Chapter 21 and I am obviously excited for the big party, are you? Please enjoy!
"Alice," Irisa called, form behind the door and Alice blinked her sleepy eyes awake. "Come on, it's time to get up!"
"I'm still asleep, Irisa!" Alice called back, but Irisa opened the door and shut it behind her, locking it while Alice turned around and buried her head in her fluffy pillow. "Come back later."
"Not likely." Irisa said, and jumped onto Alice's bed. "Come on, its two hours past noon, and you still aren't dress yet."
"Noon?" Alice echoed, sitting up in bed, and shaking out her blonde hair. What had she been doing last night? She'd fallen asleep early, she wouldn't have slept all that long, would she? "What happened to being here in the morning?"
"You've been dead asleep all day, that's what." Irisa interrupted and jumped up, running towards the door and opening it crack, "And I couldn't wake you up because I had last minute party planning, so we've got to go." Irisa looked both ways out the doorway and whistled.
"What's that for?" Alice asked, pulling out of her blankets and standing at the foot of her bed, raking through her blonde hair with her bare fingers.
"That's the signal." Irisa replied, and opened the rest of the door to allow five maids inside, each carrying various object, including Irisa's dress, Alice's dress, make up, brushes, what looked like two velvet boxes and various other things. "For them." Irisa shut the door and locked it again, walking towards Alice and taking her hand and pulling her to face the women. "These, are who are going to help transform you for the party." Irisa said confidently gesturing to each girl. "This is, Marie, Anna, Bernice, Lucy and Mia. Ladies," Irisa addressed the girls. "You mission, is to help me. Do you choose to accept it?"
"Of course." They sang in unison, and then they went to work.
Setting Alice in a chair, they brushed and curled her hair, rolling it close to her hair while they rubbed her hands and feet with sweet smelling lotion and adding makeup to Alice's face. After three hours of straight work, to which Alice was unable to go to sleep, they maids finally finished and left, leaving Alice and Irisa to get dressed on their own.
"Ready to see your dress?" Irisa asked. Her hair was brushed straight down past her shoulders and she was wearing a white robe exactly like Alice's.
"Yes," Alice said enthusiastically, and Irisa grinned, and pulled out the white dress from the closet she'd put it I n when the maids came in. It looked exactly how it had on paper, only now; she could actually touch it and wear it. "Irisa…"
"I know." Irisa grinned, and held out the dress for Alice to take. "Go put it on; we have to finish your hair."
Alice nodded and took the dress with her into the bathroom, pulling it over her head and glancing at herself in the mirror. The white fabric clung to her body like a second skin, accentuating hips and curves she didn't even know she had, and walked back into her bed room.
"Alice!" Irisa gushed, wearing her own dress and putting her hat in her dark hair. "You look beautiful, but we still need to finish your hair."
Sitting down, Alice let Irisa brush out her golden locks and carefully layered them around her head. Finally, Alice was done and sat up, smiling at herself in her own three way mirror and Irisa behind her. "It's perfect."
"Almost." Irisa interjected, and walked behind Alice and pulled out three black velvet boxes. "I found these when I was raiding the red queen castle room she's trapped me in, and I thought these would be perfect for tonight." She opened the first box, and a necklace of glittering gems winked at Alice. The chocker's gems dripped down and stopped an inch or two before her chest. Clumps of crystal shone in the afternoon sun and glimmered for Alice and Irisa. The necklace was beautiful.
"Wow," Alice whispered, and Irisa nodded, picking up the necklace and fastening it around Alice's neck. Even though it looked like it would be heavy, the necklace was light and seem to fit perfectly into Alice's neck as if it were made for her. "Irisa….thank you."
"And I'm not done yet." She grinned and pulled out a necklace of her own, a heart shaped crystal of bright red, on a small black ribbon that fit snuggly on Irisa's neck while she clasped the clip behind it. Finally, Irisa brought out the biggest box, and pulled out a silver circlet.
Shining silver vines curled and twisted, creating the ring for someone to wear, and in the middle of the piece was a dark black stone, flickering with colors Alice had never seen before. Electric green, static yellow, flaring orange, hot pink, bright red, and cerulean blue, speckled the stone. It was the most beautiful thing that Alice had ever seen, the colors swarmed together, and the only way Alice knew that the original shone was black was the inside of it.
"It's beautiful." Alice mouthed, but that didn't even serve the jewelry justice. It was the most beautiful thing Alice had ever seen and now she was going to wear it to a party?
"I think it was Mirana's." Irisa explained, fixing Alice's hair then putting the circlet on top. "I've seen her in some old paintings wearing it."
"Really?" Alice asked, turning to face Irisa. "Then how…."
"Iracebeth must have stolen it." Irisa replied casually, looking into the mirror awkwardly and fluffing her hair. "There, I think we're perfect, don't you?"
Alice nodded and stood, standing next to Irisa and looking at their reflections in the mirror. The two girls were like opposites, Alice's golden hair and plain white dress as opposed to Irisa's dark hair and mad dress, but harmonious all the same.
Irisa grinned, and held out her arm for Alice to take. "Are you ready?"
Alice grinned back, and nodded, then, arm in arm the two girls walked down to go to the grand party.
. . .
"So, it's decided then." Stayne said sternly. He watched Margret and Lowell, carefully. And in turn, the couple watched him in the same cautious gaze. "We'll leave in a few days."
"Yes," Lowell agreed, ignoring Margret's furious gaze. "Then we'll find Alice."
"Well," Stayne said with a sigh and stood, clasping his hands before him with a smile. "I'm going to turn in for the night." The sun had gone down only an hour ago, while the trio continued to talk restlessly, but it seemed to make their guest exhausted. "Good night."
Margret looked away, glaring down at her hands while Lowell replied. "Good night, Tarrant."
Once he was up the stairs and the door shut, Margret stood, leaving her place at the table and going over to make tea for herself, while she heard her husband's sigh and footsteps come up behind her.
"Margret…" he started but she turned and glared at him.
"Don't, Lowell." She snapped. "Just, don't."
"You know your being unreasonable." He told her, and she glared at him more purposely. "We can't drop everything and leave, to a place that might not even exist, right now because you think that your sister might be trapped in a world where the people are just as mad as she is."
Margret gasped and slapped Lowell, something even he hadn't expected. "She's not mad." Margret interjected, and looked back past him to the map that was still lain out on the table. "And who says we can't?"
Cliff hanger, so stifle my curiosity. Will Margret and Lowell leave for Underland to night? Will they miss the party? Will Hatter go absolutely nuts when he sees Alice? I don't know yet…but I will know soon, lol. Please review!