by Dani Hoots
I went over and sat next to Chase. He didn’t even glance at me.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.
“Nope, my body wants to but my mind won’t stop.” I smiled.
“Thinking about that kiss?”
I couldn’t believe he asked that. I looked down at the rocks beside my feet.
He spun around to face me. “What does he mean to you?”
“I... I don’t know.”
“You shouldn’t like him, he isn’t the man you think he is. He’s cold and dark and nothing can bring him out of that. Not even you.”
These words, they didn’t describe Malcolm like I knew him. Malcolm had been kind since the moment I had met him. “What are you talking about? He is nice and sweet.”
“If you knew him as well as I did, you would never say that. There’s a darkness inside of him that will never leave, that is why Morpheus can’t affect him, Malcolm’s heart is much darker than that Circus leader could ever imagine. But it’s your choice, just don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Chase turned back away.
I opened my mouth to say something, but decided not to. I didn’t want to gossip behind Malcolm’s back. If I was going to find out about his past, I would ask him myself. Deciding to try and get some rest, I headed back to my spot and finally fell asleep.
Over the next two days, we made our way further towards the Circus. Never had my body been put through so much strain, not even in Becca’s ballet classes. I was glad I was at least in shape to be able to walk so much, even though my arms and legs begged me to stop.
Nothing major attacked us again, thankfully. A couple of small birds pecked at us but Chase handled them like a pro. I wanted to comment on it but after our conversation, we didn’t really talk. Flowers around us sang but at this point we were used to their sweet lullabies.
At last, I could see sunlight. It was setting in the distance, great reds and oranges making its way through the trees. I smiled.
“We did it, we are almost there,” I said.
Kenny walked up next to me. “Now you will have to face Morpheus. You think you are ready?”
“Oh, after all that we have just gone through, I know I am ready. Let’s go.”
By the time we got out of the forest, the sun had set and the stars and carnival lights lit up the area. It glowed spectacularly just as it did last time, looking innocent and charming to the unsuspecting eye. But I knew better, I knew the truth. It was dangerous and dark and Morpheus would use any means necessary to get a person wrapped around his finger.
I wouldn’t let him get away with it this time.
The moment we stepped through the entrance of the Circus, I knew this would be an all or nothing mission. Either we were going to beat Morpheus once and for all, or we would lose everything and Wonderland would cease to exist. It didn’t bother me, the weight of the mission on my shoulders, because I had the one thing that Morpheus didn’t.
Friends.
Malcolm stepped up beside me. “Are you sure about this?”
“As sure as I will ever be. Just trust me, okay? That’s all that I ask of you,” I said.
He nodded. “With everything I have to the very end.”
I turned around to the other boys. “You all ready?”
They nodded.
I smiled. “Then let’s bring this Circus down once and for all.”
The sound of clapping made me turn my head to find Morpheus approaching us. “I have to admit, Alice, I didn’t expect to see you walking in here ever again.”
“You don’t frighten me anymore, Morpheus, just give up now.” I stood tall, not letting my body admit fear.
He just laughed. “My dear, you are delusional. I would never admit to defeat, and why would I need to? You could never conquer me, not here, not anywhere.”
“That’s where you are wrong, I have grown. I am stronger and I can defeat anything you throw at me.”
Morpheus tilted his head. “Malcolm, are you going to let her destroy herself like this? You know I can take her to the point where not even you can bring her back.”
“She won’t need to be brought back,” Malcolm said. “She’s going to defeat you, I have no doubt in my mind.”
He just smiled. “And I see you brought another friend. Kenny, isn’t it? I remember looking inside your mind. There wasn’t much there, now was there?”
Kenny stuck his tongue out at Morpheus.
“Well then, if you think you are ready, my dear child, I shall make the arrangements.”
“The arrangements?” I questioned. I didn’t remember him having to plan for me last time.
“Yes, because this time you are going to be my main show.” He tapped his cane. “Now come, my customers are waiting.”
We followed him towards the tent, a few of his workers joining us, making sure we weren’t going to make a scene. I could tell Malcolm and the rest were nervous, but I didn’t let their fear rub off on me. I had to stay strong because I knew exactly what I needed to beat Morpheus and if I lost that, then I lost everything.
The tent was crowded once again with people from all over Wonderland. Their faces all masked with darkness, I couldn’t tell if they were enjoying themselves or not. I suppose they were since they were here. I wondered if they were in the ocean like I was when I was clouded in darkness, or if each of them had their own special place.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Welcome to a show like no other! I will be taking you to a place where none have gone before, into the mind of my dear Alice here, a human from the real world. You will see the worries of those pathetic beings and see how much more advanced we are than them.” Morpheus grinned. “And we will watch as she will fall into my hands once more.”
Grabbing my hand, he brought me into the center of the arena. The boys tried to come with but guards kept them back. Thousands of eyes stared down at me and I felt my heart beat fiercely against my chest. It was just like a recital, all I had to do was my best.
Morpheus held up his hand and fireworks filled the arena. “Let the games begin!”
