Murder On the Stage of Wonderland
A group of teenagers take part in the most exciting, dangerous, and deadly play of their lives. They play the cast of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Most of them fit the part, while some of them are nothing like their characters. But when someone goes truely 'mad', who takes their part to the next level to stop the killing?
The Queen and The Caterpillar
The young lady who played Alice was indeed like her character. Well, almost. She had darker hair, and darker eyes, but that didn't really matter, right? With a sigh, she looked over her lines once more. The auditorium was still dark - most of the cast hadn't arrived yet; even the director wasn't there. Muttering her lines under her breath, Alice paid little attention to her surroundings. She assumed she was the only one there, but she was actually wrong. The younger girl who played the part of the Queen of Hearts sat upon the stage, in the left wing. She'd been there for a while, leaning against the wall, waiting for everyone else to arrive. The Queen looked the part - medium height, medium sized, with hair that was dark enough to pass for the Queen's. But, in reality, she was little like the tyrant known as the Queen of Hearts. She sighed, rubbing her eyes as she flipped another page in her own script. Her lines were simple enough. How hard could it be to yell 'Off with his head!' every two seconds? The teen had no idea that Alice was sitting in the front row of auditorium seats - then again, she could honestly care less. The Queen and Alice rarely got along swimmingly. They would exchange jokes and smiles, but never more than that. The 'tyrant' supposed that their difference in age, and the fact their characters disliked one another might have had something to do with it.
"BOO!"
"What the -?!"
Beside the sitting Queen appeared none other than the Cheshire Cat. She glared at him, an angry frown on her lips. He simply laughed, and smiled. "You take things way too seriously, Queenie," he said, rolling his eyes. "And you never take things seriously!" she retorted, standing up. If there was a pair of people who truly annoyed one another, it was the Cheshire Cat and the Queen of Hearts. They mixed like water and oil, and if you were unfortunate enough to be caught alone with them, the Grim Reaper would be your best friend. "Where d'you think you're going?" asked the Cat, a frown on his face. The Queen stopped, a sigh audiable. "I don't have to tell you. And, besides, we still have fifteen minutes until the rest of the cast shows up." She continued on her way, heading towards the dressing rooms, where she would be able to find solitude from the rest of the annoying cast.
The Cheshire Cat shrugged. Sure, he wouldn't have minded bothering 'Her Majesty' for a while longer, but he was positive there were other fish to fry. The young man who played the part of the Cat was tall, with light brown hair and bright, mischevious blue eyes. He was indeed a lot like his feline character, known for causing havoc and mayhem behind stage and on it. With a smirk, he watched the Queen disappear behind the curtains before making his way through the front set. He spotted Alice sitting by her lonesome, and saw opportunity flash before him. "AL-ysss!" he called, his voice echoing throughout the expansive room.
She jumped, her eyes widening as her fingers fumbled for the pages of lines once more. Glancing up after a moment, Alice laughed as the Cat did a goofy dance upon the stage. If there was one thing the girl was known for, it was the fact that she was easily amused. And, the Cat loved to entertain. "Thank you, thank you!" he cried, bowing dramatically. His eyes twinkled with merriment as another set of hands joined the dark-haired lass in clapping.
"Bravo, Cheshire, bravo!" called a light and cheerful voice from the doorway. From the shadows appeared the petite figure of the March Hare. True, the original Hare was male, but the director decided on the pale skinned, curly haired teen instead. She was goofy, interesting, and a very talented actress. Who, in fact, thought that the Cat was extremely annoying and entirely pointless. /I mean, all he does is bother people . . . and his character is really lame. Seriously. What kind of cat has purple and pink stripes?/ she thought, as she descended to the stage between the rows of seats.
Alice laughed once more, setting her folded script on her seat. She didn't mind either of them at all. Actually, the teenager got along quite well with most of the cast, even if all of their characters humiliated, annoyed, bothered, shoved, pushed, and embarassed her multiple times throughout the play. She walked up to the currently dark stage as well, as Cheshire sat on the edge of the stage. "How are you doing, Hare?" she asked, her voice sweet. The younger girl smiled, shrugging. "It was a long day, but drama club always makes it worthwhile." The Cat laughed at this, before saying, "Here, here!" Both girls rolled their eyes, before continuing on with their conversation.
----
The Queen of Hearts opened the door to the girl's dressing room. Groping for the switch in the darkness, she noticed an acrid smell. Sure, the dressing rooms were known for their . . . interesting uses . . . but, honestly. She doubted anyone had done anything of that nature. "Honestly . . . it's only the second week of rehearsals!" she muttered under breath. "Aha." Her word of triumph was uttered too soon, for the light brought a terrible sight that burned itself into her mind - the body of the Caterpillar lying on the floor, a pool of blood puddling around his neck and shoulders. "Oh . . ." was all she could murmur, before she walked over to the body. Hearts knew better, she knew she did, but she couldn't help but look at her dead friend. The Caterpillar had been an unbiased young man from day one, and had been a constant source of intelligent conversation when others ignored her. It was obvious that his throat had been slit. But where was the knife? Her green eyes roved wildly around the room, before backing out of it. Nearly tripping over herself, the Queen of Hearts ran upstairs, needing to warn the others.
---
By then the general population of the cast had arrived, and were mingling amongst themselves. The Cat, Alice, and the Hare continued their conversation, joined by the Hatter and the director. The King of Hearts, the Knave, the Knight, the Red and White queens, and the Card Soldiers lingered by the seats, talking quietly. Humpty Dumpty, the Dormouse, the Mock Turtle, and the other animals sat on the floor beside the stage. But none were prepared when the Queen of Hearts bursted through the curtains, tears running down her cheeks. All turned to her as she said:
"Caterpillar is dead."
-End of Chapter One