Lissa POV
Songs: White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane, Ray Gun by the bird and the bee, Pocketful of Rainbows by Elvis Presley, The Listening Chair by Imogen Heap
I could feel the moist grass mold between my fingertips as my limbs slowly started to wake.
The smell of morning dew wrapped around me like a fresh blanket and I reveled in the scent. I must have fallen asleep outside again. I remember sneaking out to gaze at the stars—they always looked so beautiful just before dawn.
The dew was starting to seep into the back of my dress, signaling it was time to get up. Not ready to open my eyes yet, I pushed up onto my forearms and slowly rolled my upper body to a seated position. I brought my stiff legs into my chest and perched my elbows on my knees, resting my face in my damp hands. After a few more moments of savoring the sweet smells around me, I decided it was time to head back to my room.
However, when my lids finally rose to reveal the familiar morning view, a new surrounding was in its place. I blinked a few times to make sure I was actually awake and each time the scene stayed the same. Where sleek stone columns and towering brick walls once stood, were now endless trees and strange plants. Had I sleepwalked into the woods and past the wards? I slowly rose from the ground and said a quick thanks to Vlad that it was daylight out. I started to look around to see if there was a familiar direction back to the academy, but everything seemed foreign to me.
"Where am I?" My voice sounded muffled like I was in a bubble. How strange. I took a few steps towards one of the shrubberies across the way. The leaves were lime green and slick like they were coated in water. There were multicolored flowers poking out that I had never seen before. Their giant rippled petals, a mix of pinks, yellows, and blues, looked similar to a water poppy but their pistils were elongated and spiraled, each one a different color than it's bud. I reached my hand out to touch one of the mysterious flowers, but right as my fingertips brushed against it, they all retreated into the bush as if something had sucked them in.
Startled, I jumped back and let out a small squeak. "What was that," I thought aloud. My voice still sounded strange and I looked around to see what could be causing it. As I turned away from the brush, I suddenly heard light rustling through the trees nearby. I started to panic thinking a Strigoi had discovered my location but was quickly reminded that it was daylight out and it was impossible for one to be out in the sun. The noise from the crinkling leaves quickened and I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye.
I whipped around and started walking towards what appeared to be an oleander bush moving from side to side. The closer I got, the more the rustling increased until I was right in front of it—it completely stilled. "Curious," my voice sounded more clear this time, to my delight.
Just as I was about to turn away something white and fluffy sprang from the bush and flew inches from my face. "Blaagghh!" An ungraceful shriek escaped my mouth. I righted myself and looked around for the elusive figure that had startled me. My racing heart began to settle when my eyes landed on the small intruder. It was a white rabbit. Despite the damp terrain, his fur was impeccably clean and his icy blue eyes glistened in the dim sunlight.
"So you're what the fuss is all about? You gave me a fright," I said to the rabbit. I should have been mildly concerned that I was trying to converse with a small animal, but what happened next took my fretfulness to a whole new level.
"Apologies, love. Didn't mean to scare you," the white rabbit replied. I stood there, completely stupefied. I had to be imagining this. Did I hit my head during my sleepwalk? That would explain the muffled sound earlier. But he sounded so real and oddly familiar.
"Did you...Did you just talk?!" The rabbit stared back at me with those crystal eyes and twitched its nose. I let out a relieved sigh and shook my head. My mind must have been playing tricks on me.
"Of course I did, it would be rude not to." My eyes shot back to the rabbit and a small smile crept up his face. "WOAH! What the...how did...what are you," I sputtered.
"Hmm, I thought that would be obvious. Not a very bright one, are you?" The rabbit crossed his front paws over his chest and furrowed his brows.
"That's not what I meant, you see I was—"
"What you meant," the rabbit interjected. "Was, where are you?" His knowing look was oddly human, and again I felt like there was something familiar about him.
"Yes, it appears I'm a bit lost," I skeptically replied.
"I figured. That's why I hopped over. I thought you could use some pointing in the right direction. Didn't know I would be shouted at in the process or I would have just let you be," he stuck his nose up and seemed...offended.
"Apologies, Mr...uh...rabbit. I didn't mean to offend. I'm a bit out of sorts. Did you say you knew the way back to where I came from?" The excitement that he knew how to get me home was overtaking my initial speculation of his ability to speak.
