Neil has been watching her for years... his little lost Alice. He often sees her wandering the forests at night, trying to clear her head. That doesn’t bother him as much as the tears staining her cheeks and the bruises coloring her perfect complexion.

Her mother. He growls, watching her stray from the path... the path he made her when they were younger.

Of course, she wouldn’t remember him, or how the path came to be. She isn’t supposed to. He was forced to wipe her memory when they were young, for her own protection.

From then on, she was under his watch.

They can’t find her. He’s desperate to keep her safe.

"Oh Alice..." he whispers. To keep a better eye on her, he joins her father’s cause. Yes, he is an errand boy, and yes, he is treated like , but does he care? No. this is all for her. One day she will be his. One day he will be able to steal her away. One day, but not today.

It’s not safe today.

So, for now, he sits back and watches.

His day will come soon.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Those eyes, they haunt her. The deep chocolate depths spin her subconscious until she feels almost sick. There are so many emotions buried behind those eyes. Anger, misery, hurt, betrayal, desperation, and... Love?

Lying awake in her bed, she absently pets at the bunnies head softly.

'Those eyes... where have i seen them before?' she wonders quietly, peering out of her window silently. Lying there, she watches the sun float higher, the birds swinging by her window, singing cheerfully. As the sun rises, the shadow of the tree by her window grows. She closes her eyes for a second, opening them again. Her eyes start burning from staring to long, deep in thought.

When she opens her eyes, she is met with a figure. He is sitting in the branches of her tree, sitting back and just watching her. His eyes. She eeps, jumping up. She rubs her eyes roughly, before opening them again. He wasn’t there. Groaning, she throws herself back against her pillows tugging at her hair.

 

"I’m going nuts... he wasn’t actually there..." she whispers to herself, his eyes burning behind her eye lids.

THEYRE THE SAME...

Slowly, she hesitantly turns her head to look back out of the window, her heart thundering. Was she really hallucinating? Was he really there?

Yes.

The branches, they are bent slightly with strain from weight. But where had he gone?! Looking to the ground, she looks around desperately, her curiosity getting the better of her. She winces as she feels the sting of her body resisting her movement. She ignores it, wanting to see the boy again. There had been something about him, a sadness that was driving her wild. Why was he so sad?

As if sensing her desperation, she catches a glimpse of some movement at the edge of the forest. Her heart thunders when she sees him. He smiles at her, his smile weak and sad.

"Alice..." he whispers, his voice coming as a breeze to her. She freezes. How come no one else sees him?

There are maids outside!

 

And how come no one else seems to hear him? He clearly just said her name.

 

"Go back to sleep my Alice..." he whispers, his chocolate eyes melting. They capture her. She shakes her head stubbornly, her eyes narrowing at him. He chuckles, looking around, as if to check if anyone else has noticed him yet.

 

"Not yet, my Alice..." he pauses, a look of pain shadowing his bright features.” It’s not time yet." with that, he vanishes, as if into thin air. Alice had been watching the entire time, but even she couldn’t understand what had just happened. He just... vanished, disappeared, and went POOF in a seemingly unnoticeable cloud of purple smoke.

 

The next few days are blank. Alice stays home, sneaking into the forest, looking for her mysterious figure. Why does he seem so familiar? Shaking it off, she finds herself following trails through the forest she never knew existed… or she doesn’t remember… she has a tendency of doing that. Forgetting, much likes her mother’s birthday. She never remembers that, but that just makes her giggle. Why should she care about that woman? She beats her.

Sighing, she follows the endless trails. Is she even near the house anymore? Where is she? Fearfully, she watches as the shadows grow, and the grey turns to black. She no longer has the light of the sun, the moons rays not touching the forest floors.

In the far off distance, there is a low howl. She winces, hearing the howls grow closer, the soft padded sounds echoing through the hollow areas between the trees. Unable to see anything, she wanders from the trails, jumping and crying softly when a sound comes to close. She watches the shadows in fear, shaking as small critters become large beasts in the dark of the night.

A snake hisses, a fox growls, and her heart stops.

What will happen to her? Will she find her way home?

Not this time… she thinks to herself. As the wolves howls get closer, she presses herself against a tree, closing her eyes hard. In hopes that she goes unnoticed, she holds her breath, holding perfectly still. They won’t notice her when she isn’t moving, right?

Wrong.

Just ten or so feet away, there is a stiff growl. Alice winces, slowly opening her eyes, afraid of what she will see. Standing just off to her side is a large alpha wolf. She freezes, a soft whimper passing her lips. The wolf’s eyes narrow, growling lowly, sitting back in its hunches, ready to pounce.

As the wolf stands there, the rest of the pack gathers around, surrounding her. Alice places her hand over her heart; she can feel it slamming against her hand. PANG PANG PANG, like pistons in a car, pumping hard. Her breath shallows, in fear of being too loud and startling the wolves. She feels her hand shaking while holding her chest; she can only imagine how badly the rest of her body is shaking.

Her legs give out, bringing her down to her knees, striking the wolves attention on her. The alpha snarls, jumping closer. Now he is only two feet away, his razor teeth shining in the black of the shadows.

Slowly, she closes her eyes, as the wolf stalks ever closer. Soon, she can feel its hot breath fanning across her skin, making her shiver.

Swallowing, she waits for her fate.

Seconds later, there is a yelp and another growl, the hot breath leaving her skin abruptly. Surprised, her eyes pop open. Above her is a tall figure, his features fuzzy in the dark. Looking around, she realizes that the wolves are retreating slowly, growling at him.

Slowly, he turns to her, kneeling before her shaking body.

“Alice?” he whispers. “Oh my Alice” he coos, taking her face in his hands, his touch soft and soothing. She is surprised at how safe she feels here with him holding her. Slowly, he draws her into his arms.

“Your Alice?” she croaks a bit, her voice gone. He smiles sadly.

“You still don’t remember me, huh? That means it really worked… I thought you recognized me for a minute there.” He whispers, lifting her easily into his arms. Alice blinks, confused.

“Who are you?” he smiles, his white smile gleaming like the wolves.

“I’m Niel, your protector. Ready to go?” he hums, his voice ringing like that of an angels. The sound automatically makes Alice smile, memories of a smaller boy singing to her in these woods filling her mind. She had often dreamt of this boy, but she could never see his face, only his voice.

“To where?” she asks, melting into his arms. She’s safe now. She’s home. He grins, kissing the top of her head.

“Home, to wonderland my dear Alice.” He says sweetly before stepping down a hole in the ground nearby, dropping quickly. Surprised by the rush, Alice clings to him. He chuckles as they land safely, taking her to a door.

He sets her down, swinging the door open, showing her the world of her dreams.

“Alice, welcome home… welcome to wonderland!”