Chapter Three

When Alice opened her eyes, nothing hurt- and something about that seemed wrong.

There was no sky above her, nor tree branches, but rather a ceiling. She had been lying on something soft. It was not the ground. The room was illuminated by a soft golden glow that was not street lights nor gas lanterns, and her head felt fuzzy. When she sat up, she found that she was no longer in a park, but in the apartment she had spent half her life in.

Since when had Alice come home? She had been sleeping in the grass- and before that, she had been sleeping on a bench. Somewhere in the middle, she had been in danger.

Part of it had been a dream- she was sure of that- but she was not sure which part that was.

Something was off about the living room. It was warm and familiar, with its mismatched mint and teal sofas- one of which the girl was sitting on- but it somehow felt incomplete. The air was heavy with fragrance. Small candles and white china-potted plants adorned most surfaces, and on the wall beside the curtained window hung an antique clock. Strangely, Alice could not make out the position of its hands. Perhaps it didn't have any.

Tick. Tok. Tick. Tok.

The steady rhythm echoed throughout the apartment, louder than it usually sounded.

Across from the living room was the kitchen, and it too was recognizable, but not quite right. The counters were densely cluttered, as they always were, but Alice was not sure what cluttered them, for the items were hazy, indistinct. Atop the kitchen table was a glass-domed dessert stand that contained jam tarts, and next to it sat a lone mug, the aroma of tea lingering in the air. A kettle was on the stove, abandoned and unattended to.

In that moment, Alice realized that she was alone. Where was her sister?

"Lorina?" The girl called out, throwing her legs over the side of the sofa and standing up. "Hello? Lorina, where are you?"

There was no response.

"Dinah?" Alice called out to her cat, realizing that she too was missing. "Dinah, come here!"

No one came.

Instinctively, the girl walked towards the bathroom, cracking the door open slightly. It was pitch black inside and seemingly devoid of life- nothing more than a dark abyss. Deciding that they were not there, Alice was quick to pull the door shut once more.

As she turned around, the girl looked at the kitchen hutch beside her. Mismatched picture frames sat atop its surface, with most of the photographs being from at least a decade ago. Some were older. Some were even before her time.

There were photos of the Liddell sisters in infancy and childhood, bright-eyed and smiling, some with one another. Lorina's high school graduation portrait was on display, and so was Alice's. It embarrassed her. She hated the way her bangs lay beneath the navy cap, which had felt like a crown on the head of a fraudulent king. Her smile was unconvincing and felt fake. The diploma in her hand looked unnatural, unearned, and undeserved.

Alice's gaze drifted towards photographs of her parents- dearly departed and immortalized in image form. However, their faces had become hazy in the girl's memory, no matter how many times she flipped through old photo albums. They were smiling on their wedding day, on vacation, and even on unremarkable days. Their radiance had been lost too soon, too suddenly.

Her gaze then fell upon the newest of the picture frames. Lorina's eyes were shining, her expression lighter and more carefree than usual, arms wrapped around the waist of a tall man. His hands rested on her shoulders, a smile tugging at his lips. Alexander was Lorina's boyfriend, and they were happy. More importantly, Lorina was happy. It was what she deserved.

Trying to ignore the dull ache that grew in her chest, Alice trudged towards Lorina's bedroom, and the door swung open when she turned the knob. She found that the room was empty- neither Lorina or Dinah were there. Despite the pastel décor and everything being in its rightful place, something felt utterly wrong about its pristine state.

It was as if they had vanished on their own, and something about that disturbed Alice more than evidence of foul play.

The girl padded across the carpet, deeper into her sister's bedroom. It was sophisticated and mature in its furnishing, with matching pieces in white and pink- unlike the rest of the apartment, her room looked like something out of a magazine. Instinctively and inexplicably, Alice slid into the pink-cushioned stool of Lorina's vanity, gazing at herself in the large mirror.

In its reflection, a towering figure stood behind her, and the girl's eyes widened.

His face- a mask- was stark white, an unsettlingly jovial expression frozen into it. The eyes were happy crescent moons, the mouth upturned into a closed-lipped smile. His achromatic clothing was odd and old-fashioned, and was more reminiscent of a costume than anything else. A wide, thick white ruff circled his neck, and his white hair peeked out from beneath a jester hat, which was covered in a black and white diamond checkerboard print.

