I stand with my fists clenched and muscles tensed. “What, exactly, do you mean when you say, ‘Alice left,’ Hatter?” Alex tangles his hand in his blonde hair.

            “I mean exactly that, Ches. She left.”

            I let out a frustrated scream and slam my fist into Alex’s gut. “But why?” Alex wheezes and takes a step back.

            “Damn, Ches, that really hurt.”

            I punch him again, this time in the shoulder. “Damn it! Alex, why did she leave?” Alex takes a step back again and rubs his arm. “Answer me!”

            “Rabbit, would you please do something about her? I’m trying to avoid being beat into a bloody pulp, if you don’t mind.”

            I pull back my arm to hit him again, but Chase darts forward and grabs my wrist, firmly locking it in place. “Chase, let go of me!”

            “Like hell,” The twins say in unison, their red hair only highlighting their identical mischievous grins. “Alex knows he’ll die before the day is out if someone doesn’t keep his little kitty in check.”

            I hiss, snarling at the twins, who look so much alike, it’s not even funny. “Say it again,” I growl at them. “Go ahead, try it.” I swear, I’ll cut you to ribbons in an instant.”

            “Oh, kitty’s getting angry.”

            “Shut up, you ginger freaks! And don’t speak at the same time like that, it’s creepy!”

            “Oh, I’m hurt, Ches,” Fox says, the slightly younger of the two. “I am deeply hurt. How could you be so cruel as to call us such a thing? Ginger freaks. We’re no freakier than you, Chessy, dear.”

            “Don’t call me that!”

            “Come on now, Ches, you’re not giving us many options here.” Hunter complains. “We can’t call you Kitty, we can’t call you Chessy, and we’re absolutely forbidden from calling you Cassio…”

            “I said, shut up, Hunter! I don’t have time for this!”

            “Ches, calm down!” Chase says. “This isn’t the place for a fight.”

            I freeze for a second, because I know he’s right. Where are we again? Oh yeah. The five of us—Alex, Chase, Fox, Hunter, and myself—are standing in the middle of the west forest, at the base of a giant oak tree. Some one long ago must’ve hallowed of the cave-like shelter beneath its roots, where our packs and bedrolls are laid out. We stand in this deep depression, surrounded by trees and walls of root, on pretty much all sides.

             Granted, if I got in full-on fight with the Hatter, we probably wouldn’t do much damage, but we don’t really have the space here.

            “Chase, I swear that I won’t hit anyone, so let me go, all right?”

            Chase looks at Alex, who gives him a nod and a shrug of his shoulders, and Chase reluctantly lets go of me. Of course. Because none of us take five steps until Alex gives us the say-so. I rub my wrist, trying to keep a scowl of my face.

            “So, what now?” Fox asks, sitting down on a large root.

            “What do you mean by, “What now?” Hunter responds. He removes a flint from his pocket and scatters a shower of sparks on a small of collection of twigs and wood he’d previously gathered for a fire. “Once dawn hits, we hightail it for the East, fast as we can. I say we stick it in Coralace for a spell, till the Queen decides to act.”

            My stomach twists at his words. The Queen. e THe

            The events of the past day rush through my brain again and I feel sick, but I push the feeling away.

            “No way, Hunter,” I say with a growl. “There’s no way I’m going any closer to Coralace, than Lemaris—and even that’s a stretch for me. I say we head for the Dark Sister’s domain, at least she doesn’t hate me and the air I breathe!”

            “Alexandria is the first place the Queen would look for us!” Chase protests, with a shake of his head. “She knows we have the Dark Sister’s support. Now that Alice is gone, she’ll be out to get rid of us too, so we have to make sure we can avoid her until we know our next move. If you ask me, Amarilys is the safest bet—it’s far out of the Red Queen’s reach.”

            “No way,” Fox snaps. “It’s on the other side of the Kingdom and way too close to Deathmist Depression. If you think I’m going to get within two days of that place, my dear Rabbit, you are most definitely mistaken.”

            “Says you, who’s never even been there.” I snort.

            “Well, let’s not forget, Cheshire, that the first time you came back from that place, you wouldn’t talk to anyone for a week. I’m not taking any chances.”

            I grit my teeth.  “You’d do well to remember, Fox, that my situation’s a bit different than yours. The mist affects me differently. And even if it didn’t, I’m pretty sure two days away from the Depression is far away enough to  keep you from dropping dead.”

            “Shut up.”

            “Well, where would you suggest?” Chase cuts back into the conversation.

            “Lyra, obviously,” Fox retorts, “It’s nearby and the Queen’ll have a hard time reaching us there.

            “Yes, because it’s located right in the middle of the Southern Mountains! Even if we took all the supplies we could carry from Xerxes, there’s no way we’d make it there! We’d just end up dying on the way, which is not exactly our goal, last time I checked.”

            “Chase, you don’t know that—it’s not like we’ve ever tried!”

            “Yes, because with the exception of you, the rest of us aren’t idiots!”

            “Both of you, calm down!” Alex shouts and everyone falls silent. “The more we argue, the longer we just wait for the Queen to come and chop off our heads and be done with us!” Alex scowls at us. “Honestly, you’re all fighting like a bunch of children.”

            “We are children.” I mutter, before raising my voice so Alex can hear me. “So, we can’t hide in this forest forever, obviously. Where would you suggest we go, then?”

            Alex stands quiet for a spell, thinking things over. “Maybril,” he finally concludes. “It’s not far enough away that it’d take us too long to get there, but it’s just within the Dark Sister’s domain—that may offer us some protection if the Queen does discover our location. Having to go against Elsia may deter her from coming after us.”

            I mentally cuss at myself for being so stupid. Of course, why didn’t I think of Maybril? Well, that would be because you’re not Alex, Cheshire McCailis.

            “We’ll leave at dawn,” Alex decides. “So, get some rest—we’ll need it. Since, as of now, we’re more that the outlaws we usually are. We’ve moved even higher on the Red Queen’s hit list, if that’s even possible.”

            The twins and Chase nod, solemnly, and crawl into the shelter under the tree, to get some sleep. But I stay behind, moving to perch on the same root that Fox had been sitting on.

            “Cheshire,” I turn to see Alex standing by me, arms crossed. “When I said to get some rest, I mean you as well. I’ll worry about first watch.”

            My heart skips a couple of beats, as Alex looks down at me. Even sitting up off the ground, as I am, he’s still taller than me. He sighs, and tucks his hands into his pants pockets. That’s when I know Alex is about to let his guard drop. And, in response, I feel my own walls crash down into glass shards. Suddenly, he’s not my band leader and I’m not his assistant, but rather we’re friends. It’s had to have been at least a good two years since we’d last had a moment like this.

            “Ches, what the hell are we supposed to do?” He asks and I have to force myself not to concentrate on his golden blonde hair and dark blue eyes, which are becoming harder to see in the now dimming light of the day. Honestly, sometimes Alex is just too good looking for his own good. It’s just too damn distracting.

            Of course, his good looks have their uses. All you need to do is just combine them with a few sweet words, a smile, and a few well-informed, simple-minded girls, and we’re golden. The downside is that me being a girl myself, they have an effect on me too. But then again, after all the years I’ve been running with Alex, I’ve grown some immunity. So it’s not as bad as it could be. And it’s not like I have a thing for him. We’ve been through too much blood, sweat, and tears for that. Alex just has that sort of effect on people.

            “Ches,” Alex says, pulling me from my thoughts. “You still there?”

            Yeah,” I say. Alex sits down on the ground and I slide down next to him. “I can’t believe she left.” I whisper and just like that, I break down, and everything rushes through my head at once. Alice silently picking at her breakfast this morning. Her and Alex waving to us others, as they headed off into Archendale City, the capital of the Kingdom of Hearts. An informant running up to me, saying that there appeared to be a portal at the palace, which I brushed off as childish imaginings. Alex coming back, without Alice and covered in sweat, saying we need to move. Us arriving at our current location. Him telling us Alice disappeared into the Royal Mace behind the palace without him and disappearing. Then describing the flash of blue light, that can only be from a portal. And Fox telling us he could no longer sense Alice’s presence in Wonderland. That’s when I took a swing at Alex. Tears start to slowly stream down my face and I tuck my knees up to my chest.

“She was my friend,” I say. My best friend, “Why the hell did she leave?” Small, silent sobs wrack through my body and Alex wraps an arm around me. When was the last time he did this? He and Alice are the only people who’ve ever really seen me cry. The former, more so than the latter, really. That’s how Alex and I work. When times get tough, I help him out, and in return, he won’t tell anyone about my tears. It’s not really a bad deal, when you think about it. Alex continued to hold me and I turn my head, so that’s it’s buried in his shoulder.

“I miss her too, Ches.” He whispers into my hair. “I miss her too.” And I’m reminded that it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since she left. I shiver and thoughts of my past experiences, that including Alice, scatter through my mind.  That time, where we stole an entire roast pig, right from under the Royal Butcher’s nose. When we’d stolen a horse from the Frost Duchess, not knowing who our target actually was. When we died the twin’s hair black with dirty oil. When we tricked Chase into kissing a carrot in front of an entire drunk crowd, at a Tavern in Andreas, using stolen magic. But our friendship isn’t just pranks and thievery. Being the only two girls in our small group of outlaws, we’ve bonded over things the boys just don’t  get and we’ve learned to work together, playing up each other’s strengths in a way only we can. When the boys seem to be the superiors, because they’re naturally faster and stronger than us, the two of us help each other to push even harder to keep up. Sure, we’re complete opposites—both in looks and personality—but we’ve managed to get along just fine. And now she’d gone.

Why? For four years, now, the six of us have been together. How can she just get up and leave like this? Why can she do this? Doesn’t she know what’ll happen? After all, Alice is one of the few people in Wonderland that the Queen seems to fear. In fact, I think she’s the only one. Sure, the rest of us are nuisances. But Alice…she’s the only one who can actually look the Red Queen in the eye. And an a way, that makes her the most dangerous person of all.

Time passes and my tars eventually stop. It’s gotten completely dark, so dark that the moonlight coming through the trees barely even makes the white tufts in Chase’s brown hair visible. Even though he’s younger than us—fifteen to our sixteen (the twins and I) and seventeen (Alex)—he still seems to be the oldest, whether it’s his love of books, his wire-rim glasses, or the fact he’s the only one of us with even somewhat white hair. He’s just so much more put-together than the rest of us.

“Cheshire,” I look up at Alex. “What’s on your mind?”

You mean, besides randomly thinking about the state of Chase’s physical and mental qualities? I sign and turn my head away.

“Maybe Alice had the right idea.” I mutter, some of my more subconscious thoughts coming to light, even as I say them. “Maybe leaving Wonderland isn’t such a bad idea.”

Alex momentarily freezes, before turning to grab my shoulders and twist me back around, so we’re facing each other again. With just the filtered moonlight, I can barely see his face, but the shock and confusion on his face is a clear as day.

“Ches, what are you saying?” He questions me.

“Think about it, Hatter.” I cast my eyes down, refusing to look at him. “Alice had no reason to leave—and she hasn’t helped anyone by doing so. Obviously, her decision in general wasn’t one of her greatest moments of enlightenment. But what if someone like me were to leave? Who’s to say that wouldn’t be for the better of Wonderland? After all…we know what I am.”