"Yes, weren't you listening?" His snarky banter was starting to annoy me. "It's not far. I can show you the way, Alice."
"Actually, it's Lissa," I replied with a little more surliness than intended
"Pfft yeah, sure it is. And I'm Peter Bloody Cotton—" a strange ticking sound stopped him mid-sentence and he pulled out a small silver pocket watch from Vlad knows where. His blue eyes shot up when he saw the watch's face and he started to bustle about. "Oh, bugger I'm late. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late. Gotta run." Suddenly he turned around and hopped back into the forest.
"Wait," I called out to him. "You haven't shown me the way." I stood in place, hesitating to go after him. The forest was dense and I didn't want to get even more lost. So far this place was extremely peculiar and who knows what else was out there. I could see a bush here and there wiggle as he passed by them and before I could talk myself out of it and they became out of reach, I launched myself into the woods.
Low hanging branches whipped by my face and small thorny bushes tore at my hem, but I kept my eyes on the white rabbit's path. I was starting to feel winded and slightly dizzy and had to slow my pace. Eventually, I found myself completely stopped with my hands on my knees, taking in deep inhales that burned my lungs. After a few moments to compose myself I looked up to see stillness in the woods.
"Damnit!" I'd lost him.
I frustratingly pulled at my stringy hair and kicked a pile of fallen leaves nearby. I looked up to the sky and could still see the sun shining overhead through the tops of the trees. Well, at least I was still safe from the Strigoi...for now. I placed my hands on my hips, breathing still heavy, and started to look around for any sign of the rabbit when a noise caught my attention. It was far off and light, but it sounded almost like singing. I focused on the sound and turned towards the direction I thought it was coming from, hoping the forest wasn't playing tricks on me. As I approached closer I could tell it was a female voice. The song sounded jovial, but there was something melancholy in her tone.
There was a clearing in the distance and I made my way towards it, hoping the owner of the voice was there. As her singing gradually grew louder, I realized I recognized the song.
"I don't worry
Whenever skies are gray above
Got a pocketful of rainbows
Got a heart full of love."
Her sad voice was beautiful and soothing, yet somehow heartbreaking.
"Mister Heartache
I've found a way to make him leave
Got a pocketful of rainbows
Got a star up in my sleeve."
By the time she reached the chorus, I found myself humming along to the tune.
"Kiss me extra tender
Hold me extra tight
'Cause I'm savin' your sweetness
For a lonely night, aye
Aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, aye."
Not paying attention to my surroundings, I stumbled over a protruding tree root and fell face first through the clearing.
"Umph," another not so graceful noise escaped me. My stomach was flat against the ground and my knees dug into the moist soil. I peered over my shoulder to see the giant root I had tripped over and silently cursed its existence. A twig in front of me crunched and I realized the singing had stopped. I turned my head back around painfully slow, wary of who would be hovering over my defenseless body. I kept my eyes low and found a pair of bright red sneakers standing perfectly still next to my scraped arm. I gradually rose my gaze up to plum purple pants that clung to the stranger's ankles, the edges of a matching coat, and passed gold buttons and pleats adorning it. The stranger appeared to be wearing a military ensemble, apart from the crimson shoes. My eyes caught a flash of silver poking out from her hip. I turned my head to get a better look and could see the tip of a silver steak holstered into a leather belt. I gulped down my rising fear and finally faced the stranger head on.
She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Her dark hair rested in deep waves across her shoulders and down the middle of her back, her bright pink lips were curved into an amused smile and her exotic eyes regarded me curiously. There was something painfully familiar about her like I had met her in another life but I couldn't quite place her. My mind was becoming strangely foggy, but for some reason, I felt safe under her gaze.
She reached her hand out to me with a kind look, and I automatically took it. As her hand made contact with mine, I realized we were complete polar opposites. Where my skin was pale as the moonlight, hers was a rich golden brown, tanned by the sun's unforgiving kiss. Where my eyes were jade like the morning sea, hers were dark and mysterious like an endless night sky. My pale blonde hair reflected the light around us, but hers seemed to absorb it. I stared at her beautiful face examining every feature and noticed she had a strange tattoo along the right side. A thin inked line started just below the middle of her eye and fell down to the base of her sharp cheekbone, forming a single curved teardrop at the bottom.
