Alice’s eyes stretched wide. She was too scared to scream, too petrified to make a sound. When she hit the floor, she stayed there. Even the Masked Man’s words sounded distant, as if she had been submerged underwater. She vaguely felt Melissa’s touch, vaguely heard her voice. Alice’s head lolled to look up at the other girl. Her face contorted into a smile.

“Heh. I guess I’m really not cut out for this, am I?”

She moved to get up, the adrenaline from before still pulsing in her veins giving her false strength. Nevertheless, she stood up on shaky legs at first, though she gained her balance as the fear subsided little by little. Only...the effects did not. She pulled the pins from her hair out one by one, tossing them about haphazardly. The crown pinned in place was next to go. She tossed it aside without a care.

Her fragile frame would suggest weakness, but it was strong enough to tear her dress. The sound of it ripping would reduce any tailor or seamstress to tears.

“God, it reeks in here.”

She wandered around, sending stacks of books toppling and spilling ink. Alice ran to the other side of the room and threw open the windows, only fate stopping her from falling through it. She screamed as loud as she could into the inky sky. Turning around suddenly, she ran around the room in circles, dancing as she went to music that wasn’t playing.

“Ha! There’s no point to anything! It sure smells in here, though!”

She fell against the wall in her uncalculated steps, but that didn’t faze her. Kicking off her shoes, the princess stretched like a cat and laughed a cackling laugh.

“C’mon, Melissa! Dance with me, hey! Jump around! You too, Miranda! Let’s run away into the forest and eat wayward travelers! Why not? Let’s go.”

She grabbed at the neckline of her dress, tearing it a new one. Her sleeves were next to be shredded.

“It’s so hot in here, isn’t it? It smells like rotten meat in here, doesn’t it?”

She ran right up Melissa and gave her a quick, sudden peck on the lips.

“I’ve been wanting to do that. C’mon. Dance with me! This song is great for it. Jump around!”

Only...there was no song. There was no rotting flesh. And, if anything, it was a little breezy from the open window. Indeed, the fear had gone so deep into her that she was imagining things. And not only that, but her sense of duty and self were...compromised...to say the least.

“C’mon. It’s so hot in here, though. Let’s go outside. Let’s go!” She stumbled for the open window, sticking her face out into the wind. “Let’s fly! C’mon.”