Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness, #1) (5 page)

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T
here
was no doubt in Rose’s
mind that the Eastern Queendom would be entirely different from the rolling
hills and small towns she was accustomed to. Neither growing up in Neverwood
Forest nor her reign in the west could have prepared her for bustling urban
sprawl where the Red Queen ruled.

The journey from one corner of
Wonderland to the other lasted only a day, but Rose had never felt farther from
home.

As her carriage passed through the last
trees of Neverwood and into the Red Queen’s domain, Rose craned her head out
the window to get her first glimpse of a place she had only read about in
books. Where Rose’s own kingdom was quiet and quaint, this one was crowded and
vibrant. She had heard that there were no farms in this part of Wonderland, no
vast stretches of land at all beyond those belonging to nobles in the farthest
reaches of the kingdom. Only now did she believe it. Hundreds, maybe even
thousands, of red-brick buildings dotted the landscape and crowded around roads
that weaved through the land. Gas-fueled lanterns lit up the streets, allowing
people to continue their business well into the evening, and no one seemed to
find the nocturnal nature of the Red Queendom the least bit strange.

Rose had to trust that her driver knew
where he was going, as each town fed into the next, creating a never-ending
stretch of city life. The square buildings and lack of greenery created an
image all too similar to the world Rose had seen in her vision. Yet, seeing it
all up close, there was something exciting about it. Being so surrounded by life
was both comforting and invigorating all at once. Rose considered that perhaps
there was value to be found in this way of life after all. Gwen herself had
said change was coming, maybe this was what Wonderland needed.

It wasn’t long before the ebony-stone
palace of the Red Queen came into view, seeming to loom over everything with
its five twisted spires. Both impressive and menacing, it was designed to
strike fear into anyone who thought to cross the Red Queen. The castle had been
built over a century ago when the Red Wars had raged through Wonderland, and
though Queen Daliah hadn’t had a say in its design, Rose couldn’t imagine that
living there would have endeared her to many of her subjects.

Thankfully, Rose did not have to visit
the castle on her first ever trip to the Eastern Kingdom. Instead her driver
had been ordered to bring her to a building several blocks from the Queen’s
home.

Initially, the Red Queen had refused to
meet at all. But Rose had persisted and managed to arrange the first official
meeting between her and the Red Queen.

And so Rose set foot into the first and
likely only nightclub she would ever visit, as there was no room for places
like these where she came from.

Immediately, she fell in love.

Though the night was still young, men
and women danced together in a swarm of writhing bodies. Bright blue tuxedos
collided with sequined silver dresses that shimmered even in the dim lighting.
Women wore their hair short while some of the men wore it long. There was so
much to take in, and so little time to do it in, as Rose was swiftly escorted
through the crowd.

The beat of a lone drummer was
accompanied only by the abrasive music of a saxophone and a trumpet. At first
the sound was jarring, but as Rose made her way through the club, she found the
rhythm creeping into her soul. An impeccably dressed guard ushered her up a
steep set of stairs, away from the hypnotic energy of the dance floor. Rose
promised herself that she’d find a way to bring everything from the atmosphere
to the vibrations in the air home with her when she returned.

Rose’s head was still spinning when she
arrived in a reception hall that she never would have imagined could be
attached to the club below. Everything but the painted red walls was made from
perfectly clear glass, from the tiles of the floor to the delicate table and
the chairs that surrounded it. Rose pushed all thoughts of music and dancing
from her mind as she locked eyes with the woman she had long been taught to
fear. Briefly, she glanced at Henrick, who had silently taken up his post in
the corner of the room, far enough away that he could play at not overhearing
whatever was on the evening’s agenda.

The Red Queen offered a genuine looking
smile as Rose quietly studied the woman before her. She was precisely the kind
of woman you would expect in a position that had been filled by domineering,
powerful women for countless generations. Daliah Kent had already ruled for
twenty years, and everything from her coiffed hair to the glittering diamonds
she wore on her fingers screamed of luxury and beauty. She embodied the very
essence of the club that sat below her feet, and Rose felt begrudging respect
in spite of all the stories she had been taught about Wonderland’s more
infamous line of rulers.

