--
It took a while before Alice became aware of the fact that there was a twig sticking her in the back. She blinked a couple times and sat up. She felt groggy and a little slow, but she was also very aware of the fact that her towel was gone. Her arms shot up to cover her breasts. She felt heat rushing to her face, turning it red, before she started looking around at her surroundings.
She was in a small clearing, at the edge of a large lake. The water on the lake was black, almost like ink, although where it swished against the shoreline it was clear. There were many large rocks decorating the shore. The rocks were black, the same color as the tile in the tunnel.
Behind her was a forest. The trees stretched high into the sky; with leaves colored in autumn. The forest looked very unwelcoming, like something from either a horror movie, or the beginnings of a bad dream.
Alice couldn't decided whether to cry or to curse. A couple of the questions that went through her mind were, where was she? And why did she have to loose her towel at a time like this?
Before she could get much further than these thoughts, a strange sound split the silence.
It sounded like someone trooping through the forest, breaking twigs and other pieces of wood with each step.
Alice drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Sitting on the ground like this was the most uncomfortable thing she'd ever had to do. But it was better than showing off things that were better left unseen.
The sound of twigs snapping, leaves rustling became louder and louder until at last, a figure appeared at the edge of the woods.
He was a little man with a long beard. He was dressed in a ragged blue work shirt, and overalls. Large boots covered his feet. He frowned when he caught sight of Alice.
"What are you doing out here?" he demanded.
Alice frowned, "I really have no clue," she admitted. She almost giggled at the fact that he was such a small man to have made such loud fuss.
The man huffed and walked forward, "Didn't know girlies liked going around without clothes." He chuckled.
Alice glared, "I… I didn't really have much of a choice!" she snapped.
The man snorted, "Do you want me to help or no?"
"I want clothes," she muttered.
"Don't really got anything in your size," The man muttered. Looking her up and down.
Alice made a face when she noticed the expression on his face. Hunger. He was looking at her as if she were a piece of meat. It was rather uncomfortable. "Than you can't help me, can you." She snapped, angry with the tease.
"Well, maybe I know someone who'd have clothes for a pretty lady like you," the man mumbled. "I'll get him if you ah… do me a little favor of two."
Alice made a face, "Keep dreaming," she spat. She turned away from him and glared out at the water, "I'm going to kill White when I get my hands on him!" shook her head in anger, feel embarrassed and disgusted at the same time.
"White?" The man hissed, "What are you doing hanging around with the likes him?"
Alice looked at the man, "White's the reason I'm here. I was with him when that weird tunnel collapsed."
"Damn it, you're her," the man snapped, stomping his foot. "Stay here." He turned away and raced back into the woods.
Alice watched him go with an annoyed glint in her eyes. "Where else would I go?" she mumbled. She was butt naked after all and running around the woods didn't appeal to her at the moment.
She didn't know how long she sat there. But the silence was beginning to scare her. There was no sound of birds chirping, or even things splashing in the water. The lack of life was strange, and disturbing.
Her memories of Wonderland told her that it should be full of life, of beauty, but this strange gloomy haze was everything wonderland should not be.
"Nice to see you again, Alice."
Alice jumped, the sudden breaking of the silence frightened her, she turned her head and look at the man who'd just appeared. He hadn't walked out of the woods, he'd simply popped into being beside her, out of thin air. "Cheshire," she greeted, seeing as there was no one in wonderland who had his natural skill of appearing from nothing. She couldn't decide if his being here was a good thing or a very, very bad thing.
Cheshire hadn't changed all that much from the memories that Alice had of him. He still dressed in, what she now knew, was gothic club wear. A tight black sleeveless shirt, tight black leather pants and boots, the boots had silver clips on them that held the red lace in place, preventing it from untying at the wrong moments. Gloves went from his hands to his upper arms but left his fingers bear. And a black collar completed the look, the collar had an orb hanging off it in place of a name tag or a license. His hair was black, but not the normal human blank; his was the color of midnight and it carried purple highlights in it, it was insanely long and tied in a braid that trailed down to his thighs. It had some twigs caught in it and didn't look very neat and orderly. His skin was pale but it wasn't the moonlight color of White's skin, it was a human pale, and a little sickly looking, a yellowish glow seemed to come off it.
His eyes were what sealed the whole 'not human' thing. They were lilac colored, with specks of silver mixed in for good measure. His face had been pretty, now it was weather beaten and tired looking, he'd also aged quite a bit. The soft, boyish look had been changed, his bone structure was harder, more adult, and without question, Male.
He wasn't grinning, in fact he looked like he hadn't had a reason to smile in a very long time. His face and body, while still well cared for, was gaunt from lack of food. He looked at Alice with something close to amusement in his eyes, though it fell short.
