Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Most people who’ve met me would agree that my mind spins in weird directions.

If you looked up my stories, it would be plain to see.

I’m also lost in other lands, scenarios, and songs 100% of the time, even when I’m sleeping.

And, to top it all off, my curiosity is off-the-charts uncontrollable.

You have no idea.

The hours, and hours I spend learning about things that catch my interest...

I’m literally a walking tornado even when I’m not moving.

With all that in mind, it’s no wonder that I absolutely adore the story of Alice in Wonderland.

I even named my online handle after it!

However...

I don’t really want to become her.

Oh, yes.

I am well-aware of their little plot to brainwash me.

How could I not be?

I’ve only been checking up on this nightmarish situation every day since it began.

I have no intention of going down without a fight, so they’d better be ready.

Even though my mind’s been getting a bit foggy ever since I found out...

Chapter Text

I couldn’tve picked a worse time to find these things out.

Sitting in my English class with endless talk of plot points, and discussion questions, and A/A notes...

But if you’d waited ‘till later to look for updates, it would be the anticipation that’s bothering you, not the waiting for something to happen. And the former is always worse than the latter, goofy!

Despite myself, my mind began to wander.

I should probably update my fic to reflect this...

My pencil scratched across the paper in boredom.

I wanted to draw a rabbit.

So that’s what I was doing,

It was a last-ditch effort to keep my mind engaged so that I could pay attention.

Give him big ‘ol eyes, a cute lil’ nose, and...

I quickly sketched out its round, fluffy body.

Done!!

A rabbit for Today’s Class!

I smiled.

Ten thousand minutes down, another ten billion to go...

I looked up again, and jumped.

There was a real rabbit sitting on the desk closest to the window.

They looked exactly like the one I’d just drawn, down to the white body and ruby-red eyes I’d given them in my imagination.

They sat there, preening without a care in the world.

I was almost afraid to call any attention to them.

‘No talking while the teacher’s talking’, and all that stuff...

But it was there, right in front of my face, plain as day, and nobody else was reacting!!

It was weird!

Not even Mr. C. himself, was exclaiming over it, and out of everybody else here, he would be the most likely person to do so!

They wiggled their pinkish nose, and began to munch on some of his important papers.

The CROUNCH, CROUNCH sounds echoed throughout the room, and still nobody did anything!

Was I hallucinating, or something?

...

No, that couldn’t be it...

I’d never hallucinated in my life.

Until now, my brain helpfully supplied.

As I watched them enjoy their lunch, I became vaguely aware of something lurking nearby.

A faint malevolent prescence...

They wanted to eat the rabbit!

I just knew it!!

Acting on an impulse to strange to resist, I flew out of my chair, scooped up the furry creature, and threw them out the window!!

CRASH!!

Shattered glass rained all over my classmate’s head.

“HEY!! Whoa, whoa!? What are you doing!?”

Several kids freaked out at the commotion, while others laughed nervously.

Mr. C. actually stood up.

 I felt bad, because in all the time that I’ve known him, he’s never shouted once.

 -

Once class had finally ended for the day, I went up to Mr. C. with my homework.

“Mr. C., I’m sorry for causing a lot of noise when I threw that poor rabbit out the window...”

“Oh, my...

You did that?”

I was confused.

“Yeah, I did.

I broke the glass and it sprayed all over Peter’s desk”.

“Oh”.

His usual grin spread across his face.

“Well you coulda fooled me:

You were rather quiet the entire time.

Chapter Text

On my way back to the dorms, I was left to chew on his contradictory answer.

I remembered doing the deed, and him seeing it.

And now he was telling me that he hadn’t?

I’m not one to see things that aren’t there.

Usually.

In fact, more often than not, I’m hearing them.

Either way, this warranted keeping track of.

-

I was about to use my key-card to swipe in the back way when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Excuse me, miss, but would you like some tea?”

I turned around to find two peculiar people standing there, shivering in their red-and-white striped coats and hats.

Their shaking fingers were barely able to hold up a tray stacked to the brim with tiny drinks and cakes.

“No thank you”, I told them politely.

I’d never seen them before in my life, not even as workers in the dining hall.

No way was I going to be taking their food.

“But it’s delicious!!" the first one whined.

“Yeah!”

“I’m sorry, but I’m just not interested”.

“Okay...”

They lowered their heads in sadness.

The first person even sniffled.

Aww...

I felt my heart pang with guilt.

I made them unhappy...

“Well, actually...I guess I could take one or two for the road”.

I dug into my coat pocket for my wallet, trying not to feel like a pushover.

“Oh no, no!” They protested.

“It’s entirely free!”

“Just for you!!”

“Thank you” I said, surprised at their seeming niceness.

“I’ll take this, and this”.

A purple vial of amber liquid marked Drink Me!!, and a little cake covered in beautiful fondant flowers with the words Eat Me!! drawn on it in delicate frosting.

All smiles now, the two handed me the items I’d picked out and raced off to the family center, clicking their heels together in joy as they went.

“Yippee, yippee, we’ve made a sale,

and may our wares fare her well...!”

