Chapter One
Aiya didn’t know when her life started going downhill. Was it when her father left around her fifth birthday eighteen years ago, or was it the fact that her manager had just called in to have her do yet, another graveyard shift.
“Of course, Lee, I can do the shift, don't worry.” Though her monotonous voice probably proved otherwise.
“Sorry to ask for the third night in a row Aiya, we’ve had to make a lot of cutbacks and we know you are always the girl to count on.” With a buttery voice, her boss ended it there before giving a short farewell. Aiya sat up in her bed, disheveled brown curls that usually framed her olive skin nicely , if it weren’t for the fact that she had just woken up. She loved her job at the Everwood Animal Shelter. She had found a connection with those like her: left behind. So, she made it her business to help these animals find homes that would never leave them again. The metallic pangs of the kitchen could be heard from downstairs and she knew that meant her mother was still home. Groggily, Aiya stood up, cold feet slipping into the pair of red slippers that sat at the edge of her bed. She opened the door and the smell of food hit her in the face. Eggs, bacon, the smell of brewing coffee. That was all she needed to make her hurry down the stairs and into the kitchen. No matter how exhausted, her mom always made sure to have breakfast ready for her. The bags that attempted to hide behind the concealer showed Aiya what
she already knew. Her mother worked long hours to keep them stable and so a few night shifts were nothing compared to that.
“Thanks mom. I’ll handle dishes, don't worry. Grab something and get to work.” Aiya said soft, placing a swift kiss on her mother’s cheek.
“What would I do without you Aiya. Dinner is in the fridge. I’ll see you tomorrow morning?” Her mother ended in almost a question.
“Of course, where else would I be.” She replied back with a chuckle.
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“...that brings it up to a total of 10 deaths in a week here in our region of Everwood...”
Quickly, Aiya shut off the tv, placed the remote down, and went to double check all the kennels. The soft sound of animal snores could be heard around her, causing a smile to form on her full lips. Aiya had worked at this animal adoption center for the past year and she loved every minute of it. To see the excited face of a dog or cat when a new owner came to adopt them was an honor in itself. She walked towards the front door, shut the lights off, and exited the building.
“Should’ve brought a scarf.” She whispered softly as the brisk air touched her exposed neck, the shock causing her teeth to chatter. She fiddled with the key shaped pendant around her neck before zipping up her jacket, Aiya trying her hardest to hide her neck. She couldn’t afford
to catch a cold. It was probably around ten at night and her mother hated when she had the closing shift. Aiya shot her a text quickly, letting her know that she was on her way home and perfectly fine.
“We’re late....hurry up..”
“..shh!...stop speaking so loud..”
Had Aiya heard the faint whispers at first, maybe she could’ve run to the nearest store, anywhere that had people. But instead, she continued to walk, figuring that it was just a normal conversation of some people that were going to pass. She popped an earbud into her ear, tapping the side to play her music. Instantly, melodies filled her head and she gently hummed along as she continued to walk. The night had blanketed over and the stars were visible against the dark sky. It would’ve been a peaceful walk.
“..shh!...stop speaking so loud..”
Had Aiya heard the faint whispers at first, maybe she could’ve run to the nearest store, anywhere that had people. But instead, she continued to walk, figuring that it was just a normal conversation of some people that were going to pass. She popped an earbud into her ear, tapping the side to play her music. Instantly, melodies filled her head and she gently hummed along as she continued to walk. The night had blanketed over and the stars were visible against the dark sky. It would’ve been a peaceful walk.
“seriously...Caterpillar is gonna kill us if we don’t hurry up..” “..for god's sake, fine..”
In an instant, Aiya eyesight was obscured and before a yell could leave her lips, a large hand was placed over it. With a muffled scream, she kicked and flailed about but she was no match for the two people who carried her away. Slowly, she lost consciousness, her body growing limp in their arms. “Hurry, let's bring her to the car.” One of the males spoke, his chocolate brown hair peeking out the sides of his black hat. He was clad in an all black outfit, a pin on his left breast that showed a silhouette of white rabbit ears. The second male wore a similar outfit but his pin
showed a silhouette of a clock, blonde fringe showing from under his hate. They easily carried her body until they came across a concealed van, the clock wearer sliding open the door.
“Put her in the back, bunny boy.” The blonde one said with a chuckle, sliding into the driver’s seat and switching on the van. A subtle hum filled the air as the engine was ignited. The brunette gently placed her body down and closed the door, hurrying over to the passenger’s side.
“Now let’s make this quick. We were supposed to be back an hour ago.” The one with the rabbit pin said with an impatient sigh. The blonde just smirked and waved him off.
“We didn’t know she would be working over time and besides..you worry too much about time.” He stepped on the gas and the car began to speed up. He brought the speed of the car faster, the brunette holding onto his seat belt.
“I know I said we had to hurry, but can you slow down before you kill us?” The blonde just laughed loudly, shaking his head.
“Make up your mind bunny boy. Do you want to get there quickly or not?”