"Naked." Cheshire said simply, one word that had Alice's cheeks burning a dark red color. A ghost of a grin appeared on his face when he noticed the blush. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
Alice rolled her eyes. "Don't start." She muttered, reaching one hand up to rub at her hot cheeks. "I've had a really bad day."
"I'll say,." Cheshire laughed. "But you've had a really, really bad week."
"Week?"
"White brought you through a week ago," Cheshire explained. "We were beginning to think that you'd been stuck between worlds."
"Does that happen a lot?" Alice asked. Worry and annoyance creeping into her voice.
"Only when someone tries crossing over without a guide. They end up lost." He shrugged as if it were an everyday thing. "But here you are, guess Wonderland really does want you back." There was tone to his voice that said he personally either didn't agree with it or thought it very foolish.
Alice looked at him for a second, trying to make sense of his sudden dislike of her. "You wouldn't happen to have clothing with you, would you?" she said, deciding to ignore him.
"White did mention that," Cheshire said, his grin widening. "Said you started off in nothing but a towel."
Alice glared, her cheeks beginning to redden again, "Yeah, I really need to talk to him about that." She mumbled, "making a girl jump out of the shower and then dragging her into wonderland… not cool."
Cheshire snickered. He reached out into the air in front of him. His hand vanished into some pocket of invisible space. He leaned forward and more of his arm vanished. He tugged at something for a second before pulling his arm back out. He was now holding a bag.
Alice blinked, "That's really… useful," she admitted.
Cheshire grinned again, "Very much agreed." He opened the back and pulled out a couple items. "White got these from your room. He hoped they were right."
Alice watched as Cheshire drew out her bra, a pair of lace underwear, jeans, and a tank top. "Perfect…" she mumbled. She was past the ability to be embarrassed. There was simply nothing left to be embarrassed about. She was sitting naked in front of a somewhat handsome man, and he was holding her underwear. She'd gone beyond her ability to be embarrassed, all she could do was deal with whatever was yet to pop up.
"Can you hand them to me?" Alice muttered.
Cheshire's grin returned at that. It was a full grin, like someone had turned a light on inside him. "Why don't you get up and get them?" he teased, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Alice glared. "Not funny," she muttered, rubbing her cheeks again. "Give."
Cheshire rolled his eyes, "fine, fine." He muttered. He walked a couple feet forward before he tossed the clothes to her, still grinning.
Alice had no choice but to unwrap her arms, reach out, and gather up the clothes. "Turn around," she ordered.
Cheshire smirked but did as he was told. He turned so his back was facing her.
Alice stood up and slipped into her underwear. The black lace wasn't what she'd have picked if she'd had her choice; in fact the whole lot was made up of things that she wouldn't have picked her self.
When she was finished dressing she glanced over at Cheshire, his back was still facing her. For some reason that surprised her, she'd figured that he'd be the perfect little pervert. "Okay, you can turn around now." She said.
Cheshire turned around and cocked his head to the side, "Not half bad," he said, "A little makeup and you'd be a right gorgeous lady." There was a tease to his voice, as if he knew how much that would annoy her.
Alice huffed loudly and walked over to him, her bare feet seemed to be finding every little stone. "Is there some reason that I don't have shoes?"
"None of them were suitable for wonderland." Cheshire said, "You'd break your neck in heels."
Alice stared at him, "You do know I have sneakers, right?"
"Don't blame me, I wasn't the one who got clothes for you." Cheshire said, shrugging his shoulders.
Alice shrugged, "You wouldn't happen to have an extra pair, would you?"
"As a matter of fact I do," Cheshire admitted, "But you'll have to walk a bit to get to them."
"Can't you do that vanishing thingy and go get them?"
"It doesn't work like that."
"Well it should." Alice muttered. She sounded pitiful, even to herself.
"It's about a mile through the forest. You can make it, can't you?"
Alice nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not going to be happy about it."
"I didn't ask if you'd be happy. I asked if you could make it. There really is a big difference, believe it or not."
Alice tried to muster the strength to give him a world-class glare but gave up when she realized that she really had no energy left. She was tired and she felt like she'd been hung out to dry. She walked over to him and studied him closely. He had really lost weight, his clothes, while still tight, were hanging looser than any clothing she'd ever seen him wear before.
"You're staring," Cheshire commented.
Alice looked up at him. "You've gotten mangy." She stated.
Cheshire stared at her, mirth danced into his lilac eyes. "And you've got as much tack as ever." He said.
Alice grinned. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"My house," he answered.
Alice's eyebrow rose, "You have a house?"
"What do you think?"
"I think you're lying through your teeth," Alice laughed, "But I'm too tired to care."
Cheshire smiled. He held out his elbow, "May I escort the lady?"