-

It wasn’t until I’d gotten myself situated on top of my bed that the words Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum came to mind.

Chapter Text

Okay, how did I not notice that!?

I must be extra-tired today or something!

I mean, come on!!

They had the same clothes and everything!

Mildly disgusted with myself, I set to work taking everything that I had experienced thus far down into a new fic.

I didn’t have a title for it, yet, but I knew it would come to me eventually.

It always did...

-

I exited the bathroom stall feeling refreshed, and ready to head out for lunch when I heard the shower curtains rustling.

Putting visions of that creepy child from the Curse of Black Water out of my head, I picked the sink furthest away from the weird noises, and mentally prepared myself for the fastest hand-washing of my life.

When I twisted the knob for the last time, there were sounds of wet feet slapping against the floor.

I practically skated to the door, I was so scared!!

The other spirit of mine flickered in my head for a brief second:

The mirror-dwelling, shower-stalking Kasumi of Shadow at the Water’s Edge.

Grabbing the handle, I pulled...and pulled...and pulled...

Squish.

Reluctantly, I looked over my shoulder...

A cow with a turtle’s body and flippers was there.

Out of the shower.

At the start of the long walk that is the route to the door.

 Gray eyes flared soulless black, then fiery-red,  jaw unhinging like a snake’s:

MAAAAAUUUUGGGHHHH!!!!

They abruptly charged at me with the speed of a maxed-out freight-train, and I screamed.

I was thrown backwards from the impact, the force bashing it right off of its hinges, spilling me out into the corridor in a deluge of ankle-deep water.

Covered from head-to-toe in stinky, slimy yuck, I shakily stood up, and wobbled back to my room for a change of clothes.

Chapter Text

The Mock-turtle...

Right?

That’s what they were...

Right?

I was badly rattled, but I was also hungry.

Thus, I decided that I would head off to the dining hall, eat something, and then go hide in my cozy, safe room until my mom showed up to bring me home for the weekend.

Once there, I went through my usual routine:

Go ‘round to the desert table,

Snitch a few pieces of delectable garlic bread,

(and)

Add some curly fries to that to make it a meal.

Then, I chose a spot at a table where my roommate, and several of her friends were sitting.

Things were going great!

I got to see some new people, and the food was awesome!!

But it didn’t last.

As I was finishing up the last, few dregs of my chocolate milk, I heard a voice ask:

“Would you like some more tea with that?”

It was happening again...

I slowly brought the glass down.

A seat mate with frizzled brown hair and an over-sized hat was at the head.

A rabid, mangy rabbit with bulging pink eyes and floppy ears was to my right.

And on my left, a loudly-snoring rat blew bubbles into soup with every snore.

The Mad Hatter.

I thought feverishly.

The March Hare...I think...

And the Dormouse.

Dorrat.

Whatever.

Plates of all shapes and sizes were stacked every which way, piled high with cookies, cakes, and even the occasional ice cream.

It was excessive!!

I think I'm getting dizzy! 

Dazedly, I whipped my head from one side to the other.

Nobody was looking at us.

Nobody was making any comments.

Nobody saw.

I watched a soft light move up from my toes and pass over the rest of me.

Wherever it touched, the colors grew a thousand-times brighter!

I hurt just looking at me!

But I couldn’t look at them either, because they, too, were blinged out with excessive color!!

In addition to that, I appeared smoother, and more anime-esque.

Like...a chibi!

Again, so did they.

“Care to have some tea?”

“Oh...no thanks...”, I replied “I don’t drink tea...”

“DON’T DRINK TEA!?”

I cringed.

If there was one thing I absolutely hated, it was being yelled at.

Heeheehee-heehee-Hahahaha!!

The March Hair put a paw to his mouth and flat-out laughed.

“IT’S NOT FUNNY!!” the Hatter shouted.

“IT’S A TRAGEDY!!”

The rat snapped awake.

“Huh?”

“ABOUT TIME, HENRI!!”

They shoved their finger into my face.

“This one does not like to drink tea!!”

“Whaaaattt!?”

“It’s tr-uuuuu-uuuuue!!” the Hare sing-songed.

“Oh my gosh!”

A fist was beat on the table, making each and every pile quiver.

“How the heck do you live!?”

“Uh...”

I didn’t know what to say.

They seemed so offended...

“She doesn’t, obviously!” the Hatter griped.

“Look at her!!”

They reached out a giant, white-gloved hand and poked me in the eye.

“Ouch!” I yelped.

A stab of pain issued from my left socket.

“She’s got bags under her eyes, for Pete’s sakes...!”

As I rubbed at it, the three of them began to tsk-tsk.

“You must not get out much at all”.

 “Those who don’t drink tea rarely do...”

“You’re bad, girl, real bad!!”

They all folded their arms, closed their eyes, and shook their heads at the same time.

“TSK-TSK!!”

“I’m sorry...”

“You should be, you glorified Alice-expy!!

Where’s your fire!?

Where’s your inner snark!?

Where's your tea!?”

At that moment...

...I decided to get out while I still could.

