Disclaimer: I own nothing. Wonderland and all the characters in it belong to Syfy and Lewis Caroll.
I, however, do own any of the people you don't recognize, and the plot to the story.
No matter how cliche it might be. Please read Author's Note at end of story, thank you.
Chapter One
These things matter, they're important.
- Please take a long hard look; I'm history-
Priya stirred in her bed, pushing two fluffy white pillows off the side. They fell to the floor with a soft thud that could barely wake a mouse. Priya Henshaw is a normal girl, with a normal life. There is nothing of interest that anyone out of the ordinary should take up, but that isn't what happened. Infact, the exact opposite happened. She spent her life telling herself she wasn't all that interesting, she wasn't all that unique. She was 'born under the white sun', as many called it, but so were nine other people. There was a meteor on the night she was born, and it shown so brightly, so radiantly, it reminded everyone of a sun. A bright, white sun. The hospital shook as it overpassed the earth, the town. Her town. And then everything was silent. Calm, even. As if time had slowed down momentarily, and with one more beep of the heart monitor nine babies were born. Minutes, seconds and split seconds apart. The media was fascinated by this freak of nature, and every baby that was born got it's ten seconds of fame. And then some. But the baby boom was 23 years ago, and the hype was long over. Until three days ago, when newspapers soared through the roof with information on four deaths and two kidnappings.
The remains of Alease Carter, 23, were found in a riverbed. Suspected blow to the head. Avery Rivers; Gunshot wound, found in an alley. Ben Kelly; Stab wound, found in his apartment by his newly wife. Christina Wiley; Gunshot wound, found in the same alley as Avery Rivers two days after his murder. The two kidnappings would be the James Twins, Stephanie and Justine. No information yet on the disappearances. But none of this concerned Priya. There were always deaths and kidnappings in her town. This was nothing new to her.
There was a slightly cold draft in the bedroom on the top floor. But to be completely fair, it wasn't exactly a bedroom. More-so the top of an overhang that overlooked the living room, kitchen, and dining room of her apartment. A rather large bed was pushed against the back wall on the top floor, two nightstands on either side of it, and right in the middle lay an unmistakably comfortable young woman. She was sprawled out across the bed, arms and legs going in all directions, her hair was wild and crazy. Like it had been up all night partying. No, not her, just her hair.
Crashing not five minutes after her head hit the pillow due to studying until three in the morning, Priya was well aware of the grumpiness that lingered over her head as she got up and threw on layers of clothes. A thin dark grey tanktop, covered by another light grey, and then a red plaid hoodie. A pair of dark grey leggings, a pair of shorts, all covered by a blue plaid skirt. She matched it up with her best pair of black bulky boots, a light black leather jacket, and her large black bookbag. Despite all the black, her outfit was rather colorful. She parked her bike against the back wall and knocked on the Employee-Only door. A tall man with sandy-blonde hair opened it and smiled down at Priya, "I was wondering when you'd be back." Alex said as they walked through the small office into the bookstore. The smell of paper and coffee ran over Priya's body like a warm wave in the ocean, there was a calmness to this place. She wasn't the only one who knew about it, there were several regular costumers that would come here just to relax after a long day at work. It was more than just a part time job to Priya in between studies. Alex, her co-worker, was also her best friend. They grew up neighbors and were friends ever since Pre-School. They even dated, once, in Kindergarten. But broke up due to the conflict if caused when the Monkey-Bar Queen and King of the Bad Boys started calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend.
"Long time no see, Stranger!" A woman's voice called from the coffee shop next to the checkout counter. Priya smiled over to Jo, who tied her long curly blonde hair into a pony tail and made her way over to hug Priya. Strands of her hair wiggled their way out of the bindings and curtained around her face. Jo was Priya's other best friend, she was the one you would go to parties with and go shopping with. Alex was more of the go-to guy for advice and a nice relaxing time. The reason Jo and Priya were so close? Jo is the other normal one. They both share the same birthday, and she's the only other one who has been able to stay out of the spotlight as much as Priya. Jo was born two or three towns over, and moved to North Creek when she turned 18. They met at the school Priya attends and became fast friends, only taking notice to the same-birthday-situation a year after they met. Priya often wondered if Jo was well aware of their likeness long before they knew each other.