“Please, sit.” The rival Queen gestured
toward three empty chairs. Without comment, Rose did as she was bid, taking the
place directly across from the Red Queen. “Welcome, Rose. May I call you Rose?”

Rose nodded, attempting to keep all
traces of awe from her expression.

“And you will of course call me Daliah.
I may have been at this far longer than you have been, but as far as Wonderland
is concerned, you and I are equals.”

“Your tone suggests that you do not
agree,” Rose finally responded, her tone questioning. She may not have been
raised in the homes of noblemen, but her parents had taught her that there were
moments to speak and moments to listen.

Daliah’s eyebrows rose an inch, but Rose
couldn’t tell if it was from amusement or annoyance. “Tea?” The other Queen
reached across the table to fill Rose’s cup. Her black hair was piled atop her
head with delicate braids in a way that made her look younger than her
forty-odd years. Rose might never have guessed that there were two decades
between them.

Twenty-one was not an especially young
age to take up one of Wonderland’s highest positions, but it was hard not to be
intimidated by her own lack of experience.

“Thank you.” Rose smiled politely,
attempting to appear as though this was the most natural thing in the world to
her. “I do hope we can be friends. I understand you and my predecessor got
along famously.”

Rose glanced toward the corner of the
room to see Henrick shift his weight uncomfortably. When Rose had returned to
her own palace only to inform her staff that she would be heading out again the
next day, her advisor had been quite vocal in his opposition, insisting that
she was not yet prepared to tangle with the Red Queen. It was only once she
actually sat down in the carriage that transported her across Wonderland that
he’d begun to fill her head with etiquette and gentle
suggestions
. Chief
among them was that Rose shouldn’t bring up the arrangement Lady Anora had had
with Daliah when she was Queen. At the time, Rose had agreed, but now she felt
compelled to lay all her cards out on the table.

If Rose were to have any hope of
competing with this woman at the political games she had been raised to play,
that hope would not be found in a power play. No, Rose had knowledge,
incredible knowledge. Hinting at that knowledge was her smoothest route to
truly being seen as an equal by the impressive woman across from her.

The Red Queen had knowledge of her own,
and it had clearly served her and her queendom well. Rose would let the older
woman do the bulk of the talking and see what could be learned from this
unexpected trip. Once she had a more complete picture of the current landscape
of Wonderland,
then
she could decide what to do with all that she had
learned over the past few days.

“Anora was a clever woman. She
understood my vision for Wonderland.”

“Which is what, exactly?”

“I would have thought it would be
apparent on every street, in every one of my citizens. Progress! For too long
our people have lived at the whims of the land...”

Rose interrupted. “We’re caretakers of
the land. Or at least we should be.”

“According to whom, exactly? You’re a
Queen now, Rose. Why should you answer to anyone but yourself?” Daliah looked
pointedly at Henrick, whose eyes were locked intently on the duo. “Wonderland
has a lot to offer, certainly, but it is not our master,” she continued. “As
Queens we’re gifted with the unique ability to commune with the land, to shape
it. To suppress it, if need be. If left on its own, Wonderland runs wild,
creating inhospitable habitats and unimaginable beasts. Who benefits from
that?”

Rose took a slow sip from the ornate
teacup in her hands to give herself a moment to think before speaking. “And
Queen Anora agreed with these ideas?”

For the first time since she’d entered
the room, Rose had the full attention of her host. She tilted her head down,
careful to keep her eyes low.

Finally, the Red Queen nodded.
“Whole-heartedly.”

The two women talked long into the night
while vibrant music continued to float through the air. As they spoke, Rose
poked and prodded, gently dipping into Wonderland’s past to try and determine
how much the Red Queen knew. The first time a girl called Alice had visited
Wonderland, she’d ripped the monarchy to pieces. The system had needed to be
entirely rebuilt. But if Daliah Kent had any idea of the upheaval that was
coming for her, she didn’t show it in the slightest.