A groan emitted from Aiya as she slowly woke up, her eyes slowly fluttering open. Her sight was blurry at first but as she grew more aware of her consciousness, it quickly adjusted. In a swift motion, she sat up, finding herself in an unfamiliar room. It was a well decorated room,
powder blue paint covering the walls. The floors resembled a chess board and a vanity sat directly in front of her. To the left of her was a white dresser that matched the vanity, and to the right, a nightstand. A large window was there as well, covered with an elegant looking, white and gold, plush curtain. Tiny trinkets scattered the room, some resembling tea cups, other little animals such as rabbits and kittens. Aiya slowly got off the bed, her bare feet coming in contact with the chilled tiles.
‘Bare feet?’ She thought, causing her to look down at her body. She had been changed into a comfortable nightgown and a discomfort took over her face. Who knows the kind of person that changed her. She looked around the room and spotted her clothes folded on the dresser. In front of the dresser on the floor, a pair of slippers rested there. She quickly shuffled over, slipping her cold feet into the fuzzy interior of them. Aiya went over her situation in her head. She had just been kidnapped and screaming would only draw attention to the fact that she was awake. Slowly, she made her way to the window, barely opening the curtain to catch a glimpse outside. It was dawn, the sun peeking up at the horizon. She could just make out the miles of forest that surrounded the building she was in. She couldn’t tell for sure, but she could only guess that there wasn’t a neighbor for miles. So, running off without any direction would not work in her favor. Aiya backed up and made her way to the bedroom door. The doorknob was a shiny bronze, almost antique like. She reached out her hand, thin, trembling fingers grasping the knob. She tried to turn it but to her disappointment, it was locked.
“Shit..’ Aiya murmured softly, her eyes resting on a keyhole before scanning the room for anything small and thin. She made her way to the vanity, her fingers skimming the smooth surface before she opened the draw. Inside, she found toiletries, makeup, and, to her luck, a comb and brush. She quickly grabbed the comb, thanking the gods that it happened to be a long stemmed comb. Aiya rushed over to the door and kneeled, her knees meeting that cold tiled floor. Gently, she slid the long stem into the keyhole and slowly maneuvered it around. She stuck her tongue out in concentration, jiggling it around until a ‘click’ was audible. With a deep breath, she slowly rose and made her way back to the vanity. She remembered the palette that was in the drawer came equipped with a tiny mirror. Grabbing it, she brought herself to the door once more and slowly turned the knob. The door began to open with a low creak and when it was open enough to fit her hand through, she slowly stuck the mirror out. As she looked in, she was met with a long hallway going down both ways, the floor decorated with a red carpet while the walls were painted a white shade with a gold crowning.
It seemed as if the place was deserted but she knew that was implausible. No one would kidnap someone and then leave them alone. Then again. They had locked the door. They probably didn’t expect her to find a way of opening it. Aiya opened the door some more and made her way out, keeping both the palette and the comb in her hands. Due to the carpet, her footsteps were muffled as she began to walk. She chose to go down the hallway to her right and followed it from there. Her mind was rushing as she walked by more rooms. Aiya was curious but her first priority was to find stairs to the first level. Within seconds, she came across the top
of a staircase. With a sigh of relief, she hurried and went to take her first step before the sound of voices floated up. Her body froze as she stopped to listen.
“When do you think she’s going to wake up?” A gentle, smooth voice rang through the air, a maternal aura hanging on to it.
“Probably soon. Hopefully she doesn’t cause too much of a problem.” A deeper voice answered, his tone just as gentle as the first.
“All we can hope for is her cooperation. We just need her to listen and understand-” The voices paused as the comb slipped from Aiya hands, the sound of footsteps beginning.
“What was that?” The first voice said in a more hushed voice as she scrambled to find the closest hiding place. “I don’t know. Probably one of the boys but let me go check it out.” The footsteps grew louder and Aiya knew she was running out of time. With hurried movements, she ran to the closest door, opening it and running inside.
As she closed the door, she held her breath, keeping her ear pressed against the cool finished wood. The footsteps grew even louder now and her heart was beating so quickly, she could’ve sworn the man outside in the hallway could hear it. His footsteps stopped outside the door, his shadow visible from under it. “Hmm..guess it nothing.” He called out to the other before the footsteps began to recede.
“Jin, would you like to check on Alice. You might come off as more..welcoming.” The voice said before it was out of earshot. ‘Alice?’ Aiya thought to herself as she backed away from the door. “Who could that be..?” She whispered to herself, clutching that long stemmed comb in her hand.
There was a pause before a voice broke the silence.
“That would be you, little one.”
A chill ran down Aiya’s spine and her breath hitched in her throat. Slowly, she turned
“That would be you, little one.”
A chill ran down Aiya’s spine and her breath hitched in her throat. Slowly, she turned
around, coming face to face with a blonde male, his skin almost flawless, and his lips pulled into a giant grin. It gave off a somewhat crazed aura but not in a bad way. “Where do you think you’re going, Alice?” He cooed, stepping closer to Aiya, the tension thick in the air. She moved back, glaring at the taller male.
