Title: method of madness
Summary: "What's in it for me?" His voice was deeper, rawer, she noted, like he was desperate for something too. And she wondered if this was how he really sounded. In which Alice must rescue her sister, at the expense of making a deal with the most deceitful person she knew.
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Disclaimer: I don't own Alice in Wonderland.
"Are you lost, kitten?"
Bloodshot eyes glanced up, tensing at the voice as she scanned the mass of dark trees which surrounded her. She glanced at each direction, squinting her eyes to try and see past the foliage of the forest.
"Whose there?" She called warily, only to be answered by her own echo, mimicking just how small and terrified she sounded.
She waited for a response, finally drawing a deep breath when only the black depth of the woods greeted her. Steeling her resolve, she walked past the thicket of brush that was in her way, bending back branches so she could walk deeper into the forest.
"Hello?" She called persistently.
This may evidently seem like a stupid choice, Alice thought in hindsight, but this was the first time that someone had chosen to acknowledge her presence first, ever since she made the decision to travel to this godforsaken place again. Usually, she had to fight and shove her way into people's faces for them to even notice her here, and she wouldn't let go of that acknowledgment. Whatever or whoever it may be.
"Hello!?" She called again, apprehension tinging her voice. She was beginning to think that maybe, it was just her imagination after all. It wasn't the first time that she had conjured a voice to talk to her when she felt tired or lonely. Exhaustion clung unto her, as she haven't had a chance to sleep for how many days now. Yes, it was her mind playing tricks. Alice sighed irritably, deciding to turn back. This seemed like a dead end, anyway. She fought to pull back a branch as she walked back to her path and it had suddenly recoiled between her fingers, slapping her sharply against her cheek.
A sudden bout of laughter resounded throughout the forest, just as she seethed in pain.
"I know you're there!" Alice now shouted, twisting around. That laugh sounded familiar, and she knew she had heard it before. Whoever this person was obviously liked to toy with her, Alice thought in annoyance. If she were ever going to coax them out, she needed to think of a way besides direct confrontation.
An idea occurred to her. So you want to be that way, huh?
"Let's play a game, since you like toying with me so much." Alice called.
Once again, silence only greeted her, but she took it as a sign to continue.
"If I can guess who you are, would you show yourself?"
"… and if you can't?" The mysterious voice answered, to her surprise.
"I will." Alice retorted back with conviction.
"Very well. If you make a mistake, I'll eat you." It howled in laughter. "I like playing with my food before I eat it, after all."
Alice hesitated, eyes wide. She was a little shaken by its response, but it couldn't possibly be serious, right?
"You're the Cheshire Cat." She said, attempting to sound confident. After all, this situation, this forest, his laugh, all of it was like déjà vu to her, as if she was reliving the same moment eight years ago… however, she didn't recall them being able to eat anyone.
The voice was quiet. Alice immediately sensed tension, and she wondered with baited breath if she was perhaps wrong. A boy suddenly materialized in front of her, and she choked back a scream, leaping back.
"How do you know that?" The boy asked, the mirth gone from his voice. He was all arms and legs, a lanky frame hiding slender, wiry muscles beneath as he towered over her. He was sneering, and Alice saw sharp teeth.
She found herself clambering back. "W-who are you?" She shouted, holding her hands in front of her as she tried to eye any possible exit. Her mind was racing a mile a minute, trying to find any recollection that she had of this person in front of her. Who was this man? The last time she came here, there hadn't been any humans except her. He couldn't possibly be—
"I could ask you the same thing." He responded coldly, advancing towards her. He circled her like prey, and Alice could only hold her breath, staying very still.
She closed her eyes, breath shuddering as she felt him come closer. A feet. An inch. A gap, until his very breath tickled her face. Suddenly, she couldn't think straight anymore, only feeling the heat of his skin and the draw of his chest, in and out, in and out.
She prayed to live. She still had something she needed to do. Someone was waiting for her. Someone was relying on her.
Edith. She thought.
Very carefully, so that the man in front of her wouldn't notice, Alice's hand gingerly traveled towards her back, to the branch that had snapped after it had hit her. Clasping it successfully, her eyes flashed open.
Alice unfurled the branch in front of her, taking the man by surprise when she managed to hit his face, the ends of the branch drawing three red lines underneath his eyes. Alice dropped the branch and turned on her heel, bounding wildly as soon as she saw the opportunity.
She raced blindly with her heart throbbing violently in her ears, arms stuck out to rip and tear leaves and branches that stood in her way. She couldn't see anything and she didn't know where she was going. The one thing she did know was that she had immensely pissed someone off and she had to get away from there, fast, if she still hoped to live.
Behind her, she heard the boy growl angrily, roaring, "You think you can get away from me?!" The hairs on the ends of her skin stood, adrenaline coursing through her veins so fast that her hands started to shake. For the first time in her life, she understood what running for your life truly meant.
"Got you!" The boy snarled.
Alice's scream was ripped from her throat as she felt herself being dragged away. Her back crashed violently against a trunk of a tree. Frightened tears started to dribble down her chin as she tried to fight her way out, fists flying and legs kicking for her life, only for her to be pinned down again.