“I think I left it in my room!”

I hurriedly stood up.

“Goodbye!!”

The threesome stared at me in disbelief, and then erupted into incredulous guffaws.

"And theeerrre it is!!"

Meanwhile, I bolted from the cafeteria as fast as I was able.

“Goodbye!!” they called sweetly as I retreated into the distance, all sugar, spice, and everything nice now that I'd gone and said something to make myself more like her.

"Goodbye..." 

Chapter Text

I tried to get back into my dorm via the usual door by the family center right smack across from it.

But, unlike this morning, my card wouldn’t swipe me in.

Well...

I sighed.

At least there’s still the elevator.

-

On the opposite side of the wall where it was located was the small kitchen of E. & B.’s Café.

Often, I would hear snatches of radio music wafting through the half-open door.

Today, on the other hand?

When I punched the button to get it to come down, I heard the mellow beat of an older song I didn’t recognize suddenly explode into static.

Huh!?

Fearing that yet another disturbingly-odd thing was about to happen, I poked the button once more.

It dinged, but didn’t stop at ‘1’ like it was supposed to.

No, it instead went down to ‘-1’, then ‘-2’...

Wh-That’s never happened before...?

A bit scared by this point, I stepped back just as that half-opened door swung wide all the way.

“Look out, dearie!!”

I turned right as a portly personage double my height of 5, 4 managed to dump a steaming pot of the same bubbly, orange soup the Dorrat had been eating all over me.

I smelled like chili peppers, raw chicken, and roadkill!!

Incredulously wiping slop off my face and hair, I barely registered the frantic apologies.

“If I’d only seen you sooner then this whole unpleasant scene could have been avoided, oh, I’m so embarrassed!! Can you ever forgive me!?”

I nodded numbly.

“Oh, thank you!!”

A hand brushed some stray pieces of duck off my shoulders, and then:

“Now off you go, dear, and please try not to get eaten...You’re emitting quite the delicious fragrance you know!!”

My head was too busy spinning around in circles to comprehend any of that.

So...hot!!!!

I began to fan my burning mouth, eyes, everywhere else...

“Momma! The goose is done!!”

A kid with a pig-like snout and ears poking through blonde hair peeped out of the kitchen and gaped.

“Who’s that!?”

“Nobody, Reginald!” the mother said tiredly.

“Just an unfortunate young lady whom I have drenched in the most famous recipe around”.

Reginald's eyes grew wider the longer I was stared at.

“Is that Alice!?”

The mother frowned, and then squinted.

“Hmm...

“Are you, dear?”

“No”.

“Hm”.

A sniff.

“The resemblance is uncanny...”

The mother squeezed through the narrow doorway, head regretfully shaking side-to-side.

All was immediately silent.

I really am sorry for your loss...

...

Loss?

...

I wonder what the Duchess meant by that?

The heat was, fortunately, beginning to cool down, and I sighed with relief.

It could've been a lot worse than it was. If the Cook had been there too, then I might've gotten hit with something-

WHACK!!

Chapter Text

When I woke up, my first thought was:

I tempted Fate, and this is the response.

My second thought was:

Who’s that looking down at me?

-

*Gasp!*

“Geez, Louise kid, could you not!? I’ve already got enough problems to deal with without you adding to them!!”

I sat up, and was hit with a nasty headache.

Ouch...

“Yeah, that’s what you get for tempting fate”.

When the fog had finally faded from my mind, I saw a stick-thin Cook cleaning up the mess with a sudsy bucket of water, and a voluminous mop.

As I watched, I saw shoulders tense and her teeth grind in barely-contained rage.

“Idiot can’t even watch out for people crossing to use the elevator...”

A long-suffering breath was let loose.

A can of cleaning-fluid was whipped at the wall.

CRACK!!

Its plastic coating dented inwards, and left a bald spot where the paint had been chipped away.

The Cook turned back to me, wearing a slightly-calmer expression.

“Sorry for giving you a mini-concussion, but how was I supposed to know that you were in the way?”

The Cook huffed.

“That giant body of hers blocks everything in sight”.

They gestured at a slightly crimson-stained Swiffer.

“So, anyway, that’s why it got you and not her”.

Worried, I touched the side of my head.

It came away bloody.

“Don’t ask me to deal with it, because I’m not a doctor”.

I slowly got to my feet.

“What...time is it?”

“Like, four o’ clock”.

Four o’ clock...

I’m probably late!!

Mom’s going to wonder where I am...

It was then that I noticed something distressing,

My clothes were no longer actual clothes!!

Clump after clump of cotton, fur, and other materials had been burnt into an empty shell of black dust.

“!!!”

Noticing the shock written all over my face the Cook added:

“Oh yeah, that stuff is so hot that to get it anywhere but inside of your mouth is a big no-no”.

“Wh-what do I do now!?”

If I even moved an inch, the shell would gain another spiderweb of cracks.

There were already so many, that I feared one last wrong move might be the end of them entirely!!

They gave me the biggest eyeroll I had ever seen.

“Oh-kay, Alice!

If you really want to be that clueless...”

