Lost In Wonderland

Chapter 11

Cory stepped off of the path and glanced over his shoulder, making sure I was still following. After a minute, we were at a house, the shingles a blueish color, and the lines crooked. Was anything here straight?

Outside of the house, there was a long table with tea pots and cups, plates and saucers. The same something white flashed before my eyes and I saw it at the table. A White Rabbit.

There were people sitting around the table, all laughing and having a good time. Cory grabbed my hand and pulled my alongside him. "Hatter,"

The man at the head of the table glanced up. He had wild hair, with a tall top hat, a red band of silk wrapped around the base. He smiled at Cory, then glanced at me, his smile faltering.

The White Rabbit scoffed. "You're late, Corinth."

Cory glanced at his pocket watch. "Am I?" He took my hand and pulled me into an empty chair. He sat down beside me.

The Rabbit rolled his eyes. "Yes. You are. And you're not supposed to bring guests without letting us know. We might not have enough food."

"You always have enough food, Nivens,"

The Rabbit huffed. The Hatter laughed. "Good one, Corinth. But, who's your friend?"

Cory looked at me. "Who is my friend?"

I bit my lip. "I'm Aero."

"Welcome, Aero." The Hatter said.

Cory grinned at me, pouring a cup of tea. "This is Aero's first time in Wonderland, can you believe that? And she doesn't even want to stay."

"Why not?" The Rabbit—Nivens—asked, hurt in his eyes.

"I didn't mean to be here, you see, I was just taking a walk and I fell down this hole. And now I'm here. My parents will be awfully worried if I don't get back before dark."

"Why would you even want to go back to such a boring place?"

"Well, you see," Why am I in such a rush to get home? It's not like I want to be back with my family. I pulled out my phone to check for service. Still nothing, and my text never sent. I sighed. "My parents will worry. I didn't tell them where I went."

"Oh," Cory said and let the topic drop. "I'm taking her to the Prince. She wants to go back to Humanity."

"How boring humans are," Nivens said, taking a sip of his tea.

I felt disrespected. "That's rude! I'm right here."

"All you humans are the same. None of you are truly happy." Cory said.

"Cory!"

"Who's Cory?" The Hatter asked, giving me a confused look.

I looked at Cory. I couldn't believe I was the first to give him a nickname. With a name like Corinth, I wouldn't nicknamed myself at birth.

Nivens glanced down at his pocket watch, made a face, then looked at Cory. "I believe my watch is off."

"You should get it fixed," Cory said. "I can look at it after I take her to the Prince. Speaking of... Aero, you should eat something. You've done a lot today."

I nodded and looked around the table. There wasn't much that I would consider dinner. I pointed to some crackers. "Could you pass me some of those,"

Cory reached over and handed me the platter. I set a few crackers on my plate and handed the platter back to Cory. He took one of my crackers, helping himself.

I glared at him but ate the rest of the crackers in peace. Once I finished, I stood. "Let's get going, Cory, I need to get back."

Cory sighed. "Princess here wants to go," He stood up and grabbed my bag, swinging it on his back. "I'll see you all around."

"Goodbye, Corinth!" The Hatter said.

I reached into my bag and grabbed my jacket, zipping it up. "Let's go,"

Cory rolled his eyes and started walking. "You're awfully bossy, you know that?"

"I've been told."

. . .
We kept walking as the sun started to set. This was horrible. I'm stuck in Wonderland and now the sun is setting. I'm lost. Have my parents started a search for me? Am I considered a missing person? Are they people scouring the woods looking for me?

I'm just as gone as that little boy.

"Are you getting tired, Aero?"

I shrugged. "I might. Don't tell me you have a friend's house we could stop by and sleep at?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No, we have my house. It's not far from here. You can shower there if you want, and I'll give you something different to wear."

That sounded strangely heavenly. "Okay. Sounds good."

Cory smiled. "We are friends, right?"

I nodded. "We're friends."

After another while walking, we stumbled upon a small shack. Cory led me to the back door and took a key out of his pocket. He unlocked the door and turned on the lights to a small kitchen.

"Uh, follow me,"

I followed Cory upstairs to his bathroom. He showed me how to work the shower and set out some towels for me. He gave an awkward smile and left the bathroom.

I locked the door after him and stepped into the hot water.

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