“Yeah, pipsqueak here should have something in your size.” Chase placed his hand on Davis’ shoulder.
“Hey!”
Chase shrugged. “It’s true.”
Dodging Davis’ punch, Chase laughed as he grabbed my hand and pulled me up the stairs.
CHAPTER 7
Davis’ clothes actually did fit me perfectly. He was a smaller size than me, but I guess it would make sense since he was the Dormouse. It was weird to wear a boy who I hardly knew’s clothes, especially when he seemed like something out of the 1800s. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the era, it was just weird seeing everyone wear such things, except at a con of course.
I wore a dark pink suit, with brown pants and a purple vest and bowtie. I felt a bit ridiculous in it, as it definitely wasn’t something I would ever wear in the real world. It was too fancy for me, I was used to getting paint everywhere so there was no way I could ever wear this at home. But that didn’t matter right now as I wouldn’t be painting any time soon.
Adding the purple hat, I just laughed. This was one strange dream indeed. At least, I hoped it was a dream. If this was real, it wasn’t quite hitting me yet.
I came down the stairs to find all the boys staring up at me. I hated being the center of everyone’s attention, especially when everyone looking at me was male. I took a deep breath and smiled.
“Fits perfectly.”
“Told ya it would fit.” Chase nudged Davis. Davis frowned and crossed his arms, not saying a word in response.
“Well, all in all, you look fabulous, m’lady.” Malcolm placed his hand out for mine at the end of the stairs. I grabbed it, blushing, and took the final step. This was like a dream come true, though I had dreamt I was going to prom with him and was wearing a dress instead of a suit. And we weren’t in Wonderland. “We should be heading to Howard’s hideout now, since you’re already here.”
“Who’s Howard?” I asked as he lead me and the others outside. It was still silent down this passageway and I began to wonder if anyone else could travel down here; it was Wonderland after all, maybe they couldn’t see it. Perhaps, only some could see Wonderland.
“He is the one who knew to bring you here. He is the one who can really explain more fully about everything that is going on,” Malcolm explained.
It wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear but it would do. The promise that someone would explain was good enough for me. Besides, this had to be some kind of dream, there was no way that it could be possible that Wonderland really existed. I probably hit my head while closing my window, and right now, I probably lay in my room, my face in a plate full of paint.
We walked through the grassy streets. I followed beside Malcolm and Chase. Malcolm had a sort of regal stature about him, honest and true. He seemed like a man who had a high ranking job, which seemed weird since he looked like a teenage boy. He seemed to be calm and collected, which was strange given that he is the influence for the Mad Hatter in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I wondered what happened and what changed him to be more calm and not just recklessly indulging in tea all the time.
Chase, on the other hand, was always a troublemaker at school and I could tell he was one here as well. I have heard of him starting riots in classes and getting sent to the principal’s office time and time again. But his troublemaking saved my life, so I knew I could trust him. I would be stupid not to, he had only been kind to me this entire time. But yeah, he was definitely the Cheshire Cat.
Glancing around, I realized that I still couldn’t see the other’s faces. Everyone around me had a dark cloud over their face, like a mask. It was disturbing to say the least.
“Why can’t I see their faces?” I asked as we walked past a group of people.
“That’s the problem that has encased the whole Kingdom. It was why we started looking for you,” Malcolm explained.
“Kingdom? You mean the Heart Kingdom?”
Malcolm shook his head. “No, they were destroyed by Alice long ago. The Red and White Kingdom also fought and destroyed each other. This is the new authority, the Kingdom of Dreams.”
I shook my head. “I have never heard of it.”
“You wouldn’t,” Malcolm went on. “It came after the original Alice left. This Kingdom is a place where human’s dreams reside. Each person here is a person’s dream in your world. This is where they prosper and escape to.”
“So then what is the problem? What is the war you mentioned?” Because it sure didn’t look like a war was going on. This place seemed perfect other than the weird shadow faces.
“The problem is that the Cirque de Rêves came out of nowhere and started entertaining the citizens, the dreams. We didn’t know it at the time, but there is a dark presence controlling the circus, causing the people to become dark and pretty much wither away, destroying the dreams of people in the human world.”
Definitely sounded like a fantasy. What was this, Sailor Moon? Would I be getting Sailor Scout powers? Because that would be cool. I wanted to ask but knew I would sound like a complete otaku if I did.
“That doesn’t make sense. So people’s dreams in the real world are being destroyed here?”
He nodded. “Yes, human dreams have always resided here. The more your world grew, the more this world grew as well. Those who keep their dreams