I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.

Until I looked down at myself a second time, and a familiar outfit was ripping its way through the ashes.

Chapter Text

The gray soot fell away in one sudden shower, revealing the classic white apron and blue skirt of-

Oh no...

Alice in Wonderland.

“I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that...”

The Cook swept up both mop and bucket, and vanished through the crack in the door.

You are her, aren’t you?

-

No, of course not!

But who could I say that to?

The empty hallway!?

As I stood there, flummoxed, I became aware of a faint, grinding sound coming from the elevator.

Shhiink.

Shhink.

The level counter was flashing negative numbers again, only this time, they were increasing:

-2,

-1,

1...

It chimed.

The door slid open...

I stumbled back against the wall when I saw what it contained:

An axe-wielding automaton with bleeding hearts atop the crown.

Chapter Text

I banked to the left as the deadly weapon swung.

WHOOOSSSHHH!!

In a panic, I skidded to one knee-

The cool breeze that brushed the top of my head had me shaking in my new Mary-Janes!

Scrambling on all fours down the hallway, I could hear the Queen emit a faintly-frustrated noise: ssscccrreeEEE...

...

My mind flashed back to when I had seen the white rabbit:

I’d felt like there was a malevolent prescence in the room...

CRUNCH!!

The tile next to my face exploded.

My cheek stung...and then my arm stung.

My eyes could barely tear themselves away from the six-inch-long blade absurdly close to my face.

Adrenaline surged through my veins, and I buried my ridged heel into one of her brass kneecaps.

Thuk!

Lunging forwards and upright, I was able to use it as a makeshift springboard that had enough power behind it to send me flailing around the far end.

Sprinting to the side-exit as if my life depended on it, I yanked on the handle, hard.

It came off in my hands.

I yelped as the axe smashed through the glass, and stuck.

Warm blood dripped down my other cheek.

Wheeling around in terror, I jumped.

There she was.

Zooming insanely fast in my direction!

Chapter Text

I dove into the lounge area to my left, and picked up an extra-padded chair.

SSNIK-

She tore the axe out of the dent it had made, just as I let the piece of furniture fly.

Screeching angrily, her clawed arm easily batted it aside.

It bounced off a nearby window, but, strangely enough, it didn’t crack.

Speed-walking backwards, I next launched a couch her way.

It got swatted aside, too.

SCCCRREEEEE-!!

I saw the flat-screen T.V. out of the corner of my eye-

The screen shattered into a million fragments when it met her razor-sharp fingernails!!

 I’d run out of stuff to throw.

I bolted to the main exit, and attempted to bang open its inner doors.

“Attempted” being the key word because for some reason I’d completely forgotten that this particular one was a ‘pull’ door.

Not a ‘push’.

THUD!

Rubbing my bruised shoulder, I fumbled for the handle, tugged the darn thing ajar, and raced into the entryway!

Fortunately, the outer door was, thankfully, a ‘push’.

Flat soles slapping on the brick pathway, I winced at the nightmarish sounds of the Queen forcing her way through Doors Number 1 and 2.

I have got to get to my room...!

Or at the very least, the courtyard of my dorm.

From there, it was a straight shot to the tennis courts.

Hopefully, where my mom would be parked with her heavy-duty minivan.

As I ran, I noticed a big, black mass perched in the upper branches of a tree.

My mind desperately wanted to believe that it was just an ordinary owl...albeit one the size of a church clock.

But in my heart, I knew...

“Mr. Caterpillar.

MR. CATERPILLAR!!

Wake up!

WAKE UP!!"

The axe whistled by me as if it were a boomerang, the entire left side of my dress being slit open while the right side followed on the rebound.

Moon-shaded liquid began to pour down my ribs.

“Mr. Caterpillar...”

My lungs were starting to give out.

My fevered footfalls were beginning to slow...

As my breath came in shallow bursts, I staggered to a stop underneath it.

The faint squeal of my pursuer reached my ears, and I shuddered.

“Mr...Caterpillar...I don’t want...to die...”

-

As if on cue.

The dark mass began to splinter.

Shining white light poured out of it as first one glittering appendage, then another sprang free.

It was a beautiful sight.

Gauzy butterfly wings tested the air with tentative strokes, before confidently hopping off the branch.

“Mr. Caterpillar!” I called again “Can you please help me!?”

Rather than answer me, however, he hovered in midair, wisely surveying all within his view.

 “Mr. Caterpillar?”

I rushed towards the newly-released creature, intending to pitch my voice a little bit louder...

Fwoom!

Fwoom!

He beat the air with powerful strokes, strong and purposeful.

My dress caught the powerful updrafts, and my stomach dropped.

“Whooahh...!!”

I was blown up into the night sky!

I swooped through the air toward where I'd wanted to be the whole time.

Chapter Text

Metaphorical butterflies filled my gut as the ground drew nearer...and nearer...

Little by little, the wind was going.

I’d already sprained an ankle once this semester.

I was in no way ready for two broken legs.

