DISLCAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THIS NEW VERSION OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND OR ITS CHARACTERS CREATED BY KICK-ASS TIM BURTON. 'Cause I'm so not him. XD
The air was so powdery. And still, more powder flew into the air. Her face was beginning to feel numb after the constant patting. Nevertheless, more and more make up, and more and more powder was applied to the small face. So many hands flew about fixing her hair, applying more make up, and tying up the last bits of her dress. Alice felt like she was about the keel over just from the exhaustion of sitting that long for that period of time. The nurse talked in time with the patting of the powder.
"Oh would you just look at yourself, Alice? Isn't she absolutely marvelous, Mabel?" The maid named Mabel nodded her head shyly. The nurse asked Alice,
"Well, what do you think, darling?" Everyone finally pulled away from the air-deprived girl. Alice saw the haughty looking girl that was apparently her in the mirror. She looked at everyone around the room with a slight distaste lining her eyes. The nurse's wide smile was beginning to look almost mocking. Alice took a small breath in and spoke in a soft voice,
"It's very different…" The nurse bobbed her head up and down in excitement, before tossing her head slightly in a little laugh.
"Why yes! Of course!! This is a very important party!" Alice sighed as all the maids filed out of the room followed by the nurse. Her mother and sister entered the bedroom. Tears were being held back by both.
"You look just like your father, Alice." Her mother muttered, as she threw her arms around her. Alice stiffly patted her forearm and put on a forced smile. Both women left the bedroom to wait for Alice. As soon as they were gone, Alice let out a huge breath of air and took a hold of a wet cloth. She smeared off all of the white and blue off her façade to reveal a simple, elegant face. She smiled softly at the real face and began to head out the door, fixing her veiled hat to keep the make-up-less face from view. Suddenly she stopped and abruptly ran back to the vanity. Her fingers picked up and gently caressed a white gold locket. She opened the small, heart-shaped vessel and her own heart was instantly filled with sadness and remorse. The black and white picture of her newly deceased father was almost nostalgic. Alice wiped a stray tear off her face and deftly put the necklace around her neck. The nurse called out from down the stairs,
"Alice, dear? You're going to be late for your very important date!" Alice froze as the words reached her ear. She rummaged through her drawer and pulled out a small hat. Her fingers ran over it, feeling the silken work. Her lips were trembling, and she held the only small piece of Wonderland that she had managed to get away with, and the thoughts of the ones she had left behind filled her mind. She felt another cold tear that was falling late drop onto the hat. The nurse called again,
"Alice? Alice!" She fixed the hat on her veil as well,
"I'm coming…" Her voice was soft and trembling. She very much missed them and was beginning to realize that she may never ever return to Wonderland again. The day had already begun to a rough start. First, all of this hustle and bustle about her make-up and such, and now, she was unsettled by the thoughts of her father and Wonderland. Quickly, she stepped down the stairs, and the nurse lightly pushed her into the carriage alongside her mother and sister.
"Have fun!" She gave another big-toothed smile, and Alice had to resist the urge to slap it right off her face. Her sister and mother looked at her in a bit of disbelief,
"Alice…?" Her mother softly began,
"Why do you have a hat on your veil?" She bit her lower lip. Alice replied readily,
"Oh, it's the latest fashion, mother. All of the girls my age are wearing it." She crossed her fingers, hoping that they would buy it. Her sister stepped in for her,
"Yes, mother. I've seen a lot of the girls wear it in that fashion." Her mother's stoniness began to show through,
"Well, I shall not have my daughter wearing such a hat." She plucked it off of Alice's head and tossed it out the window of the carriage. Alice gasped and stuck her head out the window, watching the beautiful hat bounce along the road. Her mother pulled her in tightly,
"Alice! Be a lady." She told her in a warning tone. Alice's bottom lip was quivering,
"Mother…that was my hat." Her mother sighed and shook her head,
"I know, Alice. Please try to understand that you cannot wear a hat like that to this lovely party your friends have invited you to." Alice's bright blue eyes turned icy. That was the least thing she wanted to do. Her "friends" weren't exactly what her mother thought they were. At the least, if anyone had a friend who pushed you into the mud "accidentally" or constantly avoided you, I think that we would all agree. Alice knew that it was against both parties' will to have her come to the party. It was the 20th birthday party of Ms. Lillian Rider, and she was the worst. Alice was reluctant to go to her birthday, but her mother had insisted and already replied to the invitation. Alice, however, was more willing to draw and write and read stories all day. It was a passion that girls were denied. The coachman pulled the horses to a stop and bowed deeply, as the three ladies stepped out of the carriage. When Alice walked past him, she gave him a few coins,
