"And since this is a dream, Reginald, there's something I want to tell you."
Her hand was suddenly empty. Alice felt as if the light had disappeared.
Reginald was gone.
Alice woke in an uncomfortable chair next to a sleeping Marcus. All around her were people sleeping in similar chairs with various bags around them. She looked up at the sign that said "GATE C8 – PHILADELPHIA – LONDON." Marcus called this place an 'Airport,' and yesterday she had flown on a giant, winged metal tube across the country. The boy had laughed at her when she squealed at takeoff, holding her hand tightly so that she wouldn't get scared. She was dazzled by the sight of the land beneath them and the clouds just outside the window. It was terrifying.
It was wonderful.
Grandma had received a passport and ID in the mail for her, with a look that said 'don't ask questions' when she asked where they came from. She packed her a small case with her clean dress and boots, along with some modern clothes that she purchased just for her.
"Marcus will go with you, so don't you worry." She said, zipping up the suitcase. "There will be people waiting for you in London."
Alice had seen pictures on the 'internet' of London, but it was unrecognizable from the London she had visited as a child. Northern Wales, where she grew up, was also unrecognizable. The thought of finding all her old haunts buried in time filled her with a dread that choked her. Nonetheless, she had to go and see it with her own eyes. She had to go back home.
The next morning, she hugged Grandma goodbye, thanking her for everything. The sweet, stately lady kissed her forehead and wished her good luck, tears in her eyes. She went through a long line called 'security' and soon boarded the plane.
Alice opened, then closed her book, unable to concentrate on reading. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander, thinking about her little home and the window where Reginald had serenaded her. Her mind drifted, thoughts becoming scattered as she fell back asleep.
….
A petite, platinum-blonde woman with a long, orange coat was seated in a makeshift throne, made up of a few broken chairs and some torn cushions, but she sat as if it were a gilded dais in front of a royal court. Behind her was the vast expanse of the void, speckled with shards of the broken looking-glass and debris. The ruins of the rock-strewn Victorian parlor glowed in the lime-green light of a fire inside a shattered hearth, the only light in the area.
Alice walked up to the throne, watching the woman who sat as still as a statue.
"Hello Alice," the woman said, her voice sweet and girlish. "How strange that I would dream of you." Her face was fixed in a grin that looked unsettling on her face.
"Do you even dream, Cheshire Cat?" Alice replied.
The woman dissolved into a mist, cackling. "I knew you would recognize me, Alice!" The Cat howled. The mist condensed into a long, exaggerated feline form with a great, half-moon grin. The eyes were polished globes reflecting her face.
"Who were you trying to be?" She asked, settling onto part of a broken couch.
The Cat winked one eye, then the other. "Mary Anne." He finally said.
"Oh, that's the name the White Rabbit called me once." She recalled. "Was that not his maid or servant?"
The Cat's grin grew feral, the teeth a little sharper. "Yes, that's her. So much ambition, but so little ability to rise above."
As he hissed the last words, he rose into the air, circling above the seated woman.
"Such judgement," Alice observed dryly. "Whatever did she do to you?"
The Cat's startled giggle grew into howling laughter. "Its funny, if you knew what she had done to us, you wouldn't be so quick to come to her defense."
"Well I don't know. And so, it's not my place to judge." Alice said, neck craning to see the Cat as he floated about her head.
"How is your home, Alice?" The Cat purred, suddenly changing the subject. "Is it everything you had ever dreamed?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Not at all. When I returned home I expected it to be just where I left it, same time and place." Her voice wavered slightly.
"Oh, poor Alice." The Cat said, mockingly sweet. "You run from your problems and expect the entire world to stop until you decide to come back? How very arrogant of you."
Alice glared at the Cat, her chin high. "You insult me, Cheshire Cat. I wasn't running from my problems."
"Oh but that's exactly what you did. Did the prim and proper Alice think she was above consequence?" The Cat gasped, acting scandalized. "Not our Alice!"
Alice's scathing reply caught in her throat. Her eyes unfocused for a moment as the words hovered in her mind, not unlike the Cat above her head. She had done just that, hadn't she? She ran from her problems into another world without a backwards thought. In doing so, she changed everything. The ripples from her actions, seemingly harmless from her vantage point, were causing tidal waves elsewhere.
Reginald's face, lost and unable to grasp her words of rejection on a firefly-lit porch.
Walking in on Belle in the bookstore, the woman hastily wiping away tears and pasting on a welcoming smile to hide behind after Alice had revealed her reason for pushing the Hatter away: her intentions to leave.
Ears' voice on the phone. "I've made a mistake, haven't I?"
In running to Wonderland, she had uprooted lives and made a home for herself where ones such as herself never had any business being. How dare she think that she could just leave without considering the damage.
Alice slumped under the weight of what she had done. The Cat was unnervingly quiet, swirling above her with the feral grin still upon his face. He dropped a small thought, like a feather, into the woman's mind.
You're not worthy of Wonderland…Why bother coming back?
The thought brushed her mind with a delicate touch, but left devastation in its wake. She felt thoroughly gutted and hollow. She crumbled, her face in her hands.
