The Complete Alice Wonder Series - Insanity - Books 1 - 9

by Cameron Jace

  “I don’t mind. When are you planning on it?”

  “Right away. It’s going to be an exceptional Alice Day in the whole world next week.”

  86

  THE PRESENT: SOMEWHERE IN THE STREETS OF LONDON

  The Cheshire sat alone on a bank. His head was still spinning from all the emotions and love in Jack’s head. He’d heard about Alice’s death and her sacrifice to make Jack hate her. But he hadn’t witnessed any changes yet.

  Mr. Tick and Mrs. Tock had told him changes in the future took some time. They didn’t happen right away like in movies. Now the Cheshire cherished every last moment of Jack still loving Alice, knowing that soon this love would turn to hate.

  He closed his eyes, still searching the corridors of Jack’s mind. Searching for whatever made him come back from the dead.

  And here it was. The Cheshire listened to Jack’s mind.

  I forgive you for killing me, Jack’s voice said. But was that all? I came to tell you where I kept the keys.

  The Cheshire’s mind brightened with knowledge. He listened to the whereabouts of the keys and what they were for. The Cheshire was in awe. He couldn’t believe it.

  His eyes flew open. Would he tell Black Chess or the Inklings about it? Or would he take the power for himself?

  Slowly, the Cheshire’s body was hurting. He knew what was going on. The changes Alice had made in the past were starting to manifest in this world. And since Jack never died in this new version of life, he never came back for Alice, and the Cheshire never possessed him.

  Mind-bending stuff, even for the sneaky cat.

  The Cheshire fell to his knees, knowing he had to possess another soul as soon as possible. Or he would simply die.

  Clasping his face, the Cheshire realized he’d been tricked by the greatest murderer of all. He’d been tricked by time. Never a tick too soon. Never a tock too late.

  87

  Mrs. Tock and Mr. Tick watched the Cheshire fall to his knees, wondering if they should help him.

  “It’s a shame that the evil cat was that much of a fool,” Mr. Tick said.

  “Time befriends no one,” Mrs. Tock said. “But I really had so much fun today, Mr. Tick. It was a timely adventure.”

  “Me too, Mrs. Tock.” He held her hand. “We should do this again sometime.”

  “Really?” Mrs. Tock’s eyes brightened. “When?”

  “A couple of hundred years from now,” he said.

  “Why not? We have all the time in the world.”

  “Which is pretty boring,” he said. “But not as long as we’re together. Ticking and tocking all the time.”

  Mrs. Tock laid her head on his chest and sighed. “Since you’ve finally admitted I make your life better, I have a confession, Mr. Tick.”

  “After all this time?” he mocked her lovingly.

  “I know why you can’t grow hair anymore.”

  Mr. Tick grimaced. “You know?”

  “I have to confess it’s because of me. I didn’t want you flirting with younger girls. So I —”

  “So, you did what?”

  “It’s the tea you drink all night and day. It has a substance that causes baldness.”

  Mr. Tick was shocked. Even upset. He pulled his arm away and paced away from her.

  “Mr. Tick!” she called after him. “I can make it grow back. Black pepper and olive oil will fix it!”

  She ran after him. The Cheshire was still choking to death behind her.

  88

  THE PRESENT: ALICE’S FUNERAL, THE RIVER THAMES, A WEEK LATER.

  The Queen had just finished her speech about Alice. The crowd and kids clapped, thinking she was talking about the stubborn seven-year-old Alice in the books. Every news reporter in the world wondered why the Queen wept.

  “I will always miss Alice,” the Queen said, flashing cameras surrounding her. “She will always be a part of my past, present, and future.”

  “Do you plan to build a statue of her?” a reporter asked.

  The Queen thought it over for a moment. It seemed like a good idea, but hell no. She wouldn’t make the people of England think there was someone as important as her in this life. She suddenly realized she didn’t care about Alice. What was she doing?

  Her face twitched, and she yelled out, “Off with their heads.”

  The kids began to laugh. “Why is the Queen of England acting as if she were the Queen of Hearts?”

  “She is mad,” a child began to cheer. His friends liked the idea. Why couldn’t they all be mad in this world? They began singing. “We’re all mad here.

  Fabiola stood next to the March Hare. He had woken up after Mr. Tick and Mrs. Tock got what they wanted.

  “I can’t believe she is the Real Bad Alice,” the March Hare said. “I thought she was a sweet girl who believed she was Alice. I liked the idea a lot.”

  “You’re naïve, Jittery. That’s all. I will need you to grow up into a man.” Fabiola said. “Now that Alice is dead, the Wonderland Wars have just begun. Us against Black Chess.”

  The March’s ears stood erect again. Fighting Black Chess without Alice scared him. “I wonder who this Mr. Jay really is.”

  “I think I have an idea,” Fabiola said. “I won’t sleep well until I know who he is. So far, he is the man behind Black Chess. We need to find him, or we will never win the war.”

  “Things got a lot complicated,” The March said. “What are we going to do, White Queen? We’re almost powerless.”

  “It’s a shame you’d say that knowing who I am.”

