The Red Queen: Wonderland University Book One

by K.N. Lee

  The buzz of her cellphone caught her attention. Fearing the worse, she took a chance and glanced at it.

  Her shoulders slumped.

  Bianca. Her older sister.

  She sat on the nearest stone bench and answered.

  “Please tell me you’ve decided to come home and take my place as future queen,” Beth said as she leaned against the back of the bench and closed her eyes.

  “You wish,” Bianca said. “Father chose you.”

  “Then, what do you want? I am having an epicly awful semester.”

  “What? How? It’s only the second day. Surely, you’re being dramatic. You’re always dramatic.”

  “And, you’re always annoying.”

  Biance laughed. “I just wanted to call and check on you. Mother’s been complaining of bad dreams again. She calls me everyday to make sure I’m alive.”

  “What is it this time? The Red City is going to flood, or maybe catch fire.”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. She never gives details, but seems to think one of us is doomed to die an early death.”

  Beth rolled her eyes, but froze when she remembered the heat of the flames on her face the night before. “How morbid,” she said, trying to sound flippant, despite the fear that rose in her belly.

  “Tell me about it. I just wanted to check and make sure you hadn’t fallen off a cliff or anything. You know she is right sometimes.”

  “Yeah,” Beth said, yawning. She needed more coffee. ASAP. “But, she’s mostly wrong.”

  She hoped she was this time.

  “Okay, doll. You be good out there. I almost forgot. Mother called me to see if I had called you or you had called me in order to see if you had called her and she had missed it. Well, it wasn't really our mother who called first. It was his mother who called our mother to see—"

  Confused, Beth shook her head. “Whose mother?"

  “Ours.”

  “No, who called our mother?” Beth breathed through her nose and tried to get her jaw to relax. She could feel the headache building behind her eyes.

  “Arthur's mother, you goose!" Bianca exclaimed. “Oh, right. You call him Chess. Anyway, that's what I've been saying all along! Have you talked to him?”

  “Have you been mucking about in your private potions lab again?” Beth asked. “You're making even less sense than usual, and that is saying something.”

  Bianca laughed. “Maybe, but that’s not the point. Have you seen or heard from him this summer?”

  Beth frowned. What an odd question.

  “Um...no. Why?”

  “Curious,” Bianca said. “Just thought I’d ask. Apparently, he hadn’t gone home all summer and his mother was a bit worried. You know how they are. His mom and ours just love to chat about their anxieties.”

  “Oh,” Beth said. “Well, he’s been wrapped around Alice’s finger all summer. Case closed.”

  “Alice? What?”

  “You haven’t heard? He ran off with her like a lost puppy who found his master.”

  “No way, Beth. I’m sorry to hear it.”

  “It’s fine. I’m better off without him.”

  She shoved the memories of camping on the beach with him away. That smile she’d fallen for years ago kept revealing itself in her mind. The way he used to kiss her neck now haunted her. Those memories needed to be burned and buried.

  “That blows,” Bianca said with a sigh.

  “You don’t have to tell me.”

  “Well, have you seen him this semester?”

  “I have.”

  She wished she hadn’t.

  “Good! I’ll let his mom know he’s alive at least.”

  “You do that. Anything else.”

  “I just think it’s weird that no one has heard from him all summer. That’s not like Arthur. He usually goes home for a few weeks at least. You’re telling me he stayed in England with Alice the entire time?”

  “Yeah,” Beth said. “Good ole England. With the boring English.”

  Bianca chuckled. “Okay, love. I better let his mother know. You keep your head up and remember that college is almost over. Big things await.”

  “I know,” she said. “Right now, I wish I’d been sent off to another kingdom to marry a handsome prince.”

  “You’ll find your prince, Beth. I promise you. And then, you’ll have the best of both worlds.”

  Nodding, Beth found that she couldn’t speak. She wiped a tear from her cheek and cleared her throat.

  “We’ll see,” she whispered. “Give my best to Prince Charming.”

  “I will. Love you.”

  “Love you, more.”

  They hung up and Beth was left with the buzzing of pixies flying in and out of the bushes on either side of the bench. She watched them play like tiny children, twirling and racing through the air with their translucent wings leaving pixie dust falling like snow all around her. If only she could harness their power and fly away.

  She stood, a bit unsettled by her conversation with Bianca. Why did Chess not speak to his mother? They were so close. Was Alice’s allure that strong?

  What was even more unsettling was the fact that her mother was having dreams of one of her daughter’s death.

  She swallowed. Coincidence? She didn’t think so.

  Chapter 5

  The next day, Beth slept in. She couldn’t help it. Nightmare after nightmare plagued her. When she finally fought the grip of sleep, her eyes popped open and she rolled off the edge of her bed and lurched over to her wastebasket to throw up. Instead of vomit, however, magic came up. Black, oily, snake-like coils of Evil Eye magic slithered up her throat and emptied into the container.

  “What the hell?”

  Her stomach churned and her head was still in a fog. As she wiped her mouth she began to realize that this was not normal.

  Someone had done this. But who? Who would want her to miss her first class of the day because she was locked in a nonsensical nightmare about creepy rabbits with jagged teeth and daggers the size of a dragon’s talons?

