"Hypnosis is a strong weapon," Cat murmured. "But truth is always the stronger of the two."
"Keep thinking that," Caterpillar said encouragingly. Cat grimaced.
"I know, but that bastard Reynald! I want to get him rather intimately acquainted with my claws." He stalked around, casting dark looks at the bits of foliage that dared fall into his path. "Faith hasn't totally recovered yet."
"Yes, but she is starting the process," Caterpillar soothed.
"After... what has it been, almost a year! She should have been rushing to find us by now," he growled. He hung his head. "She's not coming back."
"Yes she is," Caterpillar argued. "I sent Rabbit to check on her."
Cat's ears flattened against his head. "I would much rather you had sent me." His voice had taken on a suddenly dark note.
"Whatever for?" Caterpillar asked, eyebrow raised.
"I-"
"Ah! I'm late!" Rabbit groaned, coming in. He tugged on one of his gloves, which was coming off, and plunked down wearily.
"Later," Cat whispered in a low voice.
Faith sighed and checked her watch. 5:17. For once since she'd returned, she had nothing to do. Her schedule, generally kept comfortingly full, was empty for the day. Now, she was alone. She sighed and stood. Perhaps she could... she sat back down. No way. She'd just spend the rest of the day watching movies or something... she wasn't about to break the order that she'd established since she got back.
She leaned her head back and sighed. But WHY had she worked so hard to establish it? To replace something? Or was there another reason that she didn't know - or remember?
Eventually she stood and walked around the kitchen. Generally she spent most of her time... but where did she spend it? She was always on the move, always going from one place to another, no rest, no breaks... and so tired. She shook her head rapidly, taking long, deep breaths that seemed to turn shorter and shallower as she went. A hill, a village a house, and she threw herself out of the way of... some unseen threat.
She looked up from her spot on the floor, feeling rather foolish all of a sudden. Whatever had just transpired... was rather disturbing. Perhaps she just needed to walk a bit... perhaps down to that little coffee shop a few blocks away. Yes, that would be excellent.
When she arrived, she was very unhappy to see the long, perfectly blonde, perfect coiffure of Emelia. Perhaps she would just leave... "It's the sewer rat," Emelia suddenly drawled, looking over. Faith felt her hackles rise.
"The only sewer rat here, Emelia, is the one that's crawling over your foot," she replied, sweetly but with barely contained malice. Emelia jumped up, upsetting her chair, but saw no rat. People were staring, and she looked around through the corners of her eyes at them. No way to kill the little freak. Damn. So she forced herself to smile, though her eyes remained slits.
"Nice little joke," she hissed. Steady... She forced her voice to lighten. "Darling, next thing I know, you'll be saying that the Cheshire Cat is trying to catch it."
Cheshire Cat... Faith's eyes clouded briefly in confusion. Cheshire Cat. From all of her stories, of course. She'd seen him in her tabletop.
"And then, let me guess," Emelia said loudly, tossing her head so that her hair flowed down over her shoulder. Several people turned to look. "After Kitty's finished his lunch, he'll implore you to come back to Wonderland."
Faith hesitated. That sounded about... no, Emelia was just trying to make a fool of her. She narrowed her eyes, but Emelia took no notice of her.
"But these fine people don't know what I'm talking about," Emelia laughed. To everyone but Faith, she sounded quite apologetic. To Faith, however, she sounded as though she was thoroughly enjoying herself... which she was. "You see, everyone," she continued, "Faith was in a mental asylum just a few months back."
"It's closer to eight, idiot," Faith said angrily. "And they don't need to know anything about it."
"Oh, but it's such an amusing story to tell," Emelia replied. Oh yes... now she was paying Faith back for all those cuts, bruises, and general injuries that she had received. "When Faith was about seven, she started having hallucinations of this place called Wonderland. There were all manner of unnatural creatures there... chess pieces that talked, a Cheshire Cat that did absolutely nothing more than grin and spew out pointless riddles... and this Rabbit creature that had a pocket watch and thought it was late for," here she dropped her voice, as though she was sharing a personal secret, "croquet with the Queen of Hearts!
"Now," she continued, after the fairly small chorus of laughter (there weren't many people in there, but more were arriving) died down. "I don't know about you folks, but I for one, must wonder." She turned to Faith, looking serious. "How was it, playing croquet against a card?" A slightly louder chorus met her ears.
Faith's hand travelled down to her side, and she was incredibly disappointed to find nothing there. Just ignore her, she told herself frantically, keeping her face as blank as possible. When no one sees that you're reacting, they won't be so quick to laugh...
