Impossible (A HEARTLESS Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-One

Alice did not tell anyone about the Sisters, nor did she mention the box she had stolen and how it had sprouted white roses. Instead, she returned the strange item to her smol and hoped she would not run into the creepy girls again.

The others accepted Pierrot into their band of rebels with cautious friendliness. Except, of course, for Hatta, who treated him with just as much sarcasm and contempt as he did everyone else. Pierrot was not fazed. He took Hatta's biting remarks with a smile, which for some reason unnerved the hatter. It came to the point that Hatta avoided him.

Despite their new comrade, a plan still had not been decided upon. Alice was getting worried. What were they going to do? What did Hatta expect her to do? Would they continue on as fugitives for the rest of their lives? It didn't seem too bad of a plan, but she doubted that was what Hatta wanted.

"Is there a plan other than wandering about the Forest?" Pierrot asked as he and Alice were on the lookout.

Alice shrugged. "Hatta keeps saying he'll figure something out, but all I ever see him do is stare at that chessboard."

"Are you prepared for the battle that may ensue?"

Grimacing, Alice let out a sigh. "I keep hoping it won't come down to that."

"But you have the Vorpal Sword."

"So?"

"Good point."

Alice could not help but crack a smile. "I know that the Vorpal Sword is supposed to be some sign that I am royalty, or will be. But does it necessarily mean that I'm a warrior?"

"I guess you're right. The two are not mutually inclusive. But you really can't go into this plan—whenever a plan is finally formulated—naively thinking there won't be at least a slight chance that blood will be shed."

The mention of shed blood brought Mr. Ferret's execution to Alice's mind, and she quickly dismissed the thought before she dissolved into a flood of tears. "You're right, but even if we factor that into our plan, I don't know what good it will do us. None of us are fighters."

"Didn't you battle and defeat a Bandersnatch?"

"Yes, but I feel like that might have been a fluke."

Pierrot laughed. "How was it a fluke?"

She threw her hands up into the air. "All right, so I'm hoping it was a fluke."

"Why?"

Picking at the grass, Alice refused to meet his eyes. "Because if it wasn't a fluke, it means that I actually killed something. I've never killed another living being before. Even if it was in self-defense, I'm worried that it's going to lead me down a trail of death. What if it just gets easier with each thing I kill? Will I end up like the Queen? Is this how she started?"

When she finally dared to look up, she found Pierrot gazing at her softly. Shifting his position, he turned to face her, sporting a gentle smile. "Alice, believe me, you are not going to become the Queen."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because you very clearly have a heart. If you didn't, you wouldn't be so worried about becoming like her."

"She was a girl like me at one time. With a heart. With dreams. With a boy she fancied."

Pierrot flinched slightly, but then he smiled. "You fancy a boy?"

Alice went red. "Never mind, forget what I said."

His smile grew. "Oh, come now, tell me about him. Perhaps I can give you some advice."