Alice made her way through her house, still slightly sad from the events of yesterday, she had just come back from another lesson that she, as she described it, had to strain her attention span in that lesson to learn anything. She had no idea what to do for the next few days for fun, since she was not allowed out for the next few days. Her mother and father were very clear on that. By now the servants of the house were carrying out their chores they were paid to do, the little they were paid to do. Her blue and white dress, now a different one but looked exactly the same as the one she wore yesterday. Alice was in her room at one end of a chessboard and Dinah at the end of the other. "No Dinah, the knight moves two spaces then one to the side to where it has just moved" Alice tried to instruct her pet to play correctly.

Dinah just simply knocked over the piece with her nose. Alice just mentally sighed. "Oh what am i doing trying to teach you to how to play chess, what nonsense, you don't even have thumbs." Dinah just looked up at her owner as to say 'you are mad.' "Oh well, perhaps Reggie would like to play, when he's finished working of course. Lets go ask him" she proclaimed knowing he would be working in the room up on the next level. She stepped out of her room with Dinah on her shoulder and looked around to see if there were any of her relatives along the corridor. There were just one or two servants in the corridor. Alice made her way through occasionally being greeted by the servants. "Why hello miss Alice, where you off to then?" "Oh just, to another lesson thank you" lied Alice, as she walked up the stairs to the third floor and to the room where Reggie would be working.

She made sure no one else was around first, since no one would allow two children of different social structures to be seen together. When she entered, this made Reggie immediately look up, as he expected it to be one of the other servants or employers, but discovered it was his best friend. "Alice!" Reggie was indeed surprised. "Hello Reggie, I don't mean to disturb you in all but, when will you be done?" Reggie was currently mopping the wooden floor in the room with spare bed. All he had was a bucket of soapy water and a few brushes and cloths. "Well I've only done this side or the room, so it's going to be a while. Even then i have other duties to do here" explained Reggie seeming to have more duties, meaning he had more time on his hands. "Why do you ask? I thought you were forbade to go out for the next few days?" "Well yes but, wait, how do you know that? I wasn't going to tell you until just now." "I overheard your folks discuss it. I'm sorry about that Alice." "Don't be, although that's a huge relief on me not having to tell you. Um, did your mother-"

"Yeah my mother took a big disliking to me getting wet, threatened me with some weird punishment she said, if it happened again." "I'm sorry Reggie, that was kind of my fault, well, Dinah's fault." "Don't be sorry Alice" Reggie smiled. "She's only a cat it's just her instinct." Alice smiled back, glad she knew someone who wouldn't blame her. "So why did you want me?" asked Reggie bringing the conversation back to it's original topic. "Well i was wondering, once you were finished here, you would like to play chess with me? Only that i tried to play with Dinah, but she isn't co-operating." explained Alice. "I don't think we can Alice, if you're not allowed out, we'll been seen, then we're both for it" protested Reggie. "No, we can play in the room with the looking glass, no one hardly goes in there anymore, not even to clean it" she explained. "I'm not sure Alice, i don't want to risk it" Reggie was not too sure.

"Reggie i promise you, no one ever goes in there, it's just an old room no one uses anymore" assured Alice. "Well alright, but i won't be finished for a while" Reggie finally agreed. "Perhaps i could help you, i mean it can't be that hard can it?" "If you want to Alice, grab a cloth" he chuckled and threw a cloth at her. "Do you mind Reginald?" she put her hands on her hips after the cloth hit her. "You wanted to help didn't you?" he smiled. She simply threw a small cushion from a nearby chair back at him and smiled "yes but you don't have to be rude about it." "Hey i have a bucket of water here, you don't want to become all wet again do you?" he teased. "I know you won't do that" Alice said smugly. "Really" Reggie just smiled and threw a wet brush which splashed a few drops in it's radius.

