Nearly month had slipped by, and still, Alice had yet to return to Wonderland. She was afraid to go back, as much as she hated to admit it. She remained cowardly in her cell, wasting the days away as she flipped through pictures and magazines Dr. Stanpole occasionally snuck in for her. Since her mention of Wonderland, he seemed more concerned for Alice, and spent additional time with her. Together they'd sit, Alice sometimes busy sketching pictures as he shared stories of his own life, and other times, on rare occasions, she'd be the one to share. Even though she never really showed it, she enjoyed his company, and for a while felt content with the way life had become. This all changed however, when one cloudy afternoon, Mr. Komplien entered the room instead of Dr. Stanpole.
It was around time for her sessions, and Alice, who had been secretly looking forward to it, was clearly displeased to see Mr. Komplien. "Where is Henry?" she asked, forgetting to say hello.
"/Dr. Stanpole/ can't make it today Alice," he replied, lips pulled into a thin line, finding her rudeness rather distasteful. "His son has fallen ill, and has more important matters to attend."
Alice frowned, turning sharply to the window. "Will he be here tomorrow?" she questioned, watching the male's reflection on the glass.
"You'll find out tomorrow," he replied, taking a small backwards step. "Good day!" With that he slammed the door shut.
"Oh yes, good day," Alice snorted, folding her arms over her chest. Now what was she to do? Sighing, she plopped down on the floor, staring blankly at the ground. "Stupid boy…what did he have to get sick for? He was probably out enjoying his day outside all of yesterday, while I was stuck in this wretched place. Pft. And then he has to go on and get sick, and take Henry away. Hog him all to himself, the prat."
There was a soft snicker tickling her ear. "Ah yes, the boy is to blame, but hurting you was not his aim."
"Oh, must you come now?" she groaned, rubbing her forehead in annoyance. "I'm not in the mood. I've told you already, I don't want to go back. Leave me alone."
"I'm quite tired of your attitude. I've come to help you, so show me just a little gratitude," the cat sneered, emaciated body appearing before her feet.
"Come to help me for what? What could you possibly do to help me?" she questioned, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
The feline was slow to answer; bony tail twitching madly, face set in a frown. "Dr. Stanpole's son has been selected to save Wonderland, and we've made sure his son remains ill until you take command."
"What rubbish is this?" Her mood was already soured, and the Cheshire cat was only making it worse. "Take command of what? I told you already, I'm not coming back!" she cried, kicking at the heinous creature.
With an angry yowl, the Cheshire cat stumbled away from her angry blow, losing balance for a brief moment. "You must if you want your friend to remain alive, otherwise neither him, nor the boy shall survive," he scoffed.
"You leave Henry alone!" the teen hissed, voice full of malevolence.
"Right now you're in no position to tell us what to do. You're not helping us, so why should we listen to you?" the cat retorted, skinny tail brushing against the cold cement floor as he began pacing around the cell, glowing yellow eyes locked on the girl, wearing a look of pure displeasure on his face.
"Because if you don't listen to me, you'll never live in peace again," she growled, pupils shrinking to pinpricks as she glowered the feline. Her hands were formed into tight fists, fingernails digging deep into her soft flesh.
"Wrong, if we don't have you to follow, Wonderland will no longer be alive to wallow," the skeleton snickered, holding his head high with pride, "You see Alice, Wonderland always gets its way, and with that in mind, I shall depart. Hopefully I'll hear news that the queen is slay." And with that concluding statement, the Cheshire vanished, his words however, still lingering heavily in the air.
"That-that goddamn cat, if they hurt Henry I'll – I'll…oh, I'll never forgive them!" she cried, burying her face into her cream colored dress. "Those devils! I never wished for anything to happen to Henry! That overgrown, good for nothing liar – they don't care for me!" She squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her face tighter against the rough cloth, "They won't get away with this…if they want me to kill the queen…then so be it. I'll take her, and whoever else I can. I'll kill every wretched being in that miserable dump." She could feel the coarse fabric impress itself into her smooth skin, and felt a soft breeze sweep by, causing the gentle tickling of her dark hair against silky her arms. A stuffy warmth began to flood the room, as the heavy scent of sweaty bodies began to seep into the air, and the weak sounds of hurried footsteps entered the hushed halls. Alice was lost in thought, unaware of how those rushed steps seemed to become more and more like thumps – thumpings of a rabbit. There was a small creak as the door swung open, and standing in the doorframe was none other than the white rabbit.
"No time to dawdle Alice, we're very late indeed," he scowled, speaking in a scratchy voice. He seemed panicky, and unstable, thumping one long foot impatiently, as he beckoned Alice out the door.
Alice slowly brought her head up, angry face set on the aged rabbit. Like the Cheshire cat, it looked as though it had lived far longer than it should. Old, grizzly hair ran along its wrinkled body, elongated ears dropping low against its skull. A short top hat was smashed on its crown, and a filthy suit was pulled over its wasted body. Two long teeth protruded far from its mouth, while several crooked whiskers jerked awkwardly with every twitch of its fleshy nose. In his pocket was a large, golden pocket watch, its loud, incessant ticking following the rabbit as he suddenly hopped outside the room, diving into a portal of darkness.
Left with no other option but to follow, Alice hurried over to the ledge, staring down at where the rabbit had disappeared. The institute had been swallowed into a pit of darkness, with nowhere to go but down. Standing on a small cement island, however, was the Cheshire cat, a large grin smeared across his face. "Suppress your need to lead. Pursue rabbit with speed," he hollered over the rushing sound of the swirling abyss.
She didn't need to think twice- her mind was set. Leaping into the pit, she disappeared into the sea of darkness, leaving no trace behind.