Author's Note: I'm back with another chapter! You guys know I work hard on this, so leave me a review and let me know what you think! Oh, this time, there's a flashback in this chapter and Alice finds out who Ryan really is! :D Enjoy! Sorry it's so freaking long. I didn't mean for it to get like this, but I just couldn't stop myself! :)
Disclaimer: I must say that any and all songs I bring up in this chapter belong to their respective owners before I forget to give them credit. :)
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Chapter Six: Ravens, Writing Desks, and Hidden Revelations
Waking up hours later, I lazily rolled out of bed and stretched myself out. Just as I started brushing the tangles out of my hair, the door swung open to reveal the Hatter and scowled.
"You ever heard of knocking before entering a room? I could've been changing!" I said moodily, looking back to the mirror as I went over my morning routine.
"You ever heard of this place being my house? I have an all-access pass to any room I want," he said with equal grumpiness, letting out a yawn and walked further into the room.
"It's still polite to knock before entering a room, Hatter," I replied, turning to leave the room.
"Hey, don't walk away from me!" he said dangerously, taking hold of my arm and forcefully turning me around to look at him. "If you want to eat or go anywhere today, you better listen to me!" "I'm not going anywhere with you! You're a kidnapper, a murderer, and a pervert that thinks he owns me! You don't own me, Hatter, and you never will!" I shouted back, wrenching my arm out of his grasp. With that, I stormed out of the room and into the kitchen to find Jack and Chip in the middle of putting food on plates.
"What's all the yelling about?" Chip asked innocently, watching with curiosity as he handed me a plate which was promptly taken out of my hands by Hatter as he took up a second and turned back to go into the front yard. I scowled at this, and growled under my breath and looked back to face the questioning look on Jack's face.
"The Hatter says I'm a bad girl and can't eat anything today because I tried to walk away from him," I said grouchily, fingering the handle of a knife sitting on the table.
"There's no need to kill him, Alice," Jack said, gently removing the weapon from my grasp. "I've been keeping an eye on him and I promise you if he does anything to harm you, I will beat the hell out of him," the rabbit-boy swore, guiding me out of the house to join Hatter at the table.
Sitting me down to his right, I glared at the pink haired young man as he ate, getting him to pause and look up at me.
"What?"
"Give me a plate, Hatter," I demanded, reaching over to take one, but quickly retracted my hand when he slapped it.
"Brian, give her a plate. She's hungry and she needs to eat," Jack said, grabbing one before Hatter could respond and handed it to me. I mouthed a thank you before he sent me back into the house so I wouldn't be disturbed by the hatmaker while I ate.
"Run along, little princess," Hatter's voice mumbled, getting me to quicken my pace into the house and head straight for the kitchen. Taking up the knife that Jack had taken away, I dropped off my plate in the guestroom and went back outside. Jack and Chip caught sight of me, but pretended I never returned, opting to watch from out of the corner of their eyes. Launching the knife with deadly accuracy, the blade embedded itself up to the hilt in the back of the chair, prompting everything to go dead quiet as all eyes looked at the chair the Hatter occupied. After what felt like eternity, the chair moved as it was pulled away from the table at an odd angle to reveal the Hatter unharmed, but his face showed visible signs of astonishment with the tip of the knife mere centimeters from his head and commented, "Any closer and that would've turned into something ugly real quick." He said this with utter calmness for someone who just about had a knife sticking out of the back of their head.
"Who's the princess now, punk?!" I exclaimed, pivoting smartly on a heel and went back inside, leaving three dumbstruck boys in my wake.
(Hatter's POV)
"That girl... is crazy!" I said finally, turning to look at the other two boys eyeballing the hilt of the weapon sticking out of my chair.
"I'm glad that didn't kill you, man, or else I'd be dealing with a traumatized eight year old," Jack said before adding, "To be honest, you kinda had that coming for you after all you put that girl through."
Pulling the knife out of the seat- "I'm just gonna put it back in the kitchen!"- I headed inside to deal with Alice.
Standing outside her door, I sensed she already knew I was here as she muttered "Go away, Hatter." before I could make my presence known to her. "How did you even know I was out here?" I asked her, shaking my head in mild bafflement of the young woman.
"I heard your footsteps when you came in," she replied.
"Alice-"
"Hatter, can I ask can I ask you a question?"
"... You already asked me a question, but feel free to ask another, if you'd like," I said, getting rewarded with a giggle, something I haven't heard from her since she started thinking my name is Ryan without my makeup on. It was such a beautiful sound coming from her that brought a smile to my face without knowing it.
"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
"..."
"Hatter? You still there?"
"..."
Without another word, I pivoted on a heel and walked back outside and took a seat at the table, a look of surprise and bewilderment as I thought over the innocent question. "Why is a raven like a writing desk? ... She actually remembers that?" I mused, jumping when Chip crawled into my lap and asked, "I dunno, Hatter. What's the answer?"
