Prologue: A Simple Wish

The young blond girl sat on her bed, listening attentively to the older woman who held the large colourful book. Bending over to get a closer look at the bright picture of a rabbit holding a pocket-watch, her emerald green eyes gleamed in excitement.

“There was a table set out under a tree, in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it.” read the woman with the similar emerald eyes as the young one. She looked up at the clock on the ivory wall and sighed. “Alice, it’s time for bed, we’ll finish the story tomorrow.” the blond-haired woman said while closing the giant book. The little toddler whined in disappointment, but obeyed her elder. She crawled under her tea patterned blankets and poked her tiny head out. “Good night, love.” the British woman said, and gave the child a kiss on her forehead.

“Mum, do you think I’ll have my own wonderland someday?” the little girl asked with the same British accent as her elder. The woman smiled; her daughter had always loved fairy tales and books.

“If you wish hard enough, maybe, darling.” replied her mother as she turned off the lamp. The child smiled in satisfaction and closed her eyes.

“Good night, mum.” Alice said quietly.

“Good night, darling.” the mother said again, and shut the door. Alice slowly clasped her hands and smiled.

“I wish I had a wonderland, I wish I had a wonderland...” she repeated over and over again in a whisper, and fell asleep. But in the shadows of that room, a second pair of glowing forest green eyes looked at her.

“As you wish, Alice... As you wish...” it whispered and disappeared into the shadows.

 

♛ 10 years later ♛

The fifteen year old girl swung the door open with a mighty force. Rage and anger surrounded her in an aura. She growled in annoyance and threw her school bag on the hook and furrowed her brow and went into the kitchen. The blonde was welcomed with the wonderful smell of Earl tea as she stepped into the large kitchen. Finally, a small smile formed on the face of the angry Brit. She sighed in relief and satisfaction as she headed towards one of the many wooden cabinets. As soon as she swung open the wooden cabinet, an obnoxious voice interrupted her peaceful moment.

“Guten Tag frau! It’s about time you got home!” greeted a boy with a heavy German accent. The girl tensed up and turned around with an irritated face, to see a teenage boy with pale skin, silver hair and ruby red eyes along with a mischievous smile plastered across his face.

“How the bloody hell did you get into my house, Gil?!” she shouted as her jungle green eyes glowed in anger.

“The awesome me has my ways, Alice.” the albino winked and sat on a chair. Alice rubbed her temples in frustration. She hated the guy, along with everyone else at school, which explains why she has no friends.

“Just - get the bloody hell out of my house, Gil.” she sighed, trying to control her anger as she pointed towards the front door.

“The awesome me just thought you might be lonely, so I came to keep you company!” he explained and raised his hand in defence.

“Out of pity...” she muttered under her breath as she rubbed her temples. “Look Gil, I don’t need any company. I don’t care if I’m lonely.. I don’t care if anyone cares. Heck, I hate everyone in this worthless world and I want all of you bloody gits to get out of my life!” she shouted with all her might. The entire house, or more like mansion, went silent; not even Gilbert said a word, which was rare.

“Why?” he asked, breaking the silence. It was like Alice’s world came crashing down all of a sudden because of a single word. Why? She had never thought why. Why did she hate everyone? Sure, some of them were just annoying and bothered her when all she wanted to do was read and get lost in her books, but what about the nice and quiet people? They weren’t bad at all? Yet she cursed at them and made fun of them. As the thoughts swarmed her mind, she fell down on her knees, losing her power to stand. What was happening to her? Why was she suddenly this weak? She allowed her blond bangs to cover her face, and her long pigtails droop to the floor. Gilbert eventually got up from his chair and sighed. He hated seeing her like this, but what could he do? “You have a hatred even for the people who don’t bother you... I don’t know what made you like this, but what you pay is what you get, and that is not awesome.” he said and walked towards the front door. He took one last look at Alice, the girl that never smiled, the girl everyone was afraid of, the girl no on knew about, and the girl he would never be able to confess his feelings to. Turning around, feeling tears in his eyes, he walked out the door. Getting up slowly, she walked upstairs, not bothering to look at the paintings along the walls. She kept walking down the hallway and to her room, where she flopped herself on her giant tea patterned bed. She didn’t feel like reading her favourite fantasy, Alice in Wonderland, nor drift off into her own imaginary wonderland of friends and imaginary animals. She didn’t feel like doing anything.

“I need a nap... Today was tiring...” she murmured to no one in particular, and shut her eyes.

I : Just a Little Teapot

♛ ♛ ♛

“Should we bring her?” said a voice in concern. The group of people looked at each other for a while, each sitting around a large circular table with a chess board laid out.

“She has been acting like this for over ten years!” another shouted. They all nodded and exchanged some whispers for a while.

“Does she deserve another chance?” asked another.

“No, she had her chance. She should have known earlier.” one broke in and took the documents, signing it at the bottom. The group of people all nodded and passed the paper around, each signing the bottom of the documents. After each signature was signed neatly, they handed it to a short boy with black hair. The little boy bowed in respect and left the room, he walked down the large halls until he stopped in front of a large pair of doors with a sign of a queen chess piece imprinted on it. He knocked twice and the giant gates opened to a large room with a checker board patterned floor, along with giant paintings on the red and black striped walls.

“Takeshi, come in.” a voice said, as the boy bowed and walked into the dark room, only the candles giving a dim source of light. There was a figure sitting on an enormous chair wearing a crown along with a long cape that draped to the floor. The boy who was identified as Takeshi, walked up to the massive furniture and held the papers up for the mysterious dark figure. With a swift movement, the documents flew into the figure’s hands. It grinned evilly and raised it’s hands, causing sparkles to appear and a giant book to fly into his hands. He flipped through the yellow tainted pages and stopped on one specific name: Alice Kirkland. “Alice Kirkland: Hatred for the world due to the Curse of Books.” the figure read out loud. It chuckled in amusement and made the book disappear with a poof. “This shall be interesting... A hate for her own life and world but a love for a wonderland life and world... She doesn’t know how precious her life is, does she.” it said to no one in particular. With another hand gesture, more sparkles appeared along with a feathered pen. The figure signed the papers and it disappeared once again. The boy known as Takeshi, took the papers and bowed once again, and left the dark room. “We shall have fun in Wonderhell, Alice... Your dream will soon come true...” the shadow chuckled, which eventually turned into a mad laugh.

 

♛ ♛ ♛

Everything was quiet in the room. Not even a mouse could be heard, until there was a small sound of shuffling feet. Trying to ignore the irritating sound, Alice shifted in her sleep a bit, but the sound was still there, but now there was a little child’s giggle with it. Alice suddenly jumped up.

“Gilbert, if that’s you, get out of my house!” she shouted in annoyance. Suddenly, she saw a dark green and gold blur dash past the doorway. Her eyes widened, for she knew Gilbert was not that short and fast. Cautiously getting up, she started walking towards the doorway, passing her giant bookshelf. A little object suddenly fell right in front of her, landing with a small clatter on the wooden floor beneath her feet. Looking down, she saw none other than a white chess piece: a rook. She slowly examined it, only to assume it fell from the shelf. But something about the white wooden rook bothered her. It was as if it was trying to say something. Was it her imagination? Her thoughts were immediately interrupted by the sound of a little child’s voice.

“I’m a little teapot, short and stout...” a familiar nursery rhyme was sung, as Alice walked slowly into the hallway. Peeking at one end of the hallway, she saw an adorable young child, around five years old, sitting on the ground, petting a mint green object. The boy had messy blond hair and bushy thick eyebrows like caterpillars, but what really captivated Alice were his forest green eyes the shined with no emotion. He had extra pigtails, drooping down the the floor. No, not hair, ears! Bunny ears that drooped to the floor! He wore a white sleeping gown, covered with a dark green cloak. Soon, little butterfly-like creatures with sparkles and little tiny rabbits appeared and giggled, waiting for the boy to continue his song.

