text: [Themes: fan fiction, fantasy]
  
  [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 Five
  "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 resist the urge to scoff at such stupidity. Sleep more after sleeping for three years straight? You force a small smile instead. You take the pill and glass of water from her hands. You hesitate, like you are not sure you should take it, before putting the small pill into your mouth and taking a large gulp of water. You did not swallow the pill though. It rests safely between your teeth and left cheek were you cannot accidently swallow it.
  
  You look back at the red-head to see her smiling a small sad smile. It seemed like you had fooled her. "Is something amiss? What has you worried?" you ask in concern, although it was not for the woman in front of you. Something is wrong here, very wrong.
  
  She shacks her head a little. "Nothing is wrong, and I am just worried about you."
  
  You look at her quizzically and lean forward slightly. "What is your name, if I may be so bold? I cannot continue to just call you 'Miss'."
  
  "It is Ann."
  
  "Well Miss Ann, you should not be worried. I am very capable of taking care of myself, thank you." You truly believe this, you have to believe this. You have no one you can trust but yourself, and now that you think about it, not even that. Just who are you really? To find this answer will now be your most precious goal.
  
  Ann laughs lightly. "Yes, yes. That is what they all say." She abruptly stands up. "Oh my! I forgot to give number 46 his glass of water," she mutters to herself before addressing you again. "Get a good night sleep Ash dear." She pulls up your covers more before leaving.
  
  The moment Ann closes the door you throw the covers off you and swing your feet off the bed. You slowly lower them until the sols touch the cold smooth floor. You stand up on shaky feet and grip the bed for support. When you think you can trust your legs, you slowly walk over to one of the windows and opens it slightly. You spit out the pill quickly before bringing your head back in. It is very cold out there.
  
  After shutting the window you close your eyes and think... what now?
  
  (To look around the room you are in, turn to page 6.)
  
  (To leave your room and go out into the hall way, turn to page 7.)
  
  > Page Six
  [Play: Wonderland Woods soundtrack]
  
  You look around the room for anything you could use. Your eye catches the site of the 6 white bottles full of pills sitting on the table. They seemed to have done nothing to you but stop the pain. Deciding that it might be useful you take the five bottles and slid them inside the folds of your white robe. Staring down at the thing you wore, you firmly decide that you cannot wear this if you are to go out looking for answers. You look around for something else to wear but all you find is a flimsy sweater and some brown slippers. You put both on. It might not be much, but every little thing helps.
  
  After confirming that there is nothing else of use here, you decide to look out the window. The sun was going down and you could tell that you are on the second floor. Checking a nearby clock on the wall, you now know for sure it is in the late evening.
  
  "Six p.m." This reminds you of something Ann said earlier. "Was not she referring to a patient here as a number?... But what was it? Curse my faulty memory." You then walk to the only door in the room and set your hand on the door knob. "Time to leave," you mummer.
  
  (You leave the room and walk out to the hall way. Turn to page 7.)
  
  > Page Seven
  You walk out to the middle of the hallway. It is in bad shape, with dust and grim covering the floors and the only lighting coming from the windows. Behind you is the door to the room you woke up in. To the left are rows and rows of doors, probably leading to other patients rooms, and to your right is one door at the very end. There is a sign above it but you cannot tell what it says from this distance.
  
  "A fork in the road. Which way to go?"
  
  This choice is only for those who have not gone to page 6. (You decide the best course of action is to go back into the room you woke up in to look around some. There might be something in there to help you. [Turn to page 6])
  
  (You decide to go deeper into the hallway. [Turn to page 8.)
  
  (You decide to walk over to the single door on the far right for a better look. [Turn to page 10.])
  
  > Page Eight
  [Play: Wonderland Woods soundtrack]
  
  You walk further into the hallway, and as you walk, you find it strange that you are the only one out of your room. Where were the other nurses? Doctors? Patients walking about to stretch their legs? You reach the end of the hall way on the other side and not once did you see anyone. To your left and right there is a door. Behind you is the rest of the hallway.
  
  "What to do, what to do..."
  
  This choice is only for those who have yet to go to Page 11. ("Ine mini miny mo. Left it is then." [Choose the left door and turn to Page 9.])
  
  ("Right is always the right choice." [Only Turn to Page 13 if you have not already been there..])
  
  ("I am done here." [Go back to the middle of the hallway. Turn to Page 7.])
  
  > Page Nine
  [Play: Duchess Battle soundtrack]
  
  You reach out your pale hand to push open the door, but freeze when you hear something from inside. "I am perfectly fine! Leave me be!"
  
  "You might feel that way now dear, but you have internal bleeding and need help immediately." You realize with a start that it is Miss Ann's voice.
  
  "You lie! I know what you did to-" The voice is cut off suddenly and you have a sneaky suspension. You look up to see the small numbers 46 engraved into the door. Didn't Ann say she was going to give this patient water or something? What was going on?
  
  (It is none of your business. Why bother? [Back away from the door and go to Page 8.])
  
  (Were they hurting that patient? If so, you have to help! [You open the door slightly for a better look. Go to page 11])
  
  > Page Eleven
  [Play: Duchess Battle]
  
  You open the door slightly for a better look. Miss Ann is indeed inside there with someone who looks like a doctor. "Is the brat finally asleep?"
  
  "Yes sir," responds Ann.
  
  "Good, we told Mr. Jones that he would have a new, healthy heart by night fall."
  
  Your eyes widen. Here is your first real choice that could lead to death, freedom, salvation, cowardness... What will you do?
  
  (This is crazy! This is insane! This is madness! This is beyond you! [Back away from the door and turn to page 8.])
  
  (This is crazy! This is insane! This is madness!... But you still find that you must help the poor boy. [Turn to Page 12.])
  
  > Twelve
  [Play: Duchess Battle soundtrack.]
  
  You slip quietly into the room and grab a nearby grey medical trey from a table. Deciding that the doctor would be the hardest to beat, you attack him first. You bang his head in from behind and he falls down unconscious. Ann turns to look at you with wide eyes and she opens her mouth to yell something. Before she can, you kick her in the stomach and the so called nurse bends over in pain.
  
  For some reason, everything is starting to get blurry and images start to flash in front of you. You are in a large room with at least ten beds all piled in. No one is there except three smirking boys towering over you.
  
  "Look! Curling up into a ball of fright," says one.
  
  "How Pathetic!"says another.
  
  "Get up and at least try to fight back, you weakling!" says the last.
  
  You find it hard to breath as you are thrust back into reality. There is horrible pain in your chest. Pills! You need to get one to stop the pain!
  
  (If you have not done page 6, turn to page 15.)
  
  (If you have done page 6, go to page 14.)
  
  > Page Fifteen
  [Play: Duchess Battle soundtrack]
  
  Your hand flies to robe pocket and searches for the Pill bottle. Your eyes widen when you realize you forgot to grab them from your room. The pain is becoming unbearable, your eyes water from lack of oxygen, the color black is claiming your vision, and it's a miracle that you are still standing... Ann has just recovered and you see her walk towards you with something sharp and silver in her hand. You know she is talking to you, but you can't understand her words. Ann grabs your left arm and there is a stinging sensation there. Your eye lids drop and you know no more.
  
  (You have no more choices. It seems that you have lost the game of Life.)