...
There was a total of 4 survivors beside the girls.
Gakupo, a purple hair teenager who inserts swords and knives in his mouth. He was disfigured with cuts and burns.
Oliver, a golden hair teenager who was deaf and blind in one eye. He was usually in charge of a game booth.
CUL, a red hair teenager who is a beast tamer. She had a donkey tail on her lower back and ears sewn on top of her head.
The last one was tiny Lapis. She was known as Fairy for her height (3 feet) though in reality she was 13 years old.
"Now what?" Lapis asked.
"Who knows." Gakupo said.
"We leave." CUL said. "There's no point in staying, we are free."
"She has a point." Luka said.
"But like Miku-nee said, there is no place for us to go" Alice said through Blood.
"Well first, we should leave before the forest is burned" Meiko pointed out.
She was right, the circus was burned and the fire continued as it spread to the nearby trees.
"Good point, let's go" Gakupo said.
The children followed him out of the forest.
"Hiss." Don talked to Alice.
"Is that a new one?" Oliver asked. Since he was deaf, he learned how to lip read to understand what other asked.
Alice nodded as she only payed attention to Don.
"Um, this snake says he knows a place where we can stay for the night." Alice said through Blood. "This snake belongs to Nii-san and he works under a young lord. He can take us in for the night."
"You have a brother Alice?" Luka asked.
"A young Lord? Are you sure Alice-chan?" Gakupo asked doubtful. "We are not the best company."
"Plus how do you know if he can take us in?" CUL asked.
"Hisss"
"Nii-san worked at a circus before the young lord took him in. And the young lord already came. He was in today's show. He said he'll help us."
"Well I don't believe it." CUL said crossing her arms.
"Why not, it's not like we have any other choice. We'll go and check and if we can't, we'll leave." Gakupo said firmly.
"It doesn't hurt to try." Luka said.
"...Fine." CUL reluctantly agreed.
"Let's go. Don will lead the way." Alice said as the snake lead them to Phantomhive manor.
...
"Oh my." Queen Victoria said as she heard Ciel's report. "Well we can't have that. I'll have a shelter for them soon. Have this circus removed at once."
"Yes, your majesty." Ciel said as him and his servants bowed.
The door opened.
"Your majesty! The forest where Dark Woods Circus is in is burning!" A servant said. "Witnesses state that the whole circus burned to the ground. They are currently looking for survivors."
All Snake could think of was his sister's smiling face.
...
Gakupo whistled - impressed at the manor.
Lapis had wide eyes. "So fancy."
"It's huge!" Meiko said.
Luka scolded them. "Hush it's night time, you might wake them up. It's not a good impression."
"Yes Luka-nee." The two girls said in union. Gakupo just nodded.
"Hello? Who are you?" Finny came in rubbing his eye sleepily. "I'm sorry. Guests are not allowed in. The master is not inside. Please come back tomorrow." He yawned.
Don slithered up to him. "Wahhh! It's Mr.Snake's snake!" Finny picked him up.
Alice stepped forward. "He is my Nii-san. I came looking for him and the young lord he works for." Alice said through Julius.
"Wah, you really do look like Mr.Snake! He never told us he had a sister. You have snakes too! Like your big brother!" Finny said in awe as all of Alice's snakes peeked under her cape.
"So may we stay for the night?" Alice asked.
"Eh, your mouth isn't moving! But the snake is! Yet I can hear your voice clearly!" Finny said in fascination.
"Alice can do ventriloquist." Luka explained.
"Woah that's so cool!" Finny then invited them inside when Meiko sneezed, she got cold in the night air.
The circus performers stood amazed at how the manor looked in the inside. A grand staircase stretched towards them. Many paintings and vases that looked expensive scattered through the manor. Damn this is one rich lord.
"We'll have you sleep in the guest rooms!" Finny said.
Meyrin and Bard entered the room from the kitchen.
"Oi, Finny you know the rule. No guests when young master is out." Bard said as he lighted a cigar.
"I know but look! This is Mr. Snake's little sister!" Finny pointed at Alice who occupied herself by introducing herself and her snakes to her brother's snakes. "Her name is Alice-chan!"
Alice looked up as her name was called.
"She really does look like Snake, yes she does." Meyrin exclaimed as she saw the similarities.
"Oh no....more snakes." Bard muttered. His fear of the reptiles still remained strong.
"I apologize for the intrusion." Luka said. Might as well speak for the group as she was the most mature. "Our...home, was recently burned. So, if it isn't too much of a bother, we would like to stay a night. We're circus performers so we will try to pay back."
