Chapter 36:

Deuce shut the door and locked it, announcing, "I got Gory, everyone,"

Gory looked up and glanced around: Cleo was there, holding a rag to her bruised eye while glaring at nothing. Three Ever After girls, Duchess, Fayebelle, and Courtly sat around on boxes.

"Gory?" Fayebelle sounded oddly amused. "Is your name actually 'Gory'?"

Sniffing, Gory lifted up her chin and balled her fists. "Yes, in fact. My name bears no importance to our situation, thank you,"

Cleo lifted the rag away from her bruise, making face at Gory. "What in Ra's name are you crying about?"

Gory's lips shuddered, and she began to sob once more. "Bram cheated on me!"

"Really, now?" Cleo sat up, looking shocked. "With who?"

"I don't know!" Gory buried her face in her hands as she sank down on the floor. "Some clown creep!"

Courtly Jester stretched her arms out and hugged Gory in a somewhat awkward fashion. "Poor doll! His loss, you're a beauty,"

"Yeah," agreed Fayebelle. "What do we need men for, anyway? 'Menstruation', 'mental breakdowns'- you ever notice how all of us women's problems begin with 'men'?"

Deuce noticed a light scratching on the door behind him, and he turned around. "Girls, be quiet,"

They ignored him. "That's why I'm single," Duchess spoke up, lifting her chin proudly. "My destiny requires me to marry a prince, one who is so devoted to me that he will take his life after my demise, just as my parents before me," her expression changed to one of annoyance. "At least, that's what they were supposed to do. I have yet to find a man that can love a woman that deeply,"

"Girls!" Deuce hissed again, his voice sounding strained. "I hear something!"

Cleo silenced him. "Deuce, the women are talking. Have you ever realized how males just seem to get everything handed to them at birth? Of course, I suppose it's just tradition, but it's certainly idiotic in some respects. Take my sister and me for example. We are both capable of ruling with an iron fist, no? We have the skills, the intelligence, the training- so it only makes sense that one of us would inherit something grand. And yet, what happens? My mother comes back after centuries of being away from us, remarries my father, and they produce a son- one that's going to get everything someday! Nevermind that Lux DeNile is a baby who only babbles, he already has so much laid out for him because he's the perfect boy my mother and father always wanted! It's grossly unfair in my opinion,"

Fayebelle looked disgusted. "That happens here, too?"

Deuce tried to warn them once more, but before he could form the words, the doors swung open.

They hardly had time to register the Wendigo boy as he rushed inside and collided with Deuce, knocking him to the floor with a snarl. Deuce let out an outraged yell, and Cleo responded by prying the Wendigo away, shoving him against the wall and socking him in the mouth as if it were nothing. When the Wendigo looked surprised, Cleo began to scold him.

"You sure are an idiotic creature! Thinking you could take a Gorgon, a vampire, a fairy and me! I'm surprised your father even thought any of this was a good idea- what's the use in bringing Wendigo to a place that's full of other monsters? Your kind may be strong, but you're not that strong! Now, do you have anything to say?"

The boy glared, and then he spat in Cleo's face. When Cleo whirled away in disgust, he shoved her away and bared his teeth. All of the sudden, Duchess ran up to the Wendigo with a bottle of perfume in her hands, and she proceeded to spray him in the eyes with the stuff.

He let out an "ACK!" and clawed at his eyes, and Cleo socked him once more.

"What a miserable creature you are!" Cleo reprimanded, stamping her foot. "Stopped by a little perfume- what would your parents think?"

The boy blinked the perfume away, tried to snarl again, but was stopped by the quivering of his own lip and the sob that escaped him. He covered his eyes and wept, much to the surprise of the others, and he tried to hide with his arms.

After a moment, Deuce took a step forward and shook the Wendigo's shoulder. "Hey, everything okay?"

When the boy shook his head, Deuce asked, "What's your name, kid?"

"W-Will," he choked out, looking embarrassed. "And...I'm sorry,"

"Hey, hey, don't worry about it," Deuce took Will aside and sat him down on the floor, rubbing his shoulder. "It's okay, you're good. Why are you crying?"

