Author's note: So I haven't actually played any of the games, but I've read some of the mangas that were based on it and a few translations posted online for some of the character routes, so that's what this story will be based on. I'm not sure where or when exactly Alice's 'real world' is supposed to be, but I'm assuming it's some kind of alternate neo-Victorian world, so I plan on making a lot references to the Victorian society of London. I hope you enjoy the story! I've posted a link to a picture of my OC on my profile for anyone who's interested.

Chapter 1: Falling

Sarah Smith sat on a bench outside the kitchen with her eyes closed, sleeping peacefully in the shade. She was dreaming. It was hazy. She couldn't see anything, but she heard a voice speaking to her.

"… Let me warn you about something.
Every game has its rules."

"… Game…?" she asked sleepily.

"And those rules are cemented the second you start to play.
But you probably knew that already."

"… ah?"

The petite redhead furrowed her brow slightly in confusion when she thought she heard a different voice calling out to her.

"Sarah? Sarah!" the head maid snapped sternly, shaking the young girl awake.

"!" Sarah gasped as her bright green eyes flew wide open when she realized what was going on, and how much trouble she was probably in for dozing off. "Mrs. Jones!"

"Goodness, girl! You were out like a light! This is no time to be thinking of games. You ought to know better than to sleep while on duty." the older woman scolded her with a frown. It might be a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon, but that was no excuse. "Now, get up and bring this tea to Miss Alice out in the garden." She said firmly, pointing to the tray she had set down beside Sarah on the bench, laden with a pot of fresh tea and sandwiches. "Perhaps you might be able to coax her into eating something." She added with a sigh. Sarah looked down. They were both concerned. Miss Alice hadn't been the same, not since…
Sarah shook her head and grabbed the tray.

"I'll do my best, Mrs. Jones." The young maid promised solemnly, determined. She had only just entered the garden, when she heard someone cry out in alarm.

"What the heck!?"

"!" Sarah gasped. 'That sounds like Miss Alice!' she thought, hurrying forward as the shouting continued, growing more desperate.

"Who the… What the…!? Put me down! Since when do we have a chasm in our yard!?"

Sarah dropped the tray and ran full speed, rushing past the gazebo to catch up to Alice, whom she could now see was being carried away towards a gaping hole in the ground by a strange man with white hair and… bunny ears? Sarah was dumbfounded for a moment, but she quickly snapped out of it when her mistress's kidnapper jumped into the chasm with her. Alice screamed.

"Miss…!!" Sarah cried in alarm, leaping after them with outstretched arms. But her hands snatched only air, and the maid quickly lost sight of the others as all three of them plummeted deep down into the darkness.

"…" Blood Dupre was staring down at the ground before him in surprise. He had just been taking a stroll outside the mansion, when he happened upon the sleeping girl that was now lying in his path. Her creamy white skin glowed like fine porcelain against the black fabric of her maid's uniform, and her fiery red hair glinted in the sun like strands of burning ember. Her body was small and petite, but shapely and well endowed. Her slender hands were rough from work, but she was a very beautiful young lady. So Blood definitely would have remembered if they had met before. She looked so defenseless. He wondered who she was and what she was doing there. '… An outsider.' He thought, somehow sensing the answer on an instinctive level. "How interesting…" he remarked aloud as the young maid began to stir. Her eyes slowly fluttered open beneath those long lashes, revealing the vivid green eyes that had been hiding behind them.

"…" Sarah stared up at the extremely handsome man that was suddenly looming over her in surprise. She blinked and furrowed her brow slightly in confusion. "Um… hello?" she said, feeling a little dazed. There was something kind of familiar about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why. "Excuse me, but who are you? What am I doing here?" she asked, furrowing her brow and glancing around, wondering where she was.

"I might ask you the same. My name is Blood Dupre, and this is my territory." Said Blood suavely, offering her his hand. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Sarah Smith." She replied calmly as she stood up and brushed herself off without any help. This guy seemed like a real player, so she'd rather not get involved, but she did give him a polite curtsy, since he looked important. They way he had phrased his description of the place was kind of ominous and more than just a bit suspicious. Despite his languid demeanor, she could tell there was something dangerous about this man. "I'm a maid in service to the Liddell family, and—Ah! That's right!!" she exclaimed suddenly, remembering what she had been doing before she woke up there. "Have you, by any chance, seen a kind but pessimistic young lady with dark-blonde hair being carried off by a white-haired pervert wearing rabbit ears and a red plaid jacket and waistcoat?" she asked urgently, dead serious. Blood stared at her for a moment. From her somewhat amusing description, Blood knew she could only be talking about one person.

