Dani in Wonderland

To Underland

I was currently at Ascot Manor. My long, black hair was up in a high ponytail. Everyone was dressed nice, in bright colors, but I was wearing black.

"Why can't you wear a dress like the other girls?" Lady Ascot was eyeing me down. A scowl on her face.

I shrugged at her, "In America, girls are allowed to wear pants." 

"You are not in America."

"But I'm from there." I defended myself. "At least I'm dressed properly." I motioned to my black dress clothes and black dress shoes.

Lady Ascot sighed before walking away. She'd spotted Alice. Alice was going to marry her son, Hamish Ascot.

I took that moment to stand and wander off. Nobody would notice my absence. I strolled into the garden, absent-mindedly running my hand across the white roses.

"It's like a maze back here.." I muttered to nobody in particular.

"You're telling me! Is your name Alice by chance?"

I froze and slowly turned my head to look around.

"Who said that?"

A white rabbit,  wearing a waistcoat, popped out of the bushes. "I did, dear." He glanced around nervously.

I studied him curiously. Not frightened in the least. "I am not Alice, but she just arrived. You'll see her soon."

The rabbit sighed and eyed a pocket watch. "Oh, so late. So very late."

"Does Alice know you?"

The rabbit hummed as he put his watch away. "She used to. When she was little." He glanced around again. 

I squatted down in front of the rabbit and cocked my head at him. Green eyes studying. He backed away a little, uncertain. I smiled and held a hand out to him.

"My name is Danielle, but you can call me Dani for short."

The rabbit stared at my hand before hopping forward and shaking it with his paw. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dani. My name is McTwisp, but you can just call me the White Rabbit. Everybody does."

I nodded at the rabbit. "Very well. Say, where are you from? You don't seem to be from around here."

"Neither do you." He pulled his pocket watch out.

"You're right. I'm from America. I was invited over to attend a wedding one of my childhood friends is having."

McTwisp's ears perked up. "Quickly! This way." He turned and scurried away. I rose and hurried after him.

The White Rabbit led me through the forest outside of the Ascot Manor. He led me all the way to a dead tree.

"Here. Um, wait here. I must fetch Alice." He hurried away again.

"Um.. Okay?" I looked at the dead tree and that's when I noticed the hole in the ground. It was a big hole.

"Better stay away from that.." I sat down on one of the protruding roots and decided to wait.

It didn't take long before the white rabbit appeared again. He looked at me, glanced back over his shoulder, and then disappeared down the hole. A few seconds later, Alice appeared. She eyed me suspiciously.

"Dani? What are you doing back here?"

I rose to my feet, shrugging. "Rabbit?"

Her eyes seemed to light up. "Where did he go?"

I motioned down the hole. Alice looked at it before stepping closer to it.

"Be careful. It looks dangerous."

Alice kneeled down and poked her head over the hole. "Hello?" She called down into it.

I stepped closer to her right as the ground gave away and she fell in, screaming.

"Alice!" I dived in after her.

To say the fall was weird was an understatement. Various objects flew past our faces.

I tried to grab onto Alice, but she was flailing too much. I almost got smacked in the face by a piano in the process. A piano! In a rabbit hole!

Suddenly, after what felt like forever, we smashed through a roof and tumbled to the floor of a building. Or was it the floor?

I groaned and sat up. I stared at Alice’s hair as it stood straight up. She was staring at mine as well. As we both realized we were upside-down, we both fell to the floor.

I let out a hiss of pain while Alice groaned. 

"Fantastic.." I sat up, rubbing the arm I'd landed on.

Alice sat up and shot a glance in my direction. "Are you alright?" She rose and looked around.

"Never better." I stood and looked around the round room. There were four different doors.

Alice started jiggling the handle of each door with no luck. I eyed a table that sat in the middle. On it was a vial of liquid and a key. I picked the key up and turned to Alice. 

"Alice?"

Alice turned to me and noticed the key in my hand. She quickly took it and tried to unlock each door. I eyed a suspicious curtain in the room and stepped forward to investigate. When I swiped it to the side, I noticed a small door near the ground.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"What is it?" Alice made her way over to me and noticed the small door. "Oh." She leaned down and used the key on it. It opened.

I watched Alice try to squeeze her way through before scoffing. "Well that's not going to work."

Alice sat up and looked around the room. That's when she noticed the vial. "What about that?" She stood and made her way over to it.

"That? It could be poison! It's literally labeled "drink me"."

"Well there's nothing else we can do." Alice pulled the cork off the bottle after picking it up.

I sighed and shot a glance at the doorway. "I suppose." I looked back at Alice right as she took a sip of the liquid. She coughed on it, disgusted. I watched in awe as Alice began to shrink out of her clothes.

"Alice?" I stepped towards the pile of clothes. I kneeled down and helped uncover the girl. She somehow had on a new dress. "You okay?"

Alice looked up at me. "I think so?" She looked over at the door before looking back at me. "Now you have to drink some."

I looked at the bottle that was sitting on the table. "I suppose." I rose and grabbed said bottle. While I was drinking, Alice made her way to the door. The key was still in the door.

"Wait for me!" I set the bottle down just as I began shrinking as well. I crawled out of my pile of black clothing and hurried over to her. Alice studied me with an amused smile. "What?"

Alice motioned to my clothes. "You look good in a dress."

My eyes grew wide as I looked down at my attire. I was now wearing a black, frilly dress. "Ugh." I glared while she giggled.

"It's cute."

"I hate it."

Alice shook her head, "Let's go." She opened the door and made her way through. I sighed heavily and followed her.