The Lost One in Alices' Garden
ARC 02 Clover Forest
Chapter 14 Memories: Nightmare Called Past
In the end, the trio left White's cabin, of course, after so much whining from Cheshire. To finish everything and so they could leave, Hatter dragged the cat, who pouted in protest.
"Hey..." Cheshire singularly took Alice's attention. "Is it really alright to leave him?" he asked while pulling himself together and starting to walk on his own. "You suspect him of being an Alice, yes?"
"Where is that idea coming from, anyway?" Hatter questioned.
The maiden didn't answer quickly, since even she didn't know if she should really believe in those dreams she was having; and yet, other than those, she had no evidence to hold. The Alice simply shrugged.
"One moment you're so sure, then suddenly you're unsure. Please make up your mind!"
"Hmm? What are you talking about?"
All of them halted. The two oldest had become really puzzled that they couldn't help blinking, showing that they had gotten even more confused.
"I never sure to whatever I am thinking. I'm not holding any grounds. I just do whatever I can do to keep myself moving." The girl continue her steps, "Right now, with the informations that I've got anyone can be an Alice. Another problem is how I can bring them with me, or if it's enough just to identify them and Elise will do the rest—" she pauses, 'I hope she's that kind of reliable.'
"Why not just destroy their world then?"
"How? Should I have Hatter use his ability to flatten White's place? I don't even know how I will destroy his world like you all saying. Elise only said that I just have to kick their asses out this world but how?" She sighs.
A hum, soft and almost quiet escape from someone's lips, his wings keeping him in the air, and his dark-blue eyes is staring down at the figure on the land just below him.
"Such a failure." A sickening grin appeared on the man, as blue aura coated his whole body. "too bad... really too bad."
As if a bullet strike their hearts, the Alice, Cheshire and Hatter stop on their tracks and swiftly turns on the source of malice. Freeze on their spot, their eyes witnesses how a blue light illuminating the area they came from.
"Burn away." Tears dampens winged-knight's face as malice overwhelms him. His face contorted in happiness showed with sickening grin as blue flames scorching everything below.
A petal falls out from the roses arranged into vase that placed on the work table, seeing this the Queen's eyes narrows.
Malicious laugh echoes throughout the sky above White's (used to be) paradise. Everything he took care, all he built are now turning into ashes and he couldn't do anything but to watch this painfully.
"What I've done to suffer?" He murmured silently, tears flows nonstop, and hands are fisting the soil below him.
"Die Bandersnatch!!!"
The blue flames consumes all.
"You've been abandoned! You were not wanted! Don't cry! You're just a trash that threw here!"
The child continues to cry with broken sobs and nonstop stream of tears as these words being throw on him heartlessly. He has bruises all over his arms, legs and body, wearing a shirt made in rugs and shorts; from his expose body parts can clearly see malnutrition and great abuse.
"___ta curse your fate for letting you suffer!" The headmaster of the orphanage continue, doesn't care how much painful those words to the child.
"What I've done to suffer?!" the child question.
Indeed, it's a big question as of why the headmaster could say such a thing to an eight-year-old child. He must suffer in pain for what? Why he should endure such pain? He doesn't know anything about himself, about the world outside this orphanage. He was always being punished for things he knew he never did; one small weak accusation from other kids always leads to unbearable punishments.
He always begging for food.
Begging for forgiveness.
Begging for one simple rest.
Begging for his life.
But none of this ever given to him.
It's so unfair: he always thinks
The other kids never experience his pain, and they living their lives like kids should.
It's so unfair.
What did he done to deserve such ill treatment?
Ain't everyone here are the same?
They are all abandoned.
Never been wanted.
Yet they are allowed to cry; and when they cry the adults are always there to console and comfort them.
The battered child wanted that, but they won't give it to him.
"Why? I just want to feel that I'm also a human."
"Human, you say? You're not!" the headmaster stomps the child's head with his foot and crash it onto the cemented floor of the cell. "Trashes will never become human! Don't hope for something unattainable!"
How he can say that?
How did the headmaster conclude that he isn't a human?
What's the difference between him and the other kids?
Why the Headmaster hate me so much?
"What I've done to suffer?"
"Probably—" a distant voice reaches him. "Nothing... you're just unfortunate to be in wrong place and wrong time, Arata."
White shut open his eyes, waking up from that excruciating dream.
His heterochromatic eyes found the night sky beautifully that he completely forgotten that dream.
'Dream? Did I dream?' he asks internally.
He feels his bed, it was made of gathered dry leaves, which made a very low rustic noise every move he makes, that noise is enough to get the attention of the closest person to him.
