A/N: A little difficult going through this chapter, even though it was short. I'm glad to get it over with, haha.

Chapter Three: Baby Tears

"When Envy breeds unkind division:
There comes the ruin, there begins confusion."
1 Henry VI 4.1.195-6, Exeter

Max didn't want to breathe in the smell of Angel's blood. She could imagine what it would be like. The humidity of the laundry chute hinted how bad it was going to be. However, when she tried to breathe through her mouth, the light powder from the sides flew into her mouth. Max reflexively gagged and panicked at the awful taste. It was coppery and thick, sticking to her tongue until Max was forced to try and spit it out.

Blood, she tasted blood. The tunnel was covered in dried blood.

It was everywhere. Max had no choice but to get air in through her nose. As expected, the stench was terrible. Max felt nauseated and it didn't help as more powder clung to her face. She was still sliding, though she couldn't tell how fast or slow.

Her protesting throat closed up on her. Max felt her stomach heave, but nothing was able to come out. Tears trickled from the corner of her eyes as her gut wrenched painfully. She hadn't eaten anything, so there was nothing to throw up. Max almost wished there was. Her hands flew to her mouth to cover them.

Mistake.

Max forgot that her hands were dirty from trying to slow down her sliding momentum. The smell and the lingering taste was almost too much for her to handle. She felt like she was going to die.

That moment, that thought…

Max peered ahead of her and almost laughed. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. How convenient. It was coming closer and closer, though it wasn't betting any bigger. Max's head couldn't register the illusion until it was too late. Her whole body crashed against a solid wall of darkness. Max coughed and spat out more powder.

She blinked rapidly. The bright light she saw was nothing more than a pin sized hole through the black wall.

Max cautiously pressed her cheek against the wall and tried to look through the small peephole. The room she saw beyond was blurry, though she had a hunch that it was a greenhouse. There was green everywhere with the occasional splashes of bright colors that she assumed were flowers or even fruit.

Suddenly, a bright blue iris blocked her view of the garden. Max nearly yelped in surprise at the eye, but then it drew back, revealing Angel. Sighing in relief, Max urgently knocked against the wall.

"Angel, it's me! Max. Could you get me out? I'm stuck!"

"Aren't you late, though?"

Max gritted her teeth. This was stupid, but she decided to play along with Angel... or whatever her imposter was.

"I'm going to be late if you can't help me out, sweetie," Max said, adopting a patient tone she always used on Angel when things was going rough.

Much to her surprise, Angel let out a trill of delighted laughter. Even from behind the wall, Angel's giggles rang disturbingly in Max's ears.

"Good. Then I'll just leave you here," the little girl said, nodding more to herself than Max, "I'll be the one who gets to see the Queen of Hearts."

Max recoiled from the wall, as if someone had slapped her face away. "No… Angel, what are you doing? Get me out, please!"

"No, no, no, Max," Angel said excitedly. Her voice still held a hint of laughter, "You're always stuck, Max. You can't get on without me. You always need my help. I think I should be leader now."

Max felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise up. There was a distinct feeling of déjà vu.

"Opps, I was supposed to save all that for Jeb, huh?"

Max blinked, a feeling of hope fluttering in her chest. Of course! Angel would never betray her. Not her little baby. Gingerly, Max reached out to touch the wall between them. Ignoring the gritty dirt she felt, Max leaned in once more to peer into the pin-sized hole.

"I have a question, Max," sang Angel, who had reopened her parasol and was skipping back and forth. When there was no immediate answer, Angel leaned over so all Max could see was her childish smile. "What did Alice do when she couldn't get through the door?"

She cried, thought Max.

But you're not going to do that, are you? It was Angel's voice. Of course not. Not big-shot, flock-leader Maximum Ride.

"Get out of my head," Max snapped, not caring to be kind any longer. Get the fuck out.

Angel gave another little laugh and nodded. She seemed happy to leave Max all alone in the dark.

"I'm going back home, Max," she cooed into the tiny opening, "I'm going to see the Queen of Hearts, not you. Bye-bye!"

With a skip and a twirl, the little girl flounced away. Max could not believe what was happening. Well, it was strange enough as it is. She sat back on the grimy slide.

And fell.

It was as if the slide never existed. She couldn't see what was going on, so Max was inclined to believe that she simply fell through whatever it was she was sitting on.

It initial fall itself was a shock. After that… well… it got boring. A free fall wasn't a very scary thing when one could fly after all. Max felt the wind rush through her hair. Her eyes started to sting and she blinked back tears, horrified at the thought of dried blood getting in.

She shut her eyes. The wind stopped.

When she opened them again, she nearly gasped in astonishment. Max found herself sitting on a very plush chair in a brightly lit room. She didn't feel herself fall. It was like as if she appeared somewhere out of thin air. Max tried to adjust and think it out, but she could only come up with one solution.

If this is really a dream, then I shouldn't be surprised at all. Nice one.

It was only after she confessed to the idea that her hearing suddenly started working overtime. It was a very noisy room. She heard a baby squalling, a cat mewing, and a racket of dishes that sounded like they were being thrown against the wall. For the sake of her lolling head, she put both hands over her ears.

"Why, this was quite unexpected."

Max instantly removed her hands. Sitting right in front of her in a regal chair was Anne. Her initial reaction was to jump up and start snarling at the woman, but it was really the present situation and environment that kept Max from doing anything else. Not to mention the attire Anne was wearing was putting Max on an uneasy edge.

The Director was dressed elegantly in a style that was several decades old. Even the white-rabbit version of Angel looked more modern. Her dress was a deep color of violet trimmed with red. It wasn't a bad combination. A feathery and decorative masquerade mask rested primly in Anne's lap. It was just as well since Anne currently had her hands full holding the crying baby Max had heard.

"Anne?" Max managed to rasp out.

"Child, do get yourself off my chair. You're absolutely filthy!" exclaimed the Director, wrinkling her nose.

Max could barely hear her over the baby. However, she was smart enough to read the woman's expression. Max swallowed thickly and slid off the chair, aware that she must be colored in old blood from the tunnel. Bracing herself, she glanced down. Her clothes were spotless. In fact, she felt cleaner than before this whole Wonderland ordeal started.

Amazing. I'm speechless, Max thought sarcastically.

"Anne…?" she began warily, not taking anything for granted at the moment.

It was a good thing she was prepared since Anne threw her a disgusted look. Dropping the baby on the ground, she stood up and placed her hands on her hips. Max cringed as the baby made a sickening crack against the floor. Even with all the clatter of breaking dishes, she could still hear it quite clearly. Max wanted to see if the screaminig baby was okay, but Anne's voice stopped her.

"How dare you! I am the Duchess!"

End Chapter.