Chapter One
Tree branches hung low over the path. Dark leaves were scattered here and there, crunching when you paced over them. An eerie light shone through the clouds, giving the place a dim glow. It was a bloodcurdling area, each step sending a chill straight up your spine. Beasts all of sorts lurked in the shadows, waiting for you to make the wrong move. Who said this place was odd, abnormal and just strange? Whoever did obviously had never been here before.
Cold and chilling, that's what it was. The forest was different from any other one in this world. Everything seemed abstract, different…incorrect. It was a place like no other. Scary and forbidding. If you were really brave, perhaps you would stride through into the forest…but you'd never get back out. Some sort of creature would take you down.
No, this was Wonderland gone wrong. Completely wrong.
If you really wanted to get through, if you were really lost and clueless, if you were sobbing and begging and praying to find a light, then there is some hope. One animal, one nasty little creature, one small, clever, devious creature, may help you. If you got on his good side, of course.
Sprawled on a random tree, skulking in the murkiness was the Cheshire cat. A smile didn't light up his face, but a malicious smirk replaced it. Unnaturally long claws scratched softly against the trunk, a few pieces of bark falling into the path. No one was around, but his ears perked up and listened.
Footsteps. Far off and distant.
Ah, it must be Alice. The evil grin grew a bit larger and he moved from his current lounging position. Jumping from the branch and onto the ground, one could plainly see he was not normal. Not an ordinary cat at all. His legs were longer then usual, much longer. His head seemed a bit big for his lean body and his tail was abnormally bony. His paws were probably the most normal thing. Not those claws though.
The leer disappeared from his face as he curled up in the middle of the path. He looked like a typical cat when lying there. A mainstream feline waiting for someone to come, pick him up and take him home.
The Cheshire cat had never been a sweet thing, not even in the fantasy stories. He had always been a bit… aberrant. But now he was even worse. No, no, much worse. If you ever managed to get on his good side, you'd be lucky. He didn't listen to you, didn't even pretend to listen, and, it gets better, didn't care.
But, if you were this cat's friend, you'd get out of the forest in a second. Well, an exaggeration. A week or so. At least you'd be able to leave though. Trying to find away out in this demonic state of a forest was nearly impossible, so, don't try your luck with the Cheshire cat.
Alice wasn't eight years old. Everything was wrong here, remember? At the age of seventeen, she no longer had that air of blamelessness. She'd gone twisted with the rest of this forest, spending each day walking through the wood, trying to find her way out.
Wonderland was no longer all about this girl. It had a different meaning. People came from every corner of the earth to try and figure out the secret of this place. Nobody had succeeded. Scientists, geniuses, and everyone else had yet to find out why everyone was hopelessly lost.
The newspapers, reporters, C.N.N., and all the other media had gone wild when they found out about Wonderland. The modern world invaded it all at once. But then it stopped. It stopped after the President of the United States stepped into the forest, all prideful and arrogant, and never came out again.
Leave it to the President to ruin everything, don't you think?
Alice was just a rumor now, just a figment in a little kid's imagination. Some thought she was a crazy young female, others thought she was a poor girl lost in a horrible place. A few parents used her as a threat to her children. "Go to bed now, or Alice will come and take you to Wonderland." It usually worked, too.
Reporters had stopped coming to this place, trying to get more information on it or Alice. The news stopped trying to get a big scoop. Scientists, geniuses and the rest of them stopped trying to figure out Wonderland's secret and so everything whirled to an abrupt halt.
No more excitement for the creatures of Wonderland, no more getting to stalk people who came in here, no more having fun. Some of them considered going after Alice, but decided otherwise. The girl was part of the woodland now, she was one of them. What do I mean by that? Well, I'll tell you, that's what I'll do.
If you took one glance at her, you'd probably want to back away slowly. She had formed slowly into the forest's wildlife. Blonde hair flowed down past her shoulders, but the tip of it was turning black. Almost like it was burning slowly. A superfluously large, black and purple bow sat on the top of her head, the sides of drooped way down. Her once bright blue eyes had dulled quite a bit and they had most definitely lost their innocence.
Her fingers had become disgustedly thin and her nails were short and chewed. She looked like a walking, talking porcelain doll. Pale and miserable. Not for years had her lips been upturned into a smile, not for years had she laughed…not for years had she contacted actual human life.
Do you see what I mean now? The girl had walked straight in this forest for all these years and had never found an end to it.
