“Forget about them,” I say. “Let’s focus on us.”
She stops, arm still linked through mine.
I set the bucket down again. I’d been thinking about this for a long time. Two years, actually. I knew pretty quickly after we met I was in love with Alice Liddell. I’d searched for her for years, and when I finally found her . . . well, it was like she said. I had come home.
Two years prior to our first meeting, the Librarian explained she had a mission specifically for me. Her spiel concluded with, “The Wonderland stories are very popular, so it’s important we collect the catalyst and preserve the Timeline.”
There were hundreds, thousands of popular stories, all equally deserving protection. I’d heard of Alice in Wonderland—I mean, who hadn’t? Disney made sure everyone did.
I’d said, “I’ve already got a pretty full schedule. Maybe you can give the assignment to someone else?”
She’d laughed as if I’d talked nonsense. “No, Finn. It has to be you. Find Alice Liddell. Don’t give up until you do. She’s the only one who can get us into Wonderland in order to collect its catalyst.” Her smile was sly and knowing and unsettling all at once. “Offer her a position at the Society. She’ll be a valuable addition to our organization.”
At first, I hunted for Alice because I’d been assigned to find her. I thought it’d take a few months at the most. When more time ticked by, the search became a compulsion I couldn’t let go of. I had to find her. I had to know her. I couldn’t explain it better than that. I read her stories. I interviewed people she knew in England. She was a ghost, one Sara was tired of trying to find. “Why is this so important?” she’d complain. “There are lots of other Timelines we could be working with.”
I would remind her the assignment was a directive straight from the Librarian, but it was more than that. Alice, herself, was more than that, even though I hadn’t even laid eyes upon her.
The day of the Ashbury’s ball in England a couple years ago, my former partner informed me she was done searching. I understood her frustration. I accepted her defeat. For one brief, dark moment, I contemplated giving up, too. But then I got a pain in my chest that doubled me over, struggling to find breath. Not three seconds later, a text appeared on my phone.
It was from the Librarian. Don’t you dare give up.
I went to the ball.
The Alice Liddell I met was nothing like the books or the person anyone told me about. She was . . . Alice, which was infinitely better. She claims she felt like she’d always known me, but I felt that and more, and it wasn’t because I’d researched the hell out of her. When I first laid eyes upon her, standing by the dessert table in a heartbreakingly gorgeous gown, my chest and torso burned again—not painfully, but in pleasure.
Helpless to do anything else, I was sucked into her orbit, my gravitational pull immediately tying itself to hers.
I asked her to join the Society. She travelled to New York with me that very night.
We took our time getting to know one another. She wasn’t a cartoon character-- Alice revealed herself to be a kickass queen who didn’t take shit from anyone. Her heart is a mile wide and fathomless, and if you earn her trust, she will go to the mat for you, no questions asked. Her past was rough, and when she let me in and told me about it, I saw her. I told her about my past, and she saw me.
She’s more than my partner. I never believed in true love before Alice, but I do now.
Maybe she’s on to something with the past life business. How else can I explain the depths of what I feel for her?
The sun is setting, orange and red watercolors staining the horizon to match the season. I ought to be nervous, my palms sweating at the very least. But I’m not.
I’m just sure.
I lay a hand against her cheek, and she leans into it. Golden strands break free of her bun and dance across her face.
She says, “Somebody ought to write a story about Alice Liddell and Huckleberry Finn falling in love and spending their lives together. It would be my favorite.” She pauses. “It is my favorite, and will always remain so.” She chuckles ruefully. “Dammit, Finn. We are speaking of marriage prospects. I do this willingly, only for you.”
My strong queen, beating me to the punch.
Many minutes are spent kissing. Goddamn, can this woman kiss. It’s dark when air becomes a necessity. Stars twinkle overhead. The Milky Way blazes a path across the sky. I tell her, “Let’s write the story together.”
She sighs contentedly and links her arm through mine again. “Poor Mary. Think she’ll try to poison me for getting a Van Brunt brother to propose first?”
My laughter crystalizes in the dusk. “Technically, you proposed. But, probably.” Chances are, Mary will shit a brick and never let my brother live it down, especially considering they’ve been together much longer than me and Alice.
“I wonder if we were married in our past lives.”
“If we weren’t at least together,” I say, “I’d have been the biggest idiot.”
She hums contentedly. “Your mother will be so pleased.”
That’s an understatement. She adores Alice. Feisty, strong-willed women are her cup of tea.
As if on cue, my parents are on the porch, their waving illuminated by the lights in the windows. “I want to bake pie,” Katrina calls. “Hurry up with those apples!”
We resume our journey back to the house. “Now,” the love of my life says, “tell me more about this book we are supposed to track down, the one that will tell us about our forgotten past. How can she expect us to do so, if she cannot supply a Timeline?”
