Alive was her name, Alice Glass. A beauty she was, though no one saw her that way. That beauty was masked by black make-up and dark clothing. No one was ever able to see past the walls she managed to put up… until she fell down.
Disclaimer: This is my version of Alice in Wonderland, though I don't own any of it. J Alice in Wonderland belongs to anyone who helped with the plot, writer(s), artist(s), and all. It has nothing to do with me, no matter how excitingly odd it is.
Chapter one: Wonderland
"Alright everyone," the teacher managed over the class's obnoxious chatter, "Remember to study for tomorrow's test!"
Alice frowned, gathering her things. Little did 17 year-old Ms. Glass know, she would never take that test tomorrow. She wouldn't ever come back to this school. But Alice didn't have to know. Not yet, at least.
She stood, her brown and blond hair swishing around her, The frown on her face didn't lift, and the approach of Sylva Tucker didn't help at all.
"So Miss Drear, what are you going to do about this test without any notes?" Sylva sneered, her nose wrinkling as she grinned unattractively.
"I don't know what you mean," Alice replied quietly, her eyes meeting Sylva's full force, Sylva almost winced.
Sylva pulled her water bottle out of her backpack, taking a sip before saying, "Since they're soaking wet and all," then Sylva did the most horrible thing, lifting her water bottle and, before Alice could react, poured its content all over Alice's books and binder.
Alice watched in horror as the water dripped off her table. But it was done, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. So, without a second thought, Alice picked up her soaked school supplies and tossed them into the trash can, the bell sounding as she walked out of the room.
Having decided to walk home today, Alice gathered the things Sylva hadn't ruined and shoved them into her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder and leaving her hellhole of a school behind.
Alice walked out behind the school, toward the woods that surrounded half of the building. Ignoring some students who were smoking against the back brick wall, Alice walked along the dirt path that would taker her half of the way home.
Her knee high black boots scuffed quietly against the dirt beneath her feet, drowning out most of the chirping birds and gusts of wind that made the trees rustle. She felt almost nostalgic walking through these woods, remembering happier times when she was a child, before the… incident.
Alice sighed, her eyes roaming over the green trees, realizing how unfamiliar they seemed. Her eyes went wide as she realized that she had strayed from the path. The chirping had stopped, the wind seeming to have stilled around her. How could she have been so careless?
Suddenly, a white flash caught the young girl's eye, her head snapping around to where she thought she had seen it. But nothing was there. Alice decided to dismiss the thought, convincing herself that it was just the sun's reflection or something.
But she saw it again, and again, until she couldn't stand the feeling of being surrounded and burst out, "Who's there?" she called, "Show yourself!" but no reply came. Maybe she was finally going insane…
She took a step forward, hearing a rustle behind her. She twisted around, meeting the eyes of a little white bunny, red eyes seeming to glow eerily in the dim sunlight. Glasses rested on the little bunny's twitching nose.
Alice release the breath she hadn't known she had been holding. "Why hello there," she whispered, walking slowly towards the rabbit. "were you the one scaring me?"
Her hand reached out to pet the little fellow, but it stepped back, eyes seeming to glow brighter. "W-Wait!" frowning as the bunny hopped away, Why does everyone always run? Alice thought tears beginning to stream down her face as she recalled all the time others had left her. That was the reason she looked and dressed the way she did, because she knew no one would approach her, and she couldn't be abandoned if no one came near her. But she was still lonely.
She watched as the bunny stopped in front of a hole at the base of old, withering, twisting, oak tree. The bunny turned to look at her, almost waiting for her, before jumping into the black cavern.
Alice knelt in front of the hole, staring down into the seemingly endless darkness. "Hello?" listening as her voice echoed inside the hole. She leaned forward, thinking maybe she had seen the bunny, and reached down, her hands closing around nothing as she fell forward. Alice braced for impact, but it never came. Instead, she continued to fall, watching as the small hole that light shown through grew smaller, and smaller, and smaller as the she fell farther, and father, and farther.
Alive tried to keep from panicking, but how could she not when she was falling into the depths of the Earth after chasing some freak rabbit!
Alice reached out, trying desperately to grab onto something, but suddenly, the falling sensation was replaced by the feeling of rising as she flew into the air. She twisted, watching as black tree branches flew past her. The impact she had awaited finally hitting her, the ground colliding with the frame.
