Adenine the Knower(2)

just the 2nd part to Adenine the Knower. Obviously.

Blinding sunlight broke through the blanket of darkness that symbolized my unconsciousness. My vision, though not completely returned to me, had improved drastically. Well. I suppose one could consider it an improvement. The dulling darkness had morphed into a milky white. I assumed I was dead. Though, as my Grandfather always told me,  assumptions are for those who are too lazy to make a decision. But I couldn't help myself. What else was I to think? There was no legit proof of my still…wait….what is this?

I curled my fingers around the soft, cool object. It was everywhere, surrounding me. Encircling me. Holding me. I could feel the long strands brushing against my exposed flesh, stretching towards the heavens. I knew this feeling from somewhere…

Sudden visions flooded into my mind. I was in a field. A beautiful, lusciously green meadow. Grass that stretched to my knees danced and swayed in the evening breeze. The The sky…oh God…the sky…Where was I? Was this a memory? I had no recollection of ever being in a place so extravagant. Perhaps it was a suppressed memory, a result of experiencing a traumatizing incident in which my family and loved ones fought hard to conceal from me. It happened all the time in those stories my eldest brother always read to me and my sister.

No. This was no memory. This was no vision, either. It was real! Such captivating beauty, dancing before my eyes. The Emerald appearance of the grass combined with the hypnotizing beauty of the sky left my speechless. The perfection of it all made me fall to my knees. I stared harder at the sky. I had seen that shade before. That incredible, wonderful, radiant blue. 

The longer I gazed upon the breathtaking scenery, the warmer my world became. Every worry that stained my mind melted away. Nothing mattered anymore. My muscles were weak and turned to jello as I laid down in the soft grass. I vowed to the gorgeous sky before me that I would never leave its side. Never. 

"Oye! Get up!"

I turned my head lazily to the sound and smiled. 

"Why, hello there little guy! Is it not beautiful out today?"

The small rabbit glared at me. One of it's ears stood straight while the other, tightly wrapped in gauze, hung limply over his face. He wore a black leather waist coat, which was torn at the ends. Another long roll of gauze wrapped around his torso. 

"Get up, you stupid fool!" the rabbit hissed.

I snickered. I wasn't sure why, but I found the little fellow before me quite hysterical. 

"Why, Rabbits don't hiss! They certainly don't talk either!" 

"What? You stupid fool! It's not the rabbit talking, it's me!"

"Me who?" I asked, giggling uncontrollably at my own wit. 

"God you're hopeless!" the rabbit scolded. This only made me laugh harder. 

Suddenly I began to rise, floating higher and higher. Soon I was levitating in the sky, the green grass thousands of miles below me. I felt my strength drain as I sunk further into the sky. Soon, I had completely succumb to the darkness yet again.

I jolted forward in a quick panic. Sweat pulsed across my temples. I looked around frantically. I was lying a bed. A soft, warm bed. 

Stunned, I began to mumble. "It was all…a dream?"

But…it had all seemed so real! The meadow. The sky. The Castle. Terran. Adenine….Adenine! I dug deep into my pockets, searching for the pendant. There it was. Even before pulling it out to observe it, I knew what it was. The bright blue stones glistened in the dim candle light. Wait. Candle light?

"It's that damned staring that'll you get you into trouble!"

I dropped the pendant in surprise and searched for the source of the voice. A tall man sat in a chair near the doorway, his feet propped up on a stool. His was long and shaggy, and white as freshly fallen snow in the winter. Yet he himself appeared to be no older than twenty-five. He wore a black leather vest, which was unbuttoned to reveal his bandaged chest. His pants, which were also black leather, and skin tight, were held up by a shinny rabbit skull belt buckle. His combat boots, which were caked in mud, clicked together nosily as he tapped his feet against the stool. A chain swinging from his neck and a cigarette hanging lazily from his mouth completed the biker bad-boy appearance. 

"Who…who are you?" I asked shakily. 

He took a long drag from his cigarette and, completely ignoring my question, stood and retrieved my pendant. I hadn't realized that it was still attached to the cloak. He stared intently at the tiny crescent moon. His eyes narrowed and he tossed it carelessly towards me. 

"Take better care of your s**t. You don't want something like that to end up in the wrong hands. And don't flash it around like you're invincible. That'll get you killed." He sighed. "Not that it matters to me, anyway."

Anger surged through my veins. "Who the hell are you to ignore my question and insult me when I've done nothing to harm you?"