"Reggie!" protested Alice, but she soon threw it back and the pair started laughing and giggling as the floor started to get more wet than it should've. The bucket even spilt over at one point, but none of it reached the bed. When it fell over, this did make a lot of noise, which attracted the attention of Alice's sister. "Mr Hargreaves, what is all that noise going on in here?" Alice's sister stood at the door, then realised her younger sibling in the room too. "Alice what are you doing in here?" Alice tried to think of an excuse fast, but was saved by Reggie. "Forgive me, miss Liddell, i just split the bucket is all, Alice heard it too and came to assist me" Reggie covered up for both of them. "Is that true Alice?" asked her sister. Alice looked back at Reggie worriedly but he gave her a subtle look to confirm it was okay. Alice looked back at the elder in front of her. "Yes it is" she lied. "Well that's considerate of you Alice, but this isn't your job, it's what Mr Hargreaves here is paid to do. I trust you'll have this cleaned up?" she turned to Reggie.

"Yes don't worry about miss, it'll be spotless" Reggie promised. "Well okay then. Alice, come along." Her sister motioned for Alice to follow her. Just before Alice left after her sister, she whispered to Reggie "are you still going to play with me later today?" "Yeah I'll be there soon" he whispered back. Later that day, Reggie and Alice accompanied by Dinah, had already set up the set of chess, and were mid game. Reggie had told his mother he was out in the square during the day. "I wasn't honestly sure about today Alice" Reggie told her. "After your sister walked in earlier." "Yes. Sorry again, that you had to take responsibility for that bucket." "Well, we did kinda get carried away back there." "I know but we were only playing" dismissed Alice. "Your move" Reggie told her. Alice studied the chess board. By now she had already lost a few pieces but was still in the game. She went to move the bishop but then realised she would lose her queen. So she decided to move the rook but then saw that she would be in check. "Whatever piece i move another will be taken" she complained.

"That's strategy" Reggie smiled. "How are you so good at it?" wondered Alice."

"When my father use to send me letters describing the empire's conquests, he use to tell of strategies to defend themselves and launch offensives. Look, the pawns are preventing your pawns from advancing and the one's that aren't are stopping your knights moving. And my bishops and rooks are positioned so they can take any piece that goes into their path" Reggie explained. "Well you've certainly learned from them. I wish i had your ability to pay attention" admitted Alice. "I suppose when you really need to when you're on minimum wage, or have nothing else outside of work or school" Reggie figured saying this more to himself. He seemed not acknowledge Alice for a few seconds. "You'll make a great commander" she commented, bringing his attention back to her. "You think so? I would like to be like the heroes in the history books and plays, like henry the fifth or captain James Cook. Being in the red coat army and commanding its forces. Defeating our attackers and defending our territories, fighting in battle against the tyrants of other countries and protecting the natives" Reggie daydreamed just like Alice would.

Alice enjoyed this fact though, she didn't feel so alone. "If one desires something one must work to achieve it" Alice gave another piece of advice this time to her friend instead of herself. She had been following more of her own advice ever since her first adventure to wonderland. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew open the window, moved the chess pieces, and made the hair of Alice and Reggie look like it was dancing. Dinah, who was now standing on the mantelpiece, had a lot of dust blown on her and the looking glass behind her, which caused her to sneeze and shake her head. "Oh, dear" Alice was frustrated, since she and Reggie had to now remember where each piece was. Reggie got up and closed the window. "Now we have to put them in each square they were originally in, And Dinah look at you" she walked over to her cat and brushed her over. "Reggie is there a cloth anywhere?" she asked wanting to brush Dinah. "Yeah there's one right next to the table" he replied picking up some pieces.

Alice grabbed it and after brushing off Dinah, started on the looking glass from the dust it bore. "I think some went under the chairs" Reggie put the first half of his body under the chair to look for them. "Yes try to look in the darker areas under the furniture and-" Alice stopped brushing the looking glass, as it took a while to realise, but she felt her arm move further forward than it ought to, when she was brushing the glass. Her head turned an acute angle left, and eyes widened as she saw half her arm halfway through the glass. Her mouth made an 'O' shape, and pulled her arm out. She shook her head dismissively, but out of curiosity, put it in again. It was just then the other side of the glass started to change into a scene of fields, and groves. Despite looking so far away, she could touch the leaf's on the tree's.