"Oh my, I apologize for your loss." Meyrin said.
"No need." CUL said. "We hated the place. How do you think we got these?" She pointed at their deformities.
The servants went wide eyed.
"We are glad it got burned." She continued.
"That's enough CUL." Gakupo said. The two then had a glaring/staring match.
"Ho ho ho." Tanaka, in full form said from the top of the staircase. "Well we'll welcome you for a night. It will be up to the young master to what will happen next."
"Thank you very much." Luka said. The other performers followed her lead, unless they want to be smacked by her. Luka is the mother figure of the group. Soon they introduced themselves to the servants as they returned the greeting.
Tanaka clapped his hands and the other servants straighten their backs. "Have our guests in a guest room."
"Yes sir!" The servants then showed them to their guest rooms.
...
"And this will be your room." Meyrin said as she showed Alice her room.
The snakes immediately slithered in while Snake's snakes stayed in Alice's arms.
"Thank you."
"It's not a problem at all, not at all." Meyrin left to go back into her own room to retire the night.
The room was large and spacious with silk blankets and curtains. A window that viewed the garden was decorated in silver. It also had a desk carved to perfection with a matching chair.
"So...big." Alice said without moving her mouth. She was just used to the act that she always unconsciously did it.
She left the door slightly open for her brother's snakes to leave when they want.
Alice looked up when Vivaldi hissed. She was always the elder sister figure to her. The female snake always took care of her in a way a mother would do. Alice nodded and climbed on the bed.
It feels...weird. After living in the circus for so long, you get used to the metal floor of your cage. On a luxurious bed like this, it's like a dream.
Snake's snakes were by the window waiting for their master to return. Alice's snakes were on her bed enjoying the warmth they are all emitting. Soon, Alice fell into a deep sleep.
...
Ciel frowned as he and his servants made their way home. They visited the circus, or what was left of it. By the time the reached it, citizens were almost done with removing the fire. They had found no survivors and carried any bodies that "survived" away.
Ciel ordered Sebastian to have the bodies examined and find anything useful.
Snake didn't utter a word as he was struck with the thought his sister that he was finally reunited with, disappeared from his grasp once again.
They quickly made home once they did an investigation. Ciel sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration. So much for a happy ending.
Tanaka greeted them when they entered the door.
"Welcome home young master. Hope everything went well."
Snake's snakes slithered towards their master.
"We have guests tonight."
Ciel raised an eyebrow.
"They are circus performers."
Well, guess there was survivors after all.
"How many?" Ciel asked.
"Seven my Lord."
"Alice is one of them." Snake reported as his snakes told him. "Says Oscar."
"We'll work this in the morning." Ciel said. He was too tired to deal with this.
"Yes my Lord." His servants said. "Says Oscar." Snake added.
They all retired for the night.
...
Alice woke up to the sound of her snakes hissing. Sebastian entered the room ready to wake her up. The snakes immediately hissed not wanting the strange man to be near their mistress.
"Good morning. The young lord requested to see you before breakfast" The butler said bowing.
Alice nodded as she rubbed her eyes. She climbed out of bed and smoothed the wrinkles of her clothes.
"No need to do that. I shall do it after I lead you to the young lord's office." Sebastian said as he noticed the girl was about to make the bed.
Alice nodded and followed Sebastian when her snakes latched themselves onto her.
"Will Nii-san be there?" Alice asked through Julius.
"No, he will be helping the other servants with breakfast for our guests."
They didn't say any more as they walked through the manor.
"Come in." Was heard when Sebastian knocked on the door.
Sebastian opened the door and let Alice walk in first as he closed the door behind him.
"Good morning." Alice said when Ciel greeted her.
"I need you to tell me exactly what happened last night."
Alice nodded and began her tale.
After explaining what happened last night, Ciel grew a headache. Well karma got the ringmaster back, hard. He sipped his tea in effort to lessen the headache.
Alice busied herself by stroking Julius who gladly accepted the affection.
Ciel sighed. "Well after breakfast, your fellow performers will move into their new place. The Queen had set up a shelter for them as soon as she heard my report. They will be able to live there and work for a living. You will work here alongside the other servants."
Alice nodded. She will have to say goodbye to her friends. "Will I get to visit them...right?"
"Of course. Now introduce me your snakes and their...talents." Ciel asked. He needed to know her snakes so it will benefit him in future cases.
Alice nodded and had all snakes in front of her.