"With all the studying you've been doing.. And partying." Jo raised her left eyebrow and grinned, pushing Priya on the shoulder lightly. Priya shook her head and smiled slightly as she put her nametag and apron on, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Jo made a 'Mmhmm' noise, whipped Priya on the back of the leg with her towel, and went back to making coffee for all of the two customers that were in the book store. Priya pulled her wavy brown hair into a loose bun, lapsing into a train of thought, planning out the rest of her day.
---------
The sound that emitted from Priya's stomach as she kicked up the kickstand on her bike would put an animal to shame, Alex's eyes widened as he looked down at her in a fake-awe. "I think the baby is hungry," He snorted at his own wit. Priya slapped his shoulder playfully and put a hand on her stomach. "I'm just hungry, I haven't had anything to eat today except a handful of goldfish with creamcheese." Alex tossed something cold and wrapped in white paper to her as they both peddled down the sidewalk. "It's only half a sandwich, It's what I had for lunch. Should tie you off until you get home. I'll catch you later!" He took off down another street and was very soon out of Priya's vision. She unwrapped the sandwich; Tuna, go figure. Something sparkled in the corner of her eye, and she snapped her head around - But there was nothing there. For a moment she could have sworn she'd seen a purple cat.
She parked her bike in front of yet another building, this one was much smaller and looked extremely run-down, but there was something to it. An energy, like the bookstore but more enthusiastic. She let herself in the front door, the cool air washing over her body, into a large ballet room. There was a song playing, one of her favorites. A soft, haunting voice whispered lyrics about trying to reconsile with a long lost love. Priya dropped her bag next to her shoes she managed to slip off, and her body moved gracefully against the soft melody of the music. "I think last night, You were driving circles around me." She swayed and spun, holding her leg up, letting it fall back down slowly. There were vines hanging off the sides of several pots that hung from the ceiling, seemingly leaning towards Priya. There was only natural light in the room, blinding through the windows. The song came to an unwanted end, and Priya walked against the furthest wall to stretch. She wasn't a professional dancer, but it was something she loved to do in her spare time. There were several things Priya loved doing in her spare time, but they never lasted. Horseback Riding, Scuba Diving, Archery, Karate - Granted, that lasted a lot longer than the others. Her mother was a music teacher, she'd sit for hours and listen to Chopin. Her father was an artist and taught her how to draw. Her phone rang - A picture of a very drunk Jo and a laughing Priya appeared on her screen. "Hey Jo,"
"We're still on for tonight, yeah?"
"7 o'clock."
---------
Green eyes idly watched familiar faces down drink after drink, after drink. Priya was the designated driver, meaning no fun for her. She'd go home with a headache, just like Jo, but unlike it being induced by alcohol it would be caused by loud music and over-enthusiastic screams. Wouldn't be the first time this has happened. But it didn't keep her from having fun. They'd run into several friends, shit-faced and the like. "I'm going outside for a smoke!" Jo yelled all-too-close to Priya, who nodded and pushed her friend back slightly. Jo stumbled, snorted, and practically fell out the back door. Priya leaned against a wood pole next to the bar and closed her eyes, tapping her foot to the beat of the music. It wasn't long before Priya grew aggravated at being groped and felt up by drunk guys, she looked at her watch. Jo had been gone for over ten minutes, and it had never taken her that long to smoke a cigarette before. Priya pushed open the back door and walked out into a dank alley, the door slam shut behind her and a blood curdling scream rose through the alley. Priya looked around frantically, and with no sign of Jo, followed the screaming.