I smiled. "I haven't the foggiest idea," I replied, a laugh escaping me at the pout I received as a response.
"That's not an answer!" Chip complained, his pout turning to a glare when I burst out laughing, memories of a seven year old Alice reprimanding me when I would tell her the riddle had no answer to it coming to surface. This, however, me laugh all the more harder until tears were flowing down my cheeks in mirth, my laugh making Jack double over in laughter as well, but I couldn't be sure if he was laughing at the same thing as I was or not.
(Alice's POV)
"Hatter? You still there?" I questioned softly and listened to his retreating footsteps and the door opening and closing, signaling the hatmaker had left.
"I wonder what that was about," I murmured, jumping when Chip's voice cried, "That's not an answer!" This was met with loud laughter, but it wasn't insane in any way, just a pure and simple happy laugh which was joined by a second coming from the table out front. I couldn't help but laugh along with them, sensing the Hatter was the one to start the laughing fit in the yard. His laugh is contagious.
Opening the door, I slipped out and walked outside to find a grumpy Chip with a scowl etched across his adorable features while the older boys laughed, happy tears streaming freely down their faces as they clutched their aching sides and gasped for air from laughing so hard. I watched with high amusement as the boys slowly started coming around.
"Hoo boy, that was funny! I haven't laughed that hard in a while," the Hatter chuckled, wiping at his eyes and looked to his companion to see he passed out from his fit. I smiled knowingly and brought Chip into a hug, saying, "I know how you feel, sweetheart. The Hatter tortured me with that riddle when I was seven. He thought it was a riot when I got mad because he kept telling me he didn't know the answer, but listening to him say he hasn't a clue, he sounds like he damn well knows the answer, doesn't he?" Glancing up at him, I shot Hatter a dirty look that said 'don't think I don't now what you're doing' before looking back to Chip who seemed to have lightened up at the knowledge of not being the only one that didn't know the answer to the riddle, but still bummed out over it.
"You actually remember that riddle?" the Hatter asked, a hint of astonishment in his voice.
"Really, White paid me a visit early this morning and gave me a vial of something that helped me remember my past visits. You're not the same man from my memories of this place, Hatter, because you treated me like I mattered and now you reduced me to nothing more than an object you can take your anger out on," I said, a dangerous tone coming to my voice as those memories of a childlike Hatter came to the forefront of my mind. That said, I took the child's hand and guided him back inside.
Sitting the child down at the table I rummaged through the cabinets and exclaimed in delight at finding a cluster of empty jars and said, "Chip, would you be a dear and find a bag to put these in?"
"Sure, but what do you need jars for?" he replied, getting up to find a bag.
"I'm going to take you to a place the Hatter showed me when I was your age and we'll need jars to collect souvenirs," I replied happily, smiling when Chip returned with a messenger bag. "Great! You ready to go?" I said, laughing lightly when he bounced around, shouting in excitement before running for the door, calling out, "Can Hatter and Jack come, too?"
"They can if they want," I replied, jogging out the door after the eager child where he waited at the edge of the clearing.
"Where are you guys going?" Jack shouted after us.
"We're going on an adventure!" Chip screamed happily, getting me to laugh at his enthusiasm.
"This I gotta see," he said, getting up to follow with Hatter in tow, joining us before Chip grabbed my hand and dragged me down the path.
After a long while of walking, we finally made it to a meadow occupied by rocks of all sizes, each shining brightly with different colors of the rainbow like the Pool of Tears after dark. Watching as Chip ran ahead of us in his excitement, I smiled, now knowing why the Hatter was so eager to take me places when I was little.
"Was I like that when I was seven?" I questioned him, laughing when he replied with, "Oh yes. You were curious to see all Wonderland had to offer and when I took you somewhere, well, Chip's in your position and you're in mine."
Walking further into the field, I glanced around for the eight year old before spying him on his hands and knees staring wide eyed at something on the ground. Crouching down next to the mouse-child, I asked, "What are you looking at?"
"A rock," he replied enthusiastically, holding it up for me to see.
"That's lovely, Chip. Here, why don't you go and collect the best ones you can find and I'll show you a nifty little craft Hatter showed me when I was your age?" I said, reaching in the bag and handed him a couple jars before sending him off.
"Don't tell me you remember how to make beads and charms out of these, do you?" Hatter asked, crouching down beside me. "Okay, then, I won't say I do. I've even taught my friends and parents what you taught me and it's needless to say they were all impressed," I replied, nudging him with my elbow playfully. With that, I got up and handed him and Jack a couple jars and set off to start my collection of rainbow colored rocks.
As I collected the stones, I thought back to the first time the Hatter brought me here and smiled, briefly wondering what happened to the Hatter from my memories.
(Flashback: Rocks and Rainbows)
"Mr. Hatter, why are the rocks changing colors like that?" I asked, pointing to a cluster of large boulders, each shining brightly and seemed to change colors of their own accord. Looking in the direction I indicated, the teen shrugged and said, "I dunno, Cricket. This place is one of the natural wonders of Wonderland. Who's to say how it happens?"
