Summer Love | TLOS

Ch. 36

15/2/7

All of those kids need some serious help. But I guess that's why they're in therapy. I'm pretty sure I don't need therapy because I'm fine, really. I mean, sure, I'm sad about the death of my ex-boyfriend who I still love, but I'm not DEPRESSED! Grandma totally read the pamphlet wrong, and I'm trying to tell her that, but she won't listen to me!

Anyway, those girls I met last week, Mindy, Cindy, Lindy, and Wendy are, uh, well, they are characters. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not. They are so dedicated to ratting Conner out like they're going to get some reward or something. What are they going to get? Bragging rights?

Alex rose up to her feet and wiped her tear-stained face. Conner looked up at the trees, searching for a way to go in the branches.

"Let's go this way," Alex finally said, pointing back into the forest.

Conner, Alex, and the rest of the group began their adventure into the forest. 

***

Many dull and tiring hours of wandering around the forest, Alex became hopeless that they were lost with no way to get to the Red Queen's castle and catch Lloyd. Alex let out a lingering, apathetic sigh. It was dark, almost like it was nighttime. The trees seemed to be alive, and frankly, they probably were given they were in Wonderland. There was no hope until the end of the forest came to a sudden halt. The bright light of the afternoon sun blinded everyone. Alex squeezed her eyes shut and Conner put his arm in front of his face to block the sun. Alex noticed the roses next to her. They were red, but not a livingly red. In fact, the roses looked rather dead and painted. Alex gasped and tugged on her brother's arm eagerly. "Look, Conner," Alex cried. "It's the roses that the Card Soldiers painted for the queen! That means we're almost there!"

"Yeah, I know. But, that's not a good thing, remember? The Queen of Hearts is obsessed with execution," Conner said bringing Alex down to earth (well, Wonderland). 

Alex blew a strand of her strawberry hair out of her face. "Right, but we still have to go in there. So, what are we waiting for? Let's go see the Red Queen!"

"Excuse me?" the Tinman cut in. "But did you say 'Queen of Hearts'?"

"Yes, but not like-" Conner started but was cut off by Alex.

"Yes, that's exactly what he said,"Alex said staring daggers at her brother. Conner gulped. 

And down the road, they went to the Queen of Hearts' castle to hopefully arrest Lloyd in his diabolical scheme. It seemed like they couldn't walk any faster. Alex hoped that they wouldn't get chased out by the Card Guards. Breaking Alex of her thoughts, out of the edge of her eye, she spotted two very large men, no, things, she thought. Alex shrieked and lept into Arthur's arms, who was treading very closely behind while Conner questioningly eyed him.

"What are those?!" 

"Alex, pull yourself together! It's just Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum!" Conner replied. 

The men, or things maybe, turned around and marched over to them. 

"You called our name," Tweedle Dee began.

"And it would be a shame," Tweedle Dum continued.

"And you'd be the one to blame," Tweedle Dee told.

"If you didn't share your name," Tweedle Dum finished.

Alex crawled out of Arthur's arms. Conner put out his arm. "Let me handle this."

"O-Oh."

"Hello, Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum," Conner commenced. "I am Conner, that's my sister, Alex, that's my friend, Bree, that's the lifeguard, and that's the Fairy Council, well, most of them."

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum glanced at each other and frowned. Tweedle Dee stepped forward. "Are you workers of the Red Queen or the White?"

"Er, neither actually. We are neutral," Conner replied.

"We will let past," Tweedle Dum started the rhyming scheme this time.

"But mind you, do run fast," Tweedle Dee carried on.

"For the Red Queen is slick."

"And, if you are not, go quick."

"Or your head will get knock off with the swing of a stick!" they warned in unison.

Conner nodded at Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum and led the group toward the castle. Alex chewed the side of her cheek as they neared the tremendous manor. It was red and the tops were white and pointed with tall, skinny black rods on the top of the tops. Alex and her team walked across the drawbridge fashioned by dark wood and black cast iron to the entrance of the Red Castle laboriously guarded by a deck of cards. 

Alex cleared her throat. "Hello. Um, we would like to see the Red Queen."

"On behalf of what or who?" a ten of spades commanded jabbing a pointy spear at Alex's stomach. 

"Of ourselves, of course. We just want to speak to her," Alex said calmly. 

The Cards looked at each other, and if they had shoulders, they would have shrugged. Alex, Conner, Bree, Arthur, the Tin Woodsman, and most of the Fairy Council enter the castle. 

"Oh, God," Conner said going cross-eyed. "It's like Valentine's Day threw up in here!"

"I said, OFF WITH YOUR HEAD," shrieked a young woman with fluffy cream blonde hair. She wore a white gown with red hearts splattered all over it, giving Conner more of a headache than he already did. She waved around a golden sceptre like it was a rag doll.

"You there!" the young woman yelled. "What are you doing here?" 

"I don't even know anymore," Conner said without thinking. "This place makes me want to throw up."

"I decorated it myself!" the young woman scoffed in an offence.

"Good job, Conner. Now, look what you've done!" Alex hissed in her brother's ear. "It's going to be off with our heads if we don't pull this off."

A/N: Hey everyone! So, so, so sorry for the delayed updates. School has been so busy, not only for me but for the rest of the crew. I hardly managed to pull this one off while being sick in bed with a bad case of Krupp (it's like the flu kinda). But I got one up! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and my take on the Red Queen! xoxo ~Flora