"Sure," Alice linked her arm through his.
They walked into the forest.
Alice soon realized, after they reached the main pathway, that her worry of having no shoes was all for nothing. Hidden in the woods was a path that had been so worn down by constant use that nothing would grow on it for years, so there was no worry of stubbing her toes, or cutting her feet on random twigs.
"I'm tired…" Alice said, more herself than Cheshire. She couldn't help looking up at the canopy of trees.
"You're not used to Wonderland yet." Cheshire explained. "Wonderland is a place of childish dreams and wishes. Adults' don't belong here."
"Then why did you guys bring me back here?" Alice demanded, rounding on him with a cold look in her eyes.
"You don't see it?" Cheshire said, looking up at the trees overhead.
Alice looked over at him, "What am I supposed to see?" she questioned.
"Alice…" Cheshire reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked at her as if she were either very stupid or very slow. "Think about it, when you were here, did the seasons ever change?"
Alice frowned and pursed her lips. "I… I guess not. It was always spring when I was here." She looked up at the fall colored leaves. "But this… fall…" her eyes widened as it settled on her. "What is going on?" she demanded.
"It's the Queen," Cheshire said. "White did tell you about her, right?"
Alice nodded. "Said she was poisoning wonderland…"
"He's right… but I don't really know how to explain her. She's not like Hearts was, this queen is… cold. She only cares about her self." Cheshire growled low in his throat. The very thought of the queen upset him. "She stays locked away in her castle, she ignores her role as queen, and she surrounds herself with mirrors."
Alice blinked, "Mirrors?" she questioned.
"Mirrors. Looking glasses, you've got to remember that much!" Cheshire groaned and looked like he wanted to pull his hair out at how slow she was.
"Oh! You mean the looking glasses that show everything?" she questioned.
Cheshire sighed, "Yes and no. The true looking glasses of wonderland are sealed in the glass tower of the high castle. The glasses that she uses were made by the gnomes, though they work almost the same as the normal lot."
Alice nodded her head, hoping she understood it all, "So if she wants too… she can see anything that is going on in wonderland?"
Cheshire sighed and tucked his hands behind his head, he looked up at the sky for a moment before looking over at Alice. "No." he said at last. "Her glasses aren't as powerful as the originals. She can only look in on people whose face she has seen."
Alice looked down at the ground, for some reason the look in his eyes was different than the annoyance she'd just seen, it made her feel off. "So she can't search for me because she doesn't know how I look?"
Cheshire dropped his arms back to his sides and nodded. "Correct, there's hope for you after all!" He grinned and held up his hand, which faded in and out.
Alice grinned and looked at the ground again. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
Cheshire's grin widened.
Suddenly a thought passed through Alice's mind, a thought she really didn't like or want to think about. "White wore her symbol on his clothes.. a black heart." She looked at Cheshire, eyes studying his face.
Cheshire closed his eyes and stopped walking. He stood there for a moment, "White is putting his life in danger to pass us information. It's hard on him, having to pretend to be loyal to that witch, but is does it." he looked at Alice with an anger in his eyes, it was wild and hot almost as if it were burning in alive on the inside. "Don't you dare judge him for choosing to pretend, just don't."
"I never would have," Alice answered, lowering her gaze to the ground. "I may not always like White's company, but I know enough to know that he isn't stupid, he is who he is…" she sighed. "What's the deal with the seasons?" she changed the subject.
Cheshire's lips twitched. "Wonderland is ruled by the Queen and powered by the dreams of children. If children stop dreaming, wonderland dies." He looked at Alice, searching her eyes for something.
Alice closed her eyes for a moment, "she's done something to the kids hasn't she…"
Cheshire nodded, chewing his lip. "She's destroying their dreams… because she hates wonderland."
"They're dying."
"It's not a true death." Cheshire said. "It's the death of their entire childhood. They will never be able to visit wonderland again once they've been drained of that amount of power it takes to destroy someone's dreams. It's a very adult thing to do." They way he looked at her when he said it, the way he gazed at her as if it were her fault that this queen was destroying everything, it made Alice flinch.
They stood there, looking at one another as if they'd never seen the other before. Alice stepped forward and clenched her hands into fists, "Is there anything that can be done?"
"I don't know." Cheshire admitted. He looked at her, reached a hand slowly up and traced her jaw line with the tips of his fingers. "I just don't know, Alice."
--
They walked a while more before the woods thinned and they stepped into a small town. It was filled with decaying buildings that had seen better days, windows were boarded up, doors were marked with X's, and there was the smell of burn wood in the air.
"Wow…" Alice stopped and looked around her, "I don't remember this place…"
"This way." Cheshire said, ignoring her statement.