Most strikingly, a red, round nose was the only color visible on the figure.

Pupils blown wide, Alice's heart pounded in her chest and all blood seemed to drain from her face. She couldn't scream and couldn't run, for her voice had died in her throat and her body felt paralyzed, as if bound to the vanity stool.

The clown tilted his head, and all Alice could do was watch in silent horror as he leaned closer to her level, his slow movements reflected in the mirror before her. A scream echoed throughout her head, but did not escape her lips. His gloved hands- black and red, split down the middle- came up to grasp her rigid shoulders with strong, elongated fingers.

“Know your place, Alice.” He spoke lowly, deliberately, and ambiguously, his breath tickling her ear. "Or are you perhaps unhappy in such a role? Even with such unfavorable odds, I’ll be waiting for you~”

Tick. Tok. Tick. Tok.

With those words echoing in her mind, the apartment faded into nothingness, and everything went dark.

------

Alice thought she had entered a new dream when she finally came to, a foggy, delirious feeling in her head as her eyelids fluttered open.

Her temples throbbed dully and her throat stung, as if she had recently swallowed broken glass. Her limbs lay sprawled across the ground like bags of sand, a peculiar prickling sensation lingering in her fingertips and toes. Its rays nearly blinding her, she could feel the warm caress of the sun on her skin.

"Ugh..." The girl groaned lowly, pressing a hand to her face and feeling utterly wretched.

What sort of nightmare had she fallen into this time? Could she perhaps be lucid?...Was she still even dreaming?

Peering through her bleary eyes and lashes, the sky above Alice was a brilliant blue- even with the unknown amount of time that had elapsed- with luxurious, pillow-like clouds drifting overhead. A faint breeze softly rustled the leaves of nearby trees, the cushiony grass beneath her being a vivid, almost turquoise hue, and delicate daisies swayed as if dancing to a non-existent rhythm.

As she slowly sat up, the fog in her head seemed to dissipate. Though there was something vaguely familiar about her surroundings as she looked around, it was unmistakably not the park she had originally fallen asleep in.

Turning her head, she suddenly noticed a door. It stood open in isolation, floating in space without any sort of external structure. Extending wide beyond its frame, the large room was bathed in a sickly yellow glow, illuminated by a gas lamp which hung above a small glass table. Pastel pastries littered the dull checkerboard-tiled floor, beside a small, overturned glass bottle.

Heart sinking to her stomach, Alice looked to the walls for answers, where countless doors stared back at her. In that moment, she went numb with horror, blood running cold. A homicidal rabbit, the never-ending corridor, and the room of doors- she was instantly flooded with memories of what had happened earlier.

None of that had been a dream at all, had it?

Panic seizing her mind, Alice's heart seemed to stop in her chest, her pulse pounding in her ears. Almost tripping as she desperately scrambled to her feet, she slammed the door shut and pressed her back to it, involuntarily trembling.

“...Where am I?” She breathed out, throat dry and voice hoarse. “What is this place...?”

Trying to calm down and think rationally, Alice took a better look at her surroundings. Tree trunks seemed to twist and turn in every which way, their branches fanning out towards the sky like outstretched arms. Small multicolored mushrooms scattered the ground, nestled between strangely gnarled roots and mossy logs, and the leaves from certain plants almost more closely resembled feathers as they fell and drifted through the air. The air was refreshingly cool and crisp, a faint floral aroma lingering in it.

Taking deep breaths, the girl shakily stepped away from the door, uncertain of where to go from there. This strange place she was in- it was utterly isolated; seemingly in the middle of nowhere. There were no cars or roads to speak of, no planes flying overhead- and most significantly, there were no people- not a soul in sight.

She was utterly alone, with no one to ask for help.

Taking another tentative step forward, Alice had no choice but to forage her own path. If there were no hints to guide her in any particular direction, she’d have to trust her gut, ducking and weaving through the overgrown plants.

If only she had paid more attention to those wilderness-survival shows...

She tried to clear her throat, but it remained feeling as if it were coated with coarse gravel, desperately needing something to drink. If she remembered anything from those shows, it was that she needed to find a water source and stay close to it.

How stupid.

Was she honestly going to set up camp in the middle of nowhere and hope that someone would find her? The idea was ludicrous.