Bracing myself for the inevitable impact, I tried to make my limbs go limp-

My feet smacked into the frozen ground, and flipped head-over-heels into the nearest snowbank.

FLOOMPH!!

Breathing hard, I flopped over onto my stomach.

The sight of my dorm’s brownstone filled me with relief.

Until I saw the sign:

‘Door jammed’

Wearily, I crawled out of the ivory powder hoping against hope that maybe someone had gone and fixed it by now...?

Something whacked me in the face as I stood up, I couldn't believe it!

My Keycard! Thank goodness!!

I'd thought I'd lost it, but I'd had it on me the whole time!

I swiped it over the reader, and was almost light-headed with happiness when it flashed bright-green.

I heard the click! as the lock disengaged, and yanked on the handle-

“Wait miss, take us with you!!”

The tinny voices stopped me cold.

Whirling around, I found a bucket of oysters overturned on the gravel.

Oops...

“Sorry!”

I scraped them up from where they lay, and placed them nicely in their...home? ... I made sure that they were all there, and then I re-swiped.

Beeeep!

Click!

Not once did I look behind me.

I’d just finished easing the door closed when they all sighed.

“Thanks...”

“It’s no problem”.

"...For saving us from the Walrus!" 

Chapter Text

WHUD!!

I jumped out of my skin as a massive, black blob smashed into the doorframe.

“You tricky little morsels!!

Piggy-backing off young Alice...you ought to be ashamed of yourselves!!!!”

I stared in horror as hairline cracks began to form.

“Uh...”

I looked around desperately for a place to hide them, only to give up, and rocket up the stairs!

That truck-sized abomination would be inside the building in a matter of seconds, it was no use-!!

At the first landing, I was all set to change directions, hightail it to the next one.

A pair of muscular arms latched onto my shoulders.

“Hey, hey!!”

They were attached to someone with a large axe strapped to their belt.

(Shudder).

Flaming-red hair stuck out all over the place, and I was strongly reminded of someone...

“Give them here! Quick!!”

It was the Woodcutter.

I think...

CRASH!!

Once again, I jumped out of my skin.

They swore under their breath.

“Please?”

...

I let go.

“Thank ye, kindly!” they called as I left.

“Won’t be forgetting you miss Alice, that’s for sure!!”

The sounds of squelching slithered into my ears, and I could feel my cheeks drain of blood.

Oh goodness, I‘ve gotta get a move on-!!!

“Little giiirlll, don’t run away...”

My feet pounded on the steps.

“I need you to find my oooyyysteeers...!!”

I passed by the second landing.

“Little giiirrrlll....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

I dashed out of there breathing harder than ever.

"Eat this, beast!!”

*CHOP!*

“AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”

.

.

.

Thank you, Woodcutter.

I didn't have many seconds to bask in relief, however.

 “Fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into, now, huh?”

I looked toward this newest anomaly, and saw...

A face.

In the wall.

Grinning at me.

Chapter Text

It was the Cheshire Cat.

It had to be.

“...I don’t think this is my fault...”

They scoffed.

“Of course it’s not!”

The head struggled to leave the mauve wallpaper but couldn’t.

“It’s that lovely Cursed God and whomever!”

They fluffed up mussed fur.

“Razzin-frazzin, cheap material...”

“I know that”, I said.

“But what do I do about it?”

The cat rolled violet eyes.

“Sigh...You really do know how to goof up, don’t you?”

My heart skipped in my chest.

I had a bad feeling about this...

“...What do you mean?”

“Well, for starters”, the cat snarked “You could’ve done something better with those items you bought earlier today”.

Ding!

“Wouldn’t want to leave the Growing Cake out where she could see it, now, would you?”

Chapter Text

Before the sentence was even finished I was gone

Running as fast as I could for the bajillionth time.

I had to!

I couldn’t afford to-!!

“Oh no!!!”

There was a splintering crash, as a gigantic, robotic claw ripped its way through the door to my room, and tore jagged strips in the carpeting.

As I hovered there, in-between backpedaling and being nailed to the ground, the hand receded, and a large, angry-red eye glared out at me.

The entire body of the Queen of Hearts tore itself free from her plastered prison, and slowly but surely rose to her full height of 250 stories tall.

RR-RIPPP!!

SSSSKKRRRNNNCCCHHHH!!!!!

CRASH!

The students on the fourth floor should have been panicking, right?

They were seeing this, right!?

It was just like the Rabbit incident all over again, the Tea Party, too, only this time-!!!

A mechanical-slippered foot came down an inch from my nose.

I half-gasped, half-screamed.

The floor creaked dangerously, and I could feel it sagging beneath me-

I spun back around, and ran to the stairs without thinking!!

BOOM!!

BOOM!!

BOOM!!

“Good luck, Alice", a feline voice purred.

Chapter Text

Absolutely terrified that I was going to be crushed, I forgot about my shoes.

My one-inch-thick heels teetered on the topmost step, and my arms were wind-milling away!

Never mind the broken legs...!

It was a broken neck that I had to worry about!!

A strong wind buffeted me from behind, and shivers ran up my spine.

S he is right behind me, isn’t she?