  The March Hare shrugged. Of course he knew. The past was shadowing the future again. Clashes were unavoidable. Masks had been taken off, and there was no going back. “I know.” He nodded, about to cry. “I just can’t believe this sweet girl was Alice.”

  89

  THE PRESENT: TOM TOWER, OXFORD

  I’m up in Tom Tower, watching the world below. This is the place where the Pillar once stood, shouting and warning the world of an upcoming war, yet no one paid attention. Things have changed. The world is talking about the possibility of a Wonderland War now. If they only knew what’s coming.

  But I’m not here to watch the world. I am standing here to watch Jack on the other side of the street. This is the present time. The now we should cherish. But it hurts so much. Jack is on the other side of the street, playing cards, and hustling other people. I would love to run to him and throw myself in his arms. But I’d be ruining all that I worked for in the past.

  I tell myself that I should be happy for him. He is alive and well. He isn’t a ghost of a boy who died in a bus accident anymore. Eventually, I will let him go. I know that.

  I am also grateful I’m alive. Even though I didn’t find my Wonder, somehow, time let me live and return to the present moment.

  I remember waking up in the Inklings room, all alone after Mr. Tick and Mrs. Tock had left. Even Fabiola had gone to do something. They thought I was already dead and were preparing to bury me. I woke up and left immediately.

  In all cases, I’m everyone’s enemy now.

  Black Chess will hunt me if they know I am back as the Good Alice. The Inklings will hunt me thinking I am the Bad Alive, and that I can never change.

  Back to square one, I tell myself. Back to where I am the loneliest hero in the world.

  How I survived without finding my Wonder, I still don’t know.

  Silently, the Pillar arrives and stands next to me. We share the view of the world in silence. It’s still good to have someone whom I can enjoy the silence with.

  “You’re a tock too late,” I say.

  “Or a tick too soon,” he says.

  “So you read the Alice Under Ground book, went mad, and still killed people,” I say. “Some things never change.”

  “True,” the Pillar says. “Believe it or not, the things you changed are very little. In this new version of the future, everything is still almost the same.”

  “That’s what Mrs. Tock said.”
<
br />   “In this version, you and I still met in an asylum. I killed twelve people and entered as a patient. I asked Truckle for you and persuaded you that you were a hero. We saved so many lives, like in the earlier timeline.”

  “How so? If the bus exploded without me, I couldn’t have ended up in the asylum again.”

  “But you did. The people waiting at the station told the authorities about the mad girl running hysterically after the bus. The court suspected you were an accessory to whoever exploded it. Your lawyer pleaded insanity, and you ended up in Radcliffe Asylum again. Your sisters and mother still believe you blew up the bus.”

  “So it’s true that the future always finds a way.”

  “In a most wicked way. Like I said, nothing changed at all. I met you. We saved lives. Tom Truckle is still who he is, except that he remembers his mission clearer now. The Cheshire came to this world, the Muffin Man was killed, I tricked you into showing me the whereabouts of the keys by pretending to be the Hatter, and we were in Columbia a few weeks back.”

  “So, I really failed in changing anything.”

  “All but him.” The Pillar points his cane at Jack across the street. “He looks happy.”

  “Yes. He does.” I smile. “I am thankful that time let him live.”

  “You let him live, Alice.”

  “And the Cheshire didn’t possess him?”

  “No, because they never met. The Cheshire is as vicious as he’s always been. Nothing’s changed.”

  “I heard rumors he was dead.”

  “They’re not true. Although he was going to, being left alone in the cold without a soul to possess.”

  “How did he live then?”

  “He possessed a parasite. Some sort of bacteria.”

  “How convenient.”

  “He’s always been a parasite of souls. He’s also the most important Wonderland Monster at the moment.”

  “Because he knows where Jack hid the keys?”

  The Pillar nods, still sharing the view affront. “Pretty stupid move to throw the keys at him in the past, I must say.”

  “You have no idea how emotionally draining that moment at the bus station was,” I say. “So stop being practical.”

  “I’d like to sympathize, but if you’re going to keep saving lives, you need to be stronger than that,” he knocks his cane on the floor once. “But still, you should be proud you saved Jack’s life.”

  “I know, although he’ll never talk to me again.”

  “Yes. That will never happen,” the Pillar says. “And it will hurt a lot.”

  “Sometimes I hate your bluntness.”

  “Some would argue it’s called the truth.”

  “A painful one,” I say. “Any advice on how I should live with it?”

  “Pain is like a glue to the skin. Try to rip it off, and it will take a piece of you with it.”

  “And the solution?”

  “The solution is to understand there is no solution.”

  “That’s optimistic.” I roll my eyes.

  “Once you neglect it, it will wither away. Pain is like the Cheshire. A parasite. It can only feed on you if you let it.”

  I have little to contribute to this logic. Maybe because the pain is so fresh. Maybe because I saved Jack, and was hurt again in return. I rest my case.

  “And don’t worry about the corpse they buried instead of you,” The Pillar says. “I took care of things.”

  I don’t even want to know what he did.

  “Are we good?” he asks.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Are you comfortable with resisting the Bad Alice in you?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “But you’re not her now.”

