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

Chapter 8

It was morning when we set out on our quest once more. We took the paths again, so I had no clue how long it would really take us to get where we needed to be. I hoped maybe we would get lucky and they'd bring us closer rather than farther. That didn't seem to be the case, though. It had already set us back two hours.

"Just where are we going this time?" Ciel asked from behind me. He didn't seem to be so worried about being secretive anymore. Or about keeping his distance. Perhaps I really had gotten through to him.

I answered, "The Caterpillar. His knowledge is primarily of the darker sides of Wonderland, but he is often given information. He might know something of Rabbit."

He questioned, "Will he be more sensible than the Duchess?" I just smiled at him. He sighed, knowing my answer from my actions.

I slowed down so I could walk next to him and said, "You know, I'm rather curious about this London, England. Mind telling me about it?"

"Well, London is a city. England is the country it is in," he started.

I gasped, "A city? That sounds so fun! But what's a city?"

"It's a place where people live, but is usually rather industrial."

"Industrial?" His world had a lot of strange words.

"Oh, dear," he muttered. I couldn't help that I didn't know. "Industrial means factories and machines. They make things for you without so much manual labor. It allows the products to be much less expensive, which companies sell. I own a company myself. I manufacture sweets and children's toys. It's called Funtom Company."

"That sounds exciting! But, wait. Why would you want to make people grow?" I wondered.

"That isn't what food does to you there. You have to eat and drink in order to survive. It's a necessity. Food and drink allow you to stay the same size as you are," he explained.

My eyes widened, "That's so odd! And in these cities, do you have plants?"

He laughed at my ignorance a little, "Yes, they provide us with oxygen, which we need to breathe. Though, they aren't nearly as large or vibrant. Some are poisonous, but many others aren't."

I continued, "And what creatures do you have there? Are there flamingos, cats, and butterflies? Turtles and frogs?"

"There are thousands of different species, but only humans can walk and talk like we do now, and they definitely cannot grin like the Cheshire Cat. The others mostly walk on four legs and make other sounds to communicate. They can't form words," Ciel said.

My eyebrows came together in concern, "Then, how do you know what they want? How do you understand each other?"

"We don't. We coexist, but are not friends like you and I." A land where animals couldn't speak and were not friends with humans? That sounded dull. Animals were some of the most interesting people. What would they do all day, then? Sit around and sleep? They must have gotten bored all the time. And rather obese.

"Tell me about what it looks like. What it's like to walk around. How the night compares to the day," I demanded.

"It rains often in England. Its climate is fairly cold. It becomes dark at night and bright during the day, like Wonderland does. There is a sun and a moon. Stars twinkle in the sky at night," he told me.

I interrupted, fascinated, "What are stars?"

He paused to think for a minute, "They look like diamonds. You know what those are, don't you?"

I clarified, "Are they gems in your world?"

Ciel nodded, "Yes, they are. So, imagine them like that in the night sky. They're millions of kilometers away from the planet, but we can still see them. They shine brightly, though not as bright as the moon or sun. Sometimes, you can connect them to make pictures in the sky. Those are called constellations. They're quite beautiful."

I smiled and looked at the sky above us, imagining all he had just said. Up above us, were those beautiful little gems called "stars," looking like tiny dots in the sky. "That's amazing. I wish I could see the stars. I bet I'd love them." I sighed and looked back ahead of us. I knew I never would see them. "Well, go on."

"It's always crowded with people. There are buildings and shops wherever you look. Carriages drawn by horses often stroll by. It's so loud. Everyone is always talking and making noise; it's hard to hear yourself think." Even with some of the down sides, I thought it sounded like a magical place. Without magic. I was sure that to some it sounded boring or dull, but it was a new place. New places were exciting. I would learn so many new things and never get bored. Whole different adventures would be available there.

I pictured us in London as best I could, walking down a path made of grey bricks. Actually, the whole scene was void of colour. The bright greens, blues, yellows, and the rest of the colors that existed were gone. We were surrounded by people, and I saw a few carriages go by. Shocked by the idea of there being so many people around, I grabbed Ciel's hand in real life so that we wouldn't get separated. He gasped a little in surprise, but he didn't try to move away. I snapped out of my fantasy and was a bit embarrassed by the action I had made. I didn't move my hand in order to make it seem like it was an intentional, friendly gesture.

I smiled, "It sounds wonderful. I'm sure I would love London."

Ciel agreed, "Most likely."

My smile dropped slowly. I stopped walking without realizing it, pulling Ciel back. I released him. Something felt... wrong with me. Again. I was dizzy and out of breath. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest at any moment. I felt incredibly hot, but I knew it was actually pretty nice outside. God damnit, I just couldn't win. "Alice? What's wrong?"

I dismissed after taking a deep breath, "It's nothing. Let's keep moving." I took a step forward only for my knees to buckle underneath me. I fell on the dirt path. I started coughing, but that time, it seemed more like hacking.

He kneeled next to me and said, "Alice? What's going on? Alice!"

"S-Something's... wrong... with me," I managed, my voice weak. My eyelids fluttered shut. I was so tired. I just wanted to sleep. Why was I acting so strange? I had woken up only a few hours ago.

"Alice, keep your eyes open! Stay with me!"

"I feel... drained," I complained breathlessly. Why is my heart beat slowing? It was racing a second ago, I thought incoherently. I could barely string the words together in my mind.

I fell unconscious in Ciel's arms, him screaming for me to wake.