Hello! \(^U^)/ If you are reading this you are beautiful! (Or handsome *Seductive eyebrow raise*) LOL xDDD

Anyways, Thank you for reading, it fills me with fuzzies to know someone out there enjoys my story. :)

The warm sunlight streaming from the window was what woke Alice from her slumber. She slowly opened her eyes and winced against the warm orange glow before sighing and turning her back to the daylight. The dim red numbers on her alarm clock caught her eye and and instantly jerked up.

1:06 PM

"Crap." Alice repeated this word in her head over and over as she quickly showered and got dressed, throwing on some casual jeans and shirt that lightly clung to her slim figure. after grabbing a jacket she left her room and Sammy enthusiastically greeted her downstairs as if he hadn't seen her in days, which must have meant Ashley had checked in on her when she was asleep. Her suspicions where confirmed when she discovered an impatiently written note on the fridge meaning she probably left in a hurry.

Could of at least called?

Sammy's going to need potty training soon. Try to give him some attention today.

Be home later today, not sure when, Ill call.

Love you,

~A

'Great, she sounds mad...' Alice thought unhappily and stared at the dog looking up at her while she wondered how to make things work.

"Aha." An ingenious idea so flawless came to her that she almost snapped her fingers in realization. "Come on Sammy we're going to meet a friend today." After some searching she finally found his leash and was outside in the fresh sunlight making her way down the sidewalk to Alo's house. Everything would've been perfect if she weren't late for her meeting with a certain Bunny and if Sammy would've stopped yanking on the leash every three steps. By the time she had reached her destination he had already peed on everything he could pee on and had tried to commit suicide twice by attempting to wiggle out of his collar to confront some extremely obnoxious dogs.

"Oh hey Ali- Oh my god you have a dog!" Alo greeted her and squealed upon looking down. Her brown hair was messy as if she had just gotten out of bed and she was wearing pajamas with little tootsie rolls on them.

"No, I have a monster." Alice muttered in good humor.

"Awww, so cute..." She cooed as she got down on her knees and was enthusiastically greeted by the furry puppy. "You can come in if you want, its kinda cold out." It didn't seem that cold to Alice. Even though the snow from the night before had melted and made the air chilly, the clear sky and sunlight made up for it. But that might just be because she was wearing a thin jacket.

"Actually I came by to see if your sister could babysit for me. Why aren't you at school?"

"I'm sick."

"You don't look sick..."

"Well as far as the school knows I am." She said with a wink. Alo stood up and embraced her friend and after a few seconds still made no attempt to let go, one of the many red flags that something was bothering her.

"You alright?" Alice said softly into her warm shoulder.

"...Yeah." She murmured. "Just haven't seen you in awhile." Alice sighed and finally let go go her friend. It felt strange how normal her morning was going. Visiting a friend and having a conversation after all that had happened made her feel curiously out of place. An almost sad awareness came over her that she probably would never look at anything the same. 'But that's what being human is all about, right? Change? Who would want to stay the same their whole life? That's certainly no fun.'

"I know, I know. I'll try harder I promise. But things have been a little weird lately."

"Is it about that boy?" Alo asked with a smirk and her eyebrows tauntingly.

"I told you it wasn't a boy, I...I'll tell you another time I promise but for now I need you to watch Sammy. I have to go to school today and I'm already late."

"Fiiiine." She moaned in defeat. " But I thought you only go like, twice a week or something."

"Yeah well my teacher wants me to come in to take a quiz or test. He does that a lot actually."

"Mmkay. Sammy huh?" She said as she picked up the dog and scratched behind his ears.

"Yup. Plus your backyard is perfect for some playtime and he can get acquainted with your dog. Its a win win...kind of. I want him to socialize a little so he doesn't freak out every time he sees another person...or dog."

"Well I'm good at socializing." Alo said proudly. 'No duh.' Alice thought. Alo was the the kind of girl that could talk to anyone and even though they were best friends, their personality's contrasted immensely. Unlike Alice, Alo could always make the first move, and was maybe a bit more dramatic than her. Drama was never something Alice enjoyed but Alo was an exception that she could put up with.

"Cool, I'm gonna have to go soon or Ill be in more trouble than I am now."

"Wow, is your teacher really that strict?"

"You have no idea." She said sarcastically and pet Sammy. "You better be good." She threatened and Sammy shot out and tried to nip at her nose, making Alo giggle hysterically. "Yea I love you to, you little punk." She muttered and gave him a quick kiss on the head before turning around and walking back towards the sidewalk. "I'll try to hurry back!"

"That's okay take your time!" Alo shouted back and struggled to hold Sammy as he tried to wiggle away to follow her. "Your going to die today anyways."

Alice froze mid-step and turned back. "What?"

"Whats wrong?" Alo asked in genuine concern.

"What did you just say?"

"I said good luck...Why? What did you think I said?"

"Uh-never mind. I gotta go." She said quickly and slowly began to walk down the sidewalk. For a few moments Alo stood in the doorway and watched her friend leave before walking back inside. Alice's pace gradually grew faster and in the next minute she was sprinting full speed with her head down.

