Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
ALICE
Darkness presses in on all sides. For a moment, I’m not even sure if my eyes are open.
There’s no difference between them shut and wide open—it’s all just the same inky blackness, swallowing everything whole.
My heart pounds hard against my ribs, fast and uneven, and I have to swallow down the rising panic that’s threatening to choke me.
Okay, Alice, deep breath. Breathe in ... Breathe out ...
I feel the cold stone wall behind me, rough against my back, and the damp floor beneath me, chilling my legs. My head throbs where I was slammed into the gate—whatever that was—and I wince, rubbing the spot. As if I needed an extra knock on the head. Perfect.
I push myself up, fingers splayed against the wall for balance, and take a step. The space feels small, like I could stretch my arms out and touch both sides if I tried. I’m in some kind of cell. Fantastic.
I blink, hoping my eyes will adjust, but nope. Still pitch black. Typical. I try to take stock of what I know—spoiler alert: it’s not much. The last thing I remember is being shoved down here by those goons, and now I’m stuck in this... whatever it is.
So much for a party invite. Thanks, Queen.
I step forward, my foot hitting something solid. I reach down, feeling around—iron bars. Of course.
“Hello?” I call out, my voice bouncing off the cold walls. “Is anybody there?”
Nothing. Not even the faintest whisper of a response.
The silence is heavy, almost suffocating, pressing down on me like a weight.
I take another breath, steadying myself.
Okay, Alice, think. You’ve been through worse.
Probably. Maybe. I grip the door handle, giving it a rattle for good measure, though I know it’s not budging.
I grind my teeth, resisting the urge to scream. “Hello?” I try again, but still nothing. No creak, no shuffle. Just the sound of my voice echoing back at me, falling into the void.
This is ridiculous.
I slump back against the wall, sliding down until I’m sitting on the damp floor. This is not ideal. Where am I? Why am I here? None of this makes any sense. The more I think about it, the more my head spins.
Think, Alice. Just go over everything.
I had five invites from the Queen—five. She wanted me here.
So why throw me into some dingy cell? It doesn’t add up.
I lean my head back against the wall and close my eyes, trying to force my brain into coming up with a plan, but everything’s a blur.
My thoughts tumble over each other—fragments of riddles, half-remembered stories.
I’ve been here before.
Wonderland. I mean, not this cell. Last time, I wasn’t locked up. But then again, that was just a dream. It *was* a dream. Right?
This has to be a dream. It feels like it. Distant, fuzzy memories float around in my head, ones I can’t quite grab hold of.
I press the heels of my hands into my eyes. *Absolem...*
Would I have left him behind if the situation were reversed? Maybe. Maybe not.
I push down the frustration bubbling up inside me. Focus. I’m not getting out of here by sitting on my backside doing nothing.
I get to my feet again, pacing the length of the cell. One step, two steps—yep, it’s that small. I bump into the bars again, still no sign of life. What now? Shout more? Scream? It doesn’t seem like it’ll do much good, but I’m not exactly overflowing with options here.
Maybe there’s a way out I haven’t found yet. I start feeling around the walls, hoping for some secret door or window, but my hands skim over nothing but cold, unyielding stone. Brilliant.
Just as I’m about to give up and flop back onto the floor, something flickers to my left. I freeze, squinting into the darkness. There it is again—a faint glimmer of light. Where’s it coming from?
“Hello?” I call again, my voice a little shaky this time. “Is someone there?”
No answer. But that light—it’s real, isn’t it?
I move towards it, careful not to trip over anything.
It’s dim, but it’s enough to make out the edges of my surroundings.
My hand brushes along the rough wall until I find a small gap—a vent?
No, too small for that. I bend down, peering through the crack, and then.
.. holy—there’s someone in the cell next to mine.
A figure, hunched over and quiet, their face half-hidden in shadows.
I can just make out the edges of something.
.. a rough patchwork coat, dark floppy hair, sunken blue eyes.
I press closer to the gap. “Hello? Who’s there?”
The figure shifts, lifting their head slowly, and my heart skips a beat.
No freaking way.
“The March Hare?” I whisper.
“Alice,” the voice is soft, raspy, but familiar in a way that sends a jolt of recognition through me. My breath catches.
He raises his head fully to look at me. “You came,” he says, his voice hoarse and tired. “I wasn’t sure you would.”
I frown, trying to angle myself to see him better. In my dreams, he was a rabbit—big floppy ears and all—but here? He’s all big floppy hair.
“The Queen invited me,” I say, my voice a little sharper than intended. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”
He grimaces, turning slowly towards me. In his hand, he lifts something—a card. He holds it up for me to see.
It’s the same card I’ve been finding back at my mother’s house.
“We need your help,” he whispers, his eyes dark and full of something I can’t quite place.
I stare at the card in his hand, my mind spinning, my heart sinking. “The Queen didn’t send for me, did she?” I ask, my voice low.
The March Hare’s eyes meet mine.
“No,” he says, his voice a mixture of sorrow and resolve. “I did. Wonderland is dying.”