  Of course.

  Only one person would be up at this ungodly hour, performing forbidden Evil Eye magic on her, but, it was useless to complain to anyone about it. She knew from experience that there would be no trace of anything improper in Alice's room, spell kit, or potions locker.

  She forced herself out of bed and to her bathroom. She turned on the water of her shower and brushed her teeth as the water began to heat. Sweaty and spent, she crossed the room and stood in from of the window to see the first tendrils of a cool autumn dawn lighting the sky.

  There was no point in going back to sleep now. She’d already missed her first class of the day. Luckily, it was only Advanced Ancient Literature, a subject she could pass without even showing up. Still, she might as well get up and start another bloody marvelous day of the best senior year ever.

  ONCE SHE WAS SHOWERED and dressed, she walked down the steps and to the Campus Green, she stopped in her tracks. Everyone seemed to turn to look at her. There was a crowd around the spot where she and the girls usually met up to head to class together.

  Today, all eyes were on her.

  As she slowly proceeded toward their meeting spot, the whispers began, and a crowd parted for her.

  “Speak of the devil,” she said under her breath as she saw Alice sitting at one of the picnic tables with Constance and Lora.

  It didn't help that she saw Lora and Constance across the green, laughing and giggling with Alice.

  Alice.

  If ever there was a girl who deserved to get a case of non-magically-treatable chronic Spitter Pimples, it was pretty, blonde, cheerful Alice.

  As far as Beth was concerned, Alice was a menace.

  She took in a deep breath. Something was off, but she refused to lose her cool in front of everyone. That was just what Alice wanted, and Beth refused to let her win. As she walked over to the table, her heart skipped a beat and dread filled her veins as Constance and Lora looked up
from the screen of Alice’s cell phone as she showed them something.

  That look worried her. There was disdain in their eyes.

  Pain.

  What is Alice up to now?

  “Oh, Beth,” Alice said, standing up and straightening her red Wonderland University cloak. “You’re right on time.” She blinked as she searched Beth’s face. “Though, you look a bit tired. Sure you don’t need to get some more sleep?”

  The smile that came to Alice’s lips was telling. That little maniac had performed a spell on her.

  Beth stopped at the edge of the table and looked Constance and Lora over. “What are you guys doing over here with Alice?”

  Alice flipped her long, straight blonde hair and gave Beth a grin that made her blood run cold. Her bright blue eyes were crinkled at the sides with such joy that it turned Beth’s stomach. If Alice was that happy, it meant that something terrible had occurred, or was about to.

  Beth wondered if she truly wanted to know what Alice had done.

  “Please, don’t pretend to be innocent,” she said and took the phone from Lora’s hand. “I’m liberating your little clique here, and showing them the truth about their dear friend, Iracebeth. Now, we all know the truth.”

  Constance stood, tears in her eyes. Lora joined her.

  “Not cool, Beth,” Constance said, shaking her head. “You could have saved us a lot of wasted time being your friend by telling us how you really felt.”

  Lora glared at Beth. “I guess we were wrong about Alice. Good luck finding new friends, your highness.”

  “Wait,” Beth said as Constance curtsied while sticking up her middle finger, something the humans in Alice’s realm would do.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Constance said to Lora, though her eyes looked Beth up and down with disgust.

  “Tell me you aren’t going to believe whatever Alice has said,” Beth pleaded. “Guys?”

  Mouth ajar, Beth watched them leave with disbelief. She looked to Alice, who soaked it all in with a smug smile on her pretty heart-shaped face. She could have slapped that look off of her face, but that wouldn’t be very princess-like. Better yet, to just have her head removed from her body would have pure perfection.

  “What have you done?”

  Alice stood, laughing, and showed Beth her phone’s screen.

  The Wondergram app was open, and there was a picture of Lora and Constance with a comment from Beth below.

  Beth covered her mouth at the comment. She shook her head.

  “I didn’t say that. And, you know it,” Beth said as she read the hateful words.

  Alice took her phone away and slipped it into her purse. “The evidence is quite clear.”

  She clasped her hand over Beth’s shoulder and squeezed a bit too hard, her grin turning wicked. This couldn’t be real life. She had to still be trapped in a dream.

  Wake up, Beth.

  “Welcome back, Beth. It was good seeing you,” she said with a laugh as she turned to walk away. “It’s going to be a brilliant year.”

  Beth stood there, shaking. She could have slapped Alice across her smug little face, but she kept her composure. No. It wasn’t the time.

  She controlled her breaths as Alice met Constance and Lora and left with them.

  What just happened?

  She smoothed her hair, aware that everyone still watched her. She noticed that many were looking at their phones and back at her, snickering. Alice must have shared the photo on social media, and what luck...it was going viral.

  She turned and headed back to her room. It was amazing how quickly Beth’s hunger was replaced with something more visceral—something that threatened to turn the entire campus upside-down.

  Rage. She needed to get away from everyone. Forget going to her next class. She was certain she’d destroy anyone who looked at her the wrong way.

  She knew she had a quick temper and that it was the cause of great strife back before she learned how to control it. It was the reason most people kept their distance. They’d heard the stories.