CHAPTER 29
Everyone cheered as the fireworks went off, rooting for more. Jugglers and people with hula hoops danced upon the tight wire, acrobats flung across the tent, and a unicyclist was eating fire while going around the arena. If this was a normal Circus, it would have been spectacular.
But it wasn’t a normal Circus, it was evil, warped, and out to destroy the world, both mine and Wonderland.
The tent went dark. I could no longer see the crowd nor the performers. It was happening, I would have to face my fears once again.
And this time I wouldn’t give in.
All of a sudden my house appeared in front of me. It seemed worn down, as if no one had been here in years. The windows were boarded, the paint peeling, and weeds littered the yard in every direction. Not sure what was going on, I went and opened the door.
“Mom?” I called out into the house. “Dad?”
After stepping inside, I could tell for sure that no one had been here in years.All the pictures we had in frames were now shadows on the walls and the furniture was torn to shreds, now a home for some creature.
I ran down the hall to my room and opened the door. All my paintings and belongings were still there. I quickly went and checked my parent’s room and my sisters’ room. There was nothing there. Why? How could that be possible?
“Mom! Dad!” I called out once again.
“They aren’t there, they left.” I could hear Morpheus voice in my ear.
“Where are they?” I asked.
“Gone. They left you here. They couldn’t stand being with you any more so they left,” he explained.
They gave up on me? Why would they do that? I knew that they got mad at me, but in the end they would always be there for me, right?
I had a big fight with them before I came to Wonderland. Would that have really made them mad enough to leave me? I would bring my grades back up, I promised that. Kate had sai
d she would study with me, it was all going to be okay.
Because this wasn’t real.
I shook my head. “They wouldn’t do that, my parents would have never done that to me.”
“But they are nowhere to be seen, Alice, they couldn’t stand your bad grades, your attitude. You are a disgrace to them.”
“No, my parents love me and even though we don’t agree, they know these are the things I want to do.”
“They harp on you to stop wasting your time, you can’t believe that they will support you in what you want to do.”
“They may be hard on me, but that shows them I am passionate in what I believe in. They will come around, they always do.”
“Fine,” Morpheus’ voice sounded mad. “They may not leave you.” The scene changed, I was now at school. There was no one in the hallways, everyone was either in class or at the gym. “But what about dear Kate?”
“Alice,” Kate appeared in the hallway. She frowned when she saw me and stomped over. “Where have you been?”
“I… I don’t know,” I said.
“Well, never mind that. You are late and are probably going to receive another detention. That’s the third one this week!” she exclaimed. “I don’t know what has gotten into you but you are turning into someone that I can’t be friends with.”
Detention? What the hell was going on? I mean, I have had a couple in the past due to being late but never that many in a week. “What do you mean?”
“I have straight A’s, Alice, you barely pass your classes. I couldn’t be friends with someone who always receives detentions all the time. It would ruin my reputation.”
I shook my head. “Kate would never say that.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Oh really? Then who am I?”
“You are my worst fear, the Kate that I hope will never come to be. The one who I fear will turn her back on me. But that is only a fear, I know for a fact that Kate would never leave me.”
“Ugh, you are talking nonsense. You know, in reality, I should take your place. Your parents like me more than you anyway. You could just disappear and no one would notice.”
“Kate would never say that, she is my friend.”
Her mouth turned into a slight grin. “No one would notice.”
“My best friend would never leave my side,” I repeated again and again, letting it resound. “My best friend would never leave my side!”
The scene changed. I was no longer in the real world but in the Dark Forest. I had done it, I had successfully faced my fears of the real world. But why did I find myself here?
I stood alone, there was no one around me. I could hear creatures move around me, the fog taking over the land. My heart began to beat faster. How was I in here, how did I get in this wretched place again?
And why was I here? Although this was a scary place, it wasn’t really a major fear of mine, so why was I here?
That’s right, it was an illusion.
“Why are you all alone here, Alice?” Morpheus’ voice echoed around me.
“I... I don’t know.”
“Your friends left you, they couldn’t stand saving you any longer.”
I shook my head. “No, they wouldn’t do that. They wouldn’t leave me.”
“Take a look around, Alice. They aren’t here.”
“This is a trick. This isn’t real. You should just give up now, I won’t give into my fears anymore.”
“Not real, you say? Tell that to creatures at your feet.”
I looked down to see ten of the spider creatures that almost got me last time. I screamed and tried to kick them away.
“No one here to save you, just run Alice, run as fast as you can!”
I ran as he told me to, faster and faster into the woods. Twigs clawed at my skin, blood running down my arms. More and more spiders seemed to join the chase. I wanted to call out for help, but I knew no one would be coming.
I went past the flowers singing the lullabies, the blue lights calling to me to run off the cliff, other lights in the distance that were probably those fairy-things that wanted to kill me. I kept running nevertheless, as fast as I could manage.
Coming up to an opening, I stopped. I couldn’t believe what I saw in front of me, a table covered in moss.
I found myself at the tea party once again.
