[A/N: Here! Finally! -huffs- Whew. Sorry it took some time for me to post... and formatting took forever! Please correct my errors, I know there are a lot. Anyone who reviews will earn cookies from moi!] 

Alice Who Lives Under the Rabbit Hole; Ch. 3  

Alice meets Deception 

She sat there, at the table, after what seemed to be an eternity of decision and conflict. She gingerly held the dainty teacup to her lips as the boy she had just met devoured the leftovers delivered at her door - their door - while she nibbled at the confections he so generously offered to her... in exchange for the sordid food that was supposed to be her dinner.  

Not that she had much to complain about, though – she couldn't really stomach the food and she had been fasting for three days straight – but it did unnerve her that he was eating it so heartily, with an arm around his plate, as if someone might yank it away from him. He ate as if the food had no taste and it was merely a way to fill up, which, in reality, is the case.  

She watched him eat despite herself, crumbs all over his smooth cheeks.  

Her mind wandered to the past events which lead to this little episode. 

The shadow loomed closer to the sleeping child.  

It grinned. 

She ran. 

When she had reached the table, the shadow had dispersed; the knife nowhere to be seen. Its grin was imprinted on her mind. It suspended itself inside there for a long time. The shadow grinned – it grinned, despite its facelessness, it grinned! 

Her face contorted in fear as she looked around, afraid that the shadow might have not actually gone, but was instead waiting; waiting for her to turn and look, waiting to stab her to death. She feared death. But what have I got to live for? She wondered. Have I even got my own life? 

The boy slept still, drowning in his own sweet, dark trance. 

She reached out to touch him, a nagging desire overwhelming her senses, curiosity getting the better of her. 

His eyes fluttered open, subtle breath hitching inside his lungs for a moment. He exhaled, eyes half-mast, directed at the girl. He shifted frantically on his seat, almost falling off from the force he had stirred with, face reflecting the self-same fear she felt. No words escaped his parted lips.  

He stared at the girl, bewildered. 

It was as if she forgot how to speak, although she, in truth, was quite articulate. But no words came out of her, either. And they stared at each other for a long time, just like that, without saying a thing. Suddenly, the boy laughed, exasperated. He laughed an unbridled laughter, the music of his relief. 

“So you’ve come.” 

“Pardon me?” she blinked at him, astonished that he could speak. 

“So you’ve come,” he repeated, a bit slower this time, the smile still on his lips. He wondered whether the girl was intellectually competitive or not. “The chains are broken,” 

“Yes,” came the confused reply. “What of them?" 

But he did not answer her question. He just smiled.  

He motioned her to sit down. 

“Who are you?” she asked. The boy chuckled at her. 

“Who are you?” he asked her back, and she couldn’t answer that. She herself didn’t know. Or did she? 

Who was she? 

“No one really has an answer to those kinds of questions, you know?” And he laughed once again. 

Her face coloured deeply at the sound of his voice; still high-pitched due to his extreme youth, but nevertheless mellow and cool, as if granting a hint of the wisdom he had that was way beyond his years. But she wasn’t going to make herself look foolish, not at all. And so she spoke. 

“I do believe that what you are saying is different from what I have asked you,” she stated calmly. She meant for it to be polite, but it came out somewhat rude. The latter only grinned in response. 

“Humour me, mademoiselle.” he mocked. 

She felt her face grow warm. Obviously, he’d seen through her little trick. “I-I asked you for your name,” 

He smirked in victory. “I do believe that you’re contradicting yourself, miss; who was stating something different from what they were asked?” 

Her brows furrowed. Her little mouth was pulled down by a frown. On the other hand, he seemed to enjoy her humiliation. “Shame, shame,” he placed a hand over his mouth, covering his little smile. She didn’t speak.  

His smile stretched further into a grin. 

The soft chiming of a bell tinkled through their ears. 

The girl rose up. “It’s time for dinner,” she said coldly, looking down on the marble floors as if it were the most interesting thing in the world, “I may be becoming a bother to you, sir. Now, if you would excuse me–” 

“Wait!” he rose from his chair, grabbing her tightly about the wrist, “Please,” he uttered in subtle panic, eyes soft and pleading. “Please stay,” 

She stood at her place, astounded once again, the boy still clutching at her. 

She turned her back at him nevertheless. 

“Gil!” he yelped. “My name is Gil. Gilbert Nightray,”  

The silence that passed them was thick. 

