Divine

Part 20

__________________________________________________________________________

"I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you."

- Friedrich Nietzsche

__________________________________________________________________________

Pinching at her fingernails, Ayumi waits, drinking tea splashed by the Red Waterfall. Feet resting on the underbelly of purple millipedes. She waits.

She waited.

And she watched.

The Hatter had been doing HER job. She tried to love him, she did. She tried really hard but when she glimpsed a girl in the spot she should be, beside the Hatter. Her Hatter steps through, the waterfall slipping over his satin jacket. A dark velvet inside she notices as it flicks open beside her.

"You know, the Queen likes to keep her friends close, which makes it hard for me to leave."

"Quit complaining," Alice interrupts. "Your one-time visit won't go to waste. A new Alice is in town."

Turning to face him levelly, she says, "And you were right."

"So, you trust me now?"

"Yes."

"Now you have to earn my trust."

"What?!" Alice rages. "I didn't bring you here to play games!"

The Mad Hatter laughs, "Are we not each just trying to play our part in this little game of yours?"

Annoyed, Ayumi stands, "If you won't help me, I'll find someone who will."

The Mad Hatter smiles, "You'll always be just a little Rabbit."

Stomping away, Alice thrashes through the waterfall. Through the trees until she came to a clearing. Plopping onto the ground, Ayumi sobs.

"Why can't anything work out like I want it?"

Sobbing herself into sleep, Alice settles into a white dream. It wasn't snow but dust. A white dust that covered her from head to toe and left her feeling submerged.

Until she looked up and saw herself. Her gown covered in see-through sparkles - purple and pink. A permanent smile planted on her lips.

Ayumi shook as she tried to reach out and touch her. The other Ayumi strokes the fabric on her lap.

"You know what you have to do."

She inches her fingers closer and closer to Ayumi.

"Just kill."

Her fingers crawling up Ayumi's legs, "Everything's a game."

 Crawling onto her thighs.

Spinning hands as blood drips.

"Only the Queen holds all the moves."

Flashes before her eyes of-

Crawling up her stomach.

-blood against a bathtub backdrop.

"Kill the Queen and anyone that gets in our way."

Blood against a flurry of snowy dust.

Crawling up her chest.

Cold as it falls on her skin.

"And if you want to be Alice, you have to kill the Alice, of course."

The bodies beneath her hands.

Cradling her chin.

Rubbing fingers in velvet.

"And if the Hatter wants to be a bunny, you can kill him too."

Rising, bare feet slowly scraping-

Cutting silver eyes, "But we like that other Hatter, don't we?"

-on the cold ground and she sits.

Breathing onto her cheek.

It will be perfect.

"A queen needs a King, after all."

Breathing onto her lips.

"Ask that new Hatter his name for me."

Opening her eyes, Alice stretches out her hand.