"Do you suppose a rainbow got stuck in there?" I asked, watching in curiosity as the older boy picked up a rock and started to where the larger ones sat and began climbing them.
"What are you doing, Mr. Hatter?" I questioned, starting to make my way to where he stood high atop the rocks.
"Stay over there, Cricket. It gets pretty messy when you do this," he said, waving me away before throwing the rock to the ground, the stone making a loud cracking sound when it hit and bright colors came spurting out of it and into the sky.
"Do it again!" I cheered, clapping my hands together in approval and excitement. He smiled.
"I knew you'd like that. Check this out," he said, jumping back down to the ground and took up another stone and pulled out a hatpin from seemingly out of nowhere. Taking a seat in the grass next to him, I observed as he drew imaginary lines across various points on the rock with the needle's tip before poking it and sending the pin all the way through. "And now you have a rainbow colored bead," he said, sliding it off the needle to hand to me.
"It's pretty!" I exclaimed, looking up at him.
"You wanna give it a try?" he asked, pulling out another hatpin and handed it to me. Grabbing a nearly pebble, the Hatter took my hand in his larger one and helped me guide the needle to the sensitive spot on stone's surface and slid it through.
"Good job, Cricket. With more practice, you'd be able to make a living off this," he applauded. Looking up in curiosity, I asked, "I could make money by poking rocks with a hatpin, Mr. Hatter?"
"If that's what you'd like to do," he replied, tousling my hair playfully.
"Why don't you do it as a job?"
"I already have a job, Cricket. They don't call me the Mad Hatter for nothing, you know," he replied, offering me a smile.
"Oh, yeah! You get paid to poke fabric with a needle!" I said happily, getting rewarded with a laugh.
(Now)
I smiled at the memories, wishing I could feel safe in his presence again like when I was a child. Looking up, I found and met his gaze and scowled, knowing sooner or later I would do or say something that will set him off.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes, mocking the expression on Hatter's face when he's deep in thought and said, "I dunno. Maybe I'm staring at you because I can." That made him bristle in irritation, but he otherwise said nothing, opting to glare at me as I turned my back and continued picking up rocks, ignoring him for the rest of the time we were there until we headed back to his house.
Taking a seat at the table, I took out a rock and a needle and pressed it between different points before it passed through the stone and held it up for the mouse-child's inspection. "There you have it. You wanna try?" I said, offering the needle to him when he nodded and took up a rock to try for himself. I watched intently and clapped my approval when he successfully got the pin through the soft spot on the stone.
"I did it!" he cried happily, showing me his little stone now hanging from the string that had been threaded through the needle to catch the beads.
"Good for you! You got it on your first try!" I applauded, bringing Chip into a lopsided hug. The child beamed in response and we both looked up when the Hatter's laugh reached our ears.
"Too bad I didn't show you how to give them a new shape after threading them," he said, reaching over the table and taking the two rocks before heading to the stove and turned it on. Chip and I followed to watch as he waited for the stones to become hot enough that they almost caught the string on fire and melt off before he took up a knife and began working them into diamond and spade shapes.
"Turn on the water, Alice," he ordered and I quickly did as he bid with him hot on my heels and held them under the water, letting off a loud hiss as the water turned to steam on contact before holding them up to show the finished products.
We waited until he was gone to make more beads with Chip stringing them and me heating them up and sculpting them into new shapes until we had gone through two whole jars full of the rainbow colored rocks.
As I worked on giving the new stone in my hand a new shape, I jumped as the sound of a guitar filled the air, soon followed by other instruments as the music took on a sort of emo rock song and blared loudly from another room in the house.
Down you fell, deep into your mind
Off to Wonderland, leaving what's real behind
You're a riddle I can't seem to read
Your love a fairytale, too hard to believe
Broken and sad as the tarnish on your crown
Nowhere to go but down
Caught up in yourself, nowhere to be found
No other way but down
Down, down, down
Down, down, down
Say your farewell to what's real
Like the pain that you feel
Welcome to Wonderland (It's dead)
Eat me or drink me
Seeing is believing
Wonderland, baby,
Is all in your head
I smirked a little at the last line, muttering to myself, "How I wish it were." I continued to work, listening raptly to the song as it played and started up again when it reached the end.
(Hatter's POV)
Closing and locking the door to my room behind me, I turned on the radio sitting in the corner of the room and smiled satisfactorily as the opening of "Where's My Wonderland?" played and turned the volume up enough to the point that I knew Jack would be able to hear it from the edge of the clearing or even well beyond here. Pressing the repeat button on the top of the music player, I headed for the bathroom and locked the door to ensure no one would walk in on me as I removed the makeup and dye from my hair.
