Ciel, as well as Snake and their fellow students, looked upon the scene with worry. April and a deformed boy were sprawled on the ground- both knocked out.

Sebastian oversaw that they were laid onto stretchers and taken to the infirmary immediately. He too was worried, for the sake of the girl and for his master. “This is quite troublesome,” he muttered to himself, hurrying after the men, a trail of students at his tail.

“Headmaster Michaelis!” one of the boys called. “Is Miss April going to be alright?”

“She’s only fainted,” Sebastian answered tersely. The boy was James, the one who was “kidnapped.” But it appeared to be not a kidnapping at all. And judging from the marks around April’s throat, he had attacked her.

Sebastian clenched his fist. James was before him now. All he needed was Grell and the Scythe. They could get into his mind and take out the fragment of April’s soul he possessed. They were close now, he could feel it.

April’s eyes fluttered open, staring up into what looked like a shimmering white disc above her. Something seemed off about this atmosphere: the way the sun and sky seemed to be melting and forming little waves across the horizon.

Then, she remembered what had transpired before and gasped, sucking in something that wasn’t air, and that swelled her throat painfully and sent her lungs into panic. She thrust her arms through the viscous space, and realized she was underwater. She let out a breath and swam through the huge bubble that escaped her mouth, breaking through the surface and gasping for air. How had she gotten here? Moments ago, she was pinned under a manic boy in the middle of a school corridor- and now, she was treading in the middle of the ocean.

She gulped and snapped her head in every which way, terrified of what would be out here. The sea monsters she’d read about? What sort of creatures were lurking below her? Where was the shore? Were there any cruise liners about? Any ships? She opened her mouth to call for help, but no comprehensible words could be produced.

“Welcome to your mind, April Phillips.”

It was her own voice, but there was something sinister in it.

“You live your life in books. So this shouldn’t be so hard.”

A dark shadow passed over her, and she looked up to an enormous wave that crashed over her sooner than she could react. Her lungs filled with water once again as she was carried away. She shut her eyes and held her breath, hoping the current would take her to shore.

After what seemed like hours, yet only a few short moments, the sensation around her changed from the ocean’s violent current to the rocky shores of an England beach. She coughed and sputtered up the water in her throat, looking up bleary-eyed at the soaring rock formations, spotting a dark figure perched on a boulder.

She dragged herself further up the beach, toward the silhouette, and stumbled to her feet. Why was she having so much trouble walking?

“Oh, April, please tell me the one about the Little Mermaid!” It was a different female voice, but one she didn’t recognize. Then she remembered what James had said to her before she went unconscious, asking her if she wanted to hear the story of the Little Mermaid. Could it be that she was now living in this very story as the main character. If she played along, could she finally regain her memories?

She staggered over to the figure, wondering if perhaps that was this was the source of the unfamiliar voice. Maybe she would recognize the person? But as she neared, she discovered the girl smiling devilishly at her was shrouded in a black cloak and wearing a dark-feathered mask over her eyes. And when she spoke, the voice was her own.

“Hello, April, I am Coy- one of the sides of your personality.” She was stroking a small black cat, who mewed affectionately. “This is our kitty, dear Amber. You have the misfortune of forgetting this adorable creature.”

April stared dumbly at her. “Coy? As in-?”

“I am the side of you who keeps your secrets, keeps your relationships at arm’s length when you need them to be. I am your inhibitions.” She cocked her head at her. “You are in your own psyche- in someone else’s soul. That is something you must take care of.”

“Yes, of course,” she replied. “But there are other of my soul fragments within other people.”

Coy’s smile did not waver. “That is what you believe. Or perhaps, that is what you believe to still hold true.”

“My soul is together in one person?”

“Your soul is not together, for it is not with us. However, here is where you can mend it and take it back for yourself.” Coy stood up and set Amber down.

“I am not sure what you mean,” said April.

“Play your role, April. You are no longer the director of your own performance. Find the fragments of your personality, for they are apart of your soul. I am your first.” She curtseyed before disappearing in a whirl of white light.

April didn’t feel any different- in fact, she felt even more lost than before. However, Coy was an extension of herself, and if she couldn’t trust herself, who was there to trust at all?

She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at Amber, who’d curled up at her feet. “Come on, Amber. It would be a shame if I journeyed alone.” The cat mewed as she bent to pick it up. Before her, the beach stretched on, but if she squinted, she could see in the distance ominous dark structures jutting in and out through the haze in the gray skies. “I feel like Alice in Wonderland,” she told the kitty, taking in a deep breath before marching down the rocks. “However, this Wonderland could perhaps be my worst nightmare.”