Will sniffed and wiped at his eyes. "B-because she's right,"

"Who? Cleo?"

"Yeah. M-my dad hates me: he wants me to pretend to be some crazy tough guy who will hurt anyone, but I just can't do that! I'm so weak,"

Courtly Jester leaned above Will and ruffled his hair. "No, no!" she cooed. "He's dumb and mean- you're sweet and adorable,"

Will suddenly looked upset. "I am not cute!"

"Calm down," Deuce got his attention again, trying to keep him from attacking once more. "Do you not want to work for him anymore?"

Will shrugged. "I-I don't know. I want him to like me, but I'm too soft for him. He's even hit me a few times..."

He looked like he was about to cry, so Fayebelle patted his shoulder and handed him some bottled water. As Will gratefully took the water and drank, Deuce's phone beeped. He glanced at the message, and then he set it back down.

"Hey, Will," Deuce began. "Do you wanna convince your family to let us out?"

Will looked worried. "I-I can't, I'll get in trouble,"

"No, you won't," Deuce spoke in a low and deliberate voice. "If you help us get out of here, I'll get the police to help you, all right? They'll make sure your dad won't hurt you,"

There was uncertainty in Will's eyes. "Promise?"

"Yeah, yeah," Deuce stood up and took Will's arm, beckoning for the others to follow him. "Come on, let's go,"

About a floor above, pacing the halls, Valentine looked for some way of communicating with the outside world. He had tried to access the computer in a nearby office, but when he saw the Wifi router was missing, he began to feverishly look for it.

"Come on, come on," he muttered, digging through a cabinet. "It has to be here, somewhere!"

The door behind him squeaked, and he whirled around in shock.

Toralei stood there, looking panicked. "Have you seen Kitty!?"

Valentine paused, and he straightened up. "Who?"

"Kitty Cheshire! My..." she faltered, but only for a moment or two. "My girlfriend,"

"Oh!" Valentine recalled the petite, pale-skinned werecat Toralei had entered with earlier. "No, haven't seen her. Sorry,"

Toralei groaned, smacking her head against the doorpost. "Damn it! I hope Cleo didn't decide to try anything with my-"

Valentine shushed her. "Quiet! I hear something,"

"What?" Toralei stilled herself, and then she heard it too: muffled voices from the other side of the wall.

"I haven't been here for a while," Valentine stood up, going to the door. "What room is next to this one?"

"That stupid clock room!" Toralei exclaimed, running to the door. "I didn't even think to look there!"

She knocked, and the voices hushed. When she knocked again, a masculine voice responded, "Who's there?"

"It's Toralei! Is Kitty in there!?"

Almost right away, the door flung open. Alistair and Kitty stood there, and Kitty grabbed Toralei right away.

"There you are!" Kitty threw her arms around Toralei, hugging her tightly as Valentine stepped inside.

Alistair started to ask, "Kitty, who is..." but he trailed off when Kitty and Toralei kissed one another on the mouth. "...oh,"

Maddie, who sat in a chair with a tissue pressed against her lip, jumped up when she saw the kiss. "I knew it!"

Valentine noticed Lizzie leaning against a bookshelf, and he went to her. "Lizzie! Are you all right?"

Lizzie looked as if she were in a daze. "I suppose..." she murmured, staring out the window.

Concerned, Valentine touched her arm. "Are you sure?"

As if provoked by the contact, Lizzie began to sob. "No!"

Bunny, who'd been staring at the row of clocks at the wall, whirled around when she heard Lizzie weeping. "What did you say to her!?"

Valentine didn't know what to do for a few seconds. "I didn't do anything! I...Lizzie," he put his arm around her and pulled up a chair, helping her sit down. "Lizzie, don't cry. It'll be okay, we'll get out of here,"

Lizzie shook her head, wiping her eyes with her wrist. "It's not that...it's just..." she breathed deeply, trying to control herself. "If we die here, I should tell the truth,"

"Hm?" Valentine frowned. "And what's that?"

