Thank you for the Reviews! I have a question for some of you helpful folk out there. I seem to be having some technical difficulties (or I'm just not kinda smart with these things... hee hee). One, I can't seem to be able to create a page break in my chapters. (The gray line that goes across the page). And the other thing: I'll notice that two words are put together in my chapters on fanfiction (like they were missing a space) or two paragraphs aren't separated. Yet when I go on Word 2007, everything is fine. SOOO if you have the solution(s) to my problem(s), please let me know. :) Thank you. (Sorry for the long rant before the chapter!)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Alice In Wonderland. Lewis Carroll, Disney, and Tim Burton do.
Inspirational Song: "Alice" - Avril Lavigne
Hamish! Hamish! Hamish!
A small part of Alice's brain relaxed when she noticed that Hamish wasn't hurt (besides the kick in the groin) and was safe. After logic caught up with her she realized that Hamish was still holding her against the wall. She had no idea what thoughts were running through his mind.
Hamish was breathing heavily with wide eyes. "Alice," he wheezed. "Will you please calm down? I'm not going to hurt you," he panted. "I just want to talk." He shook his head. "Alice, how are you so strong?"
He waited for an answer before realizing that his hand still covered her mouth.
"Oh, right," he said. He looked her hard in the eyes. "If I remove my hand, will you promise not to make too much noise? I swear to you, Alice, I will not hurt you. Please realize that."
Alice looked at him. His hair was completely windswept and there was dirt in it. His cheeks were flushed and his clothing was ripped even more. But there was something else. . . something different about the man. There was a spark of life, a spark of excitement in his eyes that Alice had never seen before. Had Hamish lived ever more in his whole life than he had in this one day?
To answer Hamish's question, Alice nodded. Hamish slowly removed his hand from her mouth. Alice was tempted to yell, to scream for Hatter or the guards, but then realized that it'd be wrong. It definitely wouldn't be proving her muchness at all. So instead, she softly cleared her throat and asked him, "What are you doing here, Hamish? Where have you been?"
He pulled his arm back from around Alice and stepped back a bit. "Well, obviously I came to speak with you, Alice. That would be why I called you out here?" He rolled his eyes. "As for your other question, I'm not all too sure," he shrugged. "First I was in a forest, then a desert, then I nearly fell in a lake. . . It's like this place has no specific geography. Then again, it doesn't truly exist, so perhaps this is all your imagination and I just had the luck to drop in. It definitely didn't come from my mind-"
"Hamish," Alice said. "I know this is a lot to take in. Trust in me, I had my time of confusions, as well. But this place is real. When you followed me down that rabbit hole, you were following me into Wonderland." He didn't look convinced. "Do you remember my engagement party, when I said I had needed some time to think and I ran off?"
Hamish nodded and lowered his head a bit, both frustrated and embarrassed.
"It's true that I did need some time to think, but that was also the last time I fell upon, or should I say into, Wonderland. And it helped me find myself again. Wonderland, and the friends I made there, that is," she said.
"Like that Hatter, Tarrant," Hamish scoffed.
"Yes, like Hatter," Alice said proudly. "But the point is, this place is real and it's always been here. I first came here when I was just a little girl, Hamish! It's real and things would go much more smoothly if you'd accept that now rather than later."
Hamish shook his head and looked up at the great moon in the sky, perhaps because it was the only thing familiar to him here. "I believe in reality, Alice. I just want to get out of here."
Alice stifled a sigh and nodded. "I figured you would. I believe the White Queen has a way-"
"No!" Hamish turned to Alice, a fire suddenly burning within his eyes. "There is no possible way you could get me to cohere with that awful, sadistic woman!"
Alice gasped, shocked. "Hamish, I can assure you that the White Queen is not awful nor sadistic! You don't even know her, how can you say such a thing?" Those words could never describe Mirana!
He glanced sideways at her, narrowing his eyes. "Oh, I've heard enough of her from a few knowing friends of mine. During any of your past visits here, did you ever come across a pair of people. . . Iracabeth and Stayne?"
Alice's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. She knew her face looked even paler than the moonlight against the surrounding plant life. She stopped breathing for a moment too long. "You. . . How. . .?"