Alice trailed behind him. her feet were beginning to hurt. Walking behind him she couldn't help but notice how pretty his hair was at this length. All it needed was a good brush and it would be perfect.
"Alice?" A voice said.
Alice turned, and her mouth fell open. "Mock!" She cried in delight. She ran over to the man and threw her arms around him.
Mock Turtle was one of the few people that Alice had met that hadn't changed a bit. His hair was still blond, cut in a surfer style. His skin was tan, hands leathery, and he still had a smile that melted her heart. No one had a smile as sweet as his.
He was wearing a loose tunic style blue shirt; a belt clenched it around his waist. And pair of loose brown pants, and boots.
Mock gave a strangled kind of laugh and gently wrapped his arms around her, he held her as if she were something that might break. But slowly he tightened his arms and buried her face into the crook of her shoulder. "Alice…" he breathed her name as if it were air.
Alice flushed at the feeling of his lips tickling along her neckline, she swallowed hard and wiggled, asking silently to be allowed down.
Mock chuckled and loosened his grip but still kept her in the circle of his arms. "You've changed."
She could see now that there were subtle changes to him. A little more bulk to his arms. He'd finally grown into his brood shoulders. But his waist was strangely slender. Cheshire wasn't the only one suffering from lack of food.
Alice looked down for a moment, flushing, "People do that, you know?"
Mock chuckled, suddenly he looked up and rolled his eyes. "Alright there Cheshire?" he teased.
Alice turned and saw the fuming expression on Cheshire's face.
"I'm just… peachy." Cheshire said. "Alice, if you don't mind." He gestured for her to follow.
Mock hesitated before releasing Alice from his arms. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, "I'll see you later," he whispered.
Alice laughed nervously and turned away. She followed in Cheshire's angry wake.
--
They arrived a few minutes later. The house in front of them was very much like the rest of the lot. A thatch roof, log walls, and a door that was barely hanging on to it's hinging. It wasn't much.
"It's… nice." Alice muttered. Looking up at the house.
Cheshire rolled his eyes, "It sucks." He stated. "But it's home."
They walked into the house.
It hardly had anything in it. two small cots were laid out on the living room floor. A pile of clothes lay at the bottom of one of the cots.
"Someone staying with you?" Alice asked.
Cheshire glanced over at her. "Yeah." He admitted. "He's off doing something right now though, so you'll use his cot until White comes and gets you."
Alice frowned. "Where is White?" she asked.
"He has to be at the castle for a while," Cheshire said. He walked over to the cot that belonged to him and sat down. He reached into one of his boots and pulled a dagger free. "The queen gets worried if he's gone to long."
Alice sighed and walked over to the other cot. She sat down on it, flinching slightly. If there was one thing she hated, it was sleeping in another person's bed. That and the pile of clothes at the bottom of it wasn't much of a comfort. "Whose bed is this?" she asked.
"Nobody you need to know." Cheshire said. he slipped his boots off and yawned. "I'm tired. Please don't wonder off. And stay away from the second floor. The floors rotten and likely to give way."
He brought his arms to his waist and pulled his shirt off.
Alice flushed red. She'd seen guys without shirts, who hadn't, but she'd never seen Cheshire without a shirt. Although the lines of scars that ran across it ruined what should have been a very nice chest, most of them looked like pale claw marks.
Cheshire cocked his head to the side, "You look surprised." He said.
Alice hesitated, "Those scars…"
Cheshire leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, "Wonderland has been at war for years Alice, I chose my side and sometimes I pay for it." he reached up and laid a hand on the scar under his heart, "can I ask you something?"
"Of course,"
"Do you ever wonder if Death skips you by just for a good laugh?" Cheshire closed his lilac eyes.
Alice looked down at her hands. "My… my mom died last year… I made a choice not to see her before she died…"
"Why?"
"She – she was dying of brain cancer… she didn't remember who I was anymore… it was so painful and I was so selfish…" Alice sighed loudly. "I kept thinking that I'd rather die in her place, that I should be the one lying in that bed with something destroying my memories… no child wants to loose their mother, not one. But I lost mine… I wanted to die but Death never came…"
Alice laid down and closed her eyes. She didn't mean to fall asleep. But some how her brain simply decided that she needed a couple hours of shut eye, and slowly she slipped into a calming darkness. The sound of Cheshire's soft breathing was also a comfort, though she would never say that out loud.
--
Alice blinked her eyes a couple times; the crust that had gathered onto her eyelashes flaked away. She turned over onto her back and stared at the mold-covered ceiling. It took her a couple minutes to get her brain working. A flash of surprise went through her when she realized that she didn't know where she was.
She sat up and looked around. The sight of Cheshire, curled up on his cot, reminded her of where she was. she breathed out through her nose and rubbed her eyes.
