Hello! This is just something that has played on my mind for a few days, and may become something more should enough people want to read it!
Let me know what you guys think!
Alice was dreaming again. But she wasn't home. This world was too out of place, even by her standards. Her vision was blurred at the edges, the colours not quite sharp enough. The flowers did not speak to her, and her friends were not waiting for her. This wasn't the world she knew, therefore this could be nothing more than a plain, ordinarily boring dream.
Her heart sank when she did not see her friends. She listened out for them, hoping they would come running to her. Dreaming about them was as good as the real thing. The white rabbit, McTwisp, would fling himself at her, and the both of them would duck from the cup that came sailing towards them thanks to the March Hare. The White Queen would welcome her home, and the Hatter would embrace her as warmly and happily as the time she had left him. She would be happy, even if the dream was not real, simply because it kept them close to her. Never again would she forget. Until the next time they were to meet, her dreams would keep them alive.
But something was still strange, even without her friends there. Her heart fluttered uneasily in her chest, and the not-bright-enough colours began to dim even further, so much so that a shadow cast over her, darkening this already troublesome dream. She felt nervous, verging on afraid, as she walked carefully through the woods that surrounded her. The trees groaned in her presence, a breeze pushing through them and whistling with their whines. It made her skin crawl, and yet her feet continued to carry her forward whilst her mind was telling her to wake up.
It was then that someone whispered her name in the wind, ever so gentle to her ears. It was such an inviting voice, so alluring. The voice caressed her very being, soothing her to the bone, and she suddenly found herself not wanting to wake up.
"Come to me, Alice." the voice whispered. The wind stroked her cheek, as soft and tender and a gentleman's palm. A flash of red and green ran across the eyes of her mind, and for a moment her breath caught at the familiarity of it. She wanted to obey the voice, wishing to know who it belonged to, but something held on to her, like a small worry in the back of her mind. She tried to shoo it, desperately trying to hold on to the mysterious voice. Yet she continued to be pulled back, and suddenly she felt as if she were a doll being torn between two children.
Time to wake up, she thought, forcing herself to stop. She went to pinch herself, only a sharp yell of her name froze her to the spot.
"You will be mine." the voice cooed, non threatening, and yet her blood ran cold. "Those famous golden locks and sapphire eyes will be mine."
"Who are you?" she whispered. Hush, Alice, you are only dreaming!
"Our time will come." the voice whispered. Alice had come to the conclusion that the voice was female, but the sound was laced with power. Gone was the gentleness, for not there was only malice.
Malice. Such a good word for the letter M…
Before her mind could wonder further, the world around her went black. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart plunged into her lower belly, and she felt nothing but fear.
Something rushed her in the darkness, followed by one final cry of her name.
Male, adult. Loud and desperate, the cry deep from within their lungs. "ALICE!".
Alice blinked, her ears recognising that voice. She hadn't heard it in such a long time, and the sound of it now terrified her. "Father!"
To Alice's horror, she woke up.
Alice bolted awake , panting heavily as sweat glistened on her skin. Her whole body shook, no, trembled, in the aftermath of her dream. As she came back to herself, she cringed in her nightgown that clung to every curve of her body with sweat, and in that moment all she wanted was a wash.
But her dream, her nightmare, was like nothing she had ever experienced. She had never dreamt about her father, not in all the years he had been gone. It had given her a sense of peace, like she knew that even in death he was okay. But she had heard his voice, heard it! After all these years she had forgotten what he sounded like, yet in the nightmare it was clear as day, loud and frightened and him. Alice had always known her dreams were far from ordinary, however this was even further from normal. Something was wrong, she knew it was deep in her gut, and it made her feel ill.
Her bedroom door opened at that moment, and Alice's mother poked her head through. Her blue eyes were worried as they drank Alice in. Alice had moved back with her mother some weeks ago, for her travels were now complete and all she wanted was rest. They had a small home now, perfect for the two of them and with an extra room should Margeret wish to visit. They had a lovely little life together, which would have been perfect had Alice's nights not been plagued with nightmares.