'Why would she say that?' Alice clenched her fists tighter and pushed herself to run faster as if running would help her escape. 'Even if she was just messing with me she would never say something like that, that's not like her. In the horizon she noticed the old wooden bridge from the day before begin to draw closer and before she knew it her feet clopped over the rotting wood floor and she stopped in the middle to catch her breath. The roaring of water under the bridge drew her to the side and she stepped up into the splintered rail and looked over to see water rushing underneath her. A clear sheet of ice rode swiftly over the waters surface before hitting a support beam under the bridge and breaking up into smaller pieces.

"Your late." A familiar Australian accent snapped her out of her daze. She looked over just in time to see a grey flash disappear into the trees. With a sigh she took off into the wood.

"Don't you think running into a dark secluded place like this is a bad idea?" She shouted while increasing her speed. The sound of the quick thumping feet ahead of her started to fade.

"Ah quit whining ya slug, your gonna have to run faster than that if your gonna catch up!" She heard him say. Alice groaned and almost stumbled over her own feet as she pushed herself harder.

"Who are you calling a slug!?" Alice yelled back and barely heard him laugh. It was a good thing she changed schools this year or she wouldn't be in nearly enough shape to do all this running. 'Looks like all those long walks are actually paying off.' A dead root that jutted out of the ground caught her foot and Alice was going so fast that she barley was able to keep her balance as she flew forward. Her foot thankfully met the ground without wavering to much and she pushed off the ground into full speed again.

"Where are we going?" She yelled when she noticed her surroundings were growing darker. It would of been unnerving if she weren't so focused on keeping her legs moving. After a few moments of no answer she slowed herself down into a walk and examined the dead world around her. The lack of life made the atmosphere melancholy. There wasn't a single bird in sight nor a chatter of an animal, unless you count the irritating bug whizzing around her head. The trees seemed to converge as it got deeper, ultimately crowding and starving themselves.

"Sound familiar?" Alice immediately stopped and listened closely to her dim surroundings. The snap of a twig made her breath catch in her throat and she turned just in time to catch a glimpse of a shadow disappearing behind a tree.

"If your trying to scare me its not working." She growled. 'Just in case though.' After quick exhale Alice held out her hand and focused. A seeping darkness slithered out of the surrounding shadows and traveled up her right leg, ultimately concentrating into a semi-smooth platform on her forearm which could serve as a shield.

"Alice." There was no question about it now, someone was definitely there, and there voice was a clear as the daylight, as if they were right next to her.

"Who's there!?" She shouted fiercely and quickly turned around in a circle to make sure nothing was creeping up behind her. Her makeshift shield bumped into and fallen branch and the right half instantly shattered and felt to the ground. As the darkness scampered into the shadows to seek refuge from the light Alice cursed under her breath and mentally called it back. The black sand hauled for a second and shifted as if it were contemplating turning back before disappearing into the shadow of a tree. 'How am I supposed to defend myself with this junk?'

"Who are ya talking to?" Alice jerked to the left and stared at bunnymund with stiff eyes. He raised an eyebrow and studied her from head to toe as if calculating whether she was a threat.

"Apparently no one." She muttered and let go of her grip on the useless shield before shoving her hands in her pockets. The sand fell to the ground and slithered away and bunnymund hopped to the side to avoid it.

"Uck, and you let that stuff touch you?" His fur shivered in disgust.

"So do you..." She said casually and followed happily as he turned and led the way at a much lower pace.

"What are you on about?"

"Well..." She started and thought for a moment. "In every single shadow, every one we step on or pass by, its there. So technically its everywhere."

"Well as long as it stays in the shadows, that's fine." He spat. Alice frowned and cocked her head. It sounded cruel really, to be forced to live in the shadows.

"But don't you think its kind of sad?"

"No. Its natural." And with that Alice felt the conversation starting to spiral. "Whats happening to you is another story though. That's not natural."

"What?"

"Its changing ya...How far in do you think we are?"

"Uuuuh..." Alice looked around and tried to estimate how far she could have got in five minutes. "I don't know maybe a half...a mile?"

"Twelve." He corrected.

"Twelve what?"

"Twelve miles!"

"What?!" Alice stopped and looked around in astonishment. "No way!" She muttered as bunnymund stopped to turned.

"Didn't you see the trees whizzing past you? You weren't as fast as me of course, but hell..." He turned back and continued walking and Alice was under the impression he was deep in thought. She looked around for a moment before numbly following. 'No wonder my shoes look like crap...'

"So what is it then?" Alice said in response to his silence.

"What do you think?"

"I think your worried because of its nature. Its not in is nature to give without taking. Giving alone is something its incapable of, unless its fear."

"So if its giving something..." He wandered and allowed her to finish.

"There must be a catch." Alice was silent for a moment before she clasped her hands behind her head and walked at a more carefree pace.

"Pssh, way to darken the mood bunny."

"Do you take anything seriously?!" He yelled and threw his paws up in the air in amazement. With a laugh Alice kicked a rock and took another look around.

"So where are we going exactly?" She asked and his ear twitched as the rock clunked against a tree root.

"You'll see, in fact were almost there."

"Cool. So are you gonna teach me some awesome fight moves?"

"No."

"Awwwww, what?" Alice whined and slumped forward a bit.

"I'm gonna teach you some awesome fight moves and also teach you self control. Self control comes first though."

"Sounds boring."

"Incredibly."

Next chapter will probably be a lot longer :P