Alice blew a sigh and continued down the path. Why the path didn't lead out of here was a question she wanted to be answered more then ever. Her eyes darted to the side as a shadow passed by. Just a shadow. It passed in front of her and behind her, but she couldn't have cared less about it.
After a while it left, figuring that to scare Alice, you were going to need something much worse then just a shadow. The girl was immune to the childish fears that the forest provided. A few things still frightened her, but they didn't show up as often now.
"Alice, you've passed by me twice today, why not go in a different direction?" the small voice of an insignificant flower was heard. Even the flower was depressing. Blue, turning black, rotting, dying, slowly fading away from existence.
"Have you seen the Cheshire cat lately?" Alice questioned, ignoring the flowers statement and sitting down. She leaned back against one of the awry trees and kept her eyes focused on the ground. Weariness and sadness crept over her.
"Actually I have." The flower's voice seemed to perk up a little bit, but it didn't change appearance. Still droopy and tired-looking.
"Oh?" the young female tried not to act excited, because her expectations would probably drop in a second if she raised them. Though, she had to admit, there was a flicker of hope in her.
"Yes, just passed by here saying that he wanted to take a nap. Gangly thing, if I do say so." The flower seemed to ramble on about the cat, but Alice stopped interrupted and stood up.
"Was this long ago?" she asked, dearly wishing that it hadn't been. She knew for a fact that the Cheshire cat took long naps and enjoyed lying in the middle of the path. Maybe she would find him for once and get out of this place.
"I'd say…twenty minutes ago." The flower twitched somewhat, "Yes, twenty, I remember him saying-"
"Thank you!" Alice called while running off. Her scrawny legs somehow managed to carry her for a few minutes until she skidded to a stop.
There he was. That lazy cat was lying there, sleeping, or so she thought. He looked cute in an evil-feline sort of way. She wandered slowly towards the figure then halted less then a few inches away. Looking over him, a frown passed over her face.
The Cheshire cat rolled onto its back and smiled at the girl, a grin, an evil one, "Back already?" he said, standing up and stretching. His claws dug into the earth like small daggers as he waited for the response.
"Yeah, actually," Alice drew a deep breath. What was the point of this? None at all, "I was hoping-"
"That I'd lead you out of this living hell?" he finished, arching the eyebrow that wasn't there.
She nodded.
"No." The cat answered tersely. He turned away from her and walked in the opposite direction.
Alice took another breath; this one was short and impatient though, "Please?" her teeth clamped onto her bottom lip, anxiety spreading through her bones.
He glanced over his shoulder and smiled. Soon his body began to disappear slowly.
"No!" she cried in distress, running towards the cat, but only to see his grin disappear the second she arrived, "No!" tears ran down her face, leaving a dirty trail as she fell to her knees. Slamming clenched fists against the ground she yelled at the air, "Do you enjoy watching me suffer?"
"Yes." The Cheshire cat replied to her angry question. He'd returned to his spot in tree, resting on the branch the swayed with the airless breeze. Poor thing. Poor little child stuck in here. Yes, the cat thought that sometimes, but it'd ruin his reputation to help her…wouldn't it.
"You're just a stupid cat! How do you know how to get out of here?" she shouted with her eyes shut.
He shrugged, even though she couldn't see him, "I just do."
"And I should believe you?" she hissed, opening her eyes and glaring at the trees. A passer-by (if there was any in this god-forbidden place) would think that she was an insane lunatic…which was probably true enough.
"It's better then wandering around, isn't it?" the cat taunted, reappearing at the back her pathetic form.
"Yes…" she muttered, noticing not that the Cheshire cat had been lying peacefully behind her.
"Well," he breathed before Alice whipped around to glare at him. Sneaky little brat, she thought to herself and forced a pathetic smile, "Maybe I should help you."
"Really?" she tried her best to act surprised, but knowing this cat, it was another one of his nasty tricks.
"I'll lead you out of the forest, but, I'm giving you a fair warning; when the other creatures of this place find out you're leaving, trust me, they'll attack you." The Cheshire cat said this in such a way it sounded as if he wanted Alice to get ripped into pieces.
She shrugged nonchalantly. Excitement surged through her body. Maybe now was her chance to leave this place once and for all.
"If you get killed before getting out of here, it's not my fault."
"If I get killed, who's going to care?"
"Excellent point. Let's get going, shall we?"
"Good idea." Alice nodded in agreement.
The cat smirked before stretching and walking away from Alice. The girl followed.