It was only as the sun began to rise
again that Rose knew what needed to be done. She had learned a lot in only one
night about what it meant to be a Queen. But the time for learning was over.

As soon as Rose returned home, she would
have to act. She would begin by implementing some of the
improvements
Daliah had suggested, but that was only the beginning. Rose needed to ensure
that when Alice arrived, events would play out just as they had before—ending
with dethroning the Red Queen.

She waved a polite goodbye from the
backseat of her carriage, smiling and promising to keep in touch. The Red Queen
waved back from her balcony perch, exhaustion etched into her face.

Daliah Kent could pretend that she was
still in the prime of her life and that she alone knew Wonderland’s secrets.
But Rose was confident that
she
had the upper hand.

Alice was on her way, and this time the
House of Red would never recover.

“This
is insane,” Lucky said for the third time. “I’m not a rabbit.”

After she had woken up, frustrated and
confused, Gwen had put on a pot of tea and attempted to explain her
theories—ideas that Gwen herself was only just starting to understand. She had
been expecting an actual rabbit, but Wonderland had a way of morphing
expectation.

Gwen balled her hands into fists as she
struggled to find yet another way to explain. It hadn’t taken long to explain
the patterns of Wonderland to Lucky, but once they had moved into Lucky’s role,
things had ground to a halt. “I’m not saying you are
a
white rabbit. I’m
saying you are
the
White Rabbit—”

“So she’s a very important rabbit?” Marc
interjected, wearing a goofy smile. Gwen shot him a look—she didn’t need him to
step in and break the tension.

“No,” Gwen continued, trying to keep her
voice calm. “She has taken over the role of the White Rabbit. She’ll be the one
to bring Alice to Wonderland.”

“Okay,” Lucky said skeptically. “And how
am I supposed to do all of this? How do I find Alice?” Lucky’s tone had lost
the edge of panic, and Gwen hoped she was beginning to come to terms with
everything that had been thrown at her.

Gwen tried to remain sympathetic. It
couldn’t be easy to be ripped from your body. Growth and knowledge deserved
patience. She took a breath.

“When you passed out an hour ago, you
were unconscious for ten minutes. Where did you go?”

“I’m not sure exactly... It was summer,
and I was outside a brick building. There were people everywhere.”

“And did you see anyone familiar?”

“I wasn’t really looking. I just try to
stay out of the way and focus on getting back to my body. What does this have
to do with anything?” Lucky stood up from her seat and began to pace about the
room, keeping her eyes trained on Gwen.

“I suspect you’re being pulled toward
Alice—in her world. You’ve probably seen her already. Next time you’re there,
start watching the people. Keep track of who you see.”

“Next time,” Lucky muttered to herself.

“This will stop once you’ve brought
Alice here.”

Lucky paused, and Gwen could practically
see the questions whirring through her mind. “And how do I do that? Is it
safe?”

“I don’t know how. Not specifically.”
Gwen paused to adjust her hat. She hated not being able to offer up more
substantial information. “I’m hoping your presence will be enough to move
things forward. But... I’m not sure.”

“And it’s safe?” Marc asked, echoing
Lucky, his face a mask of concern. It was just like him to worry about the
wellbeing of a stray he’d picked up in the forest.

“As safe as anything.” Gwen shrugged.
She wasn’t about to offer up any guarantees. “Wonderland wants this to happen.
Maybe even needs it.”

Lucky stopped and turned abruptly
towards Gwen, suddenly rid of the haze she’d been in. “What do you mean?” Her
look of concern for Wonderland matched Marc’s for her. Gwen could use that.

She beckoned for Lucky to sit back down.
All the pacing was making Gwen dizzy. Once she was settled, Gwen continued. “I would
think you’d know the stories better than most, having grown up in the
Neverwood. Back before the Red Wars, before Alice, things were different. The
wildlife was as much a part of Wonderland society as we were. Ancient beasts
lived atop mountains, and Queens held the power to give life to mundane
objects. Even the flowers grew so tall that they were said to take on lives of
their own.”

