Clockwork

Chapter One:

Taking Tea in Dreamland

[R] ating …::: T [contains some language, horror, blood, and some sexual refrences.]

|| Information || Her dream, the Mad Hatter, was everything. He found her but then the trust was smashed. Wonderland twisted and he became her Nightmare. Horror xxx

[D] escription || Emilia awoke in Wonderland one day.

She hadn't found Wonderland.

It found her.

He found her. He dragged her to the multi-coloured world of Wonderland and whispered soothing lullaby's in her ear.

And then the trust was smashed. The Dream became a nightmare and he became her biggest fear. Twisting fantasy into horror, horror into joy every few moments in the day what will become of Emilia? How will she handle a new version of Wonderland and will she ever trust the Hatter again?

Emotionless, serene dark grey coloured eyes stared ahead; lids lined in thick, long black eyelashes sometimes covering those striking, colourless eyes that glistened in the moons rays. The hand that appeared from the darkness grazed its knuckles across her chin and felt colder then ice itself. The lips of the grey eyed girl parted, letting out an airy gasp that brushed across the hand. Oh how terrifying it was, from the simple way he touched her to how those deep forest green eyes burned into her body. His fingers stretched out, brushing some deep red from her ivory cheek where they had strayed too. A shiver ran raw through her body, and his lips curled into a grin, welcoming it with joy.

This was the Mad Hatter she now knew. He was just as mad as he once had been, yet that was a bearable mad. Sure, during her first few years it had terrified the poor girl out of her socks but she had grown accustom to knowing such a peculiar man. She had almost found herself befriending him and due to a manner of events, the Mad Hatter turned madder in a terrifying way. One she had not gotten used to just yet, nor did she find she would ever get used to. His eyes were wicked, filled with murderous dark thoughts. His hands were stained in blood that only she and he could see; his heart black and his lips constantly curled into a grin that would make her want to cower and hide.

"What is the matter, my dearest Emilia?" he purred so lightly it was surprising his voice was carried in the dark of the night. She lowered her eyes, making sure she could not see his face. This sort of gesture angered him and as a faint warning as he was not enjoying her manners, he brushed a sharp nail along the side of her jaw. "Why do you frown so?"

Another airy gasp was left from her rosy lips, her porcelain face only just outlined by the moons rays. She acknowledged the nail to her skin by placing her gaze on his dark legs. In the cover of the darkness he was hidden well but his face still carried that glint that gave her nightmares she did not enjoy. He was a cloud of passionate disposition interlined with murderous thoughts and ways that she could just barely understand. He was a walking nightmare that she hoped would soon fade into a dream.

"Why do I frown so?" she whispered. Her brows were no furrowing, her lips were not pursed. Her entire face was light and emotionless; soft and angelic and surrounded by a cloud of long, wine red locks that glowed in the moon and stars of Wonderland. "I never realised…" even when her lips moved, carrying the trail of her ominous voice that hovered in the air for long moments, they were slow and it was hard to see them performing any action. "…That looking almost bored was something that one assumes is frowning … isn't frowning when the brows are furrowed, good Hatter?"

"You're frowning on the inside," he continued to insist, fingers worming their way to her neck. "Why is that, my dearest Emilia?"

"Why is the snow cold? Why is the deepest part of the woods the darkest?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side so that only his finger tips now touched her bare skin. She shivered as a gust of ice wind blew across her skin.

Dressed in summer wear, rather then something warm like the Hatter was with his trousers, waistcoat and long blazer; she was shivering outside of his home. The Tea Party she attended like everyday with the company of the March Hare had finished just a mere few minutes ago (how many she didn't know for time never mattered in the realms of Wonderland, or as she called Dreamland). She had stood up and walked onto the grey cobble stone path, feeling the sharp blasts of the cold stone on her bare feet. She wore but only a white dress that clung to her breasts, hips and curves in all the right places for the Mad Hatter's eyes. The material was loose around her knees and moved in time with the wind. But where there was bare skin she felt herself being bitten by the cold; her skin now paler then usual. The only thing that provided her with warm was the small white rabbit toy she clung under her chest with her forearm. The rabbit was squished against her body, its ears dangling against her skin to tickle her; his beaded and cross-stitched pair of eyes looking up at her with curiosity; something much softer then the Hatter's gaze, who wasn't the only mad one standing outside in the cold.

His curious, sharp eyes noticed the quiver of her skin and a devious smile was planted on his lips. Instantly when he gave this smile her eyes shot up to his face unwillingly as if he had a power to draw her in. And then the teenager flinched. She knew that grin. All too well. Now her grey eyes were showing ones of slight fear and she wanted to shuffle back, away from the Hatter but she knew such a thing was impossible. If she tried to get away it would get the murderer mad and that was never a good thing. No one wanted to make the Hatter mad just as much as they did Emilia.

"Come, child, let us shelter in the warmth of our bed and curl within the thick sheets to shield our frail bodies against the wrath of the winter," he purred lightly. Finally, with great relief, he pulled his hand from her face but the relief didn't last long before his cold hand snapped around her own, making another small flinch go through her.

Her lips were parted alluringly though she didn't wish for that effect. She lowered her lids, looking to the ground. As he dragged her into the house with undeniable dominance, she counted all the rocks in the cobble stone she could see. One, two, three, four, five; just to take her mind off things. They passed the Tea Party table that had a few new items on it; products of Emilia's imagination. She had placed a fish bowl in the centre that still had about a dozen Goldfish swimming wildly in it. Along with tea set on the table, she had set out glasses of water; each glass had its own Goldfish inside. The Hatter had liked this idea while the March Hare was a little disapproved, though Hatter agreed for the placement of the fish for the next day. This was something that gave a welcomed emotion of pride to Emilia.

