Snippet #1649322

The Mad Hatter laughed wildly, then walked off to his left into the library. He left the door open, just in case one of his prisoners should want to talk to him. There was also the possibility of an uprising, but that could be controlled easily. After all, he wasn't the Mad Hatter for nothing. He had long forgotten his name, as growing up on the streets often does to you.

Sitting down in a chair, he lit a match and threw it into the fireplace. Grabbing a book, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, he opened to the second page of the seventh chapter and began to read. Part of his attention was spent on the book and making sure that his feet and ottoman were not too close to the fire. He did not want to be burned. Most of his mind was spent listening for any loud noises in the ballroom. He had the powers within the mansion to listen to some conversations and keep an eye on the kids, but that was of no interest to him right now.

He tossed his cane into the fire, letting it sit there for now. His thoughts lingered on Evangeline, his new prized possession-next to his hats, cane, masks, and mansion of course.

***

Zaria rose, looking around the room. Well, there were two girls talking and a few of the boys were talking too. She'd passed another who was hesitating in the hallway and the boy and girl who seemed to be siblings. She looked around, noticing another waiter coming towards her. She shook her head quickly, then rushed back up the stairs to where the siblings were. She glanced at the girl still in the hallway, who wore a light colored, long dress. She gestured for her to come joint he rest of them in this tortured mansion.

Looking at the siblings, she smiled as best she could with the feather mask on. it was actually quite annoying and was irritating her skin. "Hello, I'm... Zaria," she said, almost forgetting her name. She took a few steps back, feeling as if she were intruding on the two. She backed up some more, bumping into a pedestal with a vase of dying flowers. She turned around and quickly secured it, but the vase's inertia led it to fall.

"Ahhh! No!" she cried, trying to catch it before it fell. It landed with a loud clang on the marbled floor. Before she could pick it up and place it back as it was, the vase cracked and broke. The intricate patterns on it separating into a hundred jagged pieces. Zaria looked down at the broken vase, horrified. Before she could speak, a servant came and picked up the pieces, carrying them away quietly.

Blushing and giggling hysterically and waves to the twins and then to Aliena. "Opps..." she whispered between giggles.