He glared at me. "You better watch that smart tongue of yours…" 

Before I knew what was happening, the man had dashed across the room and had me slammed against the wall, a sharp dagger pressed tightly against my throat. He placed his lips dead even to my ear and whispered ferociously; "Less I should cut it off!" 

"Usagi! Sheath your sword!"

We both turned to face a man standing in the door. His face was thin and framed by dark brown hair. His eyes were large and grey, yet they smiled as if they were a rainbow. He wore a red sleeveless trench coat with a black leather shirt underneath it. His pants were the same as the guy who I assumed was Usagi. A large sword rested in it's sheath, attached to his back by a leather strap. 

Usagi, obviously annoyed by the man's appearance, did as he was told and stormed out the room. "Like his life worth my time, anyway." 

I rubbed my swore neck and spat at the guy as he exited. The man in the red trench coat walked towards me, extending his hand with a smile. 

"How do you do? Forgive Usagi, he's kind of rough around the edges!" he said cheerfully.

"You don't say," I mumbled angrily, shaking the guys hand.

"My name is Aleron! Yours?"

"It's Galen. Where am I? What happened?"

Aleron smiled and took a seat on the bed. I looked around the room while he attempted to gather his thoughts. It was a small room. The walls were made of uneven slabs of stone, the floor was tightly packed dirt and mud. All the furniture was skillfully crafted wood lined with sacks stuffed with cotton. It was quaint. 

"You…are in a world…where everything and anything is possible!" He smiled widely and gave me a thumbs up. "And that's all you get on short notice! Now, come with me! I wanna introduce you to everyone else!" 

Aleron stood immediately and darted towards he door. I followed him, unsure if I was making the right choice. 

"Ok?" I stood cautiously, fearing every step I took might lead me further into my own personal hell. As I exited the room, lost in my own thoughts, I hadn't noticed I was completely lost. I stopped. My eyes darted frantically from side to side. I was in a long stone hallway, every ten feet holding a new branch off the main path that could lead me to God knows where. "S**t!" 

"You're so stupid!" 

I turned slowly to face the voice. My eyes narrowed. 

  "What do you want?" I snapped. 

"My, you certainly are an ungrateful brat, aren't you? Just shut the hell up and follow me," Usagi hissed, turning left at a cross section in the tunnel-like hall. 

I said nothing, but followed him wearily. I knew I shouldn't trust him. He had just tried to kill me not even fifteen minutes ago. But what choice did I have? Better a knife to the heart than starving to death in these endless halls. 

We travled in silence for a total of thirty more minutes, each filled with several agonizing turns and twists. As we passed a torched area, I noticed something massive to my right. I turned and stared at her indescribable beauty. It was a portrait of a girl. Her hair was long, and swirled and dripped like melted chocolate. Her skin was pale, but her lips and cheeks were cherry red. She had such a pained yet triumphant look in her eyes. I wanted to know her. Know everything about her. 

"Again with the damn staring!" 

I turned to see Usagi standing behind me, an irritated expression painted on his face. I hadn't noticed earlier, but his eyes were a deep golden color. How unusual.

"It's that same staring problem that got you into trouble in the Hullun Fields. All that DAMN staring!" 

"Since when is it illegal to stare?" I snapped. 

He sighed angrily. "I suppose this means you don't know, do you? About the Hullun fields?"

"Know what?" I asked, completely puzzled. What was he going on about.  

"Those fields…they are evil. Pure, genuine evil! They will poison even the purest of minds. One glimpse, and you'll fall madly under it's spell. I'm impressed you survived as along as you did."

"What do you mean 'it's spell'?" I completely faced him now, my interest reaching it's climax. "It was so beautiful…what harm could it cause?" My mind wandered back to the extravagance of the field and the sky.

"Exactly! It draws you in by its beauty, it's tranquility! But really, it's poisoning you, driving you mad! You experience a sort of high, one that you never wish to come down from. Soon, you reach absolute insanity. You never leave those fields, you become it's slave!" The anger and pain in his voice rose higher and higher as the details became more intense. 

I stared at him, wide-eyed. I thought back to when his knife was at my throat and realized I was less scared of him then than I was now. A sudden realization hit me. 

"So…you were the rabbit? In the field?"

He shrugged. "I suppose I was. I was whatever you thought I was. Your mind altered my appearance and turned me into a rabbit. As far as you were concerned, that is. I was myself the whole time. When I carried you out, you kept going on about flying and being thousands of miles in the air. Then I couldn't take it anymore and knocked you silly."

