Queen of Hearts

Seventeen

The woods outside of the rebel base were quiet. Not a sound could be heard coming from the forest, be it natural or unnatural. It was completely and utterly quiet. Lizzie walked through the forest, keeping an eye out for the attackers that Jack Cards seemed to believe would appear at any moment. Since the report from one of his spies at a nearby inn that Jeb Wocky was in the area, Jack had doubled security and increased patrols.

Everyone was on edge. Even Sterling, as young as she was, seemed to know what was going on. Fights had started breaking out over the most trivial of things. Only the other day, Tia Dee had slammed Travis Dum to the wall for spilling her eggs to the floor.

Lizzie trekked through the quiet forest, trying to be as quiet as possible. The only sounds that could be heard were the ones that she made as she moved through the foliage.

Snap.

Lizzie whirled around, cards flying to her hand in a second. She stopped when she realized who it was who had snuck up on her. Attacus was standing only a few feet away from her, a half-smile on his face.

"Don't do that," Lizzie said, trying to still her beating rapidly heart and failing, "You scared me."

Attacus shrugged. "Perhaps you should have been keeping a better eye out."

"I was looking for attackers from the ground," Lizzie defended herself.

"Jeb Wocky can fly," Attacus said, "You need to keep an eye out for every possibility."

"Thanks for the advice," Lizzie said sourly. With a frown, she turned and resumed her patrol.

"I'm just trying to help." Attacus fell in step beside Lizzie. "I would hate to see you die."

Despite her better interests, Lizzie felt a smile creep onto her face. "Thanks," she said, "but I can look out for myself."

"I know that," Attacus said, "it's part of the reason that I like you so much."

Lizzie stopped in her tracks. "What?"

"You," Attacus said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, "I like you."

Lizzie stared at the caterpillar boy. Never, in all of the years that she had been alive, had anyone ever said that they liked her. Not as a friend. Not as something more. No one said that they liked Lizzie Hearts because Lizzie Hearts wasn't likeable. She was strange, and weird, and crazy. She was not likeable.
How Attacus could just state it-as if it were a fact-was a mystery to her. Lizzie felt the blood rush to her face, and her stomach deciding that now was the best time to take up gymnastics. Attacus Blue liked her. He liked her.

But how did he like her? Was it the way that one likes a friend? Was it the way that one likes a sibling? Was it something more?

"I like you too," Lizzie said.

Attacus's eyebrows furrowed. "I like like you," he said a moment later.

Lizzie grinned. "I like like you too."

"Really?"

"Yes," Lizzie said. It was true. Lizzie Hearts like liked Attacus Blue. The only problem was that Attacus Blue like liked Hearts Hearts. Lizzie Hearts was falling in love with Attacas Blue.

Attacus Blue was falling in love with a lie.

♥ ♥ ♥

"Hello?" Alyson glanced around the interior of the shop. It seemed to be your standard magic shop with a variety of teas, candles, spell books, and hats. It was also empty. Completely and utterly empty. She turned to James, who had picked up a candle and was studying it. "No one's here."

"I can see that," James said, "Perhaps they died."

"That's a cheery thought," Alyson said.

James shrugged. "Maybe they left because they were smart and knew that two of Courtly Jester's most wanted were coming."

"You're not on Courtly's..." Alyson trailed off as something caught her eye. There, in the very corner of the shop behind stacks and stacks of books, was a door. A door that appeared to glow. "Do you see that?" she asked.

"See what?"

"The door." Alyson took several steps toward it, coming to a stop a few feet before it.
"Yeah," James said, "It's a door."

"It's glowing." Alyson studied the door. From the clack beneath it and at its sides golden light poured out in every direction.

"Alyson." James placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's just a door." Alyson ignored James, and started moving the books, not caring where they went so long as they did not remain in front of the door. A few minutes later, the door was no longer blocked. "What are you..." James trailed off as Alyson opened the door to reveal a swirling golden portal. "Thats..."

"A portal," Alyson breathed, "It's a portal."

"How is it possible? Every portal out of Wonderland was closed."

Alyson shook her head. "No."

"No? What do you mean-"

"Lizzie got here," Alyson said, staring at the portal in a trance.

"Lizzie? You mean..."

"Hearts is actually the crown princess of Wonderland," Alyson said, "Yeah. There's that." She didn't turn to see how James was taking the news. None of that mattered right now. All that mattered was the portal.

"You mean to tell me that I have been-"

"Tormenting the Queen of Hearts?" Alyson smiled. "Yes. Look, I think that Wonderland is talking to us."

"You think that Wonderland created the portal for us?"

"Yes," Alyson said, "Why else would Jack send us here?"

James thought for a minute. Alyson's theory seemed crazy. He would never have thought of it himself. He didn't trust the portal. What if it had been put there by Courtly Jester as some kind of trap? That was more likely than it being Wonderland trying to talk to them. He glanced at Alyson. Her eyes seemed glazed over as she stared at the portal with a look of complete wonder. She was going to go into the portal no matter what, James knew that. He just had to make sure that she didn't get into trouble by herself.

"Alright." James grabbed Alyson's hand. "Let's go." With a glance at James, Alyson jumped into the portal.

Falling. They were falling. Down, and down, and down. Then they switched directions. They started going up. Up. Up. Up. Up. Up. Bright lights and colors flashed all around them, blinding James and Alyson as they became increasingly more intense. Then everything came to a stop.

There was darkness.

"James?"

"Alyson," James said, feeling around in the dark hole with the hand that wasn't clinging to Alyson. They were underground, in some kind of dirt hole that was not very pleasant. Daylight streamed in from above them. Without saying a word, the two hoisted themselves out of the shallow hole.

Stretching out before them was a neatly trimmed lawn with lush green grass leading up to a fairly large manor. It didn't look like anything that James had seen before. It was made of bricks and marble, without any strange towers or oddly shaped windows.

"Where are we?" James asked.

"I think..." Alyson trailed off. "I think we're home."