**rewritten
Chapter I
In my tenderer and weaker years, I learned of the concept of truth. The emancipation of the human mind from its chains, the knowledge that sets people free; it is truth. Seek the truth, comprehend it, and tell that truth, as my father once said, "Look for that truth, then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."" Up until this day, I have invariably unraveling the truth, looking for the key that will liberate the slaved. This curiosity always gnaws in the edge of my mind, gently scratching through my thoughts. The reality and what lies behind it fascinates me, and it is something that I desire to understand, an honesty that can save others…is what I would say…but truly I am only an observer, I want to understand "what is important" to different people. Rather than based on logic and strength in mentality, it is an emotion that concentrates on the heart. It would be much too childish to say that I live without partiality, or even to say that I make an attempt to live without that bias. In my mind I may argue that I stand only to watch both sides, but in my heart, I may have already closed my eyes to half of the picture. Or more frankly to say, I could even not give a piece of mind to the truth itself.
The desire in humans is simply appalling. It is quite astonishing to the point that they are willing to sacrifice anything to momentarily gain a piece of so-called happiness in their mist of a life. Some deem it ridiculous, but I see it more as "interesting". Even the most rational of the people find themselves in a downward spiral of aspiration. Indubitably, this desire is not only limited to people, it has even grasped the heart of Wonderland. The center of it is already shrouded in avarice's darkness, nowadays; it is not unfamiliar news that its inhibitors are massacred at an alarming rate. Papers scream titles "DUCHESS OF GREEN AGAIN FAILS AT UPRISING," or "AN ENTIRE VILLAGE ANNIHILATED", thumbing through these titles, they are already old news. The backs of the proletariat Wonderland break under the weight of tax while the rich dance and sip their tea. The alleged figurehead queen has long turned the tables of Parliament and created a new regime of tyranny and blood. It is in despair that the true faces of people are shown.
A small neatly wrapped brown package with a gossamer sunny yellow bow arrived at last, and right in the middle it was titled The Alice Liddell in thin opaque black ink. Carefully I slipped my finger under the taped folds and tore the paper, revealing a box of a considerable size underneath. Lifting up the jam-paper lid, I peered inside, and in the box rested a sky blue dress with a lacy petticoat tucked underneath, and over it was a snow white pinafore, the color of the delicate snowdrops that cling onto the graves of the deceased, both a sad and hopeful notion, though a heavy message it does carry. Neatly was a shoulder length blonde wig beside it, it was so lustrous that it looked as if the hairs were of woven gold, and an envelope with the appellation of Code:Alice.
Slowly, we the citizens of outer Wonderland felt the pain of inner Wonderland, and the once lost White Queen has made her plea to Coup d'état. Strictly speaking, the Coup d'état is an subversive organization founded to overthrow the Red Queen. The Code:Alice mission is the final attempt that all hope has been poured into, to possibly rouse a revolution. There is no more room for failure.
After putting on the dress, I checked my appearance in the mirror, I wouldn't say that it is exactly "dapper", but looked rather childish, especially since I am also short in stature. Whatever. I'll just wear what pleases them if this is the guise for a hidden Alice. In a laggardly manner, I wrapped my lengthy russet hair into a shoddy bun and slipped it under the wig. My eyes were already an azure color, which perfectly fits the ideal image of Alice, so there was no need for a change there. I grabbed my worn down brief case and clutched a Canberra sun hat to my chest.
…
"Is White Rabbit here?" I pulled open the grand wooden doors of the ostentatious hall and called out. White Rabbit is only a code name, like Alice, if a parent ever endowed a child with that name, it would be simply ridiculous and laughable.
"Yes, yes, yes! Coming! In a moment's time," a voice called back.
"Ah…why are you always here so early—" a boy clad in a black top hat with ears of a rabbit and a black frock coat with a ruffled cravat on said in a whiny voice, popping back out into my field of vision.
"To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late," I replied.
"Ha ha…well, putting that aside," he said with a sheepish grin, running his fingers through his tousled light blond hair. "We are partners again! Hooray!" White Rabbit exclaimed cheerfully, throwing his hands up in the air, and quickly that guilty look was replaced with a winsome smile.
"You're petty excitement is a sign of inexperience."
"That is something I should be saying, no? Coup d'état has been my outlet far longer than you arrived, so if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask," he obliged.
Every now and then I don't quite understand him, at times he acts like a child, but others he has the poise of an adult. On the surface his disposition seems to be full of sincerity and open-mindedness, this impartial and placid manner, but in the heart there most be an alternate story. A tale of darkness in every human, whether it is the kind, the noble, the petty, the ignoble, the sordid. Fallen men are all the same.