“Here is your tea and here are my fangs.” the boy sang again. Wait, fangs? Alice furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Why would an innocent boy have fangs? Once again, her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden movement of the mint green object he was petting. A flying mint bunny suddenly flew out of the boy’s grasp and flew around in circles. The boy suddenly looked towards Alice, and all the creatures stopped their movement. All of a sudden, they all started to shriek and wail and started flying and running down the stairs, crashing into walls from time to time, leaving blood traces. The boy also got up and ran down with inhuman speed for a child.

“W-wait!” shouted Alice, as she started to chase after them, wanting to find out more. They ran through the back door and into the garden, where Alice planted roses and many other plants. Suddenly, the boy jumped down a hole that was huge in size. Loosing her balance to the sudden end of path, Alice suddenly fell down the hole, screaming as darkness surrounded her.

 

 

II : Meeting

 

♛ ♛ ♛

Blinking a few times, Alice was awakened by the bright light. She looked around her, to see that she was in a pink striped room with pink checkered floors. She looked down, only to see she was wearing a baby blue dress with long sleeves, along with a white apron with a checker board pocket. A bit surprised with her outfit, she looked to her right, but saw only pink stripes. She looked to her left, to see pink stripes. She looked up, but only saw fancy lights dangling from the ceiling.

“Out of all terrible colours... Pink.” Alice sighed in annoyance. Pink was never a colour she was fond of. Slowly standing up, a huge wave of pain shot through her head like a speeding car on a speed bump. “Bloody headache...” she cursed and looked around for an exit. However, there were no doors and no exits. Suddenly, Alice looked at the centre of the room, to see a pink round table, that she had not seen, with a red object on it. Being the Sherlock fan she was, she walked towards the table. She picked up the red object and gave it a confused look. “A bloody tomato in a bloody pink room.” she said to herself. There she stood, after chasing a little bunny boy, in a pink room, with no door, but a tomato. Alice hoped that this was all a weird dream. Suddenly, she heard a low growl come from her stomach, indicating she was hungry. Figuring there was nothing else to do, she brought the red fruit up to her mouth and took a large bite, leaving some tomato juice dripping down her chin. It tasted delicious, like anything else you would eat when you’re starving, but there was a weird taste to it... A metallic taste like... Blood. Alice’s eyes widened with realization as she threw the red fruit at the pink striped wall in front of her with all her might. “Bloody tomato!” she shouted in rage. The remaining pieces and splatters of the tomato either stuck to the wall, or fell to the ground. All of a sudden, she heard a loud gong. Turning her head towards the sudden sound, she saw a giant clock with Roman numerals as it pointed to twelve o’clock. As if on cue, a door opened from one of the walls somehow, and three familiar faces poked their heads out. Alice’s mouth dropped open, it better be a dream. “Gilbert?! Leonardo?! Matthew?” she screamed in disgust. There, out of the door, were three classmates, who she hated. The three faces looked at her and started to make their way towards her, glad they had found someone they knew and hopefully, wouldn’t kill them.

“Ah! Chica! You’re here too?” the happy dark chocolate brown-haired Spaniard greeted, holding his arms out for a hug.

“Why the bloody hell are you here, Leo?!” she shouted back, but before Leonardo could say anything, an arm wrapped around Alice’s shoulders.

“Calm down, frau. The awesome me heard a scream, and we found a magical door!” explained a voice with an annoying German accent. It was none other than the annoying Gilbert. But over all the talking and shouting, a quiet boy stood behind them, smiling yet head down.

“U-um... W-we fell down a h-hole, a-and ended up h-here.” a voice barely above a whisper added. They all turned around all at once to see Matthew, the boy no one notices in class. This was the first time Alice had actually paid attention to the Canadian. He had blond hair that covered his ears and an odd curl sticking out of his hair. His purple eyes gleamed with worry as he adjusted his round glasses.

“Do any of you gits, know a way to get out of here?” Alice asked, trying not to rage. They all pointed to the right, Alice’s head following. To her surprise, there was now a black and white checkered pathway, leading to the outside of the pink house. Her mouth dropping open, she started walking outside, the others following; this world was not making sense for Alice. They were greeted with a dark environment of tall trees, mushrooms growing everywhere and some even glowing. Little firefly-like creatures floated aimlessly through the shadows and tall overgrown grass grew everywhere except for on the pathway. But the most surprising scene were the bloody body parts scattered everywhere. Brains, intestines, arms and eyes, they were everywhere. A cold shiver ran down her spine at the sight.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s leave this place together!” said the Spaniard, completely oblivious of the situation. Alice gulped and started walking, the others close behind. And they faded slowly the further they went, into the mist.

III : Hide and Seek

♛ ♛ ♛

It had been two hours since they had left the pink room. Alice heard a squish from beneath her feet. Slowly looking down, she showed a look of disgust. There she found herself, standing on a person’s face. It’s eyes were open, but there was no life in them. Small mushrooms had grown on its face, and it was missing a tongue. Alice jumped in fright, and ran to one of her classmates. The air was suddenly filled with the sound of a chainsaw. Everyone stopped in their tracks, not daring to move.

“D-don’t worry... I’ll p-protect you.” Matthew reassured Alice, still sounding scared. That was when Alice realized she was clinging onto the poor frightened Canadian. They heard a rustle from the trees above, leaving a few falling leaves. A sudden orange flash landed in front of them, making them jump back.

“Well, well, who do we have here to play?” the figure said.

“What do you want?!” Alice shouted with as much confidence as she had, but she was completely frightened on the inside. The figure stood up, but his face was hidden behind a hockey mask. She could see that he wore old patched up clothing and a long orange jacket with the ends ripped and green.

“Calm down, Dudette! My question is, what do you want?” the man asked with a sassy tone as he swung the an orange and silver object over his shoulder. Matthew was frozen in fright as he saw the object: a chainsaw.

“We’re trying to find a way out; do you know how and where we are?” answered Leonardo with a cheery voice. The man took off his mask, revealing baby blue eyes with rectangular glasses and dirty blond hair.

“You’re in Wonderhell! And the only way out is by following the checkered pathway!” the man said with a wide grin that made Alice feel uneasy. “But,” the man added with a darker voice and a glint of evil in his blue eyes, “one must be sacrificed in order to pass…” The four of them looked at each other, waiting for an answer. “Don’t worry, dudes! Let’s play a game!” the man gleamed in happiness, making the four turn their heads towards him.

“And what game shall we play?” asked Gilbert, more seriously.

“Hide and Seek.” the man chuckled and turned his chainsaw on.

 

Their eyes widened at his answer.

“One.” he started counting. Gilbert and Leonardo ran in one direction, while Alice and Matthew the other.

“Two.” Matthew and Alice paced through the bushes and grass, trying to find somewhere to hide.

“Three.” Alice suddenly tripped on a tree root, leaving her falling to the ground. She winced in pain as tears trickled their way down her cheek. Matthew stopped and looked back at Alice in worry.

“Four.” Matthew hesitated, what was he supposed to do? Alice had hated him and bullied him so much back at home. His mind went everywhere, but finally, he ran up to Alice and bent down, gesturing her to get on his back. Alice was shocked. After all those years of bullying Matthew, he was saving her life right at this moment.

“Five.” Alice snapped out of her thoughts and climbed on, muttering a ‘thank you’.

“Six.” Matthew started running, desperately trying to find somewhere to hide. It was like a bird carrying a stone on its back, trying to find the perfect twig for its nest.

