Wonderland

Chapter 1

Emile was walking, tuning everything out from his blistering ankle, to his sweating body, to his spinning head, to his dark thoughts despite the hot sun beating down on him. Gods he wished had brought water today, but he hadn't. He hadn't exactly planned to walk for however long he'd been going. His feet burned and ached from the hot concrete, even through his shoes, and he was absolutely drenched in sweat underneath his sweater. His muscles were aching and he was feeling himself beginning to lose balance on some steps but at least his head was finally soothed to calm, even if that calm was overpowered by heat and exhaustion. Emile felt a sudden wave of nausea and stopped. The concrete burned his knees through his jeans and he quickly shuffled into the grass before heaving, stomach turning nothing up but bile. Emile ditched his bag next to him in the grass and he dug desperately into his pocket for his phone. He opened it to the lock screen and got it unlocked before his brain started going fuzzy. Suddenly Emile collapsed sideways in the grass, whispering a name on his lips.
"Remy."

Remy groaned and slapped the radio off, fed up with the constant chatter as he glanced and quickly took the next turn. He was desperately searching for his brother. Emile didn't really have any friends he would be with. In fact, Remy knew him for being jumped occasionally, but on days like this, he physically couldn't be there to protect him. Remy muttered another curse as he glanced at his phone. He'd called Emile eight times and Emile hadn't responded. Something bad had happened, he just knew it, so he pulled up the phone tracker and used it to find Emile's location, which he headed to now, pushing speed limits. As he turned onto the stretch of road Emile was supposedly on, Remy felt his chest restrict at the almost barren-country street with no houses and no lights. The sun was just setting and Emile would be hard to see. Remy was driving, eyes scanning left to right when suddenly he saw tan and pink in the green grass and slammed on the breaks. Remy got out of his car and threw himself next to the body in the grass.

"Emi!" Remy screamed as he turned the boy over to lay on his back, "Emi wake up! Emile!" No response. His breathing was very faint, and visibly straining. Remy retreated to his car and grabbed his phone, dialing 9-1-1 as he sat in the grass again.

"Hello? Yes! I need help, I need an ambulance. My brother is passed out and he's barely breathing and his pulse is weak."

Heat stroke. That's why the doctors said Emile had passed out at the side of the road. His body was severely dehydrated and under strain from the heat his body had collapsed under the heat. Laying in the sun for however long he had in that hot sweater of his had sent him to the brink of death. Many of his organs and muscles were swollen or damaged, but the doctors said it would take time to see what would hwal. Currently, Emile was in a coma, unconscious, but alive. Remy sat at Emile's side silently, blinking away tears behind his sunglasses which he wore inside, if not just to hide his emotions behind them. Remy slowly took Emile's warm hand and craned his neck to place his forehead on the top of it. Remy suppressed a whimper. He was supposed to protect Emile, he was his guardian, now, since their parents passed.

"I'm so sorry, Emi," Remy whispered. It struck him that he was alone now, with Emile hospitalized. He was completely and utterly alone, with only the hope that Emile would recover soon.

—//—

Emile was in a different place altogether. Emile groaned as he came too. His body felt... light. The blanket on top of him was warm and soft, almost fluffy- and not his. Emile opened his eyes and looked around the strange room. It was almost like his dream room. There was a wooden bookshelf lined with all the books he'd ever wanted, his desk matched, and was nice and nearly organized. The flooring was laminate wood but had a pale pink carpet centered on it that matched the pink and tan bed. The room was lit by the sun streaming through the wide window and fairy lights entangled with some realistic looking fake plants hanging on the perimeter of the ceilings while many other plants were positioned throughout the room. Next to Emile on the bed was a stuffed animal black panther that reminded him of Remy. He always associated the animal with him. Where was he anyhow? Suddenly the door opened, making Emile gasp.