No, this had to be another dream, she most likely fell asleep earlier and was having another dream about playing chess and finding the looking glass again.

But seemed so real. She brought her arm out to pinch herself but was only met with a slight pain and still being in her current situation. Then she knew how she could prove she wasn't dreaming. "Reggie, Reggie could you come here a minute?" she called her friend as Dinah was now resting herself on the floor. "What is it?" he came out from under the chair. Alice was not quite sure how to explain. He'd think she was mad, just like her family. "Can you just, um, touch the glass over here please." "Touch the glass?" "I know it's an unusual request, but can you please do it?" Reggie looked unsure about her but he proceeded to carry out her request. "Alright, but i don't know what this is about Al-" Reggie stopped mid sentence because he was intending but press his hand on the glass, but instead it went straight through. He turned his to face it, and removed his hand. "What the-" "I knew it. I'm glad i wasn't the only one seeing this" Alice realised. She then started to climb up towards it and put both her hands inside the glass.

"Alice what are you doing?" Reggie couldn't believe it. There she was, stepping into the very glass she talked about of her 'dream' which Reggie, although he did believe she actually stepped into some strange world of some sort, never believed he would see anything like it himself. His friend then stepped completely into the glass and disappeared. "Alice! Alice!" Reggie looked through the glass and saw the same trees and fields Alice had seen, only this time he saw the blonde girl in the blue dress running towards the tree. He saw his friend turn around and motioned for him to follow her. Reggie hesitated. He turned to Dinah and just simply said "If we don't come back out Dinah, get help" he knew she wouldn't being a cat and couldn't talk, he never met a cat who could. He wasn't sure at first, but he gave in and slowly put his arms in, climbed up and walked all the way in. Human beings are normally afraid of what they don't understand. But Reggie thought if Alice was completely fine going through this he could too.

He then found himself in a field, surrounded by moving grass even though there was no wind. He looked behind him and saw the looking glass and the room they were just standing in. He turned back to see Alice sitting on the tree branch, but it then seemed to lower her down. Reggie walked over to Alice, not quite sure of the very area he was in. Alice on the other hand, seemed to be reminiscing. "I remember this. The waving grass, the blue, well, changing to blue leaf's. and the animals that look like instruments." Alice had spotted a saucer frog on a nearby lake. "Alice, is this Wonderland?" "Yes, yes i suppose it is" Alice grew a huge smile, realising she was back in her land of non-sense. "I knew it was real!" she cried joyously clasping her hands. "Oh just imagine it" she skipped over to her still not so sure friend. "We're back in Wonderland, well, i'm back in wonderland. But just think of all the new lands and parts of it to explore, and all the mysterious creatures." This sentence caught Reggie's attention.

"Explore" he repeated. "Finding mysterious new creatures." He thought about the letters his father use to send him about different parts of the world he had ventured to, and all the strange things he had seen. Plus he read all the newspapers he could get his hands on about the empire's voyages and exploration. And now, there was a strange new land right before him. Full of, as Alice put it, nonsense. A land that probably no human, other than Alice, had been to before. Why he could be, held as one of the country's greatest heroes, and not just a working class servant. Alice's excitement turned into worry quite quickly. "wait, what if this is just another dream again? No i pinched myself, i'm not dreaming, am i? What if you're in my dream Reggie and you're not real?" Reggie tried to calm his overreacting friend. "No Alice, this is real, trust me i'm here, really experiencing this as well. Alice don't you realise, you were right! It is real! It wasn't just two dreams you had, wonderland is an actual location." Alice seemed to realise this as well. "Why, why you're right. I mean i was right, i mean. Reggie we can go and explore this place, just to prove it is real and confirm it" said Alice grabbing his arm and running forward into a forest, completely forgetting the danger she faced last time.