Scoffing to herself, the girl continued to make her way through wildly flourishing flora, careful to watch where she stepped, lest she trip over a rogue tree root. Feeling strangely disproportionate to her surroundings, Alice wondered if she had shrunk in her sleep- although the door had seemed to be the right size, so perhaps it was just the plants of this peculiar place that had been mutated.

But somehow, as strange as it was, the world around her didn’t feel like a radioactive wasteland.

Splash.

"Augh!” Alice yelped, jumping as something cold and wet hit the nape of her neck, soaking the back of her shirt. Eyes wildly darting around in search of whatever was the culprit, she whirled around and came face-to-face with a tall green plant, its long, ovular leaves dotted with round, shimmering droplets of dew.

Drip.

From one of the leaves, a droplet fell to the ground, lightly splattering the girl's boots. Watching as another glided down the waxy emerald surface, Alice cautiously held out her hands to catch it.

Drip.

The dew droplet softly landed in her cupped palms, but the water did not stream out through the gaps between her fingers. Instead, it simply sat there as if it were a globe of crystal jelly, jiggling slightly as she slowly lifted it to her lips.

How curious.

Taking small sips that somewhat soothed her parched throat, she slowly continued her trek through the grove of peculiarly proportioned plants, keeping her eyes peeled for anything that might guide her in a more certain direction.

Amongst the overwhelming presence of nature, manmade structures began to make their appearance known. Standing tall and proud were vine-covered pillars and pedestals of white stone, shaded by leafy canopies. Surrounded by a ring of delicate flowers, a marble fountain bubbled like a brook in which tiny gold and bronze birds bathed, chirping serenely. Mossy wooden benches stood amongst smooth, earth-colored clay pots, and magnificent figures of humans and animals alike seemed to have been shaped out of thick, luscious hedges.

Curiouser and curiouser...

The deeper she wandered through the strange garden, the more she became aware of a faint, mysterious melody. It was soft and somewhat breathy- a distinct warble that she wasn’t sure could come from a bird. As if a sailor to a siren’s song, Alice felt inclined to follow it until she found the source, curiosity coursing through her veins.

“Maybe I really do lack survival instinct...” She thought cynically, ducking her head as she pushed low-hanging leaves out of her way. The voice seemed to grow louder, more intelligible the further she walked and the closer she crept.

As she stepped through the clearing, she saw him.

Draped across the broad orange cap of a toadstool was an otherworldly man, slothfully lounging in a patch of sunlight. His fingers, which slowly twirled a silver hookah pipe, seemed to be almost pure black, the color extending up his forearms and fading like smoke into the muted periwinkle of the rest of his skin. Head lolling over, his hair was a curtain of indigo ink, hanging loose in long, silky strands. From his still-singing lips, a lilac cloud drifted out and into the air.

Snap.

Stunned by his ethereal appearance, Alice had stepped on a twig, plunging the garden into deathly silence.

The man's head snapped to face her as he rose to his full height, rearing up like a cobra poised to strike, but his torso never seemed to end. His body grew longer and longer and more serpentine until he was tall- impossibly tall- dangerously towering over the girl with a glare that paralyzed her.

Alice's wide eyes darted over the contours of his bare torso- which rippled with lean, sinewy muscle- down to where smooth blue skin faded into the soft, rubbery white underbelly of a caterpillar. Four sets of small, spiky black legs poked out from small stubs along its ridged underside, nearly as sharp-looking as the mandibles that protruded from the corners of his mouth. Her gaze jumped up again- to the twelve menacing orange eyes that were locked on her, narrowed into a deadly glare.

"Oh no..." Alice whimpered, shrinking back in terror. She had to get away- she had to run- but as if rooted to the ground, she was a deer in headlights, frozen in place. Pulse thundering in her ears, her heart pounded so hard it felt ready to burst, the rest of her body going numb as she stared death in the eye.

This creature- he was huge, furious, and he was going to kill her.

“You.” He drawled lowly. “Who are you?”

“I-I’m Alice…” She breathed out. “Alice Liddell…”

“What are you doing in my garden?” He leered down at her, taking a long drag from his pipe.

“I’m s-sorry, I didn't mean to trespass!" She apologized, hands up in surrender. "I was just passing through! I-I'm just trying to find my way back home!"