"Please… no, please…" She whimpered in desperation. "I have to find my sister..! Please—"
"Meals don't talk." She saw his mouth open through blurry tears, and Alice tensed, curling her body, waiting for the pain to come when he grabbed her shoulder and bit into it.
She cried out in pain, though paused when that was all she felt. Suddenly, she could hear quiet giggling coming out from the young man, before he broke out into a wild laughter that wracked every part of his body. He drew away from her and collapsed to the ground, hugging his stomach.
"Haha.. it… it hurts!" He cackled, wiping away tears from his eyes. "Y-your face… you were so scared… hahaha..! hahahaha!"
".. w.. what's going on?" Alice said, bewildered, as her legs collapsed beneath her in shock. She stared at the young man who was laughing at her expense.
"Did you seriously think that I was going to eat you?" He said in between bursts of laughter, though one look at her and he began cackling again. "Oh, Alice, you dimwit. And here I thought you've finally gotten smarter as you aged."
"W-what? Y-you mean…" She was at a loss for words. She didn't know if she felt immensely relieved or extraordinarily angry. "..you're the Cheshire Cat?"
"Yes," He answered after taking a deep breath, wiping a solitary tear from his eye. "But that's not what I'm known now. Call me Slye."
"Slye…" She pronounced. "But… why are you like that?" She looked at his form more closely. Black hair, pale, milky skin, and startlingly gold eyes which shone, even in the dark.
"Aah," He smirked. "You thought I was just a cat? That's just another form. You see, Wonderland changes with every… let's say.. guest, that accidentally strolls in, to mold into what they desire… but, more curiously, what are you doing here?"
Alice seemed to flinch at his question. He watched her eyes grow wide, before she looked down solemnly. "I'm here to fins my sister, Edith."
"Your sister?"
"She's missing, and I found her body at the bottom of the rabbit hole."
"You say she's missing?" Slye repeated.
"Yes.. though her body is present, she won't wake up.. I-I've been trying to find her for three days… Everyone thinks that she fell into the rabbit hole and hit her head while she was playing outside, but, but I know—" Her face crumpled into a pained expression.
"That she's here…" He finished. Alice nodded, cupping her mouth to bite back a sob.
"You still didn't answer me, though… how did you manage to come back here again?"
"I-I just told you..." She answered. "I came here again because my sister is missing."
Slye's eyes narrowed. The passage to Wonderland wasn't just open to anyone. Outsiders had to be invited in. Some were spirited away by curious inhabitants and some were abducted from their homes, forcibly taken. If she was back here again, then that meant that someone wanted her to be here…
"A bit of advice from an old acquaintance," He called as he stood, dusting dirt from his clothes. Alice stared up at him.
"Don't call anyone by their old forms, or they'll know who you are. And others won't be as receptive of your… visit, once again."
"You call what you did receptive?" Alice asked, incredulous. "You bit me."
"Aah," He murmured, smirking. "Be grateful that's all I did. Well, fancy meeting you again, but I'm afraid I have to leave—"
"Wait!" Alice bolted upright, clinging onto his sleeve. Slye paused, glancing down at her hand before regarding her fully.
"I.. I actually came looking for you." She murmured. "Someone told me that I should come find you…"
"Who?" His eyes narrowed.
"… The Caterpillar." Alice replied quietly.
"Sage? What an utter bastard." He huffed, before looking at her. "I imagine he knows who you are too?"
"Ah, yes… Is.. is that bad?"
"Is that bad?" He repeated, rolling his eyes. "Don't be stupid, Alice. Don't just give out your identity to every bee and flower out there."
Alice flinched at his remark, though she held onto his sleeve more tightly, bunching the fabric in her hand. "The Caterpillar said that you were the only one who wasn't scared... I don't really know what that implies, but I.. I just know that I need you."
Damn it. For someone who was supposed to be wise, he had such a big mouth. Slye's lips pursed, thoughtful. "What do you want?"
Alice hesitated, before finally opening her mouth to speak. "I want you to come with me." She said, peering up at him.
To say he was shocked was putting it mildly. Slye's lips parted, though Alice pressed on.
"Make a deal with me. Help me save my sister… I'm desperate." Alice cried softly, wiping away the tears that threatened to fall from the corners of her eyes.
"I'm lost," The girl admitted in defeat, "and I don't know what to do… please."
For a moment, the boy was silent. Slye cocked his head, regarding her with renewed interest. "How far would you go, to save her?"
"For her—anything." Alice declared. She looked up to meet his face, and her breath suddenly hitched as she saw the hungry look in his golden eyes.
"What's in it for me?" His voice was deeper, rawer, she noted, like he was desperate for something too.
Briefly, Alice felt like she just walked into a trap. She stammered for a reply, but no comprehensible words came out.
Slye cupped her cheek, suddenly, as he grinned down at her. "I know," The boy answered. "Why don't you become my pet, kitten?"
A/N: Boop boop. New story for Alice in Wonderland. Idk, I just missed writing Insomnia so much and that was kindof too much of a headache to continue, sadly. Oh, Edith is actually Alice Liddell's younger sister in real life if you look up her bio.
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