Zatanna's movements felt sluggish, as if she were trying to walk through water. The air was heavy with anticipation, the feeling of foreboding chilling her down to the bone. The surroundings were unfamiliar, a thin pathway that curved and wound through trees lining it on either side. Trees so thick they completely blocked out the sun, trees so thick that she couldn't even squeeze through them. She followed the path slowly, her footsteps light and careful.

Just that morning, she had been studying alone in her room. She was bored, as usual, as it didn't take much to leave her completely listless. She had wandered out of the cave, deciding on going for a nice walk to get her mind off things. Zatanna, on her walk, had spotted a fluffy looking cat, which mewed and trotted off to a forest. Curious, she had followed. Soon, however, she got lost. The more she walked, the more lost she became.

Picking her way along the thin path, she tried her best to remember the way she had gotten here. A fuzz in her mind, however, seemed to block her train of thought, leaving her no memory of the trail she had taken to the woods. It felt like something was blocking her mentally, causing a disturbance. Frustrated, Zatanna looked to the sky. The foliage blocked out any sunlight, but she could see wisps and hints of grey sky through the gaps in the leaves. Faint rumbles of thunder roared in the distance, the sound sending chills up her spine. I shouldn't have followed that cat, she thought grimly.

Her foot rose, but met no ground as it fell. Zatanna's stomach lurched as the sensation of falling encompassed her, breath wooshing out of her. A scream escaped from her throat as she descended, the light of the sky growing smaller and smaller the further she fell, finally becoming only a dot in her vision.

"etanimulli!" she finally choked, the feeling of falling leaving her completely mute. A blinding light surrounded her, and she choked back a scream once the effects of the blinding light left her. It was going by too fast to tell, but she seemed to be falling down a giant shaft, the walls built entirely out of books. She let out a final scream before the sensation of falling completely stopped, and she collided butt-first with a large pile of leaves.

"Ow," she grumbled, rubbing her backside and picking a few leaves out of her hair. She quickly looked back up, paling when she saw a plain ceiling. No hole. No trace of the shaft she had just fallen down, no hint that she had just tumbled down a slide of books. Heart racing, she frantically looked around, trying to find a way out.

The room was shaped like a stop sign, an old fashioned door on each wall. The pile of leaves where she was slouched was in the center, taking up most of the space. Standing up, she brushed herself off of leaves, waking to the door nearest to her.

"Gotta get outta here," she mumbled to herself, jiggling the handle. It was locked. Frustrated, she moved to the one beside it, only to find that it was locked as well. Trying every door, she was exasperated to find that they were all locked shut as well. Letting out a cry of frustration, she stomped her foot and pointed at one of the doors.

"rood diputs ,kcolnu!" she hissed. Smugly, she put her hand on the knob and turned it. Nothing.

"What...?" Zatanna whispered, panic rising in her gut. She was stuck. She, Zatanna Zatara, was stuck in a closed up room with no way out. Claustrophobia crept into her mind, pressing against her lungs and growing a lump in her throat. Tears of frustration threatened to slip out at any second.

Whirling around on her heel, she let out a small gasp when she saw that the pile of leaves that she had landed on had disappeared, in its place a small wooden table. Zatanna crept towards it, footfalls echoing in the empty and spacious room. A small bottle with an ornate cap was placed in the center of the square table, the contents a deep magenta.

Familiar with potions, she uncorked the bottle and sniffed it. Smelling faintly of raspberries and sugar, she lowered it to her mouth. If it had mysteriously appeared there, it must have been important. Before she drank the liquid, however, a glint of silver caught her eye, a glint that had not been on the table previously.A small doll sized key lay where the potion had been, and, trying to be smart, she pocketed it.

Zatanna tipped the bottle, taking in the potion. A shock of pain seared through her chest when she swallowed it, the taste acidic and not at all like Raspberries. Chest burning, she coughed weakly as the pain spread through her limbs, more and more painful with every heartbeat.

Squeezing her eyes shot, she silently hoped that she wasn't dying.

"Wake up, you big baby," a nasally voice hissed in her ear, warped and fuzzy through her semi-conscious ears. "Wake up or I'll kill y-"

She sat up abruptly, cutting off the rude and annoying voice that had awoken her.

"God, I'm up, I'm up," she garbled, voice shaky. What had happened?

A boy about her age was leaning over her, legs on either side or her feet. His hands were on his hips, and he wore one of the sassiest expressions that Zatanna had ever seen in her life.

The boy wore a large, ratty hat, which had bows and pins sticking out of it in every which way. His suit was black, formal compared to the faux pas he wore on his head.

"Who.. Where.." She stammered, shoving the teenage boy away from her and standing up. It was uncomfortable how close he was.

"I am known as Klairon, the Mad Hatter," Klarion introduced grandly, taking off his hat and bowing. Zatanna felt, however, that it wasnt a gesture of respect. The smirk on his face showed that he was being funny, possibly mocking her. "And this is nowhere. No place. Anywhere. Everywhere."

She gave him a look of annoyance and flexed her fingers. A binding spell might shut him up, and then she could get a hold of what was actually going on by herself.

"Just look around," Klarion crowed, throwing his arms out and giving her an impish grin. "Where are you, Zatanna?"

"I'm not even gonna ask how you know my name," she sniffed, looking around despite herself. She seemed to be in a forest again, but the nature was much different. Stalks of green shot up towards the air like spikes, boulders larger than her growing delicate mosses and algae. Flowers the size of small cars blossomed all around her, bees even bigger buzzing loudly from blossom to blossom. Again, fear crept its way into her mind. She seemed to be in some alien world, with creatures of massive proportions being the norm.

"You are a bit smaller than we expected," Klarion drawled, placing a hand on his hip and leaning on one foot. If the situation had been different, Zatanna would have called it 'fabulous,' but right now it was just creepy.

"Sorry," she huffed, inching away from an ant that was about as big as a mastiff. "I'm petite,"

"No you aren't" Klarion snorted, "But I'm here for a reason other than brightening up your day, of course. You have been sentenced to death by the Queen, and are ordered to appear in court immediately."

"Excuse me," Zatanna snapped,and this time is was she who put her hands on her hips. "I just got here. You must have the wrong girl."

Klarion looked her over, eyes darting quickly from her feet to her hair. "Nope, I've got the right person. Now if you'll just come with me-"

"sepor- eit pu siht dam rettah ta ecno!" she barked, tossing a small rope towards him. She always kept a spare in her pocket. It elongated and stretched, growing into a large line of rope that twisted around Klarion, binding his legs and arms to his body.

His eyes narrowed, brows furrowing in concentration. Suddenly, the ropes turned a bright, ember red, and fell off the Hatter as if they were jello. Zatanna took a step back, eyes wide.

"Baby magic," he sneered, mouth turning up on one side. Zatanna grimaced, eyes darting to a gap in the giant green stalks.

"You won't get out, lady," he continued, snapping his fingers and blocking the exit. "You have no choice. The queen is very very aangry," his voice rose in pitch, chiming obnoxiously with underlying glee. What a creep, Zatanna thought, curling her lip in disgust.

"The queen of hearts, the queen of hearts," Klarion warbled, leading a murderous Zatanna through the forest of giant creatures.