"Are you alright?" My attention snapped back to her eyes when her velvet voice spoke to me. I realized I must have seemed rude staring at her like that and nervously brushed the dirt off the front of my dress.
"Yes, yes I'm fine. Thank you."
"Have a nice fall?" She smirked, placing her hands on her hips. I let out an embarrassed chuckle and rubbed a sore spot on my arm. "Don't worry, it's not entirely your fault. Elias is a bit of a troublemaker."
"Elias," I asked.
The mysterious girl raised her eyebrows and jutted her chin behind me. I turned towards the direction she motioned to expecting to find a man or boy snickering behind me, but the space was empty. I furrowed my brow and was about to question her again when suddenly, the protruding tree root let out an amused quiver, almost like a laugh, before falling flat against the earth. My eyes widened, and my body went stiff as I rigidly jerked my shoulders back to the girl. She adorned a light-hearted look as she scolded the space behind me. "Now Elias, that's no way to treat a guest." She shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Alder Trees, am I right?"
My mind was blank, and my mouth was dry. Unable to form words I just awkwardly nodded, my eyebrows still glued to my forehead.
"Well, I'm glad you made it. The name's Rose. I've been expecting you," an excited grin spread across her face settling my jittering nerves.
"You were?" I smiled back at her politely, while still slightly confused by her statement.
"Of course! Christian told me you would be joining us, Alice." Rose turned to the side and motioned me to follow her. I obliged and fell in step with her.
"Christian?" The name sounded familiar, but again I couldn't quite place it. "And actually, my name is Lissa." The girl shot me a knowing smirk and looked like she was attempting to raise an eyebrow at me. "That's an odd joke, Alice." I was about to correct her again, but as we walked further into the clearing I became distracted by a long wooden table lounging in the woods like it belonged, covered in dozens of tea sets. Each set had its own unique style and era that it belonged to. Some were simple, painted a solid color of yellow or green with delicate dots adorning them. Others were extravagant works of art. My eyes darted to each, admiring their uniqueness. One that especially caught my eye was an array of swirling blues painted in waves with a group of battling ships that seemed to move along the sloshing water. Another set was made of iron as black as night with pieces of twinkling gold specs that shined like the stars. Rose sat down in front of a deep red set trimmed with white and silver Asian symbols along the top, the center was home to a group of Samurai warriors holding up swords, scythes, and throwing stars ready to pounce off their individual cups.
Rose motioned me to a seat next to her. Not wanting to be rude, I pulled out the chair and obliged her request. Neatly resting in front of me was a classic porcelain set that looked identical to one my mother had once owned. The pot was cream colored with tiny ornate flowers intricately placed in rows around it. Each cup was tulip shaped and had larger individual flowers painted on the sides. I reached for one covered in sunflowers, remembering it as my favorite; my mother always chose the one with daffodils.
"Do you like them," Rose asked me as I inspected my cup.
"They're beautiful," I softly replied.
"Great. Now, can we please start? Our tea is getting cold." I looked up to find where the third voice had come from. I don't know how I hadn't noticed him before, but the white rabbit was sitting across the other side of the table. "You," I exclaimed.
"Calm down, Chris. You know that we serve guests first," Rose admonished. There was a serious look on her face that said she was not the type of girl you wanted to make angry. By the deflated demeanor of the rabbit, it became apparent she also possessed the brawn to back it up.
"Now," her light temperament returned. "Shall we?" I nodded in response, slightly wary of her sudden mood swings but pleased at her jovial tone all the same. I placed my sunflower cup back on its saucer and reached for the floral pot.
"No, no, no," Rose tsked. "Not like that." She straightened up in her chair and cleared her throat. "Time for tea."
As the calm words seeped out of her mouth my pot slowly started to rise all on its own. A huge grin spread across my face as the others followed suit, steaming amber liquid pouring from their spouts as they tilted forwards. Once my cup was filled, the pot tipped back and returned to its original place on the table.
"Wonderful," I applauded. Rose looked pleased by my reaction and lifted her cup to a toast. "To Alice! Our exalted guest. We are honored to have you sitting at our table." I slightly blushed under her praise and thought better than to correct her again. To my surprise, the white rabbit followed suit and we all clinked our glasses together. As we sipped on the tea I could hear him mutter something about timeliness and manners. Rose leaned towards me and whispered still loud enough for the rabbit to hear, "Don't worry about him, he's just cross because he accidentally caught his tail on fire last week. He's been a grumpy bunny ever since," she made a mocking frown at the rabbit she called Chris and we both started chuckling at her teasing. Chris rolled his blue eyes and let out a huff as he sipped on his tea.