Even with my eyes downward, I can still feel Alex’s stare. And I know we’re both thinking about the same thing. He’s looking at my unnatural raven black hair, streaked with bright pink, that’s been there since birth. At my deep violet eyes, the left one bearing an orange stripe, that races across the iris. And that one thought running through both of our minds, is the curse it represents. The curse that makes me dangerous, the curse that makes me a weapon, and the curse that I wish that I could throw to hell and never take back.

“Ches…” Alex begins, the desperation threading through his voice as he searches for any hint that I’m merely joking. But he knows I’m not. This is one thing I would never dare make light of. So, I cut him off.

“Listen, Hatter. When Alice decided to leave, she took away our one advantage against the Queen. So the only thing we can do is take the advantage of the Red Queen.” I pause. “And you and I both know that’s me.”

“Cheshire, don’t be ridiculous. You’re not some bargaining chip for us to cast out of the lot on a whim. You belong in this world—you always have! It’s not your fault you were born with the curse you have and it shouldn’t make you feel as if you have to leave!”

“You’re forgetting, though, Hatter,” I say, tilting my head up, so I can meet his stare with a harsh look of my own. “Before I was your Kitty, I was someone else’s. And that someone else’s curse is no joke—especially when it’s on me.”

“I know your curse just as well as you do, Cheshire.” Alex says. He reaches out to tuck a strand of pink air behind my ear. I have no idea how he can see it, but I stand up before he hand reaches me. In this darkness, he’d probably just end up smacking me in the face. At least, that’s my excuse. “Don’t think you have to make some sort of self-sacrifice for the rest of us, Ches, just because…”

“Because of what, Alex,” I challenge. “Because I’m a disaster waiting to happen? Because we both know that any second the Queen could turn me into her personal weapon?”

“Ches, you’re going to wake up Chase and the twins!:

“I don’t care, Alex?” I’m close to tears again, but I force them away, my fists clenched. “I can’t stand knowing that I’m hurting you guys! That I’m hurting Wonderland!”

“Ches,” Alex stand up and reaches out to grab my wrist, but I jerk away from him.

“Rabbit!” I shout and Chase bolts up in an instant.

“What is it?” He asks. “What’s wrong?”

“Start digging,” I say, brushing myself off.

Chase’s jaw drops, while the twins wrestle themselves from sleep, as well.

“Why’s Ches shouting?” Fox asks, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“Rabbit,” I say again. “Dig.”

Chase stares at me in confusion. “Can I ask why?”

“No!” I snap at him, but Chase just turns to Alex for an answer.

“She wants to leave Wonderland, Chase.”

“Like hell,” Chase says immediately. “There’s no way I just going to let you leave like this.”

“You don’t have a choice, Chase.” I growl, because I know Chase’s rabbit-holes are the only way to get to the so-called real world.

“Yeah, and what are you going to do to make me, Cheshire?”

So this is how he’s going to play. Fine, then let’s play, Chase. Every one of them sees me reach down to grab my sheathed knife from my boots, shedding all of my other weapons to the ground. But none of them are prepared to see me press the blade firmly against my neck.

“Ches, what are you doing?” Hunter shouts at me. In response, I turn to Chase.

“Start digging, Rabbit. I won’t hesitate to slit my own throat if you don’t.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Chase says, but his voice is quavering. All he needs is a little push, so I dig my knife into my neck, letting a few dark red drops of blood slide onto the metal, forming a straight cut through the skin.

“I’ll give you five seconds, Chase. Then I’ll cut my throat.”

“Ches, you can’t be serious!”

“One,”

“This is a joke, right? You’re just pulling our legs, aren’t you, Ches?” Fox questions nervously.

“Two,”

“Come on, Ches, you can’t just leave us, like Alice!” Hunter exclaims.

“Three,”

“Cheshire, don’t do this.” Alex says. “Please.”

“Four,” I dig my knife a little deeper into my flesh.

“All right, I’ll do it!” Chase shouts. He yanks his own knife out of his belt sheath and slashes it through the air, so fast that his hand hardly leaves a blur.

As he does so, a blue streak of light appears. Only it’s not light. It’s a tear. A tear in the very fabric of this world.

Once again, Chase slashes his blade through the air. Now there is a shimmering “X” hanging before us. One last time, he cuts a line, his knife cutting the “X” in half. The portal’s done.

Chase’s mark begins to rotate, slowly at first, but then faster. I drop my knife to the ground—now that the portal’s done, there’s no reason to hold my life as a bargaining chip.

“Thank you, Chase.” I say, stepping towards his “rabbit-hole.”

“Ches, wait!” Alex reaches out to grab me.

“Stay away from me, Alex!” I shout, turning to face him. “This has to be done!” Then I take a step backwards through the portal. As soon as I pass through, the blue light harden before me, like cooling glass. On the other side, Alex tries to jump in as well, but I slam my shoulder into the barrier, sending a web of cracks across the surface.

“Ches!” Alex shouts, but he can’t get through to me—I’ve broken the portal’s connection to Wonderland. Soon, his image is completely shattered and I float backwards through nothingness. Then the world brightens and I find myself spinning, before being dumped on the snowy cobblestone streets of Queen Victoria’s England.

So the real world hasn’t changed. I stand and brush some dust myself off, tucking my hair under the collard of my thin, flexible leather coat.

I know I won’t last long unless I exchange my practical hunting boots and trousers for the dresses and frills of this world, and even though I can easily steal what I need, there’s an easier path for me to take from hear.

Thread carefully, Cheshire. A voice in my head whispers. For this is the world in which you’ve chosen to live in. Forever. I start down the street, snow blowing against my back. I’m sorry Alex. I’m sorry, Chase, Fox, Hunter, and even you Alice. But this is what had to be done. I wonder how long it’ll take me to adjust to this world without magic. I suppose that it may never happen—something tells me that I’ll always long for the nonsense that is Wonderland.

So this is it. The end of my new beginning and the start of my old past. Then throw hell at me, London. Throw hell, because I’m ready, and you’ll never break me.

2: Chapter One: A Long Time

The sun has just risen over the small resort in Orlando, Florida, where I’ve taken up residence. As per my daily routine, I stand on the bridge that spans the large lake that the resort is based around. In my hand is a mug of coffee and I’ve just finished off the granola bar that’s been my breakfast.

            Even though it’s still early morning—only five or six—Florida’s hot humidity has already begun to stick to my skin. Then again, drinking hot coffee, rather than iced, probably isn’t helping. What can I say? It’s a bad habit I’ve picked up over the years.

            I yawn and stare at the sunrise reflecting off the lake. I’m not sure why I like waking up so early—it’s not like I have a two hour, daily, beauty regimen or anything like that, that forces me to get up at this time of day. In fact, most of the time I just end up brushing my hair out, so that it hangs in long waves to the base of my shoulder blades and I’ll brush on some mascara and sparkly, white eye-shadow, if I’m bored. Usually, though, I just throw on the first clothes my hand lands on in the morning and head out wearing that, not really bothering to care about my appearance.

            Today, I’ve ended up with a dark purple cami top and white-washed jean shorts that are complete with purple converse. Not too shabby, I guess.

            But my dressing habits aside, I’ve mainly put my early riser issue to my time fearing for my life in Wonderland—yeah, I still think about the place. Every day, I wake up wondering what new adventure I’m going to have, before remembering that I’m in modern day U.S—that I’m in the real world.

            For the past one hundred and sixty years, I’ve lived immortally in eight year cycles. I’ll pass myself off as a thirteen year old and live in one spot until I should be twenty-one. Then I skip town, before people start noticing that I haven’t changed at all in the time they’ve known me. Because even after one hundred and sixty years in this world, I still look sixteen. The simple fact of the matter is that some curses never fade, no matter how long you’ve had them. That includes immortality curses. I haven’t even really changed emotionally. Sure, I’ve seen life-changing events—revolutions, revolts, and even full out wars—but I’m still pretty much the same as I used to be.

            The world itself, though, has no such qualms. It’s created new things, found new places, and developed new culture. Of course, it took decades for the speech of this world to catch up with that of Wonderland. But it got there, somehow. Whether or not Wonderland will ever catch up with the real world’s technology is debatable, though. I’m sure anything could’ve happened since I left, but as far as I could tell, Wonderland never changed in the short time I’d been there, so I don’t think it ever will. And in a way, that’s a comforting thought. I like to think of Wonderland as the way it was when I left.

            I drain the rest of my coffee from its cup and head back for my room. Around me, early morning joggers are making their way around the lake, but for the most part, I’m alone.

            That’s one of the benefits of living in a place like this—a resort, I mean. Every other guest here has come to rest or have fun, which means that there are rarely other people up this early to bother me. I’ll admit though, I was a little selfish this time around, acting like a child and deciding to make my home this time around right near Disney World. As far as the staff of the resort is concerned, my rich (non-existent) parents are paying for me to stay here on my own, in what should be a four person room. So shoot me, I felt like splurging for a couple of years. Besides, I find it kind of ironic, living here, right near the place sponsored by the company that brought the story Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to life. Not that I’m thrilled about forever being portrayed as a pink and purple crackpot cat, but that’s not really my fault. Blame Lewis Carroll for the creation of that awful monstrosity.

            When I get to my building, I run up the metal stairs that lead to my room, taking them two at a time. When I reach my door, it only takes me a moment to scan my way in and firmly shut the door behind me after I enter.

            My room here is simple, just two double beds with blue and white sheets against the left wall, a large window on the wall to my right, a desk, and what I call the multi-purpose dresser, which holds my mini-fridge, food, TV, and a variety of person items. And then, of course, there are the cats.

            As a joke, I’ve decorated the room with Cheshire Cats, along with other Wonderland memorabilia, despite my un-flattered opinion of them. There are Cheshire pillows, pillow-pets, stuffed animals, posters, and various others items scattered around the rom. If I were a normal guest, I probably would’ve been kicked out for taping up the walls long ago, but considering how much I pay this place monthly, they don’t seem to have a problem with it. Go figure, this world runs on money (just like every other world).

            All in all, it beats some of the other places I’ve stayed over the years. After all, a modern day resort beats a Victorian barroom any day. It’s shocking how much the world’s changed, while I haven’t changed at all.

            Across my room, my cell phone beeps, but I don’t bother checking the message I’ve received. I know what it says.

            Last day of School, Cheshire, move already, damn cat!

            I groan and grab a white scoop-neck shirt to slide on over my cami, since I can’t very well go into town without a proper shirt. Stupid homeschooling group, why am I stuck hanging out with you all day, anyway? Oh, right, because I was too stubborn to go back to a regular high school.

            One of the downsides of being an immortal teenager is that I have to eternally suffer through high school. Over and freaking over again. So rather than suffering through a standard school this time around, I chose a different type of torture: homeschooling. Maze of Hearts forbid I ever chose this again. The group consists of four students other than me, who are Eric McDaniel, Jackson Martin, Zoe Shawl, and Brandon York. They’re my friends, I guess.

            Zoe and I will hang out together when we’re bored and the guys joke and tease around with me. Is that friendship? By definition, sure, they’re my friends. But whenever I’ve with them, I start seeing Alex, Chase, the twins, and Alice’s faces plastered to them and my friendship with them consisted of trying not to be killed. So I guess that doesn’t make me the best of judges.

            Since today is our group’s last day of “school,” our tutor, Alicia Swell, decided to take us out for ice cream and shopping, since we already finished our finals. So the only educational thing we’ll actually be doing today is receiving our report cards.