“Yup”.

I threw myself forward just as the loudest screech ever assaulted my ears.

KRR-RRUUNCH!!

Don’t ask me how I ended up curled in a perfect ball on the step directly below her.

I just looked up at the horrific racket, and felt myself shiver again as she gracefully passed over my head, and clunked down the stairs.

The numerous blades on her insanely large skirts had been this close to rending my head from my neck!!

Shaking heavily, I staggered upright on limp noodles and sailed past the face on a breeze.

“Well done, Alice”.

Well done, indeed.

Chapter Text

As I turned the corner for (hopefully) the last time, I saw someone I had been waiting for all day...

MOM!!

“Hello!

You ready to go?”

She did a double-take.

“Oohhh, pretty dress!”

“Yeah, it is!”

I was so, sooo, happy to see her!!

“I got it from a...really nice person...”

“Been running up and down the stairs?”

Her smile was probably the best thing I’d seen all day!

“Yeah!”

She smiled again.

“You’ve got the keys?”

“Mm-hm!!”

I scooped up the ribbon that I’d found my Keycard on, and, sure enough, there were my keys, tied onto the end in a cute, navy bow.

...Not bad for a lucky guess.

I was about to slide the one for my room into the lock when a disturbing noise came from...

...

My brain...

It was...

She was revolving toward, and then away from me.

Blood leaked out of her eyes, her nose, her ears...

It gushed from her mouth in one long, continuous shower.

...blghhh...

W-h-

Uh-

Hu-uh

Red

Gushed out of her side.

Mechanical parts

A red, glaring eye

A gory crown

An axe-handle inlaid with groaning people

The Queen of Hearts...

Ripped out of my mom’s corpse,

let it drop to the floor

with a sickening S

PLUTCH and

swung

the

ultra-

sharp

blade

across

my

neck

Chapter Text

Hi!
My name is Alice!

What’s yours?

We’re all chibi-fied here. It’s really cute.

My name’s Elizabeth.

Aww, she looks sad now!

I made her sad, and that makes me sad.

Just kidding!

I remember!

Oh goody!!

Her purple eyes are pretty.

Like jewels.

She claps her hands together, and then pulls out a book.

Let’s read together!

We used to do it all the time you know.

Before what?

She pats my head.

She’s happy again.

Yay!

You used to call yourself something else.

It was odd.

You didn’t even spell it correctly like everybody else.

Was it pretty?

Nah.

It was...average.

Not like yours at all!

She’s opening the book.

She’s settling herself down by the tree.

I like it because it’s fun to climb

Come here, Alice!

Sit with your older sister.

We’ll read for a while and put all of those unfortunate memories out of your head forever.

Reading is so much fun!

I go over and sit.

Do we have a little brother, too?

She sighs patiently.

No dear, I’m afraid we don’t.

She starts to read, and my mind relaxes.

Tell all of those lovely little voices to disappear.

So, I do.

Good bye little voices!

Bye, bye...

...

I’m going to go back to the house for some orange juice.

Alice, would you like some?

Yes, yes I would.

Ah, ha ha!

What a clever little girl you are!

Always talking like one of the grown-ups!

She leans in close, and I’m happy.

One day, you’re going to knock the world into shape, just you watch!

I want to watch it a lot!

I want to watch it right now!!

She laughs, and it’s so pretty...

Patience, my dear girl, patience...

...

Someday... someday...

There'll be nothing of you left.

Chapter Text

(:

Chapter Text

Something is not right.

...

We’re all...stagnating.

...

What happened?

...

Where is she?

...

You can’t just leave us...

...

Did you really think I would forget about you?

Chapter Text

“Oh look! There’s a rabbit!!”

Huge, blue eyes stick to the funny-looking creature like glue.

The child turns to the house, where her sister has just gone, and yells: “I found a rabbit, Lizzie!!”

No answer.

“I did. I really did!”

Still nothing.

“Hmph!”

The rabbit titters at her childish pout.

“That’s not nice!”

He simply flicks his ears at her, and runs away.

“Oh!”

Stumbling over her too-big dress, the little girl runs super-fast to catch up with him.

“Come back, Mr. Rabbit, come back!!”

He doesn’t come back.

Instead, he ducks down a huge hole in the side of an emerald-green hill.

Oooohhh...a leprechaun’s lair, maybe?

I tuck my skirt in around my knobbly knees, and crawl head-first into the great unknown.

I don’t know how long it’s been since I first became trapped here.

Seconds feel like minutes.

Minutes feel like hours...

Hours feel like days.

Uh-oh.

The road’s getting bumpy.

I can’t see very well anymore.

It’s a good thing that Mr. Rabbit is so sunny-colored, or I surely would’ve lost him by now!

But, nope!

There he is, right ahead of me like he should be...

A glaring, white light at the end of the tunnel...

It ends too soon, and the ground is diisin- disinte- falling!

My feet go down, and I go back, and my heart flails.

I try to climb up the spiraling waterfalls of dirt, but it’s hard.

It’s so hard!

My fingers grasp at nothing, and I’m looking down at nothing-

How did I know you'd be here?

