Chapter X
The Casino was in utter chaos.
The building shook. It didn't tremble. It didn't quiver. It shook like a Grade-A earthquake was determined to raze it to the ground. It wouldn't have been hard. Some moronic architect built the structure entirely top-heavy.
"We have to go, Alice." Hatter said as he brought her to her feet. "I'm sorry, we have to go."
He pushed her out of the gambling room, but Alice forced him to stop just past the doors.
"Leah," Alice said as she held his arms. "We have to get Leah."
"Shit," He hissed. Hatter looked around at the people running. Some were Oysters, some were cards, and some were the women from the Casino wearing their diamond-patterned dresses. But someone important finally caught his eye. Alice saw the moment. "Come on."
He grabbed her arm and tugged her along. Alice saw a man in a plastic outfit, a lab coat of some kind who was clearly the target. Sure enough, Hatter snatched him and threw him into the nearest wall.
"The Mystic," He said in a rage-filled voice. "Where is she?"
"We have to get out of here." He said in a panicked voice. "The building is-"
Hatter pulled him close then threw him back into the wall harder than before. It rattled the scientist. "Where is she?!" Hatter yelled.
The scientist pointed down the hall with a shaking finger.
"Show us." Alice told him.
It took some prompting, but eventually he managed to get his feet to move, and showed them where Leah was being kept.
"Oh my God," Alice's stomach sank the instant she saw her.
Leah was in a cylindrical tube. She was strapped to the back of it, forced to stand upright. Her wrists, arms, ankles, legs, torso and neck all bore thick straps that kept her in place. There were a number of tubes connected to her exposed skin that were removing something, and a breathing mask over her face. The breathing mask was because she was entirely submerged in some sort of liquid. It wasn't clear, but close, tinged a sickly green which made her look sickly green in return. Her long hair waved effortlessly around her, her shirt fluttered, and the whole thing made Alice's skin prickle.
"We have to get her out of there." She said.
When she looked at Hatter, Alice saw utter horror written across his bloody and bruised face.
A toppling tank in the background shocked them both into the moment. Somehow, they forgot the Casino was crumbling.
They quickly snapped back into reality. Alice searched the controls near the tube that held her one-time friend.
"We need something to move her." Hatter said. "Somethin' to-"
His voice fell off and with a glance up, Alice noticed that he seemed to have found something. It looked like a gurney one would find in any hospital. She had no idea why one would be back there, but assumed that maybe it was used to transport comatose Oysters.
"Come on, Alice." He prompted. "We gotta get her out of there."
"I know!" She snapped.
The controls meant nothing to her. They were buttons and nobs, and none of them were labeled. Alice panicked. She felt lost and, for whatever reason, chose to hit a white round button. She didn't know why. It was no different than any of the others, but she heard a rush of water. Glancing up, Alice saw the tube draining.
It happened in seconds and when the tube was finally empty, the door swung open. Feeling encouraged by the correct guess, Alice chose to flip a narrow red switch. She let out a shout of joy when the straps gave way.
Alice ran forward. Hatter had begun to undo Leah's ankles and legs, while Alice undid her arms and neck. They worked together and quickly until Leah crumbled forward. Hatter let her fall onto his shoulder. He cried out when she had, but he didn't pause. Instead, of lingering on the pain, he spun and dropped her immediately onto the gurney with Alice's help.
"I'll push." She said.
He nodded and grabbed the end near Leah's feet with his good hand. Alice pushed, he pulled and steered, and soon they were racing through the halls of the Casino and out.
Was it five minutes? Maybe it was closer to ten. Sure. It took ten minutes for the Queen to be reduced to nothing.
As the people cheered around her, Alice handed the ring back to Jack. He cast her a small, heavy smile, and a nod.
"Seize the Queen!" He called out.
A pair of Suits grabbed an arm a piece. The red woman shouted her rage, but she couldn't fight against either of them.
Her shoulders finally relaxed for the first time since she'd arrived in Wonderland. People don't understand just how much tension a person's shoulders hold until they genuinely release it. Alice felt instantly better. For the first time since she'd fallen through the Looking Glass, hell since Jack handed her the ring in her world, she finally relaxed.
"Alice,"
A weak, but increasingly familiar voice said her name. Alice turned and spotted Leah was the source. She'd finally waken up, though it looked like just barely. She was hunched forward, limping toward Alice with a confused and heavy expression.
