Previously

"Grandpa!" I shouted and ran up to hug him, "Aren't you supposed to be in San Francisco?"

"Now's not the time for those questions." He said, "I have come to tell you your mission. You are destined to become the Queen of Wonderland." I was about to protest but he continued, "You must find the Mad Hatter he is familiar with prophecies and will explain everything to you as well as help you with your journey. The present Queen will try to stop you and she will try to kill you or worse." He paused to look at me, "I know you will succeed."

Then he started to disappear.

"NO!" I cried. Reaching for him but my hands just went through.

"I know you have questions and doubts, but they will be answered in time," he said, "I love you, little Angie." Then he disappeared.

"I love you too," I said.

CHAPTER 3

My eyes shot open, only to reveal a blurry ceiling, I blinked to clear my vision while I sat up. I panicked when I realized I was in a room I didn't recognize. Behind the white coach I was sitting on were abused looking plants growing out of dry dirt. In front of was sort of an office-like set up, which was on grass. I stood up and nearly collapsed if it weren't for a pair of arms that caught me.

"Now that wasn't a very smart idea was it?" said the man from earlier. He picked me up frighteningly easily and sat back down on the white couch. "Now lets look at your knee here." He sat down on a near-bye table and began to examine my knee, which was swollen and bruised.

"Alright good news: you're gonna be fine," he said. I waited for him to finish the sentence, but he looked at me expectantly, urging me to say something.

"And the bad news," I asked wearily.

He looked at me and said, "Well you're knee has to go, or rather the whole leg."

"Wait what?" I asked confused.

"I've seen this tons of times miss," he explained, "it's better to amputate from the knee down." He explained this all calmly as if he cut off peoples legs everyday. But realization dawned in when he pulled out a knife.

"Wait what do you think you're doing?!" I cried out in alarm.

"Wot does it look like?" he said, "It's going to hurt worse than hell but remember its for the best." I screamed as he moved the knife parallel to my leg. He looked up at me and laughed.

That's right. Laughed.

I glared murderously at him.

"Wot? Can't you take a joke?" he said, but I continued to glare murderous thoughts going through my head. "Okay I'll just get rid of this then." He folded up the knife and threw it behind him, and grinned at me.

"That was not funny whatsoever," I said, the venom flowing through my voice.

"You thought I was actually going to do it?" he asked sounding surprised.

"How do I know I don't even know you!" I countered, "And plus you did through me against the wall last night!"

"Oh how rude of me. I know your name but you don't know mine," he mused then stuck out his hand, "I'm Hatter, pleased to meet you Miss Evangeline." I looked at the hand warily, hiding my surprise that it would be so easy to find the Mad Hatter. "You know you're supposed to shake it," he added.

"I know that. I'm just not sure if I should. You could have one of those electric buzzers that looks like a ring," I said, but shook his anyways, "and call me Ava." He shifted and I grimaced, the movement had induced pain in my knee.

"Oh I'm sorry let me get some ice," he gently removed my leg and disappeared behind a door to my left. But not before removing the shade to a window, which poured warm sunshine on my entire body. Hatter came back minutes later with a bag of ice and a towel. He wrapped the towel around the ice and my knee, glancing at me every few seconds. While I looked around the room and fidgeted with the necklace around my neck; it's a nervous habit of mine.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked. He paused and looked up at me, his brown eyes connecting with my blue ones.

"Do I need a reason to help a pretty girl in very wet clothes?" he questioned, but it was more like a statement. This sent warning bells off in my head; not only did it sound what some kind of pervert would say, but obviously from the look in his eyes told me this wasn't the first time he said this to a girl. But there was also some sadness about him and something else, and a gut feeling told me he wasn't going to hurt me.

Suddenly, he lifted up my chin with his hand and looked at my face. "Funny," he remarked, "You don't burn." Then he stood up and brought me along with him. Now that we stood face to face, I could tell that he was a lot taller tham me, and although he was a bit skinny, he was very muscular. He took my hand in his, brought above my head and twirled me around. My feet got tangled up and I balanced myself ny putting my free hand on his shoulder just as he put his free hand on my waist.