Lizzie swallowed, quivering a bit as her friends stared at her. Finally, she could no longer stand it, and she broke down. "I'm pregnant!"

"What!?" Bunny knelt down beside Lizzie, taking her hand. "Oh, Lizzie, I had no idea!"

"Who's is it, Lizzie?" Kitty inquired.

Lizzie covered her face. "M-my lover. I can't say his name, or I could be severely punished!"

Alistair suddenly paled. "Is it...could it be who I think it is?"

"Don't say it if you know it!" Lizzie blurted out, a tear trailing down her cheek.

It was then that all the clock's in the room began to progressively tick faster. Kitty looked up, her eyes scanning each clock as the hands moved faster and faster. "Um...I'm assuming this isn't normal?"

Toralei's mouth fell open, and she grabbed Kitty's shoulder in fear. "What the hell?"

The whirring of gears got even louder, and the clocks' hands spun at what one could only describe as a hundred miles an hour. A clock with a light built into it started to flicker, and all the sudden, all the lights blew out. Everything went dark.

"What happened to the lights!?" Alistair exclaimed in shock, but Maddie shushed him.

There was a brief flash of light, and then the lights came back on completely. Maddie uncovered her eyes as they adjusted to the light, and she gasped in surprise at who she saw. "What the-!? Dad, how did you get in here!?"

Sure enough, Hatter had appeared, looking rather frazzled with his hat clutched in his hand. He wasn't alone- Cheshire and White Rabbit stood beside him, both equally overwhelmed with Cheshire seeming more agitated than anything else.

There was a momentary yet excruciating silence, and then Cheshire held up a finger as if telling everyone to wait. Before they could react, Cheshire grabbed a nearby wastebasket and retched copiously into it. Upon seeing this, Kitty rushed to her mother and began to comfort her.

When this happened, the tension seemed to break, and Hatter explained, "Alistair sent me video footage of the adult who locked you in here, and when we couldn't get Milton Grimm to help us, we took matters into our own hands,"

"So you just teleported here like it was nothing!?" Toralei's voice pitched slightly. "Well, then teleport everyone out!"

"We- I cannot," Cheshire wiped her mouth, looking somewhat embarrassed. "This whole area is reinforced with a strange magic I've never seen before. It drained my energy quicker than anything else ever has, and I fear I won't be able to use my magic for another hour or so,"

Kitty gasped. "That's too long! Perhaps I can help you,"

Cheshire turned to look at her daughter, smiling a weak smile. "Perhaps,"

White Rabbit, however, was not so optimistic. "Matthew, I told you this would fail!" he babbled at Hatter. "Look what we've done, now! We're trapped with our children and we're all going to die and I didn't even pay my taxes yet and-"

"Father, pull yourself together!" Bunny begged, kneeling beside him and taking his arm. "We're not going to die, please try to look on the bright side of things! At least you came out of your home for once,"

"Children, where are the others?" Hatter asked, a bit anxious. "This can't be all of you,"

"We all got scattered among different areas of the building," explained Valentine. "Sir, you need to understand that the people keeping us here are creatures you may not be familiar with. They're called Wendigo, and-"

Hatter interrupted him. "Oh, I am familiar with Wendigo, believe me,"

Valentine stopped, surprised. "You are?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Hatter slipped his hands into his pockets and stared out the window, a strange look in his eyes. It seemed as if Maddie understood this, and she took his hand and squeezed it gently.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The room went dead silent.

The knock happened again, and Alistair stood up slowly to answer it, but Hatter nudged him out of the way and placed a hand on the knob instead. "Who is it?"

"I know you've teleported in here, somehow," it was Robert, and he was angry. "Please open the door or I shall have to kill you,"

Hatter opened the door slowly, and he soon found himself face to face with Robert. Robert smiled wryly.

"Hello, Mad Hatter of Wonderland, or Matthew Hatter, as that is your birth name. I do believe we've met?"

Hatter didn't blink. "Yes,"

Robert pushed past Hatter, smirking at the others in the room. "And you've brought your Wonderland friends with you! How quaint,"

White Rabbit began hyperventilating. "Oh-oh, my-! H-he is real!"