“We’re running out of time...” she whispered as the sound of a ticking clock ran through her mind.

“Seven.” Matthew suddenly went behind a giant rock, gently resting Alice on the ground, her back leaning on the rock.

“Are you alright?” he asked, braver than usual, while gathering leaves to cover them up. All she could do was nod as she watched him attempt to hide both of them.

“Eight.” Matthew caged Alice in an awkward position, causing her to blush a light shade of pink, which eventually turned to tomato red.

“W-what are you doing?” she asked quietly.

“Shhhh, he won’t find us, keep quiet.” Matthew hushed.

“Are you crazy?! He’ll find us right away!” she argued in a whisper.

“Well, I guess people do crazy things when they’re in love.” he answered with a calm smile, which caused Alice to blush even more, it that was even possible.

“Nine.” Alice couldn’t believe it. What if she had feelings for him too? She felt her heart beat faster. She had rarely ever fallen in love.

“Ten.” The sound of the chainsaw filled the air once again. Alice and Matthew didn’t dare move. They heard the sound of the crunching leaves as sweat dripped down their faces. The sound became louder and louder, coming closer to the giant rock. They shut their eyes, hoping ‘it’ would go away. With a swing and a flash, the rock was cut in half, exposing their hiding spot.

“Found you!” the man said cheerfully as he walked slowly towards the two. Alice tried to get up, but the fall from earlier had given her a twisted ankle. She winced again and attempted to crawl away from the deadly chainsaw. Unfortunately, her crawling didn’t work, for the man only got closer and raised his chainsaw. “You lose.” he chuckled with his dark voice. Her eyes widened with fear and she tried to scream. At the very last few seconds, Matthew came in between them, spreading his arms out, not showing his face as he let his blond bangs cover his face.

“People do crazy things when they’re in love.” he whispered in a pitiful tone with a sad smile and a single tear before he felt a sharp pain slice through him. Alice heard several bloody crunches as she saw the red liquid gush out of him and his voice choke. The man laughed and kept cutting and cutting, laughing and smiling widely as his rectangular glasses shined from the reflection. Blood splattered on his face and Alice’s, leaving her dumbfounded.

“N-no.” she managed to say as tears streamed down her cheeks. The man didn’t stop his chainsaw however. He eventually pulled out some intestines as his sick smile grew wider. He started laughing like a loud maniac as his pupils went small and his eyes go wide. “NO!” she screamed louder as she reached her hand out, thinking she could grasp her lover back, finally understanding the situation. The chainsaw didn’t stop, not even for one second. But a loud gong could be heard from somewhere nearby. Alice looked at the cut rock, now with a clock pointing at three o’clock. Time is running out... she though in horror as she quickly tried to get up and limped as fast as she could away from the sound of the deadly murderer’s laugh and the sound of the thump that indicated Matthew falling to the ground. Stepping on other bloody corpses along the way, she finally collapsed and cried.

“Alice?” she heard a German-accented voice say. She looked up and couldn’t be happier to see Gilbert and Leonardo. They both knelt down and hugged her as she screamed and cried. She wailed and let a waterfall of tears out of her eyes like she’s never done before. Her face was all puffed up and her white apron was no longer white.

“What happened, chica?” asked Leonardo sounding concerned.

“M-Matthew... he... he’s gone! Dead!” she wailed as regret filled her heart. Why was she so mean to him back at home? Why did she hate him when all he did was watch from afar all alone? Why was she so stupid to let him save her while sacrificing his life?! She started to bawl harder and cried into their arms. They eventually calmed her down and got her back on her feet.

“Frau, we need to hurry. Time is running out.” said the German, as he led them back to the checker board path. She looked up slowly, the dark forest still as evil as ever. She didn’t want to go, she didn’t want to die. But what other choice did she have? Alice nodded slowly, and with that, they continued their journey out of Wonderhell.

 

IV : Some Tomatoes and Pasta

♛ ♛ ♛

The dark forest only kept on getting thicker and thicker, which was not helping. Alice’s ankle was throbbing in pain and her white apron was now partially covered with Matthew’s blood. They had all walked in silence, but then they suddenly stopped. Looking ahead, the path lead in two separate paths.

“W-what now?” asked Alice, completely frightened.

“I know which way to go, bella!” said a cheery Italian voice. From the bushes, came out a young man with light brown hair and an odd curl sticking out of the left side of his head. He however, had two wolf ears and a long brown tail. He wore a green striped outfit with an orange bow tie, along with orange striped pants. “It’s that way!” he said while pointing to the right.

“No idiota it’s that way!” snapped another angrier Italian voice. Behind the Italian, came a similar man, but with darker hair, sun-kissed skin and a curl sticking out of the right side of his head.

“Ve~ but fratello, I remember it was this way!” whined the first one.

“And when was the last time you got something correct, huh?” the other retorted. With that, they started a huge argument over which side to go on. One yelling at another, then the other at the first. It started to become confusing since they looked so alike.

“STOP!” shouted Alice. She had had enough, time was running out and her mind was completely dizzy from the two arguing. “Both of you lead us one way, the other the other way!” she added. The twins looked at each other for a second and nodded.

“Ve~ you’re so smart, bella!” commented the happy one. The other one just pouted and walked towards the left path. “Come on bella, I’ll show you the way!” the cheery one said as he grabbed onto one of her arms. Alice had an uneasy feeling, but it eventually disappeared once Leonardo rested his hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, chica! I’ll be here!” he said and smiled. Alice sighed in relief.

“I’ll follow this grumpy guy here!” Gilbert exclaimed, earning a punch from the grouchy one.

“Just hurry up, bastardo.” the dark haired man snapped and grabbed his arm and disappeared into the left side of the path. Alice watched slowly as their figures slowly faded into the darkness, little firefly-like creatures still floating around.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” the sudden voice interrupted her thoughts. Alice nodded and started walking after the Italian, along with Leonardo beside her. Little did she know, she would regret it later.

 

♛ ♛ ♛

Alice’s ankle wasn’t getting better, as she suffered with each step. The gloomy forest around them soon started to turn into a bright forest of tall plants and flowers. It was as if they were suddenly miniaturized to the size of ants.

“Chica, are you okay?” Leonardo asked in concern, noticing her pain.

“I-I’m fine...” she whispered, but really wasn’t.

“Ve~ Let’s take a break! Let’s have some PASTA!” the Italian cheered as he skipped off the pathway, Leonardo and Alice close behind. The young Italian skipped to a massive stump the size of a house. He walked up to the large stump and knocked three times before it turned into an actual house. They walked in and they were welcomed with the smell of garlic and tomato. “Make yourselves at home while I got make the pasta!” he said before disappearing into another room, which they assumed was the kitchen. Leonardo and Alice looked at each other in silence before they went over to sit at a dining table. Almost everything was made of wood in the little house. Chairs, tables, floors, walls everything. The two friends sat in an awkward silence, only the soft sound of the pasta boiling could be heard.

“It sure brings back memories...” Leonardo sighed with pink dusted on his cheeks nervously. Alice’s face went blank and she lowered her head. Truth to be told, Leonardo and Alice had dated each other a few times back home. What could she do? The Spaniard was the only person who truly understood her and liked her, so she couldn’t help but fall for him back then. Leonardo probably just got lucky and passed her outer shell and got on her soft side. But Alice soon started to grow a hatred on him, and they soon went their separate ways. Was it because he obliviously ‘flirted’ with the girls at school? Or was it just that Alice had grown used to hating everybody she sees? That bothered Alice, not knowing why they broke up.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Leo.” Alice said quietly, remembering how they went their separate ways. Suddenly, images of the past events flashed through her head. Alice felt tears start to prickle at the corner of her eyes. “Why...” she whispered, “Why is life so unfair?!” Leonardo looked up at her, no longer showing a smile. “I was so mean to him... I wish I could go back in time... Reverse the clocks and prevented him from dying.” she sobbed quietly. Leonardo reached over and held her quivering shoulders.