Kinda like we're dancing, I thought. But his voice broke me out of my musings.

"You don't have this weird burning sensation that a tattoo suddenly appeaered on your body," he asked, looking down at me all while bringing my hand down so it leveled withmy shoulder.

"No I don't," I said. I realized we were still holding hands. I blushed and removed myself from the awkward position.

"Usually you Oysters turn green when you enter Wonderland," he speculated.

"Wait so I'm really in Wonderland," I said, thinking back to what mt grandfather said, "I thought that as just a children's book."

"Does this look like a children's book to you?" he asked, then said, "We could really use you in the Resistance. The last Alice was able to take the Queen down and-"

"Hold on," I interrupted, "What the hell are you talking about." Once again my hands were around my necklace.

"Well here's the story, bout fifty years ago," and Hatter went on, talling me the story of how Alice Hamilton came to Wonderland destroyed the Casino and brought down the wicked Queen (with the help of himof course). "Then she disappeared through the Mirror only to return later with a craving for power. She-"

"You didn't go after her?" I asked Hatter, who was sitting next to me on the couch. Well not really in next to me, but in front of me. My back was against the arm of the sofa and my knees drawn under my chin.

"I beg your pardon?" Hatter replied.

"Well obviously by the way your voice sounds, you loved- or love- this Alice. Why didn't you go after her?" I avoided his eyes, and I could feel the blush spreading across my cheeks. It wasn't any of my business, but I wanted to know.

"I do not love Alice," he said. I looked into his eyes, as he waited for my response.

"Voices can lie, but eyes rarely can;" I stated and went back to playing with my necklace, "Besides I know the story. 'Hatter followed her; he couldn't bear to be separated from his love. He found her unconscious on the floor and called in an ambulance. He took on the name David and they lived happily.

"'But not ever after,'" I continued, "'For Alice went back to Jack Heart, married him and became Queen of Wonderland. Things went downhill from there; she started back up the Casino and used the Mirror and The Stone of Wonderland to bring more oysters and money in. But the stone mysteriously disappeared, along with Jack. Rumor has it he was so heartbroken he had stolen the ring and his child with Alice, and disappeared into the Oyster's world, never to have been seen again,'" I recited for I knew the story by heart. I smiled at the memory of Grandpa tucking me in, while I begged him to tell me the story again. He told me every night, until I was thirteen. That was when my mother disappeared.

Flash Back

'What no begging for the story?' he asked, with a smile in his eyes.

'I don't need fairy tales any more,' I stated bluntly.

'It's not a fairy tale dear child,'

'Yes it is!' I shouted, 'That story is as fake as mom's abandoning is real!'

'Your mom did not abandon you,' he said sternly.

'Then why isn't she here?! Why wasn't she there for my birthday?!' I questioned tears pouring down my face.

'She didn't-' he started, but I would hear no more of his rubbish. I turned my back to him and slammed the door to my room. I sunk down to the floor and cried my heart out.

'She was the only parent I had left,' I sobbed

End Flash Back

And that was the last I was told the story of the second Alice in Wonderland. I never knew my father, and when my mom left me I was heartbroken. I regretted those words I had said to my grandfather, but I never took them back. I was too angry to face the truth he was telling me.

"Ava? Hello, earth to Ava," I suddenly became aware of Hatter's hand waving in front of my face.

"I'm sorry what?" I said, snapping out of my memories.

"I was just asking how you knew that story?" he asked, his eyes waiting impatiently for an answer.

"Oh my Grandpa told me the story as a child," I said simply.

"And his name was?"

"Jack," I answered, realization hitting me, "his name was Jack."

Hatter stared at me, obviously and extremely surprised.

As was i.

AUTHOR NOTE

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Oh and by the way, for some reason people think I'm black cuz my screen name is theBLACkwriter. I see how that is confusing, but let's just get this straight. I'm not black, not racial offenses intended.