Trapped in Wonderland (Wonderland Chronicles Book 1)

by Dani Hoots

  “Alice,” Malcolm said.

  A look of disappointment appeared on Kenny’s face. “That’s not fair, how did you know?”

  “You’re a very predictable person, Kenny, just face it.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t believe that he would pick me for the game, and the fact that Malcolm knew exactly what he was going to pick was even more amusing.

  Kenny plopped down on the ground. “All right, mister hotshot, it’s your turn.”

  Malcolm rubbed his chin for a moment. “Fine. I have one.”

  “Is it a person, place, or thing?” I asked, wanting to join in on the game. It was one of my favorite games to play on long car rides after all.

  “Thing.”

  “Is it round?” Melvin asked.

  “No.”

  “Is it large?” Kenny questioned.

  Malcolm thought for a moment. “Not large, but not small. Moderate size.”

  “Can you take it with you?” Melvin asked.

  “You could, but it wouldn’t be practical.”

  “Is there one in these woods?” I asked. I still had no idea what it could be at this point, but I was trying to eliminate anything around us.

  “Theoretically there could be one in these woods, but usually they aren’t found in a forest if that is what you are asking.”

  Kenny scratched the scruff on his chin. “Is it heavy?”

  “It can be, or it can be light.”

  “Is it something that can be found in both the real world and Wonderland?” I asked. This was getting intense, as I was that weird person who always had to figure out what a person was thinking for this game.

  “Good question. It can be found in both.”

  “Does it have practical use?” Melvin asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Do people use it on a daily basis?” I asked.

  “Mostly, yes.”

  “Oh oh! I know,” Kenny jumped up and down. “Is it a toilet?”

  I hit my head with my palm. Did he really think that Malcolm would pick that? He had so much more class than that.

  “No.”

  See, I was right.

  “Damn,” Kenny whispered.

  “Do you sit on it?” I asked.

  “It’s purpose isn’t to be sat on,” he answered. He was particular with his answer, that meant we were getting closer.

  “Is it flat?” Melvin asked.

  Malcolm nodded. “Yes.

  “Is it a table?” Melvin asked.

  “Not quite.”

  “Oh, oh!” Kenny shouted.

  “Is it a desk?” I asked.

  Malcolm smiled. “Yes. Good job.”

  “Hey, I was going to say that.” Kenny frowned.

  I stuck my tongue out at him and laughed.

  “It’s your turn, Alice,” Malcolm said.

  I thought for a moment, then smiled. “All right, I got it!”

  “Person, place, or thing?” Melvin questioned.

  “Thing,” I answered.

  “Paint brush,” Malcolm said.

  I frowned. I hadn’t even thought of it until they asked me what I should pick, how in the world could he have known that. It also was no fun when someone could always guess what the other person was thinking, as he had done to Kenny as well. “How did you know?”

  Malcolm laughed. “You all are so predictable.”

  “Found them!” Davis appeared with Chase at his side, his arms still crossed, not happy that he got sent on a task with Davis. Davis held up a jar, looking a bit scratched up. I wondered what had happened for him to look like that.

  “Have any trouble?” Malcolm took the jar from him.

  Davis gave him a look. “Seriously? You going to ask me that?”

  Malcolm chuckled as he took the jar into the cave. All of a sudden, the jar began to light up. I gasped. Inside the jar were little figures, people almost, like fairies.

  “Fairies,” I whispered. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, did they actually exist?

  “They are called trisings,” Kenny explained as he examined them closely and tapped the glass. The trisings jumped back from where his finger hit the glass. “Sort of like a fairy, but smaller and they only come out at night. More like fireflies but can last through the entire night. Really hard to catch.”

  “What is Malcolm using them for?” I asked.

  “To light up the cave, of course. It’s not safe to be anywhere in this forest without some kind of light.”

  “Oh.” I forgot that it was supposed to be getting dark soon, as the woods itself seemed dark already. I just hoped the light coming off these creatures would be enough.

  “The creatures that come out at night are far worse than anything in the day,” Malcolm said as he had overheard our conversation. “So you never want to be without light. It scares them off.” He sat the jar down and looked at the beings inside. “I just need you for a night. In the morning, I will let you go.”

  The creature pounded its tiny fists against the glass, mouth moving as if it were yelling obscenities. I couldn’t hear anything though, either they were too quiet or the jar had interfered.

  Malcolm stood up and turned to the rest of us. “We will take turns keeping watch. I will take first round. Everyone else, get as much rest as you can. You will need it.”

  I peered around to only find rock around me. Since Malcolm acted like he used to stay here when he lived in the forest, I figured it would have a little more to it. I was wrong, it was just like any other cave one would find. I sighed, knowing that there was no way I would be able to sleep tonight. What did one have to do to get some good sleep in Wonderland?

  Oh, that’s right, destroy the Circus.

  CHAPTER 25

  Tink. Tink. Tink.

  I opened my eyes to see the little trising flying into the glass bottle. It tried so desperately to get out.

  Tink. Tink. Tink.

