Chapter Two

I took a deep breath, readying myself for the long fall I knew was to come and placed my hand on the golden colored knob. Before I opened it I took a few moments to look over the door. It hadn't changed much from when I was five. It looked old and as though some of the wood was rotting. It gave off a curious air, as if it wanted people to come look. Supposedly, my great-great-great-great-great grandmother Alice had it built from one her favorite trees.

"Alright, Ashton. You have this. You can do this. Come on," I muttered, trying to get the courage to open the door. I took another breath, pushed open the door and stepped into the black nothingness that was there. I fell for who knows how long. My hair hit my face and I couldn't see where I was going nor how far away from the bottom I was. As a child it lasted forever, listening to Aria scream. I kept laughing, not even imagining becoming a smear on the ground. It had been exciting for me, at least until we entered the actual world. . .

Not now! I can't think about that! If I do then. . . No! I hit the floor with a thump and it knocked the breath out of me. Once I got it back, I stood up and spun in a circle. Where is that do- Oh. There it is. An old door stood in front of me, looking magnificent. It was red oak and tall. It should have intimated me as a child, but it hadn't. Instead, it made me want to continue on. Now, fear radiated off of me in waves only because I knew a different world awaited me than what I had thought awaited me as a child. It was this world that had stolen my older twin.

I gave myself a mental pep talk and pushed open the door. I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. Wonderland had changed. It was dark, twisted. The trees look menacing, making everything seem darker. The rock columns that had looked so magnificent and amazing when I was a child were crumbled, leaving only stumps and pieces here and there. This world was a different sort of beautiful now. It was of the dark sort. I pushed myself to continue on, hoping my courage wouldn’t fail on me. It didn’t and I reached the clearing. The blood was still there, dried and an ugly brown color. I stared at it for a little while. This was the last place she was and the place I couldn’t save her. Shaking my head, I pushed past it and into the forest in front of me. It got darker along the way, until there was just enough light filtering through the tree branches to show my way. Creatures looked at me with glowing eyes until their curiosity left them and they darted into the undergrowth. The tree’s fingers grabbed at my hair, pulling it back and slapped my face. Roots came up out of their earthy tomb to trip me. I screamed in frustration, finally taking a knife I had carried along and cutting my hair along with anything else in my way. I never had the best patience and had even less now. Sighing, I made myself calm and started on my way again.

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“Oh, no! Me and my stupid impatience!” I groaned, looking in a mirror at my hair. I had found a small house and decided to stop because I could barely see in front of me. My hair was short, extremely so.  It sat at my shoulders, the ends jagged and uneven. I ran a hand through it, frowning. My hair was one of the few things I took pride in, it being very long and now it. . . I sighed, shaking my head. I had no time to waste on vanity. I reached into the bag that rested on my side, pulled out a hair brush and brushed my hair. Luckily it was still long enough to pull back and that is what I did. Looking down, I inspected my clothes, grimacing at their state. Rips and tears adorned it along with various leaves and sticks. I growled. Stupid me didn’t bring any clothes! I shook my head, walked out of the bathroom and crept around, looking for more clothes. I finally found some in one of the bedrooms. Dresses hung on a rod in the closet. They were knee-length, dark blue and three quartered sleeves and had a white apron attached to it.  Why would there be dresses here? I wondered if a girl my age had lived there before. It was possible. Would she have minded if I borrowed one of the dresses? Probably not. I grabbed one of the dresses, stripped off the torn outfit I had on then slipped on the dress. It fit perfectly which made me wonder if the dresses were put there for me. . . I shook my head. Such nonsense coming from me! I left the room and looked for a bed. Locating one in one of the rooms, I collapsed on it, falling to sleep quickly.

 

I awoke to a snickering outside of the house and sat up quickly. I ran outside, in my haste forgetting my bag of things from home, and looked for the source of the laughter. I followed it to the forest.

“Who’s there?! Reveal yourself now!” I yelled, spinning around. The dress twisted around my knees and I nearly fell.

“Now, why would you forget someone who has helped you when you needed it?” the voice called. I stopped, the voice ringing in the air around me. I froze. That voice. . . So familiar. . .

“Did you honestly forget, Rebel?” it questioned. Rebel? That was. . .

“Cheshire! Come out,” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I heard laughter and faced the spot where the Cat would appear. He appeared, his fur looking slightly tattered and blood clotting some of it.

“Wh-what happened to you?” I questioned, walking closer to him. He gave me a sad smile.

“Nothing, really, girl. Close your eyes, please. I can’t stay in this form for very much longer,” he replied. His tail waved in the air slowly. I nodded and closed my eyes.

“You may open them now.” His voice rang through my head again. Opening them, I jumped. A man with blue hair stood in front of me, blue cat ears on top of his head and a blue striped tail curled around his knees. His jeans were ripped and his blue shirt had scratches coated with blood. I darted to him.

“It doesn’t look like nothing!” I fretted. He smiled again and grabbed my hands.

“Do not fret about my wounds. You were staying in a house nearby, yes? Let’s head that way and I’ll rest there,” he told me. I sighed and glared at him.

“Stupid, Damien. . .” I muttered. I received a chuckle. I shook my head and dragged him to the house I had slept the night away in.

Damien had been the one to help me leave Wonderland the first time. He appeared to me in his Cheshire Cat form and introduced himself as Cheshire Cat. He had helped me after I got out of Wonderland, too, somehow. After the eighth or so time of helping me, he told me about himself. He told me stories when I couldn’t sleep at night because Aria was gone and the dark was closing in on me. He talked to me about everything going on and I think. . . No, I know that he is the reason I hadn’t gone mad those dark nights after I escaped Wonderland. Damien had become my best friend during that time so it was no surprise I panicked when I saw him hurt. He was the one I trusted, the one I went to for help. Now it was my turn to help him. I smiled, making the cat tilt his head and look at me curiously. I shook my head, assuring him it was nothing important. He smiled again and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, listening to my babble about what had happened with Daniel. I think that he missed me as much as I missed him when Mother believed Daniel when he said I was talking to myself and she made me stop talking to Damien. I smiled and began to scold him for getting hurt.