"Thank you for the ride." She whispered gently to him. He grinned and went back to the front of the carriage. Alice, her mother, and her sister all opened up their parasols and headed into the large estate. Alice repeatedly took deep breaths to keep herself from inwardly exploding. The mothers of both children hugged and talked cheerily together. Her sister went off to talk with a few nice women that she had recently met. Alice was left alone with the birthday girl herself. She was sitting upon a very red, velvet chair with golden arms and legs. A little crown was placed on her head, and she twirled a little scepter in her hands. Alice stepped forward and curtsied when it was her turn. Lillian sniffed and looked away. Holding back her spite, Alice placed down a present in the present pile and walked off, relieved. She glanced back at Lillian only to see a big headed woman. Alice gasped and fell over a couple rocks, hitting herself hard on the ground. Everyone gasped, as a large tower teetered and began to fall over Alice. Alice screamed only to be shushed by a hand. She looked up and saw two men stopping the tower and putting it back in place. Alice whirled her head around to see Lillian again, only to find that she still looked like the big-headed woman who was obsessed with hearts and chopping off peoples' heads. Her head was woozy, and she felt as if she was going to faint, before her mother roughly pulled her onto her feet,
"Alice…what are you doing?" She whispered angrily. Lillian, looking more like the Red Queen as she stepped closer and closer, held her heart in pretend sympathy,
"Oh, poor Alice! Are you okay?" She rushed over and was going to hug her tightly, but one of the men who had saved her stopped her lightly,
"Ms. Rider, I suggest that you continue on with the birthday. We shall take care of this young lady." Alice felt nervous. She finally began to take a good look at who had saved her. She nearly screamed out again. A goofy smile was spread across one of the men's faces, and he had an all too familiar hat on his head. The other, normal looking man, walked off to chat with his friends again, but the strange man stayed put. Her mother apologized,
"I'm terribly sorry, sir. Terribly sorry." Her eyes were kept down, as she curtsied politely. The man replied,
"It was fine. It wasn't her fault." Alice gave a slight look of bewilderment to the man, before realizing that it was but another person she knew. The thing that Alice hoped she wasn't going was mad. Her mother thanked the man again before grabbing Alice's arm to talk to her. The supposed Mad Hatter stepped forward and tapped her mother's hand,
"That won't be necessary, Mrs. Kingley. I shall talk to Alice. I have some pointers for her on tripping and falling." Alice's mother shot Alice a look of slight anger and annoyance, before responding,
"Alright then." She released her tight grip on the poor girl, and the man took Alice into a further corner of the party. Alice punched him lightly in the arm,
"What are you doing?" She whispered threateningly. The Mad Hatter scoffed,
"Well, I just saved your life!" Alice fumed silently,
"Yes, I'm aware of that, but now my mother's going to kill me! What are you and the Red Queen doing here?" The Mad Hatter laughed his little, odd laugh,
"Why would you think we'd be so selfish!?" Alice spoke in a confused tone,
"What do you mean being selfish? I was talking about this whole mess! Now, I'm really going to get it!" The Mad Hatter pursed his lips,
"Oh. I thought you were talking about how you thought we only brought ourselves to this little party thing." Alice's eyes widened and she felt her head beginning to hurt once again,
"Wh-who else did you bring?" She questioned reluctantly and hesitantly. He grinned again,
"Only just about every Wonderland character!" He clapped his hands together in happiness. Alice felt like she was going to tip over.
"You what!?" The Mad Hatter frowned,
"Well, you sound happy." He said a little remorsefully at her anger. Alice immediately tried to make him happy again,
"Oh, I…uh, I am! You must've just heard it the wrong way! I'm ecstatic!" She attempted to imitate his mad smile to at least make him chuckle. He scoffed once again to her surprise,
"Hmph, if you're going to pretend to be mad, then you're going to have to act like a mad person too." Alice rolled her eyes. He could be so fickle. She replied more sincerely,
"I truly missed you all though." Alice smiled softly, and it set off smiles onto the Mad Hatter's face.