            Before I leave, I stuff some cash and my iPod into my pocket, so that the bus ride into the city won’t be a complete bore. I run out of my room and head towards one of the resorts bus stops, to catch the bus for Orlando, which should be here in two minutes. If I run fast enough, I should make it just in time.

            And as suspected, I screech to a stop on the curb just as the bus comes around the corner. Also, there are barely any people here, since it’s so early in the morning. So, spare two or three other people, I pretty much have the bus to myself. To pass time, I pop in my headphones and listen to dubstep, which Eric and Jackson got me hooked on. Really the two of them are just like Fox and Hunter, only the miniature and non-ginger version—always getting me into stuff I’m not really interested in.

            Soon enough, I’m deposited on the streets of the city and I head for the ice cream shop Alicia said she’d meet us at. It’s not far, and when I arrive, Jackson and Eric wave at me, while Alicia rummages through some papers in her bag.

            “Hey, look who’s still alive!” Jackson shouts towards me and I roll my eyes, pulling me headphones out.

            “Good to see you too, Psy.” I say and Jackson laughs and punches me on the arm.

            “Hey, don’t be racist!” He flashes me a grin off his Asian features. “I may be Korean, but I’m no singer.”

            “Sure, that’s what you say.” I smile, resting against the wall between him and Eric, whose hand I high-five.

            “What’s up, Cassie?”

            “You know, just the usual. Where are Brandon and Zoe?”

            Eric waves his hand dismissively. “They’re on their way. But while we wait, let me show you this new card trick I learned!”

            My grin grows wider and I shove my hands in my pockets as Eric begins to elaborately shuffle his deck, in order to impress us with some “magic.” Of course, he’d probably faint if he ever caught a glimpse of what real magic is—it tends to make card tricks seem a little less flashy. Never the less, it’s fun to watch his tricks, and he entertains us until Brandon and Zoe show up.

            Alicia then pays for ice cream and we head into the early morning crowd, Zoe and Alicia stopping to shop, while the guys and I focus on causing a ruckus for the tourists hoping to get an early on glimpse at Orlando. I’m sure they came for a nice relaxing vacation, but, unfortunately they’re stuck with Eric’s card tricks, Jackson and Brandon’s jokes, and my own casual pranks on the random passerby.

            Eventually, we get our report cards and I’ve passed with straight A’s again, spare a B-plus in Modern World History, because apparently the Modern World began in the middle ages. Explain that to me.

            It’s only later in the evening, around seven o’clock, when I start to feel uneasy. It’s not uncommon for me to get twitchy like this, as a result of my curse, but this is different. This is…madness. I gasp and Zoe turns to me, concerned.

            “Are you okay, Cassie?”

            “Um…” My heart starts to pound and I start to back away. “Actually, I just remembered. I’m supposed to back at my room, since my, uh, my parents are calling tonight, so…yeah, I’ll see you guys later.”

            “Yeah, see you later.” She says and the boys and Alicia chime in as I wave, before turning tail and running for the bus stop.

            The uneasy feeling spreads like a chill, an unsettling tenseness resting on the back of my shoulders. It’s the kind that makes me want to jump of the Empire State building or press my palm onto the edge of a well-honed blade, until it chips my bone. It’s been one hundred and sixty years since I’ve felt anything like this and there’s only one boy in the world who’s ever caused this.

            Oh, hell. My fist clench as the bus pulls up to the stop and I run up the steps, dropping some cash as payment. For the entire ride home, I’m as stiff as a board, glancing out the windows, and nervously cracking my knuckles. My headphones and iPod remain in my pocket; music is the least of my concerns.

            By the time I’m safely running back to my room at the resort, the mad feeling still hasn’t faded, but it hasn’t grown either. I dash into my bathroom and head straight for the sink, splashing cold water on my face, gripping the counter edge, examining my reflection in the mirror. Staring back at me is the image of a terrified girl, with slanted pupils glowing orange and sharpened canines.

            Calm down, Cassie! I mentally scream, Calm down! I make an effort to slow my breathing and my eyes begin to fade back to normal, while my canines revert to a standard sharpness.

            “Chill out, Cassie,” I say aloud, continuing to grip the sink. “It’s nothing to worry about. It’s only a coincidence, you’re just being paranoid.” Eventually I calm down a little and I sink to the floor, remaining there for a good two hours. It’s only when my alarm clock goes off at ten that I pick myself up and change into a pair of running shorts, pull my hair into a ponytail, and tug on a pair of sneakers.

            It’s been a hundred and sixty years, give it a rest, you’re freaking out over nothing. My breathing has restored itself to a nice normal pace and I slip out of my room to go on a run around the lake to completely clear my mind, like I usually do around this time. Most days, I run with music, but today I start off in silence, my hair aping rhythmically against my back.

            Typically, I go on two and half laps around, using the bring to complete the half, but today I push for three and a half, my calves burning as I run as I possibly can, as if I could outrun the madness that’s seemed to temporarily replace my chaos. What is usually a job becomes a full out sprint and I push myself faster, but it seems that the quicker I go, the slower time feels. It’s when I’m half-way across the bridge that the feeling I’ve been having suddenly starts burning hot against my shoulders.

Unlike before, this is a physical pain, not mental, and I feel like someone’s pushed a red-hot sheet of metal to my back. I gasp in pain and begin to stumble, my legs refusing to work. I try to stay upright, but I only end up falling, ending up face-first on the bridge, the wooden planks pushing into my cheek.

I groan and lift my head up, freezing when I see a pair of black sneakers beneath blue jeans in front of my face.

Hell no, please no. I glance up a little higher, only to be caught in a blue eyed smirk that I haven’t seen for so long. My breath catches in my throat and Alex extends his hand towards me.

“It’s been a long time, Cheshire.”

3: Chapter Two: In For the Night

I scramble onto my feet and slap Alex’s hand away from me.

            “It’s Cassie, now.” I say, not knowing what else to say. Alex smirks and crosses his arms, while I back away from him.

            “Cassie, huh?” Alex studies my face. “That’s strange. If I remember, there was once a time when you absolutely refused to let us call you that.”

            I clench my fists. I don’t know why Alex is here or how he found me, but I feel an overwhelming desire to get as far away from him as I can.

            “I don’t have to explain myself to you.” I turn to walk away, desperately grabbing at the idea that he might just let me go, only to find myself face-to-face with Chase. What? I jerk back in surprise, but the brown and white haired boy grabs my shoulders and spins me around so I’m facing Alex again. What the hell is happening? “Damn it, Chase, let me go!”

            I try to wrestle free, but Chase is stronger than I remember. Unlike me, he’s grown, now taller than me and more leaned out. He doesn’t look like the terrified fifteen year old boy I last saw one hundred and sixty years ago. Angry that I can’t get free, I glare at Alex, body shaking.

            “What the hell do you want with me?” I question. Alex laughs and my glare intensifies. Is he patronizing me?

            “As direct as ever, Ches, I see. You’re always getting straight to the point.”

            “I told you, it’s Cassie.” I snap, grasping at my current reality. I can’t figure out what’s going on, but if I can hold onto the name that’s barely mine, I should be okay. “Now, what do you want? And don’t tell me this is some sort of crazy coincidence, you conniving son of a gun.”

            “Come on, Cheshire; is that any way to talk to an old friend? You could at least try to be civil. For the love of hearts, you were always one to insult, but you never used to be this bad.”

            “Shut your mouth.”

            “Like hell, Ches.”

            “Then why don’t you go pay it a visit?”

            “Oh, that’s harsh. That’s really harsh, Cheshire.”

            “Like I care—just leave me alone! And don’t call me Cheshire!”

            Alex rolls his eyes.

            “Honestly, did you really leave us on such bad terms? I know it’s been fifteen or so decades, and I’m sure you’ve had plenty of time to mull over every little thing we’ve done to annoy you over the years, but seriously, Ches.”

            “Are you deaf? What part of, “don’t call me Cheshire,” do you not understand?”

            “All of it,” Alex waves his hand dismissively. “But I choose to ignore you and your petty pride. You chose the name Cheshire and I know that no matter what you say, you’ll always prefer it. So, let’s move on, shall we?”

            “What makes you so sure?” I retort, refusing to let the matter go, even though it does feel good to be called by my old name again. “The girl named Cheshire died a long time ago, Alex, that’s not who I am anymore! That’s not who I can be anymore! So tell me what you want with me, that way I can go!”

Alex sighs and motions to Chase, who promptly lets me go. So he’s still always in control. Immediately, I whip around to slug him, but Chase catches my fist in his hand and twists it, so that my wrist bends painfully.

            “Ches, just calm down,” He says and I grit my teeth. When did Chase learn a move like this? “We’re not here for a fight.”

            “Then leave!” I exclaim, franticness spreading through me faster every second, my brain working way to fast. “Because a fight’s the only thing you’ll be getting out of me!”

            “Cheshire, come on.” Alex says, but I pointedly ignore him, looking away. “Ches,” I hear him sigh loudly behind me. “Cassie?”

            I grudgingly turn around and look into Alex’s blue eyes, hoping there isn’t fear and confusion in my eyes. “What?”

Alex starts across the bridge and motions for me to follow him. For a second, I don’t know what to do, but curiosity gets the better of me and I head after him, Chase right behind me. I don’t know why the two of them just suddenly appeared or for what reason, but I want to know. I also want to know why my shoulders are still twitching from the earlier, though I’m no longer in pain. I wonder…is Alex causing this? Is it his madness? True, it’s never affected me before, but I was used to this sort of thing, back then. Or has he just become so strong that even I can be bothered? After all, there were some people who always noticed the madness, even if the band didn’t.

            The three of us walk in silence for a bit. I don’t know how, but eventually we end up in the volleyball court by the pool, which is littered in leaves and twigs that have fallen from the trees and bushes around it. Also, a stone wall lines the side of the court closest to the walking path that I was running on just before.

            It only takes me a few seconds to scamper to the top of the wall, where I perch with my knees tucked up to my chest. Is this situation, I think it’s best for me to have the high ground.

            Meanwhile, Chase spots the court’s volleyball (which has never been stolen, for some reason) lying in the sand, and he’s soon juggling it from foot to foot, as if he’s a professional soccer player. He pays me little attention, as if he has nothing to do with what’s going on.

            Alex comes over to the wall and leans up against it, tilting his head back, so it leans against the stone, in a way that he’s able to see the night’s stars. But not far enough back that he can catch a glimpse of me.

            “You know, Ches—I mean, Cassie—we didn’t just come to the real world on a whim.”

            “Oh?” I do my best to sound disinterested.

            “Ever since you left, Cassie, things haven’t been right in Wonderland. In fact, it’s been crazy.”

            “Not my problem,” I feel like I’m stabbing myself through the chest when I say it, but I push the hurt down. “I’m not a part of that world anymore. I’ve done my part to help Wonderland—whatever’s up, you guys are going to have to fix it yourselves, because I consider my work done and through. I have for the past one hundred and sixty years.”

            “You don’t mean that, Cassie.” Alex says, staring at the stars. “You can say whatever words you want, but I know you don’t have the heart to abandon Wonderland.”

            “I’ve lived without out it for quite a long time, perfectly fine. Besides, what makes you think that I care?”

            “You can’t fool me and you know it. When you left, you did it because you though you could save the Kingdom of Hearts by doing so—you left the only place you’ve ever called home and every friend you ever had. You don’t do that for a place you don’t care about.”

