The Alice Games

The Vital Piece

Delia stared at the eyes. "But I thought-"

"Yes," the cat's voice interupted. "Alice did too. But then, she always was rather stupid." The faint white gleam of teeth was stronger now. "Now, what shall we do?"

"We?" Delia asked, dazed.

"Yes, we." The Cheshire cat looked mildly irritated. "Wonderlanders have always had to depend on those who fell down here as heroes. Strange and wonderful as we are to you, it's you that are the special ones."

"How?" Delia asked. "I mean... I'm nothing special."

"Yes, you are. Otherwise you would be dead right now," Chess countered. "Do you know that Wonderlanders draw their power from through the rabbit holes?"

"Um...no?" Delia asked. Even though she was confused, Delia also felt happy. Finally, some answers.

"That's why nobody dies when they fall. But it also soaks them in radiation from the world above, as if you weren't sopping wet with it anyways." the Cat wrinkled his nose. "You stink of power. Don't you ever get sun?"

"No. I just burn. I spend most of my time playing video games..." Delia trailed off as a memory came to her. "Anyways, tell me more."

Chess stared at her. "Hm. In any case, people like you and Jorge are valuable resources. We get more powerful by being near you-"

"Wait," Delia interrupted. Her face had gone white, and she had turned pale. "Did you say Jorge?"

"Did I stutter?" The cat asked, irritated.

"But how do you know about her?" Delia asked. "She- she..."

"She didn't come out of the maze," the cat supplied with a knowing look. "Did you really think she was dead?"

"She isn't?"

"Whoa," Emile interrupted. "What?"

"I had this friend named Jorge..." Delia proceeded to explain the whole ordeal.

"Dang." Emile looked impressed. "She was pretty smart."

"She spent quite a bit of time reading," Delia recounted. "So yeah."

"Shall I tell you what really happened?" Cheshire Cat said. Delia nodded frantically. "Very well, then. Jorge witnessed the murder of everyone who disliked the idea of murdering others or was dumb enough to think that they could leave unharmed, and she decided that only a very extraordinary human brain could withstand all that blood on their hands. And so she left the maze."

"But how?" Delia asked. "There weren't any exits, other than the one Alice made."

"Idiot. There are plenty of exits, if you're willing to break a few rules. Jorge left and ran away with three guards on her heels." Chess continued. "The guards were stopped by your friend Kyoree-"

"What?"

"-and she escorted Jorge to me," Chess continued, glaring at Delia. "How should it surprise you that Kyoree is an excellent liar and a kind person? These facts are known to all in Wonderland. Besides, she's your friend."

"I've only known her for a few weeks," Delia said uncertainly. "We just met."

"Nonsense. Kyoree fell down the rabbit hole. You knew her and I'm certain of it. In any case, she escorted Jorge to me, and I taught her to evaporate. In fact, she should be back soon, hopefully with that imbecile Hatter."

"What?" Delia repeated. She turned to Emile. "Doesn't this confuse you?"

"Not really," Emile admitted. "I'm a Wonderlander like Chess- I felt the power clinging to Kyoree's skin. She's got a lot of it, though I doubt Alice noticed. All the others are too scared, and Teo's too imbecilic to care." Emile rolled his eyes, and the two grinned at each other before Chess coughed.

"I'd love to stick around," he said, "But I'm fading. You'll have to kill Alice somehow. The next challenge is tomorrow, so don't screw it up." The Cat's voice faded and the glowing pair of eyes dulled. Eventually, there was nothing left.

"Come on," Emile said. "We have to go back." He looked at the castle. It seemed as though, suddenly, he felt really sad.

The two walked out of the clearing, not hearing the faint whisper of a sigh coming from the bushes. When they were gone, Jorge materialized. "Good job, Chess."

Chess didn't reply.

"I'd better go check on her tomorrow," Jorge continued, knowing Chess was listening. "But how am I supposed to choose?"

She turned towards the castle, her brow furrowed in puzzlement. "How am I supposed to choose... who lives and dies?"