Who's Alice? (A Black Butler/Ciel Love Story)

Chapter 3

Ciel walked out of the house and met me at the edge of the stairs. He looked back at it and asked, "Is this your house?"

"I woke up in front of it, and it was unoccupied, so I claimed it, yes," I explained.

"What if someone came back and told you it was theirs?"

"Then, I would have given it back. Get a move on. I don't want to spend forever standing here," I told him, beginning to walk off. "Now, I want you to watch yourself. Not everything in this world is nice."

Ciel pointed out, "But it's Wonderland. Doesn't that mean it's a wonderful place?"

I corrected, "It's full of wondrous things. A curious place, and rightfully so. That's where the name came from. Don't be fooled by the vibrant colors."

He grumbled, "You know how to make someone feel warm inside, don't you?"

I scowled, "Do you want me to tell you lies?"

"No."

"Then, don't complain about the information I tell you. Anyway, we're heading to the Duchess. Try to keep up, yeah?" I said.

"Why there?" he interrogated.

"She might know something about the White Rabbit. If not, we'll move on," I figured.

"How long will this take?" he said.

I walked backwards so I could look at him, "You ask a lot of questions, mate."

He stated, "I'm an inquisitive person."

"I see that. It'll take a little over a day, assuming we aren't stalled. So, basically we should add another day to that."

He guessed, "Because we'll be stalled?"

I smiled, "Now, you're getting it! It's Wonderland. Something will always happen that will make us later, so whenever I say an amount of time, add a day to that, alright?" He opened his mouth to ask something, but I cut him off, "As for what stalls us, I'm not sure. It could be that the paths suddenly twist and we're forced to backtrack. It could be a person getting us involved in their antics. I guess we'll find out, yeah?" I turned back around with a little hop.

Ciel observed, "You're awful giddy about this whole situation. Or just a very energetic person by nature."

I shrugged, "Both, perhaps. As I've said before, I don't know too much about myself. Exploring is fun, though, isn't it? Being on a chase? And with a strange foreigner, no less. I expect this to be a memorable adventure." I flashed him a smirk. He looked tired just from listening to me babble. Boy, was he in for a long trip!

Then, my smile dropped. I suddenly stopped moving. Something didn't feel right. "What's wrong?" he wondered. I covered my mouth as I coughed fiercely. It left my throat sore and scratchy. I felt Ciel put his hand on my shoulder. "Hey, are you alright? Do you need water or something? You feel hot."

I gasped between coughs, "No! Never... eat or drink... anything here! Understand?"

Startled, he stammered, "Okay...?" I took a deep breath and let it out.

I smiled, "I'm fine. Just a fit, I guess. Let's keep moving." He looked at me with a bit of concern but kept following. I wondered if I would be the one stalling us.