            “What’s your point? Just because I’ve helped out in the past, doesn’t mean I’m willing—or able, for that matter—to do it again.”

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” Chase questions. He bounces the volleyball on his foot once more, then kicks it over the net, causing a spray of sand to fly up, when it hits the ground.

            I lean my head back and look at the dark sky.

            “It means, Chase, that if I were to help you with whatever problem you’ve got, I might as well hand the Red Queen a collar with my name on in. And that’s not what you want, is it?”

            Chase opens his mouth to protest, but I raise a hand to stop him.

            “Look, we’ve been over this.” I look pointedly at Alex. “At least, the Hatter and I have, anyway. I can’t help you, even if I would want to, which I don’t.”

            “But, Cassie…” Chase trails off.

            “Wonderland is better off without me, Chase. And that’s final.” I sand up on the wall and jump down to the ground, sand sinking into my sneakers. “Listen, you guys say you don’t want a fight, so here’s my advice—leave me alone and get the hell out of here. If you do that, I won’t have any reason to beat your sorry butts into the ground, before tossing you back to the Queen.”

            “Well, there’s a slight problem with that plan.” Alex says and I turn, so that I can directly face him.

            “What do you mean by that?”

            “Cassie, you know as well as I do that Chase can only open a portal once every twenty-four hours—we won’t be able to leave until seven-thirteen exactly, tomorrow.”

            “So?”

            “Come on, you aren’t really going to be as heartless as to leave two old friends out on their own, in a strange world, with no modern money, are you?”

            “Don’t make me laugh, you’re not the helpless.”

            “You know, it’s quite tragic,” Alex says and I narrow my eyes at him. “That our young lives are to me sentenced so soon—for what shall we do when the law of this land swoops down on us and takes us away—mistaking us for filthy beggars—and forever prohibit us from returning home, because we will have no tool to drawn our portal back. And it will all be for lack of a friend’s kindness.”

            “Drop the act, Alex.” I say, with a roll of my eyes, but I know he has a point. If I leave him and Chase out on the streets, with no money, they’ll get picked up by the police in no time, for loitering, trespassing, or whatever. And if that happens, they’ll surely confiscate Chase’s knife, which he needs to draw portals between worlds. I’ll never be rid of them.

            “So what’s it gonna be?” Chase asks and I glare at him.

            “Fine, you can stay with me,” I snap. “But you have to be out by exactly seven-thirteen, understand?”

            “Sure thing, Ches,” Alex says with a grin.

            I sigh and turn to lead them back to my room, but I don’t correct Alex.

            “Let’s go, I’m exhausted.”

 

 

I pause for a second to unlock my room, before opening the door and letting Chase and Alex walk inside. I flip on the lights, illuminating my Cheshire collection, and Chase blinks a couple of times.

“Wow,” he says, “That’s a lot of Cheshires.” I brush past him, kicking off my shoes. “I thought you didn’t care about Wonderland anymore, Ches.”

“It’s a personal joke, Rabbit, nothing more.”

“Whatever,”

“Ches,” I look at Alex, who’s staring at a poster on my wall. “What the hell is this?” I take a look. The poster Alex is gaping at is of the Mad Hatter, from a more recent version of Alice in Wonderland.

“That, Alex, is Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. In other words, as you,” Alex stares at me.

“That looks nothing like me!” He exclaims and I shrug.

“I thought it was funny.”

“Are you seriously telling me that you completely themed your room to the book Alice in Wonderland, which is practically our reality, because you thought it’d be funny?”

“Pretty much, didn’t you hear me before? Also, you can consider it a tribute to our dear old friend, Charles.”

“Yeah, our old friend, who popped in for a visit, immortalized us as hybrid animals, and passed it all off as a drunken delusion.”

“Well, when you put it that way…”

“When you put it any way…” Chase mutters.

“The point is it’s ironic, so let’s drop the matter.” I say with finality. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to get a shower.”

“Why?” Chase asks incredulously and I mentally face-palm.

“Because I’m covered in sweat, sand, and dirt, and it’s disgusting, Chase.”

“You’re getting soft, Cassie.” Alex says, flipping on my T.V. “Those things never bothered you before.”

“I’m not getting soft!” I snap, stalking into my bathroom. “I’m just being practical!”

“Nah, I think it just looks like Cheshire’s finally acting like a girl!” Chase adds on with a grin.

“Shut up, you idiotic morons!” I shout, slamming my bathroom doors together. “And don’t destroy my room!”

4: Chapter Three: A Favor to Alexander Harris

Ice cold water pounds hard against my back in the shower. I’m long done washing my hair—all of the soap has washed down the drain, and all that’s left is me, wishing that I could punch a hole in the wall. I lean my head back and let some of the water slide into my eyes, before blinking it away.

            This is insane. I just can’t get over the fact that Chase and Alex are just a wall away from me. A part of me wonders if this is all even real, but I know better—the feeling of Alex’s madness is still lingering around me.

            I twist the faucet and jump out of the shower as the water stops. It only takes me a couple of seconds to dry off and change into my black and white pajama pants, along with a light pink cami, but I feel the need to stall. So, in order to buy some time, I take my time brushing my teeth and hair. And in a moment of desperation, I even go so far as to paint a coat of clear nail lacquer on my toes and fingers. But eventually, I can’t find anything else to prevent me from leaving the bathroom and I walk out into the main room.

            Alex and Chase have already made themselves at home, dumping their sneakers on the floor and lounging on the double mattresses like kings. Alex has even so far as to strip off his shirt, a result of a childhood bad habit. Huh, I can’t believe he’s still doing that, I was sure he’d start sleeping with his shirt on eventually. Since he’s been sleeping like this since we were kids, it’s really not that big of a deal to me, so long as he puts it back on in the morning.

            But there is one problem with the arrangement I’ve walked into. There are two beds in my room and I usually sleep on the one farthest from the door. The other usually just sits there, since I don’t have much of a use for it. That’s the bed Chase is laying in. Alex, however, is calmly examining his nails, while lying back on my much beloved Cheshire Cat pillow pet, on my bed. I should have known he’d pull something like this.

            “Get off my bed, Alex!” I snap, placing my hands on my hips. But Alex just smirks and pats the sheets beside him.

            “What’s the harm in sharing, Ches? After all, you and I have been bunking out together since we were twelve.”

            I roll my eyes, walk over, and give Alex a hard shove, causing him to tumble into the space between the mattress and the wall.

            “Ouch! Dammit, Cheshire, that really hurt! Couldn’t you have just asked?”

            “I did ask.” I say, crawling under the covers.

            “I meant politely, with a please and a thank-you thrown in!”

            “Like hell, Hatter. Don’t push your luck.” Even as the words come out, I bite my tongue. I don’t mean to keep calling him, “Hatter.” It just keeps happening.

            Meanwhile, Alex recovers from his fall and stands up, raising his eyebrows at me. Clearly, he’s caught on.

            “Hatter, huh? I don’t know, Ches, sounds to me like no matter how hard you try, you just can’t forget Wonderland.” I roll over, so that I’m turned away from the boys.

            “I never said that I forgot Wonderland. I just don’t care about it anymore. Now, go to sleep or something.”

            “Where? Both of the beds are taken.”

            “Suck it up and share with Chase. Or, if you’re too stubborn to do that, sleep on the floor.” I chuck a pillow over my shoulder at him, which hits my head a second later, when he throws it back.

            “Very funny, Cheshire,”

            I reach up and flip off the light above my bed.

            “Don’t call me Cheshire.”

            I hear Alex flip of the main lights and shove Chase, so that there’s room for him to sleep.

            “Like hell, Ches.”

            I shut my eyes, but a few tears still lead onto my pillow. Once again, I don’t correct Alex. I just can’t.

 

 

            It’s six A.M on the dot when I open my eyes in the morning. My breathing is heavy and I’m covered a fine layer of sweat. Confused, I raise my hands to brush my hair away from my face and realize that they’re all bloody—I must’ve been digging my fingernails into my palms.

            It only takes a moment after I see my cut up hands to remember my dream and bile starts to rise in my throat. Immediately, I leap out of bed and rush into the bathroom, stomach churning. I don’t vomit, but I feel awful.

            It was just a dream, Cheshire. Just a dream. I fill a paper cup with water and take a sip, but it does nothing to help me out. Quickly, I take a quick shower to wash off the sweat and blood and change into jean shorts and a white cami, before heading for the door.

            The boys are still asleep when I leave and they don’t even move when I slip outside. For a moment, I consider leaving a note, but I decide against taking the time to write one. If Chase and Alex are that desperate to find me when they wake up, they’ll just come find me, regardless of whether I leave a note or not.

            For breakfast, I grab a lemon-lime soda, to settle my stomach, and a blueberry muffin, for no reason other than the fact that the resort’s muffins are really good. Right after I get my food, I head for the bridge, in order to clear my head. When I get there, I stand at the railing, staring at the water beneath me as I nibble on my food.

            “Beautiful day, don’t you think?”

            I stiffen as Alex leans his forearms against the rail next to me.

            “I guess,” I gulp down the rest of my pastry and take a swig of my soda. Alex holds out his hand and I reflexively hand the bottle over to him, just like I used to with ale, before underage drinking became prohibited. Although, in Wonderland, there really was no such thing—only little kids didn’t drink ale.

            “Thanks, Ches.” Alex says as he takes a sip.

            “I hope you choke on backwash.” I automatically respond, but my heart isn’t in it.

            “Sorry, but there’s no such luck, Cheshire.” he replies, drinking some more soda. I turn and lean back, so that Alex and I are facing opposite directions. “You had a bad dream last night.” It’s not a question. It’s a fact and I tense up.

            “Yeah, so what?” I make an attempt at looking laid back. “You’ve never had a bad dream before? It’s not a big deal, Hatter.”

            “You shouldn’t lie to yourself, Cheshire.”

            I freeze.

            “I saw you last night—you were shaking like a leaf and I could practically hear your heartbeat.”  I feel a hand pick up one of mine and when I look over, Alex is examining the cuts on my palm. “And then there’re these.” He brushes his fingers over the crescent moon slices and I bite back a hiss. Although they’ve stopped bleeding, they still sting on contact.

            Alex then pulls a roll of gauze from his pocket and he starts to wrap my hand. “You really should bandage these, you know.”

            “I’m not a feather weight, Alex.” I scowl, pushing him away. “I can handle a couple of paper cuts.”

            Alex smiles and gently takes my hand again. “You’re the same as ever, Ches, no matter how hard you try to hide it.” He firmly ties off the gauze on my left hand and starts on my right. “You’ve never wanted to depend on anyone else, Cheshire. When we first met, I realized that almost immediately. But you learned to trust me, and eventually even the twins, Chase, and Alice. Then Alice left and it appears that’s damaged her trust.” Alex finished wrapping my left hand.

            “You said that you left, because you thought it was for the good of Wonderland and I believe that’s true. But I also think there’s more to it.”

            My breath hitches in my throat and Alex brushes some hair away from my face. “I told you once that I know your curse as well as you do—I wasn’t just trying to prove a point Cheshire, because I do understand.” He nods towards the orange streak racing across my left eye. “Like me, you have a non-manifest force locked inside you. You go through every day knowing that it lingers there and that it could destroy your life. But unlike me, you also know that if your past mistress were ever to find you, she could make you her puppet in the blink of an eye. That mark on your eye is the constant remind of your curse that I’ll never have. Even so, you and I are the same in many ways. And I’m willing to guess that you’ve been thinking that Alice left, because of your curse, like I thought she was leaving, because of mine, at first.”

