"Until then, we need to get you some clothes."
I look down at my black tank top and grey skinny jeans. "What's wrong with what I have now?"
"You look too much like an outsider. We need you to blend in." Hatter replies. "Come with me." He gets up and heads toward the house behind him. It's very large, two stories, with a small window suggesting an attic. It's humble looking, with its dull brown colors and basic shapes. It has one normal door and four windows, nothing particularly interesting to look at.
When I walk inside, I see it's just as dull as the outside. I am-however-thrilled to find out that Wonderland has electricity. I get to charge my iPod at least.
"In here please." The Hatter says, and I follow his voice to a large room, with hats and mirrors and fabric strewn about everywhere, along with various sewing instruments. Standing in the center of the room is the Hatter, holding a measuring tape. "Stand here please." He says, gesturing to a small pedestal in front of him.
I walk over and he gently starts measuring. "So... I know about Wonderland now, but what about you? What was your part in all this?" I ask.
He sighs. "Well... You know the story. I ended up helping Alice escape the Red Queen, and Ches and I took her home. To me she was just a little girl who wandered down here and got herself into a mess of trouble. But when she came back... The first thing she did was come back and find me." He pauses, and stops measuring. "She was so beautiful... And kind..." He says dreamily, as if seeing her again. "She hugged me, and all I could think of is why she had come back. I became convinced she had come back for me, and I began to feel... Different. I no longer felt like a madman, I felt as sane as I had ever been. I believed I was in love, and that she felt the same way. But I was wrong. She never cared for me, not like I thought she did. She thought she could just come back and have fun, but no! She had to go and get herself killed!" He yells the last bit, then sinks into his chair by the desk cluttered with fabric, and lays his head down. After a moment I see his shoulders shaking, and I realize- he's crying. I walk over and hesitantly pat his back. (Yes, I do have feelings. I just don't like people crying, okay?). He snaps his head up at the slightest touch of my hand, and runs into the other room. "I-uh-just need some more fabric!" He calls, turned away from me.
I guess he's ashamed, not wanting me to see him cry. He is a guy after all. So I wait patiently by the desk, and when he comes back his face is clear and he looks as if nothing had happened. "Where's that fabric?" I ask, looking pointedly at his empty hands.
"I-uh-realized I haven't finished measuring you yet." He says, reaching for the measuring tape. "Go stand back over there." He says, and I take my place on the pedestal. He takes a few measurements, and we're both silent, settling into a sort of silent understanding. I don't dwell too much on the information he's just given me, saving it for later. Right now, I study him. The slight upward curve of his mouth, his set determination on his brow as he works. His eyes that-only a moment before held pain and sadness- now are filled with joy as he visualizes the new creation forming in his mind. He looks up and seems to notice me staring, because he quickly turns away and walks to his desk. "You may go now." He says, not bothering to look up at me. "Go see the twins; they'll help you with combat training." I nod, and leave the room.