She looked terrible. Her features were gaunt and the fresh-looking complexion Alice had grown accustomed to seeing from Leah had faded. It was dull and pasty. Alice liked it to someone in the throes of the flu. Whatever those machines had done took their toll on the Mystic.
But Alice was happy to see her up and walking, albeit tenderly. She smiled and rushed forward to hug Leah. Leah returned the sentiment and held her tightly.
"I'm so glad you're okay." Alice said.
"Me too, but…" Leah muttered. Alice drew back just enough to look at her. "Why am I wet again?"
Alice laughed. She couldn't help it and she was grateful for the chance. Leah smiled and in it, Alice could have sworn she saw Randy shining back. She was glad for it.
As they parted completely, they were joined by Hatter. He forced a smile to Leah, but she couldn't seem to manage one of her own. Instead, she looked sad.
"Oh, Hatter," Leah reached forward to touch his face, but quickly stopped herself. She withdrew before she would have made contact with his skin. It wasn't the first time it had happened, but the first time Alice had actually seen it. Odd.
"No worries," Hatter said. "I'm fine."
"Liar." Leah said.
They all shared another small, heavy smile at her remark, but Alice couldn't help but look at the pair. It was her fault. What had happened to them both was her fault. Hatter was still cradling his left arm to his side, his face showed evidence of being severely beaten and it was obvious he was exhausted. Leah fared no better. Alice had seen the giant spot of blood that formed after the Suit pistol-whipped her. She could see the split in her lip from when they'd dropped her on her face in the throne room, and saw how sick she looked now. Even the tops of her feet were immune from injury, red and raw from being dragged everywhere.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Jack suddenly called out. "Would those of you who can, please go home. I need only to Suits and those in charge of the Looking Glass to remain. And those of you from Other World, if you would please remain behind, as well. We're going to be taking you home."
Leah's body hadn't recovered, though she didn't truly expect it to. It would take some time without the aid of medicine of some kind. Whatever the Queen had done affected her deeply, like she was siphoning out Leah's very soul. In a few ways, she was.
Mystics were made of magic. She and her sisters weren't just the representation of it, they were magic. Wonderland created them. They had no parents. Instead, they'd been born from a tree in the middle of the Sky Forest, appearing like flower buds on a tree in the spring. So long as the magic of Wonderland remained, so would they.
Until the Queen got her hands on them. Whatever torture device the Geeks created to steal their magic hurt. Actually, it was far beyond that. There wasn't a word to express the ache that it created. Leah had no doubt that if she'd remained connected to it, it would have drained her until she too went poof!
The thought that her sisters had to suffer through it shattered Leah's heart. How cruel was a person to do that to another living being?
Leah had kept her eye out for Alice, but the woman in blue had been scurried away back to the Looking Glass some time ago. Once Leah and Hatter had been taken off to be mended, Alice decided to help the Oysters. Many of them were afraid. Leah understood why she wanted to help. That was simply who Alice was.
Her head had been fixed, stitches she assumed, and that was about the extent of what any doctor could do for her.
Hatter was gone before she was finished being looked after. He only allowed them to fix his shoulder and give him a makeshift sling. The sound of them popping it back into place was gut-wrenching. She would give him something later to help with it. Cali might have been the healer, but Leah had some skill.
He had gone to her and fumbled over an excuse. She told him to go, that she'd follow behind, and he dashed off. It was adorable, but also made her a bit sad. She didn't know why, but the thought that no one had ever been worried about her like that surged through her mind in that instant.
By the time Leah made it to the Looking Glass chamber, some of the Oyster population had already been dwindled down to roughly half. She looked around and spotted Hatter and Alice quickly. Leah shuffled toward them as best as she could manage. She felt like she was walking with a hundred pounds of weight on her back.
"Are you saying you want me to stay?" Alice asked in an almost hopeful voice.
"Hell no!" Hatter jokingly sang.
Leah cringed. She felt like she'd been punched in the gut. Not in a great long while had she been forced to hear such a huge lie. It made her stomach churn.
"No, uh," he continued on. "I think you should go home."
There it was again, that gut-punch.
Alice shifted on her feet uncomfortably. To Leah, it was clear that she didn't want to go, and Hatter wanted her to stay. But it didn't matter. Alice would leave regardless. She wouldn't abandon Carol.