            I suck in my breath. Damn you, Alex. Why has it always been so easy for you to read me?

            “So now you get it,” I turn my face away. “And what are you going to do about it?”

            “Cheshire…”

            “Save it, Alex.”

            “Ches,”

            I cross my arms and don’t reply.

            “Cheshire, look at me.” Something in Alex’s voice has changed and it forces me to reluctantly meet his eyes again.

            “What?” I ask.

            “I swear, you’re as stubborn as the day I met you.” Alex says and then he steps forward and wraps his arms around me. As he does, I stiffen, freezing like a deer in the headlights of a truck. “Sometimes, you’re just such an idiot.” Alex whispers into my hair and I can feel myself start to break down, in a way I don’t want to. Tears start to well up in my eyes and I bury my head in Alex’s chest.

            “Damn you,” I whisper, clutching his shirt and biting back tears simultaneously. “What do you know?”

            “Quite a lot, actually,” Alex chuckles, while rubbing my back.

            “Shut up,” I mutter. “And just leave me alone, Hatter.”

            “You just don’t get it, do you?” Alex says, looking down at me with a grin. “Unfortunately, you’re stuck with me for life. Sure, you can run away and hide for a while, but whenever you’re needed, I’ll always be able to track you down for help.”

            “So, you need my help?”

            “Yeah, didn’t I already make that clear last night?”

            “Huh,” I gently push Alex away from me and blink a couple times to completely diminish the tears that had been threatening to spill over. “Look, I’m flattered that you and Chase came to me for help, but the thing is, I’m just going to cause more trouble for you. You keep comparing my chaos to your madness, but they’re two completely different concepts. Unlike madness, chaos isn’t something you can recognize—it’s subtler than that. It works its way directly into your being and controls you from the outside. Believe me, I should know.” I shuffle on my feet. “Madness is more of a feeling, one that infiltrates your mind. I know it sounds crazy, but having experienced both, I know the difference between madness and chaos. And trust me, your madness isn’t half as bad as the chaos I’ve been given.”

            “Ches, that’s great and all,” Alex says. “But just because chaos and different from madness, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go back to Wonderland.”

            “Alex!” I give him look of disbelief. “Didn’t you hear anything I just said? This chaos…it can take over and control me—turn me into a weapon, or a curse, or just a tool for destruction! I’m dangerous, dammit! Don’t you get that?”

            “Cheshire, come on, it can’t be that bad! I know it’s not!”

            “Alex, there are exactly two people in all the worlds that understand the full extent of my curse and you’re not one of them. You know a lot, but there’s more to my curse than you know.”

            “Then tell me, Ches, dammit!”

            “Alex, you don’t get it!” I shout at him, my temper snapping. “You can’t get it!”

            “And why not?” Alex takes a step towards me, but I shove him away. “I’m supposed to be your best friend, Ches—just because you left doesn’t change that for me!”

            “Alex, I think you should go.” I say, trying to add steel to my voice. “Just leave me alone.” I expect Alex to sigh and walk away, but he just sighs and gives me a look. I can’t decide if it’s one of concern or frustration, though.

            “You know, can you do me a favor Ches?”

            “That depends, what is it?”

            “Take the five o’clock bus into the city and meet me at Insiders’. It’s a small café, just off the main street, about a block down from the bus stop.” Alex sticks his hands in his pockets, turns around, and strolls away from me. “And wear something nice!” He tacks on over his shoulder, as if I hadn’t just been yelling at him a moment earlier.

            “Define “nice,” Alex!” I shout at his retreating back. I can’t see his face, but I know there’s a grin spreading across his face.

            “Nice means, as in a dress, Cheshire!”

            My fists ball up as his words register in my brain. A dress?

            “Damn you, Alexander Harris!”

5: Chapter Four: A Favor to Alexander Harris

I stand in front of my bathroom mirror, grimacing at my appearance. I’ve never been one for dresses, despite growing up in a time when a girl wearing pants was unthinkable. In fact, I only own one and that’s only because Zoe insisted upon me buying it.

            I mean, I guess it’s not too bad. The dress is dark purple and sleeveless, dropping to my knees and I’ve paired it with tall black boots, because it adds a slight element of “I will kick your butt into the dirt if you so much as look at me wrong.” Really, it’s not that bad of an outfit, but wearing dresses tends to remind me of a less than pleasant time, so I like to avoid them when I can—even if I can make them give me a scary appearance.

            “Ches, the bus into the city is going to be here!” Chase yells from the main room. “Just suck it up and leave already!”

            “Shut up, Chase!” I shout back, even though he’s right—I need to get going. In effort to look somewhat nice, I add a silver feather necklace to my outfit, before walking out of the bathroom to see Chase lounging around with the T.V remote in hand.

            “Remember,” I say as I slide my room key into my boot. “Make sure you meet Alex and me on the bridge at seven. Don’t be late.”

            “Sure thing, Cheshire,” Chase responds, barely paying attention to me. I roll my eyes, leave the room, and run to the bus stop. I get a couple of stares, since it’s not every day you a girl running around in a dress like a maniac, but I ignore the looks and soon enough, I’m approaching Insiders’.

            At first, I don’t see Alex in the dark café. It’s low-level enough, mainly lit by dim lamps and it smells like spices—just the sort of place Alex would go for. In fact, it reminds me of the average Wonderland tavern. Go figure. Eventually, I spot Alex sitting at a table in the back of the café, swirling his water glass around in his hand. He hasn’t noticed me yet.

            I sigh and head over, slipping through waiters, tables, and customers alike, in order to get to the back. “Been waiting long, Alex?”

            He looks up and smirks. “No, not really, but beating the ladies off me has made it seem so.”

            I flick my eyes to the side and grimace when I see several waitresses peering at us from behind the serving counter. “You’ve got to be kidding. Are you trying to tick me off?”

            “I can’t help it that I’m so handsomely attractive. “

            “Oh, shut up.”

            “Sorry, but that would defeat the purpose of my having a mouth. Anyway, have a seat.”

            “Sure,” I move to pull out the chair, but suddenly a waiter’s there, pulling back my chair with a profuse blush on his face.

            “Allow me, Miss.” He says and my eyes flash. Now that’s a mistake, Psycho.

            “Excuse me, but I’ve perfectly capable of moving my chair on my own!” I snap, at the waiter, whose name tag reads “Jason.” “Honestly, I may be a girl, but I’m not weak.  Do you really think that making a girl feel like there’s nothing she can do on her own, is the way you should go about promoting yourself? For the love of hearts, you make me sick.” I sit down and cross my arms, while Alex covers his face with his hand, obviously trying to hide a laugh.

            Meanwhile, Waiter Jason turns red. “Uh, w-what can I g-get you?” He stammers and I almost begin to laugh as well.

            “I’ll have a lemon-sugar smoothie,” I say, glancing at Alex, who’s still covering his face.

            “A chocolate milkshake,” He says and Jason nods, before he scurries away. Only then does Alex lower his hand, to reveal the large grin covering his face. For a second he just smiles at me. Then we both burst out laughing.

            “That…was…hilarious!” Alex manages to get out as I clutch at my sides. “He was just trying to be chivalrous… and you flipped out on him without a second’s thought.” He gasps for air. “Do you do this to every waiter who pulls a chair for you?”

            “In what way was that being chivalrous?” I ask. “If you ask me, it’s merely annoying that they think a girl can’t even so much as move a chair for herself.”

            “I don’t think that’s the idea…”

            “Besides, no one ever pulled a chair for me in Wonderland.”

            “Yeah, because we spent most of our time in taverns, where most of the blokes in there would’ve been too drunk to even wrap their minds around the idea of being courteous enough to help a lady!”

            We laugh a bit longer and soon different server brings us our drinks, after we’ve settled down.

            Absentmindedly, I take a sip of my smoothie and I smile, the taste reminding me of the Flower Inn’s lemon ale, minus the sugary flavor. Florence always made the best.

            “I imagine that it kills you to miss out on you drinking habits, Cass.” Alex says randomly, sipping on his own drink. “After all, in this world you can’t drink until you’re twenty-one, right?”

            I scowl at him. “I do not have drinking habits!”

            “As I recall, you always drank more than I ever did.”

            “It’s not my fault you’re such a featherweight—you can barely drink anything before passing out!”

            “Yeah, or maybe I always stayed sober in the past, so when you ended up throwing me into fights, I didn’t get beat into the dirt!”

            I laugh and lean back in my chair. “I’m not one for close combat—granted, I’m good at it, but I prefer to see you handle the punches, rather than me. Besides, while you were fighting, I’ve always been good at getting a hold of information. That’s something you’ve never been skilled at.

            “Oh, please, you were only good at it because a drunken man will tell a girl anything!”

            “Come on, if it were that easy, we could’ve just thrown you in the bar with a dress on—no one would’ve known the difference!”

            “I take offense to that!”

            “Which might have possibly been why I said it…”

            “Cassie!” He complains.

            “Alex!” I tease back, causing him to smile and rest his forearms on the table.

“See, I knew you were still in there.”

I raise my eyebrows quizzically at him. “What?”

Alex gestures at me with his straw. “I said that I knew you were still in there. “Up until now, you’ve been acting the same way you did when we first met—like there’s that wall around you no one can break down.” He sits back in his seat. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that Cheshire grin of yours.”

I clench my fists under the table, because I don’t like where this is going. “Sometimes walls are built for a reason, Alex.” I say quietly, my smile gone. “They aren’t meant to be torn down.”

“Sometimes,” Alex agrees. “But not yours. I know you, Cheshire. Granted, you’ve probably changed a bit over the years—we all have. But I’m sure, somewhere deep inside, you’re still the same Cheshire you were one hundred and sixty years ago. And if I’ve learned anything about you, I’m betting that you might want to bypass those walls you rebuilt and listen to what I have to say.

Alex takes another sip of his drink. “Yesterday night, I told you that Chase and I came here, because Wonderland was in trouble. But I never got the chance to tell you why.”

I crack my knuckles nervously. “Alright then, tell me.”

Alex looks me in the eye. “Soon after you left, maybe a week or so later, the Red Queen attacked and conquered Shingra.”

I let out a small gasp and lurch back in my chair. “You liar! The Queen wouldn’t dare! Shingra’s an outpost of the White Sister’s Domain, why would she go so far as to attack it!”

“You may have forgotten, but Shingra is far from Coralace, the White Sister’s capital. That makes it hard for it to be protected and it’s also a profitable gain for the Queen—Shingrians are renowned black and silversmiths and the Queen’s probably wanted them under her control ever since her rule began. The only reason she didn’t attack until you left, was because of the bargain you made with her. She wanted to be sure that you were gone, before she moved her pieces.”

“Wait, what bargain?” I inquire, leaning forward again. I don’t remember making any deals involving Shingra,”

“Come on Ches—”

“Cassie.”

“—Cassie. What was it about Shingra that made you go so far as to confront the Queen about laying a hand on it?”

I twist my mouth, thinking. “Shingra, huh? I don’t know. I mean, other than my sword, I don’t think I even ever went there much. Wait, no, there was something else…Mia!”

“Well that took you long enough.”