Hamish gave a chortled laugh. "Never thought I'd see you speechless, Alice." He shook his head, smiling. "I'll take your response as a yes, though. I met the two earlier today and they saved my life once I freed them from their shackles. Was awful kind of them, the lot. And get this, Alice- they forgive you! Although I can honestly say that I wouldn't have done the same if I were in their place. The things you must've done, Alice. . . I can't even picture you doing those things. So unlike you, then again, you never let me too close to you before-"
"Hamish, what are you talking about?" Alice hid her shaking fists behind her. This man was utterly baffling her! Did he even realize that the words coming out of his mouth were senseless?
Hamish looked hard at her with disbelief in his eyes. "I know what you did, Alice. They told me everything. I find all that harder to believe than. . . Well, whatever we are in now. You're very lucky to know that Iracabeth is willing to give you a chance. She said that if you came back with me and joined our side, that you would have redeemed yourself and you wouldn't have to be harmed." Hamish scratched his thick, red hair and swallowed hard. "Alright, I'll give you that she didn't say 'harmed', but I'm sure that was her meaning."
"I have no idea what the Red Queen told you, Hamish, but I can promise you that it is not the truth!" She stepped towards him and put her hands on his arms, trying to tell him the truth through touch. "Whatever that horrible woman told you was a lie. What I did, which wasn't too much, really, was all for the good. The Red Queen imprisoned and killed anyone who defied her. She is an atrocious-"
"You can't change the past, Alice, that is all I'll say," he said. "I'm not even supposed to be telling you that I met them." He didn't struggle at all from her hands' clasps on his arms.
"Where are they now? Are they near?" Alice strained her neck trying to see past Hamish, but he was standing too close to her. When she tried to step away and pull back her arms for look of a better search, he lightly put his hand on her waist. It was touch enough to notify her to stay where she was.
"I've already said too much. But don't you see? I'm actually trying to help you, Alice!" He grinned, showing off his receding gum line. "If you would just come with me, then everything would be over with, already. We'll finish whatever needs to be settled with and then we can finally return home."
Alice shook her head. "I know you think you're doing the right thing, but you're really not. You need to trust me, Hamish. Who do you know more? Me, or the malicious Red Queen and her lackey, Stayne?"
Hamish narrowed his eyes at her. "Oh, I see. All of a sudden, Hamish has the upper hand and Alice feels the need to express her fondness of him. That's certainly a change of game, don't you think?"
Alice lowered her gaze, immediately knowing that he was speaking of her haughtiness towards him for the past few weeks. "I'm sorry, Hamish. I was just so detached in that world. Everything seemed so temporary that I felt no reason to make a great deal of correlations with people." That was the truth. True, it wasn't the whole truth, but she didn't exactly tell a lie. She just didn't feel the need to tell Hamish that he tended to irritate her at times.
Hamish's eyes softened. "I'll have to be leaving soon, Alice. I wasn't supposed to be gone for so long, nor give out so much information. Come with me. Come with me, Iracabeth, and Stayne. It's the logical thing to do. The sensible and reasonable thing to do. We'll rule with them, set everything straight here, and then we'll finally go back home."
Alice was. . . surprised, to say at the least. Hamish had always been so average, so plain, and so typically, basically, petulant. Yet when he arrived here, he found his heart and he found excitement. Everything that he had been dealing with lately (and for only one day!) had brought him back to life. He felt that he was finally working for the good side.
If only the poor man knew the truth about the side he was on.
"Hamish. . . I can't go with you." His face fell and the light left his eyes. "If you knew what the Red Queen and Stayne had done. . . you wouldn't be with them. You must believe me, or else in the long run-"
"What?" he interrupted. "In the long run, you'll end up on top again? Is that right?" Hamish's grip on her waist tightened and he placed one dry hand on her arm. "You need to be set straight and realize the truth, Alice. What your doing is wrong."
"Hamish, don't do this," Alice said. "If you could just let me explain what all happened the last time I was here-"
"That's impossible! This place is not real and we're all just playing along with the game until we wake up! Until then, I'm doing what's right." Hamish's gaze hardened. "I'm doing the right thing, Alice. And you're going to do it with me. For us."