She looked around the darkened room, the sun had obviously set, so where was the light coming from?
She looked up and blinked. Tiny orbs of light were floating around the ceiling. And if her ears worked as well as she believed they worked she could have sworn they were giggling.
"Faeries." She breathed. Confused by the fact that she couldn't remember there ever having been faeries in wonderland before.
"Annoying little buggers." Cheshire muttered, turning to lay on his stomach, arm tucked under his chin. "They're really flowers, but they changed when things went south."
"The singing flowers?" Alice questioned.
Cheshire nodded. "Yeah." He yawned loudly. He reached his free arm out and scratched his back. "Damn. Over slept." He said. He finally sat up and ran a hand through his untied hair.
Alice blinked. He must have gotten up some time in the night in, because she was pretty sure that hair as long as his didn't just untie itself. It still had twigs caught in it as well.
"Damn it," Cheshire muttered. "Stupid faeries."
Alice cocked her head to the side and gave him a questioning look.
"They undid my hair again. They do it so it knots itself up." Cheshire explained, looking around on the floor near his cot. "It amuses the hell out of them."
"Why not cut it?"
Cheshire's head snapped up and he looked at Alice as if she'd just asked him why the sky was blue, or why birds fly. "I like it long." He stated.
Alice had a feeling there was another answer, but she didn't feel that she knew him well enough to pry into such personal things. It would be almost are rude as Hatter had proven himself to be on their first meeting.
"Where's Hatter?" Alice suddenly asked.
Cheshire made a choking sound. He stared at Alice, eyes wide. "White didn't…" he trailed off. "I'm going to kill that son of a…" he looked at Alice. "Look, the sun will be coming up in a little. I bet someone will be up. I need to speak to some people."
"You want to get rid of me." Alice stated, narrowing her eyes at him.
Cheshire reached out and picked his shirt off of the floor. He pulled it on and stood. "That's not true, and I don't have nearly enough time to stand here mending your hurt feelings, there's too many of those going around these days." He said. "I've got work to do. White will be here soon enough to explain everything to you."
"What about Hatter?"
"I have to go."
Alice stared at his retreating back. She wanted to call out to him. Tell him that she really didn't want to be alone right now. But she stayed silent, It was due to all the years she'd spent wanting to call out to her father and realizing that even if she did call out, he wouldn't have turned around.
Cheshire paused at the door. He turned and looked back at her, his trademark grin in place. "Go find Mock or something. He'll be awake, moaning and groaning about life." He smiled. "Go play."
Alice watched him open the door and leave. She frowned after him. Go Play? What was she, some little child? Is that how Cheshire still saw her, as someone who was still a little girl?
She got up. She realized her hair was frizzing badly and she desperately wanted a hot shower, but that was as likely as being able to go home. She stared at the pile of clothes on the floor. Hesitantly she reached out and pushed some of them aside. They were male clothes, Shirts, pants, boots, and things of that nature. She looked at the boots, sized them up, and realized they would work perfectly. She found some socks and slid them onto her feet. It took a bit to unlace the boots and re-lace them to fit her feet. She stood up, tapped the toe of the boot against the floor. It would have to do.
She walked towards the door, listening to the floor creak underneath her as she walked. She had a sneaking suspicion that there was a basement or something underneath the floor, but that wasn't a real comfort to her, what if she fell through?
She stepped outside; the air was cool, typical for fall. Not typical for Wonderland. The sun was beginning to peek up, painting the sky a lovely shade of pink and orange. She yawned slightly and walked down the drive of the house.
The village wasn't as quite as one would think, given the time, it was quite active.
"Alice!" Mock shouted from his place near a campfire. His hands were cupped over his mouth, just to be sure she'd heard him.
Alice hesitated before walking over to him. "Good morning," she greeted.
Mock smiled, the same smile that he'd always had. "It's been a while since someone said that to me." He said. His smile faded around the edges when he noticed what she was wearing. "You're not going to want to go around dressed like that for long. It can get pretty cold here."
Alice sighed, and her shoulders slumped. "I don't really have a choice. White obviously wasn't thinking about the weather when he picked these out for me." she sat next to him.
Mock chewed his lip thoughtfully. "White doesn't think about anyone." He said. He shrugged his shoulders as if something had just popped into his head, but had turned out to be useless, not worth sharing. "Fact of life."
Alice smiled and shook her head. She didn't remember Mock having such a cheerful attitude. He'd always been a manic depressive person, something to do with being turned from a turtle to a human, and then having the only way of turning back into a turtle stolen and used to make soup.
"Mock." Alice said, inching closer to the tall young man. "What ever happened with the Duchess? I mean, I remember getting your shell back the first time, but obviously you don't have it now… so what happened?"