"Oh, uh, this is yours." Alice threaded the royal purple coat from her shoulders quickly. Hatter attempted to stop her, to suggest she could keep it, but it didn't matter. "You know," Alice said. "You can always visit my world. You might like it."
"Oh, right." Hatter nodded. "We could do… pizza."
Their attempt at carrying on a normal conversation was physically painful to hear. Somehow, the bright white woman had remained invisible to them, so she stepped even closer to draw their attention. If anything, Leah wanted to save them from themselves.
Alice looked at her and her face lit up. "Leah, hey. How are you feeling?" Leah grinned crookedly and arched a brow at her friend. "Right," Alice smiled. "So uh…" she hesitated and then, sadly, Leah saw Alice's shoulders slump. "You're not coming back with me, are you?"
Leah shook her head slowly. "I can't." She said. "There's too much to do here. But hey, you know I'll visit. That is, if you want me to."
Alice's eyes were tinting pink. Leah knew that, despite her smile, Alice was on the verge of tears.
"Yeah," Her voice was soft. "Yeah, I'd like that. Soon, right? Like, in the next few days or something?"
"I'll try." Leah said. "But time moves differently here."
Alice's brows furrowed. "What does-"
Leah didn't give her a chance to finish her question before she lunged forward and hugged her. Leah held her tighter than she had at Charlie's camp. She hugged Alice so tightly that it probably hurt the young woman, but Alice never protested. In fact, she held Leah just as hard.
"I love you, Alice." Leah's voice trembled when she spoke. "I'm so glad I met you."
She felt Alice bury her face in her hair and her fingers curl into her shirt. "I love you too, Randy."
Leah felt like she would cry, and probably would when she was finally alone.
Eventually, they parted.
"Here," Leah reached for her necklace. She pulled it out of her shirt and quickly undid the clasp. She threaded it around Alice's neck and clipped it on. "I want you to have this."
"But, are you sure?"
Alice was apprehensive, which Leah understood. It was her favorite necklace. She'd had it since she first met Alice and had worn it every day since. She knew why Alice might have been unsure, but she simply nodded.
"Of course." She said.
Alice smiled gratefully. She opened her mouth to speak, but was never given a chance. A man in a clear plastic coat stepped forward and whisked her away. He shoved her through the Looking Glass.
And she was gone. It happened so quickly. Alice was there and then Leah had blinked and she was gone.
The tears came.
Leah felt them glide down her cheeks as she stared at the Looking Glass as though Alice would magically emerge. She didn't. Of course she didn't.
"Hey,"
Hatter's soft and warm voice drew Leah's attention. He looked as broken as she felt despite his attempts to smile. She couldn't help herself and, before she could think better of it, Leah hugged him.
He'd been shocked by it, which she understood entirely, but eventually he formed around her as well. Leah did her best not to crush his arm, the one that was pinned to his chest, but she couldn't be certain she hadn't. She had squeezed him rather tightly, after all.
Part of her mind somehow managed to remember Thea's prophecy and she was sure to keep their skin from touching, but she definitely hugged him regardless. She needed the comfort of it, the kindness of it. Hatter seemed to crave the same.
She couldn't say how long they held one another, but eventually they drew back. She saw his eyes had welled with tears. She knew hers had already fallen.
"Randy, Hatter," Jack said as he approached. They shifted to look at him. "Or, is it Cordelia?" He asked her.
"Leah is fine, your Majesty."
"Just Jack." He replied. "I would like to offer both of you a place to stay, to recuperate."
"No, thanks." Hatter replied. "I think I'ma just-"
"Please," Jack said. Hatter had begun backing away, so the monarch spoke quickly to keep him from leaving. "It's the least I can do."
Hatter looked at her as though silently asking if she planned to accept his offer. She did. Leah had nowhere else to go. He seemed to sense as much and reluctantly nodded. Leah accepted as well and while the rest of the Oysters were sent home, Jack led the two of them away.
Later that night, Hatter found himself wandering the halls of the Hearts Estate. He didn't like it. It wasn't that the building, which was a sprawling manor house, wasn't attractive. It was. It was rather nice, in fact, but that didn't matter. He didn't like it because there were reminders everywhere that he was in the enemy's house.
He didn't like it.
Part of him begged to leave. He wanted to disappear in the middle of the night, vanish into the shadows like he'd never been there, but he didn't. Maybe it was because he knew the Tea Shop wasn't where he belonged anymore. Or, maybe it was because he didn't want to vanish on Leah. They'd been through so much together over the last couple of days that he didn't want to leave her all alone.