"We all missed you too, Alice, and that's why we've come!"
"Seriously?" She felt a little embarrassed now. The Mad Hatter nodded,
"Well, yes. And we hear that you're in a bit of a predicament." Alice made a face,
"What are you talking about? I don't even know how all of you got here! And why doesn't anyone else see that the rest of you look clearly…"
"Mad?" The corners of her thin lips turned up,
"Exacatically." The Mad Hatter was grinning from ear to ear once again.
"I'll explain, dear Alice." He cleared his throat before beginning,
"Well, we found out through the White Rabbit, who had been spending some time hopping about in your world…" Alice interrupted him unintentionally,
"What did he find out?" The Mad Hatter grumbled,
"Well, I was getting to that part…" The blonde girl apologized,
"Oh, I'm sorry. Please continue." The mad man grinned,
"Why, thank you, Alice. As I was saying, the White Rabbit 'over-heard', I think he was snooping, that you were going to this party of some girl that you really hated." Alice rested her face on a hand, interested that the White Rabbit would do such a thing. He seemed so orderly…and late for everything for that matter. The Mad Hatter blissfully continued,
"So, I came up with the idea of making this party more funner for you!" He seemed so pleased with himself, that Alice decided to hold back and not mention that 'funner' was not a word.
"The White Rabbit then took all of us Wonderland creatures and brought us up the rabbit hole!" Alice politely raised her hand a little bit. The Mad Hatter took note of this and smirked a little and pointed a finger in her direction,
"Why, yes? The little girl with the blue dress? Do you have a question?" Alice pouted,
"I'm not little anymore…" The hatter shrugged,
"You still seem the same to me."
"Well you Wonderland-ers never age!" She was a little upset at still being seen as a child. Since her recent visit, she figured that she was a little more mature and brave. The Mad Hatter waved a hand,
"Whatever, now tell me your question!"
"I wanted to know how you come up the rabbit hole. I always just came down it." The Mad Hatter's eyes lit up,
"Oh that's right. I'm afraid I can't tell you that bit of information though, Alice. The White Rabbit made sure we took an oath not to tell anyone." The nineteen year old frowned a little,
"Well, why not?" The hatter's hands went into his pockets,
"I don't know. He made me swear on tea, so I can't tell you!" Alice gave a small smile to herself, but the observant hatter saw it. He smiled widely again,
"Anyways, do you want to meet the rest of your long-lost buddies?" She put her hands on her hips,
"I've only been gone for…a few months." The blue-dressed girl couldn't remember exactly when she had visited Wonderland. The Mad Hatter chuckled,
"Sure." The White Rabbit and the March Hare bounced over to the two,
"Made your move yet?" The March Hare questioned the Mad Hatter. The hatter gave a strong look of annoyance to the hare and proceeded to kicking him out of the way. He yelped, as he was sent into the bushes. Alice gasped, as a hand flew to her mouth. The Mad Hatter quickly explained,
"Forget him. He wasn't that important anyways…" He laughed a little awkwardly. Alice bravely pushed back the Mad Hatter and pulled the poor March Hare out of the hedges. The hare thanked her,
"At least someone cares about animals!" The frizzy haired man stuck out his tongue and crossed his arms the way a little five year old would. Alice laughed lightly at both. The White Rabbit's nose twitched, as he spoke,
"Do you mind that we're here, Alice?" Her hands twisted themselves together,
"Well, isn't it a bit odd that I'm talking to animals with clothes on and a man that clearly looks like the mercury poisoning has gotten the better of him?" The rabbit reassured her,
"Don't worry, Alice. When we came into your world, we weren't oblivious. To you, we look as we do, but to the others in this boring world, we look normal." Alice raised an eyebrow,
"So, I'm talking to a bunch of normal animals now?" The Mad Hatter pitched in,
"Still seems a little odd to me." The hare shot him a look,
"As if you'd know!" The hatter was silenced with this. A lovely looking woman seemed to float over to the odd group,
"Hello, Alice!" She cheerily greeted the girl. Alice smiled softly,
"Hello, White Queen." The two women hugged each other tightly. The rest of the Wonderland creatures gave each other looks,
"Seems like the females seem to all get along together." The Mad Hatter commented sarcastically. The White Queen's eyes narrowed at him,