She sat up, looking around. Where was she? She didn't recognize anything. Tall, pale tree trunks rose high above her head, so high that she couldn't see the tops, brambles of giant, shrub like bushes rising scores above her.
She stood there, though she felt quite dizzy, her voice ringing throughout the unfamiliar trees as she asked for help, for anyone. Her eyes roamed over the dark ground, seeming damp, like it had just rained.
"Hello!" she nearly cried, her knees buckling beneath her as she broke down.
"Hello…" a voice purred behind her. Alice turned around, finding a pair of purple eyes looking down upon her.
"Who… who are you?" she asked the man who lay perched on a black branch. He was a strange looking fellow, purple hair to match purple eyes, cat-like ears resting atop his head, a striped purple tail flicking mischievously behind him. His clothes tight fitting, his grin growing by the minute, a long sleeved striped shirt and black jeans hugging his pale skin.
"Who I am is of no importance my dearest Alice…" his back arching as he stretched out, long claw like fingernails scrapping against black bark.
"Well…" Alice began, "You know who I am, it's only fair that I know who you are,"
The man smiled down at her from his branch, his teeth all too sharp for any person. "All right, Ms. Alice. My name is Chess Cheshire, but just Chess will do,"
"Chess?"
"Yes," his voice almost melodic as he hopped down to stand in front of her.
"Like the board game?"
"Yes… I suppose it is," Chess winked, grin never faltering. He was giving away too much, but neither knew that. Neither knew how much danger the young lady was in.
"Please come with me," he said suddenly, holding out his had for her. "I have something wonderful to show you,"
Then, without hesitation, Alice took Chess' hand. They strolled along for quite a while before Alice broke the silence that seemed to have enveloped the pair, "So… where am I, exactly?"
"That," he replied, his ears twitching in amusement at the girl's curiosity. She really didn't remember, did she? "It's not my place to tell you. I'm sorry, but those rights are reserved for the man we're going to meet."
Alice's mouth opened to protest, but she was rudely interrupted by an ear splitting craaaaaAAAACK!
"Oh goodness," Chess mumbled, stopping, "how troublesome…"
"What's wrong, Chess?" Alice frowned at the cat-man's troubled expression.
"Oh, nothing… just, close your eyes, Alice dear," he turned, surprising her by wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. "We're in a bit of danger, and I need to get us out of here quickly,:
So Alice complied, her eyes squeezing shut. Alice felt her feet being lifted off the ground, but she didn't flinch, Why, she wondered, did she feel so safe here? Why do I feel like I'm suppose to be here? I don't belong here, I belong at home… don't I?
When Alice opened her eyes again, they were in a completely different place in a matter of seconds. "Chess…!" she gasped, watching as he walked ahead of her, towards and opening in the trees, too bright to look at directly.
She ran towards him, out through the opening. Her eyes went wide at the site before her, seeming so out of place in the woods around her.
A small cabin like house sat in the middle of a field of weeds, looking bright and cheery with little flower boxes resting on the windowsills. Smoke puffed out of the little chimney resting on the brown roof. It all seemed so strange. "Come on, Alice!" Chess yelled, waving at her from the porch of the house.
She raced over to him. She couldn't help but smile as she drew closer, finally reaching the porch, panting slightly.
"So, what is this?" Alice asked, looking around the dim porch. It was nice, but you could tell how little the owner cared about maintaining it.
"Hmm, come see," Chess pushed the door open, yelling his hello into the dark space.
There was a loud crash, a sound of ruffling papers, and a loud, "Damn it!" the voice was gruff, deep, and tired. "Can't you knock!"
A man stumbled in, flipping on the lights. He was tall and muscular, a grey trench coat resting on his broad shoulders, a black shirt and black pants beneath it, and in his hands, what stood out the most to Alice, was a large top hat. And as he slipped it onto his head, Alice felt an air of recognition slip over her.
Her brows furrowed as she tried to remember, one word slipping past her lips before she could bite her tongue, "Hatter?"
I'm sorry, was that bad? It kind of felt like it was dragging on… and on… and on… and… I just wanted to end it, maybe like a cliffhanger? Well, you never know. I just hoped you guys liked it!
Leave a comment please! Nothing bad, if you don't mind… if I should continue is completely up to you.
With All Due Respect,
Black Wings