Robert tilted his head, staring at the rabbit smugly. "Am I real enough for you, Reginald?" he then turned to look at Hatter once more, his voice lowering. "Was I real enough for Richard?"

Hatter's hands curled into fists, and his entire body tensed up. Maddie tugged on his sleeve with worry, but he did not respond.

Robert focused his attention on Cheshire. "Why, Miss Cheshire! I'm glad you're here as well. You haven't aged a day,"

He extended a hand towards her, but Cheshire hissed at him. "Don't you dare touch me! We haven't forgotten what you did to Richard,"

"Who's Richard?" Toralei whispered to Kitty.

Kitty answered, "The March Hare,"

Robert didn't seem to care. "Cheshire, darling, your powers are useless in this place. You and your daughter are at my mercy, do you understand me? And Matthew," he turned to smirk at Hatter. "May I say that both of your children look very similar to you?" he nodded at Alistair. "The boy has your eyes,"

Alistair whirled around, staring at Hatter with a look of complete horror. "What!? Is he telling the truth!?"

Hatter said nothing, and he slowly reached into his coat pocket. When Robert turned back to Cheshire, Hatter unsheathed his revolver and shot at Robert twice, nailing him in the spine both times.

The shriek Robert unleashed was one that rang in the ears of those who heard it, and it was also one no human could ever make. Instantly, Robert morphed into his beast form, and he ran at Hatter with teeth and claws bared.

"DAD!" screamed Maddie, bolting after the Wendigo as it chased her father down the hall.

Cupid's ears caught the sound of Maddie's cries through the door, and she perked up. "Oh, no!" she glanced back at Raven. "You'd better hurry up with that spell!"

"Don't rush me!" hissed Raven, flipping through an encyclopedia. She arrived at the picture of the Auhizotl, and she set the book down in the circle of lighted candles.

Taking a step back, Raven inhaled deeply and held her palms to the ceiling, closing her eyes. Another muffled scream could be heard, and she began to recite the spell:

"Upon this day,

upon this night,

within this flight,

you shall come to light!"

Black smoke burst forth from her hands, and she shouted, "Auhizotl, awaken!"

An explosion followed, and it was so powerful that it blew off the door. Cupid was knocked to her feet, coughing, and she barely registered what had happened when the Auhizotl's thundering feet leaped over her.

Matthew Hatter prepared for the end as Robert cornered him at the end of the hallway, the Wendigo's mouth dripping with saliva and his teeth glittering in the darkness.

"Tea-time's up, Hatter," grinned Robert, ready to strike the final blow.

Yet, it never happened.

The Auhizotl, a hideous beast with the face and body of a dog but humanoid eyes and a hand at the end of its raccoon-like tail, charged forward and snapped the Wendigo up in its jaws, shaking it like a ragdoll. The Wendigo shrieked once more and clawed at the beast's jaws, but the Auhizotl quickly overpowered him and dragged him down the wall, snarling all the while.

Maddie finally grasped her father, burying her face in his chest and sobbing, "Dad! Dad, you're okay! I-I thought something horrible would happen and that I'd feel ashamed that I wouldn't get to tell you I loved you one last time and-!"
"My dear, my dearest one," he shushed her, hugging her against him as he quivered and ran his fingers through her thick hair. "We're alive, you and me both,"

Raven stumbled out of the library, staring wide-eyed towards where the Auhizotl had dragged Robert. She couldn't speak for several moments. "It...it worked,"

"It worked a bit too well," noted Draculaura, picking paper off of her skirt. "But it worked!"

Whoo, what a ride! I hoped you enjoyed this, sorry for the cliffhanger. I just didn't want this to be too long is all.

Small update on my life: I start my next semester on the 25th, and I don't mean to brag or anything, but I made dean's list this past semester! If you're unfamiliar with this, basically my GPA (Grade Point Average) exceeded 3.5, and now I'm on a list of people who've also achieved this. Just thought I'd mention that since I'm really happy about this.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on this chapter? Was it exciting? Interesting? Confusing? Let me know what you think of it in your review!