I stared at my reflection with interest as my tan skin was revealed from under the white and my hair back to its natural color. I briefly thought about how I would tell Alice that I'm the platinum blonde she found yesterday, but pushed the thought aside, knowing if I told her now, she would want nothing to do with me. But then again, she already doesn't care to be around me anyway, I thought, giggling madly to myself as another random thought ran through my mind.
Unlocking the door, I went back into the room and laid down on the bed to listen to the music, eventually falling asleep with the music still blaring from the speakers.
Jolting awake after some time, I sat up and caught a glimpse in the mirror and reminded myself of removing the makeup and headed for the kitchen to find Alice and Chip hard at work with the rocks we collected earlier that day and wondered if they ever stopped since I left.
"How long have you two been going on like this?" I questioned them, leaning against the doorpost for support.
The two jumped and looked up to meet my gaze, clearly surprised to see me interrupting their tasks. "What time is it? ... I think it's been a good few hours or so..." she replied, shrugging, dipping the blade under the water and splashed some of it on her face to cool herself off from standing over the stove for so long.
"Did you ever stop for a break? Even once?" I pressed, fascinated at her dedication to any task she's given. The blonde shook her head.
"We've been at it long enough to fill two jars with the beads we made. Ain't that right, my little helper?" she replied, looking to Chip sitting at the table watching the contents of the jars with wonder at the changing colors.
"Where did you get that? Do you realize how hard it is to get those things?" I asked with utter astonishment even though I know exactly where they came from.
"What, the beads? We made them," she replied, quirking an eyebrow in questioning.
"Yes, the beads! You realize that if you were to sell them, arts and crafts stores would pay handsomely for them," I said, nodding enthusiastically.
"Really? I don't see how they could be so hard to find. They're not hard to make," Chip said, joining the conversation.
"While people know how to make beads like that, there's only a small handful of people that can successfully make them without getting messy," I answered, getting the duo to look between each other and back to me.
"Can we keep some of them, Alice? We worked real hard on them," Chip asked, getting rewarded with a smile and a nod. "Sure we can, kiddo. We worked real hard and we should have a little something to show for our efforts," she replied, leaning over and planting a kiss of the top of the child's head, getting him to go red in the face. I turned red in the face, too, not from embarrassment, but rather, jealousy of the display of affection toward the mouse-child, making me wish I was in his place.
"Hey, you wanna get outta here? Sounds like the Hat Man is occupied for the moment," I said, jerking my head in the direction of my bedroom. The young woman didn't hesitate in accepting my offer before looking to the little one and ordered, "If Hatter asks where I am, you don't have the slightest idea. You got that?" Chip nodded.
Opening the lid of one of the two containers, I dumped out a number of beads for the child and Alice to keep before putting the lid back on it and passed them both to Alice and headed out the door, opting to use the back door instead of being caught by Jack.
After doing business with the local arts and crafts store manager, we left a while later to one of my favorite hotspots before I became a recluse.
(Alice's POV)
Walking into the energetic atmosphere of the establishment Ryan had brought me to, I stayed close behind my friend as he guided me to a table near the stage and sat me down. "What do you think of this place, Alice?" he asked, raising his voice to be heard over the music.
"It's cool. Where did you find out about this place?" I replied.
"I used to come here all the time," he said happily, smiling lightly as everyone paused to look in our direction with utter surprise and excitement before the conversation started up again and the DJ shut off music abruptly before playing another track entirely, this time the song was light and upbeat. What surprised me the most was the singer himself, his voice reminding me of Neil Sedaka.
I quirked my eyebrow at this and asked, "Is that who I think it is?"
"If you're thinking it's Neil Sedaka, you're correct," he replied and added, "There's a lot of singers that are famous in your world that came from here."
"Like who?"
"This guy for one, Kerli, Shinedown, and Lisa Mitchell among others," he replied shrugging, leaning back in his chair bobbing his head in time with the song. "Alice, Alice in Wonderland," he sang along before the words even started.
Alice, pretty little Alice, pretty little Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland, won't you take me by the hand,
and lead me to your Wonderland of love
I took one look at you, and that was all I had to do,
Alice, you're the girl I'm dreamin' of
Tweedledum, Tweedledee,
you have made my life a fantasy
You don't know what you're doing to me,
my heart goes pitter patter
'cause I'm mad as a hatter for
Alice, my little girl, there is no other in this whole wide world,
take me by the hand, tell me you understand,
Alice, Alice in wonderland
Oh Alice, pretty little Alice, pretty little Alice in Wonderland
I scowled at this, sensing the next song to play would be about me and Wonderland. And sure enough, with each track the DJ played, every one of them had some reference to me and Wonderland.
"What are you thinking about?" Ryan asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I opened my mouth to respond, but paused as a light melody flitted through the air before kicking it up a few notches and adopted the beat of hip hop music.
Welcome to the Tea Party
Wanna be my V.I.P.?
Didn't RSVP?
That's okay, that's okay
I found myself swaying in my seat to the rhythm of the music, smiling to myself as it centered itself around the area my kidnapper lives.