"Oh yes? Tell that to my sister." The Red Queen was enjoying her place on the throne, having to hold back calling out the chopping of random heads. Alice remembered another curious question,
"Why does no one realize that it isn't Lillian sitting up there?" The frilly-looking woman giggled a little,
"Well, we promised my sister that she would get a royal treatment when she came, and we just realized that the snooty girl was so alike to her…" Everyone chorused in laughter. The White Rabbit added in,
"The Red Queen has taken over your Lillian's body for now. Her thoughts are shut away, and she's completely unaware of what's going on." Alice grinned a little evilly,
"Brilliant!" The Mad Hatter commented,
"Ooh dear, I see a bit of Alice's naughtiness coming through." He tutted lightly at her. The March Hare had a smile curl onto his face,
"Hee hee…that sounded wrong…" He giggled to himself. The hatter bonked him on the top of the head and sneered,
"Rude…" Alice politely cut in,
"It's very nice that you've all come here on my expense." The White Queen smiled kindly,
"Well, it seems that most of the time you're coming to help us on our expense, now doesn't it?" An incredibly small caterpillar, that had finally managed to crawl to the highest grass blade next to Alice, spoke,
"Yes, and we find it fit to help you with a problem or two!" His voice was squeaky, and Alice was caught by surprise. She bent down to the caterpillar's level and thanked him solely,
"Thank you." The caterpillar seemed to swell in pride on the tiny grass blade,
"Be careful you don't get stepped on." The White Rabbit muttered. Alice stood up, still in awe that all of these characters were in her world now…for at least a moment or two at least. The Mad Hatter glanced around,
"Well, what do we do at this sort of party? I don't even see any tea…" He mumbled to himself. Alice heard this and answered,
"You can all find people to talk to; you can enjoy the time here." She paused before apologizing,
"I'm sorry this isn't very interesting. I find that your world is more of an excitement." The March Hare replied,
"Oh, no we think you're world is very…different…I mean, look at everyone." Alice looked around her,
"It looks like we're not even the maddest looking of the bunch…" The Mad Hatter agreed and scoffed,
"Definitely. Look at that heavy woman over there with the huge hat! It's wretched and horribly ugly and doesn't fit her teeny head properly." The White Queen also pointed out a group of girls,
"And look at those young girls. They're wearing so much make up that they're beginning to look like him." She motioned towards the Mad Hatter. He grinned despite the clear insult, having to agree with her statement. The rabbit and the hare began to hop around in slight boredom. Alice suggested,
"There are probably some nice things to eat around the back. They keep a lovely garden back there." The March Hare sighed,
"Still no tea." Nevertheless, the two hopped across the estate and disappeared behind a few walls. The White Queen began to drift to a few of make-up-less women, hoping to strike up a bit of conversation. The Cheshire cat, who had avoided the conversation for the most part, curled up at Alice's feet. She stroked the cat for a little, before he shot off after a cute-looking kitten that had caught his eyes. The girl straightened up again only to meet the Mad Hatter's large eyes once again. They twinkled with a little mystery and childishness. She offered,
"You can leave too, you know." He shook his head a little,
"No, that's okay. I figure I'll spend a little while with you, Alice." The caterpillar below them, which may have been forgotten, called from below,
"Aw, how sweet!" The Mad Hatter twitched at the sarcasm, bent down, and flicked the caterpillar a few inches away. He shrieked, as he went flying. Alice frowned and gave the hatter a look. He shrugged, and she laughed.
AN: I know at least a few of you will wonder when I'll update for my other story. :/ It's a little on hold, and since I've watched a few Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton style :D) stuffs, and I kinda had to write something. XD So sorry! Hope at least some people find interest in it if you've watched any of the clips/trailers. The only person I didn't really want to put in was the Knave of Hearts. I didn't really know much about his character from the things on Youtube. XD I don't know whether or not I'll finish this 'cause the movie's coming out in NEARLY A WEEK! :D But yea, just a little fangirlish-rant about nothing. :) Hope you all have a good day anyways. Buh-bye.