Emelia continued. "Then there was an accident at home, and Faith was sent to a mental asylum. Totally insane. Incurable." People that had been sitting near Faith backed away slightly. "And that turned into seven years of her bullying the staff and screaming at night for some unknown things to leave her alone. 'No, don't make me! I'm not ready to save you yet!'" she said, leaning back on a table. Several men glanced at her appreciatively. Even bundled up for winter, she was a fine figure to behold, and she knew it.
"And that's not all," she said, her voice turning slightly piteous. "I don't know about all of you, but I pity the little girl."
"No you don't," Faith snapped, looking up. "You hate me as much as I hate you. There's no pity."
"You see, the asylum let her go, but under provisional care. That care is me. Her sister." Emelia widened her blue eyes slightly, making herself seem more innocent and angelic for doing so. "Faith isn't exactly in her right mind, so sometimes she'll have these fits. She'll still scream for the Cheshire Cat to leave her alone. Because she has to save Wonderland, you see," she drawled, making what may have been a pitiable statement into a comical one.
Faith's head snapped up. Save Wonderland..? Suddenly she found herself wishing that Emelia would keep talking... but no, don't keep talking. Just shut up! Slowly she stood, and realised that she was shaking head to foot.
Everyone's attention, however, was focused on Emelia, and they paid no attention to Faith. Emelia, besides, was going over a rather enthusiastic rendition of one of Faith's therapy sessions with Dr. Hamilton. Faith staggered to the door and slipped out.
Deep breaths. Deep, deep breaths. But once again, they turned out short and shallow. She reached her home and sat down on the front step. Hold it in, she tried to tell herself. Just hold it in. "Cat..." she moaned.
She screamed when a huge, grinning cat appeared before her. "You called?" it... or rather, he asked. Faith stared at it.
"What are you?" she asked wildly. Oh god, Emelia was telling the truth...
"Strange that you call me by what I am and still feel it necessary to ask," he said. There was a distinct frown in his voice, and a surprising gentleness in his eyes.
"Just go," she said, on the verge of hysterics. "Please. I didn't mean to call you I didn't want to see you I don't even know what you are just please go."
Cat cocked his head in concern, but vanished.
Faith looked up at the spot where he had just been. "What the hell is wrong with me?!" she screamed.
"Keep thinking that," Caterpillar said encouragingly. Cat grimaced.
"I know, but that bastard Reynald! I want to get him rather intimately acquainted with my claws." He stalked around, casting dark looks at the bits of foliage that dared fall into his path. "Faith hasn't totally recovered yet."
"Yes, but she is starting the process," Caterpillar soothed.
"After... what has it been, almost a year! She should have been rushing to find us by now," he growled. He hung his head. "She's not coming back."
"Yes she is," Caterpillar argued. "I sent Rabbit to check on her."
Cat's ears flattened against his head. "I would much rather you had sent me." His voice had taken on a suddenly dark note.
"Whatever for?" Caterpillar asked, eyebrow raised.
"I-"
"Ah! I'm late!" Rabbit groaned, coming in. He tugged on one of his gloves, which was coming off, and plunked down wearily.
"Later," Cat whispered in a low voice.
Faith sighed and checked her watch. 5:17. For once since she'd returned, she had nothing to do. Her schedule, generally kept comfortingly full, was empty for the day. Now, she was alone. She sighed and stood. Perhaps she could... she sat back down. No way. She'd just spend the rest of the day watching movies or something... she wasn't about to break the order that she'd established since she got back.
She leaned her head back and sighed. But WHY had she worked so hard to establish it? To replace something? Or was there another reason that she didn't know - or remember?
Eventually she stood and walked around the kitchen. Generally she spent most of her time... but where did she spend it? She was always on the move, always going from one place to another, no rest, no breaks... and so tired. She shook her head rapidly, taking long, deep breaths that seemed to turn shorter and shallower as she went. A hill, a village a house, and she threw herself out of the way of... some unseen threat.
She looked up from her spot on the floor, feeling rather foolish all of a sudden. Whatever had just transpired... was rather disturbing. Perhaps she just needed to walk a bit... perhaps down to that little coffee shop a few blocks away. Yes, that would be excellent.
When she arrived, she was very unhappy to see the long, perfectly blonde, perfect coiffure of Emelia. Perhaps she would just leave... "It's the sewer rat," Emelia suddenly drawled, looking over. Faith felt her hackles rise.