  I felt sorry for it, a helpless little being trapped in such a small space. I wondered what its life was like, living in this forest, being so small. Malcolm had said they only come out at night. How did it survive with all the horrible creatures that Kenny mentioned? Was it just because it let off light that all the other creatures didn’t bother it?

  Malcolm was next to the trising, staring at the little creature. He looked as if he were in another place, staring off into the memories of his past. He used to live here and after what I had seen, I wondered how he could have survived so long, and what all he could have seen when he resided here.

  “Is there something on my face?” he whispered.

  I blinked. “What?”

  “You keep staring at me. I thought maybe I had something on my face.”

  “Oh,” I blushed. “You looked deep in thought and I was just wondering what you could have been thinking about.”

  He gestured to come sit up next to him. I hesitated but decided if I sat next to him, then we wouldn’t wake anyone while trying to talk across the cave.

  “I was thinking of what to do next,” he whispered.

  “And?” I asked.

  “And I don’t know. We can’t stay in here forever, it’s too dangerous. If we leave, we will probably be captured by Bill. We need to face Morpheus, but...” he trailed off.

  “But I’m not ready for it?” I finished. It was exactly what I was thinking as well, and honestly I didn’t know how I would ever be ready. I wasn’t strong enough to face my fears, I was just a kid in high school. How could I do anything to face my fears?

  “It’s not your fault, nothing in your world would have prepared you for this. You don’t have people that can get into your mind like him.”

  I didn’t think that was the truth, it was more than just that. “I know I’m weak, Malcolm, you don’t have to sugarcoat it.”

  He shook his head. “No, even the strong fall under Morpheus’ influence. He has most of Wonderland under his thumb. It has nothing to do with being weak.”

  Tink. Tink. Tink.

 
I looked down at the little creature. It was trying its hardest to get out of the little cell it found itself in. “I feel sorry for it.”

  Malcolm let out a slight laugh. “Why?”

  “Because it’s in this scary world and it is so small.”

  “Trisings are monsters, demons really.”

  I looked at him puzzled. “But it’s so small.”

  He pointed at it. “Look at it, do you see its fangs and claws? You think that kind of body is meant for sweetness?”

  I looked closer. He was right, instead of fingers, there were long claws and as I brought my face closer, it opened its mouth as if it was hissing at me. Its mouth was full of sharp teeth, just like a shark’s.

  “Ew!” I backed away.

  “You don’t want to come across one of these in the middle of the night. They will tear your skin right off.”

  “That’s morbid,” I said.

  He shrugged. “That’s the Dark Forest. Everything here is morbid.”

  We sat in silence and I imagined all the things that could be out there, waiting to kill us. Kenny had said that the creatures wouldn’t come into the light. So, I figured, the light was safe, other than the light that was really a small, pixie-like monster that could kill me. I tried not to think about that. Stay positive, I told myself, you will get through this. You have a bunch of friends who would protect you.

  I glanced over at Malcolm, whose blinking seemed to get slower and slower. He was tired, especially after everything that had happened. Hell, he probably slept less than I had in the past few days.

  “You can go sleep, if you want. I will keep watch,” I said straightening up as if I wasn’t tired. Truthfully, I was.

  He shook his head. “No, it’s fine. You should sleep.”

  “If you want to protect me, then you need your strength. Go sleep.”

  He smiled. “Well, when you put it that way.”

  Moving over to what I guess was a comfier spot, which seemed unlikely since everything was rock, he lay down and stared up at the ceiling. “If you need anything, just wake me up. Even if it’s just to talk.”

  “Go to sleep already.”

  I watched as he shut his eyes. I kept an eye on him for a few moments before I decided he really was trying to sleep. Bringing my knees close to me, I leaned my head on them and watched the trising trying to escape the jar.

  Time passed as the others slept. I heard a few mumbles, as if someone was waking up, but whoever it was would just roll over and fall back asleep. Mainly that was Kenny, he was a very active sleeper, which didn’t surprise me in the least.

  “The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts, all on a summer day; The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts, and took them quite away,” Kenny whimpered in his sleep. He was telling his story. Again.

  They were tired, we were all tired. They put their lives on the line for me and I wasn’t going to wake them up from a sleep they all desperately needed.

  “Alice ate the tarts, I swear,” Kenny went on. I frowned. Well maybe I would wake him up if I needed to. It was quite tempting, but he was loud and would probably wake the others.

  It was strange, though, that I wasn’t cold in this cave. In the movies, if a person had to camp out in a cave it always looked cold, but not here. It was always warm in Wonderland, which I was thankful for. There could be some slight chills, but that was it. It may have been moist in this forest, but at least I didn’t have to suffer the coldness. Even being from Oregon, I hated the cold as much as someone from Arizona or something. It was just so… miserable.

  “Alice...” a voice called out from the distance. I had no idea who it was or where it was coming from.

  I jolted up. “Who’s there?”

  The sound of a little girl laughing surrounded me. I just hoped it wasn’t those flowers again. Or something worse. I glanced over at Malcolm, wondering if I should wake him up or not.

  “You ask far too many questions, you are definitely Alice.”

  The voice sounded like a little girl. I looked around but saw no sign of whoever, or whatever, it was.

