The Heart of Wonderland

Chapter 26

Alison's muscles tensed as she prepared to pull away, but she stopped when the chime of her earrings rang out clearly. She narrowed her eyes. There was obviously something special about this stranger. He released her arm and took a step back, and from the tilt of his head beneath the hat, she got the sense that he was laughing at her.

Alison scowled. "Do I know you?"

Then she realized where she'd seen the figure before. She punched him in the arm hard enough to make him let out a surprised ouch, then reached up to snatch off the hat that obscured his features.

"What the hell, Maddox?" Alison planted her hands on her hips. "You scared me half to death."

"No kidding." Now he didn't bother to conceal his laughter. "I thought you were going to have a heart attack."

"You jerk." But Alison couldn't keep her lips from twitching. "I went to a lot of trouble figuring out how to come back to Wonderland and stay here without disappearing again."

Maddox's dark eyes grew serious. "I wasn't sure how long it would be until you found a way back."

"How long has it been? On this side, I mean. Back home it was only a couple of days."

"I'm not sure." Maddox frowned. "It can be hard to keep track over here. I think it's been about a week. Long enough for me to find our disguises, anyway." He gestured at the rumpled clothing he wore.

"You did a good job," Alison said. "I wasn't sure it was you until my earrings reacted to your bracelet."

She didn't say it out loud, but inside, she felt shaken. Maddox was starting to lose track of time. What if that was a sign that he was losing touch with reality and becoming part of Wonderland, like the Keeper's journals had warned?

"Where have you been hiding?" Alison asked. "For your sake, I hope you haven't been sleeping in this alley all week." She wrinkled her nose as the breeze sent a fresh waft of garbage odor drifting past.

"No way." Maddox made a face. "Though some days I've thought about it. I've been staying at the Mad Hatter's cottage, and he's driving me almost as crazy as he is. I'm glad you finally showed up. I don't know how many more of his riddles I can take."

"What's he like?" Alison wanted to know. "Is he really as nutty as he sounds in the stories?"

Maddox grinned. "Why don't you come see for yourself? The Hatter told me to bring you over for tea as soon as you showed up again." He dug in a satchel he carried over his shoulder and handed Alison her very own pile of rags. "Here, put this on. I thought about leaving your disguise in the alley for you, in case you showed up when I wasn't here, but I was afraid someone would take it."

"Thanks." Alison held up the dress and cloak Maddox handed her and studied them. The garments smelled musty but they were clean—or clean-ish, at least—so she pulled the dress on over her clothing, then fastened the cloak around her neck. With her backpack underneath it, she imagined she looked like the hunchback of Notre Dame, but it was better than carrying the pack out in the open. When she was dressed, Maddox pulled a pair of boots from the satchel and handed them over so she could swap them for her sneakers.

"My boots! You saved them for me." Alison was thrilled to see that she hadn't lost them for good. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble to hold onto them. I know you've probably been trying to travel light in case you have to run from the Queen's knights again." She slipped her feet into them, then grinned and gave Maddox a quick hug.

"Yeah, well." He shrugged. Was he...blushing? "It seemed like you'd want them. Here, put this on too." He handed over the last piece of Alison's disguise, a miniature top hat with a veil attached to hide her face.