Escaping Wonderland

Whispers Through The Wall

 "Curiouser and curiouser!" 

― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

AL1C3. AL1C3. AL1C3. She read it and reread it and then read one more time just for good measure, hoping it would trigger something inside of her; an emotion, a memory, anything. But she felt nothing. Those small letters and numbers printed in fine black along the wristband might has well had been written in a foreign language. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she let her arm drop beside her on the stiff bed. It had been hours since she had woken up in this strange room and she was no closer to finding any answers or a way out. Her only clues were a stupid wristband and a crazy boy in the next room.

Gathering the pillow and blankets into her arms, she moved over to the white sink that was anchored to the wall. She laid down, tucking the pillow behind her head and covering herself with the blankets that were so thin they might as well had been handkerchiefs. The cold floor sent chills across her skin as she turned onto her side, facing the vent. She bit at her lip before calling out, "Chester? Are you still there?"

Room was quiet for a long while and she was beginning to think Chester would never answer. Suddenly, he grumpily replied, "Ugh, 'm trying to sleep 'ere, love."

"Oh, sorry. I was just wondering, never mind, I'll just leave you alone." she murmured quietly. Chester sighed and she could hear movement on the other side of the wall. The boy's displeased face suddenly appeared on the other side of the vent and the girl felt breathless as she stared into his exotic eyes. She had never seen anything like them before. They looked just like a cat's eyes as he peered at her through the bars of the vent.

"Too late, you've already woken me up." he chided playfully, giving her an expecting shrug when she didn't respond. "Well, are you going to say something or just stare at me all day? That's very rude, you know."

"I'm sorry." she shook herself out of her daze. "Its just, your eyes, they're so-"

"Dazzling? Stunning? Mystifying?" he offered with a suggestive raise of his eyebrows.

"Weird." she finished with a hint of a smirk playing at her lips. Chester frowned, narrowing his eyes into slits. "What? You can dish it out but you can't take it?"

"I have no idea what it is you're 'dishing out' but I don't want any of it." he deadpanned. The girl shook her head in confusion.

"What? No. Its just an expression."

"Of what?"

"You know what? Forget it." she gave up, laying flat on her back. Chester peered after her.

"Come on now, love, don't be like that." he called after her.

"Stop calling me that. I'm not your love." she snapped.

"Ooh, testy." Chester cooed, making her blood boil. "Seeing as how I don't have anything else to call you, I'm afraid I'm going to have to stick with love, love."

"Fine." she conceded, quickly adding, "But as soon I figure out my real name, you're gonna stop calling me that."

"As you wish, your highness." he agreed with a dramatic drawl. They were quiet for a moment before he broke the silence. "Did you want something?"

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you about this place." she remembered, pushing herself up onto one elbow to meet his gaze. "Is this really an insane asylum?"

"I'm afraid it is. Apparently we're all coo coo for Cocoa Puffs." he told her with a hint of bitterness in his tone.

"We? How many people are here?" she asked. Chester thought for a moment, counting his fingers as he muttered to himself.

"I've only met five others but I know for sure there's more." he divulged. The girl pondered that, her brain working furiously to put the pieces together. She had so many questions. It was maddening.

"And nobody remembers who they are or how they got here?"

"Not a single one." Chester answered, forming a zero with his hand.

"So how do you know your name?"

"Dr. Hart paid me a visit my first day here." he began before she cut him off.

"Who's Dr. Hart?"

"Don't interrupt. Its very rude." he scolded. She mumbled an apology and he resumed, "Dr. Scarlet Hart runs this show. She showed me my file," he made air quotes around the word, giving the blonde girl on the other side of the wall a knowing look before continuing, "and told me that I had suffered a psychotic break and had been admitted because I was a danger to myself and others."

"And you don't believe her?"

"I might have if she hadn't told everyone else here the exact same story." Chester scoffed. "You just wait. I bet you she'll come waltzing through that door any minute and try to feed you the same bull."

The girl looked to the door, half-expecting it to open on cue. When it remained shut, she let out a shaky breath and turned back to the vent. "Chester?"

"Hmm?"

"How long have you been here?" the girl asked hesitantly, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer. Chester gave her a sad look that sent her stomach plummeting to the floor.

"I stopped counting the days a long time ago, love." he replied, all the humor from earlier stripped from his voice.

"Has anybody ever left?" she continued to question, although she suspected she wouldn't like the answer.

"Nobody leaves Wonderland." he told her bitterly. "You might as well get comfortable, love. You're going to be here for a while."

Two chapters! WOOT! WOOT! I hope you enjoying the story so far! I know I'm enjoying writing it. As some of you may have noticed, the chapters are pretty brief. This allows me to update more often and I'd rather frequently post short chapter than rarely post long ones. As always, thank you for reading and please don't forget to comment, vote, follow, and all that other good stuff. Seeing votes and comments in my notifications really motivate me to write me! Plus, they make me feel good! Until next time! XOXO