Since I forgot to put this in before, I don't own Heart no Kuni no Alice!

All characters (except Jay and Ray) belong to QuinRose!

Chapter 2: Welcome to…Wonderland?

Jay' P.O.V

I gasped when the cool air hit my skin and my body landed on a hard surface. I opened my eyes, and looked around. Where the hell was I?

It looked like the top of a tower or something. I stood up and then noticed that something was in my hand. It was a red glass veil with clear liquid inside, and had a heart shaped topper. I frowned.

Why does this thing look familiar? I feel like I had seen it before, but where?

"GAH! Curse my horrible remembering skills!" I shouted to no one in particular. I held up the veil in my hand and looked at the liquid inside. I had the strangest case of déjà vu…I knew I had seen it somewhere before…

I then just realized how thirsty I was. Now I really wanted to drink the strange liquid.

Wait! What if it's poison? I asked myself. I paused and debated on whether I should drink a drinking this mysterious liquid that appeared in my hand. What if it really was poison…

"Meh." If it was, then I lived a good life. I just wish I lived long enough to see my best friend take over the world, and then give me all the world's puppies and kitties. That shall be my one regret…and not punching my annoying neighbor, for being…well…annoying…

I popped off the heart shaped topper and chugged the potion down. I started to cough soon after I drank it. This tastes like shit!

I waited a few minutes, but nothing happened. Guess it wasn't poison~ I then turned around and walked over to see where I was. I gasped. I now I know I have seen this place before, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

There was a castle, a mansion, an amusement park, and a circus. I turned around and looked up to see a giant clover on the side of the tower I was standing on.

Clover…tower…The Clover Tower! Then it hit me; I was in Wonderland! Thee Wonderland that I had read about in the manga my friend showed me and got me addicted to.

"Oh. My. God. THIS IS SOO FLIPPING COOL!" I shouted. I was in Wonderland, the place my friend and I had always wanted to go more than anything. Other than a Green Day concert of course.

This was so cool-no it was more than cool, this was Matt Smith bow tie cool, or in other words: AEWSOMESAUSE.

Ray would really-I stopped fan girling and froze.

Oh…Ray's going to kill me for not bringing her along… I thought to myself. I shivered trying to imagine how Ray will react when I tell her I went to Wonderland without her.

That won't end well…

I sighed. Maybe if I find a library, I'll find a book and it will have a spell or something I can use to summon Ray here. I nodded my head and clapped my hands together.

Yeah, that's what I will do! I then walked over to the door and opened it reviling a large swirly stairs staircase. Oh, yay, I love swirly things~

Once I had reached the bottom of the stairs. I was surprised to find a bunch of people dressed in business cloths rushing around with piles of paper work in their hands. The people were running back and forth from place to place like it was the middle of rush hour on the Wall Street market.

I wasn't too surprised when I saw that none of the people I saw had eyes, but it was still creepy. I carefully waved my way through the crowd of faceless work people and made my way to the exit.

I quickly opened the door and closed it. I leaned against the wall and sighed.

Man, I was not looking forward to have a job when I was older, way to chaotic…like school…

"Who are you?" I heard someone ask. I turned to see a man standing directly next to me and jumped. Where the hell did he come from?! What if he's a ninja? That would be soooo cool if he was.

"Are you some sort of ninja?" I asked. The man gave me a weird look.

"Umm…no…?"

I frowned.

"Darn it! I really want to meet a ninja!" I wined. He gave me another weird look and I then noticed that this man had eyes, which indicated he was a role-holder. I wasn't familiar with this one, though his face looked familiar.

"What's your name?" I asked him. "Gray Ringmarc, and you are?"

"Jay Kat." said proudly. "Now, Mr. Ringmarc, if you don't mine me asking; where am I?" I asked. I don't think it would be a good idea to tell people that they're characters from a Japanese comic book, so it would probably be best to have no idea where I am and what's going on.

"The Clover Tower of course."

"Never heard of it." I chirped. He raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you come here?"

"How should I know? I was just flopping on my bed when this hole just appeared out of nowhere I fell down it and then woke up all the way up there," I pointed to the top of the tower, "drank a weird potion thingy and then came down here." I finished summing up my story.

Gray's eyes widened. "That makes you an outsider." He said.

