Chapter 7

"Do you know which way I need to go . . . ?"

A wide set of teeth stretched out into a grin, th ough it belonged to no visible body.

"Well," the mouth purred, the voice sly and feminine. "That all depends . . . on where you want to go."

I was at a crossroads on a deserted street corner. Eerie neon lights flickered lazily, as if ready to go out at any second. There was nobody else around. Just me and the bodyless mass of teeth. But in a matter of seconds, two hands took shape. They each pointed at the two directions I was stuck between.

"You could go this way," the mouth sighed, shaking one of its hands to the road on the right. "The Mad Hatter lives there. He's mad."

I frowned, then turned to face the left path.

"The March Hare lives there." the mouth informed me.

I gave a small nod.

"Alright. The March Hare. I think I'll go see him."

"He's also mad."

My movement toward the other direction stopped short and I turned to glare at the shapeless . . . thing.

"I don't want to go among mad people," I replied, crossing my arms across my chest with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, but we're all mad here," the mouth mewled. "I'm mad. And you're mad, too."

"I am not mad," I snapped.

With one last laugh, the mouth turned back into its correct side.

"You must be mad. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."

And then, there was nothing left.

The bell rang and I jumped. People were filing out of the classroom, eager for the end of the day. Had I fallen aslep? That dream was so vivid . . . Could someone really have dreams while taking such light naps?
My teacher smiled apologetically at me as she shuffled folders on her desk.

"You seemed very upset today, Alice," she said kindly. "I thought maybe you'd be better off sleeping. Anne took notes for you."

I smiled weakly.

"Thanks."

My locker wasn't far. I easily collected all the items inside of it as I was leaving. When I slammed the green metal door shut, I was surprised to see Nick standing next to me.

"Hey, Alice."

He offered me a small smile. I merely shook my head and tried to push past him. But he grabbed my wrist, his expression turning serious.

"Alice, please," he said. "Tell me what's wrong. Where are you going?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why?!"

There was a brief moment of silence between the two of us. Nick's grip on my wrist loosened, but I didn't try to run this time. I kept my eyes focused on the floor, too afraid I'd start crying if I looked at him.

"Are you running away?" he whispered, looking hurt.

I shook my head.

"No, I . . . . I just . . . I can't tell you."

"Dammit, Alice," Nick seethed, immediately re-tightening his grip. "Why are you always so shut off from everyone?! We've known you for years and it still feels like you're a stranger!"

His words stung me harshly. I tried to pull away, but he yanked me back again, ready with a whole new set of words to make me cringe.

"You love music. You life off of Starbuck's. Your favorite class is photography. That's almost all I know about you!" he shouted. "Let me in! Let me help you, Alice! We care about you! So, why isn't that good enough for you?!"

A painful noise left my throat. Tears were burning my eyes once more. I had only known Nick since my sophomore year, but I never would have expected such a response from him. He was always just sort of . . . there. He never spoke up or made an attempt to stand out. I didn't think he cared about me at all.

"It's not that at all, Nick," I said, straining to keep my voice from wavering. "I love you guys so much. You're all I have. That's why I'm leaving."

Nicks' rage suddenly turned back to hurt. He let me go at last, brown eyes rounding softly.

"Alice . . . please . . . tell me what's wrong. Is someone after you?"

I paused a moment. Should I tell him that much? What if Nick got too involved? Would Wonderland hurt him, too? I didn't know what I would do if I had to protect him. After a few moments, I nodded.
Nick's eyes widened. He glanced over his shoulder, as if making sure that no one else was around.

"Who is it?" he asked, his voice dropping to a low tone.

"I can't say." I replied.

My eyes flickered towards a clock on the wall nearby. Time was running short. I had to get out of there fast.

"Listen, Nick," I said quietly. "I'm only leaving for a while. At least until they stop looking for me. But I promise that I'll be back."

He nodded, staring at the floor. It was obvious that he wasn't convinced.

"If you come back . . . you have to promise me something."

I nodded.

"Sure."

With a sudden motion, Nick reached forward and grabbed my hand. I blinked, a genuine look of confusion on my face.

"When you come back, you have to go out with me. Like . . . on a date."

. . . . . . . Whoaaa . . . . totally did not expect that one.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Nick spoke first.

"I've liked you for a long time now, Alice. And you don't want to leave me hanging, right?" he asked with a grin.

Aah . . . so that's what he was getting at. He was making sure that i'd come back. Though it was a pretty stupid way of doing it. I left guys hanging all the time. But Nick was my friend . . .

"Yeah, alright," I said, smiling softly. "You picked a kind of crapy time to tell me all this, you know."

"Well, better now than never, right?"

"I guess."

Nick laughed and ruffled my hair. I felt relieved when he let go of my hand.

"Keep your promise, kay?"

". . . Kay."

Later that day, I left the apartment complex with a duffel bag of clothes and some other stuff, including my grandpa's Swiss army knife. My grandma watched from the balcony as I left in the direction of Anne's place. Once I knew that I was out of her view, I turned down a random alley and bolted.

The thin space ahead of me lead to the bad side of the neighborhood. That's where I was supposed to meet Christoph, Lydia and Peter. When I was younger, I was always too frightened to even step near this part of town. The old, littler Alice always childishly held on to Eric's hand when we passed by it. But the old Alice was gone. I was the big, new Alice. And the new Alice was fearless. Or at least, she tried to be.

I kept running, my heart thrumming in my chest rapidly. I think at that point, I was wondering if this was how a runaway felt. Free from the confines of home, but frightened of the wilderness ahead. The further I moved through the dark, narrow path, the more old Alice was left behind. I rushed past a drug dealer who looked eager for a customer. But when I saw I wasn't one, his face fell slightly.

A huge breath of relief exhaled from my lips as the alley ended and I emerged into an actual street corner. Two prostitutes turned to give me odd looks, but I quickly walked past them. Where the hell was Christoph?!
I walked down the street a little ways, until I came to a four-way intersection. My eyes moved left . . . then right. Up, then back. No sign of the monstrous black Hummer.

A tiny noise left my throat. Old Alice caught up to me. And her fear was spreading to her newer counterpart. My feet moved to the center of the street and without warning, my legs gave way beneath asphault scraped my hands, but I didn't care. I began to cry like a little child, right there in the intersection. In my mind, new-Alice was bitching at old-Alice for being such a baby. But that didn't stop my tears. What did stop me was the sudden hand on my shoulder.