Thanks for all the reviews. :)
Struggling a bit with the story at this point. I know where it wants to go, but trying to get it there is proving tricky. Hope this chapter works with the rest of it. Constructive criticism appreciated. :)
Hatter had taken to spending much of his day on the roof of the rundown warehouse. It gave him a clear view of the dojo, so that he could watch anyone coming or going without getting too close. And it also positioned him perfectly to see if anyone came through the looking glass.
It was also the ideal location to blow off some steam.
Huge dents in the duct work, cracks in the concrete, and freshly bloodied knuckles attested to how dangerously Hatter had underestimated the jealousy he would feel, watching Jack wooing Alice.
They were there, standing outside the dojo after a private lesson (his third lesson this week), both still sweaty, both still in their white uniforms. And he could tell that Jack was pouring on the charm, thick. But what bothered him far more was that Alice was falling for it. Even without his binoculars, he would have been able to see the smile on her face, read the flirtatious positioning of her body. And it was driving him mad.
At first, he had tried to reason with his jealousy. "This is the past," he had told himself. "How it happened. She doesn't want him in the end. She wants me." But that had just started up his fears again – what if she didn't want him in the end? After all, the end hadn't happened yet.
So he had resorted to a more primal method of dealing with his jealousy. Cracking walls and bending metal.
He knew that tonight was Jack's first date with Alice. He also knew that it was the date of the first message he sent. But in the five days that he had been here, he hadn't seen anyone who looked to be even remotely from Wonderland, let alone anyone who was looking for Jack.
He balled up his right fist and drove it into the metal duct with the force of his angst. One of the thick metal bolts holding it in place snapped in half. But it did the trick. Hatter could feel his sanity returning. "Don't know how much more o' this I can take," he muttered to himself as he scooped up his bright yellow hardhat and headed for the stairwell.
He had swapped out his usual hats for this garish yellow shell for a couple of reasons. There was construction going on all around the old warehouse, and he knew that if he was seen, it would be assumed that he was one of the workers. And, if a piece of the warehouse did decide to tumble down on him - well, better it then a fedora.
He stopped by the looking glass on his way down. From this side it just looked like a gaudy mirror, and horribly out of place in such an industrial setting. But the rundown warehouse hadn't been used in years, save as shelter for the occasional homeless person, so it was almost the perfect hiding spot.
He laughed a bit when he looked at his reflection. The overly tame clothes, the still too-short hair, the hard hat. "Hatter the oyster," he muttered to himself, with a wry smirk.
He felt a slight surge of homesickness, but fought it back. This was where he belonged now, in Alice's world.
He stepped away from the glass and headed for the alley. If he hurried, he might still have time to get to Molly's for a bite before he had to tail Jack again.
Tessa had grown accustomed to David's patronage. Every shift she came, he was there, whether it was for breakfast or for supper. And she was starting to pin down his preferences – tea rather then coffee (he had nearly choked on the coffee the one time he had tried it), pancakes and waffles were welcome any time, he liked burgers but not the fries, bacon and sausages but not eggs.
She wasn't surprised to see him arrive tonight either, yellow hard hat under his arm. He smiled slightly in her direction, but she could tell he wasn't in terribly good spirits.
"Rough day?"
"Unh," he grunted in reply. She took that to mean yes.
"Waffles then?"
She saw the corner of his mouth turn up at that, and smiled as she went to place his order.
Hatter took a large bite of waffle and chased it with an equally large bite of sausage. Eating at Molly's had quickly become his routine, something comfortable in a world he still didn't really understand. And Tessa had taken almost a motherly interest in him, and he realized he didn't actually mind, although it did surprise him.
Tessa had just finished ringing another customer's bill through, and was heading toward Hatter's table to see if he wanted seconds when he jumped up with a cry and his eyes went a bit wild. His hard hat clattered to the floor, and he barely noticed.
Startled, she took a step backwards. "Are you okay, David?"
He turned from the window for only a brief moment, glancing at Tessa's worried gaze. "I hafta run," he blurted, fumbling with his wallet and pulling out a couple of bills and dropping them on the table. Then he swept up his hat and disappeared out the door.
Hatter darted around the corner and out of sight, then slowly turned and peered out into the street again. He had just seen a familiar face among the people walking by the shop windows. And he hoped that face had not seen him.
White suit. Silver hair, tied down his back in two long tails. Black walking stick.
Agent White.
Hatter had no doubt that he was looking for Jack. The head of the White Rabbit wouldn't have been sent through for an oyster harvest.
Thankfully, the man never turned, but continued up the street. Hands shaking slightly, Hatter pulled out his cell phone.
Jack was just about to walk out of his building when his cell phone buzzed and beeped in his pocket. He jumped a bit, and hesitated. Nobody had his number here. His brow knit together as he opened the phone.
A blocked number. But an ominous message. "White rabbit is here."
Jack's eyes widened, and he felt his pulse quicken. He hadn't expected them to trace him so quickly – he had hoped that the looking glass would run out of power before they could find him.
At the same time, he felt more than a little surprised at the warning. Caterpillar had told him that on this side of the glass, he would have no allies. No one could know where he was, because the Queen had ways of making people talk.
Perhaps Caterpillar had relented and sent someone after all.
In any case, Jack suddenly decided to take a cab.