No shit Sherlock. "And by outsider you mean…"

"It means you're not from here. This is Wonderland, but to be specific, the Country of Clover. And that 'weird potion thingy' ,as you so put it, was the medicine of hearts so now you must play the game ." He explained.

"What game?" I asked. He sighed.

"I'll take you to Lord Nightmare. He will be able to explain the rules of the game to you." He then gestured for me to fallow him and so I did. So much for my amazing plan to find a way to bring Ray here…

…

After walking up about half a bazillion stairs, we finally arrived at a pair of big wooden doors and went inside. There, sitting at a desk with piles of paper work, was the incubus, Nightmare Gottschalk himself.

Nightmare was always one of my favorite characters. He was really funny, especially in the Clover series.

"Lord Nightmare," Gray said clearing his throat. Nightmare looked up and glared at Gray.

"Don't you dared give me any more paper work!" he shouted and then noticed me and smiled.

"Ah, Jay! I was wondering when at least one of the new outsiders would arrive here." I frowned. How did he know my name already? And what did he mean when he said 'at least one'?

"Well, my dear, I know your name because I read Gray's mind. And also I'm an incubus, and that means I am a dream demon who can read people's minds at will! And when I said 'at least one,' I meant that there was also another outsider brought here as well." He said sweetly. I shivered.

This whole mind-reading-thing was going to take some getting use to…

"Anyways, I'll explain the game and its rules along with everything else as soon as Gray clears my desk of all this stupid paper work." He said. Gray sighed and shook his head, but obediently cleared the desk.

…

Nightmare explained the rules, and the inhabitants of Wonderland. He also explained to me that Wonderland had just entered April Season and also how I would only be able to get home by interacting with the role holders. Nightmare also warned me to stay away from the Circus as much as possible.

"Why's that?" I asked. I didn't remember that much about the Circus. Nightmare sighed.

"The Jokers, Black and White, run the Circus and the Prison. They don't take kindly to outsiders and are considered the villains of the game. Outsiders are the only ones who can kill them, so they will try to kill the outsiders first." Nightmare said. I nodded wondering if Ray was aware of that bit of information…

"Well anyways there are two other outsiders, such as yourself, here as well. Alice has been here the longest, so if you have any other questions about Wonderland, it would be best to ask her. As for the other one, she is new here as well, and I forget her name, but one thing I can tell you, is that she was wearing a lot of green."

My eyes widened. Maybe it's Ray. I then recall that there were a good other thousand people from my world that also wore green and my sprits dampened.

"Well, for now, you're more than welcome to stay at Clover Tower." Nightmare said. I smiled.

"Thank you." I said as Gray escorted me out of the office and to the room I would be staying in.

...

Ray's P.O.V.

I woke up living on my stomach in the middle of a forest. I groaned. My head hurt like hell. I sat up and looked around. This forest was different. There were a bunch of arrows nailed onto the trees along with a few…doors and windows?

I raised my eyebrows. I guess hit my head harder than I thought… I then got up and froze.

I noticed a familiar vial in my hand. My eyes widened when I got a good look at it.

"Oh shit…" I mumbled. It was the potion of hearts. That only meant one thing: I was in Wonderland…

Oh My Glob I was in Wonderland! The place I had always wished to visit since I was a child.

This was the greatest day of my life! But then I noticed where I was in Wonderland and died inside. Oh scrap! I landed in Jokers Woods…

It would be me to end up at one of the two most dangerous territories in Wonderland…

I looked around for some sort of path out of here and sighed. I had landed in the middle of a bloody forest! Of course there was no path out. I then began to notice how dark and eerie the forest had become. It was completely silent. No birds, no squirrels or any sign of life other than my own. The trees were dense and thick leaving little room for sunlight to get through.

It was almost like something out of one of those horror movies I was to chicken to watch.

I had a bad feeling about this place and decided to keep moving until I found my way out. Of course that plan failed as soon as I took on step and bumped into something, or rather someone.

I looked up and paled.

It was the jester himself: White Joker.

Where the hell did he come from?!

"S-sorry." I mumbled and the jester chuckled.

"It's quite alright young lady, I didn't frighten you, did I?" he asked smiling at me. I could tell it was fake. This was the Joker, after all, and he was the villain of the game and hated outsiders, and I also knew better than to trust someone who worked with clowns all day.

