When in the Country of Hearts (a alice in the country of hearts fanfic)

In this challenge, some obstacles will seek to destroy you.

Clara finished her book as the sound of crickets filled the air. The cool wind followed her all the way to the clock tower.
"I'm back!" She chirped to the watch maker. He sighed, like he missed the quietness of the tower.
"What have you got here?" Julius asked, picking up a book from Clara's grasp. "The Clockwork Three?" He let the name roll over his tongue.
"Yeah! It's about these three kids that meet each other without knowing it and they band together to stop some evil inflicted on the town." Clara explained, watching the curious Julius flip page after page. He closed the book swiftly and set it down on his desk.
"Hmm, would you mind if I read it?"
"No! Go ahead, I've already finished it." Clara set the other books atop her nightstand. She crawled in bed, pulling her knees to her chest. Julius eyed the girl, setting down the clock and walking closer to the bookworm. He wiped the sweat from the back of his neck and cleared his throat.
"Clara, would you like to see the inside of the clock tower?" He asked, trying not to make eye contact. Clara looked up from her book. She was always curious what kept the tower clock ticking. A smile spread across her face.
"I'd love to!"
Many winding stairwells had to be climbed to reach the clock. Clara had imagined large gears creaking as they spin around. What she found instead was a room with crystal stalactites hanging from the ceiling. The room was not as cluttered with clock parts like the rest of the tower (she sometimes found gears and springs in her bedding).
"This is amazing!" Clara squealed as she twirled in the middle of the room, laughing at the sheer size of the room.

"What do you think of the country. Don't worry, I won't judge." Julius asked as the two of them laid on the oak floor. They stare up at the crystals as they gave the look of the universe.
"Well, I don't hate this place, but it is different." Clara admitted. "Nobody cares if they throw their life away. I mean, I know why, but why?"
"They think that they are one insignificant being. Dying means you are simply removed from the challenges that the world has to offer." Julius guesses. He hadn't spent much time with Clara, but he felt at peace for the first time in his long life. Damn, he thought to himself. If I start to come close to her, then I am no different than the other people that are trying to gain her heart.
"That makes no sense. Life may be hard, but it doesn't mean it's not worth anything. It's like a journey, hard at the beginning, but you keep walking because you are determined. Many around you will give up and lay down, but in the end, it's worth the climb." Clara spoke words as if they were written by a philosopher, Julius thought.
"I've never had that kind of determination. This world is crueler than it looks. I've seen so many with roles simply shoot themselves, and I am left to repair their broken clocks only to give it to some new thing." He sighed. He never had this feeling, a feeling of safety and peace. Never had he spoke his mind to anyone. "If I think about it, I'm the oldest person with a role, simply because I don't get caught in crossfire." Clara sighed, all this reason these people were trying to make on death made no sense.
"In my world," She began, "If someone dies, they don't just disappear. They rot, their flesh melting into the ground, blood spilled everywhere, and the smell.." She gagged at the thought. "Did you know that every person has a different voice? A different thumb print and a way of thinking? When they die, they take what's special and leave the world forever." Julius simply stared at the girl who laid above him. What a gruesome world she must live in. He grimaced at the thought of a rotting person, killed for no reason, and now paying the price for something he or she didn't deserve.
"If the people who are responsible for the death of another were to die because of it, then the only people to die are the ones with roles." He stated glumly. Clara looked up at him, confusion in her eyes. "We are the ones who are blamed for most of the killings. Our personalities and the rules make it so at least once we kill someone." Julius sat up, and stared Clara in her large, curious eyes.
"Whatever happens, you must be ready to defend yourself. Challenges have obstacles. And these challenges have obstacles that seek to destroy you."

___________________
Merp. Shorter chapter, but I wanted to end off at a good place.. how did I do? anyway, now a Full Metal Alchemist chapter!! :3
RANDOM DANCING!! :D :D :D
•-• okay, no more.
Comment
Like
Follow.
~ Saturnthehero