  “Who or what are you?” I called out in a whisper.

  “Silly Alice, can’t you tell? I’m you.” A form began to appear in front of me. It was me, or at least me when I was younger. Blonde hair in pigtails, a little blue dress, black shoes. I remembered that outfit, it was for the first day of kindergarten.

  “That’s not possible,” I whispered. Well, it probably was, this was Wonderland after all.

  She turned around and started skipping to the entrance of the cave. “Come on Alice, we can go play. Don’t you want to go play?”

  “No, wait!” I ran after her into the darkness. Before I realized it, I was out of the cave. Shit. I spun around to find that I had already become lost. I couldn’t see the entrance any longer.

  “Crap, crap, crap!” I hurried back the way I thought I had come to find nothing. “They’re going to kill me,” I gulped. “If something out here doesn’t do that first.”

  The girl laughed. “Silly Alice, where are you going?”

  “I want to go back to where I was,” I answered, as if the little version of me was real.

  “Why would you want to do that?”

  “Because that is where my friends are.”

  “You don’t need them, I will be your friend.”

  Suddenly blue lights appeared on the ground, making a path. They twinkled in the darkness, only lighting up little parts of the path.

  “This is the way you need to go Alice, Come on! Let’s play!” She appeared once more in the path, running and laughing.

  I started after her. “Wait, where are you going?”

  “Just trust in your friends, Alice, they will know where to take you. This way!” She giggled as she skipped.

  More and more lights lit up before me. I couldn’t see anything but the blue lights, like little bell-shaped figures. Not trees, no stars, no plants, no creatures trying to kill me. Just the little blue lights and me as a little girl.

  I hurried after her, but the faster I went, the farther she seemed from me. I had no idea what was going on and I just wanted to be back with the others but I had no idea where that was anymore. It was pitch black other than the blue lights, and with the little girl looking like me, I had to know what it was and how it could do that. I still had my katana on me, I knew I would be fine. At least, I hoped.

  “That’s it, come on Alice!”

  The next step I took, I felt the rock give out. I screamed as I fell down. Quickly, I grabbed the ledge and held on with all my might. The blue lights kept on, but I could now tell that below them was nothing. I was on the edge of a cliff and the only things below me was the never ending pit of darkness.

  “Let go Alice, you never will know what’s down there if you don’t let go.”

  “Are you crazy, I will die!” I exclaimed, my arm feeling as if it going to give out. Why had I been so foolish to think that the girl would lead me to somewhere I needed to go?

  “So?” she giggled.

  I tried to pull myself up, but I felt the edge I was holding onto start to give away a little. I screamed as the dirt began to move under my hand.

  Something grasped my arm and I was forced back up onto the ledge. It was Malcolm.

  “How did you?” I began after he pulled me fully up on the safe ground.

  He painted, out of breath. “I woke up and you were gone. Then I saw the blue lights and followed them.”

  I wrapped my arms around him. “Thank you. You saved me.” I realized how close I was and backed up away from him, I was a little embarrassed by that action.

  “Don’t ever do that again.” He turned back the way he came. “We better hurry back before the lights disappear.

  “It was me,” I whispered.

  “What?”

  “The little girl, she was me. She brought me out here.”

  “It was probably a trickster, they will make you see what they want you to see. Then, as I fou
nd out, will send you over the edge.”

  I shook my head. “No, it was trying to tell me something.”

  “Tell you something?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I smiled. “And I know exactly what we need to do now to take down the Circus.”

  CHAPTER 26

  We were able to return to the cave before the blue lights completely disappeared. As we hurried back, I could still hear the little girl, the younger version of me, laughing and giggling. Nothing was worse than hearing one’s self, especially when they were younger. And especially when the apparition appeared right in front of one’s self. It was creepy, actually, and I wished that it never would happen again.

  But at least now I knew what I needed to do in order to defeat Morpheus. And it had been in front of me this entire time.

  Malcolm and I sat back down next to the trising. It was apparent that he wasn’t going to go back to sleep anytime soon. I wondered how much longer we had before it would be light out, or at least lighter.

  All the others were still asleep, Kenny snoring away. I bet an earthquake could happen and he still would be asleep.

  “What do you mean you know what we need to do next?” Malcolm whispered.

  “Against Morpheus,” I said. “I know how to beat him.”

  He shook his head. “How? How do you think you can beat him when just a little bit ago, you didn’t even know what to do?”

  “Alice showed me what I need to do.”

  “Alice?” He frowned. “You mean that trickster? They will tell you anything to kill you.”

  “Exactly, so we need to go to the Circus as fast as we can. How do we get out of here?” I asked.

  “We aren’t going to the Circus,” he stated.

  I looked at him in bewilderment, thinking at first he was joking. He wasn’t. “Excuse me?”

  “I am not taking you there, I’m not risking it.” He acted as if his decision was the only one that mattered.

  I glared at him. “It’s not your choice, Malcolm. We are going.”

  “Not without my help you aren’t, you have no idea where these woods will lead you.”

  I moved closer to him. “Then help me, we have to beat Morpheus before it’s too late.”