"You seem to be in a good mood. Thinking of someone special?" Ryan teased, getting me to blush and say, "Hell, no! if you think my thoughts are of the Hatter, you got another thing comin'!" This only made my companion laugh and I couldn't help but laugh along with him.
Hours passed before we headed out, the two of us dismayed at having to end the night. As we walked, a scowl formed on my features at what waited for me in the house situated in the center of the clearing, but tried to put on a happy face at being able to escape for a while.
"I had a great time. Maybe you should kidnap me more often," I sighed, smiling at him. The platinum blonde offered a smile back and quirked an eyebrow when I deviated from the path to the door to the side of the house where the window to the guestroom resided.
"Why go through the window when the door is over there?" he questioned me.
"This way I don't get in trouble with the Hatter if he catches me," I explained, opening the window and crawling inside.
"When can I see you again? Think you can sneak out tomorrow night and meet me at the Pool of Tears?" he asked, getting me to think over it a few moments and replied with, "Let's just see if I can get away tomorrow, yeah? If that pink haired weirdo knew I was sneaking out to see you, he'd have a fit!" He laughed and leaned in close to my face until mere inches of air separated our lips while I watched him with my breath caught in my chest as his lips brushed over mine, sending chills up and down my spine in thrill of the gentle touch and blushed. Pulling away, the pink tint to my cheeks turned scarlet at the smug little smile tugging at his mouth and watched as he swaggered out of sight, proud of himself for getting me to blush.
"Cocky boy," I murmured, laughing as he stumbled over his feet a few moments and continued on until he disappeared, acting as though nothing happened to momentarily throw off his footing all the while. Closing the window, I left the room to find the others only to be met with a quiet and empty house other than the radio in Hatter's room still playing the same song as it was when I sneaked out, only the volume had been turned down considerably since it started.
"That's weird. Everyone's gone," I said to myself, peering into the Hatter's room to find it empty along with all the other rooms in the house.
(White's POV)
Tapping my foot impatiently in wait for my guests, I sighed in annoyance when they finally knocked on the door, signaling their arrival.
"It's about time you got here! I've been waiting for an hour," I said, annoyed with the other boy.
"Gimme a break, White. I had to get Chip ready to come along with me since Alice and Hatter sneaked off like a couple of teenagers to avoid watching him," the March Hare snapped, entering the house and dropping off the little one in the living room.
"What else did you expect them to do, Jack? They are teenagers. Now, let's get down to business, shall we? You and I both know about the Hatter prowling around and twisting Alice's emotions and I feel we are in need of a backdoor if this gets out of hand," I said, leading him into the kitchen. Taking a seat across from me at the table, Jack quirked an eyebrow and asked, "You mean go against the Queen's order to keep her here until she instills some sanity in Brian? I'm all for it, actually. I had my doubts when we brought her back to Wonderland, but I'm really doubting it now with the way he's treating her."
"In what ways is that beast treating her, Jack? Tell me," I demanded, my interest piqued.
"He's... slapped her a few times and intimidated her. But she did slap him a couple times, threatened his masculinity, and stomped on his foot. Earlier today, she nearly impaled him with a knife, if that makes you feel any better," he replied halting getting me to go red in the face with anger and hatred for the hatmaker.
"That is where I draw the line! I may get imprisoned for this, but I don't care! We have to get Alice out of Wonderland," I said with finality, slamming a fist on the tabletop.
"Well, we can't use the Rabbit Hole. Chip and I scouted it before we came here and found it's heavily guarded by the Playing Cards, so that's out of the question," Jack said, propping an elbow on the table and resting his chin in the palm of his hand.
"So that leaves us with the Looking Glass, but there's no telling where she'll end up when she passes through it," I said thoughtfully, nodding my head slowly. "You know, White, I don't think Alice gives a damn where she is when she gets back to Aboveland, just so long as she gets out of here," he said. I snorted at his retort and replied with, "The only Looking Glass I know of that takes you straight to wherever you want to go in Aboveland is in the center of the Tulgey Woods."
"You guys ever notice how Hatter is never around to see Ryan when he shows up?"
Looking over Jack's shoulder at the innocent little child, I said, "That's because Ryan is Hatter without his makeup, passing himself off as someone else. Alice is going to be devastated when she finds him out."
"Let's not burst her bubble just yet. Hatter is going to tell her himself but, he can't find the right words," Jack sighed, getting me to turn my attention back to him.
"You told him you'd allow him time to figure out the right words to say. I, however, did not," I said smugly, leaning across the table a little bit.
"That's true, but I want to see if she can spot the similarities and put two and two together on her own," Jack said, running a hand through his hair.
I rolled my eyes in annoyance and conceded with, "She has a month to figure it out before I move in, pop her bubble, and take her to the Looking Glass. I trust you'll keep me posted on the goings on in that house?"
