WONDERLAND ✯ Louis Partridge

18 | Let's Go

I FOUND ANOTHER CROSSOVER GIFFFFFFFFFFF

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Y/N

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SO, I STOLE A HORSE.

Okay, so I didn't really steal it, but I ran into the stables, hopped onto one, and told the keeper that I'd be back. Then I left. So, really, I borrowed it, because if I was to get to Wonderland before nightfall, I couldn't just walk there.

And riding through the forest with a book tucked tightly under your arm was actually quite nice. I felt like I was off to save some royal from their looming tower, or about to flourish over a cliff and land on the other side like some sort of spy. Why am I thinking about this? Primarily because I'm bored, and this journey is taking a lot longer than I remembered it being.

So through the branches I went, the sound of my (borrowed) horse galloping through the damp path beneath us, and finally—after what felt like hours—we passed a familiar sign. Except this time it said:

WELCOME BACK TO WONDERLAND 
YOU'RE LATE

What was that supposed to mean?

Stupid sign, I bet someone put it there to make me feel worried about something. Unless the sign just happened to change on its own, consider the relevancy of the last message it had displayed for me.

It wasn't long before I was out of the lilies path, coming onto the space where Louis' cottage was. Seeing it at first made me feel homesick—for a place that was never really a home to call mine, but always felt like one, because he was there with me. And yet he didn't seem to be here now.

No one did.

"Stay here," I said to the horse, climbing off, "don't run off of me, okay?"

I swear I saw the horse nod.

Keeping the book close to me, I made note of the empty garden, before approaching the door. It should have been nearly three, the perfect time for tea, yet I didn't see anyone sitting round the party table. In fact, there wasn't even a table cloth.

Turning back towards the door, I began to open it...

...until I realized it was already unlocked.

The mint-green wood was jutted back into the house, a crack peeking into the living room behind it. Maybe Louis forgot to lock the door. I knocked on it a few times, but there was no response. Strange.

"Louis?" I called out hesitantly, stepping inside, "Louis, are you home?"

I felt awkward to be saying that, considering I was purposely shut out for my wrongdoings not even a week ago, but I was too curious to wait outside. All the lights were off, and everything seemed untouched and empty.

Maybe they went to Yenqum again.

Setting the book on the table, I made my way to the door of my old room, and pushed it open slightly. When no one was inside, I took the liberty to go in myself—just to observe, and to think. I had to wait for them to get back, after all.

Everything was just as I left it. The bed was still neatly made, the clothes in the closet still on their hangers, and the mirror positioned in the corner of the room perfectly. Even the tube of eyeliner was still laying sprawled onto the wooden floorboards.

But something felt off...

Unsettling, even.

The area felt so dead, and abandoned, I had to make sure I had gone to the right place a couple times. Where was everyone? I didn't have an answer to that, and I was going to keep looking around, until I felt my soul leave my body in utter terror.

Someone's hand was on my shoulder.

Spinning around, I stumbled back, letting out a shriek of horrification as I hit the bed railing and crashed onto the ground. I had sworn I was being attacked, or kidnapped even, but then I let my eyes adjust to my new spot on the floor. I didn't hear them come in. But there, standing looming over me, was the one person I really didn't want to see.

"Alice," I said curtly, "did you really have to scare me like that?"

The girl laughed softly, a twinkle in her eyes. "Sorry!"

"You nearly killed me."

"I would never do such a terrible thing," she exhaled breathily, holding out her hand, "I was only trying to get your attention."

I wasn't sure whether her innocent act was just her personality or a ruse. I couldn't tell. Maybe she was just cutesy like that, or maybe I was just still annoyed. She was half-reasoning for why I was shut out from Wonderland a few days ago. But I couldn't hate her, given the double prophecy I now knew to exist.

I took her hand, letting her pull me back onto my feet.

"Where is everyone?" I asked, dusting my shorts off, "they're not purposely hiding from me, are they?"

Alice looked shocked. "Why would they do such a thing?"

"Because they hate me?" I frowned, "I lied to them, and they kicked me out."

Was she playing dumb? She was literally the reason all of this happened (regardless of if it was a misunderstanding), and yet she didn't seem to have the slightest clue of why everyone hated me.

"Strange," she said, biting her lip in thought, "I didn't know that."

How could she NOT know that?

"They didn't tell you?" I frowned.

"No, they didn't have a chance to."

"Why not?"

"Because something peculiar happened," she said nimbly, "not even a day after I came, a bunch of playing cards came and took them all away."

All of the thoughts running through my brain came to a still as soon as she said that. Playing Cards? No...no, that couldn't be possible. That meant that the Queen had them all arrested, and would—

"Are you sure?" I said to the girl, brushing past her and into the living room, "Alice, are you sure the cards took them?"

"Positively," she said.

Picking the book up from the table, I stared at it for a second, before deciding to set it down. It was safer here. And while this new information was sending me into panic, and giving absolutely no time to think up a plan, I knew one thing was for sure.

"We have to rescue them," I said, spinning around, "we need to go to the castle, and stop the Queen from whatever she's planning."

Alice looked confused. "Are they in trouble?"

"Dangerously."

Spinning on my heels, I began to turn towards the door, but stopped myself. I was right; I had no understanding of what happened when I left, and only a fair bit of weaponry training, so saving a group of people from a heavily guarded castle was near impossible.

Unless I had help.

Or, Alice.

"Let's go," I called out to her, "we've got a castle to break into."