"You knocked me out?!" I shouted, rage returning to my senses. 

"Would you rather me have left you conscious so you could continue to breath in the poison of the fields? " He knew he had me. 

"I…er-well…no. I suppose not."I lowered my head in shame at my rashness. 

Usagi turned and continued down the hall. I gave a final glance at the portrait and hurried after him. Once I finally caught up to him, I decided there was something I had to do. 

"Um. Usagi?" 

"What?" he mumbled, clearly annoyed by my persistence to break the silence. 

"Um…thanks. You know…for saving me. From going crazy."

He paused for a moment but quickly recovered and continued walking. I could see the edges of cheeks bright red. I assumed he wasn't expecting with gratitude. 

"Er-you're welcome. Just…stop that damned staring!"

I grinned widely. "Yes, sir!" 

After several more minutes of walking, we came to a stop. We were standing in front of a set of large double-doors. They were wooden, but appeared to be coated in gold and silver. A Giant, blue crescent moon was painted on the doors. It was outlined in shimmering blue stones. It was the same as my pendant. 

Usagi turned to me looked me firmly in the eyes. "Stay right here until I return to tell you otherwise, understand?" I nodded. He turned back towards the doors and opened one a crack, allowing enough room for him to squeeze in, but not enough for me to see what hid behind them. 

After an hour of pacing and kicking dirt, I slunk to the ground exhausted. perhaps I'll just take a nap until he comes back. 

A loud thud of doors closing jerked me awake. I jumped to my feet and looked around. Finally! He's back! Now maybe I can-

"Hello! What are you doing out here?" she said with a smile. 

The person who stood before me with such concern painted on their face was not Usagi, but a girl. A girl with a pale, delicate face, long brown hair, bright blue eyes, and cheery red lips. It was the girl from the portrait. She wore a sky blue sleeveless shirt, a pair of light brown cargo paints, black combat boots, stripped gloves and arm warmers, and several large leather belts, each overlapping the other in various angles. 

"Um…I'm w-w-aiting for someone," I stammered. I must've looked like a fool to her. To make matters worse, my rear had been covered in dirt after sitting on the ground for so long. great…she'll think I s**t myself! 

"Really?" she asked, gazing at me with her large, curious eyes. "who?"

"Um…some guy called Usagi."

She gasped, a spark lighting in her eye. "Usagi brought you here?" She eyed me and the door suspiciously.  

"Y-yes. He brought me here after saving my from the Hulli….Hullu…Halliun…." I struggled to remember the name. 

"The Hullun fields?" she finished. I nodded. She looked at me as if I had just spoken some strange, unheard-of foreign language. She fell silent, lost in thought. Her beautiful eyes narrowed in concentration. Shut up, you perv! You don't even know this girl…God what's wrong with me!?

"Hmm," she finally said, more to herself than me, "Usagi saved you from the Hullun Fields…and brought you here…alive! Curiouser and curiouser…" 

"Are you alright?" I asked her, beginning to doubt if she was all there. 

Quickly dismissing her thoughts, an eager smile broke on her face. "I suppose Usagi went to ask my permission if you could enter. He really is a sweet heart when you get to know him. He's like a badass bunny-rabbit. He'll pour out his heart to you, then shoot anyone who pisses him off in the head."

She noticed my stunned expression. "Are you alright? I promise, he's not that bad! If he hasn't killed you yet, you're fine!"

"No…"I assured her, "It's not that…it's…well, you have quite a vocabulary for a young lady."

Her cheeks flushed and her eyes narrowed. A sort of pout masked her face. She made a 'humph!" sound and pointed her finger at me. "I'll have you know, I'm probably the least lady-like b***h you'll meet here!" She gave me a wide grin and quick wink. Suddenly, I was grasped in a head lock. She released me and returned back to her seemingly innocent self. 

I smiled. "You're pretty strong…for a girl" I knew that kind of banter wouldn't cross any lines and, eventually, could break the ice. 

She grinned and grabbed my hand. I could feel my face turn bright red and melt beneath its own heat. "C'mon! Let's go in!"

"Usagi might not…"

"Usagi won't get mad if you're with me! Now c'mon!" 

"Well…ok, I suppose." It was hard to deny her pleading face. "I'm Galen, by the way."

She smiled even wider. "Galen…what a nice name! My name's Alice. Galen…" she paused, then pushed open the giant doors. I gasped in shock. "Welcome to my Wonderland!"