  Lora and Constance were her best friends because they understood her. They were three of a kind and somehow balanced one another out.

  Now, she was alone.

  She’d thought that her heart couldn’t break again—not so soon after Chess’s betrayal. But, as she walked back to the Royal Suites, she kept her face free of emotion.

  Alice had broken her.

  Though the little witch would never know it.

  The walk back to her room seemed to take forever. She wanted to vomit. How could things go so wrong? Life was perfect until Alice walked into it.

  What did that girl want from her? It truly was her life goal to ruin the future queen of Wonderland. But, why?

  The Red Hall elevator opened for her. Beth slipped inside the sliding glass doors and averted her eyes at those who stared at her as she waited for the doors to close.

  Once the doors closed and the elevater started up to her floor, she covered her face with her hands and let of a whimper.

  This was surreal. How did it get so bad?

  She balled up a fist and slammed it against the back wall. Eyes ablaze, Beth vowed that she would not let this tear her down.

  Revenge.

  Yes, revenge had a much better ring to it.

  Alice would pay.

  Chapter 6

  A week went by, and Beth seemed to float through the halls with her head held high in an attempt to hide any signs of weakness.

  Senior year was supposed to be awesome.

  It was supposed to be a homecoming, a triumphant return for one final year of university. It was supposed to be a year of queening it as a senior before stepping up to queen it for real as the Red Princess and future Red Queen of Wonderland.

  Instead, the sun was too bright, the September wind too cold, and the smell of dying leaves made Beth’s nose itch. Here she was, crossing the central quad between the four dorms of Wonderland University, her head down and hands jammed into her pockets in an effort to keep any stray magic from slipping out in her depressed and distracted state.

  “Oh, my God, we had such a good time this summer at my parents' place in Cannes,” Alice was saying quite loudly as Beth walked by. “I mean, it's always a little inconvenient when the film festival is on because all the media and movie stars clog up the streets. You can't walk ten feet without bumping into one of them.”

  Lora and Constance listened raptly as Alice bragged about her ability to move back and forth between Wonderland and Above World. Not that Beth wanted to go to Cannes, whatever that was.

  “Chess was worried I would have to glamor his hair,” Alice continued. “But, I told him it was totally fine. People in Above World have all kinds of hair color nowadays.”

  Lora's eyes went wide. “Do you think they might not notice my hair, even?”

  “If they did, it would only be to admire it,” Alice said, eyeing Lora's brilliant white hair. “Unfortunately, you would have to wear contacts to cover your eyes.”

  Lora blinked her sparkling silver eyes. “What are...contacts?"

  Alice was about to answer when she caught sight of Beth. Her perfect red Cupid’s bow lips twisted in the briefest of sneers before she rearranged her expression to one of hurt concern and leaned in to Lora and Constance. She nodded her head slightly in Beth's direction and raised her eyebrows. The other girls saw Beth and scowled before turning their backs to her and wrapping comforting arms around Alice and walking away together.

  Beth realized she was breathing heavily, practically gasping for air. Or, maybe she had been holding her breath the whole time. She couldn't really say. It was just a whole blur of awful, with a couple of distinct jabs of pain from the jagged edges of her broken heart.

  The sunny, crowded quad came back into focus as her breathing slowed and calmed. This was just the way it was now. Lora and Constance were friends with Alice instead of her. Chess was Alice's boyfriend now, not hers, not since the end of junior year whe
n he dumped her ten minutes before the Spring Fling Ball.

  This was the new normal, and she would just have to get used to it.

  Yeah, a totally great start to senior year.

  But, it was fine.

  She had a plan. One that would rock Alice’s perfect little world, and send it crumpling to the floor in tiny pieces.

  The thought of seeing Alice in tears brought a smile to her face, one that she hid as she crossed the Campus Green and headed to the valet to retrieve her car.

  A trip off campus to the potion shop was in order.

  She drove with the top down, singing along to her favorite rock song and letting the wind whip through her hair. The quiet roads that led from Wonderland University to Old Town, where the traditional folk of Wonderland lived were peaceful. Orange and red leaves covered the trees, and she wished she could capture their beauty on her canvas later.

  But, no. She was on a mission. She would not rest until Alice was thoroughly ruined.

  Her heart lurched in her chest as she saw something flash past her car and across the street.

  She slammed on the brakes and watched a cat run into the woods.

  Gasping, she lifted herself from her seat and tried to get a better look as purple and orange disappeared into the woods.

  A cat.

  A Cheshire cat.

  “No way,” she said under her breath. “What are you doing out here, Chess?”

  Unsettled, and still a bit shaken, she sat back in her seat and continued down the road toward town.

  The rest of the ride was driven in silence. Something wasn’t right about what she’d seen. She should have stayed behind to see what he was running from, because something told her he wasn’t running for fun.

  He was being chased.

  But why, and by whom? She didn’t want to speculate. He wasn’t her problem anymore, but she couldn’t help but wonder.

  He’d made the choice to leave her. So, he was no longer her business. And so, she continued on as planned, with revenge in her heart, and enough pent up aggression in her veins to burn all of Wonderland down.