"You know I can't keep anything from you, White. You always had a special way of getting stuff out of people," Jack said, concluding our meeting by getting up and leaving the house with Chip in tow.
"I hope to God this doesn't traumatize Alice too badly when she finds out," I murmured, watching the duo's silhouettes disappear into the night.
(Hatter's POV)
Crawling through the window into my bedroom, I couldn't rid my face of the idiotic grin that found its way there from the look on Alice's face at my bold move. Yeah, I still got it, I thought smugly, hurrying through putting my makeup on before I could get caught, knowing Alice is in the other room, possibly wondering where everyone is. With one last glance at my reflection to make sure nothing was out of place, I nodded once in approval before going to find Alice.
A quick peek at the door to the guestroom told me Alice is wandering around the house and found her sitting in the kitchen humming a tune to herself in between eating what appears to be cereal.
"What are you doing?" I asked, taking a seat across the table from her. She jumped, apparently having not taken note of my arrival and stared at me a moment, trying to figure how I walked in without her realizing it before jerking her head slightly at a box of cereal sitting beside her. With that, neither of us said anything, just staring at the other, attempting to work out what's going on in each other's heads until I couldn't take the silence anymore.
"That flower of your's is going to die if you don't preserve it soon," I said, getting her to cock her head to the side and asked, "How do you preserve a flower? The only time I've preserved one was when I put it in a jar with resin, but you can't really hold a flower like that now, can you?" I smirked at this and got up to retrieve the little blue flower and presented it to her.
"Watch and learn, Cricket," I said, pulling out a pan and filled it with water before putting on the stove to heat it up. From out of the corner of my eye, I smirked as Alice abandoned her food to watch what I was doing and observed in fascination as the stem and petals turned to crystal.
"That's crazy!" she exclaimed, following me to the sink and drained the pan of the water and ran the now crystallized flower under cold water to help it keep its shape before offering it to her. "A delicate something to last forever," I said, offering her a charming smile. A rosy tint came to her cheeks as she accepted it and mouthed a thank you and turned away, blocking my view of her beautiful smile. I frowned at this, but didn't say anything, knowing if I did she would rebuke me for it.
As we went about our night, Alice eventually left me in the living room to retire for the night, leaving me to my own devices and decided to head out to my workshop not twenty yards from my doorstep. Stepping out into the cool night air, I began picking my way over to the shed like structure, I flipped the switch and stepped inside, briefly taking stock of everything before closing the door behind me.
I don't know how long I worked, but I apparently never noticed I had a visitor in my workspace until they cleared their throat to announce their presence. Turning around in my seat, I scowled and said, "Jack, you know I don't like it when you interrupt me while I'm working!"
My companion pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes challengingly and said, "Yeah? Are you working on a way to tell Alice how you've been lying to her to save your ass from having to tell her that how she found you yesterday is what you look like without makeup? If so, you better tell her before White comes along and tells her himself." I blanched at the mention of the white haired rabbit-boy and asked, "He ain't coming over now, is he? I need time, Jack!"
"Relax, Brian. He ain't coming over, but he will be soon. He told me to tell you he found out about your lying to Alice since our escapades in the city and he understands you need time, so he's giving you a month to figure it out or he'll be the one to burst her bubble, a'ight?" he said, leaving no room for me to respond when he turned and walked out.
"I only get a month to figure this out? I can't possibly get something together in that time! Damn it!" I muttered, shouting the last part to myself before slamming my head down on my worktable.
(Jack's POV)
Knocking lightly on the bedroom door, I waited a moment to see whether or not the room's occupant was asleep or not before it swung open to reveal a sleepy eyed Alice.
"What do you want, Jack?" she asked, yawning loudly and rubbing her eyes.
"It's important I talk to you about it now while Hatter's occupied with other things so he won't hear," I said, clearly piquing her interest as she opened the door wider to allow my entrance into the room.
"What in Wonderland is so important you have to wake me in the middle of the night and make sure the Hatter isn't around to listen, Jackie boy?" she asked, closing the door behind me. I scowled at her nickname for me, sensing whatever White gave her really did help her remember everything before pushing those thoughts aside and said, "I've been talking with White since before and well after you arrived here because we're concerned for you. After a while of convening in secret, we decided, if this gets anymore out of hand than it already is, we're going to help you out of Wonderland." This seemed to wake her up completely and unconsciously rub her hands together, whispering, "But... Hatter said..."
"Forget what he said, Alice. He said those things to you about Wonderland not letting you leave because he branded you just to intimidate you and ensure you stay in his care," I said, cutting her off, getting a glare to appear on her face at being lied to.
"So... I could've left anytime I wanted to and I didn't know it?!" she asked angrily, her glare intensifying as she gazed at her open palms.
"Yes, but you wouldn't have been able to leave the way you came. The Queen of Hearts has the Rabbit Hole well guarded so no one can go in or out of there," I sighed, wincing when she turned hate filled blue eyes on me.
