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

Chapter 14

We arrived at the Crimson Train Station. It was the only way to get to the Palace because it was on a separate island. That was really the only reason for it being opened. The Queen designed it herself. The everything was red. It was like a massacre had occurred and forever stained the rooms. The back of the seats were shaped as hearts. Even the sky was matching its theme. The sun was almost gone from the horizon.

The Flamingo screamed, "We missed the train, yes, we did!" I coughed a few times, unconcerned.

Frogman panicked, "What are we going to do?! The Queen will have our heads!"

"Stop running around! We'll just get 'em on the next train, alright?" Footman stopped them. They talked about us like we weren't even there. What an annoyance to me it was.

I spoke up simply to be noticed, "The next train is at dawn tomorrow. Trains can't afford to run at night in fear of calamity. We'll have to sleep here tonight." The Flamingo and Frogman groaned.

Footman sighed, "Fine, go find a place to sleep, you two. We'll go get the tickets before the booths close." We nodded and walked away from them. We sat in two of the nearby chairs.

You know, we aren't too far from.... I trailed off. I glanced over at Ciel. But would he want to?

Because my arrogance outweighs every other rational thinking in my body, I asked him, "How about we go somewhere, mate?"

"What? No, we're supposed to stay here," he denied.

"Oh, who cares? This might be our last day of freedom... or living. We deserve one last adventure, yeah?" I asked, bouncing up and down in my seat excitedly.

He hesitated, "Where would we be going?"

I smirked, "That's a secret! But I swear, it isn't anything dangerous. I think you'll really like it. Plus, it isn't far from here at all, but we have to hurry if we want to see the beginning of it." He still looked unsure. I gripped his hand. He looked down, surprised by the contact. "Please, Ciel? You can trust me."

He agreed, though still uncertain, "Alright...."

I cheered, "Yes!" I jumped up. "Come on! Off you pop! Let's go!" I pulled him out of his seat and bolted out of the train station. I took him into the woods.

"You said it's too dangerous to be out at night," he reminded me. "It'll be dark soon."

"That doesn't apply here. We're probably in more danger at that train station. Hopefully, we won't get robbed while sleeping there," I wished.

As I had said, our destination wasn't too far away. We reached it just in time. It was a section of the forest that had trees with only pure white leaves with white flowers growing on them. The last sliver of the sun was about to disappear. I wondered, "Do you remember when we were talking about stars?"

He nodded, "Yes."

I grinned, "Well, these are the stars of Wonderland."

Right after I said that, the sun had disappeared over the horizon. We were in complete darkness, but then, the flowers on the trees started to glow. I heard him gasp, and my smile widened. Then, the flowers floated up off the trees and into the air, moving around. Some were high in the sky, and others were low to the ground. One came over to us, and I gently caught it and showed it to him. It illuminated both our faces.

I informed him, "This is Lighter Valley, named for obvious reasons." I released the flower.

I saw a real smile start to form on his lips as his attention went back to the scene, "It's beautiful."

I agreed, "It really is. This must be one of my favorite places. I'm glad you came with me."

He looked to me, "Thank you for bringing me here."

"I... I know I stress how dangerous Wonderland is, but it's not all, you know. There are a lot of beautiful, amazing things here, too. A lot of places to go. A lot of adventures to pursue," I hinted.

"I wish I could see them all. Wonderland... it's ridiculous, but I can't help but be intrigued by it. To like it just a little," he told me. My heart was racing. I swallowed hard.

I tried to broach the subject nonchalantly, "You-You don't have to leave. If we make it out alive tomorrow, then we could see all those amazing things, yeah? We could give up on the White Rabbit. Just... have fun."

Ciel sighed, "Alice...."

"Well, why wouldn't you stay? I mean, you said your old life was boring. When have you ever been bored here? I haven't!" I rushed.

"I can't leave everything behind," he argued.

"Why not?"

"There are people I must take care of."

"But I.... Ciel, I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay with me," I finally admitted, tears filling my eyes. "I know I keep saying I'll be fine and everything, but I know I won't. I'm-I'm not even fine thinking about it!"

He assured me, "But you will be fine. You'll forget about this eventually."

I shook my head, "No, I won't! This isn't just about me not wanting to lose a friend. I really like you, Ciel." He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. "I know we didn't meet too long ago, but I feel like I've known you much longer than that. And I realize you're engaged, and I know it's wrong, and I'm sorry, but-"

He silenced my rant by kissing me. My eyes widened. Then, they closed slowly. When he pulled away, I smiled a little, "You could have just told me to shut up."

Ciel said, "You wouldn't let me get a bloody word in. Now, listen to me. I don't want to leave, but I have to. There are things I've left unfinished in England that I must do. I was hoping you'd return with me, and I would break off the engagement." He placed a hand on my cheek. "Please, come along."

I shook my head and took a step away from him, "No, I... I can't leave. Wonderland's my home. It's all I know. I don't even think it'd let me. I said I'd love London, but... London wouldn't reciprocate those feelings. I'm too strange. Too eccentric."

"Do you think I would honestly care?"

"I would! I might like attention, but I don't want to be gawked at for my ideas and things. At least if you were to stay here, you could start anew. You've said before that everyone you know is here, yeah? It isn't much different from London," I coaxed.

"I'm not staying here, Alice," he finalized.

I replied, "And I'm not leaving."

He wondered, "Then, what do we do?" I turned away from him so he wouldn't see the tear slip down my cheek.

"Carry on with the original plan, I suppose. I'm so sorry, mate. I should have kept my mouth shut," I apologized, hanging my head slightly.

"Don't be. It isn't your fault," he told me. I had a hard time believing that. My confidence had gotten the best of me. I had hoped he would do anything he could to stay with me. I was wrong, though. Maybe he cared, but not enough. He cared more for something else. His revenge.

Instead of saying that, though, I looked over my shoulder at him. He looked so guilty and depressed. I gave him my best smile and acted as my energetic self. "Let's get a move on, yeah?"