“You know the Librarian—”
“She’s a menace,” Alice snaps. But there’s no heat behind her words. Her head rests upon my shoulder once more. “You were saying? About the book? I’m intrigued.”
“I’m not sure if it’s a catalyst or not,” I admit, “but she’s put a priority on it being found. You and I are to dedicate as much time as it takes to find it.”
“What if it takes a year?”
“Then it takes a year.”
“Five years?”
I smile. “All the time we need.”
“I find it difficult to believe that Van Brunt would agree to take his two best agents out of the field in order to search for a single book.”
“You know,” I say, as we reach the steps, “you can call him by his name. He’s going to be your dad, too.”
She kisses my cheek, aware of what I’ve just said and who I’ve just said it to. Katrina immediately barks, “What was that I just heard? Did—” My mother’s face alights as she grabs hold of my father. “Oh, Finn. Alice!” She holds out her arms. “Welcome to the family.”
I shake my father’s hand. There’s time to talk about mysterious books tomorrow.
Curious as to who was featured or mentioned within The Lost Codex?
Here’s a list of some of the people and the books they came from.
Abraham Van Brunt (AKA Brom Bones); Katrina (Van Tassel) Van Brunt
Featured in the short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, found within The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. by Washington Irving
Alice (Reeve) Liddel; Grymsdyke; the White King; the White Queen; the Mad Hatter; the Hare; the Caterpillar; the Cheshire-Cat; the Queen of Hearts; the King of Hearts; the Red Queen; the Red King; the Sheep; the Walrus; the Carpenter; the White Rabbit; the Duchess; the Jabberwocky; various other Wonderlandian animals & peoples
Both from and loosely based upon Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll
The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll
Harry, the Wise Women; the Golden Goose; Grethel; Mr. Pfriem
Both from and loosely based upon characters found within fairy-tales in Children’s and Household Tales by The Grimm Brothers, including:
The Blue Light
Clever Grethel
The Go
lden Goose
Lazy Henry
Little Briar-Rose (Sleeping Beauty)
Master Pfriem
Mother Holle
The Young Giant
C. Auguste Dupin
The Murders of the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe
The Mystery of Marie Rogêt by Edgar Allan Poe
The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe
Charlotte
The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Florent
The Belly of Paris by Émile Zola
Franklin Blake
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Glinda
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Tik-Tok of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Rinkitink of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Lost Princess of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Royal Book of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Gwendolyn Peterson (AKA Wendy Darling); Peter Pan
Based loosely upon Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie
Henry Fleming
Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Mr. Holgrave
House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Huckleberry Finn; Jim
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain
Tom Sawyer, Detective by Mark Twain
Jack Dawkins (AKA The Artful Dodger); Fagin
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Josephine (Jo) Bhaer
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Little Men by Lousia May Alcott
Jo’s Boys by Lousia May Alcott
Marianne (Dashwood) Brandon
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Mary Lennox
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Pied Piper of Hamelin; various children
Featured in the fairy-tale The Pied Piper of Hamelin, found within German Tales by The Grimm Brothers
Professor Otto Lindenbrock
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Sara (Crewe) Carrisford
Both from and loosely based upon A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Sweeney Patrick Todd; Rosemary Nellie Lovett
Based loosely upon A String of Pearls: A Romance, most likely written by James Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest
Victor Frankenstein Jr.; Victor Frankenstein; the Creature
Both from and based loosely upon Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
Those in the Society would argue with me saying this is the end of the story, because life goes on after the last sentence. However, I must thank all the people who helped make this journey with Alice and company possible. Suzie Townsend, your belief in this series (and me) has made all the difference. Sara Stricker, I truly appreciate all you’ve done for these books. To my editor Kristina Circelli, thank you for being with Alice and me every step of the way with these books. The Hatter sends his love. Victoria Alday, is there nothing you can’t do? Hugs and love are sent your way for designing yet another masterpiece of a cover. Stacey Blake, formatting goddess, you always make my books so lovely. Appreciation goes out to my publicist Jessica Estep for getting the word out.
Evelyn Torres and Samantha Modi, you have been my rocks. I love you both. Thanks for keeping this gal sane and on track, as well for all your feedback. Cherisse Nadal, Ashley Bodette, Natalie Gisness, and Amber Shepherd, please know I am deeply grateful for the time, feedback, and love you gave to the earliest incarnations of this story.
To my wonderful peers Amy Bartol, Rachel Higginson, Shelly Crane, Daisy Prescott, Stacey Marie Brown, Chelsea Fine, and Andrea Johnston, I value your friendship and support so much. Dishing our craft together is one of my fave things to do.