  I didn’t know how to answer that. The concept of having good and evil inside me still makes me uncomfortable. I need time to get used to it and know what I want. “I have a question, Pillar.”

  “I’ll answer if I know. Lie to you if I don’t.”

  “Why am I alive, even though I didn’t find my Wonder?”

  “Who said you didn’t?” The Pillar points at Jack again. “What is a greater Wonder than saving a loved one’s life?”

  I don’t know why I hadn’t thought about it. But the Pillar may be right. My Wonder is Jack. Saving his life, to be precise.

  I watch him for a bit longer until another girl comes and wraps her arms around him and kisses him. It’s my stepsister Lorina.

  90

  “I guess Jack has a thing for the Wonder family,” the Pillar remarks.

  I say nothing. Just watch Jack ride his motorcycle with Lorina behind him. I know I have to forget about him forever, although I don’t know how. I turn to face the Pillar. “So, you did all of this to convert me from a Bad Alice to a Good Alice.”

  “I wasn’t sure it’d work. You made it work.”

  “And I hated you for pulling me out of the asylum all the time.”

  “A lot of people hate me lately. I’m familiar with the concept.”

  “How did you ever know I was the Real Alice?”

  “That’s a long story. No need to dig up more secrets now. There are more important matters at stake.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like making sure you can control the Bad Alice inside you.”

  “I don’t know if it’s possible.”

  “I guess only time will tell. There are still other important things, anyways.”

  “Please tell me.”

  “Another Wonderland Monster is coming.”

  “This week?”

  “Yes. Saying he is the darkest of all is an understatement.”

  “You always say that.”

  “This one has a personal grudge against you.”

  “Really?” I grimace.

  “It’s going to be a hard test for you.”

  “Explain, please.”

  “The next Wonderland Monster is someone you hurt badly when you were the Bad Alice.”

  “I see.”

  “He has an agenda of his own. On top of it is making you suffer.”

  “How will he do that?”

  “It will depend on who you choose to be. Good Alice, he will make you suffer by letting you see the world suffer. Bad Alice, he will have to hurt you personally.”

  “I’m ready for him,” I say. There is a certain confidence speaking in me. I feel stronger. Part of me has the cruelty of evil inside. The other part has the innocence of goodness. I believe they can complement each other.

  “Ready and optimistic aren’t enough reason to face him.”

  “Then what is?”

  “Not being ready. Always be pessimistic in your hopes with a monster. Always believe you will fail. Because if you feel a tinge of optimism, they will see it and stab you the same moment you thought you won.”

  “I understand,” I say. “But seriously, Pillar, why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why did you save me?”

  “Everyone deserves a second chance.”

  “That sounds noble, but let’s not fool ourselves. I know you’re not a saint walking around and doing good deeds. I need to understand why. Please be honest.”

  The Pillar shrugs. He slowly reaches for something in his chest pocket. He pulls out a yellow piece of paper. It’s folded, and he grips it hard.

  I am curious.

  91

  THE PRESENT: BUCKINGHAM PALACE

  “You have what I want?” Margaret asked the Queen of Hearts.

  “I do,” the Queen said. “But you didn’t really have to blackmail me, Duchess. You could just have asked.”

  “You never listen.”

  “Then, you could just have shut up.”

  Margaret shrugged. “I need you to fulfill your part of the deal. Give me back what belongs to me.”

  “I will.” The Queen called her guards and told them to let the woman with the red fur in.

  Margaret stared at the woman for a long time. It was good to see her, but this w
asn’t the deal. “Where is he?”

  “Patience,” the woman in the red fur said, and then clapped her hands.

  A chubby young boy entered the room. He licked an ice cream and looked confused.

  Margaret’s eyes moistened. She opened up her arms, waiting for him to come to her. But the boy stood there licking on his ice cream.

  “Don’t you remember me?” Margaret said.

  The boy shook his head.

  “I’m your mother.”

  “My mother is the woman in the red fur.”

  “No.” Margaret got on her knees. “I am your mother. They lied to you.”

  “If you’re my mother, then you must be deliciously evil. Do you like to hurt people?”

  Margaret was shocked.

  “Yes, dear Duchess,” the Queen of Hearts interrupted. “Your son grew to be one of us. He is a nasty Black Chess member now. I’m proud of him.”

  “You filthy b—”

  “No need for swearing. I took your son from you back then, so you’d always do as I say. Now I brought him back. You should be thankful.”

  “But he is — ”

  “He is not going to remember you’re his mother or return to his old self unless I cure him,” the Queen said. “And I won’t do that until we win the war.”

  “So you’ve planned this from the beginning. You knew you wouldn’t give him back to me.”

  “I may be short, but I’m smarter than you. How many times do I need to spell it out for you?”

  “So, what do you want from me?”

  “To keep working for me, Duchess. Once we win the war, you can have your innocent version of your son back. Until then…”

  “The show must go on, I know,” Margaret said. “Please don’t hurt him until then.”

  “As long as you obey me.”

  Margaret hesitated then nodded. “At your service, My Queen.”

  “Brilliant. We have a new monster coming. A special one. This one has the key to the Pillar and Fabiola’s weaknesses.”