"It sounds like you're looking for Peter White. But you won't find him here." He replied coolly. "You appear to be in a spot of trouble, perhaps you would like some help?" he suggested with a hint of slyness.

"Yes, any help would be greatly appreciated." Sarah answered gravely, giving in easier than he had expected after the way she had avoided accepting his help to stand earlier. "I need to find Miss Alice before something terrible happens. Do you have any idea where I might find them?"

"I might." Blood said, placing one of his hands on her shoulder to guide her towards the gate. "Do you have any idea how you ended up here?" he asked curiously.

"None whatsoever." She replied frankly. "The last thing I remember was jumping into a hole after Miss Alice and her kidnapper, but… the more I think about it, the more ridiculous it becomes…" she mused wryly, a bit chagrined. Did he have to stand so close? The mansion and the main gate had just entered their line of sight, when they heard someone shout. Blood thought it sounded like Elliot.

"What are you two doing!?" the hare yelled. "Don't be so impulsive, guys. I think that girl's a guest."

He was talking to the twins.

"Don't get in the way of our job, you chicken-blonde bunny!" Dee retorted.

"We don't wanna get our pay cut!" Dum added.

"Coming from guys that were just playing hooky." Elliot grumbled. "What are you, girl?" he asked the young lady that was standing with her back to the gate. She had straight dark-blonde hair, aquamarine eyes, and she was wearing a frilly blue knee-length dress with a white apron. Sarah stopped abruptly, staring at the girl in surprise.

"M… Miss Alice?" she said, looking positively dumbfounded.

"Oh, is that your mistress?" Blood asked. What a grand coincidence. He hadn't expected to find her this soon. Blood also noted that Peter was nowhere to be seen.

"Wha? I-I'm…" the blonde girl stuttered nervously.

"Y-Yes, that's definitely Miss Alice, but…" Sarah said, feeling extremely confused and more than a little startled. Something clearly wasn't right here. "But she's…"

"Hmph. I guess it doesn't really matter." Elliot said, pointing his gun at her neck with a click, cocking it and preparing to fire. "Gatekeepers, let me have this one. I was looking for an excuse to test this baby out." He declared with a grin.

"!?" Sarah gasped in alarm. "Stop!!" she cried, running to save her mistress, but Blood beat her to it, reaching Alice just in time to grab Elliot's wrist and redirect the path of his gun by readjusting his aim as the hare pulled the trigger.

"Easy, boys." He ordered coolly.

"Blood…" Elliot said, surprised. A bead of nervous sweat rolled down the side of his face.

"Miss Alice!" Sarah cried with relief, rushing over to check her for injuries. "Are you all right?"

"Eh? Huh? Who…?" Alice said, opening her tightly shut eyes to stare at the redhead in complete and utter bewilderment. "Who are you?" she asked, causing the maid to flinch in shock.

"What are you saying, Miss? It's me!" Sarah said with a frown, as if it should have been obvious. Alice eyed her dubiously, squinting a bit.

"Wha? Sarah!?" She shouted in disbelief when it suddenly clicked. "No way! What are you doing here!? What happened to you!?"

"What happened to me?" Sarah said dubiously, furrowing her brow as her frown deepened. "Nothin'! More importantly, Miss, what happened to you? Why do you look so…"

"Didn't I tell you to get my permission before you kill on my land?" she heard Blood scold Elliot, causing her to stop short.

'Huh? Just now… he said something frightening rather causally, didn't he…?' Sarah thought, sweat-dropping. That was extremely ominous. This place clearly wasn't an ordinary mansion.

"Um… Thank you." Alice said a bit bashfully as she looked up at Blood, finally remembering her manners.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." He told her smoothly, looking down at the young lady with a smile on his face. Alice's eyes widened in shock.

"Miss!" Sarah called worriedly when she suddenly pushed him away and ran off.

"Hey! Where're you going!?" Elliot shouted after the fleeing girl incredulously.

"I'm sorry, please excuse us! Thank for everything." Sarah said politely with a quick curtsy before hurrying off after the other girl.

"What a rude tart." Elliot huffed, irritated with how Alice had treated his boss. The maid had more manners! "She totally blew you off, Blood."

"I think those young ladies are outsiders, Elliot." Blood stated calmly, nonplussed.

"Outsiders? Seriously!?" Elliot exclaimed, taken aback.

"Yeah." Blood said, smirking slightly and stroking his chin while staring towards the direction in which the two girls had disappeared. "How very… curious…"