I take a flying leap off a drooping clod of earth, and stretch my arms out as far as they can.

"C'mon Mr. Rabbit!

Don't run away...!"

  She's struggling up the side of a vanishing path.

The look in her eyes is so different.

...

It's unsettling.

The ground is bottoming out!

The rabbit is disappearing!!

I'm hearing a voice in my head scream:

No, stop, keep going-!!

I'd forgotten how painful it was to move.

...

It doesn't matter.

If I can't reach-

How? HOW IS THIS HAPPENING!?

I'm not really falling...

It's more like I'm sailing.

Like I'm riding the wind again.

I can see something green in the dark.

It's like the emerald of the hill.

I want to touch it...

...

At this point-

His hand shot into the shadowy void.

Her hand shot into the shadowy void.

Their fingers intertwined.

With an inaudible snap, they locked together like the links of a chain.

The girl swung around so that she was facing him, and the rabbit's light winked out.

Chapter Text

Oh for...

Evil can only hide what it’s done for so long.

Hence the pink spirals in her eyes.

It’s nightmarish.

Only two months ago, this young woman was excited by the prospect of telling our stories, and now...

Now she’s not even here.

“Hello. Are you the Mad Hatter? You’re very green”.

“It’s nerves. They’ll fade”.

She blinks for a moment.

“So are you, like, a flower then?”

Ugh. She’s like a kid again.

“No. You created me, you should know that”.

She tilts her head, and I can almost see the cartoonish question-mark vanish into the ether.

“Huh?”

I sigh.

“I suppose that’s not the technical term for it...”

The tiniest hint of blue creeps into her irises.

Did I spark anything...?

“We were always out there, this is just the first time that someone put our story in print. Or online, I guess it would be...”

...

The gears in her mind turn, and I can already tell what she’s going to say:

“Nope! Sorry, I don’t know anything about that at all”.

The flecks are swamped by the hypnotic power of that...Cecelia.

...I’ll have to try something else.

“Have you always lived here?”

“No. I...”

I swallow hard.

“You wrote me here. In one of your earliest works...?”

Her dazed expression is replaced by anger.

“No way! I’d never do something so cruel!”

...And there they are. Back with a vengeance.

“...You wouldn’t. Not unless you were sure I’d have an out somewhere along the way...”

“Yeah, but that’s still pretty terrible...”

Her face falls, and I have a heart attack.

“Don’t. Do that”.

My fingers tighten around her shoulders, and I try to ignore the feel of blood-stained fabric.

“...Why not?”

Because it’s what dug those other writers into a hole they couldn’t get out of.

“It’s not worth it. What happens, happens, and there’s no use in hating yourself for it”.

The blue...I’m not mistaken. I’m getting through to her!

“You’re right, I guess”.

She tugs at the hem of her dress.

“How come the rabbit disappeared?”

I consider how much I can tell her without destroying my progress.

“I don’t think he was ever there”.

She blinks at me.

“Huh?”

I gesture at the nothingness where ‘Wonderland’ used to be.

Its colors still flicker invitingly, but they are not as strong as they once were.

I’m willing to bet that the more I whittle down this enchantment, the weaker they will become.

“It was all just an illusion”.

...

“An illusion...”

“Yes”.

Her fingers touch her sliced neck.

“...This isn’t”.

Chapter Text

I should've foreseen a response like that...

I really should've.

But I didn’t.

Her eyes are like red windows now...

“I didn’t want to have to resort to this, but it looks like I’ve got no choice”.

“You can do whatever you want as far as I’m concerned, but you’ll never get her back”.

...

  We’ll see about that.

Chapter Text

“Hey!”

She doesn’t stir at my sharp tone of voice.

Just more proof that the Cursed God and his supporters have been messing with her head.

“You have got to snap out of it!!”

Her gaze starts to slip from me and off to where the lights of ‘Wonderland’ have begun to rally.

“You have people waiting for you, you know!”

“No, I don’t. Stop grasping at straws”.

If she’s not wearing a dreamy expression, then she’s smiling.

The twisted leer on her lips seems like a mockery of both.

“They aren’t just ‘straws’. If you disappear, your mom will be not happy! She’ll worry about you every day until you come back!!”

“That doesn’t matter to me at all!” she chirps, “the only people I need in my life are my Nonsense friends, and my sister!”

“You don’t have a sister!”

A light wind is beginning to pick up.

She’s starting to be pulled from my grasp!!

“You have a younger brother whom you care about very much!”

My arms are tiring from the effort of holding on.

“Funny you should say that!” she muses “If that’s true, then where are they?”

“They don’t know”, I admit reluctantly “But if this keeps up, then it won’t be long before they do”.

For a moment she’s quiet, and I wonder if what I’ve said has finally done some good.

Then she opens her mouth, and all my hopes crash into oblivion:

“...Nice try. But that’s not going to be enough”.

Chapter Text

What can I possibly say now?

...

The ‘family’ conversation was probably the closest I could get.

...

Maybe if I went back to her stories?

