Trapped in Wonderland (Wonderland Chronicles Book 1)

by Dani Hoots

  He placed his hand on my shoulder and looked at me straight in the eyes. “The name isn’t the important part. Besides, you survived the transition, which means you are meant to be here. You have a true heart Alice, and that is the only way you can defeat this being.”

  “A true heart? There is no way. I’m just a teenager trying to find her way through this world. I’m not the girl you are looking for.”

  “The fire wouldn’t lie Alice, you are the one that is supposed to be here. And it is up to you to accept that.”

  I brushed off his hand and walked to the window. “There must be some mistake, I’m not a fighter, I’m not someone who can do this. I’m just an artist. There is no way I can fulfill the same shoes as that Alice did.”

  “You are a girl with an artist’s imagination. With imagination you can do anything in this world. Don’t forget that.”

  I shook my head. “But how am I supposed to defeat this power? I have no idea what is going on, let alone how to defeat it.”

  “The original Alice left something in case she never returned. Something for her predecessor, which is you.”

  “What did she leave?” I questioned.

  He let out a sigh. “We aren’t sure, she never said and she hid it long ago. None of us have ever found it.”

  “Well, that makes sense,” I whispered. I couldn’t believe after all that, she would hide it and not tell anyone. How was I supposed to find it when I didn’t even know this world? Everything was new, how would I know something was left for me.

  “Just have faith Alice, the answer will come to you and you alone. We will be here to help in any way you need us.”

  I felt a chilly wisp of air go through the room, as if the door opened. I glanced over but it was still closed. I went back towards the fireplace.

  “I also wanted to know what you thought of my boys,” Howard said as he stepped up next to me.

  I glanced up at him. “What about them?”

  He shrugged. “Have they been nice? Protective? I know in the past that some of them have had some arguments with Alice. I just want to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself.”

  I shook my head. “No, they have been very kind and generous to me. If they have any arguments, I would say it was with each other…” I realized I probably said too much.

  Howard raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  “I mean, Chase and Davis don’t get along, like a cat and mouse. That isn’t surprising. But it seems like Malcolm and Chase have some other conflict going on, something that goes deeper than their roles. I don’t know what it is.”

  Howard sighed. “I had hoped they had gotten past their difference, but I guess not. Don’t mind them, they just have had a bitter rivalry for a very long time. It won’t change, apparently.”

  I looked back into the fire, watching it crackle and pop. “It’s strange though, they seemed like just normal teens at school. I would never have guessed that they had a life like this, I would never have guessed Malcolm…” I blushed, realizing I had pointed him out of all the rest. It was probably obvious I had a crush on him. God, I was so stupid.

  Howard chuckled. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

  I smiled and at that moment, I felt a chill go through the air again. I glanced around but there was still nothing that could have caused it.

  “This is a lot to take in all at once, though,” I said. “I’m not sure if my mind even comprehends it.”

  “I understand. If you need some alone time, I have a room prepared for you. You can use it to freshen up for dinner. There are some clothes that the original Alice left that I kept from when she visited the second time. They should fit you. I will have Chase show you the way. I have a feeling he is waiting for you outside.”

  I nodded and blushed at the thought of Chase worrying about me. “Yeah, that would be nice.”

  Just as he guessed, Chase was sitting cross-legged outside the door. Howard chuckled. “See that you’re guarding her closely.”

  Chase quickly stood up. “Yeah, well you ordered me to.”

  Howard nodded towards me. “Please, show her to her room so she can freshen up before dinner.”

  Chase held out his hand. “Come on, Alice.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Chase took me to my room where I was able to find some clothes that did indeed fit me. I pulled out a more medieval-looking blue dress, something simple compared to Victorian-style clothing that would take a bit of time to put on. Although it was beautiful, I didn’t particularly want to put a layered outfit on when I was only going to dinner.

  “That dress will look really good on you,” Chase said as he apparently was still in my room. I thought he had left, I had been so engrossed by the outfits.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Perv. Give me some privacy so I can change.”

  He held his hands out in defense. “Just wanted to make sure you found everything all right. I will be right outside the door if you need me.”

  “Thanks,” I said, and added. “Seriously, though, thank you for everything.”

  He simply smiled as he closed the door behind him.

  I quickly changed into the dress. It was a bit long, but that was fine. I glanced at myself in the mirror and sighed. My hair was messed up completely from not having a shower and having been on the run since waking up in the middle of the night. Short hair liked acting out on its own accord. I was exhausted and I couldn’t wait for dinner and then being able to pass out on the bed that sat behind me.

  My stomach started growling and I decided I better head downstairs before my stomach hated me even more. I opened the door to find Chase still waiting for me.

  His eyes widened. “Wow.”

  I shoved him. “Don’t make fun of me, this was the fastest thing to put on.”

  “No, I meant wow you look beautiful in that. The color blue really suits you.”

  I blushed. “Shut up. Let’s get downstairs to get something to eat.”

  I didn’t particularly like receiving compliments on how I looked, it always made me blush and I really hated blushing when there were a lot of guys around. I swore if I got another compliment my whole face would turn red.

