((Okay, I'm honestly trying my best to update this as many times as I can before the power goes out because we're supposed to have lost power for a week or more. D; This is kinda just a filler chapter that will hopefully tie you over with some sappy, lame fluff stuff. I hope ya'll don't mind my frantic updates. If you want, you can leave me a review saying if you're fine with the constant updating or if you want me to wait and think up a brilliant chapter for you guys. For all of you in path of the hurricane, I hope ya'll stay safe! And for you who aren't going to get affected, say some prayers and happy reading!))

Chapter 10: The Cat and the Mouse

The floor consisted of contrasting white and black marble organized in such a way that the strips of colors grew thinner and thinner upon reaching the middle of the room. Following the patch of white or black would lead you upon a spiraling course as you walked along the path and eventually landed in the center. An illusion to the eye, the colors circled each other like lazy vultures absorbed in an aerial dance.

Alice stood on the outermost corner of the room, looking upon the spirals of black and white. After much debate of which color to follow, she chose the black and begun to walk it. Circling around the room, the strips of dark marble grew thin, causing Alice to have to walk toe to heel as if stepping outside the color would cause her to fall into a bottomless pit. As she made her way to the center of the room, her eyes landed upon a red balloon, ebbing and bobbing just centimeters from the ground.

She cautiously advanced toward the balloon. Something within her longed to reach out and touch the balloon, so she did just that. With a careful hand forward, she reached toward it…

POP!

Alice jolted from her sleep, eyelids fluttering open. She sat erect, instinctually pulling the blankets away from her torso as she did so. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness in her room, and she had assumingly woken up within the early hours of the morning due to the lack of sunlight filtering in. Only, taking a look around, it wasn't her room.

The room she was quartered in was large, probably twice the size of her bedroom at home. The room itself was painted a pearly silver color adorned with white crown molding merging the walls to the high ceilings. Crisp white furniture was scattered about the room; a large dresser sat opposite of the bed, two nightstands laid adjacent to the bed, a lone wardrobe stood on one of the side walls, and a white arm chair sat before the window-adorned wall. The windows were draped in silver curtains whose bottoms fluttered daintily upon the draft of a gentle breeze. Looking down at her lap, Alice noted that the bed was that of a king size; made up of blankets and sheets of the color scheme of the rest of the room, as well.

Then, Alice noticed a movement to her right out of her peripheral vision along her side. Hesitantly turning toward the movement, she noticed a misplaced lump of fabric she hadn't noticed before. It was darker than the rest of the room, a shade of smoggy gray with tattered edges. Perhaps it was blanket someone had placed there?

Curiosity got the best of Alice as she shifted onto her knees and quietly padded over to the mound of fabric. She halted a few inches away from the lump and looked over it.

To her surprise, it wasn't simply a blanket clumped together. Instead, it appeared to be an article of clothing; only, the clothing was presumably occupied due to the way it moved—rather, rose and fell—almost like someone inhaling and exhaling. Upon closer inspection, the heap of fabric suddenly became familiar to her and she flushed. Had she really spent the whole night in the Cheshire's bed?

She glanced down at him, struggling to suppress a smile. The way he was curled up was reminiscent of the way a kitten would slumber. His cramped sleeping position made him appear shorter than Alice would be had she slept normally, and made him seem all the more innocent. Alice was tempted to reach out and stroke him like she would a kitten, but decided to fight the urge. After all, no matter how close she thought she grew to the Cheshire, she was unsure of how he would act. He wasn't like a domestic cat, he was more of a tiger; innocent and majestic looking enough, but deadly nonetheless.

He stirred, and frightened that she had woken him, Alice retreated back to where she had woken and promptly laid on her side, facing away from him. If she was lucky, he'd see her presumably sleeping, and just assume he woke up on his own. But instead of hearing him sit up, the bed springs squeaked ever-so-slightly as he repositioned himself.

A few moments of stillness passed, and Alice had assumed the Cheshire simply went back to sleep. To her surprise, however, a hand stretched out and swiftly wrapped itself around her waist. She let out a startled squeak as the arm encompassed her ribcage and lazily drew her toward the center of the bed. Hesitantly glancing over her shoulder, her face came inches apart from the sleeping Cheshire's. A light flush crept across her cheeks as she inwardly scolded herself for thinking that the Cheshire would actually act out like that upon consciousness.

"Um, Ches," Alice murmured quietly and carefully, "Can you let go?"

The Cheshire responded by simply drawing Alice in closer, followed by a stifled purr of some sorts. He must've truly lost in the realm of sleep.

Alice laid patiently in his arms, scolding her reddening skin for betraying her. His arm was draped around her waist, holding her to him like a giant teddy bear. On her back, she could feel the gentle raising and falling of his chest and the soft air of his exhale as it swept her hair onto her neck and cheek. For the first time since her arrival in Wonderland, she felt at peace. With a content sigh, she closed her eyes and embraced his warmth, knowing she made the correct choice in joining his kingdom.