"Thank you for your concern, but I plan on finding answers for myself," I gave him a sideways glance then swiftly walked in the direction of the Forest. "Alright, then shall we go? To the Red Queen," I peeked back at him and smiled in an astute way.
Often my smiles seem to give the people the sentiment of trifling distaste, saying that they frequently seem discerning, or even vaguely calculating, and sometimes with a dab of smugness. Although I must admit I do not usually smile out of happiness, but when I am pleased or content with an answer or situation. Or a more accurate description, "smirk" seems to be quite fitting at times.
At the moment we were located in the outskirts of what is known as "Wonderland"; I would say it seems more developed here, an assortment of relatively large violet roofed cottages, meadows of dewy grass, tiled roads that wound through the entire town, and a handful of whimsical mansions. There really isn't much interaction between the inner and outer parts of Wonderland; both of them were a little private world in most terms.
"That was quite the predicted response, but I truly believe that quality of yours is very admirable," White Rabbit quickly caught up to me with his long strides. "What is the destination today—?" he chimed in a singsong voice.
"The Rabbit Hole," I said, a candid response.
"Oh. That's in the Forest," he noted the obvious.
"We're already in here…" I said, stopping, and pointed deeper inside the closely-knit blue-black leafed trees. I gave him a dumbfounded look, not of awe but of faint scorn.
"..and that Rabbit Hole is right beneath you, Alice," White Rabbit pointed out.
Sure enough, next to my left foot was a hole in the muddy, grass clotted terrain, large enough to fit a person inside, but small enough to only fit through one, and it appears to be quite deep, for when I glimpsed in, there was nothing but sheer darkness.
"Hooray!" my partner chimed, as if he was enthralled by my discovery, "Well, in we go!" He grabbed my shoulders, and then abruptly gave me slight shove, prompting me to tumble into the depths of the aperture. This crumbled my composed temperament a tad when I felt the presence of shock crawl in onto my face before I fell in, and as I plunged into the unknown I could hear an echo of his voice saying, "Whee! Down the Rabbit Hole!"
Maybe that was what would have been.
Whilst White Rabbit placed his hands upon my shoulders, I leaned in, close to his ears and whispered with a shrewd smirk, "Ooh…quite a bit artful aren't we." Startled, he loosened his grip but still managed to stretch out an arm and push me over. When he did so, I seized his outstretched arm at once and pulled myself forward with great force, rendering him to lose his balance and fall into the Rabbit Hole. "Whee! Down the Rabbit Hole!" he cheered as he plummeted into the darkness, but from my standpoint it was only an echoing call, whether it was feigned merriment or a true delight, I would never know. "That took a bit longer than expected," I clapped my hands together, "Well, down the Rabbit Hole," I said then hopped in to join him. I would not endorse of any reckless movement from him, it is better to go down early and finish with as little interference as possible. "See you in a little bit, White Rabbit."
…
The entirety of the fall seemed quite long; I don't know how much time it actually consumed, but quite enough for me to notice. Gold framed clocks, random playing cards, blood-stained white roses, mirrors, antique rusted keys, small, fragile glass flasks of potions with corked caps, an assortment of pastries titled "Eat Me", and even a grand piano streamed by haphazardly, in a warped and surreal form. It was as if I was trapped in a room and gently floating downwards, still far from the ground, but time passed in different intervals, some objects rushed by rapidly and others daintily hovering in the air, so slow that I could easily reach out and catch it. A mighty, rushing wind blew around me and the cascading objects, twirling everything around into a spin, and blowing the blonde wig and straw hat off of my head, leaving me with an unraveled bun and hip length wavy russet hair.
…
" I don't approve of this aimless wandering," I reprimanded him with a stoic indifference, head tilted to an angle, watching White Rabbit wander about on the black and white chess board floor, rummaging through a giant toy box, pulling out a white rabbit doll dressed in a black frock coat and wore a sinister smile on its face. Lacy dollies crocheted with care were strewn sloppily around the room, white rose bushes splattered with red sprung from nowhere growing in the cracks of the tiled floor, black, sturdy steel lamp posts dimly lit the room, and in the midst of it all was a petite round table and on its snow white table cloth was a bottle labeled "Drink Me."
"Ah! Alice!" White Rabbit turned around, holding on to the odd doll. "I think we are officially in "Queen's Territory" part of Wonderland. Look at this, cute, no?" he held out the doll and laughed. "Do you want it? Here, for you," he chuckled, handing me the rabbit doll as if it were a present from him.
"No thank you," I retorted, giving it right back, "You keep it, since you like it don't you?"
"Is that so?" he questioned softly, staring at the rabbit and rubbing its stuffed cheeks, "Thanks!" he turned back and gave me a smile that did not carry true happiness. What an automatic grin. Even the best actors stumble a bit on the stage.
