The Drag

After that extreme burst of adrenaline spiked and died within my body, I let myself keel over, stopping myself from hitting the ground too hard with both palms.

The moment I did this, Amanita disappeared.

I didn’t bother raising my head for a few seconds; too busy catching my breath.

“Are you unharmed?”

Zuria asked as she approached me, kneeling next to Pierce to check his pulse.

A few strands of my long hair were sticking to my face.

“Y-Yeah… He didn’t even graze me— hey! Why are you checking his pulse!? You said I didn’t kill him!”

“It never hurts to make sure.”

“It hurts my pride!”

“Regardless, he’s not dead.”

I groaned at her nonchalant reply, but I simply got back on my feet, dusting myself off.

Maybe I was starting to get used to her and how weird she was. At the very least, I knew she wouldn’t listen to my bitching anyway, so for once, I decided to zip it and change the subject to what really mattered instead.

“So… Is that how Amanita works? A deck of cards that lets me use whatever power I want if it belongs to any of you?”

Zuria wrapped one of Pierce’s arms over her shoulders, struggling to stand him up.

She was straining herself and it showed in her voice, but she kept acting like everything was fine, for some reason.

“I-In short… Yes… Amanita is a deck… of cards… huff… that you can summon at any… a-at any—”

“Aw, gimme a break!”

I interrupted her and stepped forward, kneeling down to her level to yank Pierce’s not-corpse away from her.

I wrapped his arm over my shoulder instead, raising to my feet with him in tow.

Zuria looked at me with confused, round eyes behind her equally round glasses.

She also rushed back to her feet.

“Allen, you don’t have to do that, that’s—”

“Oh, please. You were about to disintegrate trying to pick him up!”

“But it’s my job—”

“Just say thank you and shut up!”

To my surprise, she did shut up, looking somewhat embarrassed.

It took her a few seconds to respond in a very quiet, meek voice.

“...Thank you.”

I gave her a moment to add to that, but she didn’t.

She was simply doing what I told her to do, and it made me feel a little awkward to see her all obedient.

I fixed Pierce properly over my shoulders and sighed.

“...You never ask for help, do you?”

My words made her bunny ears twitch. She seemed sort of ashamed when she averted her eyes from me.

“...I’m… The White Rabbit Spade. I’m supposed to be the one that helps, not the other way around.”

“Even so, sometimes you gotta ask for shit.”

And now she looked at me again.

“...? Ask for… What?”

She frowned, holding her stare with a scandalized look.

Damn.

How could I forget she takes everything so seriously?

I exhaled, exasperated.

“Not literally shit, I mean you just gotta ask! You don’t have to do everything yourself, y’know?”

“.........”

If I didn’t know better, I’d say she looked almost apologetic.

“...C’mon, tell me where to dump him.”

“Oh,” she perked up again. “Right. We shouldn’t leave him here. Let’s bring him back inside.”

“You sure? Just like that? I wouldn’t mind drawing on his face a little.”

“You can’t, Allen,” she sternly said.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

“Why not!? This guy’s a killer. I think drawing on his face is the least we can do to him!”

Zuria shook her head.

“Wonderland works differently than your world. He’s only fulfilling his role as an observer and a judge.”

“Yeah, well. He already decided I wasn’t good enough, didn’t he? I don’t think he’s gonna have a change of heart.”

“He hasn’t given out his final judgment, so we shouldn’t be so hasty.”

The way she said that almost sounded confident we could change his mind.

I started walking towards her house again, doing everything in my power to hide just how much I was struggling to drag this guy along.

“And what happens if he thinks I’m unworthy, then? Do you have to find a new Alice?”

“It… has never happened before, but yes, that would be correct. We’d lose an entire year of training and would have to rush to find and train a new one, so the White Rabbit has to be very sure to pick someone absolutely perfect for the job.”

For a moment I considered asking why she didn’t just go and find a new Alice instead of sticking with me, but she did tell me people in Wonderland already knew my sister’s face, which was my face, so it wouldn’t be a good idea. Besides…

I wanted to know where my sister was, too.

For very different reasons than Zuria, but still.

It also kinda sucked that she’s training me again, after going through this with my sister once already.

“Sorry you’re stuck with me, then.”

Part of me felt the need to apologize to her for making her work twice as hard, but I couldn’t just do it normally, could I?

I just had to be a jerk about it. I don’t even know why. My personality just didn’t allow it.

Honestly, I hated myself sometimes.

She opened the back door of her house, and I dragged Pierce inside, placing him on the ground in a small clearing with little rubble.

I thought about dumping him with all my strength, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid he’d wake up.

It was only a few dozen feet from the outside to the inside, but I felt wiped.

I sat next to him gracelessly and exhaled, rubbing my shoulders.

“Man, fuck this. If he doesn’t give me a passing grade after I dragged his ass all the way here, I’m gonna riot.”

“Allen.”

Zuria called my name, still on her feet, looking down at me.

I looked at her and found her wearing that same blank expression as always.

“You don’t have to do this,” she said.

“Huh?”

“...If you think this is too much for you, you don’t have to take your sister’s place.”

I couldn’t believe my ears.