Chapter 6, The Explanation

If Alice were the chosen one then why had she been in a different world? Why had she been with others who wanted her for tests and procedures? Why had she been with people who didn't want her and didn't need her to save them? Would she wake up in a dark cold room like she had lived in? Would she wake up strapped to a metal table with needles being injected into her? Would she listen?

She had no intention of saving a land, but maybe what the spider said was true. Maybe the horrible land Adrianna had banished her to, was the Institute. She had terrible memories of the Institute. She had been strapped down to tables, and had been injected with many things unknown to man, and still she feared not being accepted by others.

Hatter looked at her his eyes piercing through her like a knife to the skin. She looked down at her feet, then looked up to see the Spider staring at her. He took a long drag of a newly lit cigar. Alice coughed when she inhaled the terrible fumes.

"Hatter. Listen, I know that we've been through a lot, but still I just don't know if I can handle it." Alice said, her head slumping in disappointment.

"You don't think you can handle the Queen? By God I think she's a worse coward then the Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard Of Oz."" Hatter stated, whisking around to climb a staircase beside the mushroom.

He stood on top of the mushroom peering down at Alice like an ant under a microscope. The Spider looked at him, as if saying "Get the Hell off my mushroom!"

"Sit down right there on that patch of grass, Alice and let me tell you something." Hatter said mischievously.

"Now look here young Alice, let me tell you the Explanation for the being of the name Hatter. If you're wondering what kind of name is that, well let me just say I've got many stories. But what I'm about to tell you is the reason you can handle Adrianna."

Hatter cleared his throat, and the Spider glared at him taking another drag of his cigarette.

"A long time ago I used to live with this rabbit named Grim. He was charcoal black and very bad at time. In fact, I think he was late to his own wedding, but still I'm getting off track. So he was terribly late to anything important, and had the worst case of picking things up that wasn't his. So one day when I left my hat lying on the table, he happened to pick it up. I didn't notice it until a while later after he had left, but I figured I could catch him. So I ended catching up to him just to find him taking the path to the Bloody Queen's Castle. So I decided that I would follow him. I was worried that he might have, you know, gotten off on the wrong path. And I followed him for about thirty to thirty-five minutes, until he finally arrived at the castle. I had snuck in behind him by hiding in the rose bushes and there stood Adrianna. He bowed to her and I grimaced because she didn't deserve gratitude, but he was serving her and that pissed me off. Excuse my language but DAMN, I hate that woman. Anyways, I jump out to steal the hat and tell Grim off, but I swung back my hand with the hat clenched in my palm, and accidentally punched her. So ever since, Grim and I have not been friends, and Adrianna has called me Mad Hatter. I am wanted in her kingdom, but I refuse for skin to touch mine."

"So now you know the explanation to my name and its meaning."

Alice's mouth was wide open from the story and the Spider was sprawled on the ground laughing at the story.

Spider sat up and ended the story short by saying, "And a week later he lost the hat in a storm of butterflies."

Alice couldn't help but laugh at the Spider's awesome retort.