Hamish walked backwards, still gripping Alice, yet looking behind him to see where he was going. She tried to pull away, but failed to do so. How has he gained such strength? She swerved to her right, trying to use her momentum to shake him off. The only thing she managed to do was hit her head on the pillar near the large doors to Marmoreal.
She groaned and Hamish looked back at her. He glanced at her with concern-or was it confusion? Then he looked back around, trying to walk faster.
Alice's vision was blurry, but she was still able to realize that he had forgotten to cover her mouth! Alice took a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs, "HELP! Hamish-" Hamish had hastily turned around and pressed Alice's back to him with his arm covering her mouth. Even more quickly now, Hamish walked to the end of Marmoreal's paved entry. But now, Alice could hear hurried footsteps.
All of a sudden, Hamish stopped walking. A low growl from behind her beckoned for Alice's attention. She drowsily peeked around Hamish's shoulder to see Bayard, with his hind high in the air, teeth exposed. He was ready for a fight. Meanwhile, the footsteps were coming even more loudly now. Alice looked back around and saw Hatter running toward them with several guards, including Sir Lawrence near the front.
"Shit," Hamish murmured. He then pressed his lips against Alice's ear. "Last chance. Will you come with me, Alice? Will you join our side?" He lowered his arm.
"No." Her voice was strong, despite her sluggishness.
"Then you have made us enemies, Alice, until the moment we wake up. I'm very sorry for that, but it wasn't my decision that caused it. You remember that." In one swift motion, Hamish released Alice and leaped over the entry's side, instantly disappearing in the trees and foliage. Alice fell to the ground, feeling the back of her head for the massive lump that would surely be there, somewhere.
"Alice!" Hatter reached her first. His eyes were burning red and his sword was out. He set it down for only a second to help Alice up. She leaned heavily on him as he picked his blade back up, pointing it at the night. He was panting hard, but it didn't seem to be from his run. "Where'd he go?" he snarled close to her ear.
"No point," she said, emotionless. "He's gone and you won't be able to find him through those trees. And I believe he knows exactly where he's going." She gripped hard onto his lapel.
Hatter looked down at her, confused and enraged. "How?"
Sir Lawrence caught up to them. He leaned in towards Alice, ignoring Hatter. "How is Hamish traveling throughout our lands? You said he was a stranger to our world."
"He is," she said.
Hatter blinked hard before opening his eyes again. "Alice, we need tae information yae have fer us," he panted, trying to regain control of his sanity.
She looked at the two men impassively. "He's working with the Red Queen and Stayne. He's convinced that we are. . . the bad guys and that what he's doing is right."
They both widened their eyes. Hatter's gaze turned a horrified orange. Sir Lawrence recovered first. "We need to get word to the Red Queen." It seemed to hurt him to have to turn to the Hatter and say, "You take Alice to her quarters and make sure she does not leave and that no one enters. Once she is asleep, get some pain pills from the infirmary for that swelling on the back of her head. That's an order." He ran his hand through his short, pink hair. "Got it, milliner?"
Hatter narrowed his eyes at him, but nodded. "Aye." He looked at Alice and his eyes turned light green. "Let's get you back in there, Alice."
She didn't complain when he wanted to carry her to Marmoreal's doors. She could hardly keep on her feet. Sir Lawrence ran before them, saying he'd head straight to the White Queen.
Alice wasn't sure of what was to happen next. She was clueless as to what she was to do. It was astonishing how a single person's arrival could alter the course of another's life. Because Alice knew that once all of this was over, her life would never be the same again.
With that being her last conscious thought, Alice fell into a unfathomable sleep.
Author/Up in me: . . . . . Oh dang.
Rachel: You are the author; you know all those fantastical vocabulary words, yet all you say is: "Oh dang"?
Author/Op in me: Ever hear of a speechless moment?
Rachel: Awe, I didn't realize my story made you speechless. ;)
Author/Op in me: MY story!
Rachel: Temper, temper.
~~ So, how'd this one turn out?~~