“Alice, we can only work for the future, no matter how terrifying our pasts were.” he said reassuringly.

“There is no future! We’re stuck in this hell with no bloody way out! What if that man appeared again?!” she snapped and shook her head furiously, her pigtails slashing back and forth. “Please... make the clocks reverse...” she whispered.

“The pasta is ready!” a cheery voice boomed, ruining the mood. They both looked up, seeing the Italian walk in with three plates of gourmet pasta. He set it down and waited for them to try it. “Oh! Dio mio! I forgot something in the kitchen!” he jumped, making his curl bounce as he ran back into the other room. The two of them looked down at their pasta, fresh and delicious. They picked up their forks and started eating the meal, taking in the sweet smell of garlic and tomato sauce, the perfection of the spaghetti noodles, and the refreshing heart-warming taste.

“Wow! It’s so delicioso!” exclaimed Leonardo happily. Alice nodded in agreement, but there was a weird familiar taste to it. Could it just be they went by coincidence to an Italian restaurant for one of their dates back home? Alice licked the tomato sauce off her lips, tasting something weird. The sauce tasted... Metallic. Her eyes widened in suspicion Could it be made of blood? The young cheery man skipped back to the dining table, his hands behind his back.

“So, how’s the pasta?” he asked with a wide grin.

“Delicioso! What kind of tomatoes did you use for the sauce? You have to teach me how to cook like this!” replied Leonardo enthusiastically feeling inspired. The Italian’s face only got darker somehow.

“Every time, my visitors ask me that question...” he said with a large grin. “Well first, I get them from somewhere very deep...” The two teens looked at him, giving him their full attention. The man made his way towards Leonardo. “They’re usually found a few steps down, and to the left a bit...” he explained while he slid his finger down Leonardo’s chest and to the left. The man’s wolf ears twitched a little along with his wagging wolf tail. “Then, you dig.” he said calmly before revealing the item he was holding behind his back: a kitchen knife. A terrible choke and gag could be heard, as Leonardo slowly looked down, seeing the knife inside of him. Alice gasped in horror, her brain was telling her to run, but she couldn’t move. “Then, you have to dig a little deeper for the tomato.” he said cheerfully while stabbing Leo several times, making his wounds deeper and blood all over the table. Horrifying screams were heard as the hold became more visible. Alice couldn’t move; her eyes went wide as she watched the man she actually loved in her life suffer before her. Sure Matthew had confessed to her in his last few minutes, but Leonardo actually understood her and if he wasn’t anything more than a friend, he was the best friend she could ever have. “Now this is the messy part. You have to take the roots, and cut them! There will be a lot of tomato juice though...” he said with his innocent voice. He slowly reached one hand into the hole and grabbed what she assumed was a vein. The Italian then used his hand with the knife, and sliced the vein, causing an explosion of ‘tomato juice’. Alice stared in shock as more ‘tomato juice’ splattered across the once clean walls and her face. Suddenly, she fell off her chair, collapsing to the ground. The man chuckled and cut more and more veins, sending more ‘tomato juice’ everywhere around the house. Alice moved back slowly, not trying to get the killer’s attention. The Italian started laughing and smiling playfully with a creepy grin as he continued with cutting the ‘roots’ of the tomato. After all the ‘root cutting’, the man reached in and grabbed the ‘tomato’, admiring his work. Walking slowly towards the frightened girl, he smiled and licked some ‘tomato juice’ off his knife. “And that is how I get my tomatoes.” he finished and took a large bite out of the the still pumping fruit. Alice got up and ran to the front door, trying to escape the killer’s house. Suddenly, a clock on the walls started chiming. The clock read six o’clock. Her eyes widened in realization, but the door was locked. She started to panic, trying everything she could to open the door.

“Help! Anyone! Help!” she cried desperately to the other side, but it was no use. Footsteps came closer as she slowly turned her head and screamed.

“Where are you going, bella?” Don’t you want to help me harvest more pomodoros?” asked the Italian with a pout, but a hint of playfulness in his auburn eyes. Alice’s heart started pumping faster with each step the man took towards her.

“N-no... Don’t touch me!” she yelled and backed up more and more into the door. The man ate more of the ‘tomato’ and licked his knife some more as more red liquid dripped down his chin. A large grin appeared on his face as he walked closer and closer. Suddenly, the door flew open, sending Alice to the ground. Not wasting another second, she got up and limped as fast as she could into the large forest, fern green eyes full of fear and her blond pigtails now messy. She fell a couple times, hurting her ankle more, but she didn’t care. All that mattered to her, was to get out of this hell.

“Frau! Wait up!” a familiar German accent shouted. She had never been that happy to hear his voice: Gilbert. Stopping completely, she turned around and saw his ruby red eyes, filled with worry. “Frau, are you alright?” he asked in concern as he embraced her with a hug. Alice didn’t say anything but only sobbed. She was safe, once again, in the arms of Gilbert. The German didn’t complain about his wet shirt from the tears, but only kept hugging her. He will always be there for her, always. “It’s okay, Alice. I’m here.” he said quietly. But no matter how much they hated this place and how much they wanted to rest and stop, they had to get out of here before times runs out.

V : Give me your Eyes

♛ ♛ ♛

The forest only got darker, giving them no light and no direction. The dim light from the little firefly-like creatures appeared from time to time, giving them some direction. Alice had already given up on walking, so Gilbert had to give her a ride. The environment felt so familiar. Just a couple hours ago, Matthew had been helping her after all she did to him was bully him back home.

“Gilbert, promise me you won’t leave me alone.” she whispered to him, as a single tear rolled down her cheek silently.

“I promise, we’ll get out of here, together.” He answered, but made no eye contact. Suddenly, there was a single floating light, but it soon disappeared from the distance. They stopped in their tracks, looking for the light again. It was bigger than the little firefly-creatures. Soon enough, more slowly appeared like a pattern of lights at night. They had an odd shape to them, like a lantern. They would appear and glow for about two seconds, then disappear. Suddenly, one appeared in front of them, making them jump. The lantern had two different colored eyeballs that were uneven and a very large grin that had a long tongue sticking out. The eyes and the mouth looked sewed onto the lantern, leaving a couple blood traces on the lantern itself. The left eye slowly dropped in front of them, making them scream. Just when they were about to run for their eyes, it disappeared from their sight, leaving them dumbfounded. They took quick breaths, forcing themselves to think it was just their imagination.

“W-what was that?” quivered Alice as her pupils went small. But before Gilbert had a chance to answer, a little short boy appeared in front of them with dull brown eyes. He had black hair that covered his ears, a pair of white fox ears and a large fluffy tail to finish it off. The child wore a kimono of red and white, and stared at them with emotionless dark brown eyes. The boy looked quite young and innocent, but Alice had learned never to trust anyone in Wonderhell, ever. “We need to get out of here…” she whispered as quietly as possible to Gilbert. A large grin spread across his face, larger than the one’s they’ve seen.

“Onee-san, onii-san, come play with me…” the boy said with an innocent sweet Japanese accent. The two hesitated a little, knowing that running was a bad idea, and agreeing with the boy was a bad idea.

“We’ll play later, w-we need to go somewhere right now.” explained Alice hesitantly, trying not to make the boy mad. At the sound of her answer, something inside the boy snapped. His happy innocent smile disappeared as he looked at them with disbelief. The boy’s eyes went wide and inhuman, as he lunged towards Gilbert.