The grip on her wrist loosened a little. He bowed his head in repentance, light hair covering his teal orbs. 

“That’s a very nice name, Gil. I do wish I had one to present to you, too.” 

He lifted his face up. He was hopeful. But his bright expression faltered into one of confusion. 

“You haven’t a name, then?”  

“Truth be told, I am quite envious of you,” 

“But... how could that be?” 

“It is as it is.” 

He grimaced. She smiled apologetically. 

An idea popped into his head. 

“I shall name you!” he declared, once again very lively, “And then you shall have your own name, and I’d have something to call you upon with,”  

“Name me? I do have a name. I just do not know what it is,” his brows furrowed. “For now,” 

He sighed. “But I... by... what... shall I call you?” 

She shrugged, a small smile still playing on her pink lips, “I do not know,” 

“I shall call you Alice, then.” 

A pained expression crossed the girl’s face for a moment. It went unnoticed, though.  

“Alice? Why?” 

“I don’t know, either. It just suits you,” and he smiled. She smiled. They both smiled. 

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the room. 

“Bravo, bravo! You sure are getting along well,” The snide tone that came with this sarcastic remark was painfully familiar. 

“A-alicchino!" The girl stuttered, the fear rising into her belly once again. The boy remained calm, much to her surprise. 

“Yes, dearest,” he strode towards the two children. “Isn’t it nice to see me?” his smouldering amethyst orbs locked onto hers, the white strands of his hair gleaming under the afternoon sun. His face was extremely young, on contrary to the shade of his tresses. His full lips had on them the sneer which she had so loathed, the sneer which corrupts him further than he already is; the sneer which makes her remember what fear truly is. His hands were in the pockets of his pure white ensemble, the silver of the shoulder guards and chains connecting it to the stigma of a funeral wreath on his chest glimmering majestically.  

His upturned eyes went from her to the boy. “What have we here?” He studied his face well as he rubbed his chin. “Tell me, ‘Alice’...do you like this new acquaintance of yours?” 

“N-no,” she edged away, shoulders shaking intensely. The boy’s eyes widened.  

“Oh... rejection feels pretty awful, no?” The way his voice actually crooned wanted him to make this man have a taste of what awful really feels like. He clenched his fists and held them firmly against his sides, glaring at the stranger. The man just grinned, like he did before, and put an arm lazily around his neck, pulling him closer.“You coward,”he whispered in his small ear, “To put up such a brave front like that. You deceitful little dastard,” The boy glared daggers at him. “I do hope you’d be careful,” he called out at her, “He’s not as perfect as he looks,” 

“If he isn’t perfect, then does that mean that you’re imperfect as well?”  

The man’s face contorted darkly.  

The girl gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth, taken aback by her own words. 

She defied him; her master. 

She felt afraid of what might come next. 

The man laughed a hearty laugh, unnerving her out of her musings. “Of course not,” and he faded from sight, just as the shadow did a few moments back, “but do remember, such rebellious behaviour will not be overlooked nor taken lightly,”  

Before he disappeared entirely, he shoved the boy towards her. They fell into a heap of entwined limbs and clothing, flustered and flabbergasted by this sudden closeness.  

“Ciao.” 

Warm tears slid down her crestfallen face. 

The boy held her close to his chest, not really sure of what to do. “T-there, there,” he patted her back quite awkwardly, “It’s alright. He’s gone. No one’s going to hurt you now,”  

She hiccupped lightly, still sniffling. The boy smiled at her warmly. 

“Let’s go get something to eat–” 

“DINNER IS SERRRVED! – Eh!” an elegantly dressed, handsome black rabbit came bouncing into the miniature doorway. He held a platter in one paw, and a small, green box in the other. He held out the platter to the girl. “For the mademoiselle, eh,”  

He bounced towards the boy. “For the young monsieur, eh,” and the rabbit bounced away without a word. “ENJOY YOUR MEAL! – Eh!” he shouted proudly when he reached the door. He closed it with a loudthud and click, meaning it was locked.  

And so they sat in the table to eat. 

And eat they did. 

He asked her frantically if they could exchange meals, despite the obvious special treatment the boy was receiving from the master. He insisted to have mouldy bread and stale wine instead of the sweet confections he was presented with, mysteriously. The girl, of course, curious about his behaviour, asked him why. 

“It was poisoned,” he stated nonchalantly, “I didn’t want to die just yet.” 

The girl’s eyes widened. 

The box of sweets slowly fell onto the ground.