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25: Ain't Never Had a Friend Like Me

"When picking wildflowers, avoid the red poppy like the pox—unless you want a thousand-year nap."

—Alice's Fairy-Tale Field Guide to Wildflowers and Mushrooms
25

Ain't Never Had a Friend Like Me

My eyes felt glued shut. I needed my hands just to pry them open. I got one open. Then the other. I was in a bed with red poppies everywhere. Took a deep breath. Smelled sweet.
Sleepy now.
I wanted to wake up. But it was too dark. Must still be bedtime. I rolled over to go back to sleep.
Thud. Splash. Sizzle.
My eyes popped open. Why was my face wet? Why was my hair popping like firecrackers? So confused. One piece at a time. I was on my back on the floor. There was a vase with wilted flowers tipped over next to me. I had probably knocked them off when I rolled out of bed.
Upsy daisy.
I used the four-poster bed to support me because my legs didn't want to. It felt like I hadn't moved in days. And my head was fuzzy, like it was filled with cotton candy. Looking around the room, I saw vases and vases of wilted flowers.
Weird, random decor.
I had no clue where I was. Worse than that, I had no clue who I was. Maybe taking a walk would help me see if something looked familiar. My feet were cold against the floor. Where were my shoes? I thought I remembered liking shoes. Well, that was one thing at least.
Outside the room there was a long hall of mirrors. I walked down it, not really recognizing the girl walking next to me in the mirror. She was barefoot and wearing an ugly dress. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be caught dead like that—and something was wrong with her hair.
The mirrors must be broken.
I heard scraping behind me and spun around in time to see a small puppy run into one of the rooms. Instantly I felt a visceral gut-clenching hatred. See, there was another clue. Apparently I was more of a cat person.
Did I have a cat? Or a pet? I willed myself to remember and caught fragments of memories. A little fuzzy thing in a basket. Toto or something. That must be it.
Satisfied, I continued down the hall. The door to the room at the end was cracked open. People were talking. A man and a woman.
It would be bad manners to interrupt. Someone once told me to always wait outside until they're done. But who? Maybe they were inside. I would listen and see if I recognized the voices. Maybe get a better idea of who and where I was.
"...poppies aren't working, are they?"
"If they were, I wouldn't have had to transport you here, now would I? I've removed the shoes, but she's got the magic of Oz in her blood now," said the man.
"What's to stop me from killing her and torturing you? Giving my sister your head on a silver platter would be a very nice start to make up for your double-crossing us."
"That wo-would be unwise," the man stuttered. "After so many attempts, you know very well you don't have enough power to kill her. But with my help, we would be able to contain her."
The woman sighed. "I'm listening."
"The princess brought me the book. It's yours if you help me keep her here. And when your sister is free, she can use it with the power of Emerald and have none of the risk. Surely with that, the empress will forgive me."
"Why would you want to keep her here?" She clucked her tongue. "Don't tell me you've fallen for the little twit. Are you trying to replace the first Emerald with this one?"
"What concern is it of yours? As long as you know where she is, you won't ever have to worry about your little mistake coming back to burn you."
The woman growled something low, but I couldn't make it out.
Pushing my ear tighter to the door, I fell into the room and collided with a blond man. I started to apologize to him but realized I'd been confused. It wasn't a man at all. It was a green woman. An ugly green woman.
Why was I crying?
She offered me an emerald staff to help myself up. I took it and got to my feet. Then I hugged the woman fiercely, already forgetting what they were talking about.
"I don't know who you are, but I think I am very happy to see you." I sniffled and wiped my nose against her sleeve.
"You don't recognize me, Dorthea?" the green-faced woman said, her eyes searching me over.
"Is that my name?" I turned it over in my head, tasting it to see if it felt right. "I don't remember. There are holes in my brain, and my memories keep falling out."
The other person in the room scoffed and turned her eyes up. The green-faced woman glared at her and wrapped an arm around me. "My name is Verte, and you have been very sick with the curse. We had to leave the Emerald Palace to get help from a special, magnificent man named the Wizard of Is." She pointed her red-tipped fingers to the other girl. "This is Rexi. She came with us from the palace. Does any of this sound familiar?"
The name Rexi did ring a bell. The girl's hair looked like she'd put her finger in a lightning bug jar and got electrocuted.
I looked back to Verte to answer her question. "I think so. I remember that girl being really rude. And there was this boy. Mother wanted me to marry him." My heart started beating faster. There was something I needed to know, something just on the edge of what I could see. Teardrops fell onto my hands. "Are my parents here? I think I need to see them."
Verte patted my back. "Hush now, child. They're still at the palace, but they're coming for the wedding. You were right; you are getting married. In fact, it's to the wizard I was telling you about earlier."
Rexi made a strangled noise in her throat and looked like she'd swallowed a bug. A really gross bug.
With effort, I tried to recall the boy I was supposed to marry. I think I was upset at first, but now he gave me warm, fuzzy feelings. Even if I couldn't quite remember what he looked like. I could have sworn I had heard a man's voice, but only the two women were in the room. "Can I see him now?"
Verte got a strained look on her face. "Not right now, dearie. You are still very sick, and if you want to be all better for your wedding day, you'd better get your rest. Rexi will take you back to your room."
The young girl sighed and helped me up. I was still kind of light-headed and leaned on her for support. We left the room and headed back down the hallway of mirrors.
I pulled myself back, so I could get a good look at Rexi. "Are we friends?"
She smiled sweetly. "Of course, the very bestest. Why would you ask?"
"Because if you were my friend, you would tell me if something was wrong."
She batted her eyes and smiled brighter. "Absolutely."
Rexi opened the door to the room. While I had been gone, all the dead flowers had been cleared away and replaced with new ones.
"So you think it's okay to marry this wizard guy?" I continued my earlier point while Rexi helped me back into bed and under the covers.
Her smiled tightened, and when she spoke, her voice sounded odd, like she had stuffed something up her nose. "Fairy-tale wedding and happily ever after. Isn't that what every princess wants?"
"I guess so." I yawned. "Hey, Rexi," I called sleepily.
She was out the door but poked her head back in. "What?"
"Will you tell Verte the mirrors are broken?"
"What do you mean?"
"They...yawn...have the wrong...yawn...reflection. Yours is really pale with silver hai..." I trailed off into sleep before I could finish.