The shadow of a smile passed over
Lucky’s expression. It was difficult not to be impressed by Wonderland’s
history.

“Things have changed since then, slowly
but surely. It started in the Queendoms, and the essence of Wonderland has been
draining away ever since. It won’t be long until even Neverwood Forest starts
to wither and die.”

Lucky blanched, leaving no trace of her earlier
smile. “And bringing Alice here can stop all that?”

“I hope so. If that doesn’t work, there
isn’t exactly a plan B. All any of us can do is play the role we were born for
and hope Wonderland does the rest.”

“Well, it looks like I’m a part of all
this whether I want to be or not,” Lucky conceded. “What do I need to do?” Marc
reached out and gently squeezed Lucky’s shoulder, and the girl seemed to melt
into his touch as the tension in her shoulders disappeared.

Gwen tried to smile a thank you at her friend,
but his eyes were still trained on their guest.

“Eventually, an opportunity will present
itself, or maybe you’ll learn to control your new ability. For now, you may as
well just continue life as usual.”

“With the addition of the occasional
fainting spell,” Marc added. In typical Marc fashion, he was trying to lighten
the mood. Perhaps Gwen was making things a little tense.

“There is that,” Gwen said, offering a
forced smile. “I don’t know how long this part will last or what has to happen.
The previous White Rabbit didn’t exactly keep a journal.”

“So I put my life on hold? Wait?”

“You might be able to help it along if
you want. Next time you make the jump, see what you can learn. Come back here
in a few days, and we’ll see if you’ve learned anything else.”

“Days? I have a regular job. Well maybe
not a
regular
one, but one that wasn’t chosen for me by the cosmos.”

“Lucky,” Marc said softly, “it will be
okay. You can do this. You need to do this.”

Lucky pressed her lips together, seeming
to weigh her options. “Okay. I’ll go home for now, get some sleep, and go from
there. I’ll try. I can’t promise anything more than that.”

As soon as Lucky stood from the sofa,
Marc bounced up from his spot as well. “I’ll walk with you,” he offered.

“You don’t have to do that. I know the
way.” A subtle blush colored Lucky’s cheeks.

“I don’t mind. I could use the fresh
air.” Marc was looking sheepishly at their guest, clearly hoping he’d be
allowed to go along for the trip.

Shyly, Lucky nodded.

Gwen looked back and forth between Marc
and the blond who seemed to be his new best friend. Had she been so busy
worrying about the past that she’d missed what was happening right in front of
her nose?

Marc left with Lucky right away, before
Gwen could find an excuse to ask him to stay.

This wasn’t the time for flirting with
girls who waltzed around with weapons strapped to their backs! He should have
at least asked if Gwen needed him. He knew how much she had on her plate right
now.

Suddenly furious, she couldn’t stay in
his house any longer. Gwen knew she was being a little unreasonable, but with
all that was at stake, she was allowed that much! And yet somehow her
best
friend was more concerned with some girl he had just met.

If she didn’t want to end up following
Marc and Lucky into the forest, the only direction to go was north if she did,
toward the town square. Gwen wandered aimlessly, getting lost in the busy crowd
of townsfolk, and letting her feet decide for themselves as she went over all
the things she would have liked to say to Marc.

He shouldn’t have gone. She needed him
here. The Alice Prophecy could easily be the most important thing either of
them ever had a part in, and Lucky obviously knew her way home without Marc’s
directionally challenged help. He was being selfish!

She was being selfish—Gwen pushed the
thought away.

It had only been a few days since he had
last tried to kiss her, and now this! While she still had no interest in being
with Marc
like that
, she hadn’t expected to be so easily replaced.

“Pardon me,” a voice interrupted, “but
did you say Alice?”

Blinking, Gwen looked around to find the
voice’s owner. “Excuse me?”

