Entering Wonderland

Entering Wonderland -- Part 10

Cat-Girl entered the garden, pulling me behind her. 

        "Alice has come to tea! She's been dying to have some tea with you! She also wants to meet the famous Hatter." I wanted to punch her. Why did I have to be the one to have tea with the crazy Hatter?

        "Is this true?" Hatter asked, looking at me. I would've said no, but Cat-Girl looked pleadingly at me. 

        "Yes," I said. "And if you don't mind, I'm hungry." 

        "Of course you are," Hatter said. He looked at Cat-Girl as if to say, What a rude girl she is. I supposed I wasn't the kindest, I truly wasn't. He lead me into a room, sat me down amongst the broken dolls. Cat-Girl slinked away, the Hatter did not notice. 

        "Now little girl," he said. "Where do you live?" Stalker Alert, I thought. 

        "I'm from the country," I said polietly. I closed my eyes, smiling at the floor, trying to act like everything was okay. Turns out that I'm not the best at that. I shut my eyes. '

        "Why did you take the Queen's crown?" I asked, my eyes narrowed. I could imagine Cat-Girl walking through his room. She had disappeared. Hatter considered before answering. 

        "The Queen is an awful person," he squeaked. "She's terrible, and frankly, she doesn't deserve the crown." 

        The guy was a jerk. "The Queen?" I asked. "Terrible?" Sure, she wasn't the nicest, but she'd let me have my adventure. She couldn't be that bad. 

        "Ah, yes, my friend. Terrible is right," he screeched. I clamped my hands over my ears, taking a sip of the tea. 

        "Would you kindly not scream!" I begged, banging a hand on the table. He didn't answer me, but handed me a cookie. 

        "Eat this my girl," his voice was soothing as he said it, but I took the cookie and through it on the floor. 

        "No!" I said, finishing the last of my tea in a gulp. I was ready to go. It was then that Cat-Girl came through the door. 

        "Ready to go Alice?" She asked. I nodded vigourously. 

        "Yes," I said. I noticed that she had the crown under an arm, but Hatter, stupid Hatter, didn't see a thing. I couldn't say that I'd hated this adventure, but well, Cat-Girl hadn't exactly made it exciting. I shot her a look. Quickly she led me out. I could see that she was surprised I was alive. I'm not one for adventures, if you haven't already figured that out .

        As we were leaving, Cat-Girl said, "Bye, Harry."  I looked at her, surprised. 

        "His name?" I asked. 

        "Yes," she said. She was so vague, I hated that about her. I didn't want to bother her, didn't think that that would help me. We found ourselves back in the woods where we had first met. The portal materialized again in front of us. 

        “Goodbye Chess,” I said, smiling at a good friend. As I turned and walked away, I felt an odd sense of sadness, the sense that I was leaving her forever. “Backtrack," she said. "You called me by my name!" I hadn't caught that myself. "Oh," I said. "It's not forever," she reassured me. "I'll see you again, idiot." I believed her. "Goodbye, Cat-Girl," I said fondly. And with that, she too turned and walked away.