“Why?” He blew a cloud of lilac smoke from his lips. It was Y-shaped.

"Huh?" Alice blinked, eyes drifting towards the peculiar cloud.

"Why did you leave your home?”

"It wasn't my choice!" She insisted. "I-I don't know why he- that...thing- brought me here!"

“And who might that be?” The caterpillar man slowly relaxed, lowering his body and draping himself across the toadstool. “Perhaps I know something of the matter.”

For a moment, Alice hesitated, unsure of how ridiculous her situation would sound- even she could hardly believe what had happened.

“…He had the body of a man, but the head of a rabbit…white with beady red eyes.” She gnawed on her bottom lip. “I awoke to him standing over me, and he chased me with a knife- then he dragged me down a rabbit hole...and the door eventually I came through lead me here...”

"Hmph...To think that he'd kidnap an outsider...I haven't a clue as to why he came after you.” He replied aloofly, twirling the silver pipe in his fingers. "What a pity- I suppose you ought to get used to this Wonderland."

"What are you implying?" Her eyes narrowed.

"I'm simply saying that you can expect to spend the rest of your life here."

"Wh-What?!" Alice's jaw dropped. “I can't just stay in this world! I-Is there really no way out?!"

"Perhaps there is, though I doubt the likes of you could find your way back." He replied haughtily. "You'd be happier here, regardless."

"Who are you to tell me that?!"

"Someone who knows that you would sooner die than leave this world." The man's words were ominous and too certain for comfort.

"...On what grounds are you basing that?" She tried to hide her reaction of discomfort.

"Come hither." He languidly beckoned her over. "Allow me a closer look at you."

Skeptical and somewhat irritated, Alice warily approached the caterpillar man, crossing her arms over her chest. She couldn't help but feel self-conscious as she stood before him, slightly rocking on her heels. He was even more of an eldritch beauty up close, those irises of liquid amber enough to bewitch her, scanning seemingly every detail of her appearance. His thick, tubular tail was a deep tyrian blue, adorned with thin stripes of lighter hues and tiny orange speckles- nothing she had ever seen on the caterpillars of her own world.

He didn't seem to share the same sentiment, however. All six sets of his eyes seemed to narrow, and his lip curled slightly.

“Hmph....just as I thought. You-” A smoky U flew into her face. “-are certainly unremarkable.”

"H-!" A coughing fit interrupted her sound of protest, and the girl ducked, fanning the cloud away- it had a strangely sweet scent, her head spinning as she involuntarily inhaled it.

A horrifying feeling that was all too familiar.

“Wh-What the hell was that-?!” She gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth and nose as she recognized the smoke. “You! Y-You tried to kill me!”

“How so?”

“In the room of doors! You tried to gas me! To poison me!”

“...Only idiots would die there.” The blue caterpillar took another lazy drag of his pipe, eyes hazy and half-lidded. “It was nothing personal. Regardless, I suppose you must not be as stupid as you look- or perhaps you're simply lucky.”

“Stupid?!” Her blue eyes flared in indignation.

“Mind your temper.” He replied boredly, his smoke wafting into the girl’s face.

“Mind my temper?! What's your problem?!” Alice’s fear instantly vaporized, instead replaced with fury. “Y'know what?!”

“No, I do not know what.”

“I’ve got two letters for you!” Breathing in deeply, her head spun as she blew the smoke back into his own face. “F-U!”

Eyes narrowing in vexation, the blue caterpillar roughly seized her chin and tilted it upwards, causing Alice's eyes to widen. In that moment, she became aware of just how sharp his claws were, onyx points pressing into her skin as he glared down at her.

"You’ve got quite a mouth on you- someone ought to teach you how to use it.” His voice was smooth like honey as he leaned in- so close that their noses almost touched. "Picking battles against creatures you stand no chance against...you stupid girl.”

“I-I’m not afraid of you.” Alice glared back at him with a fire in her eyes and in her cheeks, her heart racing. “If you were going to kill me, you’d have done it already!"

“So you say." The man smirked provocatively. "Look at you- you're trembling like a little leaf.”

“I am not.” She scowled, tensing up.

"Is that so? Perhaps I mistook excitement for fear." Uncurling his fingers from beneath her chin, he pressed them against the side of her neck, over an artery.

