Clockwork of the Alice

Chapter 1

"Mother? Father? Are we still playing hide and go seek?"

I walked out from behind the velvet curtains and gasped. In front of me was the bloody mess that was once my parents. A woman stood before me, the feminine figure's hair was pulled into an elaborate braid. Bits of curly copper red hair sprung from the woven design. She turned to face me. Blood dripped from her mouth, blending in with her deep crimson lipstick. She took a step forward, her black gown twirling with every movement forward. She reached for my throat and unleashed a murderous chuckle. Suddenly, I felt my face rip in agony. I felt a warm spray shoot down my face and part of my world went dark. My throat let out a blood curdling scream... a roaring cloud of darkness swept around us. An unfamiliar voice screeched out as I heard the stained glass window that decorated my mother and father's library shatter to millions of shards. The screeching echoed throughout the courtyard's once silent atmosphere.

Suddenly. I awoke.

Chapter 01

Arisu's eye shot open as she awoke from her nightmare. Her heartbeat rushed in her body, reminding her of the terrifying adrenaline she had felt when a dream all to similar had begun haunting her sleep. She tightened her grip on the silk sheets that covered her bed. Her mind raced as she tried to calm herself. She reached up to where her right eye should have been. Her scarred eyelid was flat against the empty eye socket, something that looked quite irregular on a aristocratic girl such as herself.

The decorated wooden door that was set at the corner of Arisu's room swung open. Her butler, Kindallis bursts in, holding a phone in her hands. The phone's light lit up the room.

"What is wrong my Lady? I heard screaming from your room."

Arisu looked at her hand that gripped the sheets. She felt ashamed for having awoken someone. She sighed and relaxed her grip. Strands of her light brown hair fell in her face.

"I was just having a bad dream." she muttered. "Nothing unexpected."

Kindallis sighed. "Is it the one with the late master and mistress?"

"Yes. The one with my parents." Arisu replied with a sad tone. "I don't remember them dying like that though. I would assume that it is only my brain coming up with odd things."

Kindallis stared silently at Arisu for a moment, then she walked forward towards Arisu's bed. She stood silently, looking into Arisu's hazel eye. The phone's light illuminated the room and was reflected in Arisu's eye, causing it to look as if it was glowing. Arisu closed her eye and sniffled. A tear blossomed from the corner of her eyelashes and slid down her face. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them against her body as she started to silently cry.

"I don't know why this is happening!" Arisu's voice cracked. "I don't remember my parents dying like that! I don't know who the woman with the black gown and curly hair is! So why-" she paused, "Why is this happening?"

Kindallis set her phone down on the nightstand next to Arisu's bed. She gently lifted up Arisu's head. She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket a wiped away the tears trailing down Arisu's cheeks. She smiled calmly as she folded the handkerchief and put it back in her dress coat's pocket.

"From what you have told me before about this dream I can assure you that you are safe." reassured Kindallis. "Nobody can enter this estate without passing the boundaries of the property, and it-" she paused. "Is very hard to do."

Arisu untucked her legs and laid in silence as Kindallis readjusted the sheets and pulled the comforter up to Arisu's shoulders. Kindallis picked up her phone from the nightstand and walked to the door, her knee-high black boots clicking against the smooth dark wooden floor. Her gloved hand reached for the intricate metallic doorknob.

"Kindallis."

She paused.

"Yes, my Lady?"

Arisu hesitated to speak.

"Send Blanche to the glass observatory. Tell her to keep guard over the manor."

"Yes, my Lady. May happy dreams guard you this night."

Kindallis softly shut the door. She waited a moment before taking her journey to the other end of the manor. She brushed a strand of her short black brown hair from her face and looked at her phone. The flat screen illuminated her face, causing an eerie shadow on her facial features. The phone's glowing surface read that it was about three o'clock in the morning. She typed in the password and taped on the messaging app. Quickly selecting Blanche's profile, she sent her a message to wake up and go to the glass observatory. As she waited for the message to send she turned her head to face the nearing sound of footsteps. Oranji, a maid that worked at the manor, was walking towards Kindallis. Oranji looked quite confused, most likely to why Kindallis was up so late.

"Why are you up this late?" the orange haired maid asked.

"I woke up because the young mistress had a nightmare. I heard screaming and was afraid that another intruder had entered." responded Kindallis with a serious tone. She put her phone back into her pocket and stared at Oranji in silence.

Oranji frowned.

"The number of trespassers has grown. I think that due to the amount of disappearances in the area growing that one of the Noirdatter's enemies could have resurfaced. It has been about four years by now." muttered Kindallis. "I was sure that the main suspect for these disappearances was eliminated though."

Oranji grinned. "Maybe if an old rival has appeared then we finally will be put back into action."

Kindallis glared bitterly at Oranji, her dark garnet eyes pierced into Oranji's olive green eyes shielded by black rimmed half moon glasses. Oranji quickly exchanged her expression to one of regret. A little bell noise came from Kindallis's pocket. She looked down and pulled the silver cased phone from her pocket. The screen read, "Fine. I don't know why she wants me to do it. I'm not even classified as a long range user."

"Don't say that Oranji! You know that not having to go into action means that the young mistress is not in danger!" Kindallis shot out quietly.

"It's just that I miss being able to feel the rush of power I experienced from fighting." sighed Oranji. She turned away from Kindallis and walked back down the shadowy hallway. Kindallis waited a moment before following her. Her long dress coat trailed behind her as she descended into the ghostly corridor.