There was an uncomfortable prolonged pause.
"It looks like you in a way," I stated.
"Really?" he laughed aloud, genuinely amused by that though, "Sorry. Well, I've never heard anyone say that before."
I avoided his eyes, embarrassed by my out of character statement; it wasn't quite a fruitless effort in breaking the silence, but not the in the right manner I suppose.
"So are you saying I'm cute? Because from my point of view this doll is quite endearing," White Rabbit chuckled.
"Somehow I feel like this conversation will be very pointless," I replied, brushing my bangs back with my hand, a bit sleepily, really, "Let's continue seriously with our duty," smirking, I headed over to the table.
"Aw…darn, that's not as amusing," White Rabbit complained as he tossed the doll back into the toy chest and joined me.
Uncorking the cap of the "Drink Me" bottle, I observed the sapphire blue liquid for a moment, sloshing it around, then opened it with a tranquil smile, closing my eyes and taking a small sip of the liquid, then downed the entire drink.
All of a sudden, my heart felt like it was about to burst, a deep resounding pound in my chest. Then everything around me quickly grew and became an unnaturally immense size. As expected. I cast my glance downwards at my small palms, it's not that everything has become large, but it is I that became smaller. Shrunken. Tiny.
"Well, suppose we should look about," I started towards a small door in the wall, which I had not by chance noticed. A window was attached onto the door, where I looked in from, and in the land beyond the barrier was a beautiful garden. Plentiful amounts of wine red roses growing from the luscious, emerald green grass, a clear blue lake in the center of it, shining as the sun's illuminant rays touched its surface. It set me in awe, with words that I could only faintly describe not even half of its splendor. I reached towards the doorknob and turned it, but it did not budge. "Oh, the door is locked," I uttered, matter-of-factly. "Hey Rabbit," I called, beckoning White Rabbit to come towards me. "Pick me up."
Obediently he came towards me; his large and heavy steps sent tremors through the ground, shaking it from underneath me. Then vigilantly he placed his hand onto the floor, allowing me to hop onto it. Using my small hands, I climbed onto his palm, the difference in size seems so conspicuous as of now, and even made me feel rather nervous.
"Table, table," I commanded, pointing a small finger at the airy piece of furniture.
Slowly but surely, White Rabbit carried me over to the edge and I held on tightly to his slender thumb and peeked over, sure enough, there was a key. "Put me down, please," I motioned towards the checkered ground. Gently, he set me back on land and I ran off under the table. "Thank you," I added with a grateful nod. Hidden by the edge of the table legs was a tasty looking cake that had the words "Eat Me" in thin frosted carnation pink letters on it?
"You! It was you! You told them didn't you? You told them! You told them! Ever since brother died all of you have become disagreeable with the original plan! You! Kill _!"
"I never spoke a word…it was not me!"
"How could it not be you? HOW? You were the one who-!"
"How sad. A noble family of knights falls so low," a voice interrupted. "Goodness…is money the most important to you? Ever since the head has died, your family has gone into the dark world of assassination, what do you say "head"? Why do you deserve to live when you take away the lives of others? Knights of Ace of Hearts, you are convicted."
Red…red…because of human greed, the world is stained red…sometimes even justice can be red.
"…Tra…itor…" was the last whisper.
The sword is pointed.
"What is important to you? Is your ideal more important than your family?"
Shaking. Knees giving away.
The sword drops with a clang, and there is a warm embrace. Neither side knew how to react.
"Go. Run. Run away from this ugliness."
Stumble. Trip. Fall. The strength of getting back up. Then breaking into a run.
I took a large bite from the cake; a sweet tooth that I haven't been able to cure for years. Again there was a pound in my chest that took my breath away. The area around me shrunk as I grew taller, ten feet...maybe more, until the heights of the ceiling were within my reach, and White Rabbit was only a doll among dolls. Looking back at the door I was of course much too large to fit in, but now the key is at hand, which does not deem any use as of now, but still I took it and put it in my frilly apron pocket. "I cannot fit through the Garden door with this size," I stated apathetically.
"If you wanted the key I could've gotten it for you!" shouted White Rabbit in a shrill voice below.
"It's regrettable, but to become a part of the story, I must become "Alice"," I replied earnestly, "The one whom all in Wonderland love."
I cried. Tears strung in my eyes, large droplets struck the floor than splattered into small individual fountains, flooding the room with sorrow. Even though I wept tears, my heart still felt so dry. In the end I still thought, "Why was Alice such a fool." Duty is duty. I must become "Alice", or at the very least, act like her, for you never know just who might be watching.