"Jack, I think it's time you left," she said with a forced calm and I did as she bid of me, not having to be told twice, sensing if I stayed it would be a threat to my wellbeing.
"Alice, just don't tell Hatter we spoke and pretend you know nothing. We need to play his game a little longer and White and I'll make our move and get you the hell outta here," I said, getting rewarded with a curt nod from her before I closed the door behind me to leave her alone.
(Chip's POV)
Waking up from my light sleep on the couch, I looked up and watched as Jack left Alice's room, somehow reminding me of the rainbow beads we made earlier today and made my way over to her room.
"Alice? Can I come in?" I questioned softly and the door swung open a few moments later to let me in. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a little drawstring bag I found and opened it to reveal the color changing beads. "We never split them up between us yet," I said, climbing on the bed and dumping them out. "That's okay, shorty. Take the ones you like and I'll take the ones you don't. Sound fair to you?" she said, taking a seat beside me. I shook my head. "I wanna divide them so we got equal amounts, Alice," I said, looking up to meet her gaze.
"Alice? Can I tell you a secret?" I asked her.
She smiled encouragingly and replied, "Sure, Chip. What's on your mind?"
Glancing between her and the door a moment, I leaned in and whispered, "Jack told me I shouldn't tell you, but White says Ryan is Hatter." The older girl cocked her head to the side and asked, "How would you figure that? Hatter ain't the most outgoing teenage boy I've known and he always did have a knack for disappearing and doing something stupid."
"... Well, he's never here when Ryan comes around and Ryan isn't around when Hatter is," I said innocently, getting distracted when she picked up her discarded jeans and pulled a wad of money from out of the pocket.
"I almost forgot to pay you for helping me make the beads, short stuff," she said, offering me half the amount in her hand.
"How much bubblegum can I buy with this?" I asked excitedly, getting her to laugh and say, "You can buy a butt load of gum with that. If that's what you want, I'll take you out to buy some tomorrow." That response only gave me something to look forward to in the morning. Or...
"Can we go now?"
"Chip, I doubt the candy store is open at eleven-thirty at night. I promise I'll take you in the morning."
I pouted at this, but Alice seemed to think it cute and tousled my hair, quickly dividing the beads among us and guided me to my bedroom across the living room.
Tucking me under the blankets, she kissed me on the forehead and bid me goodnight.
"Can I have a kiss goodnight, too, Cricket?"
The question made us jump and look to the doorway where the Hatter stood puckering his lips mockingly and laughed at the glare on Alice's face at seeing him.
"Get out of here, Hatter. I'm not in any mood to put up with you," the blonde snapped, leaving the room and dragging the Hatter out with her. I winced at the look on Alice's face, making me glad I'm not on the receiving end of her fury.
(Alice's POV)
"How long have you been watching us?" I asked, turning on the crazed young man.
He shrugged. "I watched you tuck him in."
"Well, don't follow me around like that! It's creepy!" I said, thoroughly annoyed with him as I turned to go back to my room. Sensing he won't let up for the time being, I rolled my eyes and closed the door in his face before he could enter. This was met by surprised babbling on his part, letting me know he was winding down and about to ready to fall asleep given that he goes into his room and lays down.
"I'm not leaving, Alice, until you do," he said, opening the door to follow me further into the room.
"Until I do what, Hatter?" I asked, turning around to face him.
"Kiss me. I have always admired your passion for everything around you and gracing them with that electrifying smile of yours, so why not me?"
I blushed, knowing he was being completely honest with me. "... You treat me like I'm nothing more than an object you can use to get prestige from others and I don't like it. When I was little, you were like my protective older brother turned psychotic kidnapper. I want to know what happened to the old Hatter I knew and loved so much. Until you find him, leave me alone," I said, putting my hands on his chest and nudged him backwards to the door but he stopped me and gently caught my face in his hands.
"I can change, Cricket. Give me a chance to and I promise you won't regret it," he whispered, leaning in close but his eyes weren't looking into mine, but instead he was looking at my lips. My blush intensified and slowly leaned in closer until our lips met and parted them a moment later. Pulling away further to study his face, his eyes were widened a little and surprised me by backing me into the wall and kissed me again. This time, though, it wasn't gentle, but forceful and passionate.
"Hatter! What are you doing?" I asked, but the question came out as more of a whimper, which only encouraged him as he went to my neck and pinned my hands above my head with one of his own. A shiver rolled up and down my spine and couldn't hold back the moan that escaped me.
"You like that? I should've cornered you like this long before now," he muttered, allowing his free hand to rub my shoulder and slip down until it rested just above the collar of my shirt.
"S-stop it, Hatter! That's enough!" I chastised him, but again, it came out as sounding like a plea and further egged him on.
