This is a game, nothing more. I’m the mouse, but who is the cat?
“Rule Number one: Don’t drink the tea here unless you trust the person giving it to you.”
“How do I know who to trust?” I ask, moving further away from the table. It gives me the creeps.
“You don’t.” An ominous smile spreads across his face. “Rule number two: Trust no one.”
“Is this like the house from Hansel and Gretel?” I whisper. I don’t know why I do. “Leading children inside, so they can be eaten?”
White laughs and shakes his head.
“The witch would be safer than the Hatter. At least with her, you know what to expect.”
“So, I can trust you?” I ask, hesitantly.
His eyes sparkle as the smile spreads across his face.
“No,” he says. “Trust no one in Wonderland. Not even yourself.”
“Where are they going?” I ask White as I lean to the side to try and get a better look. There’s a bright flash, but that’s all I can make out. The growth is too thick, forming a wall between us and them.
“The Hatter’s tea party is the last stop before the Hereafter,” White answers, sadness on his face. “Hatter sits with them all.”
“Those people were dead?” Surprise catches me off guard. I had been sitting with dead people, and I hadn’t even known it. “They didn’t look dead.”
“They look more alive than when they were living.” He meets my stare. “We shed our misery when we die. And the Hatter,” he pauses, his eyes haunted. “The Hatter sees us in both skins.”
“Do I need to protect myself against you?” I tilt my head slightly, considering his question.
He stops a few feet in front of me, his arms relaxed by his sides.
“You need to protect yourself against everything in Wonderland,” he replies. “Especially me.”
“She must lose her heart while taking a stand
To the first son of Wonderland.”
Eliminate all the illogical possibilities and you’re left with the only logical one, right? One, I’m in Wonderland. Two, I’m in the Mad Hatter’s house. Three, there’s a prophecy written that includes me helping take down the Red Queen. Four, I am not crazy.
“You’re beautiful.” The Hatter smiles with the words, and I suddenly feel as beautiful as he sees me. I feel like I can take on the world at this very moment and win.
I glance back at Hatter, grinning. He’s still standing on the edge, a soft smile on his face. “What?”
“I like when you do that,” he replies softly, his fingers gently squeezing mine.
“Do what?” I’m genuinely confused. I hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary.
“Embrace my madness.”