The mention of the young immortal girl who I’d met years ago instantly sets my mind on alert. “Hell, is she alright?”

Alex nods. “Yes, during the initial waves of the Queen’s attack, she went straight to Fawn Rilla—you know that sword smith that you commissioned your weapons to.”

“Yeah, I remember her—she was the only Shingrian sword smith who could cast cursed metals.”

“No doubt about that. But anyway, in case you don’t remember, you told the Queen that so long as you were alive, if she so much as set a foot in Shingra, she’d live to regret it.”

I nod. “Yeah, now I remember.”

“As far as I can figure, the Queen probably took advantage of your absence and placed Shingra under siege. And since they only produce weapons…well, they wouldn’t have lasted a month before they all starved to death.”

“And Mia?”

“Still alive, breathing, and living with Fawn, as far I know.”

I let out a slight breath of relief and Alex takes note of it.

“Don’t feel too relieved. Shingra’s still been controlled by the Red Queen since you left and Ceerin and Xerxes too. Progress has been slow, but she’s expanding her hold on the Kingdom of Hearts. And don’t forget, the Queen is an immortal of the Royal Family—she has near eternity to completely take over.” He folds his hands. “But something tells me that she won’t wait that long.”

“Alex, this is ridiculous.” I say. “If the Red Queen is taking over, why haven’t the other Northern Sisters made a move on her? Eleanora and Elsia should have made a counter attack by now—hell, they’ve had nearly two centuries to do so!”

“You’re right, they should’ve struck back by now.” Alex says. “So you tell me—why hasn’t anyone with power opposed her?”

The answer comes to me immediately. “Chaos,” I respond. “It’s the only thing that would hold the Royal Family’s hand.”

“Exactly,”

“But that’s insane!” I protest. “When I left…that sort of chaos should have been eliminated!”

“You think that you’re the only source of that sort of disorder in Wonderland?” Alex shakes his head. “I beg to differ, because as soon as you left, the chaos increased and while the other districts of Wonderland remain free, the term must be used loosely, because they’re still under the influence of the Queen of Hearts. They pay monthly taxes to the Capital and soldiers inhabit all but the most unreachable towns. So, more or less, the Queen has the Kingdom securely in her pocket.”

I scowl. “Is this some king of a joke, Alexander? Because if it is, it’s not funny.”

“This is no joke, Cassie. The Queen is beginning to attempt to take over Wonderland and no one is fighting back.”

I brush some hair behind my ear. “So what do you expect me to do? And why have you waited one hundred and sixty years to tell me about this?”

“I’ve been trying. But you’re rather hard to find when you don’t want to be found. And besides that, the boys and I have been working our butts off to make sure that everyone has enough money for tax day. Nevertheless, not even the boys and I can snitch that much gold in a single month. We need someone who can help us fight the Queen, and you’re the one person who can do that, Ches!”

“Cassie. And if you’re looking for someone to oppose the Queen, you should focus your time on finding Alice.” I tense, even as I say her name. “She was more of a threat to the monarchy than I ever was.”

“Yeah, well whereas you’re hard to find, Alice is out of the question. It would take a millennium to so much as get a rumor as to where she’s at, if she’s even still living.”

“And why wouldn’t she be—she’s immortal, like us, after all.”

“Yeah, but people get sick of living forever. You should know that as well as anyone.”

“You could be right. But suicide was never Alice’s style, I’m sure she’s under the radar somewhere or another. So why don’t you take that millennium and leave me out of this?”

“Because we don’t have that long! We can’t defeat the Red Queen with just four thieves and the people of the Kingdom of Hearts need someone to look to for courage. Obviously, we’re not cutting that image. We need you, because you have the potential to bring the Queen down, despite your mistress’s curse!”

I hold up a hand. “Alex, just stop. It sounds like you’re trying to turn me into a hero, which we both know I can’t be. And the only reason I have any sort of connection to the Queen, is the fact that the world was cruel enough to curse the cursed.” I let out a bitter laugh. “In reality, I’m no better than her, in fact. You know the things I’ve done for my mistress and I refuse to put myself in the position where I might have to do things like that again.”

“Ches, you were young, you didn’t know that you could break away from her!”

“Twelve years old is not young!” I say, my voice rising. “Not in the time that we come from. And it was old enough to know what murder is!” I clench the edge of the table. “I was a fool back then. Just a foolish little girl, who couldn’t do anything for herself, so she went off and served as a twisted player in a damned well, twisted game! So don’t you go around telling me that I can just waltz back to Wonderland--especially after all that I’ve done!”

“Ches, come on. We’ve all made mistakes in the past—and some pretty bad ones at that. And maybe we can’t ever really atone for our sins, but we can at least try to fix some of the mess we made!”

“That’s a nice idea and all, Alex, but all I’m ever going to be able to do is carry my mistakes around with me, for a very freaking long time.”

“You’re wrong, Ches. I think that you can help us save Wonderland—you don’t have to be a hero or anything, you just need to be the pawn that the Queen can’t control!”

I fall silent at that and we finish our drinks in silence, while I try to avoid Alex’s gaze.

            “You just need to be the pawn that the Queen can’t control.” I sigh as the words keep running through my mind.

            You’re a fool, Alexander Harris. I think to myself. I’ll always be a useless piece—in fact, I might as well be on strings. Once a pawn, always a pawn—one can’t move to the end of the board and expect to become a knight.

            Really, if my life were a game, it’d be chess and I’m stuck as the least of the pieces. And if my life were a gamble, then the game is solitaire and I’m the unlucky shuffle of the cards. In any case, I’m cursed any way I go—that won’t ever change.

            My fists tense. But despite all this, can I really just leave Wonderland to suffer? No matter what I tell Alex, it is my home. Even a pawn has a place on the chessboard.

            I push my empty glass away, taking a deep breath. “Alright,” I whisper.

            Alex raises his eyebrows me, like he hadn’t expected me to respond. “What was that?”

            “I said, alright, damn it!” I say, louder this time. “You can’t make me believe that I can fix the mistakes I’ve made, but I can’t just sit around when I know what’s going on in Wonderland!”

            Alex sits forward. “So, does this mean...?”

            “Yes, Alex,” I say and I look his in the eye. “I’ll do it. I’ll go back to Wonderland.”

6: Chapter Five: The Rabbit-Hole Room

When Alex and I get back to the resort, Chase is waiting for us in the center of the bridge, clicking a silver pocket watch open and closed in his hand.

            “You’re late,” he says, annoyed, slipping the watch into his pants’ pocket. “It’s seven-eleven, and if I recall correctly, you were the one who said to meet you here at exactly seven o’clock, on the dot.”

            “Oh, drop it, Rabbit.” I say. “It it doesn’t even matter.”

            “Did you just say it doesn’t matter?” Chase gives me a somewhat horrified look. “What is it with the world? Does no one appreciate the fine art of punctuality?”

            “Hate to break it to you, but nope, no one does. At least, not to the extent that you do.” I say as I jump up to sit on the bridge rail.

            “Humph!” Chase mutters under his breath and Alex laughs.

            “She’s right, you know, Chase.”

            “Oh, shut up.”

            “So anyway…” I say, hoping to move on from Chase’s time obsession. “…what are we going to do when we get back, Alex?”

            “Whoa, hold on!” Chase snaps out of his punctuality stupor and gives me a look. “What do you mean by ‘we’?”

            “Do the math, Chase.” I tilt my head back and look at the dimming sky. “I’m going back with you.”

            Chase’s jaw drops. “Damn, Alex, you are mad!”

            “Uh, care to elaborate on that statement?” Alex says, scrunching up his forehead.

            “’Course, Hatter,” Chase pulls a knife, hidden by his white t-shirt, from his belt and twirls it around his fingers. “It means that only a mad man could rule against Ches and win.”

            “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Alex says, while I scowl. “And pretend that you didn’t just call me mad—even though I am.”

            “Well, I’m glad to see that you’re not still denying it.” I laugh, lightly punching him on the arm.

            “I’ve never denied that I’m mad!” Alex protests. “I just don’t like bringing up my curse, that’s all!”

            Chase snorts. “Oh, please. We’re all cursed in one way or another—talking’s not going to change the facts. So we might as well make use of our ever-so-loved misfortunes.” And just like that, Chase’s hand whips through the air, carving out the same symbol that stared me in the face when I left Wonderland.

            “After you,” Chase says with a flourish, as the portal begins to spin, and Alex sticks out his tongue at him before he steps into the glowing, blue light. “Oh, real mature, Hatter!” Chase shouts, before jumping in after him.

            I step up the shimmering circle of magic, knowing that’s it’s my turn to leave the real world. It’s not too late to change your mind. A voice in my head whispers. You can still walk away. I grit my teeth and steel my nerves.

            “Like hell!” Then I throw myself into the portal.

 

 

I’ve forgotten what portals are like. As soon as I pass inside, I’m enveloped in pitch blackness, spare pinpricks of white light scattered throughout, like stars. I’m sure that if the universe were poured into a lake, this is probably what it would feel like to swim in it.

            The air is thick and is almost like water as I run my fingers through the empty space, but I don’t feel like I’m drowning.

            “Cheshire,”

            I look forward and see what appears to be a pane of glass, letting a beam of bright light cut through the darkness. My body floats towards the glare and I rest my fingers against the window letting it through, shocked to find that it’s as cold as ice. I also note that the surface is also warped, distorting the room that lies beyond it.

            “Cheshire, come on, you can’t stay floating there in nothingness forever.”

            I press my palms against the window and they slowly sink into the glass. And as they do, the distortion clears, allowing me to catch a glimpse of light-colored walls, a checkered floor, and dim lanterns in the room beyond.

            “Ches, what are you waiting for, an engraved invitation?” I hear Alex shout, even though I can’t see him.

            I try to yell back, but for some reason, I can’t speak. Oh, that’s right, I forgot. You can’t talk in a portal.

            I press my hands harder against the portal exit, but my hands barely sink any deeper. Frustrated, I body check the glass, sending a web of cracks across the surface. A smile spreads across my face and I ram my shoulder into it again. This time, the exit completely gives and I tumble through, the glass shards dissolving, as the door from the real world closes behind me.

            Finally, I think, before I realize that I’m hanging in mid-air and the floor is nowhere in sight.

            “Damn it!” I scream as I begin to fall, barely able to register anything except for flashes of dark mahogany cabinets hung on the dirt walls surrounding me. “Hatter! I swear, that if I die here, I’m going to kill you!” I shout, just before my body slams into the ground.

            “Ouch…” I groan, pain rippling through my body in intense waves. “You know, Chase, you could’ve warned me that the portal would open twenty feet up in the air!” I say, checking to make sure that I’m not too seriously injured, while Chase rolls his eyes and shrugs.

            “You know I can’t control where the portal opens, Ches.” He says, holding out a hand for me to get up. “So long as it’s in the rabbit-hole room, it can open in any space and at any height. Not that it matters,” I grasp his hand and he pulls me to my feet. “You can’t die coming out of portal travel, no matter how hard you try. So stop complaining, alright?”

            I sigh, because he has a point. Logically, after the fall I’ve just had, I should be dead, but I’m pretty sure the only thing I’ve suffered is a couple of scratches and bruises.

            “Yeah, whatever.” I take a look around. Even though it’s been over a century since I was last here, this place hasn’t changed at all. The round rabbit-hole room still has black and white checked tiles on the floor, white walls covered in dark wooden cabinets, and large table surrounded by six high-backed chairs, where Alex is sitting. “I can’t believe that it’s all still the same.” I say, stretching my hands towards the ceiling.