Mock gave a strangled sound, like something had caught in his throat. "You really don't know the act of subtlety do you?" he shook his head in amusement. "The Duchess made me an offer that I couldn't refuse. It was worth it though…"
"Was it really?"
"Alice, this isn't something I enjoy talking about." Mock said. there was something in his eyes, a pain that was so raw that Alice couldn't help the subject drop.
"So… What is Cheshire doing?" Alice asked, changing the subject.
"Cheshire? Oh, I guess he's probably sneaking about somewhere." Mock said. he sat down on one of the logs that surrounded the fire. He motioned for Alice to sit next to him. "Cheshire's good for getting into places that the rest of us aren't able to."
Alice smiled, "Because he can do that vanish thingy?" she asked.
Mock grinned, "That and people seem to overlook him. They see him but there's something about him that makes them think they're seeing things."
Alice laughed gently. "Lucky him." she said.
Mock laughed. "Lucky him." he agreed.
They sat there in a comfortable silence. The window whistled through the broken windows of the houses. Leaves rustled along the ground. There was the sound of water trickling somewhere. And the scent of food cooking.
Alice's stomach gave a loud rumble.
Mock turned his head toward her, smirking. "Hungry?" he asked.
Alice rolled her eyes, "Obviously."
Mock stood up. "Their cooking food on the north side of the town." He explained. "Just pass those two house. See 'em?"
Alice nodded.
"Head on over there and get yourself something to eat." Mock said. he reached down and offered the teenager his hand.
Alice reached out and accepted the hand. Allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. "Where are you going to be?" she asked. Nervous.
Mock smiled. He reached his hand and cupped her chin, his thumb tracing under her lips. "Don't worry so much, Alice, it's not becoming of you."
Alice didn't think her cheeks could get any redder. She looked down at her feet. Trying to stop the thunder of thoughts that had suddenly decided to dance through her brain.
But underneath all the teenage emotions were surprising her, because it was so unexpected, she realized with a jolt that even though it felt nice to have his hand hold her like that, it was also uncomfortable. She didn't feel the need to have him kiss her, in fact, she would have been fine if he'd simply let go of her chin, it simply didn't matter either way.
Her own emotions were confusing her.
"I'll try." She whispered.
Mock cocked his head to the side. "You do that." He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. "Go get something to eat." He released his grip on her chin and gave her a light push in the general direction of the area that breakfast was being cooked.
Alice looked at him for a moment longer before turning away. She started walking. She felt strange, perhaps a little awkward. Her own emotions were doing some sort of dance, one who's moves she didn't know or understand.
The smell of food made her stomach growl. It felt like forever since she'd eaten some shrimp at the party. Shrimp, as anyone can tell you, isn't a food you can rely on to keep you well feed for any period of time.
As she approached the clearing she spotted the large fire that was being used to cook foot.
The fire would have been hard to miss. It was big, at least the size of five normal fires. Sitting beside the fire, two on either side, were strange Y shaped devices. The devices were large, and connecting them together were three long metal poles. The poles had pots hooked onto them. Something inside the pots bubbled and steamed, sending off wonderful smells.
Sitting beside the fire, obviously tending to the food and such, was a tiny old woman. She was a Gnome, but one of the oldest that Alice had ever seen.
"Hello, dear." She greeted when she spotted Alice. "Here for some breakfast?"
Alice nodded, "Yes, ma'am." She said. "If you don't mind that is."
The woman chucked and got to her feet. She walked slowly forward, as if each step pained her, and grabbed a large spoon that was hanging off the left Y shaped device. She held it and pushed something on the device. One of the poles shuddered and moved away from the flames.
The woman reached down and picked up a small wooden plate. She walked to the first pot and dipped the spoon into it, she pulled it out again and dumped the contents onto the plate. It was some sort of reddish stew, there were lumps of something in it. She walked to the next pot, dropped the spoon in, and took a healthy scoop of the contents.
The food smelled great. But didn't look as appetizing. The red stew from the first pot was as normal as the food got. The second pot contained something that was like eggs, but the color was more orange, and it was very runny. The final pot contained what might have been mashed up fruit, though Alice wouldn't have bet on it. the color was purple.
She took her plate gracefully, thanking the Gnome women, and ended up accepting a large canteen of water before she was able to walk away.
She found an over turned tree to sit on. She pulled herself up onto the large log and balanced her plate on her lap. She made a small face as she took the wooden spoon and scooped a little of the red stew into it. she lifted it too her lips, hesitated for a couple seconds, opened her mouth and popped the stuff in.
It was a shock to the taste buds; that was for sure. The red stuff tasted like a spicy berry, it was amazingly good, and it rolled down her throat and into her stomach, making her feel all warm and fluttery.
It was kind of like Easter chocolates, the kind you get in a basket of things you'd never use, so cheap, but so good.