A golden mote of dust rose up to meet the feather in her mind. The tiny impact of the motes of thought, as they melded, sent a ripple through her. She lowered her hand, revealing a pale, determined face.
The Cat cocked his head, curiously.
"No, Cheshire Cat."
The entire room froze, as if time had stopped completely. Alice looked up at the Cat, frozen and watching her with an unsettling intensity, grin still present, though now fragile-looking. She felt the thought take hold inside her, strengthening her resolve.
"All my life I've been told what to do and how to act. I've made mistakes and had the chance to fix them. I've lost that chance with my family due to my own irresponsibility. I refuse to lose that chance with Wonderland."
Alice stood up, eyes piercing the brilliant globes of the Cat's. "I saw that White Rabbit in that world. I chased him, because I could see the magic that no one else could. I chose to come to Wonderland. ME." She jabbed her chest with her finger. "And every heartbreak, every moment of pain, every consequence, I accept. Because the laughter, the joy, and the Magic is what makes it all worth every bit. MY own mistakes, Cheshire Cat. I accept those too because those are what makes me, me!"
"Who are you?" asked the caterpillar, leaning forward to the little girl through a hookah-smoke cloud.
Alice stood and planted her feet. Gritting her teeth, she felt the defiance course through her. "I will right my wrongs, Cheshire Cat." She declared. "And mark my words: I will get back to Wonderland, even if I have to dig my own rabbit hole to do it."
"Why?" The Cat whispered, no more laughter in his voice.
"Why? Because I am Alice of Wonderland."
The shards in the void spun wildly, glittering in space like blinding diamonds. The Cat fell to the ground, landing in front of her with a resounding impact, straightened from a crouch, and stood as tall as her. His eyes hovered, inches from her own, leaving no room for her to look away.
"Indeed." He whispered in her head.
She felt her mind being pulled into the eyes, the ropes of her sanity snapping one-by-one, like a boat being ripped from the dock during a storm. She felt the vertigo as she mentally fell, tumbling end over end into Madness.
….
Alice was falling down a tunnel, turning to stare at the familiar diamond-patterned wallpaper of the Rabbit Hole as she plummeted. The Rabbit Hole gradually faded into the void, where great shards of mirror were tumbling, reflecting moments in time:
Mary Anne's face, tear-bright with grief, and on the other side of the shard, the same face contorted with rage.
Ears opening a Tea Shop, proudly unlocking the door, turned into Ears handing out rations to a group of soldiers as they took a break from training.
Reginald as a child, freeing a purple-pink kitten from a briar patch. Reginald sparring with Lumiere, eyes grim and determined as he nodded at the thin man's points and criticism.
A young girl tumbling through a rabbit hole, then the same girl, all grown up, staring down a Cheshire Cat.
Her descent slowed and her boots gently touched the floor. She looked around at the void and all the time-shards, spinning in and out of sight. Alice turned at the sound of a footfall and felt herself go rigid with shock.
Standing before her was a creature both beautiful and terrifying. The robed, ethereal creature, human-like, with long, sinuous arms that faded at the elbow and reappeared at the wrist, had hair like gossamer thread, that changed color depending on the light. Alice blinked and swore she saw it change in texture and color, from smooth and black, to tawny with long, brown rabbit ears, then to golden, pooling down to the floor. An ageless, androgynous face grinned at her beneath bottomless eyes, shifting like leaves into features that spanned the face of everyone she had ever met in Wonderland, even a splash of freckles appearing for a second. The forest green sleeves of the short-sleeved robe faded in and out over the gap between elbow and wrist, were peppered with pink flamingo feathers and red-painted, white roses, ending in playing card figures, lowering spears menacingly. The sash around the waist was a flower garden with bread-butterflies flitting about, fading into a string of pearls, chased by a walrus lining one vertical hem, and a White Rabbit pulling a pocket watch out of a pocket on the other. The designs melted into one another, becoming a long table with teapots and china, puffing steam into the midnight blackness, then into a grand black-and-white chess board, the pieces hopping about. Scene after scene contorted and melted, each as heart-breakingly beautiful as the last.
Then came the terrible scenes: the chilling darkness of the Tulgey Wood, fading into charred, broken trees in an ash plain, a burning army slowly moving across. A great, draconian creature, roaring, as fire burst from its mouth, lined with terrible teeth. Alice struggled to keep her mind together as it gibbered insanely.
"Who are you?" She gasped.
"Wonderland." The Cheshire Cat replied. A shard appeared next to him, reflecting a scene of Reginald looking at the same creature, his face full of wonder and awe, flipping to show her own face, mirroring the exact expression she just saw in his.
Alice felt her mind try to fragment a little more.
"You're amazing." Alice breathed, her eyes wide.
The Cat tilted his head to one side, curiously.
She tore her eyes away from the Cat with effort and took a respectful step backwards.
The grin deepened. "My clever, darling Alice." He whispered. "I am pleased you're able to keep your mind in one piece, much like the Hatter-"
The Cat cried out suddenly, doubling over in pain. Alice ran forward and lifted him to his feet. She gasped as he clasped her arm, digging sharp nails into her skin.
