I thought about Chase for a bit. He did finally show up at dinner, silent, still not talking to anyone, his ears twitching when others whispered about him. I felt bad but I had no idea what to do about it. I didn’t want to get in the middle of a feud that didn’t seem to have any end, nor did I understand.
After what felt like an hour passed as I sat in the tub, letting time pass and letting my thoughts unwind. I had accepted the fact that I was now in Wonderland and needed to find a way out of here. If the White Rabbit and Chase were the only ones who could make portals, that would really mean that I had to bring down the White Rabbit in order to go home, didn’t it? That meant that no one could come after me once I went home.
No, I couldn’t leave this place knowing what I knew—knowing that if I didn’t stop Morpheus, then the whole world as I knew it would have their dreams destroyed and be living in a horrible mess. No, I couldn’t allow that, I couldn’t just turn my head and look away.
I never considered myself strong—far from it. But with everything going on, I felt as if I was growing, as if I could do anything. I had learned to fight pretty well today, both by hand and with a katana. I still didn’t understand why I was the one selected, but at least now I believed I could put up some sort of fight.
Getting out of the tub, I dried off my body and hair with a towel. Granted, it was a pretty old towel, but it seemed clean enough. As I tried to get the last of the water out of my hair, I heard a knock at the door to my room.
Quickly, afraid that whoever it was would barge in, I put on a robe and went to answer the door. It was Chase.
He blushed as he saw me in the robe. “Oh.” He turned away. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. Come in.”
I moved over to the couch that occupied the front part of the room and sat down, making sure my legs were covered as much as they could be with the robe. He stayed standing, trying not to look at me.
“I just wanted to tell you that we are leaving for the Cirque de Rêves tonight. The others didn’t want to tell you but I thought you should know, in case something happens.”
That didn’t make sense to me, with everything that was going on, why wouldn’t they just stay away from the Circus until it was time to fight. “Why are you going?”
“To check their status. Morpheus knows you are here and we need to figure out what their next move is.” He scratched the back of his head. “No one thinks you are ready to meet him but I think you should see what you are facing.”
“You think I should come?” I asked. I didn’t particularly want to meet the man, as he could control someone’s fear. I had no idea what to think.
He shrugged. “If you think you aren’t ready, then no you shouldn’t go. But it’s really up to you, I just think you should have the option of going or not.”
I looked down and fiddled with my hands. It was a lot to think about in such a short amount of time. I had just gotten here, learned all about the world, how to fight, but I was far from facing the truth of the matter, facing who I needed to defeat.
“You don’t have to decide now, we aren’t going to leave for another hour. I will make the portal just outside the gate of the kingdom. If you are in time, you can still jump through it without me.” He started for the door. “I should get back to the others before they know I am here.”
I quickly stood up. “Thank you, for telling me all of this. I really appreciate it.”
He nodded and left me there. I stared at the closed door for a moment longer, then looked over to the clothes that lay on the ground from that day.
No, I shouldn’t go, I wasn’t ready. It would be a lot to handle, and I could fail miserably.
But I wanted to know what I was facing.
I quickly changed into some clothes and hurried out the door.
I headed towards where Chase said he would make the portal. It was quiet out, as it usually was, but more eerie since I was alone. I hadn’t truly been alone since I was here, and not outside. It was a strange thought to realize, as in the real world I had been so used to being alone. Here, I wasn’t even able to sit down long enough to gather my thoughts. I didn’t know if I should be doing this but Chase was right, I should see what I would have to face. Then maybe I could prepare.
As I came to the entrance to the kingdom, I saw four figures just beyond the gate. Quickly, I hid and watched as Chase created the portal. Each of them stepped through it and after they disappeared, I ran and jumped through it before it closed.
It felt like a jolt of electricity running through my body. It was different than the portal that lead between worlds, it wasn’t a feeling