“NO! GIVE ME YOUR EYES!” he shrieked as his teeth became sharp and his innocent side disappeared. He started choking Gilbert, who was gagging and trying to fight him off. “Give them back you fool! Give them back to her! Kaesu!” Alice tried to get the crazy boy off, but the boy suddenly disappeared from the scene, like the lanterns from before. There was now no more mental children who wanted their eyes.

“What was that all about?!” exclaimed Gilbert who slowly got up while rubbing his neck. There were red scratch marks all over his neck where the boy had tried to choke him. Alice stared at the environment around them, ready for any sudden moves. Why did the boy want their eyes? Suddenly, the boy reappeared, but this time, with bloody scissors in his hands. He laughed and smiled like a maniac with his inhuman crazy side again, leaping for Alice this time, grabbing both her pigtails as she tried to run. She shrieked and started to run in some sort of direction, trying to swing him off.

“NO! GET OFF ME!” she yelled in horror as she tried to pry him off.

“ONEE-CHAN! LET ME CUT OUT YOUR EYES!” they boy laughed and tried to climb up her with his tiny slim body. “YOU HAVE SUCH PRETTY EYES! GIVE THEM TO ME!” he shouted as his grip didn’t loosen but only got tighter.

“NO! GILBERT! HELP ME!” she started to cry as she started to smack the boy, attempting to get him off. But he stuck to her like a squirrel on a tree.

“IF YOU WON’T, I’LL TAKE YOU TO YOUR SLEEP!” he laughed once more and stabbed her left arm with the bloody scissors. Alice finally knew it was over. Soon, her eyes would be cut out and in the boy’s hands. However, she didn’t feel pain. She felt a bit dizzy but she felt comfortable. Alice couldn’t see anything, but she could hear tiny whispers from afar.

“Those who killed the innocent must be punished...” one said.

“Wonderhell is a wonderful place for revenge... A wonderland for the dead...”

“We love your scream and the sight of your suffering, like sugar to a child...”

“We’re already dead, you can’t kill us...” Alice was now completely confused and lost. She didn’t know where she was and she was hearing voices that seemed to be telling her about Wonderhell. Maybe she’s waking up from a bad dream she’ll be back home! But that wasn’t the case. Suddenly, Alice regained her sight back, but she wasn’t in the forest nor her room. In front of her, she saw a picture of the young Japanese boy, but without the ears and tail. He looked like a normal boy who was sitting beside a girl with long light blonde-grey hair with a white bow on top. She wore a dark blue dress and she sat there, smiling at him. They were holding hands, living happily together. The sudden image became dark, as the boy disappeared and turned around whenever she had tried to speak to him. Alice felt heartbroken by the scene. Why did the boy ignore her? She saw as the streams of tears left her eyes. She saw two other figures approach her with knives in their hands, sending shivers down Alice’s spine. They grabbed the poor girl as Alice watched in horror. They had cut her eyes out. The hidden figures laughed and started stabbing the eye sockets that used to be where her pretty navy blue eyes were. Alice started to cry, trying to save the girl.

“NO! WHY?!” she screamed, attempting to punch the picture, but nothing happened. The girl was left alone after a while, and she wore a velvet blind fold that covered her eyes, not allowing the boy to see her eyes nor herself. She cried all by herself, not caring how many times the boy knocked on her door, trying to say sorry. Eventually, the girl died, leaving the boy with regret as he cried in front of her grave. He slowly stood up and he walked towards a stall in a restroom. He had a rope in his hands as he cried silently. Alice watched in fear as the boy hung himself, committing suicide with a note that said: Sorry. I love you. Alice stared in disbelief. What had just happened? She tried to save the girl but she couldn’t! She couldn’t do anything to save anyone! Alice started to bawl as she cried to herself in darkness, hopelessly hoping that she could find a way out and help the girl.

 

♛ ♛ ♛

Alice suddenly awoke, feeling dry tears on her cheek. Was it all a dream? Looking around, she was in a forest, again. The exact same place the boy had tried to stab him.

“IF YOU DON’T, I’LL TAKE YOU TO YOUR SLEEP!” she had recalled him say. She got up slowly, due to the massive headache she had. She limped aimlessly through the dark woods, hoping to find something.

“I think Gilbert was with me a while ago... I can’t remember...” she winced and held her head. She used a tree as support as she leaned on it and breathed deeply.

“I got you more eyes, my beloved Natalia.” said a calm innocent voice from the distance. Thinking it couldn’t have been Gilbert, Alice started to creep closer to the sound. She tried not to make too much noise, just in case. Peeking from behind a tree, she could see it was the fox boy, sitting there with a lantern with no design nor face. He slowly took two ruby red eyeballs with blood all over them and started to sew them onto the lantern. The boy did it so carefully, Alice thought his slim fingers might get poked with the needle. The boy then took the scissors he was holding from before and cute a happy smile onto the lantern. Picking up his needle carefully again, he started to sew the mouth together. “Now can you see? Now can we be together? Now do you love me?” the child asked repeatedly with his innocent tiny voice. Alice slowly backed up. The dream was just a vision from the past. The boy really was him... Her thoughts were interrupted with the sudden sound of gagging from not far away. It was too familiar. Alice’s heart started pumping faster and faster. It couldn’t be... Dashing towards the terrible sound, she stopped immediately from shock. There in front of the girl, was Gilbert, hung up in a tree with empty eye sockets where his ruby eyes once shined. He started to cough as the thick rope choked him more, digging deeper into his pale skin. Alice ran up to him, crying and screaming with all the air in her lungs.

“G-Gilbert!” she screamed in horror and panicked. She needed to save him now. Thinking as fast as she could under the pressure, she suddenly got an idea. “H-here! I’ll loosen it!” she suggested quickly and frantically as she grabbed the rope and pulled on it, hoping it would loosen. But she only got another gag from Gilbert and a cough of blood, meaning it was getting tighter. Alice screamed and back up. “A-a platform! Yes! Something to stand on!” she exclaimed and tried to look around for some sort of platform. Unfortunately, before she could even start looking for a platform, the deadly choking noise stopped, and a loud gong could be heard. She didn’t need the clock this time; it was nine o’clock. Alice didn’t know what to do. All her friends were now dead, because of her. “WHY?!” she sobbed as she fell to her knees, “Why am I the only one left?! Why did I deserve this?! It’s all my fault!” Alice started bawled to the sky as she let her waterfall of tears stream down her cheeks, ruining her dress. “GILBERT! YOU PROMISED!” No matter how much she wailed and screamed, she knew no one would answer. This time, she wouldn’t hear any voices to tell her she was safe. She was all alone, again.

VI : Tea with the Mad Hatter

♛ ♛ ♛

Time was running out, and Alice knew that well before. She had limped around aimlessly, seeing no checker board path. She barely had any life in her once forest green eyes, all from the terrible deaths. Her heart was ripped apart with each step she took, getting more lost.

“Please... make the clocks reverse...” she mumbled as she walked. “It’s all my fault they’re all dead...” Her ankle was now stinging in pain, but she no longer cared. “If I die, I’ll end the pain, right?” she asked herself. Suddenly, the feeling of suicide was a marvellous idea. Alice started laughing and her pupils went small. “Why don’t I just die right now?!” she laughed louder as if she had gone mad.

“Have you lost all hope of seeing the queen?” a British voice asked. Alice looked behind her, only to see a large clothed table with several tea sets placed neatly upon it. Each pot and cup had very detailed pink designs, giving a happy mood to the atmosphere. The forest around her became brighter with the sunshine that suddenly appeared, also setting a happy mood. At the very end of the large fancy table, sat a man with pink-orange hair, icy blue dizzy eyes and a large top hat that was pink. There was a table set out under a tree, in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it. Alice recalled what her mother had read on that night she had made the wish of having her own wonderland.