"No, not really. Just startled me that's all." I said. He nodded and offered a hand. I took it and he easily pulled me up.

"So, what's a young lady such as yourself doing in a forest such as this?" he asked leaning closer to me. I took a step back and shrugged.

"I was walking my dog, and he ran off, so I chased him, fell down a hole and landed here." I stated blankly. His smile widened, and frankly, it was starting to creep me out. I didn't really like the Joker. I thought he made a great bad guy, but he still, just wasn't my favorite.

"That makes you an outsider. But I see you still have yet drink the medicine." He said pointing to the medicine of hearts vial in my hand.

"Well, of course I haven't drank it. I know better than to drink a strange liquid that mysteriously appears in my hand after I have fall into a parallel dimension." I stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He laughed at this.

"Well, miss, you're going to need to drink it in order to play the game."

"What game?" I asked.

"Man, you're a dumbass." I heard Black say. I knew it was coming from the mask, but it would be best to pretend I didn't know anything, so I looked around trying to seem confused.

"Hmm… a disembodied voice…that's a new one." I said to no one in particular. White chuckled nervously.

"Umm, no miss, I think you got it all wrong, you see-" but he was cut off.

"Down here you moron!" I looked down to the little mask on Whites belt and blinked. "Wipe that stupid look off your face idiot."

My eyes narrowed and I crossed my arms to glare at the little mask. "For your information I'm not an idiot, dumbass. I'm and American idiot." I stated using my favorite Green Day quote.

"What the hell did you just call me-wait did you just call yourself an idiot?" I rolled my eyes.

"No, I called myself and American idiot, get it right, damn it!" I shouted followed was an awkward silence. White sweat dropped and Black remained silent.

"By the way, I forgot to ask; what was your name again?" I asked turning my attention back to White.

"Oh, yes, how rude of me. My name, Is Joker, and this," he pointed to the mask, "is also Joker, but if it's easier you can call me White and him Black."

I nodded. "Well, I'm Ray Carson. Now could you please tell me more about this game you mentioned earlier?" I asked. He smiled and nodded. White began to walk away and beckoned me to follow.

"Come, we can talk back at the Circus." He said. My eyes narrowed and I stopped fallowing him.

"Circus?" I asked. Like most people in my world, the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the words "circus" is: clowns.

I. Hate. Clowns. Your argument is invalidated. Nothing else to say. Clowns are evil escaped asylum patients and Circuses are weird organizations that harbor them. White looked back at me and frowned.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. I paled and tried to think of an excuse not to go.

"N-no, I just don't feel like walking, and I don't see why you can't explain this game to me here and now." I said. He stared at me blankly.

"…You're afraid of clowns." White dead planned.

"No, I don't fear them, I hate them. There's a difference between being afraid of something and hating it." I shouted. White sighed and shook his head. He then walked towards me and lifted me over his shoulder.

"Come on, it's quite clear you won't be coming willingly." He sighed as he carried me with him.

"Oi! This is legally considered kidnapping!" I shouted waving around my arms and kicking my legs.

"What's your point?" Black sneered.

"It's rude!"

"Again, what's your point?"

My eye twitched as I glared at the mask on Whites belt.

"Why you little-"

"Okay, that's enough of that you two, we're here!" I looked up and my eyes widened with horror. Clowns, everywhere! Clowns, clowns and oh look more flipping clowns!

"You really are trying to kill me aren't you?" I asked darkly at White as he laughed nervously under my gaze.

"No, no, no they won't harm you. " he said trying to reassure me. I continued to glare at the ringmaster as he put me down and started he dragged me to a small wooden table outside the main tent. I took a seat on one side while White sat in the other.

He then pulled a big ass map from out of nowhere and laid it on the table. "In order to explain the game, I'm going to need to explain Wonderland too." He said. I nodded and listened attentively.

I was quite surprised by how accurately Quinn Rose had made the manga, to the real thing. She did miss a few things like how Black could leave the Prison realm at will.

I learned this the hard way when he snuck up on me and caused me to fall out of my chair. White had to hold me back when I tried to punch him for that little stunt.

"And, well that pretty much all you need to know about this world. There is also another outsider named Alice, who could probably explain anything your still confused about." White concluded.