As he walked the halls, Hatter spotted something through a window. He'd neared the area close to the outdoor terrace, so the windows were wide to let in a lot of light. As a result, he spotted Leah sitting outside. The double-doors that led to her were open, and Hatter found himself approaching them.
She slowly came into better view. Hatter noticed her sitting on the edge of a small retaining wall that overlooked the back end of the property. She was wearing a robe, blood red in color, which made her skin and hair stand out even more. She was hard to miss.
He walked toward her, feeling a temporary relief from the soft breeze, and was perhaps ten feet away when she seemed to notice she was no longer alone. Leah looked back over her shoulder. Her green eyes practically glowed in the dim light of the very-full moon. He paused.
"Can't sleep?" She asked him softly.
"Nah," He shook his head. "Mind if I join you?"
She shook her head before her gaze drifted back to the yard. Hatter closed the distance between them and took a seat on the wall near her. They sat in silence for a moment or two before Leah finally spoke.
"You want to go after her, don't you?" She asked.
"Pft," He scoffed. She saw him smile at her from the corner of her eye so she gave him her full attention. "Ya jokin'? Of course not." Leah cocked a brow and simply stared at him. Slowly, but surely, his smile faltered and Hatter flinched. "Right," he mumbled. "Truth Seer." His head fell and she saw him pick at his fingers. He wasn't wearing the sling anymore, but she knew his arm was sore. "Yeah," he said in the same quiet voice. "Yeah, I do."
"Then why don't you?"
He looked up at her with what could only be described as a sad puppy dog face.
"She don't want someone like me."
It broke her heart that he thought that was true.
"Hatter," Leah said softly. "I've known Alice since she was ten years old. I've been at her side through a dozen boyfriends, and a dozen breakups. I know how she acts when she cares about someone. And she cares about you." She saw him light up just a bit. "You should go after her."
"Yeah?" He sounded hopeful and it made her stomach sink.
"Yeah," Leah nodded. "Tomorrow, I'll speak to Jack. Alright?"
He smiled at her, flashing his dimples when he had. It caused her to do the same.
In the morning, she'd do just as she said and talk to Jack about letting Hatter and her both through the Looking Glass. Leah wanted to make sure that Alice made it home alright. The fact that Hatter missed her and regretted not going along with Alice simply gave Leah the excuse.
Leah's gaze drifted back to the lawn in front of her. She was envious of Alice and Hatter. She saw the way they looked at one another, and sensed the truth whenever they wanted to pretend otherwise. It made her jealous because no one had ever looked at Leah that way.
And while she knew who Hatter was to her, Thea's prophecy ringing in her mind, she had no intentions of doing anything about it.
The instant you see him, you'll know. And when you touch him, it will all be over.
At first, she avoided Hatter just to prove her sister wrong. The longer she spent in Hatter and Alice's company, the more she saw. By the time Alice stepped through the Looking Glass, Leah knew for certain that Hatter didn't belong to her. She had no right to claim him, even if he was the one her sister's saw. He wanted Alice, and Leah wanted Alice to be happy.
The following day, Hatter's world spun when he stepped through the mirror and into Other World. He doubled over, breathing heavily while he genuinely struggled not to vomit.
"It's alright," A vaguely familiar voice said. Hatter rolled his head and spotted Miranda standing beside him, the woman he'd met in his Tea Shop both in appearance and her voice. She smiled at him, and he fought the scowl. It wasn't right. She wasn't real. "Just breathe."
"Easy for you to say." He mumbled.
He did his best to get himself under control. When he did, he stood upright once more and noticed Randy was leaning over a sleeping figure. It was Alice. Hatter's heart sped up. He felt like it'd burst.
"She alright?" He asked.
"She's fine." Randy replied. "Oysters don't handle the trip well. She'll probably be asleep for a while."
"So, what do we do now?"
"Stay here with her. I need to tell Carol."
"Carol?"
"Her mom. It's not like I have my cell phone or anything." She offered a weak smile. "Their place is pretty close, but it'll take me a few minutes to get there. We'll call an ambulance and get Alice to the hospital to make sure she's okay."
Hatter nodded. He didn't really know what else to do. "Yeah, okay."