A man, not much older than Gwen came to
a stop in front of her. “You said something about the Alice Prophecy, and I
just had to ask. It’s not a name you hear very often anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” Gwen said. “I didn’t
realize I’d been speaking out loud.” She moved to step around the stranger and
continue on her way.

He stood nearly a foot taller than
Gwen’s five-and-a-half feet, and his black hair was slicked back in a way that
perfectly shaped his strong jaw and cheekbones. Gwen’s initial thought was that
he was quite handsome, but when he sidestepped just in time to block Gwen’s
path alarm bells began to ring in the back of her mind.

“Please? I’ve always been fascinated
with the legend of Alice. Hearing her name on this day... Well, it has to be a
sign. I’d love for the chance to talk with another believer.”

“You make it sound like some kind of
cult,” Gwen said, taking a step back.

“Have you read the books of Ror? What
about The Tomb of the Caterpillar? Do you think Alice might actually return
within our lifetime?” he asked, ignoring Gwen’s statement.

Now that was surprising. It was unusual
enough to hear the name Alice spoken in day-to-day conversation, but here was
someone who seemed to know something more about the prophecies than only the
girl they centered around.

“Oh, very much so.” Gwen forced herself
to relax, her eagerness to talk about Wonderland’s history with someone
knowledgeable overpowering her wariness. It wasn’t this man’s fault that she
was angry at Marc. And it might be fun to run theories with someone. “I
actually have reason to think she might be coming soon.”

“Wouldn’t that be incredible? the man
asked, running his hand over a day’s worth of dark stubble.

“It would certainly be interesting. I
mean, just think of everything that happened last time. It could mean a major
upheaval for all of us.”

The man frowned, his eyes darkening with
concern. “How do you mean?” he asked, shifting his weight back towards Gwen
until she was standing in his shadow.

It was Gwen’s turn to frown. The stories
of Alice weren’t a secret, and there was no reason to keep any of this to
herself, but something told her to be cautious with this man. “I’m sorry, I
didn’t catch your name?”

Unexpectedly, the sounds of a storm
began to rumble through the air from somewhere off in the distance. Gwen turned
her head towards the noise, turning her back on the chatty stranger.

Magnificent, dark clouds were forming
over the forest and Gwen couldn’t help but hope the storm would come a bit
closer. The sounds of thunder and rain mingling together always had a unique
way of clearing her head, which was something she could really use today.

Gwen turned back, planning to apologize
for her brief distraction, but she found herself standing alone.
That was
rude.

She peered through the crowd, trying to
see where he’d gone, but only caught a glimpse of someone who might have been
him disappearing into the butcher’s shop. The brief conversation had left her
uneasy and unwilling to chase down a dangerous looking stranger just to satisfy
her own curiosity.

The wind picked up, and the crowd on
Peasant Street began to clear as the storm from the forest loomed overhead.
Anyone still out and about would be eager to finish their business and get
home. Gwen knew she should likely do the same.

Another crack of lighting sounded from
somewhere in the direction of the forest. Gwen turned back for one last peek at
the ominous clouds hovering over Neverwood. But there was something else mixed
in with the swirling, gray monstrosities.

That can’t be.
Gwen squinted
at the clouds, trying to focus her vision in case her eyes were deceiving her.

Unfortunately, they weren’t. Just
outside the perimeter of the clouds, small fissures were forming in the sky.
Each one was a different, vibrant color. Every ragged crack in the sky started
out small, but they were definitely growing.

But that’s not possible!

A raindrop hit the side of Gwen’s cheek.
Biting her lip, she decided to take a cue from her neighbors. Despite the
feeling of unease that comes with walking towards a tempest, she knew it was
time to go home. For Gwen had read of a storm such as this one, in ancient
texts that told of her world’s history.

Cracks of blue, and white, and green.
With the storms end, change...

Gwen struggled to remember the poetic phrasing
from one of the books, but it evaded her. However it was worded, its meaning
was clear. A rift between worlds had been opened, and Alice was on her way to
Wonderland.