Alice's eyes widened at this, heart skipping a beat.

"My, my~" He purred, mirth flickering in his ochre irises. "I can feel your pulse quickening already. Are you always exhilarated by so little? Or is it merely I who has this effect on you~?"

"A-As if!" She glared up at him, her cheeks reddening. "I don't even know you!"

“Hmph." He withdrew his fingers from her neck. "...I suppose I ought to introduce myself then. My name is Eden.”

“How fitting...” Alice scornfully retorted, averting her eyes. If she held his amber gaze for any longer, she was certain she’d be hypnotized.

He was infuriatingly beautiful...

“Why should you wish to return home?” Eden inquired, smoky lilac clouds drifting through the air. “The world is terribly cruel...surely you would prefer to remain in my paradise, rather than being killed on such an unavailing journey.”

"...Killed? You said something about that before...”

"Yes...The other inhabitants of this Wonderland are not as merciful as I.” The shapes of smoke tumbled from his lips as effortlessly as his words. “You would be in danger the very moment you stepped foot outside my garden- your kind truly never lasts long.” The caterpillar man’s face was uncharacteristically solemn, a hint of melancholy in his vibrant irises.

"But I have to go home!" She protested. "I-I can't just stick around here! This isn't my world- I have to try to find a way back! My sister must be worried sick waiting for me! And my cat- she wouldn't understand why I never came back!”

Eden’s grip on her chin relaxed; softened. Turning his claws away, he gently cupped her face with soft fingertips, caressing the faint red marks left behind.

“Even so, I would hate to watch you walk into certain peril, Alice...” His voice was scarcely a whisper in her ear, sugary like syrup.

"Why would you care?" She muttered, unable to muster snark in her tone.

"You're a mere human with nothing to defend yourself with- unarmed without even a hint of brawn..." Eden mused, his eyes drifting across her slender form. "...A perfect target to those with malicious intentions- it's tragic, really."

"I suppose it takes one to know one." Alice retorted, eyes drifting to the ominous lilac smoke that hung in the air.

"Don’t take my warning in jest. Perhaps I came across as harsh, but there's plenty of creatures here who would use more than a sharp tongue when dealing with you."

"...Why should I listen to someone who tried to poison me?"

"I had no desire for your death." Eden's voice was soft, its lowness pricking the girl's ears. "...You are an unfortunate butterfly caught in the spider's web. In crossing the threshold, you are considered to have forfeited your life. In this Wonderland, the decision to stray from one's domain is often fatal."

"My l-life has been forfeited?" Alice swallowed roughly, dread pooling in her knotted stomach. "...This place is sick..."

"Reality is cruel and unforgiving." The caterpillar man woefully mused. "To return home would be a fruitless endeavor only resulting in your death, and thus I offer you my garden as refuge. Under my surveillance, no harm will come to you."

"Y...You'd do that for me?" She stared at him, taken aback.

"Indeed, I would." He lowered his pipe, his expression serene and shockingly sincere.

"...But why?"

"You've survived on your own this far, so I ought to take responsibility, now that you've found your way to me..." Eden's thumb softly caressed her cheek, a warm glow to his many eyes.

"Th-That's..." She stammered, her voice trailing off.

“You would be safe by my side, Alice..." Eden whispered, gently cradling her face in his hands. "I'll treasure and protect you from this merciless world- I cross my heart unto you.”

Her own heart skipping a beat, pounding in her chest, Alice’s eyes fluttered shut as she leaned into his soothing, delicate touch.

There was something so comforting, so reassuring about Eden's words and his gentle tone. It was as if she were enveloped by a warm blanket, though his soft palms were cool against her flushed cheeks.

It would be so easy to accept his offer, to agree to such a life, to recline atop toadstools and bask in the inviting rays of the sun in his paradise. She would be protected and without burden, surrounded by beautiful flowers and lush greenery, living out her days with the most enigmatic creature for company, enchanted by his ethereal singing.

It would be something out of a dream.

Things would be better that way, wouldn't they? Perhaps Lorina would forgive her- her sister would rather her be safe, even if they would never see each other again, than die in a vain attempt to return home. Alice hoped that Dinah wouldn't be lonely without her, that she would still get plenty of love and care in her absence.

Even so, she would miss them.

“I...”

Tick. Tok. Tick. Tok.