            Chase shrugs. “There wasn’t really much of a reason to ever re-decorate.”

            “Yeah, I guess. So anyway, what now? Thanks to you, Alex never did get the chance to tell me how you’re planning on taking down the Queen.”

            Alex smirks. “Well, aren’t you eager.”

            I roll my eyes at him. “Oh, shut up, Hatter, and tell me the plan.”

            He yawns and gets up, smiling. “For now just get some sleep—we can fill you in tomorrow morning.”

            “Get some sleep? You’ve got to be joking! It’s only seven o’clock!”

            “Actually,” Chase says, clicking open his pocket watch, “It’s just past midnight here. Wonderland runs in a different time zone, Cheshire, remember?”

            I fall silent, not wanting to admit that I had forgotten something as obvious as the time change between worlds.

            “Here, Ches,” Alex flicks his wrist and by instinct, my hand reaches up to snatch the old-style iron key he’s tossed me. No way.

            “How’d you get my room key?” I ask, the metal thrumming happily in my hand.

            Alex shrugs. “We found it the first time we dropped back by here after you left. Figured that you must have either dropped it or left it here for the next time you came home.”

            “Home, huh?” I say, closing my hand around my key. “That’s an interesting way to put it.”

            “Well, what else would you call this place?” Alex says. “When we were kids, this is where we kept coming back to, whenever we needed somewhere safe to stay. All thanks to Chase, of course.”

            “Not that it’s a big deal.” Chase says dismissively. “We needed somewhere to go and this place was at my disposal.” He smirks. “No sense in letting the Phantom manor go to waste, after all.”

            “Yeah,” I say quietly. “Hey, you guys didn’t mess up my room while I was gone, did you?”

            The boys look at me for a second. Then they start laughing.

            “Ches,” Alex says, grinning, “Even if we wanted to, there’s no way we could get into your room—you know how the locks are. The damned thing wouldn’t budge when we tried!”     

            “Seriously?” I say, surprised. “My lock wouldn’t let you in?”

            Chase shrugs. “The locks in this house were made by a master locksmith in the East Kingdom of Curses, which means they have just as much personality as you and I do. It doesn’t matter whether you have the key or not, the lock decides go goes in a room. And for some reason, yours wouldn’t so much as let us crack the door.”

            “That’s weird.” I say, but the boys merely brush it off.

            “It’s not important.” Alex says, before he heads towards the staircase, that I know leads up into a dark hallway, where our rooms are. “The locks are how they are, Ches, don’t bother thinking about it. Just get some sleep and we’ll talk in the morning, okay?”

            I nod, “Alright.”

            Alex disappears up the steps and Chase sighs, before heading after him. “I’m turning in too, Cheshire. You remember your way up, right?”

            “Yeah, Chase.”

            “Alright, then.”

            Then, Chase is gone, and it’s just me standing in the room. “This is crazy,” I murmur to myself.”Absolutely crazy.”

            The key in my hand tremors again and I can’t help but smile—it’s been a long time since I’ve even touched enchanted metal.

            Realizing how tired I am, I extinguish the lamps in the room and walk up the stairs, snuffing out the flames lining the walls as well. In the upstairs hallway, the left wall is lined with six doors—one for each of our group.

            My room is the fifth one down the hall and I try to be quiet as I walk past Chase and Alex’s rooms. The closer I get to my door, the more my key vibrates, so by the time I actually do reach it, the piece of metal is practically jumping out of my hand. It takes me a couple seconds to insert it into the keyhole, but once I do, the tremors stop and my door cracks open. Instantly, I’m overwhelmed by the scent of stale vanilla and cinnamon, from candles I used to burn here in the past.

            Smiling, I walk inside, firmly clicking the door shut behind me. Even though the room is pitch black, I have no trouble finding my way through the room and I collapse on the bed, my eyes already closing.

7: Chapter Six: A Change in Chase Phantom

When I wake up, there’s no light coming through the tall window opposite my bedroom door. At first, I think it’s because of the black curtains hung over it, but soon I realize that they’re not nearly thick enough to keep out the day.

Yawning, I climb out of my bed and blink the sleep out of my eyes. Then, stumbling through the darkness a little bit, I manage to light an oil lamp by my bedside, before taking a look around. Besides accumulating a thick layer of dust, my room is exactly how I left it—the same white walls and checkered floor as the foyer, a bed pushed into the corner, a chest at the foot of it for clothes, and several lamps mounted on the walls.

Of course, it’s not even actually my room. Chase just let us (Alex, Alice, the twins and I) stay here, since this house is part of his family inheritance, which comes along with his title of “White Rabbit.”

Really, the term just refers to the insignia of the Phantom line, a family that dates to the very beginnings of Wonderland, rather than an actual rabbit, as Lewis Carroll’s book would lead you to believe. According to Chase, his family has resided in the real world since the dark days of Wonderland—the time when the Royal Families of Wonderland almost lost control of the various kingdoms—and most don’t ever even learn of the existence of it.

Chase, however, inherited the family power of being able to open portals between Wonderland and the real world or, as they’re more commonly known, “rabbit-holes.”Phantoms are the only ones who have the ability to create portals and it’s rare for more than one family member to hold the potential at a time. So, as far as we know, Chase is the only White Rabbit in both Wonderland and the real world.

Apparently, Chase’s powers only awakened after the death of his Great-Grandfather, the previous White Rabbit, allowing him to unintentionally draw a portal to the family mansion in Wonderland, south of Irishval. Also known as the Rabbit-Hole Room. Originally, it wasn’t called that, but since the Phantom family crest is a white rabbit, the title eventually stuck—both to whoever could draw a portal and to the house, where a White Rabbit’s portal will always conveniently open.

According to family tradition, only Phantoms are supposed to reside in the Rabbit-Hole Room, but as what we assume to be a snub to his family name, Chase offered up the mansion as a place to stay when the group needed somewhere to go. So, in a way, it’s our home.

I’m about to head out of my room, when I realize that I’m still wearing my dress from last night, since I hadn’t bothered to change last night.

“Damn it,” I mutter, looking down at my dress. I can’t very well go running around Wonderland in a skirt! My eyes wander over to the clothes chest by my bed. If my room hasn’t been touched since I was last here…

I walk over and flip up the trunk’s lid. Inside, lays several changes of clothes that I always kept around in case of emergency. I rummage through the cloth, exchanging my dress for soft black pants, a spare pair of leather hunting boots, and a soft white button-down shirt. As a final thought, I take the chance to tie my hair up into a quick ponytail, using a scrap of black cloth. Some of it still hangs around my face, but it can’t be helped, since the strands aren’t long enough to be pulled back.

Outside my window, the sky is just starting to lighten, so I extinguish my lamp and head out, firmly locking the door behind me and hanging the key on a peg by it, so that next time I’m around, I won’t have to go searching for it. I begin to walk down the hall towards the stairs, when I notice there’s a light coming out from under Chase’s door.

Huh, that’s strange. Chase was never much of a morning person—I wonder why he’s up?

I knock on the door, curious. “Chase, are you up?”

I don’t get a response, but I hear the room’s lock click, so I figure it’s okay to go in. Inside, Chase is lying on his back in bed, his hands tucked under his head.

“Let me guess, the lock let you in?”

“You know how they are.” I say, crossing my arms. “And where are your clothes?”

“What do you mean?” Chase scowls, while I roll my eyes. He looks like he made an effort to change into clothes suitable for Wonderland, but got bored before he even got his shirt closed. He made a good effort, since he at least got that far, plus getting into a pair of brown trousers, but his boots are still at the foot of his bed and he hasn’t even put on his glasses.

“You know,” I say. “If you’re going to bother getting up this early, you should at least get fully dressed.”

“Oh, lay off, Ches. It’s not like I asked you to come barging in here when my clothes are off.” He raises his eyebrows at me. “Really, it’s all on you if you’re ticked off.”

“Grow up, Chase.” I exasperate, promptly dropping one of his boots on his stomach

“Ouch!” He sucks in a breath. “Watch it!”

I frown. “Come on, Chase, your boot’s not that heavy. Man up a little, would you?”

He pushes the shoe off of him, placing a hand over where it landed. “Look, just be careful when you throw stuff at me, alright?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Okay, Rabbit, what’s off here?”

“Nothing!”

“Rubbish!” I move to the edge of the bed and push his hand away, before moving the edge of his green shirt away. “Something’s not right and if you don’t tell me what it is, then I’ll just have to check for myself!”

“Cheshire!” Chase tries to push me away, but I’ve caught him by surprise and he can’t stop me from moving his shirt to uncover the ugly puckered wound across his side. My mouth twists.

“Hell, Chase, what did you do?” I question, taking in the damage. The cut trails down from his right shoulder, to his hip, the surrounding skin an angry red. A row of black stitches run down the length of it, but they’re poorly made and it’s obvious enough that infection is starting to set into the cut.

“It’s nothing,” Chase mutters, pushing me away and sitting up. “I just got into a brawl, that’s all.”

“A brawl?” My frown deepens. “Don’t tell me you got into a bar fight!”

“Don’t be so quick to assume!” Chase snaps. “And so what if I did?”

I resist the urge to smack him on the head. “Are you insane, Chase? You’re fifteen—you’re not old enough to be going into taverns and you’re definitely not old enough to be getting into fights in them! What has Alex been thinking, letting you be so reckless? And why doesn’t he know about this wound? Don’t you realize how serious it’s going to get if it’s not properly treated? And for that matter, what idiot attempted this sorry excuse for a stitching job?”

“Back off, Cheshire,” Chase buttons his shirt closed. “I’m not a little kid anymore. And it’s not as bad as it looks—I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t give me that sort of damned nonsense! You’ve got to be taken to Drayston, where a proper medic can take care of it!” I grab for his wrist, but Chase yanks his hand away and stands up, so he towers above me.

“Listen, Ches. I swear that if you mention this cut to anyone, you’ll live to regret it.”

I laugh. “Is that a challenge? I’m not afraid of you, Rabbit, it’s not like you’ve ever been able to beat me!”

“Yeah, well I’ve changed a lot in the past one hundred and sixty years. I’m a lot stronger than you are now. And I’m not at least a century out of practice!” His eyes harden and he moves to pull on his boots and put on his glasses.

“Bold words, Phantom,” I say with a glare. “Care to put them into practice?”

“Look, I’m not looking for a fight.” Chase begins to walk out of the room. “So let’s just go on like you didn’t see anything, alright?”

I clench my fists. “I can’t give up so easily. Seriously, can you really expect me to keep quiet? If that wound goes untreated, you could die. And that’s not a joke.”

“I’m a Phantom, Cheshire, I’m not so quickly broken. So not a word to Alex, or anyone else for that matter, understand?”

I bite my tongue. I normally wouldn’t stand for this but…something about Chase isn’t right. It sets me off and I don’t want to risk him doing anything rash. “Alright. But you have to swear that you’ll tell me if it gets worse.”

“And why should I do that?”

“You want to beat the Red Queen, don’t you?” I follow him out of the room and into the hallway where we stand toe-to-toe, anger on both of our faces. “Well how do you intend to help me do that if you’re dead?”

For a moment, he just glares at me. Then he turns away. “I swear that I’ll let you know if the wound develops any further. But only if you swear not to mention it to the others. That’s my only offer.”