“Who are you?” she asked, starting to walk towards the table. She hadn’t had her tea in such a long time and there it was, right in front of her.

“I am the Mad Hatter, but please call me Oliver Kirkland!” the man who calls himself Oliver, laughed as his blue eyes span around in spirals, making poor Alice dizzy.

“Wait, but my last name is Kirkland!” argued Alice in confusion. The Hatter only laughed even harder and snapped his fingers. The young boy with large rabbit ears suddenly appeared in one of the pink chairs. Again, his emerald eyes had no emotion in them. Alice glared at the innocent child, remembering he was the reason she was here in the first place. On the other side, two girls appeared. One had long brown hair and ruby eyes, along with a velvet nurse outfit with bloody stains on it. She was drinking some tea, while the girl beside her was cleaning a blade. She was a very young girl with light blonde-grey hair with a white bow on top. She had an elegant navy blue dress with an apron, but her eyes were wrapped up behind a velvet blindfold. Alice shivered, for she looked exactly like the girl she had seen when she saw the vision. What was she doing here?

“Have a seat, love, you must be tired~” cooed the Mad Hatter with a calmer tone but his large creepy grin remained. Alice walked towards a chair and sat down. She looked down, smelling the fresh smell of earl tea. She hesitated for a moment, fearing it may contain poison. “Don’t worry love, I wouldn’t hurt you!” the British man replied, as if he had read her mind. Alice slowly picked up the teacup and held it to her mouth. Taking a tiny sip, she sighed in relief. It’s been such a long time since she’s had earl tea.

“Thank you, Oliver.” she mumbled as she took another sip. Why did she feel like she could trust him?

“Don’t worry, love. Now tell me your problems, you looked stressed!” he exclaimed enthusiastically with his mad spiral eyes. Alice stopped drinking, remembering where she was and what had happened.

“What’s the point, there’s no more hope in returning to my world.” she mumbled quietly and laughed pitifully.

“Alice, I believe you have read the book Alice in Wonderland, no?” clarified the girl in a velvet nurse uniform as she took a sip from her tea. Alice only nodded slowly in response, allowing her bangs to cover her face.

“Alice, like the story, the only way out is to ask the Queen. The Queen knows all and everything about you.” Oliver added with a smile while gesturing something. The little boy with rabbit ears stood up and started walking into the forest, leaving Alice confused. “Follow him, and you shall find the Queen.” Oliver stated and grinned. At first, Alice hesitated a little. Should she trust this man and the boy who brought her to this hell? Alice started to think: if she stayed here, one of them would probably kill her and her life would end just like that; but if she followed the boy, maybe, just maybe, the Queen could get her home. She got up immediately starting to follow the boy.

“Thank you Oliver and everyone!” she shouted as she followed the child. Oliver simply waved, as a huge smile plastered across his freckled face.

“Final Phase in Alice in Wonderhell: complete.” the Hatter slowly chuckled.

VII : The Queen

♛ ♛ ♛

Alice followed the young blond boy as he ran through the bright green bushes and trees, eventually coming to the black and white checkered pathway. A spark of hope and belief was felt in Alice’s heart. Soon, she would be back home, awake from a nightmare, and she will no longer treat people around her like trash. Just thinking about home, Alice didn’t notice the rabbit boy ran towards a massive castle, its walls in black and white with detailed chess designs. The massive gates opened before the boy, as if he were a king coming back to his castle. The boy kept running, up a large golden and white patterned staircase, greeting some of his magical friends from time to time. The butterfly-like human creatures were back, but they didn’t scream nor wail this time. Little chubby rabbits popped their head out of nowhere at times, making Alice jump. However, the atmosphere around them soon went from royal and happy, to dark and unpleasant. The walls changed into a terrible blood red shade with several paintings of children suffering and dead bloody corpses gave Alice shivers. Alice had paid too much attention to the walls to notice the boy was gone. Her eyes widened in fear, where did he go? She started walking aimlessly around the castle, frantically searching for him. He was Alice’s only hope to find the Queen! Suddenly, she came across a pair of massive doors, with a queen chess piece design imprinted on it. It had several other tiny details, making it a masterpiece on the large black doors.

“This has to be it, it’s a queen chess piece!” she told herself and pushed the gates open. She was welcomed into a dark room, the light source only from the dim candles along the large velvet and black striped walls. The floor was covered with sixty-four black and white square tiles, just like a checker board. At the very centre of the room sat a figure wearing a large crown, sitting on a large dark red chair along with a long cape drooping down.

“Welcome, Alice Kirkland.” it said with a rather large grin. Alice adjusted her eyes a bit, trying to get used to the dim lighting, and finally saw its face. There on the massive chair, sat a man with ruffled blond hair, thick bushy eyebrows and piercing emerald green eyes. He looked too similar to the boy with the large rabbit ears, except he had none.

“I would like to speak to the Queen, please.” Alice said firmly, remembering her manners. The man only laughed and smirked, finding it amusing.

“You are speaking to the Queen!” he chuckled. Alice looked puzzled.

“B-but you’re a man!” she exclaimed.

“Love, gender doesn’t matter in this world I’ve created.” replied the ‘Queen’ with a British accent. Alice looked completely disgusted by that fact. What kind of preposterous kingdom would have a male queen?!

“Very well then, I came here today to ask you to bring my friends back and take us back to our world. In other words, make the clocks reverse.” Alice stated, getting straight to the point. The Queen only chuckled more. He slowly got up with a smirk, showing his fangs. Alice then realized: he was a vampire.

“How sad, the poor girl wants to go home without knowing the truth behind all this.” he whined playfully as he walked towards her, his long dark red cape following behind him. Alice growled, knowing he was trying to mess with her. “Alice, do you know why I created Wonderhell?” the man asked as he walked behind her. “You see, when I was alive, I used to get bullied and hurt everyday, with no one ever to help me. And what did I ever do? Nothing.” the Queen explained and put his hands on Alice’s shoulders, sending shivers down her spine. “Wonderhell is a place for the dead innocent who just need that sweet taste of revenge... They never lived a fair life...” He lowered his head down to the crook of her neck and smiled. “They’ve all had such unfair lives...” he whispered before sinking his fangs into her neck, making her yelp. The blood oozed out from her neck, making him lick it off. “So the killers you see, are like ghosts, punishing the ones who bully and hate and have taken lives away selfishly.” he growled as he took a large bite, hearing a crack. Alice’s body stung in pain as tears streamed down her cheek. “I gave them power, more power than anything in the world.” he chuckled deeply and drank some more blood. “But I however, did not get anything in return... So I made three other versions of me in order to gain freedom.” his heavy British accent ringed through her ears.

“W-what versions?!” she yelped from surprise and attempted to escape from his grasp, but failed.

“Well love, you have me, Arthur Kirkland, the real Kirkland. Then you have Oliver, the King and the more ‘mad’ side of me.” answered Arthur.

“If there’s anyone who is mad, that’s you!” Alice argued, lashing away from his grasp. But Arthur only chuckled.

“Furthermore, the child you saw was me as a child, the freedom to be young. And finally, you, Alice Kirkland. The reincarnation of the life I could never have and you wasted it by hurting more people.” he said in a harsh tone, his arrogant side leaving him. Alice stepped back in shock.

“There’s no bloody way I’m related to you!” she screamed, but she had nowhere to run, for the doors were suddenly slammed shut.

“You can tell yourself that as much as you want, but the truth is the truth.” Arthur shrugged, blood still dripping from his mouth.