I glanced behind me to find that all the terrors were gone, that there was nothing following me any longer.
The only thing I could hear was the sound of my own breath as I slowly approached the table and chairs. Then I realized what was odd about all of this, why it wasn’t things that I feared in my dreams.
“I’m inside Malcolm’s mind,” I whispered.
“You are smarter than I give you credit for.” Morpheus appeared in front of me. He looked as cocky as usual. “I didn’t think you would ever figure this out.”
“The spiders were Chase’s fear, he was afraid of what if he didn’t save me in time.”
“Very good,” Morpheus slid his fingers over the moss that covered the table. “Now you must be asking yourself, why is Malcolm afraid of this place? And more importantly, why is he afraid of you finding out?”
“I... I don’t know.”
“The answer is hidden away under all this moss.” He smiled. “All you have to do is take it off and all the answers will be given to you.”
Slowly, I took a step closer and placed my hand on the soft moss. It was appealing to me, knowing everything about Malcolm. He had so many secrets that had been hinted at, that I had asked about, but no one gave away any secrets. I just wanted to know what could have been so bad that even Chase didn’t trust him, things that the original Alice took him out of and helped him through.
The moss would be easy to take away, it wouldn’t take that much effort. I could just pick it up and be able to have all the answers revealed.
But I knew I couldn’t.
I shook my head. “No, he is my friend! I would never do this to him!”
Morpheus appeared next to me and whispered into my ear. “He is hiding such darkness from you. Don’t you want to know, don’t you have the right to know?”
“His past doesn’t matter to me, but who he is today. He is sweet and kind and cares about everyone! He cares about me!” I shut my eyes. “Friends trust each other and I know they feel the same! My friends will always be here for me and I will always be there for them!”
I heard Morpheus scream as something threw him back. I opened my eyes to find myself on a beach. The waves gently came upon the shore.
“Where am I?” I whispered. “What is this?”
“Why, you are me,” a young voice said behind me.
I turned around to find a young girl with long blonde hair smiling.
“Alice?” I questioned.
She laughed. “That’s me!”
“I don’t understand.”
“You realized the truth in yourself that Morpheus can’t defeat. You realized not only how much power friendship has in your heart, but how much power you have within.” she pulled out a clear orb that shined greatly. “And with that, you will be able to save Wonderland.” she handed me the orb. “This is the power of your heart. Use it well.”
As quickly as I appeared, I was pulled back into the Circus.
“You!” Morpheus pointed at me. “You ruined everything!”
He pulled a rapier out and charged at me. I started for my katana but the clash of another sword hitting it distracted me. Malcolm and Chase stood between me and Morpheus.
“We don’t think so,” Chase grinned. “You are finished once and for all.”
“Give up Morpheus,” Malcolm said as Melvin, Davis, and Kenny surrounded Morpheus. “Your reign is over.”
Morpheus shook his head. “No, it will never be over.”
He placed his sword back into his cane and slammed it against the ground. A puff of smoke engulfed him and he was gone.
CHAPTER 30
“He’s gone!” Melvin wa
ved the smoke away. There was no trace of Morpheus. The boys all turned to me, smiling.
Malcolm picked me up and spun me around. “You did it, Alice! You defeated him! He’s running away with his tail between his legs. Ha!”
I blushed. “It was only because of you.” I turned to the others. “Because of all of you. Your friendship led me to believe I could defeat anything. I knew you all would always be there for me, and I for you. Morpheus can control people by their fear and I realized that having faith in not only my friends, but myself, I could defeat anything.”
Chase pointed at the orb. “What’s that?”
“Oh,” I looked down at the strange orb. I had almost forgotten about it. “Alice gave it to me.”
Kenny held out his hand. “Let me see it.”
I handed it to him and he examined it. “If I’m not mistaken, this is the orb that got destroyed during the Red and White war.”
“What?” Melvin exclaimed as he took it from Kenny. “This can’t be it. I saw it get destroyed.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
Malcolm grabbed the orb. “There was a powerful orb that the two kingdoms fought for. It was said to be able to bring all peace, or all destruction, depending on who held it.” He handed it to me. “Make your choice, Alice gave it to you.”
I stared at it, not sure what to do with it. But, as if someone whispered the thought into my mind, I threw it at the ground, shattering it into thousands of little pieces. The moment it hit the ground, a flash brighter than any light I had ever seen, went out into every direction. I jumped back, covering my eyes.
The light dimmed down and once my eyes finally adjusted, I looked around. Chase’s eyes widened as the light came back to normal. Murmurs through the audience echoed in the arena.
“What was that?” Davis squeaked as he stood up.
“I don’t know,” Kenny’s eyes narrowed as he peered around. He smiled. “Oh ho! Will you look at that!”
We all turned to see the audience staring at us. Staring. There was no longer darkness covering their face. We shouted in joy.
“We did it!” Melvin shouted. “We finally did it!”
Our joy ran short when Bill entered the arena. We all turned quiet, when we noticed his face was also clear.