"This is Julius." Alice pointed at a navy snake which had a clock like birthmark on the underbelly. "He is great as a guard. And his venom will paralyze a victim within 10 seconds and it will last for 4 hours at most."
"This is Ace." A brown snake with tints of red mixed in, hissed. "He has the most powerful venom within my snakes. No antidote because it works too fast. You will die within moments of being bitten. Fast and skilled too. He's a knight." Alice smiled at her inside joke.
"Vivalidi is my only female." A snake with a red bow hissed. She is a red snake with hints of white and black. "She is quick and graceful. She can give you a hypnotic stare. But it drains her energy so it's rare when she uses it. She's also a big sister to me."
"Blood is a pervert." Alice deadpan. Her snakes seemed amused as the white and red snake hissed in protest. "But his venom will put the victim in a deep sleep for hours depending on the age. He's fast and dangerous. Like a mafia leader." She giggled.
"This is Dee and Dum!" She said as twin black snakes hissed. "Dee has blue eyes and Dum has red eyes. They can communicate each other telepathically. They can get violent with their victims since they are young."
"Elliot," A thick, brown snake hissed, "is great for attacking. His poison will have the victim in pain for a few hours. He's also has strong grip."
"Pierce," Another brown snake hissed but he was smaller than the group, "is great at tracking. He likes to hide things in the dirt. He is also shy." She added when the snake slithered towards her.
"Nightmare's venom can lead one to a coma unlike Blood's venom." Alice said as a silver snake hissed. "He's also has a delicate health."
"That one is Lizard." She pointed at a black snake hissing at Nightmare. "He takes care of Nightmare. Lizard is quick and silent. Deadly and venomous. His poison will have the victim dead within minutes but they will be in pain."
She sighed when Ace began provoking Lizard. "Those two are competitive against each other." She said tiredly and began smacking them while Vivalidi looked extremely amused.
Ciel and Sebastian awkwardly waited for her to continue the introduction.
"This is Peter." A white snake with ruby red eyes hissed at them then made his way towards Alice. "He doesn't like to socialize much. But he is great at attacking and defending when needed to. He's also good at spying."
"That's Boris." A dark purple and black snake hissed. "He is a prankster and toys with his victims before going for the kill." She said this so calmly that Ciel had to raise an eyebrow. "If you get bitten by him, you will get...hulu?"
"Hulu?" Ciel asked.
"I don't know how to pronounce the word." She nervously said. "Images in head? Like crazy? Hulu."
"Hallucination?" Sebastian asked.
Alice nodded. "Yes, that. And that's Gowland." She pointed at a red and brown snake with diamond pattern. "If caught in his grip, consider yourself dead."
"Finally, these are my other twin snakes." She lifted red snakes from her pocket. "This is White." The one with white eyes hissed. "This is Black." The black eye snake hissed. "They are jokers. Sadistic things they are. Both like slow and painful deaths. They have venom that can torture victims for days yet stay alive."
Ciel and Sebastian took a few moments to let the information sink in. What strange reptiles they are.
"And that's it." Alice said through White.
Ciel took a deep breath. "They would be very useful in the future. One more thing." He folded his hands under his chin and leaned in. "Snake told me you disappeared at the age of 5. You were last seen in your room. Four years later, you are now found in the circus. What happened."
Alice shifted nervously and chewed on her lip. "Um...I am not sure you would believe me but..." She sighed and looked Ciel in the eye, determined. "That night, I got kidnapped by a man with rabbit ears. He then took me to the forest where there was a large hole. He jumped in with me in his arms. I closed my eyes as I thought I would die. But I didn't. When I opened my eyes. We weren't in the forest. We were in a tower. He said, "Welcome to Wonderland." He took me into a different world."
Ciel narrowed his eyes. He didn't like to be lied to. This story is sounding too far fetched. He glanced at his Demon butler.
Sebastian smirked and shook his head. The girl is not lying.
Ciel focused on the girl. The snakes were once again under her cape. "Alright continue."
White's mouth continued to move as Alice continued the story. "The man forced me to drink a potion. One that forced me to stay in Wonderland and play a game. In order to go back home, I must complete the game. The vial that held the potion would be the key. It would refill itself the more I interact with people in Wonderland. Specifically role holders." She took a moment to catch her breath. "The world was divided into two types of people: Faceless and role holders. Faceless were people with no faces. They were pawns. Role holders had a face, they had a role in the world. The place was in a three way war. It was always filled with violence. I stayed in the neutral territory in the beginning. It was the Clock Tower where the Clock Repair Man lived. His name was Julius and he let me stay in his tower. He explained many things to me. I am forever grateful to him. Julius was a role holder and he fixed clocks. I learned that the clocks he repaired were actually hearts of the people who live there..."