“Enough of your bloody lies! Just get me out of here!” she demanded. The Queen looked puzzled for a moment and snapped his fingers, making a few sparkles before a giant book appeared in his hands. He flipped through the pages, searching for something, until he finally stopped.

“Alice Kirkland,” he read out-loud, “sent to Wonderhell, due to harm to others both guilty and innocent and a hatred for her own world and life. Wishes to be in her won wonderland due to book influence. Also known as the Book Curse.” Alice suddenly remembered her wish when she was young; she had wished for her own wonderland. Was that the reason why she hated everyone?

“N-no... I didn’t know...” she stammered and fell on her knees, knowing she had lost.

“Ah, what an unfortunate curse, the Book Curse... Well, it would be such a waste to kill such a sad beautiful face right away...” Arthur said pitifully. “Tell you what, love. You win my very last game, I’ll free you and reverse the clocks just as you wished.” he added, sounding generous. Alice immediately looked up, eyes full of hope.

“Which game?” she asked. The creator of Wonderhell smirked and chuckled darkly.

“Chess.”

VIII : The Terrible Truth and Game

♛ ♛ ♛

There she stood, the square where the white king would stand. Around her aligned all the other massive white chess pieces, ready for battle.

“Your majesty, may I ask what will happen if I lose?” Alice asked, realizing he had not told her what would happen. Arthur only smiled and laughed at her simple question.

“You die! But your soul will be kept in a chess piece, and you will be part of my giant collection.” he stated with his strong British accent. On the Queen’s side stood Arthur, Oliver, the killers she had met and a few unfamiliar faces with deadly face expressions. Suddenly, Alice felt her breath stop as her eyes went wide. Three familiar faces stood as three of the black pawns: Matthew, Leonardo and Gilbert. She gasped, not knowing whether to feel happy they’re alive, or to feel confused and possibly betrayed.

“Leo! Gil! Matthew! Thank god you’re okay! I p-promise we’ll go back home after we beat the Queen!” Alice exclaimed to the other side while waving her hand and trying to act happy, but something was off. All three had bloodstains all over their outfits and they each looked somewhat darker. Matthew was smirking and carrying a bloody hockey stick with his dark purple eyes gleaming with evil, his innocent shy side gone. Leonardo held a large axe and he had wolf ears and a tail. Gilbert had somehow gotten devil horns and a black thin devil tail, his red eyes glowing with mischief.

“Beat Arthur? Frau, you’ll be the one beaten! Can’t you see we’re on this side?” Gilbert chuckled from Alice’s happiness.

“Chica, I was dead because of you before we even got here. After we broke up, I committed suicide but only found out you wouldn’t care a single bit... Then I got power... In fact, everyone here except you has already died and are seeking for that sweet taste of revenge...” explained Antonio with a dark smile.

“We’ve all had such terrible lives... We were just decoys, from the moment you made that wish. You killed us, and now we’ll kill you. So how does it feel to be heartbroken?” asked Matthew as he put his shoulder around the female pawn beside him. Alice felt tears again, they were all lies from the start. Matthew never loved her... Leonardo never meant any of those words... Gilbert never cared... They were never true from the first place, and it’s all because of her.

 

Maybe if she had never wished or get cursed, she wouldn’t have to suffer this much. Why was life so unfair?

“I-I’m sorry. It’s all my fault, I should have paid more attention.” she murmured as silent tears streamed down her cheeks. They were all lies... She was really all alone. Where did the real Matthew, Leonardo and Gilbert go? Alice slowly lost all hope, knowing her life was just a waste. Even if she got back, three of her friends wouldn’t be there.

“Now dear, words can’t fix everything, now can they?” said Arthur, “One must pay the price for what one has done.” Alice slowly looked up, crystal tears still streaming down her face. A simple game of human-size chess was all she needed to win before going home. Wiping her tears away, she nodded. “Good. I believe you know all the basics of chess, correct?” the Queen asked. Alice simply nodded quietly. “We have until the clocks strike twelve. If there has not been a checkmate, the one who has captured of killed the most pieces of the opposing team wins.” the British man explained.

“You are the king of your own kingdom.” added Oliver as he adjusted his hat with a smile. Again, Alice simply nodded in response.

“Without further ado, game start.” the Queen announced and the candles went dim.

 

♛ ♛ ♛

“Ladies first.” suggested Arthur like a gentlemen, but before he had a chance to say anything, one of Alice’s white pawns started screaming in horror. A terrible loud shriek that blasted their eardrums could be heard. It was a terrible wail of pain like the cry of a human. The pawn slowly jumped it’s way towards the end of the board, trying to escape. As soon as it jumped off, it disappeared, only leaving the bloody traces behind it. Did that mean those who forfeit will die automatically? The information suddenly transferred to Alice’s mind as she gasped in horror. What had she gotten herself into? From the corner of her eye, she could see a tiny movement on her left. She looked that way, only to see a white rook, moving on it’s spot.

“I warned you...” it whispered with a tiny voice. Alice’s eyes went wide. What that was the rook from the beginning? What if the rook really did try to warn her when she heard the little boy’s song. Alice felt hopeless, as she cried to herself, feeling foolish.

“...But your soul will be kept in a chess piece, and you will be part of my giant collection...” she remembered the Queen say. Alice finally understood. Right now, she was the king for all the souls trapped in a chess piece, playing for her, hoping to defeat the one who captured them. Alice took a deep breath, making the room go silent, only the sound of the clock could be heard. She looked up slowly, eleven fifteen. They had forty-five minutes before their hope is gone forever.

“Time is running out...” the bishop to her right whispered. Alice nodded and stared at the other forty-eight squares in front of them.

“Pawn! D6!” she shouted as one of the human-sized pawns slowly slid to the square labelled D6.

“Pawn, Matthew! D4!” directed Arthur. Matthew stepped forward, hockey stick ready. Alice thought for a while, trying not to make any mistakes.

“Pawn! C6!” Alice shouted in response.

“Knight, Deliciano! F3!” The Italian with the curl sticking out on it’s left jumped four squares, still wearing his innocent bloody smile.

“Pawn! E5!”

“Knight! E5!” Arthur instructed once more with a grin as Deliciano slowly walked over to the poor pawn on E5. Alice’s heart started to beat faster and faster, scared of what was going to happen. With a single bloody stab, the room was filled with the same horrifying cry of pain, leaving only blood pools on the chess board. Alice grew with fear, she was the white king. They were all targeting her. She gulped slowly, trying not to image herself in blood puddles.

“Pawn! E5!” she shouted after thinking for a while. The pawn slowly moved diagonally. As soon as it was right in front of Deliciano, a giant silver floating sword appeared beside the pawn. It was similar to the ones in the Medieval Ages. Deliciano smiled one last time, but a bitter-sweet one this time, before he felt the pain in himself and the red liquid ooze out. Something eventually dropped out of his body with a plop on the board. Alice looked at it, to her surprise, it was a liver. The poor Italian had a dumbfounded face as he disappeared, leaving only the bloody liver in the huge pool of blood. Alice was shocked, she had actually killed him. She had done what she thought was impossible!

“Pawn, Matthew! E5!” the British man broke her thoughts as she saw Matthew smile happily as he moved towards the poor pawn diagonally. His round glasses shined evilly as he lifted his hockey stick in the air and suddenly swinging it to the poor shaking pawn. The terrible wail of a child was heard as Alice shut her eyes and bent down, trying not to hear the poor pawn’s suffering. It screamed and cried with each hit, blood gushing out of it, until it finally disappeared. Matthew in the pool of blood while cleaning his hockey stick. Never in her life, had Alice seen Matthew as such a deadly person.

