I'M BAAAACK~! Who missed me? I apologize for taking so long, I've been busy with publishing matters, as I have mentioned before that this story is going to be published. YAAAAY! Also, I've recently become a major fan of Homestuck, and that's taken up a lot of time as well. I realize that this is not an adequate excuse, but I don't care. I hope you all enjoy this latest installment!
The following weeks after the Hatter's befuddling actions flew by with much less excitement, not that Alyce minded. Her injuries healed nicely, and she was now able to move around comfortably without causing herself too much pain. Sophia came in everyday to change bandages, help her bathe and dress, and give her something to eat. The food was different than what she was originally given, as rather than various pastries and cakes to keep her sustained, she was given actual meals, with meat and vegetables and the like. The tea was still consistent, though the flavors varied to all different types; chamomile tea, green tea, Earl Grey tea, etcetera.
Kaleb also came in everyday, along with Jack. Alyce was far from happy about his presence, but tried to ignore the Mad Hatter as best she could in favor of talking with Kaleb. He would tell stories about adventures he and Jack had gone on decades before (though at times Alyce felt as if he was omitting certain details) and occasionally he would mention Pandora. Jack almost never said anything, just sat there while she and Kaleb talked. Occasionally, he would say the March Hare's name in a warning tone when he approached certain topics, and Kaleb would stop talking immediately. Other times, Kaleb would tell a funny story, and Jack would join in with the Hare's laughter, smiling fondly in remembrance of his lost love. It had become routine for Alyce, and she began to look forward to when Kaleb would come to talk to her. Despite his initial brutality, he turned out to be a very sweet person.
Still, the Mad Hatter made sure that Alyce had been kept under lock and key. He had removed the collar and chain shortly after his attack on her, but he kept the door locked at all times, even when he and the March Hare were in the room. Sophia had a spare so she could bring Alyce food and such, but the mute maid seemed significantly more nervous. She could only guess that Jack had threatened the poor woman with something horrible if she were to ever become lax in locking the door.
It is for this reason that Alyce was very confused when she woke one morning to find the door to her bedroom wide open.
She stared at the open doorway from her place on the bed, unsure what to do. Her wounds had healed well enough that she could move about with minimal discomfort, and she was desperate to explore. After all, no matter how much better their treatment of her had gotten, she had spent a long time in the room and longed to stretch her legs. However, the memory of the Hatter's beating was still fresh in her mind, and kept her frozen on the spot.
She battled with herself, wanting to explore but unwilling to face the crazed Hatter's wrath. She sat there for several minutes, until, eventually, her curiosity got the better of her.
Slowly, Alyce stood, careful not to aggravate some of her still healing wounds, and made her way towards the door. She peered out of the doorway, making sure that no one was watching her. Satisfied that she was alone, Alyce turned to the right and ventured into the hall, unsure of where she was going. The hallway had a slight curve to it, and several doors lined the walls. Strange and frightening noises came from behind them. Alyce hurried her pace, the endless corridor stretching on and on, until she came to a break in the wall. However, instead of another hallway, there was a rather large and ornate staircase. Tentatively, she peered down the stairs, a found what she assumed to be the grand foyer. She quietly snuck down the grand staircase, desperate not to alert anyone to her presence, for she had a feeling that if she was caught no one would hesitate to turn her over to Jack. As she made it to the bottom, Alyce once again looked around to make sure that she was alone. There was another corridor on either side of her, but rather than going on endlessly, the stopped rather abruptly. There was no door where they ended, just empty walls.
Alyce turned her attention to what was in front of her. Standing before the teen was a very large, very ornate wooden door. It seemed out of place when compared to the blank white walls and black and white checkered floors. Slowly, Alyce made her way towards the door, her bare feet making no noise as she carefully made her way across the icy floor. She wrapped her hands around one of the iron handles, and pulled at the door hard. The poor teenager almost flew backwards, stunned that not only was the door unlocked, but by how light it was.
