In this chapter we begin to understand how much Underland means to Alice and how much she wants to get back there
A man named James is also introduced as being Alice's friend, who has feelings for her.
Chapter two - Missing Underland.
While on buisness in China Alice wasn't able to find a way back to her beloved Underlad, and oh did she try! But now that she was just a few hours away from being back in England, she just couldn't hide her excitement, in fact her smile could almost easily rival Chessur's, she thought while looking into one of the five mirrors in her rather large dressing room.
When someone makes as much money as Alice had, they needed a large wardrobe, or at least that is what the captain kept telling her, and offered her his room on the ship for the duration of her stay. Alice however didn't care for her money, knowing that where she was going it doesn't exist, and therefore had quite a small amount of dresses, and the magority she did have were all one colour, that beautiful light blue she had worn both times she had visited Underland. That colour held a lot of meaning for her. As Alice stared into the beautiful, white, detailed mirror, she couldn't help but think how much it looked like the one she had once walked through, and used as a gateway to Underland. "It can't be" she thought out loud, but she wished so much that it were. Suddenly a few hours seemed a very long time to be waiting to get back.
"What's going on with Ali- Miss Kingsley?" she heard a young man say, being her normal curious self she walked closer to the door which a man and woman were talking on the other side of. She pressed her ear to the wood. It took the woman a short while to reply, as if thinking of something to say, or maybe hearing someone behind the door. She eventually replied with "Who knows with that girl, I think she might be mad. I've heard her speak of cakes that make you grow, drinks that make you shrink, talking flowers and stoned butterflies" catapillars Alice thought to herself, the mystery woman continued "And have you ever heard of a rabbit wearing a waistcoat? How absurd can one be! It's one thing to make up words, like futterwacken and jabberwocky, but to make up such creatures and give them names! I wouldn't be suprised if she ended up in an Asylum!" The woman seemed to get angry whilst talking about Alice, which she did not understand. "She may be mad Victoria, but then again, all the best people are" the man replied quite simply. James, you're such a gentleman she thought, and then giggled to herself about what this 'Victoria' had said.
What more could she do than laugh? Of course everyone would think her mad, she herself thought Underland was all a dream at first, but how her imagination could conjure up such a place she couldn't quite fathom. Besides if crawling out of a rabbit hole and not waking up next to it wasn't enough to convince her, the scar from where the bandersnatch had scratched her was definately proof enough. Yes, she was sure her Underland was real, and she was determined to get back there. Back to Mirana, McTwisp, Thackery, Mallymkun, Chessur, the Tweedles and her wonderfully wonderful completely mad hatter. She was sure he would be waiting for her, as he always did.
She didn't want people to worry, as she had shut herself in her room on the ship for three hours already, so she decided to join the crew on deck and see how everyone was doing. When she walked outside the very door James and Victoria were talking next to, she noticed her friend James still standing there, he turned around when he heard the door open. "Ah, hello my dear, finally decided to come and join us have you?" he asked her playfully, she just smiled. James could always make her smile, but he could always confuse her to no end aswell. Alice didn't share that with him.
James had been hired to work on the ship as nothing more than what some would call a slave. He cleaned, he ran errands, he cooked, he did almost anything anybody would ask of him, but when the captain noticed Alice and James getting closer and closer he promoted him, to guard Alice, not that she needed guarding, but more as an excuse to set Alice up with a fine man. James liked Alice very much, and in more ways than one, but to Alice he was just a friend, and would probably always be nothing more. Her heart belonged to someone else. Sure James was sweet and charming and funny, and wasn't a stuffy lord or anyone of great importance, and Alice could see almost no flaws in him, except for one thing, he was definately not mad enough for her.
"How much longer until we're in England?" Alice called out to the captain who was staring up at the sky with a worried look on his face, "I fear we may be thrown off a little bit by this coming storm dear lady, that bein' the case, I'd say another day at least." Alice felt her heart sink. Another whole day, just when she'd gotton so excited to be getting back to her home, Underland. Poor Hatter must be so tired of waiting for me she thought. She saw a shadow on the floor of the ship, which she'd been looking at while thinking. Feeling how close the person this shadow belonged to, she didn't even need to turn around to know that it was him by her side, though with a trick of the light his shadow looked as though a large hat was sitting atop his head, but when she turned to confirm her suspicions she just saw James. Plain James, no hat, no bright orange hair, but oh how those eyes reminded her of the hatter's beautiful green ones. She missed him so much, she just needed someone to talk to. Well, there was James, but surely she couldn't tell him of Underland could she? He is very understanding, and does quote me when speaking of mad people maybe he would understand... Alice quickly pushed that thought out her brain. No. She couldn't tell anyone of Underland, she'd be thrown in the madhouse for sure.
James noticed Alice's silence, and the dazed expression on her face, he gently touched her arm, and she shook her head as though shaking away her previous thoughts. "Are you okay Al?" he asked, "I'm fine James, I just seem to be low on my muchness today." James laughed. See? Not mad enough, definately wouldn't understand anything you said about Underland so stop thinking about telling him! Alice's scolded herself, he looked at her confused. "I think I need to be alone right now, I'm quite tired and would like to get some rest before this apparent storm kicks in" she gave James a kiss on the cheek as she walked back to her room. All James did was satnd there, looking dazed and confused. What was wrong with his dear Alice? She's not your Alice he told himself before he too decided to go and rest up.