"So how long will you be staying," Rose asked me as she plopped an unhealthy amount of sugar cubes into her cup.
"Not long actually. I really need to be getting back," I responded.
"Back where?" Her question threw me off. It should have been an easy one to answer. I knew there was somewhere I had to be, but time and thoughts had been escaping me since entering this place.
"I, I'm not sure actually. But I know it's somewhere important," I stammered. Chris gave me a knowing look over the rim of his cup and Rose's expression turned curious again. I felt embarrassed by my inability to recall where I was going and looked down at the familiar tea set. A hand crept into my vision and rested on my forearm, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Don't worry Alice," I looked up to meet Rose's gaze. "I know someone who can help you! Mr. Caterpillar will have the answers you need." Her excitement instantly lifted my spirits. "We can go visit him as soon as we finish our tea." I smiled and thanked her as we started conversing casually. It was soothing how easily we fell into comfortable conversation, like we were old friends who had known each other forever.
"It's too bad you aren't staying longer," she eventually said. "Tomorrow my love is coming to visit, he would have enjoyed meeting you." Rose stood from the table and walked over to a small desk I hadn't noticed before, gazing lovingly at a photo resting on top.
"Oh, that would be lovely. Maybe next time I can meet him," I politely replied.
"Don't encourage her," Christian hissed at me. I looked over at him to see a stern look on his face as he shook his head. Rose was softly singing the familiar tune from earlier and seemingly entranced by the photo in front of her.
"Mister Heartache
I've found a way to make him leave
Got a pocketful of rainbows
Got a star up in my sleeve."
"What do you mean," I whispered to the rabbit.
"He isn't coming. She hasn't seen him in almost a year." There was a somber tone to his voice and I glanced over at Rose, wondering why she would have mentioned him visiting the next day. I looked at him with a questioning gaze, imploring him to tell me more.
"Rose and Dimitri were once the head of the Queen's Guard. They were best fighters against the Strigoi that Deadland has ever known. They have special abilities, you see. Rose can sense when Strigoi are nearby and Dimitri's fighting skills are unmatched. They were magnificent on their own, but as a team...they were indestructible." His words began to seep into me as images of Rose and another man fighting side by side like the warriors on her teacup danced across my mind.
"The Queen hand-picked them as the head of her guard, a great honor to be selected for. She was beloved by all and loved her subjects equally so, but none more than her closest brother Lucas. One day him and his wife, Moira, went on a romantic excursion in the woods and lost track of time. They were caught in the night by a pack of Strigoi and never returned home. Distraught by their disappearance the Queen went into a frenzy and destroyed the palace gardens that they tended to, accidentally entangling herself in one of the rose bushes in the process and leaving a huge scar across the right side of her face." I gasped at the vision of a woman's face being torn by rose thorns. I looked over to see Rose was still humming and gazing at her photo, the tune mixed with Chris' morbid story sending chills down my spine.
"Eventually, Rose and Dimitri fell madly in love. After the heartache of losing her closest brother, the Queen turned cruel and unforgiving, forbidding any love from being shared in her kingdom. The warriors tried to hide their feelings, but they were ultimately found out. The Queen lashed out at the discovery of her two closest allies' deception and decided to make an example of them. She separated them and banished Rose from the palace, keeping Dimitri close to her side. If they were ever discovered trying to meet, she would force them to kill each other in a battle to the death. The Queen left them with the matching tattoos mirroring her scar as a reminder to anyone else in the kingdom that her word is law."
"That's horrible," I gulped down past a lump in my throat. "But she said he is coming to visit her tomorrow. Does that mean they found a way to see one another," I asked hopefully.
"No," the rabbit solemnly replied. "She says that every day, hoping it will come true."
"So, you're saying that she...she's mad?"
Suddenly, I felt a strong hand rest on my shoulder and realized that the singing had once again stopped. I reluctantly turned around and moved my gaze up to see Rose's dark eyes staring me down. "We're all a little mad here," she softly spoke, a slow unsettling smile creeping up her face.