To the fab members of the Lyons Pride, there are few words that can sum up what your support means to me. (in alphabetical order) Alexandra, Amber, Amy, Ana, Andi, Andrea, Ashley, Ashley, Autumn, Brandi, Camille, Candice, Candy, Cherisse, Christina Lynne, Courtney, Cynthia, Daniela, Debra, Eunice, Ivey, Jamie, Jenni, Jenn, Jessica, Jessica, JoAnna, Jodie, Jothee, Karen, Kate, Kathryn, Keleigh, Kelli, Kelly, Kerry, Kiana, Kiersten, Kristina, Lauren, Lindsey, Lissa, Maria, Meaghan, Megan, Meredith, Nicole, Nikka, Nina, Peggy, Rachel, Rebecca, Saman, Samantha, Sarah Jane, Shawna, Sheena, Shelbi, Stephanie, Tracy, Tina Lynne, Tricia, Vilma, Whitney, Yael, and all the rest . . . you are all beyond fabulous. Cheers!
Jon, north star and binary of my very own, how could I write this without you in my corner, or as my sounding board? Thank you for all the glasses of wine, the meals, and the love you gave me while I was writing. Hugs and love go out to my sons for not only tolerating their mom being locked away writing so much, but for also listening to crazy plot points and encouraging me to go for them. I treasure your imaginations, boys. Don’t ever let them disappear. To my parents and mother-in-law, to my friends and family who have supported me, you are greatly appreciated.
Finally, for everyone who has ever wondered what happens to characters after the last word, who has ever dreamed of a place like the Collectors’ Society, I hope you have enjoyed this journey as much as I have writing it. Thank for coming along.
Also by Heather Lyons
The ultimate, full-color guide to the Collectors’ Society series . . .
“. . . a fantastic in depth look inside the Society and agents that we’ve come to love.”
-Amazon review
CLASSIFIED MATERIAL
If you are reading this dossier, you have been granted Level Three clearance within the Collectors’ Society. Included in these pages are snippets from multiple key agent files as well as those on persons of interest. Please keep in mind that this compendium is considered highly sensitive and is illegal to share with anyone outside of your clearance. It is not to be removed from the Institute.
Happy reading!
For those previously introduced to the mysterious Collectors’ Society and their mission, eager to discover more, The Collectors’ Society Encyclopedia is the perfect full-color companion piece to the series. Within are detailed entries elaborating upon the various agents and employees as well as the key villains suspected of targeting and destroying Timelines. Backstories, relationships, secrets, and clues are revealed alongside a thorough bibliography of important Timelines and their designations. Profiles are also included of the Institute in New York City as well as Wonderland. Society fans and lovers of classic literature will undoubtedly delight in unraveling the secrets that lay within these pages.
Enjoy the rest of the Collectors’ Society series . . .
“Each of us here has a story, but it may not be the one you think you know . . .”
“The most unique, fascinating, wondrous book I’ve read in a very long time!
I was glued to every page.”
-Shelly Crane, New York Times bestselling author of Significance and Wide Awake
From the author of the Fate series and The Deep End of the Sea comes a fantastical romantic adventure that has Alice tumbling down the strangest rabbit hole yet.
After years in Wonderland, Alice has returned to England as an adult, desperate to reclaim sanity and control over her life. An enigmatic gentleman with an intriguing job offer too tempting to resist changes her plans for a calm existence, though. Soon, she’s whisked to New York and initiated into the Collectors’ Society, a secret organization whose members confirm that famous stories are anything but straightforward and that what she knows about the world is only a fraction of the truth.
It’s there she discovers villains are afoot—ones who want
to shelve the lives of countless beings. Assigned to work with the mysterious and alluring Finn, Alice and the rest of the Collectors’ Society race against a doomsday clock in order to prevent further destruction . . . but will they make it before all their endings are erased?
The series continues with . . .
“This is not a series for fantasy lovers or new adult lovers.
This is a series for all book lovers.”
-Book Briefs
Sometimes, the rabbit hole is deeper than expected . . .
Alice Reeve and Finn Van Brunt have tumbled into a life of secrets. Some secrets they share, such as their employment by the clandestine organization known as The Collectors’ Society. Other secrets they carry within them, fighting to keep buried the things that could change everything they think they know.
On the hunt for an elusive villain who is hell-bent on destroying legacies, Alice, Finn, and the rest of the Society are desperate to unravel the mysteries surrounding them. But the farther they spiral down this rabbit hole, the deeper they fall into secrets that will test their loyalties and pit them against enemies both new and old.
Secrets, they come to find, can reveal the deadliest of truths.
“If I could give a book a million golden stars, it would be this one.”
-Typical Distractions
After years spent in Wonderland, Alice Reeve learned the impossible was quite possible after all. She thought she left such fantastical realities behind when she finally returned to England.
The Lost Codex Page 38