  We entered the dining hall, which was ridiculously large compared to anything I had ever seen before. It was as big as a theater, with a table that stretched from one end to the other. It was exactly like what you would see in a movie. I kept forgetting this was a castle and that a royal family used to live here.

  Malcolm greeted me at the doorway. “Lovely as ever, follow me this way and sit next to me.” He held out his hand. I glanced over at Chase, who was frowning. I didn’t know what to do, but Malcolm did offer to seat me first. I grabbed his hand and he led me to the table and sat me next to him and Howard, who sat at the head of the table. Chase ended up sitting across from me.

  “I see you found some clothes. They suit you nicely,” Howard said.

  I nodded. “Yes, I will return Davis’ clothes right away. Is there a washer and dryer I can use or something?”

  He laughed. “No, we don’t have such things here. Don’t worry about it, just leave them outside your door and someone will take care of them.”

  “Oh, okay. Thanks.”

  “Now.” Howard raised his hand out to the food. “Let’s eat!”

  I have no idea how, but there was an entire feast ready to eat. There was no way that Malcolm and the others made this, it had to have been magic, I swore. I mean, we were in Wonderland after all, I supposed anything was possible.

  In front of me was sandwiches of all different types; cucumber, chicken salad, egg salad, and of course, tuna salad. Chase grabbed about ten slices of the tuna salad sandwich. I laughed as he stuffed them in his mouth. It made sense now. He was such a cat.

  Along with sandwiches, there were all types of pastries, both savory and sweet. There were ham and cheese ones, potato and cheese pie, cottage pie, strawberry, peach, you name it, it was on the table. I smiled as I grabbed a shepherd’
s pie one, and strawberry along with some egg salad sandwiches.

  As for drinks, I should have guessed. There were at least seven pots of tea on the table. Malcolm had four glasses in front of him, each containing a different type of tea. He saw me staring at him.

  “What is it?” Malcolm asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing, just that if I had any doubt of who you all were in the stories, I don’t anymore.”

  Chase commented, his mouth full of tuna. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “There is a reason you all were portrayed as you were in the stories,” Howard said. “And none of you are helping your cases.”

  Chase swallowed his food. “Look, I have no problem being portrayed fully as a cat, but Mad Hatter here got it off easy. How the story portrays him is nothing like how he is in real life.”

  Malcolm’s eyes darkened. “Watch what you are saying. You know nothing.”

  Chase let out a laugh. “Yeah right, I saw you out there in the Dark Forest, and my eyes don’t deceive me.”

  “Chase,” Melvin spoke up. “Shut up. Now. That was a long time ago. You know as well as I that times have changed.”

  “Right.” Chase stood up. “Now he's as pure as the driven snow. I can’t stand being around him anymore.” He grabbed his plate of food. “I’ll be eating on the roof if anyone needs me.”

  Howard didn’t say anything as Chase stormed out and left us sitting there. I didn’t know what to do or say, I wanted to go after him, but it sounded like he wanted to be alone. Davis had a worried look on his face as he glanced at Melvin.

  “Good riddance,” Malcolm said as he took a sip of his tea. “Now we don’t have to deal with that feline.”

  The rest of dinner was rather silent and I ate my food awkwardly, wondering if Chase was going to come back. He didn’t.

  Malcolm escorted me back to my room and I thanked him for a delicious meal. He left me with a candle, as apparently old castles like this didn’t have electricity, and I went into my room for the night, leaving out Davis’ old clothes.

  I found some clothes I could use as pajamas and quickly changed into them. I sat down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. I was tired but my mind was racing. Everything that had just happened started to run through my mind. My heart started to beat quickly, as a panic attack began to form. What if I couldn’t leave this place? What if I got stuck here? My family and my friends wouldn’t know what happened, they would be worried sick. How much time had passed since I had left the real world? Would they know I was gone? Supposedly no time had passed for the real Alice, in the stories at least, but that was just a story. It could have been wrong, lots of time could have passed. Everyone would be so worried.

  I sat up and rubbed my eyes. What was I doing? Why did I willingly go with these guys? Why were they so interested in me? What was I supposed to do?

  There was so much going through my mind, all of it racing through my mind due to the fact it was my first moment alone since coming to Wonderland. I no longer could rely on any of them to keep me sane; I would have to find some means to preoccupy my mind from unleashing all these anxious thoughts.

  But now they weren’t, now they wanted answers, answers that probably wouldn’t be given until it was all over. Meanwhile, I had to deal with it all. It wasn’t fair, I had to be honest with myself—I was scared.

  As I laid there in the dark silence, I realized I was really thirsty. I should have gotten some water before I went to sleep. I sighed, realizing if I did want some water, I should change back into the dress instead of the nightgown I found myself in.

  Well, it couldn’t be helped.

  I got back up and quickly changed. It was dark out but the windows let in some of the light of the moon. I opened the door a crack and glanced in the hallway. There was no one around. I hoped I wasn’t disobeying any rules by going out into the castle by myself, but I knew I would be quick so it would be fine.

  Heading down the stairs where I figured the kitchen would be, I moved past the room where I had met Howard. The door was ajar and I could hear voices. Curiosity got the better of me, as I heard my name. Were they talking about me? And if they were, what were they saying?