But no...the same method won’t work twice...

...

...No.

No way.

I can’t go there.

...

But...

...

What other choice do I have...?

Chapter Text

My fingers are just barely hanging on to her.

If I’m going to do this...

I need to do it now.

“What did you say your name was, again?”

“Alice, you fool!”

Her own fingers creep toward mine.

“Honestly, I thought you were smarter than this!”

She laughs softly.

“No wonder you were the first one destroyed!”

...I don’t know how she knows about that, but it doesn’t matter.

In the event that all goes well, she won’t be laughing for long.

Chapter Text

“...That’s not it”.

“Excuse me, but what do you think you’re saying!? I ought to know what my own name is!!”

“That’s true.

However, I happen to know that ‘Alice’ is far from what it actually is”.

“Oh really?”

I’ve got her interested.

Curious.

“Yes”.

Within the red of her irises I can pick out a dark, swirling mass.

If I squint.

...

...

...

...

...

...

“...Well!?”

I focus on the next few words I need to speak.

I have to, or I’m going to smirk in satisfaction that she’s taking the bait.

I mustn’t give her any opportunities to see through this.

“What is it!?”

“You used to think that you were the only one in the world who spelt it like that”.

“Don’t be absurd!”

“I am not lying to you right now. I swear it”.

“Then what is it?”

“First, I should probably remind you that you’re going to want to record all of this later. And that one-hundred-and-seventy-five people are going to want to read it”.

“Will you stop stalling already!?”

 “If you insist”.

Cecelia’s hold must be weakening.

The brown mass has swamped the red.

“Your name..."

I pause.

"Well!? Get on with it!"

"...is-“

A hand covers my mouth.

“Um-I don’t know...about this...”

M-mom always said never to give your name out online...

Ever...!

She’s finally back.

Chapter Text

The poison in her eyes drips down her cheeks as if they were tears.

A crimson light has begun to faintly pulse in her chest.

“You had me worried”, I tell her.

“Aw, I’m sorry...”

She really does look very apologetic, the poor thing.

“It’s nothing you should feel badly about. You were...stuck someplace else. Maybe”.

She bites her lip.

“I don’t remember anything past that Nasty with the ax going all Alien on my mom”.

Her breath catches in horror.

“Is she actually dead!? Oh my goodness, I don’t what we’d do if she was...!!”

“I have a strong hunch that everything before this was a bunch of hallucinations”.

Not exactly my best attempt at reassurance, but I’m hoping it’ll do.

“That would be nice”.

She suddenly coughs, and blood stains my chest.

“Ooh, sorry *cough, cough* again...!”

It’s like I thought...the infection is still there, it’s just been tamed temporarily.

“...Do you mind?”

“Mind what?”

In answer, I re-establish my death-grip on her shoulders, and squeeze.

“Huh...? O-ouch...”

I’m sorry.

I push out and back.

The red orb pulses harder, brighter-

“What is that!?”

Energy crackles out from the center, and fights being forced out into the darkness.

“Oooh-kay that really hurts now”, she grimaces.

I’m sorry-

The left-over contamination brings back the red windows.

They swell with power, lightening to a streaked-white.

“...!!”

Her muscles are stiffening with pain, but there’s nothing I can do.

One final push, and it all combusts.

KRAK-A-BOOM!!

I’m so sorry.

Chapter Text

Alice's POV

It felt like I was having a tooth pulled.

But when the smoke faded, there was only a soft ache.

The shadows were swiftly being replaced by a spiraling circle of light.

“Thanks a lot...” is what I think I said.

Green eyes flashed, and he might’ve replied, but I was out cold by then...

Mom's POV

I was getting worried.

The door to her room was unlocked, so I opened it, thinking that maybe, just maybe, she’d be in there.

But she wasn’t.

Then someone mentioned a kid in a purple jacket running out of the family center in a panic-

I checked there twice, then trekked over to the academic buildings.

No one had seen her.

So.

I circled back around, and returned to her dorm.

A stranger in a black suit was kind enough to let me in.

I cannot tell you how relieved I was to find my daughter carrying a potted plant in one hand, and a tote bag in the other.

Chapter Text

“What’s the problem?”

I stared in disbelief at the newest chapter of Our Eternity Together.

It had been some time since the Alice Incident, and I was still growing used to the idea of having a Floating-Buddy.

Simply put:

Without me, he would sink.

And without him, I would sink.

Hence the reason why I now have pink flowers threaded through my veins.

Apparently (and don’t ask me how I know this), they’re supposed to emit pheromones that offset the waves of hypnosis.

As for Envy, well...

Once, days ago in my dreams, I was able to drive away a ghost with blue light.

When he did...whatever it was that he did a week ago, a little bit of it got stuck in him forever.

If I'm near him, he stays put.

If I'm not, then he’ll start to disappear.

“We just got done fighting Ceclia’s powers, only to be hunted down by a witch over Finals Week!!"

“Nobody said being a hero was easy”, he replied.

“I wouldn't call myself a hero...”

He shrugged.

"If you say so".

I sighed.

"This is going to be fun..."