Hey guys if you're still actually reading this then OH MY GOD thats dedication.. I got lazy.. And finished school and well its been a fair amount of time. But I will attempt to try some more...
To say that Alice was not amused was untrue. Realistically she should have been mortified, shocked in fact at the Hatter's blatant disregard for those around him and for his lack of fear in a situation she had never wanted to take part in herself. However the facts were as they were and she began to create a set of facts within her mind despite this being reality and not Underland. 'There is no such thing as sanity' she repeated, her eyes closed while her fingertips pinched the bridge of her nose.
The Hatter had been in the public eye for nought 15 minutes and already the guests were turning feral, some taken to hiding beneath oddly shaped shrubbery and others simply running around like headless chickens. "Miss Alice" Hatter called from the other side of the dancefloor and began to sprint towards her, an object grasped firmly in his hand. By the time he had reached her she had already begun to move towards him, stepping over bodies that couldn't decide whether they preferred running or hiding. He stopped only inches from her face but did not seem to move backwards, choosing instead to grin madly and stare into her wide eyes for a minute or so. "It's not safe" He laughed out loud, waving a spoon in front of her face. "Take this to protect yourself, we have quite a battle on our hands!" And with that he bounced away, spreading his arms out like a bird and flapping towards a cluster of people who wouldn't seem to notice him in time.
"My word it's pitiful what this world has come to" A deep voice came from her right, causing Alice to jump in fright. "I-I'm sorry but I don't understand, is this a common occurrence?" Alice found herself laughing awkwardly in an attempt at humour but the man stood gruffly, taking in the sight of what once had been a respectable party with contempt. "I can assure you Miss Alice this is in fact not the first time this month that an odd fellow has ruined a party in this household, I'm beginning to think that the house is cursed. At least we managed to capture the little round boys before they could eat all of our food." His face wrinkled into a grimace and he shivered lightly though the breeze was warm and inviting. He said no more, for there was nothing more to add but Alice had repeated the words in her head several times. Had the boys the man had described been who she thought they were? And if so, why were they coming to her world? "Sir," She finally said, her courage faltering with every second. He did not turn to look at her but she felt that his attention was now on her and the words she would say next. "The boys you speak of, are they still in the house?" He shook his head, "Heavens no, they would have eaten the home brick by brick surely. We had them sent off to St Alberts house for the 'questionable' minds as soon as possible" The man replied, the word questionable sliding off his tongue as if he understood its meaning far too well.
The conversation between the two of them fell to silence once more as Alice thought hard. She thought and thought until she felt she'd thought a hole in the beautifully kept lawn. She knew her curiosity would not allow her to miss this opportunity and with a polite bow she left the man, ignoring his bright eyes, so full of confusion yet understanding for some reason. Carefully she moved to find the Hatter and following the familiar shrieks she was led to an odd sight. There stood the hatter wielding a corset, though lord knows how it came into his possession. He was waving it around, trying to hit the body that had attatched itself to his back but it was useless, the figure clung like an infant and refused to let go. As Alice moved closer she noticed the parasite was Mrs Ascot, shrieking something about removing the demon from within. Alice knew at once that she could not allow this to continue any longer, not if what she assumed was happening was indeed true and with the will of a vorpal blade she stood straight and bellowed loudly. "Mrs Ascot PLEASE cease this ridiculous farce at once!" Almost instantly the squabbling stopped though the Hatter found one more shot at her through the silence. Alice stalked closer towards the now bashful woman who was as red as an object of redness and no longer attatched to anyone. "I am very disappointed at how this party has turned out, if you continue this silly charade I shan't come back again. Now I suggest you leave this young man alone and see to your guests" Without a word the lady scurried off, leaving the crowd to disperse and the Hatter to grin madly while poking his tongue out at all who continued to watch. " I must say Miss Alice, if you had taken such a tone with the beast of Underland I daresay there would have been any need for a fight." He said gleefully and followed Alice as she headed for the entrance. "Well desperate times call for desperate measures" She replied and went in search of her carriage, sans a ridiculous helper.