"The only sewer rat here, Emelia, is the one that's crawling over your foot," she replied, sweetly but with barely contained malice. Emelia jumped up, upsetting her chair, but saw no rat. People were staring, and she looked around through the corners of her eyes at them. No way to kill the little freak. Damn. So she forced herself to smile, though her eyes remained slits.
"Nice little joke," she hissed. Steady... She forced her voice to lighten. "Darling, next thing I know, you'll be saying that the Cheshire Cat is trying to catch it."
Cheshire Cat... Faith's eyes clouded briefly in confusion. Cheshire Cat. From all of her stories, of course. She'd seen him in her tabletop.
"And then, let me guess," Emelia said loudly, tossing her head so that her hair flowed down over her shoulder. Several people turned to look. "After Kitty's finished his lunch, he'll implore you to come back to Wonderland."
Faith hesitated. That sounded about... no, Emelia was just trying to make a fool of her. She narrowed her eyes, but Emelia took no notice of her.
"But these fine people don't know what I'm talking about," Emelia laughed. To everyone but Faith, she sounded quite apologetic. To Faith, however, she sounded as though she was thoroughly enjoying herself... which she was. "You see, everyone," she continued, "Faith was in a mental asylum just a few months back."
"It's closer to eight, idiot," Faith said angrily. "And they don't need to know anything about it."
"Oh, but it's such an amusing story to tell," Emelia replied. Oh yes... now she was paying Faith back for all those cuts, bruises, and general injuries that she had received. "When Faith was about seven, she started having hallucinations of this place called Wonderland. There were all manner of unnatural creatures there... chess pieces that talked, a Cheshire Cat that did absolutely nothing more than grin and spew out pointless riddles... and this Rabbit creature that had a pocket watch and thought it was late for," here she dropped her voice, as though she was sharing a personal secret, "croquet with the Queen of Hearts!
"Now," she continued, after the fairly small chorus of laughter (there weren't many people in there, but more were arriving) died down. "I don't know about you folks, but I for one, must wonder." She turned to Faith, looking serious. "How was it, playing croquet against a card?" A slightly louder chorus met her ears.
Faith's hand travelled down to her side, and she was incredibly disappointed to find nothing there. Just ignore her, she told herself frantically, keeping her face as blank as possible. When no one sees that you're reacting, they won't be so quick to laugh...
Emelia continued. "Then there was an accident at home, and Faith was sent to a mental asylum. Totally insane. Incurable." People that had been sitting near Faith backed away slightly. "And that turned into seven years of her bullying the staff and screaming at night for some unknown things to leave her alone. 'No, don't make me! I'm not ready to save you yet!'" she said, leaning back on a table. Several men glanced at her appreciatively. Even bundled up for winter, she was a fine figure to behold, and she knew it.
"And that's not all," she said, her voice turning slightly piteous. "I don't know about all of you, but I pity the little girl."
"No you don't," Faith snapped, looking up. "You hate me as much as I hate you. There's no pity."
"You see, the asylum let her go, but under provisional care. That care is me. Her sister." Emelia widened her blue eyes slightly, making herself seem more innocent and angelic for doing so. "Faith isn't exactly in her right mind, so sometimes she'll have these fits. She'll still scream for the Cheshire Cat to leave her alone. Because she has to save Wonderland, you see," she drawled, making what may have been a pitiable statement into a comical one.
Faith's head snapped up. Save Wonderland..? Suddenly she found herself wishing that Emelia would keep talking... but no, don't keep talking. Just shut up! Slowly she stood, and realised that she was shaking head to foot.
Everyone's attention, however, was focused on Emelia, and they paid no attention to Faith. Emelia, besides, was going over a rather enthusiastic rendition of one of Faith's therapy sessions with Dr. Hamilton. Faith staggered to the door and slipped out.
Deep breaths. Deep, deep breaths. But once again, they turned out short and shallow. She reached her home and sat down on the front step. Hold it in, she tried to tell herself. Just hold it in. "Cat..." she moaned.
She screamed when a huge, grinning cat appeared before her. "You called?" it... or rather, he asked. Faith stared at it.
"What are you?" she asked wildly. Oh god, Emelia was telling the truth...
"Strange that you call me by what I am and still feel it necessary to ask," he said. There was a distinct frown in his voice, and a surprising gentleness in his eyes.
"Just go," she said, on the verge of hysterics. "Please. I didn't mean to call you I didn't want to see you I don't even know what you are just please go."
Cat cocked his head in concern, but vanished.
Faith looked up at the spot where he had just been. "What the hell is wrong with me?!" she screamed.