“My name isn’t Alice, it’s Aiya. So don’t call me that” She shot back and even though fear ran through her body, she knew she couldn’t show him any weakness.
“Ah, feisty one I see. Don’t worry my dear Aiya, I’m not going to hurt you...” He trailed off and shrugged. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to. First thing I was told before we went out to get you.” The mystery man cleared his throat and began to impersonate someone else’s voice. “You must bring Alice back unharmed, Hatter.” The man then laughed once more and sighed. “And that I did, though with that damned bunny boy going on and on about how late we were, I wanted to just crash our van to put me out of misery!” He dramatically rolled his eyes and glanced back over at Aiya with a grin.
“Your name...is Hatter?” She asked out, trying to get a sense of who this man was. She had already concluded that he was one of her kidnappers and obviously this ‘bunny boy’ was her second one. “Hm, well yes and no. Hatter is what I’m called on missions. But around everyone else, I’m Tris.” The blonde stepped closer once more and even though she tried to step back, her back hit the door leaving her with no place to go. His large hand reached out and swiftly grabbed hers and before she knew what was going on, his lips were placing a chaste kiss on her knuckles.
“Tris Kear. A pleasure to make your acquaintance miss Aiya.” The male, now known as Tris pulled away, that damn smile never leaving his face.
“Now, let's go let the boys know that our dear Alice is safe and sound.” Aiya glared at Tris, gripped the comb in her hand tighter.
“My name is not Alice, did you not understand me before?”
Tris just chuckled and went to grab your arm, but in a swift movement you stepped to the side, bringing the hand with the comb back and went to jab it towards Tris. Though, his reflexes were just as quick and his hand clamped around hers, pulling her close. “Now little one, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” His velvety voice whispered into her ear, goosebumps rising on her arms as he snatched the comb and tossed it across the room.
“Be a good girl and come with me.” Tris tugged her wrist with one hand and opened the door with the other.
“I have no idea where she could’ve gone.”
A chuckle rang from Tris as the maternal voice from earlier was heard.
A chuckle rang from Tris as the maternal voice from earlier was heard.
“Oh, our dear white queen, Alice seemed to have gotten lost and came crashing into my tea party. But don’t worry, she was a pleasure to have, even though she was an uninvited guest.” A large sigh was heard as Aiya was dragged towards the stairs and escorted down.
“I told you to stop calling me queen when we aren't on missions.” Another man came into view and his facial features were just as perfect as Tris’. His hair resembled fluffy cotton candy and it almost gave her an urge to try and take a bite out of it. Aiya looked up at the new male and was met with a soft gaze, which was a great contrast to the mischievously crazy stare that Tris
had. “Hello Alice, I hope this child didn’t cause you any trouble.” The pink haired male said, taking subtle shots at the blonde.
Tris just scoffed, releasing her wrist and shoving her closer to the other male. “You’re in charge of her now Jin. Careful, she snaps back.” And with that, the Hatter waltz out the room, rambling about how he was in desperate need of a cup of tea.
“So Alice-” The man called ‘Jin’ started before Aiya quickly cut him off.
“Would you guys stop calling me Alice!” She exclaimed, making Jin flinch a bit. He didn’t really expect her to talk back to him but he quickly pulled himself together and continued.
“Well, if you would give me your name, I wouldn’t have to call you ‘Alice’.” He said matter of factly, a small, kind smile on his lips. Aiya just stood there, not expecting him to come off so kind. He was a completely different character from that Tris guy.
“It’s Aiya. I’m assuming your name is Jin?” Aiya spoke softly, not finding the reason to be snappy with him but of course she still didn’t trust him.
“Yes, it’s nice to officially meet you Aiya. I apologize that we had to meet under these circumstances.” Jin’s smile grew slightly, though as the sound of footsteps became audible, he glanced over to their side. “Ah, there you are.” Jin said with a bigger smile as a male with olive hair came in. He had cute round cheeks and full lips, those women would be envious of.
“Jin, what were the boys up to?” The new male said with a deep voice, Aiya instantly recognizing it as the second voice from earlier. “Well, Tris found our friend here and gave her a little whirl around, but everything is under control, June.” Jin replied back gently, beckoning him over with his hand as Aiya kept his eyes on the two of them. “Before you call me Alice as well, I’m-”
“Aiya. Yes, I know.” June quickly cut her off with a smile as gentle as Jin’s and eyes that seemed to be full of wisdom. “Before you ask me how I knew that, I should tell you I know a lot more. See, we didn’t just take you at random. We needed you and we couldn’t just stroll up to your front door.”
Tension fell over them like the time in Tris’ room and Aiya grew worried. “What do you mean ‘need me’?” She asked quietly, not even sure if she wanted the answer to her question but she knew she needed it.
“Would you like to sit before we continue?” June asked but Aiya was not having it. “Stop acting so considerate. You kidnapped me for god’s sake! So just get to it. Why do
you guys need me and who the hell sent you guys?”
Jin worriedly glanced at June as the latter took a deep breath before his eyes met hers.
Jin worriedly glanced at June as the latter took a deep breath before his eyes met hers.
“Your father sent us.”