"I'll be back." Randy stood and took a few steps away before she paused and turned around. "You might want to think up a name, or something."
"What?"
"Can't really call you Hatter."
"Why not?"
"It's not a name here." She said, smiling lightly again. "Cops ask questions."
"Cops?"
"Uh… law enforcement." She explained. "They'll want to know who you are, why you're here. We can um," He watched her think over something quickly. She spotted the rundown building they were in and it seemed to don on her. "We'll say you're a construction worker and you saw her run into the building. Okay?" She started walking away while still facing him. "I'll be right back."
Hatter nodded. Randy promptly turned and jogged off into the distance. He could hear the sound of her bare feet clapping against the concrete, narrating her steps as she disappeared.
Left alone, Hatter looked down at Alice. It might have only been twelve or so hours since he'd seen her, it felt like longer. He was glad Jack let him and Leah through the Looking Glass. Part of him thought the prince allowed it so that he too was able to know that Alice made it home okay. Even if that was the reason, he didn't care. He still got to see her.
Maybe ten minutes later, the once completely silent building was a flurry of movement. Flashlights and people talking, a hundred clomping footsteps and all, came charging toward him and Alice. He saw people in uniforms who pushed him out of the way. There were people wearing blue, some people wearing guns on their hips.
His only solace was Randy. She'd guided the people there and stood off to the side with him while people swarmed over Alice and loaded her onto a bright yellow board. He almost reached out to hold Randy's hand, to use her like an anchor while he was surrounded by Oysters in an unfamiliar world, but he didn't. He just stood there watching.
The people Randy had called EMTs lifted Alice and carried her away. The ones called cops ushered him and Randy out of the building so they could speak. They started questioning the pair separately. Randy spoke easily, the lies rolling easily from her tongue. His weren't as quick to come at first, but once the shock of the whole situation had faded well enough, Hatter managed the same.
Another ten minutes passed before they all vanished in giant things with flashing lights. He didn't know what they were, but since Randy wasn't worried, he assumed it was alright.
A woman approached them both. She had short hair and a combination of fear and gratitude on her face.
"Oh, Randy, thank you." She threw her arms over Miranda's shoulders and hugged her tightly. "Ugh, I don't know how you haven't ripped out your hair by now. I swear," They parted. "Alice is going to make me go bald."
Randy smiled and laughed a little. "Come on, what are best friend's for?"
She smiled before her eye fell to Hatter. He forced a smile of his own, but she only stared at him sternly.
"Carol, this is the guy who helped me find her."
Her expression immediately calmed. "Oh," She chimed. "Oh, that's good." She took his hand and shook it. "Thank you so much,"
"No problem." He replied as he shook her hand. "I was glad to help."
"Well, I'm Carol. You are?"
He tried to remember what he'd told the cops. "David," He said quickly. "I'm David."
"Well, thank you, David. Truly."
He gave her a nod and was glad she let go of his hand. His fingers tingled. She had a hell of a grip.
"I'm going to go to the hospital." Carol said to Randy. "Are you going to come, too?"
"Not just yet." She said. Hatter noticed Carol's confusion. "But I'll be around tomorrow. I have to open in the morning, four AM."
Hatter cringed at the lie. It made his skin crawl and he didn't know why. Why did her lies bother him?
"Oh, Lord," Carol gasped.
"Yeah," Randy laughed lightly. "But call me if there's news, okay?"
"Of course." Carol reached forward and hugged her again. When they parted, she looked at Hatter. "Thank you, again. We'll have to have you over for lunch or something." She began to walk away. "Give Randy your number. We'll arrange it."
And just like that, she was gone.
Hatter turned and looked at Randy with his eyes wide and brows lifted in surprise. He wasn't sure how to comprehend the whole ordeal.
"She seems… nice." He said finally.
Randy laughed, genuinely and truly for the first time since he'd met her. It caused him to smile, too.
"Yeah. Carol's a force of nature, but she'd a good woman."
Hatter nodded. He wasn't sure what else to do.
A few minutes of silence pass between them. He knew he had to go back, to go through the Looking Glass again, but his feet didn't want to move at first. It wasn't until he felt a tug on his jacket sleeve that he seemed to snap back into the moment.
"Come on," Randy said heavily. When she smiled again, it was weighed down, far less happy than those previous.
"Yeah," He nodded.
Reluctantly, Hatter followed her back into the building and through the mirror.