"Alice," He gasped. "Mary Anne, she's killing me…"
Alice stifled a scream at the sight of the ravaged skin on the arm that was smooth just a moment ago. The exposed bone of a long-fingered hand clutched weakly to her, the edges of the wound charred and smoking.
"No, Cheshire!" She cried.
He looked up at her, his face contorted in pain. "Go, Alice!"
….
Alice woke with a cry. She looked around at the people gathering their bags to board the plane. Marcus was shaking her, eyes wide and worried.
"Are you okay?" He whispered.
"I'm fine, I'm alright Marcus." She gasped.
"They're boarding now." Marcus pointed.
Alice shook her head, steadying her mind as her sanity slowly clicked back into place like puzzle pieces. She looked up and around at a world that was a little stranger and more alien than she remembered.
She felt something inside her settle, stronger and more determined.
She had to get back to Wonderland.
They boarded the plane and left the continent behind them.
….
Reginald set the derby down and slumped down in his chair. He had made so many hats, but none of them were right.
Oh well. On to the next one.
He reached over some felt, knocking over a teacup. Out rolled two periwinkle blue buttons and a spool of golden thread.
Reginald picked up a button and lifted it to his eye, looking through the tiny holes. Through the holes he saw…
Inspiration.
Lumiere gave the counter a polite tap, looking around for the Hatter. Ears hopped up and onto the counter next to him, lifting one ear and twitching nervously.
"This is odd." Lumiere mumbled. "Maybe he stepped out for some fresh air?"
A door upstairs crashed open, loud enough to knock Ears off the counter. Reginald ran down the stairs, jumping them three at a time, holding a streamer of gold ribbon and a handful of colorful feathers. He rushed past them without acknowledgement and went to his workbench, which quickly became a flurry of discarded feathers and flying ribbon.
"Oh, dear me," The March Hare said, leaning to the side. "We must leave."
"Leave?" asked Lumiere. "Why?"
Ears shuffled towards the door. "When he gets like this, there's no dealing with him." He muttered.
A victorious whoop erupted from the workbench.
Hatter scrambled over the counter, making sure not to tip his creation.
The hat that he held aloft was a wide-brimmed ladies' sun bonnet, mauve with a golden yellow ribbon,a patch of light blue feathers, and a delicate, white-lace flower.
The Hatter looked around wildly at the hats on his displays, searching for something specific.
"Aha!" He cried, pouncing on a grey top-hat, deftly unwrapping the metallic green and orange ribbon from it with one hand and flipping it up onto the bonnet, twisting it around the golden sash with a flourish. He removed two pins and a small card from his sleeve and secured it, tucking the card into a fold, the "10/6" visible. With the small additions, the hat was complete.
"Perfect!" He grinned.
The bonnet lifted from his hands slowly, hovering a few feet above the Hatter's hand. It spun in place, the Cheshire Cat admiring it from every angle.
"It's a beautiful Alice-Bonnet," The Cat purred. "I love the Mad Hatter additions too. Now I have a little of you both."
The mist poured down and an elegant Victorian woman emerged, wearing the bonnet, grinning with the Cat's feral grin. "You've outdone yourself, Hatter. This might be your best work yet."
Reginald flashed his brilliant bucktoothed smile. "Of course it is." He said proudly.
The lady floated out the door, pausing to give the stunned Lumiere and Ears a saucy wink before disappearing into the evening air. A passing gentleman stared, open-mouthed at the open door as the lady faded.
From that evening on, people whispered about a beautiful, Victorian lady, a gowned warrior who ambushed the enemy soldiers, scattered groups of enemy fighters, and rescued kidnapped villagers, all while wearing the most elegant, eccentric Bonnet they'd ever seen.
….
Alice and Marcus looked around the crowd, at faces, unfamiliar, waving and smiling, some calling for a friend or a family member. Alice felt the slow ache of loss as she watched a woman and man crouch to embrace their child, welcoming and joyous.
Golden blonde hair grabbed her attention.
Smiling, arms extended in welcome, was a woman that looked exactly like her: from Her merry, laughing blue eyes, to the dainty, slippered feet.
Alice recalled the passport that she used to get on the plane.
"Miss Regina, is it?" She asked.
"Welcome Aunt Alice!" The girl laughed.
"Aunt—?" her question fizzled in the air as she looked at the group that surrounded her. One gentleman grinned at her, the smile clearly that of her dear sister. The voluptuous woman who lifted her in the air in a bear hug was sporting her father's warm, crinkled brown eyes. All about her were people, tall, short, fat and thin, all with features that echoed in her mind, familiar and dear. One little old man was a clear throwback to her great uncle Maurice.
"Are you my…?" Alice gasped, spinning around to see them all.
"Yes, Alice." A beautiful woman said, Alice's mother's smile dominating her face. "We're your sister's descendants."
Alice looked from face to face, eyes brimming with tears, gazing upon the faces of Mathilda's grandchildren and great-grandchildren, her heart filled to nearly bursting.