"Driver, St Alberts Please" Alice ordered from within and the driver turned with a confused look on his face. "Did you mean 'State house of peas?'" He said monotonously. "What no. I said St Alberts!" Again he turned to her, confused " Three locations by that name, 'St Alberts you fool', 'St Alberts you idiot', 'Oh my god I said St Alberts! Next time I'm buying a map!'"
"The third I guess..." Alice said, though she felt her time on the sea had caused her to miss a grand technological advancement. With that the driver turned and began the journey towards what they hoped for. "I guess he was siri-us" The Hatter squealed in laughter and palms reached faces all over the 4th wall.
Finally they reached St Alberts and as Alice glanced at the building she felt a sense of foreboding, as if what she would see inside would cause every world that she knew of to spin madly, well madder than usual really. "Oh boy where are we going?" Hatter asked gleefully, reminding Alice of his presence. She questioned the benefits of allowing him to enter such a sombre place but after agreeing that he could not make a madhouse any madder she exited the carriage and walked towards the large wooden doors. The interior was dark and dank; the wallpaper a dull grey with a hint of yellow and the floor a horrid tiled pattern that she prayed was sanitary. At the end of the large room lay a door and to the right; her left as the Hatter kindly pointed out, was a large desk with an even larger man seated at it. The man was portly but looked to have muscle as well and did not get up to greet them, merely looked at them with mild curiosity before placing his hands on the desk in a sweeping motion. "This desk" he began, a look of importance not set on his features. "This desk... Is Mahogany" He finished and sat there silently. Alice not understanding his statement decided to press on. "Yes well I was-"
"This desk-"
"Wondering if you-"
"Is Mahogany"
"ARE YOU QUITE FINISHED?" She yelled, crossing her arms. The man's expression still contained its look of importance, but he seemed to be finished. "Thankyou, now I-"
" Mahogany"
"Oh Christ is there someone I can talk to?" She cried in annoyance before screwing protocol and opening the door. The man did not stop her and the Hatter was still laughing at the previous idiocy of the conversation.
"Tell me Hatter" Alice spoke eventually as they walked down the winding halls, "When was the last time you saw the twins?" The hatter genuinely thought back but could not think of exactly how long it had been. " My apologies Alice but I have not seen them in many moons." When she questioned why he had not alerted the others he simply shrugged and they continued to walk on in silence.
It seemed like hours passing cells of people; men and women walking back and forth, wearing a path in the floor below or rocking in the corner. It put Alice on edge and she found herself seeking the Hatter's comfort who surprisingly seemed sane enough to give her what she needed. He kindly took her hand and squeezed it for a brief moment though he did not let go completely through the rest of the journey. "This is useless!" Alice cried, throwing her hands in the air, "We shall never find the twins at this rate and no one seems to want to help us" The Hatter attempted concerned and placed his hand on her shoulder awkwardly. "Pat pat" he said, creating an air of normality that she had been looking for. The sound of squeaking broke them from their pity party however and they both looked up to see the dormouse running off and turning left at a fork in the road. "Quick! Follow that mouse!" Alice called, her feet already moving and not looking back to see if the Hatter was even close. They skidded around corners, turning left and right and sometimes right and left (sometimes not even turning at all), until they came across a cell on its own with a sign that read 'rehabilitated'. "Is this where they are?" Alice asked the mouse, but no reply came and Alice felt the tension in the air. "A-Alice?.." A scuffling noise from within the confines of the cell became louder and the door opened on its own, two boys exiting uneasily, their fingers wrung together and their heads low. They were the twins alright, they were pale and identical but that was all that reminded Alice of who they once were. "Oh my goodness!" The Hatter said, theoretically speechless though he was obviously talking. "You're... You're..."
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