Some days start out normal, totally fine, nothing to worry about.
This was not one of those days, Laura surmised.
"Okay, think, this isn't a dream, cause Nightmare would be here if he was," she murmured to herself, "and it's not the amusement park. I went to bed, Mom kissed me goodnight, then I had a weirdly black and dreamless sleep- no I guess it wasn't dreamless cause I remember it being black- and now I'm here."
While the twelve year old girl appeared very calm and collected, on the inside she was screaming.
"Open me."
Laura's head whirled, cat ears swiveling to detect the source of the voice.
"Open me."
Laura jumped up, running in the direction she heard the sound. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and doors started to appear on trees.
"Open me."
The voices were all around her now. Laura ran one way, then the other, calling out.
"Mom? Dad? Uncle Gowland? Uncle Julius? Blood? Anybody?" Her voice became shriller and shriller, cracking and wavering as her fear started to take hold.
After what felt like hours, Laura stopped, panting, trees all around her chanting "Open me" in a clashing chorus.
Laura dropped to the ground, hands over her ears, tears dripping down her face. Gone was the cool and calm facade, now was the scared child separated from her parents with no idea how to find them.
"SHUT UP!" She screamed. "JUST SHUT UP! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
The trees fell silent, and the only sound echoing through the forest was Laura's sobs.
She dropped her hands, and felt something familiar. Opening her eyes, she found her hands laying on her bow and quiver of arrows, which was amazingly full. Fingers wrapped around the smooth wood body and frizzled cloth grip, slung the leather container over her shoulder, and reveled in the click and familiar weight of the arrows as she stood up.
Her father had taught her once that crying solved nothing. If anything, it just made things worse, because then you had to solve a problem with a stuffy nose and a headache.
Laura breathed a shaky sigh, glancing at the sky. She didn't know how long it was until the next time period, but she wanted to find some sliver of civilization before resting.
She hauled herself up, breathing deeply, trying to sift through the smells like her father had taught her. She picked a direction, and started walking.
^.v.^
Alice's eyes began to flutter. She murmured softly, shifting and turning, searching for a familiar body next to her.
She found nothing.
Her eyes shot open and she sat bolt upright. This wasn't her room at the amusement park. This was a more ornate, decorated room with a bouquet of roses in a glass vase nearby.
"Hello? Boris?" Alice called tentatively. Her shaky voice echoed around the room, and received a response, albeit one she was not expecting.
"Hey, Big Sister woke up!"
The door flew open, and Dee and Dum ran into the room. They tackled Alice in a hug, eliciting a startled cry.
"Dee, Dum! What….why are you two here?"
"We were waiting for you to wake up! Boss found you in the courtyard and brought you in here!"
"Wha-how was I in the courtyard? I was in bed, with Boris, home at the amusement park!"
"The world shifted, sis! Didn't you know?"
"Brother, this is Big Sister's first shift!"
Dee and Dum grabbed Alice's arms, pulling her out of the bed and into the corridor.
"Sis has gotta see Boss! And Blonde Chicky Rabbit!"
"I told you to stop calling me that! And quit tugging on her like that, you're gonna tear her arms off!"
Elliot stepped out of a side hallway, the usual frown stretched across his face.
"Elliot, what is going on?" Alice was beginning to panic now. "What do they mean by shift?"
Elliot explained, as calmly as he could. "Sometimes the land changes. Things disappear and others take their place. It's no longer the Country of Hearts. It's the Country of Clover."
Alice began to shake. The thought of her home, her lover, her daughter, disappearing in the blink of an eye was terrifying.
Elliot gently took her arm. "Here, let's go to a balcony."
He carefully guided Alice through the maze of the manor. Soon, fresh, cold air was gently blowing by, and Alice could see the land.
The amusement park was gone. The clock tower was gone, replaced by a town and a new tower.
"No…"
Elliot, who had been observing the scenery, turned to Alice. The girl was trembling, and tears were rolling down her face.
"No….Boris, Laura, Gowland…."
She turned, grabbing Elliot by the lapels. "I have to find them! I have to!"
Elliot gently grabbed Alice's wrists. "That's up to Blood. If he says you should stay, then you should."
"You don't understand! Laura's out there, alone, scared! For both of us, this is our first time experiencing something like this, she doesn't know what happened or where she is or where home is-"
"Breathe Alice, breathe." A new voice entered, a hand was laid on her shoulder.
Alice turned to see Blood standing behind her.
"It does you no good to be hysterical like this."
"Blood, I have to go."
The mafia boss leaned back, staring at the sky. Darkness fell suddenly, lamps lit up around the manor.
"Not at this hour."
"Blood…." Alice's tone was pleading now, and her voice cracked with the magnitude of tears and fear.
"There will be a meeting tomorrow for those with a Purpose. The Cat will be there, I am sure of it."
"But Laura-"
Blood held a finger to her lips. "She will be found, in time. Laura is a resourceful girl, I have confidence in her."
Alice slumped. She felt helpless.
"For now, why don't we have some tea and relax."
^.v.^
Down in the town, someone was doing anything but relaxing.
Boris was panting, his throat dry and tasting of copper, his legs screaming for him to stop, but he couldn't.
"ALICE! LAURA! ANSWER ME!" His voice trilled and cracked, his cry ending in a wretching cough.
He entered the center square, stopping, spinning. He'd been here eleven, no twelve- damn, he'd lost count. No sign, no response.
He dropped to his knees, exhausted. Street lamps flickered on around him, lighting up tears that began to trace their way down his face.
"DAMN IT!" Boris screamed, slamming his fists down against the cobblestones. Then again. And again. And again, more and more, dull to the pain until he lifted them and saw blood.
"Damn it…" This one was weaker, merely a whisper, pained and fearful. Teardrops painted the ground as he wretched dryly, adrenaline dropping and his exertion catching up to him.
A shadow grew along the ground, then over the prone cat. He looked up to see a tall man, dressed sharply and with a sour expression.
"As much as I enjoy seeing you run yourself in circles, Lord Nightmare asked me to escort you to the tower."
"Why?" Boris snapped.
Grey sighed. "I don't have to tell you why. Besides, it's a better place to play with spaces and doors, don't you agree?" He stretched out one hand. "Come now, up."
Grumbling, Boris grabbed the proffered hand, pulling himself to his feet. He followed Grey in the direction of the Tower of Clover.
"Hey. Can Nightmare tell me where the hell my family is?"
"That is against the rules." Grey answered calmly.
"BULLSHIT IT IS!" Boris exploded.
Grey turned to face the angered feline. "With any luck she will be at the meeting tomorrow. You can search for her afterwards. Remember your place, Cheshire Cat."
The stony man swiveled on his heel, and continued walking. Boris stared at the sky.
"Please, please, let Alice be safe. Let Laura be safe. Let me find them soon."
PLW: Two freaking years since I last wrote for this fandom, but now I'm back! Huzzah! This fic literally popped into my head four hours ago, and I just sat down and wrote. I wanted to expand more on Laura's character, build her up, and, of course, bring in members of the cast we didn't see in the last fic.
And I'm not gonna lie, update times are gonna be wonky. I'm in college, I have classes and assignments. Time to write is just gonna be whenever inspiration strikes, honestly.
But hey, I got my groove back! Woo!
I do not own Alice, Boris, or the other characters or the setting. Laura is my only claim.
See you next chapter!