat yours?" Grey asked the Cheshire as I was lifted into the air. Boris was in his normal black shirt that showed off his stomach, his black skirt, and his beloved pink boa. Boris looked at me expectantly. 'He wants to know where I live, but I don't live in any home. He thinks the collar means I live in a house. What do I do?' I mewed to Boris. He gave me a slight nod as he looked back up at Grey.

"Yes, this cat is mine, and I would like to keep it that way." I found Boris's response strange. He sounded possessive, and that is a new sound for me. I know the roll holders will fall in love with me, but does that mean that they will love me as a cat?

"Of course. I will take my leave then." Grey sounded formal, but I could hear the small tone of sadness in his voice. Since when did he care so much for me? He turned around and left, not slowing his speed for anything. Boris shifted his hold on me so that I was facing him.

"Midnight, Where do you live?" Boris asked. Where do I live? I have been sleeping in Nightmare's room, but I am not telling him that. I do have a place I found a while back. It is a small hole at the bottom a giant tree. There is just enough room in there to crawl into and sleep. With a destination in mind, I jumped out of Boris's arms, and led him to the tree.

"This is where you live? You would be better off in my room." I stared at him in surprise. 'There are too many sharp things for my liking.' I purred to him. He just looked at me in interest.

"And just when have you seen my room?" I froze. I saw his room once, when I wanted to find out how to meet him. I can't believe I let that slip. At least this is the first time I let anything slip.

The time changes from noon to night. Oh, Nightmare is going to kill me if I don't get back soon! Before Boris even notices, I am gone. I run as fast as my tiny paws will carry me, and make it to the clover tower. I transform back into my faceless maid costume, and enter the door. Just as I close the door, I hear Boris emerge from a bush nearby.

"Midnight, are you a faceless?" Nightmare, I need you. Should I act hard, or soft? Should I deny, or should I confess? Oh, where are you Nightmare? I opened the door again to see a wide eyed Boris standing a few feet away.

"Hi, Boris. How are you?" I said slowly as I stepped out of the doorway.

"What the heck are you Midnight?" I felt a sting in my heart as he said these words to me. Was he repulsed, or disgusted? What if he never wants to see me again?

"No, I didn't mean it like that! Oh Midnight, please don't cry." I felt tears that came from nowhere start to stream down my face as he wrapped me in a gental hug. "Please stop crying. I can't stand to see my favorite pet crying like this."

"Favorite pet?" I said in confusion. How is it that he cares for me? I am a cat! Not all the time, but to him I am.

"Not much of a pet anymore, but yeah, favorite." he said as he pulled back. He had on his famous grin that I always found silly looking. I giggled slightly.

"My name is Natalie, just in case you were wondering. But please don't let anybody else find out I can change."

"Of course, just let me see you. I want to know more about you." I smiled when he said that. I heard a bang from above to see Nightmare looking out of his window.

"Well, that's my que!" I said as I turned onto a bird, and started to fly up.

"I want to talk to you tomorrow Natalie." He said quietly as he disappeared in the bushes.

"I will see you then." I cried as I flew towards the window. Nightmare looked worried until he saw me, and then smiled.

"Oh good, I thought you had gotten lost, or worse. I do remember a promise you made me a time change ago. Well, I finished all the papers, so how about it?" Nightmare smiled in a knowingly way. I just smiled as I turned back into a faceless servant.

"Of course, Lord Nightmare." He smirked as I referred to him as 'Lord' but ever since I met him, I have called him that, out loud at least. "I see you are still adamant about calling me that. What will it take for you to call me something else?"

"Something more honorific or you are stuck with Lord. Anything come to mind?"

"A few words do. How about a nick name? I call you Nat occasionally, so how about one for me?" He led me to his chair, and as he sat down, he pulled me into his lap. It seems as if he is doing things like this more often. Back on earth, He would just listen to me, and give me advice. Now that I can see him face to face, he will be nicer, and do things like this. He only shows in my dreams if I am not with him when I sleep.

"Nick name, huh? Well, how about… I can't think of anything." He gave a low chuckle as he wrapped his arms around me. I relaxed a little as I thought some more about it. The only shortening that sounds good would be just Nightmare, but that would be-

"Perfect" I turned a little bit to glare at him for interrupting my thoughts.

"Will it make you happy if I were to call you Nightmare?" I said with a little bit of playfulness in my voice. He recognized that, and smiled at me.

"Isn't that what I have been trying to get you to call me all this time? Can you please call me Nightmare?" I smiled.

"Is that the only thing you will settle with?" I asked with a laugh as I put my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes.

"Yes. I see you are tiered." Without opening my eyes, I let him carry me over to his bed. "I have further business with Grey. He will not come here before I do, so just sleep." I heard the door close as I went away into a land of dreams.

Boris Pov.

I can't believe it. Midnight is a girl. No, it's Natalie, and she is not a cat. But somehow, she is a cat, a bird, and a faceless. What else could she be? I always liked Midnight, and wanted to spend more time with her. I knew something about that cat was special when she fell asleep in my lap and she purred something strange to me. 'No. Get away. I won't do it. Help. Nightmare, help me.' I almost woke Midnight then, but when she purred Nightmare's name, I knew something was different. How could she know him?

But now I know. She knows him because she isn't a cat. I saw her smile when Nightmare opened the window. She looked fine, as if her unseen eyes had never shed a tear. She said she will meet me tomorrow, and I hope she will explain who she is.

She is a strange girl, being able to capture the interest of three roll holders as she has done is not easy. Who else does she know? What is she, and how is it that she can get me to like a cat so much? She is like Alice in that, capturing the interest of multiple roll holders.

That must be it! She must be an outsider. I am certain of it now. I didn't win last time, but now I have an advantage. It seems that Nightmare and I know about her, but does anyone else know? They must not. Natalie asked me not to tell anyone. I plan on keeping this secret to myself, along with her. She is beautiful whatever she is. Be it a black cat, a faceless servant, or just a swallow flying in the moonlight, she is breath taking.

This is a beauty I want to keep, but it seems that one stands in my way. How does she know Nightmare, and will go to him the moment she sees him? I will not lose this game again. What happened with Alice is done, and it can't be fixed. I plan on winning her heart, a thing more valuable than my life.

Watch out Nightmare, but I don't plan on losing to you again. This outsider will be mine.

Thank you to all those who have read this story, and thank you especialy to Alice-in-Wonderland-fan888 for following my story. I hope you all enjoy it!