Alice In Wonderland Fan Fiction ❯ Color and Shadow ❯ Boring ( Chapter 2 )

Alice sighed heavily as she walked the maze, keeping her sharp eyes out for a rabbit in a waistcoat. Alas, Nivens was nowhere to be seen. It had been five years since she had come back from Underland. She missed her Hatter fiercely.

She had returned from her trip to China and was bombarded with affections from other men. Upon one meeting, most of those men had rejected her, saying she was too strange. The other men all wanted to tame her, making her more of a conquest than a lover. Her mother had selected one and was hell bent on them getting married. Alice didn't want to get married to that dull, lifeless, normal person. She dreamed of Tarrant. But surely he didn't want her. People in London might think her strange, but somebody like the Mad Hatter would see her as boring.

"Alice! What are you doing wandering alone?" a voice demanded.

Alice made a face, but smoothed her expression into a neutral one when she turned to see John Hamilton. He was the one she her mother wanted to marry. She felt sorry for him, because he was just so normal, but sometimes she hated him. He was as hell bent as her mother on taming her. He stared at her, expecting an answer.

"Looking for a friend," she finally said.

"Well, you should ask somebody to go with you."

Alice frowned. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

John grabbed her arm and led her out of the maze.

The twins came up and smiled at her. "Congratulations, Alice," one said. And the other put in, "On your engagement."

"Engagement?" Alice asked, ice in her veins.

"Yes dear, remember? Silly Alice is always forgetting. She agreed to it last night. Didn't want a fiasco like last time, you know.

Alice froze. Engaged? To that boring man? No! No, no, no! She jerked out of his hands and sprinted for the rabbit hole, praying it was still there. She found it easily and dove in. A hand grabbed her ankle and there was a jolt. Three more jolts followed. Then she and her pursuers were falling. Alice kicked her heel free and laughed, flipping around joyfully. She knew she was going to have to land on her hands then drop to the floor. There was a crash against her and she slammed into a side tunnel. She didn't panic, but relaxed, waiting for what came next.

She landed right side up on the proper side of the world and it squeezed the breath from her lungs. She lay there on the damp, leaf laden earth and gasped for breath. When she could breathe again, she sat up. The first thing she saw was a skeleton.