She tried the egg like stuff, and was surprised by the tang that came with it. the texture was very much like a nicely cooked egg. But the taste was something along the lines of a spicy cheddar cheese, mixed with a little hot sauce. Again, it caused a nice warm feeling to run through her body. The chill that Mock had warned her about wouldn't stand a chance against this food.
The final bit she tried was the fruit like thing. After all the spicy things she'd eaten, the taste of sweetness was like a shock to the system, but a very pleasant one. It was like someone had given her ice cream on a hot summer day. It rolled down her throat, into her stomach and left her feeling full and happier than she'd felt all day.
She sat there staring at the empty plate. She'd never enjoyed food as much as she'd enjoyed this. It was as if someone had taken a bottle of happy emotions and mixed it in with the food. The emotions were pleasant, and all her worries went fluttering away on paper wings. She didn't mind feeling happy, warm, and content with everything.
"You looked pleased."
Alice turned her head and stared at Cheshire, who'd just appeared next to her on the log. "That might be because I am," she said, smiling.
Cheshire's eyebrow rose. He looked at the plate in her hand, reached a hand out and dipped his finger into some of the remaining liquid. He brought his finger to his lips and touched his tongue to it. he shuttered. "Should have known," he laughed.
Alice raised an eyebrow, "known what?" she asked.
"Liquid emotions," Cheshire explained.
Alice's eyes widened, "I was just thinking about that." She said.
Cheshire smiled. "Lena," he said with a chuckle, "She's the mother Gnome. She is also a powerful potion master, and she uses her craft well. Though every now and then she likes to slip some of her potions into the food, to give everyone a well needed boost."
Alice nodded her head, though it didn't make much sense to her in the long run. The talk of potions just went over her head. She didn't really understand how anyone could bottle an emotion and slip it into food. It was too much for her brain to process.
"Did you find Mock?" Cheshire asked. Stretching out across the length of the log. His slender body arched backwards before settling down, arm tucked underneath his head.
Alice looked at him, her eyebrow raised. She felt a little awkward around him still, but it was fading. "I spoke with him an hour ago." She said. "I think I annoyed him."
"Well, that's not hard to do." Cheshire laughed. "Say the wrong thing and he gets all pissy."
Alice had to agree with that. It was true. "So, what's the deal with his shell?" she asked.
Cheshire huffed loudly, a strand of his hair, which had come loose from his braid, fluttered in front of his mouth. "He traded it back to the Duchess," he said softly, "she gave us this shit hole in return."
Alice stared at him, "But this is a Gnome village," she said, "how does the duchess have any rights to it?"
"The Queen gave it to her, some sort of 'I hope you like me' gift." Cheshire said darkly. "She's done that to a lot of the different races. Just up and traded their homes from under their feet."
Alice bit her lip, hard. "The Duchess didn't eat the gnomes?" she asked.
Cheshire laughed, "She tried." He admitted. "But Mock offered her something she wanted more than all you can eat gnomes."
"His shell."
"Yes and no."
Alice cocked her head to the side, "Yes and no?"
"It's not only his shell she wanted." Cheshire said. Propping himself up on his elbows. He gave her a very strange look.
Alice blinked. She swallowed hard. "What else did she want?" she asked. Hoping that what she was suddenly thinking was just a byproduct of her teenage mind.
Cheshire grimaced. "Use your imagination Alice, we both know that the duchess is a twisted piece of work."
Alice closed her eyes. "I don't even want to think about that!" she snapped.
"Think it?" Cheshire said, the beginnings of anger in his voice. "Alice, Mock had to live it!"
Alice looked at him, "Why are you telling me this?" she questioned.
"I'm telling you this because you asked about his shell!"
"I asked about the shell, not about what that… woman did to him!"
"It's the same thing!"
"It is not!"
Alice swung her self off the log, and marched away from Cheshire. It was selfish, it was childish, and it was just plain stupid. She was avoiding the facts. And the first fact that she'd avoided was the fact that people she'd cared about had had bad things happen to them.
And she was too much of a coward to stand there and listen to the details.
The idea of Mock being forced to do… that with the Duchess was just horrid. It was disgusting, and she hadn't even been there when it happen. It was almost as if she were feeling what Mock should have felt. But Mock was twice the person she'd ever be. He at least had given up something to protect those he cared for. He'd given up his shell, and he'd given himself to protect the Gnomes.
What could Alice do that was as useful as that?
She sighed loudly and stopped walking.
Somehow or other she'd ended up walking towards the woods. She was standing on the path that led from the village to the lake. She could hear the waters swishing up against the shoreline.
