text: [Themes: fan fiction, fantasy]
  
  Prologue
  
  [Play: American McGee's Alice Dry Landing]
  
  Madness is a slippery thing that can be found almost anywhere. In a serial killer out for blood, or a young girl, detached from the world and dreaming up the strangest of things. It could be in that man across the street, who lost a love one not too long ago, or that woman sitting next to you, plotting a sick and deadly revenge for her husband who cheated on her. It could be in you, for who would be crazy enough to read this?
  
  Do not fret though, this world is just not the place in which we belong, so we have no reason to be self conscious of what the people here think of us. This world is full of normal and positively boring people who can't see beyond what is held in front of them. Who of us would want to be among such? Certainly not I, I take pride when people say that I am off my rocker, crazy, insane... mad... because I will be able to go places, witness sites, and actually do things that they couldn't even imagine.
  
  So what of you, if I may ask? Do you thirst for adventure too? Do you wish for something more than to live out your life in this mundane place? Do you yearn to be the hero or villain of your own story?
  
  If your answer is yes, then I, the Cheshire Cat, bid you welcome into a place where up is down, left is right, and everything is what you make it. A place where your dreams, or nightmares, become reality and your personal demons come out to play. A place where you can just sit down and have a nice cup of tea, or slice raging monsters to bloody pieces with the weapon of your choice. The name of this place? Wonderland. Be warned though, enter this place, fail to win the game, and you just might lose the last bit of sanity you have left...
  
  > Page three
  [Play: American McGee's Wonderland Woods]
  
  Over the course of a few hours a hazy consciousness comes and goes. Finally, you grab onto it and pull yourself out to full awareness. You open your brown eyes to find yourself in a not-to-clean grey/white room lying on a small creaking bed. You sit up fast and immediately regret it. Your head pounds and you feel like throwing up as you slowly lay back down.
  
  "Where... Where a-am I?" you croak.
  
  "My! You are awake!" squeals a voice happily. The owner of the voice comes into view. It is a rather short and plump woman with red hair, and if looks are anything to go by, than the woman is a nurse. Are you in a hospital?
  
  "Yes..." you say slowly. "I suppose I am... What is this place, if I may ask?"
  
  The woman's smile abruptly vanishes and she starts to fiddle with a white piece of cloth in hand. "Well... It's the hospital dear."
  
  You swallow hard, resisting the urge to pat yourself down for injuries. "Ah... mind helping me get up Miss?"
  
  "Of course darling... here we are..." You frown as she puts pillows behind your back so you may sit up. You wanted to stand and stretch your sore legs, not just sit up... You wince suddenly and your hand flies to your chest. It was strangely hard to breath; it shouldn't be like this... Or should it? Your eyes widen as you realize you can't remember who you are.
  
  The woman sits down at the foot of your bed and looks at you with pitting eyes that makes your stomach turn. "Ash darling... Calm down. Drink some of this here water and swallow this pill." Not knowing what else to do to make the pain stop, you do as she says.
  
  "Good." She squeezes one of your knees and you grit your teeth. You have to be kind to this woman, at least for now. You have to find out what was going on. Then a thought struck you. She called you Ash. So that is your name...
  
  "How long have I been asleep?" you inquire calmly, and you're proud that you can control your emotions so well.
  
  The red-head visibly stiffens before speaking. "No point in keeping it hidden, I suppose... Ash Honey... you were very brave, but one of your lungs was severely damaged. You will not be able to run or do anything active without fainting..."
  
  You hold back tears as this processes and you grip the sheets around you tightly. You feel something pressing against your palm and you open your right hand to revel a ring on one of your fingers. The words 'friends forever' are engraved on the gold band ring. You stare at it for awhile before looking back up to the woman. "But how long have I been asleep?" you ask again.
  
  "... Three years, and believe it or not you just turned fifteen today," she sets the white bottle of pills aside on a table with others of its kind and puts a wet cloth on your forehead.
  
  She smiles that sweet smile again. "Things will get better now that you have woken up, you'll see," the nurse takes something out of her pocket. It is another pill. "Take this."
  
  (You look at the blue pill the nurse is holding in slight suspicion, but then remembers how the other one helped you. If you didn't take this one, who knew what would happen to you. The pain might come back or worse. [Take the pill.]) Turn to page 4.
  
  (You stare at the small blue pill in suspicion. How did you know if you could trust this woman? You barley knew anything! All you had was her word for even your own name. [Don't take the pill.]) Turn to page 5.
  
  > Page Four
  "What is it for Miss?"
  
  "It is just to help you sleep dear. I know you will probably despise this, but it is not healthy to be walking about after just waking up from a coma."
  
  You think that a little weird, but smile at her all the same. The smile wavers slightly as you work up your courage. You take the pill and a glass of water from her and you set the cup of water down when you are done.
  
  Her smile is still there, but it seems sad somehow. "Is something amiss? What has you worried?"
  
  She shacks her head a little. "Nothing is wrong, and I am just worried about you."
  
  You look at her quizzically and lean your head slightly to the side. "What is your name, if I may be so bold? I can't continue to just call you Miss."
  
  "It is Ann."
  
  "Well Miss Ann, you shouldn't be worried. I am very capable of taking care of myself, thank you."
  
  Ann laughs lightly. "Yes, yes. That's what they all say." She abruptly stands up. "Oh my! I forgot to get number 46 his glass of water." She mutters to herself, and then addresses you. "Get a good night sleep Ash dear." She pulls up your covers more and leaves. In a matter of minutes the medicine kicks in and you are asleep.
  
  You have no dreams, for dreams are made of emotions, desires, and some memories, the latter of which you do not have much of. So there you are, standing in the eye of a pitch black hurricane of feelings, loneliness and hurt, anger and guilt being the worse. Suddenly you feel a horrible pain in your heart. It is physical pain and you try to scream but something is stuffed into your mouth to stop you. The agonizing pain seems to last forever until you cannot feel at all. You now seem to float in pure suffocating blackness, and the last thought you have is... that you much preferred to feel something, even pain, then nothing at all.
  
  (You have no more choices left. It seems you have lost the game of Life.)