“Sorry...” she whispered sadly. “Queen! E5!” Alice shouted with a shaky voice, for she was scared of Matthew now. The British girl slowly watched in horror, as the white queen slid and held the exact same floating Medieval sword. Before Matthew had time to look up, the large weapon had already stabbed him in the heart, making him choke out blood and fill the room with a huge cry of pain before he vanished. That moment, it was like the sword had split Alice’s heart in half. She had killed the man who could’ve loved her. What if he actually did? Why was she hurting him again?! “NO!” she screamed with regret, finally realizing what she had done, but she was too late, for all was left were the pools of blood. This really was hell... Alice really did have feelings for the Canadian, but yet she killed him. Alice screamed in frustration, she wanted to leave this hell so badly, but it was too late for that.

IX : The Winner

♛ ♛ ♛

The game became more and more intense, with each kill, each move, each scream, each bloody body part that fell. Alice slowly started to panic more and more as she looked up at the clock: four to twelve. Alice had lost a lot of her chess pieces, only leaving Arthur with plenty. Alice shivered, no wonder he is the queen, he has the most power and he’s not targeted as much as Oliver, who was the black king.

“King, F6.” she told herself as she took one step to her left.

“Queen, F1.” Arthur began as he slowly walked up to his assigned square.

“King, E7.” Alice took a step back diagonally. Looking to her left, she saw two other black pawns that she knew too well: Gilbert and Leonardo, smirking at her as they stood in squares D7 and C7. They only snickered, finding something really amusing. Alice felt confused, had she done something wrong?

“Queen, E1.” Alice suddenly jumped at the sudden large move. Arthur simply walked across the checker board, each square bringing him closer to Alice. Her heart started beating really fast, she was trapped. Of course, she had several choices, but each led to her doom: she could go and kill Gilbert, the one who protected her since they got to Wonderhell; she could kill Arthur, who was waiting patiently, but get killed because the scary boy who wanted her eyes was diagonally from the Queen. Alice gulped at her last choice: take one step forward and get killed by the Queen. She was no doubt, surrounded, and she had failed to notice that earlier. She felt the pressure start to build as her forehead became sweaty as well as her hands. She was didn’t know what to do, knowing all moves could lead to death. Alice looked at Gilbert with sad eyes. She noticed he was smiling warmly at her, knowing she would kill him. A feeling of guilt shot her, she had bullied him too in the past. No, she didn’t want to kill Gilbert like how she killed Matthew, it was too much. No matter how true it might be that they were all lies, she still believed that once in their life, they were the real friends she knew. Alice clenched her teeth, thinking about how it was all her fault they suffered so much. The time was now one until twelve, giving her only one minute to make a move.

“Time is running out...” voices rang through her head repeatedly. She started to panic, not wanting to die all of a sudden. The ticking of the clock mixed with the voices and echoes, the sound of wails and cries filled her head they made her dizzy. So many emotions filled her: confused, lost, hopeless. Alice screamed in pain as the pressure was getting heavier. This really is hell... She started crying and wailing, trying to get the noises out of her head. It was as if her head could explode any second with brain parts and blood flying everywhere.

“King, E8!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, making the room and all the noises in her head silent. Slowly, Alice realized what she had said. Her heart started beating faster as she felt like screaming and stopping time. Alice tried to protest, trying to tell everyone she didn’t mean it, but she started taking a step towards the square in front of her. “NO!” she cried repeatedly, but she had no control over her body. Alice started crying and bawling as she soon was now standing on the square labelled E8. Only the dark laugh of Arthur could be heard.

“Queen, E8.” he chuckled and started making his way towards Alice, who was quivering with fear and hopelessness. “You lose, Alice. It was a fun challenging game but, I just can’t be simply beat.” pitied the Queen. “Now you know Alice, make the right choice, for you can’t go back in time...” Arthur continued, “Checkmate.” He lifted his Medieval sword in the air and slashed it down towards Alice. A sudden rush of pain shot through her neck, feeling liquid gush out and her bones crack. She chocked out some blood as her eyes went became wide with pain. She felt like screaming, except she could no longer scream. She gagged and felt numb from her neck down. There was another sudden pain in her chest as the cold metal stabbed right through her, leaving the blood exploding everywhere on the checker board. At the very end of the long blade was a pinkish-red object with several veins still attached to it. Alice slowly looked forward, only to see it was her ‘tomato’, still pumping at an enormous speed. The weapon suddenly pulled out, taking the organ with it, as it stabbed Alice again, except lower. The pain was unbearable as she saw her intestines fall out with blood fountains gushing out of them. Alice started to cry from all the pain, but she still couldn’t scream for help. She felt something grab her hair, as only her head was lifted up into the air. Arthur brought the girl’s head to his face as he chuckled with a wide mad grin. “This is FUN!” he laughed madly as he threw the poor head up into the air, sending it flying. The Queen raised his sword in an upright position as Arthur’s grin grew wider. Alice soon started to fall down towards the ground, due to gravity. But something stopped her from reaching the ground. Instead, she felt an enormous wave of pain shoot through her left eye. In her eye, was the long weapon that stabbed right through her eye and out the other side of her head, making a giant fountain of red liquid. Alice finally screamed, using all the power she had left, she wailed and cried blood as she wished she had never mistreated her friends. The blood slowly dripped on Arthur’s perfect face, only making him lick them off. This really is hell... Alice suddenly felt nothing, for all she could see was darkness.

X : The Rook

♛ ♛ ♛

Alice tried to open her eyes, but she had none to open. Where was she? Why didn’t she have any eyes? Somehow looking around, she saw that she was on a shelf of some sort, along with chess pieces placed carefully beside her. Everything was huge compared to Alice, or was it Alice was small compared to everything? She looked down, only to see she was a wooden white piece herself, no arms nor legs. It suddenly hit her:

“...But your soul will be kept in a chess piece, and you will be part of my giant collection...” she suddenly remembered Arthur say to her. Alice started to panic, was she trapped here forever?! She had to get out of here! But before she could do anything else, she heard it:

“I’m a little teapot, short and stout...” a familiar tiny voice sang. It sounded too familiar and evil. Alice tried to get a better look at where she was. Looking off the shelf, she saw that she was in a room, similar to hers, but a bit different. Suddenly, she saw a boy around her age with black hair and red squared classes start to make his way towards the sound. It was starting all over again.

“NO! DON’T GO!” Alice shouted, but nothing came out, for she had no mouth. Alice frantically tried to move herself, in order to get the poor child’s attention.

“Here is your tea and here are my fangs.” The boy gave a puzzled look as he started to walk towards the sound. Alice suddenly managed to get on her side, but she still wasn’t off the shelf. She needed to save him! She wasn’t able to save anyone before! Not even herself! “When you’re being mean I’ll take you there...” the little tune continued. Alice slowly forced herself to roll off the shelf, landing on the wooden floor with a clatter. Pain shot through her, but she didn’t care. But the boy had already left to the door, making Alice too late. Alice cried silently in her soul, she couldn’t help anyone, once again. “To be punished, like Alice in Wonderhell.” the song finished, leaving Alice hopeless and devastated in her soul as everything went blank and all that could be heard were the giggles of a young child.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 05.11.2014

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Widmung:
This would never have been possible without my great English teacher: Mr. Callan Thank you to my friends (the Editors): Rena Matthew Christina Lee Michelle Habiba Vallari Curtis Thank you to Hetalia for giving me so much inspiration. This story is based off of characters from hetalia, the best anime ever Thank you Hidekazu Himaruya And thank you to Corpse party for the gore inspiration and ideas. (and thank you to Sword Art Online also for the ending kill owo)