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

Chapter 2

She said cautiously, "Hello...." She seemed to be scrutinizing me. Well, I obviously wasn't a foe, or I would have let her drown.

"So, miss, do you have a name?" I asked, sliding down the door and sitting on the floor.

She sighed, "I'm not a girl. I'm a boy."

My eyes widened, and I exclaimed, "I was right the first time!"

He asked, confused by my sudden outburst, "What?"

I explained, "When I pulled you out of the water, I assumed you were a boy, but when looking at your clothing, I thought you a girl. Terribly sorry for the confusion. You were wearing a dress, after all. I'd guess you acquired it here." Then, I rushed, "Oh, pardon my horrible manners! It's completely fine if you came here wearing it! I would never judge based on clothing; in fact, the colors suited you rather well!"

He frowned, "I don't know how I got them. They just suddenly appeared on me. This dress was the only thing in the chest, though."

I nodded, "I know. I left it there. Sorry, it wouldn't fit me. Anyways, what's your name, mister?"

"I'm Earl Ciel Phantomhive," he answered. I twisted my lips to the side.

"You know, that sounds familiar. I can't place where I've heard it before, though.... Probably because you're nobility. So, what should I call you?" I wondered, knowing that was way too long for me to address him as every time.

"The respectful way would be Earl Phantomhive or Lord Phantomhive," he said.

I remarked, "Earl Phantomhive is such a mouth full! I'll just call you Ciel. It's so much shorter."

Ciel argued, "That wasn't an option!"

"Of course, it was! You just forgot about it," I smirked, crossing my legs.

"And who are you?" he asked, giving up the argument.

I smirked a little at his surrender before pausing as I registered the question. "Huh. I don't know."

"How can you not know your own name? Are you suffering from some sort of memory disorder?"

"No! I just... don't know. I know a lot, just not about me," I claimed.

"Then, might you happen to be Alice?" Ciel asked.

I thought it over before shrugging, "Maybe. It does sound familiar. Tell me, do I look like someone whose name would be Alice?"

He faltered, "I... suppose. If you are, there are a lot of people looking for you, and they seem to have mistaken you for me. They keep calling me that."

I said, "I guess I'll have to look into that. Okay, so, I'm Alice. Sorry, no last name. Now, where are you from? I heard you ask about having royalty in this land like there is in another."

"I'm from London, England."

"I knew you weren't from here! I know everyone in Wonderland. It seemed odd for you not to be someone I know," I commented.

"Everyone? Isn't that an exaggeration?" he doubted.

I shook my head, "No. I know everything and everyone in Wonderland. You're the first newcomer, though. It must have taken an awfully long time to get here."

Ciel denied, "No, I don't think it took long."

I frowned, "Then, just how did you get here?"

He said, "It's under my mansion."

I gasped, "Your mansion?! A whole country? It must be huge! Bigger than even the palace!"

"It actually isn't that large. All I know was that I was following my butler when I fell once I reached the basement. Then, I woke up here," he explained.

"That's proper strange," I said. "What would your butler be doing here?"

"I'm not sure. I followed him when I noticed he developed a tail and white rabbit ears," Ciel told me. Things just kept getting stranger.

"White rabbit ears? Did he have glasses and a pocket watch? Or talked about being late?" I questioned.

"Yes. Have you seen him?" he urged.

"I have! You must mean the White Rabbit! He approached me when you were dancing with Turtle. He told me to help you while you're here," I remembered. "He made me promise, but since I was unsure of my answer, I can still revoke it. That's how things work, yeah? I'm still not too sure of you; no matter how interesting you are."

His eyes widened, "Do you know where Sebastian went?"

I denied, "No, sorry, he never mentioned it." Ciel sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. He seemed like he was thinking of a plan, so I stood up, intrigued.

"I don't know what game he's playing, but he must have some sort of plan. I must find him," he started to the door.

I stopped him, "Don't mean to be a downer, but you won't find him by yourself. Wonderland's paths change and twist all the time. The only way you have a chance is to find a guide or someone knowledgable."

"Then, what are you standing there for? Come with me, Alice."

"Excuse me?"

"You said you know everything and everyone in Wonderland. You would know when the paths changed, wouldn't you?" he challenged.

"Of course," I answered proudly.

"So, you must come with me. Even Sebastian put you to the task. You must be someone important in this charade," he reasoned.

I glared, "I'm not a tour guide. I'm quite busy, you know."

"Doing what, exactly?"

I paused again, "Not sure. I'll figure something out, I suppose. Just go find someone else. I probably wouldn't end up being much help, anyways."

Ciel sighed, "Alice, everyone here is crazy."

I snapped, "We're not crazy. Our reality is just different from yours."

He ignored me, "You seem like the closest thing to sane that exists in this place. I'll never find Sebastian without your help."

I narrowed my eyes, "Say I do help you. What happens to me afterwards?"

He guessed, "You go back to your old life here. Maybe you'll start to remember yourself along the way." I crossed my arms and frowned. While I cared about figuring out who I was, I wanted to know about the boy standing in front of me more. Why was he so different from everyone else? Or make the rest of us out to be so insane? What was that London, England place like? Curiosity filled me.

I walked over to the chest I had found our clothing in earlier. "What are you doing?" he examined.

"If I'm going to travel with you, you're not going in that wretched dress," I stated.

"But the only thing in there was this dress when I looked," Ciel argued. He'll learn eventually, I tried to convince myself.

I looked at him over my shoulder and smirked, "Surprises are around every corner here in Wonderland." I pulled out a replica of what he had been wearing when he arrived. His eyes widened when I showed him. "Some happen to be good surprises. Now, go get changed, mate. We're going rabbit hunting."