Follow Me Down, Alice

Chapter 1: The Rabbit and The Cat

"Heeeellllpppp!" I yell as I fall. No one is around. Great.

I splash into the water and get thrown into the current below. I can't swim well enough to stay afloat. I can only gasp for air as the current takes me away to wherever I am meant to go.

I wake up. Again. I'm...I'm in a bed. Fuzzy blankets and pillow under my head. Wrong kind of pillow though; it's too hard. I blink awake. Someone is hovering over me. They say something but I can't make out what they said. I say something. I don't know what I said. They shift their position over me. I guess they're concerned or something? Getting sleepy... They shake me but I'm too tired. I roll over and go back to sleep.

I wake up a third time. My head hurt like a cream cheesecake. What the mint chocolate chip happened to me? Oww... I wish my fudge brownie head would stop hurting already. At least I'm more alert now. Even if I'm in so much rocky road pain.

I sit up and look around. This place is so weird. It's all prim and neat and- oh my sweet strawberry cheesecake, they're sitting on the desk right across from me. Long bluish white hair, blue girlish clothes, and rabbit ears, it's the girl who jumped down the hole alright. Still think the rabbit ears are really weird though. I... Should I say something?

"Uh, hello?" I say. My voice sounds hoarse. Must be because of all the screaming I did while I nearly drowned. Huh. I almost forgot about that as weird as that sounds. How did I nearly do that?

"Oh! You're awake!" She turns around to face me. She has really pretty blue eyes. Like, ocean blue kind of blue eyes. Rather rare eye color. "Are you okay? Or better now? I know your voice is hoarse but can you speak? Wait, can you understand any of this? I'm so sorry!"

She speaks too fast. Not in the good way either. She's like a nervous wreck. Like she just tripped in front of the president and spilled juice all over them kind of nervous wreck. What? Why?

"I can understand you. Slow down." I answer hoarsely. I need something for this throat of mine.

She sighs, "Thank goodness. I wasn't sure if you would understand me, being a Human and all."

"What do mean 'being Human and all'? Does that mean you're not Human? Is that why you have rabbit ears on your head? Are those real?" I ask. Maybe a bit too excitedly. But surely one can't help but be excited by the possibility of meeting of aliens.

"Oh. Oh no. I thought you knew. I thought you were one of- Oh, the Queen will have my head!" The girl panics again. Man, I just calmed her down.

"Am I not suppose to be here?" I ask.

"Yes? No? I don't know! I'm having a bit of a crisis here!" She says anxiously. She buries her face in her hands.

How am I suppose to help? I have no idea where I am or what this place is. Or if she was late. What was she nearly late for?

"Hey, where were you going?" I ask.

"What does that have to do with anything?" She exclaims. "Where I went is none of your business now that you're here. Oh, why didn't I just listen to Caterpillar?"

"Who's Caterpillar?" I ask. So many unanswered questions. Geez. What is it with her and no straight answers?

"Caterpillar! Perfect! You're a genius!" She bolts up out of her chair.

...What.

"Quickly now!" She walks jumpily. "Follow me!"

"Hey, wait!" I cough and hop out of bed. I'm wearing a long, flowing, white nightgown. I'm in her pajamas. "At least let me change!"

"Take whatever fits in my closet!" She hollers back. "Now, chop chop! We mustn't dawdle! I'll need to prepare a gift in advance..."

Anything from her closet? Sure. I guess. I'd prefer my own clothes, but I guess I can't exactly choose. I look through her closet. A majority of her clothes are blue. Oh! This is pretty. I pull out a knee-length blue dress with a pinafore over the top. My kind of style. I change attire and put on some white stockings I found in her drawers.

"Here. Put on these shoes. We gotta go before the Queen finds us." The girl shoves some blue shoes in my arms. "If she does..." She shudders, afraid to finish her sentence.

"Who is the Queen?" I ask putting on the shoes. They're actually perfectly sized. Enough wiggle room for my toes but won't fall off.

"You don't know the Queen! Oh, we're so doomed." The girl curls up in a fetal position.

I pat her back.

"Don't touch me!" She snaps. I step back surprised. She immediately looks sorry for her outburst. I must be blushing as red as a tomato.

"Look, let's just go." She sighs and gets up. She opens the door and there's a boy with purple hair and cat ears blocking the door.

"Morning Rabbit." He greets with a smirk. She slams the door. In his face.

"Nevermind. Let's go out the back." She sighs irritated. She changed moods fast...

"Oh, come on Rabbit! Please? At least tell me who your guest is!" The boy hollers from the other side of the door.

The girl slams open the door so fast that we're both startled by her. She drags the boy inside. She slams the door shut again. She is really mad?

"Uh. You're never this mad." The boy says cautiously.

"Cat. Shut. Up." She glares at him. He proceeds to comply.

"You. You're joining us now. No complaints." She points at him.

"And you." She turns to me. "We're taking you to Caterpillar. No questions the whole way there. No talking. Understand?"

We nod. She is still fuming mad when we leave the house. I look around outside. It's beautiful. In an odd way. It's like a steampunk town? If I can describe it simply that way. Smog does float overhead and there's a ton of lava everywhere, but the town itself is rather nice. All the hustle and bustle of people in a hurry to get to places and vendors selling food and trinkets on the streets. Not exactly what I expected. And the heat! It's sweltering here! I just stepped outside and it feels like I walked into an oven!

"Well?" The girl says impatiently tapping her foot. "Time's ticking! Let's go!"

"Oh, sorry." I hurry after the them. We run through the crowds. I lose them a couple times but the guy makes sure I don't fall behind. I don't know either of their names yet. Or who this Caterpillar is. Or why the Queen would have our heads if she found out about us. This world is so weird.