Flashes of her karate and self-defence classes started rushing back to her as she dwelled on the worst possible situation she could come to interfere. And then it hit her, as she ran through the alley, behind the pub, and into an abandoned-looking wearhouse. This area had been where all the recent killings and disappearances were. Perhaps all Jo would become was another face in the newspaper with a tragic headline. There was a bright white van in front of her, both of the back doors were opened. Two men struggled to get Jo into it, they were dressed in all black with body armor. Priya stood in shock as Jo struggled against the two men, before the doors shut with a loud bang and the truck drove off. The adrenealine kicked in, Priya ran after the van, pounding on the back door. "LET HER GO!" She screamed, but it didn't matter - the truck was long gone now. She stopped running, her eyes watering, her heart pounding so hard in her chest she was sure it was about to burst, before a hand gripped tight around her arm and pushed her against the dark alley wall. A tall man, dressed in a purple suit, with messy black hair that hung ever so lightly above his orange eyes in strands, pressed a long finger to her lips and 'Shh'ed her. Two more of the men in body armor walked by, scoping out around the alley, before rounding the corner just as the truck had done.
The rather oddly dressed man released her and took a few steps back, and on instinct her leg flew up - kicking him hard in the chest. She spun around, to kick him again, but he grabbed her leg nearly inches away from his face. "Easy, girl." His accent was thick, his voice deep. "You wouldn't wanna lose such a nice leg." He ran a hand up Priya's leg - to her knee, before she snapped her leg back. "Who are you? What have you done to Jo?" The words poured out of her mouth before she had even given much thought to what she wanted to say. The man held up both hands in defence, "Calm down. She's fine, for now. And I haven't done nothin' with her. It's them you should be worrying about."
"Them? Who them?"
"The suits, The Queen, all of them really. I'm Cheshire, by the way. Pleasure to finally meet you, Priya." Cheshire smiled, and Priya gasped; His smile was so wide, she worried it would fall off of his face. His teeth were bright and pearly, so many of them. "How do you know my name?" She asked, dazed almost, and then wanting to slap herself at the stupid question.
"I've been watching you. Well, The resistance has been watching you. And your friend, Jo. We've been keeping tabs on you. Making sure you're safe." He explained as he began walking around the corner. Priya stood against the wall, confused, tired, and more than sure her ankle was sprain from kicking him. "You comin'?" He called after her. Priya jogged up to his pace, "What do you mean 'The Queen'?" asking in a tone of voice that made him raise an eyebrow. "The Queen of Hearts, little Oyster." Cheshire smiled once more. Priya pushed her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket, brows furrowed. "Look, I just want my friend back." She stopped and turned to him as they approached a large mirror, bordered in gold. Cheshire looked into it and ran his hand through his hair a few times. "Well, In order to do that I'm going to need you to come with me."
"Where are we going?"
"To Wonderland, of course."
"Wonderland? I don't und-"
"I'll explain when we get there, come now. We don't have much time." Cheshire slinked his arm around the small of her back and walked closer to the mirror. Priya opened her mouth but Cheshire shot her a look that shut her up. "Now, Remember to breathe. And don't let go of my hand at all times, do you understand?" Priya fought against his grip, which made him grip tighter and grab her other hand. "Do. You. Understand?" His voice became frustrated, hard. She simply nodded with one thing on her mind: Making sure Jo was safe. None of this made sense, She thought as she stared into the mirror. Cheshire backed into the mirror - and pulled her along with him. But instead of falling against it, they fell right through as if walking right into a pool. They fell incredibly fast, and Priya's eyes shot closed tight. Her stomach was in her throat, loud thundering noises boomed in her eardrums, threatening to burst them. Cheshire's voice echoed in her mind, "Remember to breathe," and she took a long, steady breath in. She felt his grip slip slightly, and held tighter. She felt gravity pull at her in all directions, her eyes shot open - Trees swayed around her, and they fell, faster than before, towards the leaf-covered earth. Priya's head made contact with a large rock, pain seared in her head as green and brown colors fuzzied and faded together.
Authors Note: PHEW.. That took me so long to write.. Because I kept erasing and re-writing everything.. But I think now I'm on a track, and I know where I'm going with this. I just needed a push to get started. Okay, so the changes I made that you'll see in this story are: Hatter never went back with Alice; The Queen is still in power; Mad March is not dead; And The Cheshire Cat? .. Actually a person! Who works with the Resistance! Well, He's as much of a person as a Wonderland-er who can turn into a cat can be. Hehe. Anyway, This is my first major story.. Please be kind, but please review that way I have inspiration to do a next chapter! Possible Hatter/OC. I'm not sure yet, We'll see when the time arises.