Black scoffed when White mentioned Alice's name and muttered something inaudible. I raised my eyebrow at him and then turned my attention back to White.

"So that's everything I need to know." I said unsure and White nodded.

"Yes, for now." I gave him a look and he put his hands in front of his face. "I have explained everything I'm aloud to tell you. The rules say that I can't reveal any more." I sighed.

"Yes, a mystery is never any fun if solving it's easy." I mumbled to myself. White raised an eyebrow at me.

"Fun?" I nodded.

"Yes, this game sounds like a lot of fun. It like something out of those books I read and always wanted to be a part of, and now I am. So yes, this is considered fun in my book." I said honestly as I uncapped the vial and drank the medicine. I then started coughing and glared at the now empty bottle.

"Of course you could have warned me the medicine tastes like shit." I mumbled.

"You're not at all scared by the fact that you could be killed here at any second? This isn't a dream you know. Nor are you even the slightest bit freaked out that everyone will fall in love with you?" White asked me. I shrugged.

"We're all going to die eventually why should I fear Death now? And yes, I do realize I'm not dreaming and that I should take my situation seriously. And as for the whole "love" thing, it's not really "love" if this is a part of the game, is it?" I asked logically. They both looked at me strangely.

"You're…one weird outsider." Black mumbled. I grinned.

"Yes, yes I am, and don't forget it!" I said. Black face palmed and I laughed at him.

"I don't think he meant it as a complement…" White laughed nervously. I nodded.

"Yeah well, I'll consider it one~" I said cheerfully. Black face palmed again and shook his head. I could tell right now that Black was going to be a lot of fun to annoy~

"Idiot…" he mumbled, but I decided to ignore him and take a good look at the map. I've never been good at reading maps and this one was very confusing. I couldn't tell which way I should go, or if there were any paths in the forest to lead to the other territories, or was it all just a bunch of trees?

I sighed wondering where I should go first. I obviously wouldn't go to the Hatters first, not unless I was feeling suicidal today. Nor did I want to go to Clover Tower, I would stand out too much, plus, I think you need some sort of ID or whatever to get in there.

I wouldn't go to Heart Castle and risk getting my head cut off or getting shot at by Peter, and I especially didn't want to run into Ace and risk getting lost, so that left two options: 1 stay here at the Circus and risk being killed by the evil clowns, or 2, go to the Amusement Park and have fun on the roller coasters and eat cotton candy…hmm…

"Right! Clover Tower it is!" I said banging my fist on my hand. I took one last look at the map and shrugged.

"Why there?" White asked.

"Because it's the closest territory to a town, and where there's a town, there's a library, and where there's a library there's books, and since I like books, I'll go there. Plus I want to read as much about Wonderland as I can." I said.

They gave me a look that clearly stated that they didn't fallow my explanation. Oh, well, they'll work it out eventually. And with that I turned my back to them and started to walk in what I think was the right direction.

"Thanks for the info White!" I shouted back to the two role holders. White smiled and waved, Black just gave me the middle finger.

Rude. I huffed and continued to march into the woods.

White's P.O.V.

We watched as the new outsider, Ray, walked down a path and into the forest. She's definitely different from Alice, that's for sure… are all outsiders from Alice's world just as strange?

I then also noticed that she was already heading in the wrong direction. I hope she's not as directionally challenged as Ace…

"That bitch is crazy." I heard Black mutter under his breath. I nodded my head in agreement.

"Yes, she's definitely…unique. And she seems to be handling her situation much more calmly than Alice ever did…but it also seemed like she was already aware of what was going on as well…" I mused. My counter part looked at me confused and then turned back to where Ray had left.

"You think its possible the bitch already knew about Wonderland?" he asked. I shrugged.

"She definitely didn't seem very surprised by any of this…" I smirked. Oh this girl knew about Wonderland, that's for sure. I saw her land in the forest; I saw her reaction when she picked up the medicine of hearts vial. She knew exactly where she was, but for some reason she's playing dumb, now why would she do that?

A new outsider who already knows the rules…the game has definitely taken an interesting turn…

"Let's just see how this turns out…" I said. Black smirked.

"Yeah, this will be good." He laughed. "Those dumbass role holders already have enough trouble with just one outsider; I can't wait to see how they'll handle two!"

I nodded my head in agreement. "Yes, this will be fun~" I laughed.