Small recap: Shane overheard Whit and Aria having a heated discussion immediately following the release of the shield charms. Whit has just revealed why he is so against trusting Shane: The Cheshire Cat murdered his father.

Chapter 11:

That's the thing with regaining long-lost memories: You gain bits and pieces, but you can't recall every detail.

I stared blankly at the shattered vase, Whit's words ringing so painfully in my ears: "The Cheshire Cat murdered my father. That's why."

I closed my eyes, my head throbbing as it had yesterday when I regained my memories. It was very blurry, but I could vaguely make out the memory that was replaying itself inside my head. I was the Cheshire Cat… yelling at Whit's father… I couldn't make out the words, but I could feel the anger and hatred that the Cheshire Cat must have harbored at the time… His father was saying something… the memory was too foggy to recall clearly. I felt the familiar sensation that I've gotten when using my new powers, but… magnified. A lot. There was a bright flash and the next thing I saw was vividly clear: A pile of ash and his father's clothes, scorched and tattered, heaped in a diminutive pile at my feet. The feeling of anger, madness, and power still lingered.

My eyes snapped open. Oh my god…

My attention jolted back to the present as the large chamber door creaked open in front of me.

"Shane!" Aria yelped, jumping back in shock. Whit appeared at her shoulder, a guarded look on his face. His eyes took in the shattered glass at my feet before looking up and resting his cold stare on me.

I wish I had never left my room… How can I… How did… This makes no sense!

My heart was hammering rapidly against my chest. That tingling feeling of magic had not gone with the vision.

Whit slowly stepped in front of Aria, his eyes a deadly calm, "How much did you—"

I never heard the end of the sentence.

The hallway around me blindingly flashed before my eyes and when the light faded, I was standing inside my dormitory at the foot of my bed. Pip jolted upright, "Ah! W-wait, what? Shane? I didn't hear you come back in…" Pip greeted sleepily, starting to feel around for his teddy bear that had fallen on the floor while he had been sleeping. My heart was racing a million miles a minute. Did I just… No… that's impossible. How the heck did I do that?!

I slowly bent down and picked up his lost teddy bear, handing it to him with shaking hands.

"Oh! Uh, thanks…" Pip said looking at me, still confused as to how I got back in here I'm sure.

I'm still trying to figure it out myself… I literally just transported here…

"Shane? You don't look so good… What happened?" Pip said, mimicking my confused frown.

"I was in a different corridor on the other side of the castle… and now I'm back here…" I muttered to myself.

After processing what I had said, Pip jumped up and ran over to me, his grey eyes brightened with excitement. "But that's so cool!" he paused, "Why does that make you sad?" He asked, tilting his head to the side and looking up at me.

"It's… It's not that, buddy," I said quietly, my head still reeling from all that had just happened. I turned my head and noticed that a couple of small candy wrappers littered the floor by Pippin's bed. Pip's stomach growled. "We haven't eaten breakfast yet! You shouldn't be eating candy for breakfast; let's go and eat something," I said, seizing the opportunity to quickly change the subject.

"Maybe this time I go to the dining hall, we won't have to leave and go into a lockdown, yeah?" I joked, half-heartedly.

Pip cracked a tentative smile and nodded before running to the door and heading down to breakfast, his teddy bear still in his arms. As we walked down the various hallways, the aroma of sizzling bacon and fresh-baked pastries drifted towards us.

The tantalizing smell was almost strong enough to distract me from my thoughts… Almost. Pip chatted and pointed out random things as we neared our table, and I just nodded absently, lost in my own mind. Like before, plates and cups were placed on the table along with the silverware.

"Shane?" Pip's voice drifted to me, cutting off my troubled thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You've been standing there for the last three minutes… you okay?" he questioned, knitting his little eyebrows together in concern. I blinked several times before shaking my head and sitting down beside him. "Just… just a lot on my mind right now, Pip. That's all."

Pip shrugged and went back to eating his chocolate chip pancakes that were drenched in maple syrup and topped with whipped cream.

I closed my eyes, forcefully shoving what I had overheard earlier to the back of my mind. What do I want for breakfast? Biscuits and Gravy? There was a small spark of energy and I opened my eyes to find a steaming plate full of fluffy biscuits that have been smothered in mouth-watering gravy. I don't think I'll ever get used to this…

Milk. My mouth curved up into a slight smile as I watched my empty glass magically procure the milk that I had requested in my head. I quickly dug in and began eating the hot breakfast. I was starving after last night's dinner 'cancellation'. Lockdown on my first day. Plates that give you whatever you wanted to eat. Other people with mysterious marks on their skin, like me. Magic. It was all so new and exciting…

Life had been so normal just a few days ago… My smile dropped and I lowered my eyes to the floor. And now suddenly I'm an amnesiac murderer with unimaginable powers that I don't even know how to control…

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and continued eating. Pip was scarfing down his last bite of pancake and I was swallowing my last mouthful of biscuit when I saw Aria stride in with Whit at her heels. I nearly choked on my biscuit.

Her eyes landed on me immediately, "There you are!" she called out, her gaze softening slightly as she saw the fear and dread on my face. In contrast, Whit's dark eyes seemed to pierce right through me… A chill ran down my spine.

They both approached our table, gaining a few strange looks from others seated nearby. "We need to talk. Now." Whit said, anger and distrust evident in the way he glared down at me. Aria briefly caught my eye and gave a subtle nod.

Pip shrank back and I heard his small voice quiver, "What's the matter? Shane? What's wrong? Wait- what are you doing?!" he yelped.

Whit had dragged me up from my seat by the collar of my shirt. In an instant, he slipped a pair of metal cuffs over my wrists, the surface etched with glowing blue symbols. What have I gotten myself into? I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep from panicking.

I heard Aria's exasperated voice, "Was that really necessary, Whit?" There was an irritated huff, "Let's go." Whit gave me a harsh nudge and I opened my eyes, Aria beckoning me to leave the dining room and follow her through one of the connecting halls. Whit followed close behind, his stare burning into my back, raising the hair on the back of my neck. The few people eating breakfast stole fleeting glances in our direction.

After a few minutes of walking in dead silence, the three of us arrived back at the same old wooden doors. Aria placed her right palm against it, a light flashed, then the door creaked open. "Come on in. We have a lot to discuss."

I know it's been a while, sorry guys! I hope you're still enjoying the story. If anybody has any more Wonderland characters or general fairy tale characters you want me to include in the story just let me know! I already have specific plans for some but I do have some room for suggestions/requests! Please review and let me know what you think of the story so far!