"Are you alright, my darling?" her mother murmured. She must have seen the fear in Alice's gaze, for she walked towards her, perched on her bed and gently pulled her into her side. She was warm and comforting, yet Alice still felt cold and shivered into her.
"Nightmares again," Alice whispered.
They had been building over time, from the moment her feet had left her father's ship. Not one night had gone by that she'd slept soundly, and it was beginning to worry her. They were dark, vacant of her friends, the other world she knew as her second home feeling foreign to her. She didn't like it, not at all, but this nightmare threw her into deeper waters that threatened to drown her.
There was a pause before her mother said, "You called out for him."
Helen rarely spoke her late husband's name, for the pain was too great for her to bear. Alice knew this, and guilt instantly clutched her heart in a iron grip. Alice stayed quiet.
"You haven't done that since you were a little girl." Helen pressed, and Alice squeezed her eyes shut.
"Forgive me." she whispered. "I miss him very much."
"There's nothing to forgive." Helen murmured back, kissing the crown of her head. "Come. It is a new day, get yourself washed and come down for breakfast. How do pancakes sound?"
"Perfect." Alice smiled, but it didn't feel real. She felt lost, followed by isolation as soon as her mother left the room.
It was too quiet. The silence clung to her, threatening to choke her. She rubbed her arms, attempting to warm herself to no avail. Instead, she climbed out of her sheets and made for the bathroom, but not without catching herself in the mirror to come face to face with a stranger.
Her cheeks looked slightly hollow, and her eyes were dulled by the shadows beneath. She was paler than usual, and her hair was a tangle of yellow tails, not the golden locks they had been some weeks ago. Everything about her looked wrong, so she could only imagine how she looked to others. It was like the dreams and nightmares were sucking the life out of her, draining her, silencing her.
She shook her head clear, and left her reflection behind.
The water seemed to clear her mind a little, her damp hair cascading down her back and cooling her skin. She ran a brush through it gently, sitting at her dresser and staring absently into the reflection. Her eyes looked less empty, her hair less flat, but she still did not look herself. She felt dull, just like the world around her. This was nothing out of the ordinary: after her first return to Wonderland, home had never felt the same. But this was something she had grown used to, and as much as she missed her friends there, she knew that this was her home and where she belonged.
But this was different. She had heard her father's voice for the first time in fifteen years, and it had shaken her to the core. She continued to stare into the mirror, wishing to hear it again, but it was fading just as quickly as it had arrived. It saddened her, but something wasn't right. Her dreams always meant something, like they were memories, and these nightmares were stripping her to the bone. She felt all kinds of wrong, and for the first time since returning home, she had never felt more alone.
She continued to stare, her hand moving the brush absently through her hair. The more she looked, the more her image began to shift. At first she thought it was her eyes straining too much, losing focus, but her head did not spin like it usually did once she lost focus. No, the mirror was shifting, the picture morphing before her, and suddenly she felt herself choke on a sob as the image became clear and sharp once more.
Her father, Charles, was there, standing behind her and beaming down on her. His hair was as brown and perfect as she remembered, his smile as bright as the sun. He reached out to her, and she wanted to turn around and greet him. Yet she knew that if she did, the vision would shatter before her very eyes. So she smiled and reached for the mirror, hoping her fingertips would align with his, and that her mad vision would never end.
Her fingers went through the glass, and Alice began to laugh in disbelief. Her father continued to beam at her, and Alice continued to move forward, climbing onto the dresser and into the mirror, the magic around her caressing her skin like a cat welcoming her home.
Home.
And she blinked, finding herself exactly in the spot she had dreamt about so many times. It was the place her friends had always greeted her, where they had ran to her and embraced her and asked her to stay. It was a place that was bright and colourful, warm and beautiful. The air felt fresher, filling her with energy she had long forgotten about, and suddenly she felt healthier all in the space of a moment.
Then why was she not smiling? Because she was in this beautiful place, but her friends were not here to greet her.
Immediately, she knew something was wrong, but not with Wonderland for that was still the same.
No, there was something wrong with Alice, and before she could dwell on it, she collapsed into nothing.