The foreboding rhythm of the pocket watch jolted Alice back to reality, blinking as she felt the chain that hung meaningfully from her hip.

"No...No, I can't stay with you, Eden.” She insisted, her hand closing around the silver case, the metal cold against her palm. “I know it'll be dangerous, but I need to find a way back home!”

The corners of Eden’s lips seemed to turn downwards, and Alice swore she saw a flicker of despondency in all six pairs of his eyes.

“...Very well." His cool composure quickly returned, gaze hardening once more. "I suppose your kind is known to be rather stubborn, you foolish girl.”

Before she could argue back, his smoke-colored hand drifted upwards, gently stroking her hair with taloned fingers.

“You had better watch yourself, Alice...” Eden whispered, his cool forehead pressed against hers. "...Danger awaits you at every turn, so you ought to be careful...”

“I don’t plan on getting killed anytime soon.” She bit her lip, cheeks warm.

“How presumptuous of you- that would be nothing short of miraculous.”

“...You might become a butterfly by the time I find a way out, though.” Alice mused.

The blue caterpillar's lips twitched as he softly chuckled, his nose brushing against hers.

“I wish you well, little flower.”

“Thank you...” Alice smiled bleakly- she hesitated to pull away, to relinquish the comfort of his touch, but Eden made it easier for her, his fingers slipping through her hair as he drew back.

"Until we meet again." The caterpillar man bid her farewell, his amber eyes softening slightly.

“...Goodbye, Eden."

Turning away, Alice slowly pushed further into the garden, though she still felt his gaze as she made her departure. Unsure of where fate would take her, the girl squeezed the pocket watch for reassurance, taking a deep breath. Though she was certain of her decision to find a way out of this strange Wonderland, she couldn't help but wonder what could've been had she chosen to stay.

As she reached the end of the clearing, Alice instinctively looked over her shoulder.

In the distance, she watched Eden languidly lift the silver pipe up to his lips, inhaling deeply and blowing a ring of lilac smoke in her direction.

It was in the shape of a heart.

Ducking her head and trying to bite back a faint smile as the smoke dissipated, Alice crossed into the thicket, encompassed by lush greenery and colorful blossoms.

The further she walked, the fantastical topiaries and delicate marble fixtures began to disappear from her surroundings, fading into the background until all that remained was the wildly flourishing essence of Mother Nature, and that was when Alice knew that she was no longer in the garden of Eden.

Step. Swish. Step.

With the fluttering of leaves in the wind and the soft thud of her footsteps, Alice suddenly realized that the ticking of the pocket watch had stopped once again- it was nothing more than a silent accessory that hung from her waist. Turning it over in her hands, she regarded it warily.

Was there a method to its madness?

Tracing its edge with her fingertip, she pondered the nature of its existence, but all she could conclude was that it had a habit of interrupting her thoughts and startling her- a questionable function, to say the least.

Should she discard it?

Alice hesitated, fingers hovering over the clasp. The time stared back at her, and her eyes widened.

7:23

It had been over two hours since she had last checked the time- and even longer since she had fallen into Wonderland. Though the sky above her looked no different, it was almost certainly the middle of the night back home- was Lorina still waiting for her? Had she gone to sleep yet? Had she finally called the police?

Stupid, stupid Alice- she couldn’t just abandon something so valuable in the middle of nowhere! She had nothing but the clothes on her back and that strange pocket watch- and considering her circumstances, it would be nothing short of idiotic to rid herself of anything that would help her keep her head in such a nonsensical world.

If she wanted to make it home alive, she had to act smarter.

Inwardly scolding herself, Alice kept walking, the pocket watch securely resting against her hip as she went deeper into the thicket. Grass rustled underfoot, and the melodic chirping of birds carried through the air, low-hanging branches waggling as she pushed them out of her way.

Even so, the journey would be long and laborious without guidance. The next time she encountered someone, she'd be sure to ask for directions.

As the girl foraged her path, something in the distance stood out to her, amongst whimsical plants and wildly twisting trees. Like landmarks with large petals in vivid colors, the wildflowers towered above the surrounding shrubbery in dense rows, swaying elegantly in the breeze.

Intrigued by the sight, Alice made her way towards the flower garden, hoping that they would somehow guide her in a more certain direction.

How foolish she was.