"Hearts?" Ciel asked.
Alice nodded. "When someone is killed or their time runs out, that person will die but a body is not left behind. It's a clock. Once that clock is fixed, a new person will be born with no memories of the previous life. They are replaced. Julius explained to me that it is common if a loved one die, that person will be replaced and no one will care. I was very scared and sad. Instead of heartbeats, you can hear and feel a clock ticking in their chests." She placed both her hands over her heart. "Julius said that I was what is called an 'Outsider' and that I must be careful. Since I am special, meaning I can not be replaced, it is common that those around me will fall for me and love me."
"But you are a child..." Ciel muttered in slight disgust.
Alice nodded. "It won't matter apparently." She sighed. "I still have a beating heart. So Julius warned me about it because I wanted to go home. I wanted to be with Nii-san again. I wouldn't make any progress if I stayed in the tower. I made my decision after many time periods."
"What? Time periods?"
"Oh. In Wonderland, time flows strangely and random. It can be morning and the next time change will be night. It was divided into three parts: Morning, Night, and Evening. Each time period will be random and the duration of it shall be random as well. Morning can be an hour while the next period can last up to a good day." Alice sighed.
"Anyway. After I left the tower, I met all the roleholders. I spent lots of time with them and enjoyed myself. Of course there was a few issues that came up but overall. It was fun." Alice slightly smiled as she recalled all the fun events. "Of course, they were all part of a war so I must be careful. Especially with dealing with the Mafia." Alice looked to the side while in thought. "But eventually I finished the quest and was able to go home. But they all gave me a gift since I was able to communicate with snakes. They each gave me a snake that they created. I'm not sure how, but that's what they said," she said when she noticed Ciel giving her a skeptical look. "It is also a reminder of the time I spent there." Alice took a deep breath as she concluded her story.
Ciel sighed, taking a moment for it to sink it. "Why you specifically?" He took a few papers on his desk and skimmed through them.
"My name."
Ciel raised an eyebrow.
"Wonderland. My name is Alice. Alice in Wonderland." The child said through White with a confused look on her face.
"Is that it?"
"During my time there, there was a few other outsiders..." Alice looked deep in thought. "All girls and similar. Named Alice or brown hair...or blue eyes..."
Ciel's eyes widen a bit before he beckoned her to come closer. "Do you recognize them?" He presented the child with a pictures of various girls.
Alice stared at each photo before reaching out, a quick glance to the Earl asking if it's ok before he gave an approval. She removed three of the photos from the pile, "This girl," the picture showed a noble with blue eyes and long brown hair, "I saw her when I was finishing my quest. I was told she was also kidnapped by the white rabbit but instead of leaving, she decided to stay." She then took a different photo, "I remember seeing this girl but I heard rumors that she died while there was a battle." She looked at a young blonde that name was Alice, her brown eyes shone bright with life and laughter. "And this one..." She sadly looked at a girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes. "I remember her...getting kidnapped and killed. She was nice and helped me when I first came to Wonderland." Her voice got quiet at the end and she felt her snaked wrap themselves a bit tighter.
Ciel didn't say anything as he just nodded and took the photographs back. "You are dismissed, breakfast is downstairs. Your friends should have been awaken and currently being guided to the dining room." He shooed his hand.
Alice nodded and headed towards the door, just as she placed a hand on the knob, Ciel spoke up.
"Also, do not speak of this with anyone, even Snake."
Alice glanced at him and the butler and nodded. She knew that look well, it was the look of a leader giving a command that must be followed. Alice left the room and closing the door and leaving the Earl and butler to their thoughts.
Once on her own, Alice retraced her steps hoping to find her way to the dinning room or find a servant along the way. The child sigh after some thought and summoned Pierce. It will be easier to use him to track the others.
...
Ciel sighed as he thought over his new servant's tale.
"She was never lying my lord." Sebastian commented as he poured the young lord his morning tea. "Not once during her tale.
The young Earl groaned before sipping his tea. He then inserts Alice, his new pawn, into the game. He thinks over his plans as Alice will now benefit significantly into them.
Honestly I just blabbed and just published this and the last chapter. Please let me know if there is any errors. I just wanted to post these since it's been a year.