ALiCE in WoNDeRLaND
-17-
"The King is gone..." I whispered to myself, disbelieving it. Had so much changed since... since...
When was the last time I was here, anyway? I wished I could remember. I cursed my amnesia for the umpteenth time that day, wishing that somehow I could remember everything and make Zale not be so pissed at me. I didn't even know what I had done wrong.
I sighed as I followed the guys, wondering if things could get any worse.
A loud, inhuman screech startled me, and I shrieked.
The others stared at me. "What is it now?" Namdhari asked.
"That sound!"
"Answer your phone, moron," Miyka'el snapped.
I stared. "Phone?" I took off my pack and reached into it. Sure enough, there was a ringing phone in there. "Hello?"
"ALiCE?"
I didn't recognize the voice, but then again, that was no surprise. "Who is this?"
The person on the other side laughed. "Funny, ALiCE. Who else uses the phone? Listen, I need you to tell the guys something for me."
"Why don't you call them, then?"
"You're hilarious today, ALiCE. Now listen. The coordinates I gave them earlier are... how should I put this... a little off now. Can you tell them to adjust the measurements by about two kilometers to the west? That's not exact, but it should be close enough for you all to figure out what to do next. Got that?"
"Uh... yeah," I replied, unsure if I really did.
"Great. Gotta go. 'Bye."
I replaced the phone in my bag and continued on my way.
"What did he say?"
"Huh?"
Zale repeated the question. "What did Fiore say?"
I racked my brain, wondering if I could place this Fiore character. I seemed to recall something about him being insane, but I suppose that description applied to everyone in WoNDeRLaND. "He said to adjust the coordinates to about two kilometers to the west."
"What?" Aurick practically shouted. "How can the coordinates be off? We wrote them out ourselves before we left!"
"I don't know. He didn't say."
"This doesn't sound good," Namdhari spoke up, stating the obvious.
"What are the coordinates for?" I asked.
Namdhari gave me a sympathetic look. "The Queen's castle."
"The Queen's castle just *moved* two kilometers to the west?" I stared at Miyka'el and Zale. "Is that possible?"
"Oh, so now you start using common sense," Miyka'el realized.
I rolled my eyes. "Is that why you're all so upset? The castle moved?"
"Yes, that's why we're upset," Miyka'el retorted. "That's not technologically possible. Either she has a *lot* more technology than we originally thought, or..."
"She has magic," Zale finished.
***
-17-
"The King is gone..." I whispered to myself, disbelieving it. Had so much changed since... since...
When was the last time I was here, anyway? I wished I could remember. I cursed my amnesia for the umpteenth time that day, wishing that somehow I could remember everything and make Zale not be so pissed at me. I didn't even know what I had done wrong.
I sighed as I followed the guys, wondering if things could get any worse.
A loud, inhuman screech startled me, and I shrieked.
The others stared at me. "What is it now?" Namdhari asked.
"That sound!"
"Answer your phone, moron," Miyka'el snapped.
I stared. "Phone?" I took off my pack and reached into it. Sure enough, there was a ringing phone in there. "Hello?"
"ALiCE?"
I didn't recognize the voice, but then again, that was no surprise. "Who is this?"
The person on the other side laughed. "Funny, ALiCE. Who else uses the phone? Listen, I need you to tell the guys something for me."
"Why don't you call them, then?"
"You're hilarious today, ALiCE. Now listen. The coordinates I gave them earlier are... how should I put this... a little off now. Can you tell them to adjust the measurements by about two kilometers to the west? That's not exact, but it should be close enough for you all to figure out what to do next. Got that?"
"Uh... yeah," I replied, unsure if I really did.
"Great. Gotta go. 'Bye."
I replaced the phone in my bag and continued on my way.
"What did he say?"
"Huh?"
Zale repeated the question. "What did Fiore say?"
I racked my brain, wondering if I could place this Fiore character. I seemed to recall something about him being insane, but I suppose that description applied to everyone in WoNDeRLaND. "He said to adjust the coordinates to about two kilometers to the west."
"What?" Aurick practically shouted. "How can the coordinates be off? We wrote them out ourselves before we left!"
"I don't know. He didn't say."
"This doesn't sound good," Namdhari spoke up, stating the obvious.
"What are the coordinates for?" I asked.
Namdhari gave me a sympathetic look. "The Queen's castle."
"The Queen's castle just *moved* two kilometers to the west?" I stared at Miyka'el and Zale. "Is that possible?"
"Oh, so now you start using common sense," Miyka'el realized.
I rolled my eyes. "Is that why you're all so upset? The castle moved?"
"Yes, that's why we're upset," Miyka'el retorted. "That's not technologically possible. Either she has a *lot* more technology than we originally thought, or..."
"She has magic," Zale finished.
***