Were all MAD here

"Do you like salad?"

—Feng—

     I kept walking. Wren followed me. I know it was immature to walk away after I beat someone up, but after the things he said he left my blood boiling. Can I have her when you're done? No! Was I ever even friends with that creep?

"Feng, what HAPPENED?" Wren said for the second time. I wasn't ready to tell her though.

"uh...we were...wrestling." I said staring at the ground. Wren stood in place and glared at me. I stopped in my tracks and looked straight at her.

"Feng I didn't peg you as a violent person. now i'm going to ask you ONE last time. What happened?" Wren asked. I tried shrugging off the fact I was about to lie to her.

"Cooper ran into a tree, he didn't want me to tell you because he would be embarrassed."

"How do you know what he said? wouldn't he have passed out by then? or can you read minds to?" she said sarcastically. "Look Feng it's ok to not want to tell me why you beat someone up but you shouldn't lie." she scolded. I felt absolutely terrible, like a kindergartener who just broke the rules. There was an odd feeling in my gut like I was about to throw up.

"Were are we even going?" Wren asked me. the truth is I didn't quite know.

"We could have a picnic!" I suggested smiling, maybe that would take her mind off of Cooper's bloodied up skin and swollen eye.

"Where?" Wren replied, lacking curiosity in her voice. Just repeating a question on impulse in a dry tone.

"I know of a lovely garden we could visit.  of course we'd have to go to my house for the food." I said with a grin. she gave a silent nod of approval and stared back at me, waiting for directions.

XXX

I lead her as deep as the forest went, were my house was.

"This is it!" I said with the biggest cheesiest grin i could muster. Wren looked up in awe at the quaint little house atop a tiny birch tree. she quickly looked down acting unimpressed.

"You live in a tree house...Cant say i'm surprised..." She said blankly staring at me. My ears flattened against my skull and my tail drooped. I was extremely disappointed  with her reaction. "Where's the ladder?" she asked wrinkling her brow.

"There is none, you climb!" I said, my smile widening.

"you wonderland people really are mad..." She muttered crossing her arms. I took my hand to my mouth and bit my nails, glowering and pretending I didn't hear her.

"C'mon then!" I said racing up to the tree. It was fun! She should try it. Wren didn't follow.

"I don't want to snag my dress." She said gesturing to her already dirty, tattered dark blue dress. I huffed blowing ebony hair of of my face. her loss. I hopped tree branch to tree branch, using my slender legs to propel myself forward. getting to the top was pretty easy. I had done it countless times before. I hooked my arms onto a branch and swung forward like a trapeze artist. I landed on my feet on the creaky porch with the ease of a professional. I slowly turned my makeshift wood doorknob. The door creaked open softly and I peered inside. everything was just as I left it. I went inside and peered into my pantry, which was buried into the peeling walls. I had some sort night shade berries, a sandwich I forgot about, and a mushroom salad. I picked up my green blanket from the ground and wrapped the food up in the makeshift sack. I sprinted to the door and stepped back onto the perch. then I jumped. Cats always land on their feet right? I paused my trail of thought, realizing this was a stupid place to try it out. I just felt like showing off. This was a bad idea. I quickly shifted attempting to land on my feet. Ow. a jolt of pain went through my feet blowing me backwards as I made contact with the filthy floor.

"Feng what were you thinking?" Wren yelled. I was showing off. And I don't know why. It was just a weird impulse. So I did it. Goddammit. Trisie was right, I am reckless. The pain that was in my leg once excruciating, began to fade away...or maybe my mind was just floating around different things...stupid daydreams of my future...except the girl in them wasn't the one I was courting...Feng! You have a wonderful girlfriend! Damn these hormones...

"I'm fine." I said dusting myself off and crawling onto my feet. Wren said nothing as though she didn't even need reassurance. Maybe she didn't...I was kind of a jerk to her...

"Do you like salad?" I awkwardly asked shifting my weight between my feet to decide wich hurt less.

"Yeah..." She replied still staring at my feet like I was an alien. I held out my arm to her and her hand comfortably latched onto my wrist. I strolled around the tree feeling the soft bark on my fingers.

"ello!" I hear from a tree. A stubby little man waddled out behind it. he had a bald spot on top of his crown of red hair though he looked quite young. "would you fancy a story about the oysta and the walrus?" He said pulling up his red pants.

"um...thats very kind of you sir but we really must be-" Wren tried to explain but she was rudely cut off.

"Oh please listen to my story!" He said enlarging his eyes and batting his short eyelashes. For some reason Wren thought this was funny enough to giggle at. Her laughter was like chimes drifting through the wind, light and airy.

"Fine." She said rolling her eyes with a smile but make it quick we wouldn't want the food to spoil."

"Food? are you having a picnic? Can I come?" He asked hopefully.

"Well-Whats your name? Do you live around here?"

"Tweedle Drip." he said pointing a stubby finger towards himself.

"Well Tweedle Drip...I'm unsure if we have enough for.." Wren said dropping to her knees so she was his height. She stared at the blanket that had gotten slightly squished in my little experiment.

"Pleeease?" he pleaded swaying back and forth.

"I Gue-"

"No." I said cutting both of them off. The man looked at me with sad eyes. I didn't feel any remorse though. The man waddled off into the trees were he came from. good.

"why did you turn him down? he just wanted to tell a story!" Wren said exasperated.

"I don't trust people who hide behind trees and jump out batting their eyes at girls." I replied simply. Wren was silent. We kept walking and eventually reached the area behind my house. there was a hidden opening with yellow vines draped over it, we were about to enter the garden. The opening was perfectly disguised with the black rock around it. the reason the garden was my hiding place from the rest of wonderland. No loud party's, no mad girlfriends, and no Decapitations. Just me. alone with my thoughts. But sometimes that was worse.

"Here we are!" I proclaimed with a smile. Wren reached out her hands and felt along the vines with a confused look on her face. "It's a secret passage. My dads made it themselves." I explained, impatient for her to go first. I gently pushed her aside and walked through the vines. Wren let out a soft gasp. "You coming?" I asked her, smiling. she stuck out a bare foot that soon followed with her leg, then the rest of her.

"Wow." was all Wren managed to say. I looked around the lush multi-colored garden. definitely wow. I gently unwrapped the food, spread the blanket onto the grass, and let out a sigh. This one would be different.