"Ahhh~ you're finally awake Bandersnatch!" Cheshire sitting not far away, with him is Hatter, who just took a bite of a fruit on his hand, and the other is the nameless maiden who turns to his direction upon hearing the cat. The trio were surrounding their only light for that night.
"If you can move, come here to eat." Hatter said, munching on his crunchy fruit.
Upon sitting up does he realize that they are in the forest, his eyes then widen. "MY HOUSE!!!" he unintentionally screams at them.
"Your house?"
"Have you forgotten?"
"It burned down to ashes... nothing, not a single soul has been left alive."
"My house... my place... my world..." have fell apart.
He lost the only place he calls home.
A fruit was shoves on his cheek, bringing him back to their reality. White stare blankly at her, tears threatening to fall.
"Calm down and listen; White you have two choices." He blinks in puzzlement. "One: stay here and rebuild everything. Of course, we won't help you, we're busy people, but if you stay here there's a fat chance that the culprit will back, either to kill you or make you kill. The other choice is..." She placed the fruit on the lad's hand. "Come with us."
"Wh-what are you talking about?! I'm known as ferocious monster, on top of that I almost eat you! Aren't you scare that I might attack you again?! Are you out of your mind?!"
"We're all mad here~ so go on." A mysterious smile shows to him by the girl, he cannot comprehend what is that smile means.
"Huh?"
"If you attack, you'll make Hatter happy."
That confuses him more. He glances at Hatter who is still eating, and sensing the other's stare the hatter lays sight. White stiffen witnessing a menacing grin.
The nameless girl narrows her eyes as she went back to the time, they felt the malice.
White anguish wail makes him completely deaf, failing to hear the noise coming from above, the malevolent laugh of the culprit.
His wails have stopped all sudden which the winged knight noticed amidst his maniacally and devilishly laugh, making him quite.
The knight scans the place beneath but fail to find the poor lad. He frowns and wings flops creating a strong wind but not enough to die down the fire. He flew around the forest searching for the lad, hoping to throw him back on his burning paradise.
Three pair of eyes watches the flying knight passes where they are. She sighs in relief when the knight didn't find them. Cheshire and her are standing not far away from White's place; while Hatter is carrying the unconscious lad on his back.
Thanks to Cheshire's ability they able to avoid facing the twisted bird knight, of course Hatter is against in the idea of hiding and escape but a quick reasoning from the other two plus a little moment of quarreling between him and the cat, ended up agreeing to them.
With one last gaze on the lad's place the maiden jogs away, following her companions.
As soon as they convince that the knight were not on their tails, they settle down and prepares for the night. White doesn't show any signs of waking up, even after Cheshire slapping his cheeks many times.
"Stop playing with the patient Cheshire..." She exasperatedly said.
"I'm just checking if he's already dead." Cheshire geedily response, continuing his game.
"You know that's impossible bastard." Hatter disagreed, with scowl on his face.
"Aha~ The little di—fairy talks again~" Cheshire let go of Bandersnatch.
"BASTARD! DID YOU JUST SAY MY—"
The girl plug her ears with fingers censoring that certain word.
"—SMALL?!"
"Hah? Aren't you imagining things Little fairy?! My cute lips would never say such a vulgar word!"
"No, you just did." She mumble almost silently after unplugging her ears.
"CUTE LIPS YOU SAY?! SHOULD I—" Again, she plugs her ears.
'Haaahh~~ peaceful nee~~' yep, this peaceful for her, unfortunately these kinds of quarrels of the two has become normal for her, she even gets scare how she gotten so used on it, making her shiver. 'This two really have so much energy.' she sighs knowing the show of this comedy duo will lasted for hours. Not that she's complaining—no, actually it's the opposite, she enjoying their shows, it's totally entertaining and by just watching them makes all the tension sweep away.
That's what happened three days ago.
"Really, if you still won't wake up today, we'll leave you alone, free to be eaten by other creatures."
"That's what he said, but the decision will fall to Kitten."
"Kitten?" Cheshire point his mouth to their shortest member, following with his eyes, his jaw drop; he can't believe she was called Kitten, top of that she doesn't mind it... or does she?
"Don't ask." She actually is. He only nodded.
"So, umm... where will you go next?"
"Before that, you haven't answer Kitten's question."
"Ah right..." White remembers the choices she gave him, "sorry."
"Whatever, so? Will you come with us or you prefer to stay here?"
White open his mouth but close it later, going quiet while thinking what choice he must take. Unsure if he could trust them, but they save him, isn't that enough?
"Hey~" Cheshire voice stop his train of thoughts "You thinking too much!" Bandersnatch apologize.
"Is—It is really alright if I come with you?"
"No problem."
"Try killing us, I'll be happy to play with you."
"I-I see..."
"Then it's settled."
White nodded shyly, also little scare of Hatter.