She walked over, stepping off the path and into the thorny underbrush. She walked toward the lake and stopped when she reached the shoreline. She leaned back against one of the large rocks that littered the shoreline. Some of the rocks were twice as tall as she was, and some looked like they could slice you to ribbons if you weren't careful.
She wondered what the stone was called. It was something that she should have remembered, but whatever the name was it had slipped her mind.
She leaned her head back. The stone felt cool on her head. The air around her felt cool as well. She realized with a sick feeling in her stomach that she didn't belong. She didn't belong in this world. This was place for children, where they were free to dream whatever it is that children dream.
The only thing that adults did to this world was drag it down, destroy everything that made it a wonderland. Reality, and reason, those were adult thoughts. Imagination, and hope, that was a child's dream. Adults didn't use their imagination for much, and hope was like a distant dream. They continued to reach forward, trying to come within reach of hope. But as always, it slipped just out of reach.
No. She didn't belong in wonderland. But for some strange reason everyone around her thought she did. Perhaps it was just another sign of their impending insanity. She was sure that she was the only sane person left in wonderland.
But did she want to be that? The only person who thought like an adult… did that person belong in wonderland?
Alice hugged herself. She felt completely alone. And she couldn't explain why.
"Alice?"
Alice turned and stared at the man standing in front of her. She cocked her head to the side. Her brain searched through the record of people she'd met in wonderland. She knew she should know this guy, but she couldn't remember his name.
The man was handsome in a strange sort of way. His eyes were pale blue. Skin, a tan color that had begun to go pale. His hair was brown, and he had a very nice face. Very male. The cheekbones were very noticeable, but in a nice, healthy way. His eyes blazed out from his face. they were by far his best feature.
He was dressed in a loose red shirt, he didn't have an emblem on it. his pants were black, and he wore riding boots.
"Are you really Alice?" the man asked.
Alice swallowed. "Ummm… last time I checked I was." she said. her voice sounded very high, very frightened.
The man smiled, a pleasant smile. It made his face come alive. "You don't remember me do you?" he whispered.
Alice gave a small shake of her head. "No… sorry… should I?"
"I don't know." The man said. "Should you?"
Alice's frown deepened. "You're teasing me, aren't you."
The man chuckled. "Only a little." He said. "But that's just our way of doing things. As I'm sure you're beginning to see."
Alice smiled, "Yeah. I guess so." She bit her lip. "What's your name, if you don't mind me asking."
"I'll tell you some other time." He said. he stepped forward, invading her personal space. He leaned forward.
Alice froze. Her mind went blank. A pair of warm lips pressed against her mouth, and she didn't mind at all.
Warm arms slipped around her waist, pulling her forward. She pressing against the man's body, the taste of his mouth reminded her of something, kind of like the food she'd eaten earlier. The sweet flavor rolled down her tongue and into her mouth. She leaned into the kiss, surprising herself. It was like all sense and reason had abandoned her in that instant.
Suddenly she realized with a jolt that the man had liquid in his mouth, he forced it into her mouth, that was what she'd been tasting. She shoved away from his and coughed.
"W-what did you…" she stumbled, her hand shot out to catch the rock nearest her, but a warm arm wrapped around her again.
She closed her eyes a fluttered away into the blissful darkness.
--
When she came through, Alice found herself watching a set of dark storm clouds rolling through the sky. They were the type of clouds that warned a person to head in-doors. Thunder sounded through the sky, and bolts of lightning flashed.
When she sat up, she felt every ache and pain in her body. It felt like someone had hit her a couple times, or maybe she'd taken a bad jump off the swing.
She groaned at the thought. She'd done that so often as a child that her mom had turned it into a running joke. "Alice," she would say as she placed a bandage on the latest hurt. "You really need to learn to not just let go, but to let go at the right moment."
She pushed off the ground and got to her feet, swaying slightly as the blood settled in her head. She sighed and breathed through her nose, putting her hands on her knees. She cursed and finally stood straight again.
When she looked around she saw that she was standing in the middle of an open field. The grass was brown and looked like it was bordering on dying. Lying about twenty yards away from the place that Alice stood was a large bird of some kind. The wings were a strange shade of gray and they reminded Alice of something.
'Gryphon,' Alice thought sadly. He'd had gray wings the first time she'd met him, they'd jutted straight out of his back like the wings that the angels in the paintings she'd seen did.
The smell coming from the bird was so bad that it was obvious that it was already dead and gone.
Alice turned her head from the bird and looked to her right. Looming in front of her was a forest that seemed to stretch forever.
To the right was an empty field.
Both choices sucked. But Alice reasoned with herself that she was better off under the cover of the trees than she would be in the empty field.
That and she remembered the weird guy, the one whose names she couldn't quite remember.
Who was he?
As she stepped into the forest she couldn't help but wish for a bag of bread crumbs. Just in case she lost her way.