Wonderland Is A State Of Mind

Chapter 3

Celeste awoke to a loud crash, followed by a series of hushes and scoldings. Someone mumbled an apology. Celeste's eyes fluttered open to see she was lying in bed, surrounded by various maids, doctors, and even Hale

"Good morning your Majesty, glad to see you made it home somewhat safely. You seemed to have a bit of a fall yesterday, but everything looks better now. I have to ask you a few questions though, now I've heard from Hale that you haven't been sleeping these past few days so the effects of that catching up with you could explain you passing out. To start though, what do you remember last?" the doctor asked, bringing his pencil to a halt above a clipboard.

What had happened? Wasn't it just moments before that she was stepping off of her ship? How had so much taken place, in such little time?

Taking a deep breath, she began to recall the evening's events, her voice hardly a whisper. "Well, we had gotten back into the palace. And I was walking down the corridor on my way to my room," choosing her words carefully, she continued, "all of a sudden I felt like I was drowning and then the ground opened up! I fell into a deep pool of frozen water and started sinking. I couldn't breathe. Then, as quickly as it had arrived, I was back in the hallway, laying on the floor. But it had felt so real I was sure I was going to die!" Celeste shivered, recounting the chilling events that overtook her.

The maids exchanged a look she didn't understand as the doctor replied. "I see, would you say something like this has happened before? Something strange and unsettling but is over pretty fast?"

"I guess," memories drifted into her mind, "a few weeks ago I was in my mother's garden and all of a sudden the vines started to grow towards me. They wrapped around my hands and feet, crawling around my neck. I started choking as they kept coming. They had me trapped, but then Mom came in to water her carnations and the vines disappeared, leaving me in a tangled mess on the floor. I asked her if she saw the vines but just looked at me weirdly. Now that I think about it, I've had problems with those plants on multiple occasions. I think they just hate me." Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she continued, "I didn't want to say anything because I was worried someone would cut down my mother's garden, she loved her plants."

When she finished talking, the doctor scribbled something on his clipboard. "I think I need to run a few tests just to make sure everything's okay. Nothing to be worried about," he gave her a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Maybe take the day off and rest though, we wouldn't want you passing out again." With that the procession of people left the room in a series of hushed whispers and tearful looks, leaving Celeste and Hale alone.

"Don't you have work to do?" Celeste questioned, reaching over and grabbing a scone off of the tray someone had left beside her.

"I cancelled my meetings for the morning, I thought I could hang out with you for a bit. Can I get you anything?" Hale wondered, concern filling his eyes.

After considering this she pulled the soft blanket up to her chin, hiding beneath it, and responded, "my head is pounding awfully bad, could you maybe read to me? I think there's a book on my desk over there," Crossing the room, Hale picked up the book and pulled out the chair from her desk.

Reading the cover, he smirked. "Alice in Wonderland, isn't that an old Earthen children's book?"

"Yes, but are we not still children?"

Amusement played on his lips, but he said nothing and turned the first page, starting to read. Hale had turned 18 the previous fall, while Celeste would have to wait until the next winter to join him. By then though, He would be 19 and the cycle would start over again!

Of all the Earthen stories she had read, Alice in Wonderland was a personal favourite of Celeste's. Although she had few memories of her father, reading this book was one she remembered the most. The two would curl up in her bed and read the whimsical story, the words putting young Celeste asleep. The book was so important to her that before he had died, her father had painted her walls with a wonderful mural of smiling cats, bright red roses, and all sorts of other fanciful creatures.

Settling back under her cozy sheets, Celeste allowed herself to be lost in the splendour that was Wonderland. She must have drifted off though because when she had awoken, the glass ceiling above her glistened in darkness, the artificial daylight coming to a close.

Glancing up she noticed Hale and the doctor from earlier talking quietly in the corner, voices low. Hale looked pained, inhaling a sharp breath. Straining to listen, words flittered by in bursts. She froze when she heard the word sickness. Was she sick? Sure she had a bit of a headache but other than that she felt fine!

When Hale glanced over at her, Celeste ducked her head back down under the pillows, feigning sleep.

"You're awake?" he asked, interrupting their conversation to fuss over the girl, "How are you feeling? Do you need me to get you anything?"

"I'm fine," glancing across the room she spoke, "Is everything alright doctor?" Worry creased her brow, a concerned look spreading across her face.

"I'm afraid I have some horrible news, I have run specialized scans to confirm your diagnosis." the man looked at her with sympathetic eyes, "You have a very rare disease called Interstellar Sickness, all hybrid children are susceptible to it but very few have it to this degree, if at all." The doctor approached Celeste's bed, handing her a series of photographs.

The image contained what looked like the result of a PET scan, only strange red masses, littered the brain. "This is an imagery of your brain, while you were unconscious last night, we were able to obtain a proper scan to rule out the potential of a seizure. The red areas show very high brain activity, and as you can see, this covers a large portion of your brain. Some of the symptoms of this illness can include: vivid hallucinations, frequent headaches, weakness, dizziness or nausea, and dissociation." he took a breath and continued, "Sadly, Interstellar Sickness is a terminal disease and has no known cure. Luckily for you, we have more advanced technology now than we ever have before! You will still live a long life with the assistance of special medication that will prolong the more deadly side of the disease. However, your symptoms will increase over time, and though you may lose touch with reality early on, you should not worry too much about this affecting your mind for many years. Often the more physical side effects such as headaches or weakness come through sooner and faster than the mental changes." He finished with a tight-lipped smile.

Celeste felt just like Alice had when she arrived in Wonderland, not a word of what he said made sense! She sat and processed the new information in silence.

When she finally looked up, her eyes were almost hazy as she spoke in a quiet tone. "I would like to have a moment alone if that's alright with you." Wrapping her arms around her shaking knees, a single tear ran down her pale face. The doctor and Hale exchanged a look then exited the room in a flurry of pushed-in chairs and frantically gathered papers.

Alone at last, Celeste vyed with the idea of her new reality. She had always been an imaginative girl, often lost in a daydream. Who's to say she would even experience any new hallucinations in the near future. For all she knew, it could be years and years before she goes mad! Mad, what a strange thought. Her mind drifted back to the pages of her favourite book. What was it the Cheshire Cat had said? "I am not crazy; my reality is just different from yours." That was it, she was not crazy, just different! Celeste had been different all her life, what was a little more now? When she was young, while her other sisters played games with the other children or dutifully sat through their lessons, Celeste sat alone in her mother's atrium, reading a book. She often played imaginary games of knights and princesses with Hale. As the damsel in distress, she often found herself locked away in a tower of pillows, awaiting her brave knight to save her.

Now though, it would be herself she needed to be saved from.