Alyce peered out, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight that she hadn't seen in a long time. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the harsh light of the sun, and took in the beautiful Wonderland scenery before her. The sunlight warmed her face as she practically ran out of the Hatter's mansion, unaware of the Mad Hatter's servants watching her from one of the front gardens.
Alyce ran through the forest, laughing with glee at her first taste of freedom in weeks. Her bare feet pounded against the ground as she ran with ear-to-ear grin on her face and uncontrollable giggles bubbled past her lips. Now if only I could find a way back home.
When she was a good distance away from the dreaded mansion, Alyce slowed to a leisurely pace and took in her surroundings. She wandered about in amazement amongst the multicolored trees and giant mushroom stools. The landscape was different from when she saw it outside the Hatter's office window. This time the sun was out, and the brilliant colors that glowed in the moonlight were intensified tenfold, creating a sea of brilliant blues and purples and pinks and yellows above her.
Alyce continued her exploration of the Wonderland forest, trapped in a constant state of awe as she took in the otherworldly glory of her surroundings. She sighed, content for the first time in what felt like years. Then her calm was shattered by the thunder of a gunshot. Alyce stood rooted to the ground as three more shots rang out, each one louder and closer than the last. The all too familiar sensation of fear paralyzed every cell in her body. Her breathing was rapid as a million different scenarios danced through her mind, each more horrifying than the last and all ending with her death.
After several minutes of silence, Alyce felt the fear lessen, and regained control of herself. In the dead silence, the teen took a small step forward. Then another. Then several more till she found herself moving towards the previous sound of the gunshots with a will that was not her own. She couldn't turn back even if she wanted to. This has to be the stupidest thing I have ever done!
Slowly, Alyce continued forward, quiet as a mouse. She flinched when her foot landed on a small twig and broke it with an audible 'snap'. This caused her to hesitate briefly before continuing quietly towards where the gunshots had been. She froze again when she heard the frighteningly familiar voice of the Mad Hatter. Alyce felt her heart race. She was too far away to make out the words, but the threatening tone did not go by unnoticed. The teen carefully crept forward, desperate not to make the slightest sound as she attempted to spy on her captor. She appeared in front of some thick bushes, which concealed the Hatter from her vision. She reached a hand out to pull the leaves gently away, but froze as she could finally make out Jack's words.
"Pathetic," he sneered, "Truly and utterly pathetic. You think you can start a rebellion against me?! Please! The thought that someone as pathetically weak as you taking down someone like me is simply laughable." Alyce could practically hear the Hatter's lip curl up in disgust. Silently, Alyce parted the leaves in front of her, hoping to get a good view of the Mad Hatter. She immediately wished she hadn't.
The Hatter's faced away from her, making it impossible to see the man's face, but Alyce didn't find that particularly troubling. No, what the poor teenager found disturbing was the man in front of Jack, currently bleeding out on the ground before him. Blood gushed from his head, flowing like a river, and his entire body looked broken. The bone in his leg was snapped in half, and the top portion was sticking out drastically. It was the same for his bones in his right arm and three ribs on his left side. To make matters worse, the man's stomach had been cut open, his intestines spewing from his gut in a grotesque manner. It was obvious that the man had been tortured before Jack shot him. At least, Alyce assumed Jack shot the man if the smoking machine gun he was holding was any indication. But that wasn't the worst part.
The worst part was the fact that the man had no face.
Alyce let out a horrified gasp, her heart rate skyrocketing in fear and disgust of the scene before her, trying with all her might to keep from retching and stopping the bile in her throat from going any further. Is this one of the 'faceless' Jack and the others were talking about?
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Alyce let out a frightened yelp, not realizing her gasp had alerted the Hatter to her presence. He turned towards her, his face contorted into a raging fury that could quite possibly kill a man with the fear it invoked. Unfortunately, Alyce had no time to dwell on her captor's facial expression as she turned to bolt in the other direction, all too aware of the Mad Hatter following her.
She was once again running through the brilliance of Wonderland's forest, but this time it wasn't with glee. It was fear for her life.
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