“I’ll take it then.” I grudgingly agree. “But I hold you to your side of the deal.”

“I could say the same to you. Now, remember, nothing happened.” Chase then leaves, leaving me angrily looking after him, confused as hell.

“What just happened?” I mutter, before realizing that my clenched fists caused the cuts on my palms to tear open. I sigh and consider bandaging them, but since I already had to deal with Alex doing so yesterday, I just walk downstairs and let them be. Really, I’m more worried about Chase—I don’t remember him as the type of person who would ask me to overlook something so serious. In fact, he always got worried the most when someone was hurt in the past. I wonder what’s changed about him. And for that matter, how the others have changed, if he’s any sort of indicator.

8: Chapter Seven: The Cursed-Blade Sword

I stuff my hands in my pockets and go downstairs, where Alex and Chase are both sitting at the table.

“Well, you look absolutely thrilled, Ches.” Alex says sarcastically as I enter the room with a frown still lingering.

I roll my eyes, purposely not looking at Chase, and jump on the table, where I sit cross-legged. “Good morning to you too, Alex.”

“You know, there are chairs.”

“Chairs are for sissies,” I retort. “Besides, it’s not like we’re eating or anything.”

“Yes, and that, my dear Cheshire, is where you are wrong.” Alex says cheekily, before tossing me an apple.

“Yeah, yeah,” I force out a grin and take a bite. “Hell, where did you get these, Alex? They’re so sour, it’s not even funny!” Despite the bitter taste, though, I continue to munch on the fruit, figuring that it won’t kill me.

Alex holds up his hands with a smile. “Hey, don’t blame me. The twins just snagged them from some random apple tree nearby. Obviously, they didn’t account for the fact that wild apples usually don’t taste as great as the ones from the market. So if you’re looking to blame anyone, feel free to go after them.”

I freeze and lower my apple away from my mouth. “Come again?”

Alex raises his eyebrows. “What?”

I shoot him a look. “You’re joking, right? The twins aren’t actually here, are they?”

Alex rolls his eyes. “No, this isn’t a joke, Ches.” He gestures towards the stairs. “The twins are actually up there now. In fact, they’ve probably just woken up, judging by the time.”

I jump up and back away from the staircase, my apple long forgotten. “You know what, I totally forgot, Alex, but I just remembered that I wanted to take a walk this morning, to…you know…get reacquainted with Wonderland! Yeah…so don’t worry about me I’ll be back sooner or later…maybe never…”

My back hits the door and I reach for the handle, freaking out. “Give the twins my regards if I’m not back by the time of their deaths—which I’m sure I won’t—and be sure to send me the funeral invite, so long as…damn it!” I add the last part, because even though the doorknob is turning, I can’t get the lock to open.

“Damn it! Let me out!” I exclaim, turning around, so that I can throw my full weight against the door. Beneath my fingers, the metal knob hums against my fingers, as if taunting me.

Damned lock! Whose idea was it, anyway, that these stupid things should have minds of their own?

“Ches, calm down.” Alex says, not bothering to get out of his seat. “It’s just the twins.”

“What do you mean, just the twins?”

I freeze. I’d know that voice anywhere.

Hunter crosses his arms with a playful frown across the room. “You know we take great offense to that statement, Hatter.”

“Sorry, guys, I didn’t mean it that way.” Alex apologizes. “But Ches’s having a mental breakdown at the moment, so I was trying to figure out how to calm her down.”

“I am not having a mental breakdown!” I snap at Alex.

“Wow, Alex, I’m impressed.”

I jerk my head to see Fox leaning against the opposite wall. When did he…?

“I didn’t think you could actually convince her to come back.”

“Well, doesn’t that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.” Alex mutters sarcastically.

Fox playfully rolls his eyes, before he and Hunter each start coming towards me, one each side, effectively cornering me at the door. Oh, I am so screwed.

“Well, well, well, Cheshire,” Hunter smirks at me from my right. “You’re finally back.”

“After one hundred and sixty years of not so much as even sending us a letter.” Fox tsks from the left.

“So now that you’re finally here…”

“…it only seems fair…”

“…that we both give you a hug!” The two shout together, before crushing me from both sides.

“Hey, get off me, you ginger freaks!” I scream, trying to wrestle free, but the twins just laugh at me.

“Aw, you’re so cute, Chessy!” Hunter jokes as I scowl.

“Don’t call me that!” I snap irritably, but the twins just laugh and make it harder for me to get free.

Meanwhile, Chase smirks and calmly finishes off his own apple. “I see you found Cheshire, guys.”

“You!” I focus my glare on Chase, who merely raises his eyebrows at me. “Damn you! Why didn’t you tell me they were here?”

“You didn’t ask. And besides, where did you think they were? They’re immortal like the rest of us—so long as they don’t do anything stupid. So you obviously knew they weren’t dead and it’s not like we’d ever leave them across Wonderland while we got you.” Chase smirks. “Hell, if we did that, there’d be an uprising!”

“You have a point there.”

“Of course I do,” Chase motions towards me and the twins let go. “Now come over here for a second.”

I walk over, giving Chase a wary look, as he unwraps a thick bundle that I hadn’t noticed lying on the table. “What is that?”

“What do you think?” He asks, moving away the last of the cloth to reveal a familiar sight of sharpened steel blades and leather sheaths.

“No way,” I breathe, reaching out a hand to rest my fingertips against the well worn leather grip of one of five short throwing knives. “When did you…?”

Alex smiles at me. “We always hoped that you’d come back. So we left your weapons in Shingra, under Fawn’s care, until we could find you.” He gives a short laugh. “Granted, it took us a hell of a lot of time to sneak them into the city, after the Queen took over, but we figured it was best to leave them in the hands of a trained Master.”

“Yeah, so while Alex and Chase went to go get you,” Hunter grins. “Fox and I stopped by Fawn’s place to pick these up for you!”

I frown and move my hand away. “How’d you manage that?” I ask suspiciously. “Shingra’s on the other side of the country and Hatter and Chase were only in the real world with me for a day—you couldn’t have traveled here from there in that amount of time!”

“Sorry, Ches, but that’s a story for another day.” Fox says cheekily. “We’ll tell you some other time.”

“Don’t give me that sort of sorry excuse, Fox Trancy!”

“Ooh, Chessy’s bringing out the last names!” Fox twitters. “She must be crabby after going so long without any ale!”

“What is it with you guys thinking that I have a drinking problem? I don’t!”

“Ches, if you saw how much ale you chug in one night, you’d think you have a drinking problem too.”

“Says you, who can’t hold liquor to save your life! And for the record, I’ve never even gotten drunk!”

“I beg to differ.” Hunter mutters and I wheel towards him.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, Ches!”

I growl at them and consider the idea of strangling the twins where they stand, which is sounding more appealing by the second.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Alex puts a hand on my arm. “Ches, focus.”

I sigh dejectedly and turn back to the weapons on the table. Alex then pushes the bundle towards me. “Go on, take them. They are yours, after all.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” I reach out and almost grab one of the knives, but I freeze, suddenly afraid to touch the weapons. “Alex…I can’t.”

“What?”

My hand recoils and I look away. “You know what I’ve done with these blades—I can’t take them.”

“And why the hell not?”

“Because—”

“Look, Cheshire,” The corner of Alex’s mouth twitches. “Yeah, I know what you’ve done with these weapons. And guess what? Everyone else in this room knows too. But they’re just tools—taking them won’t make you who you used to be. And remember, you haven’t just used these knives for evil—you used them for good too. So why don’t you just take them? After all, they never bothered you before.”

“Yeah, but that was then. One hundred and sixty years ago.”

“I don’t care if it was a damned millennium ago, Cheshire!”

I look up, surprised.

“Back when I knew you, these knives were like an extension of your body. And while I don’t know if you’ve lost any of your skill, over the years, I can’t imagine you not having them.” He picks up the blades and pushes them into my arms. “You’ve served with these knives, hunted with them, stolen with them, and we all know that you’ve even killed with them.” He lets that hang in the air for a second and I look at the weapons in my arms.

“If you know that, then why are you giving them to me?”

“Come on, Cheshire,” Alex flashes me a sad smile. “You really think that since I haven’t seen you in almost two centuries, I’m just automatically judging you by the worst you’ve done? You’ve got to know me better than that. I think that you can take down the Red Queen for good Ches,” His smile brightens into a grin. “And what better way to do that than with these blades?”

I gape at him for a few moments. Then, my hands start moving and I find myself once again sliding my knives into their leather sheaths and strapping the covered metal to my sides, in a routine I thought that I’ve forgotten. One blade for each of my boots, two for the sheath that rests firmly under my shirt, at my lower back, and one that straps through the belt loops of my trousers. But even though all the knives are in their places, something doesn’t feel right.

I freeze awkwardly, not sure what’s absent from my arsenal.

“Missing something, Ches?” I look at Alex, for reaches for something slung over the back of his chair. “Seriously, I was wondering when you’d notice.” He holds out a dark cloth sheath towards me, which I take gingerly, not entirely sure what I’m taking. “Come on, Ches, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.”

The sheath is simple and supple, unlike the leather ones I use for knives. In fact, it’s not really a sheath at all, but rather a sort of bag, almost. A black strap runs down one side of it and matching string wraps around the top, keeping the handle of the weapon inside concealed. Silently, I untie the loose knot, and uncover what I already know is a sword grip. Then I blink.

“You guys kept this?” My mouth drops a little.

“’Course we did,” Fox says, leaning around me to catch a glimpse. “It’s not like we’d get rid of something you went through so much trouble to have in the first place. “’Sides, you love this sword—we weren’t risking your wrath.”

“No joking there.” I say, staring at the black leather grip poking out of the cloth.

“So what are you waiting for?” Hunter appears on my other side. “Take it out for a second—I wanna see if Fawn did a good job taking care of it for you.”

I shoot him a look. “Do you mean that none of you took a look at the blade since you left this with Fawn?”

Hunter shrugs. “It’s your sword—what gives us the right to use it?”

“I never knew you were so considerate.” I murmur, reaching my hand for the grip. This is going to hurt. Cursed metal doesn’t take lightly to being abandoned. But even with that thought running through my head, I still wrap my hand around the black leather hilt with absolute surety.

At first, nothing happens. Then my palm starts to burn and I grimace, as my palm burns like a fire’s been lit beneath it. It hurts like hell, but it’s nothing I’m not prepared for. The pain then increases, but I block it out and smile at the boys. Suck it up Cheshire, you knew this would happen. The metal has to re-brand itself to you, or you’ll never be able to use the sword properly again.

I draw the sword out of its sheath and hold it up, smiling at the wicked sharp katana in my hand. The room’s lamplight ripples down the length of the blade and I can’t tear my gaze away, even when Alex clears his throat—I’ve forgotten what holding a weapon feels like.

“So tell me, Cheshire—are you in?”

The burning in my hand fades and I life the blade higher, examining the blade for damage—there’s not a scratch on it. Even the nick I put there so many years ago has been carefully honed away. Obviously, it’s been well taken care of.

Carefully, I re-sheath the blade and tie it into its cloth protector, sliding the strap over my shoulder. Admittedly enough, I’m still not sure how I really feel about being back. But I shoot Alex my trademark Cheshire grin, my confidence boosted by the feel of my cursed sword against my back.

“Hell yeah, Alex—I’m so in.”