"Jack!" I cried out, shaking beneath the Hatter's hold as he continued with the torturous administrations of kisses along my jaw and neck.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Jack's voice barked, his rough hands coming down on Hatter as he was shoved away to give me space. The Hare's gaze flicked between me and Hatter before asking, "You alright, there?" I nodded, still shaking from the unbearably close proximity of the Hatter's body to my own and managed to reply, "If you didn't show up when you did, he probably would've raped me. He was getting excited there for a minute." The rabbit-boy nodded once before dragging the hatmaker out of the room and shut the door behind them.
Laying down on the bed, I tried to calm my racing heart from the very recent memory made of Hatter doing what he did to me and this only made me blush and tried to rid my cheeks of their rosy color.
Waking up that morning, one look in the mirror showed me that even though I pushed the memories to the back of my mind, my cheeks still had their color. "Damn. If Hatter sees this, he'll have a field day with it," I said to myself, brushing my hair out and got dressed for the day and headed outside to the tea table.
"Bubblegum!" Chip shouted, getting the other boys to look up and acknowledge my presence. While Jack actually said "good morning", the Hatter greeted me with a smug little grin and made me blush again.
Taking a sat next to him, I jumped when he nudged my leg with his under the table and slapped him. "Knock it off! You had your fun last night," I berated him, quickly eating my breakfast before getting Chip ready to go and buy his promised treat of gum.
"Where are you going?" Jack called after us.
"I promised Chip I'd take him to buy gum with the money he got from helping make the beads yesterday," I called back, laughing when he got up and followed us.
It was an hour or so later that we returned with Chip happily eating his treat and me and Jack eating lollipops with one to spare for Hatter because I'm nice like that.
"We're back!" Jack shouted as we walked into the house.
No response.
"Hatter?" I called, moving ahead to his bedroom and jumped when I caught sight of Ryan outside the window. The platinum blonde noticed me as well and smiled in greeting.
"You wanna get outta here?" he asked me and I nodded, leaving the sweet treat behind on the Hatter's nightstand for him to find whenever he comes back.
"Where are we going this time, hotshot?" I asked, opening the window to talk with him better. He paused and seemed to think it over a moment before he said, "Wherever you like, so long as we do something."
"I don't care. We could go to the Pool of Tears and just hang around. I'd like to try that little trick Hatter showed me to preserve flowers," I replied, slipping out through the window and closed it behind me before chasing after him when he almost left me behind.
"Hey, I have something to give you," he said, stopping me at the edge of the clearing. This got my attention and turned to him and smiled when he pulled a box wooden box no bigger than the size of an awkwardly large jewelry box. "It's a keepsake box so you can keep track of the things you want to remember here," he said happily, beaming when I said, "It's beautiful. Let's get to finding stuff to put in it, shall we?"
Days passed as the two of us continued to sneak away to be together and more little trinkets I found interesting found their way into the keepsake box alongside a small crown of crystallized flowers and the little blue flower Hatter had preserved for me. Before I knew it, a month had already come and gone and I wondered if that was my ignorance of paying attention or if it was because of my constant companion that took me away to make my day just a bit better than it was before.
Opening the window to crawl inside, I jumped when a hand grabbed my shoulder. Turning to face the intruder, I relaxed when I found it was White.
"You scared the hell outta me!" I said irritably, punching him lightly on the shoulder. He laughed at this, but brushed it aside and went back to his stoic self and said, "There's something important I need to talk with you about. It's about your friend."
"Who, Ryan? What about him?" I asked, curious to hear what the white haired rabbit-boy had to say about him.
"You know how when the Hatter disappears, 'Ryan' shows up to take you away? You're really sneaking away with Hatter without his makeup on. If you don't believe me, here's the key to his room. Go find out for yourself," he said, handing over a familiar bronze key and turned to walk away. I scowled at this and continued to crawl through the window and into the house.
"That is so not true!" I said sourly, fingering the key in my hand before the little voice in the back of my head whispered, What if he's right? I shook my head, but went for the bathroom anyway to prove the White Rabbit wrong.
Putting the key in the lock, I carefully opened it and peered inside, my eyes widening in shocked horror at finding Ryan with the Hatter's pink hair and his face partially white from makeup and one emerald eye is now that disturbing yellow I familiarize with the crazed young hatmaker.
"Oh, my God. White was right about him!" I whispered before flinging the door open to make my presence known to him. The sudden movement made him jump and turn around to face me, his eyes wide with surprise.
"A-Alice! When-? What-?" he stuttered, unsure of how to proceed.
"You bastard! I trusted you!" I screeched, slapping him across the face before storming out of the room.
"Cricket, I was going to tell you, I swear! I didn't know how to tell you! I'm sorry!" he called after me, following me, but ducked when I threw a lamp at his head.
"You're a lying bastard that played with my emotions! And to think you actually made me care about you!" I shouted, my voice cracking as I turned away to head inside the bedroom I had been staying in.
Author's Note: Again, sorry this is so long. I didn't mean for it to be like this, but I had a lot of ground to cover. Leave me a review! Leave me a review! Leave me a review! Please?