  “She doesn’t understand what’s going on, Howard, Morpheus is going to kill her,” Melvin said.

  “Give her time, she will come to understand how to beat Morpheus,” Howard explained.

  “Melvin is right, a lot is at stake. Are you sure she is the right girl?” Malcolm said. It kind of hurt, as he was the one that seemed to have faith in me. Did he really not think I was the right Alice?

  “Have faith, she is the correct Alice. Do you remember when the original Alice came? She was a little girl and she took down the Kingdom of Hearts. This girl can do it, I have faith in her,” Howard tried calming them down. I took a deep breath. They were putting a lot of weight on my shoulders and I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. I wasn’t the original Alice, I was just a girl from a small city that honestly had nothing going for her except always having a smile on her face. A smile that hid away the pain and worry of the future.

  “We almost got caught in the forest on our way here. Bill followed us,” Malcolm explained.

  “They knew she was in Wonderland. The White Rabbit was in the real world and tried to kill her. They know about her and are going to retaliate,” Chase added.

  The room became silent and I held my breath as I listened closely.

  “Then we will have to act fast. I would like you boys to go out to the Cirque de Rêves tomorrow. I want you to see if anything has changed there,” Howard ordered.

  “Yes sir,” the boys said.

  I heard them start to move and I hurried towards the doors to the balcony outside. I didn’t want them to know I was listening in and it was the closest place to hide.

  The balcony stood above the once grand Red and White Kingdom. It was beautiful to behold, the ruins that were left glittered in the moonlight. Trees that appeared to be maples, if maples existed in this place, danced in the wind, adding to the scenery. I couldn’t help but standing there in awe.

  I heard the door to the balcony open and I cringed. Did they notice me listening? Or did they just see me outside?

  “What are you still doing up? I thought you went to bed.”

  I turned to find Chase behind me. I smiled innocently. “I got thirsty and came down for some water.”

  “Ah, I see.” Chase stepped up next to me at the railing. “You weren’t just coming downstairs to listen to our conversation?”

  I froze. I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t make a habit of listening to other people’s conversation yet I kept finding myself listening in to theirs.

  “Don’t worry, the others don’t know. Only I could hear you.” He pointed at his ears. “These always come in handy. Though Melvin should have heard too, but I swear he is as deaf as an old granny.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...” I began.

  He shook his head. “I don’t care if you heard us, there isn’t any information you should be kept from. We brought you here without explaining everything, hoping you can solve our problems. Nothing should be kept secret.”

  “You all don’t think I can do it, huh?” I said.

  Chase grinned. “There is some worry, yes. But I trust you Alice, I think you can do anything.”

  I shook my head. “No, the others are right, I don’t understand what is going on, I’m not going to be able to go against this Morpheus. Hell, I don’t even know what I am supposed to do. Am I supposed to just fight him? Like with swords or fists? If that is the case, I am way too weak and I have no idea how to even hold a sword.”

  “Well, we’ll fix that. Starting tomorrow morning, we shall teach you everything you need to know. Hand-to-hand fighting, swords, knives, guns, you name it! We will teach it to you.”

  My eyes widened. “Really? That would be amazing!”

  “But first you need to rest. You haven’t slept for a while and if you w
ant to learn how to fight right, you need all your strength.”

  Sleep. That was a good one. In a place like this, after everything that had happened, I wasn’t sure I could sleep ever again. “I tried that, but I couldn’t fall asleep. There is just too much going on.”

  “You don’t need to worry about things, Alice, live in the moment.” Chase pulled me towards the stairs. “Come, I’ll take you somewhere you can get your mind off everything.”

  I looked back at the castle. “Uh... Are you sure the others won’t mind?”

  “Meh, who cares? They are all stuck up anyways. It will be amazing, I promise.” He looked at me with those sad cat-like eyes. “Please?”

  I stared at him a bit longer, laughing a bit in my mind but at the same time feeling a little pitiful. He reminded me of Puss in Boots on the movie Shrek. “Fine, where are we going?”

  His ears perked up. “Come right this way!”

  It was dark and the stars simply glittered in the sky with the moon. Moons, actually, there were two. It was weird seeing different constellations and more than one moon in the sky. Pretty but strange. Chase led me further into the White Kingdom’s section of the area. There was no one around, it was really just the five of them living there, no other people from Wonderland were here any longer. I wondered how they could hide away in this place for such a long time.

  A lot of the kingdom was covered in wilderness now, moss and vines covering the buildings. Trees grew through the concrete, not letting man-made objects blocking the path of nature. We came to one of the larger trees and Chase stopped.

  “Hold on tight, Alice,” he pulled me close and suddenly we were up on one of the higher branches.

  I almost screamed.

  “Don’t worry, you are fine with me. You need to not worry about heights if you are going to be here.”

  I glanced around to find a small treehouse in front of me.

  “Are heights a regular thing with you all?”

  “Well, mostly me. I like heights and if you are going to hang out with me, you are going to have to get used to it.” He smiled brightly as he gestured around. “This is where I live.”