The Hatter liked her ideas.

At least it was something else apart from that other thing he liked about her …

"Did you drink the tea, my dear?" he asked her gently as he shut the door behind them both politely. She felt the warm hands of the heated house clasp around her bare skin, hushing away the cold. They were in the hallway of the room that when she first entered all those years ago made her dizzy to the point she had a headache for days and was vomiting. The walls had vertical black and white stripes, while the ground was black and white cheque; something that was difficult to get used to. Hatter had planted a few photos along the walls. Emilia found it strange. She knew why people did such a thing in the normal world where she had come from; it wasn't destined to know people for all your life, for the rest of forever, but in Wonderland who you knew would be all you knew.

She didn't see any point in photos and she was quite confused the Hatter did.

It took her a few minutes to realise she had been asked a question and shook her head in response. "I drank the water," she answered. She could feel the slight anger emit from his body, feel the growl wanting to escape his mad throat and she gave a slight snigger.

"You were meant to drink the tea," he told her, his voice like a dagger through her ear. She winced slightly, feeling his hand run up and down her arm in some messed up way to soothe her as he spoke down menacingly to her. "Tomorrow I do not want a mistake like this to happen again, do you understand? You are a resident under my roof, a guest to my parties that I host and all I ask for is some co-operation from my redheaded beauty. Can you comply with this, sweetheart?"

"Yes, Hatter," she nodded and smiled as sweetly as she could though inside she felt sick.

It wasn't long until he had trailed her up to the bedroom he insisted on them sharing. At first it was because of those monstrous nightmares she used to have. Now reality and dreamland had switched places and the man that was meant to comfort her turned into the nightmare. Emilia stood at the door of the Victorian bedroom that was furnished with the finest, dark oak furniture; each piece with patterns of the cards; diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades, something that suited the Hatter well and that Emilia quite liked too. The Hatter unchanged while her eyes darted around the room, trying to look anywhere but at the Hatter. It didn't take long for him to have changed into his nightwear and when she looked down at herself, about to change, she found she was changed too into a red, silk nightgown.

Living with the Mad Hatter was a curious thing indeed.

"Are you ready for rest now, my Emilia?" he purred to her, slipping under the sheets. She watched as he removed his hat, revealing a heedful of jet black locks. This gesture made her wince; made her heart twist. The Mad Hatter was never meant to remove his top hat he so dearly treasured. It had only been a recent ritual he had gotten into; perhaps less then a week he had been doing it. She hadn't seen him remove his hat more then six times. Watching with still shocked, wide eyes, she saw him carefully place it on the nightshade and he gestured for her to come to the bed.

Emilia stood there before moving over to him, still clutching her rabbit to her body. Hatter watched with those mad eyes as she slipped under the warm, heavy silk sheets and rest her head on the pillow. She didn't sleep with her back to him, knowing he didn't like that. That and when she awoke seeing him would prove to her she was still sewn into the fabrics of Wonderland.

She loved Wonderland. She loved the March Hare, the White Rabbit, and she loved Alice whenever she would pop by for a quick visit. She even loved the Cheshire cat and the dormouse and every single Cardsman she set her eyes on. Even Dormouse was one she cared for but the Mad Hatter …

She feared him. He was a dominant character, perhaps the strongest person in Wonderland that had chosen her to do as he pleased. She had been chosen as his doll and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Does the rabbit have letters?" Hatter's voice cracked the silence and she shot her eyes up to him instantly without hesitation. The toy rabbit had crawled from her grip and slipped in the sheets between her and Hatter, perhaps to made Emilia feel a little more comfortable.

"He has Clockwork's," she told him, smiling as she did. In the darkness she could barely see the expression of the Hatter and in her mind she could made him smile, frown or cry. She could look him straight in the eye without feeling anything she didn't want to feel. "That's why he's called Clockwork."

Clockwork wriggled between them but his movement attracted neither of their attention. A live toy was most uncommon but they were both used to this certain one. Emilia half shut her eyes as his knuckles grazed across her jaw line, outlining her face.

"Rest now, my lovely, for the birds in your loving dreams are calling for your name," he whispered gently in her ear in an almost lullaby tone. Even though he was mad, this was the only part of the day he would be soft with her; he would comfort her and all that fear would melt away. She felt her eyes shutting as she slipped her cupped hands under her pillow. He continued to move his hand against her face. "They want you to fly with them, to soar the skies in the warmth of the summer, to curl their feathers around your thin bones and filled your mind with wonderful thoughts. They want to restore the joy within your heart, provide you with peace and love. They are the doves of innocence, white and pure as can be; the spreaders of purity that will forever keep your child soul intact."

The warm words had soon drifted her into a soft dream, her other Wonderland and he chuckled to himself. Delighted with her sleeping form he planted a kiss on her chin.

"Wonderland is waiting for you to awaken as it is everyday and the man who is your lover is waiting here for you on the bloodied side of the bed," he whispered to her, wrapping his fingers into her smooth hair.

Clockwork stirred from these words, looking to Mad Hatter. "She does not find you a lover," he told her with no hesitation.

"She will do and does every time she drinks the tea," he grinned madly in the dark. "Tomorrow shall be a fun day, for it is the day of blood and the March Hare is certainly looking foreword to our Tea party. Goodnight my sweet Emilia," he reached down to inhale her scent of the fresh spices from their tea earlier in the day and kissed her neck. Never did he kiss her lips. He would force himself to wait for that wondrous moment when she gave herself to him without the use of drugs or sleep. He was patient. He would soon have her tied around his finger.

Not only would the blood of his victims belong to him but the love of Emilia would too.