Beautiful Madness, Book One: Follow the White Rabbit

Chapter 2: Unlucky

Piles of books, dishes, and clothing covered the entirety of Lucky’s small underground home. Her things had started the day with some semblance of order, but as the morning progressed chaos had somehow slipped through the cracks in the earth.

Lucky was already running late but she was stalling, convinced she couldn’t leave for Birchelm without finding her favorite stiletto. Yes, she had a sword at her side and a bow on her back, but the stiletto was part of the look, and the Birchelm elders were paying for the look as much as for help with their town’s growing infestation.

The blade was on her dresser, exactly where she’d left it.

With a groan, Lucky strapped it into its leather sheath on her upper thigh. The silver tip could easily be seen under the hem of her shorts, but it wasn’t intended to be hidden. She wanted everyone to know she was well armed and more trouble than she was worth.

Her truly secret weapons weren’t so easily spotted.

Having run out of reasons to delay other than the strange feeling growing in the pit of her stomach, Lucky pulled on her shoes. She paused briefly before leaving her two-room for the tunnel that led up to the surface to make the mental shift from homebody to killer.

It was the first thing she’d learned after the Knave of Hearts had taken her under his wing—she had to leave her true self behind and adopt a persona every time she stepped out her door. That mental barrier might end up being the difference between a successful job and succumbing to the guilt that accompanied it.

The timid, child of the forest that her family had known wouldn’t have been capable of doing whatever was needed to reach her goals, but Lucky was a warrior, and she could do whatever she set her mind to. Now not one person would assume she was merely the plain, seventeen-year-old daughter of one of Wonderland’s most renowned seamstress. Though the jobs she did couldn’t be placed into one category, she was a professional.

The hatch at the top of the stairs was jammed and Lucky had to shove her elbow into one corner to force it open, ripping the fabric at her elbow in the process. It was going to be one of those days.

As the hatch popped open and sunlight hit Lucky’s face, the sudden smell from the garden was overwhelming. Violets and daisies greeted her as she climbed the last few steps and locked the hatch before kicking some dirt over it to hide the evidence of disturbance. If the garden had been less spectacular, her home would be nearly impossible to find by those who didn’t know where to look. Instead, it was impossible to miss. At least Lucky could relax in the knowledge that few ever willingly came this deep into the forest.

Some of the flowers were native to this part of Neverwood Forest, but others had been brought over either by Lucky herself or as gifts from grateful clients. Every single blossom had been encouraged to grow and flourish beyond its natural size. It was spectacular.

But Lucky had chosen the location for her home well, and few ventured out this far without a purpose. It had been a year since she had struck out on her own, and the garden was still the only thing that made her little hole in the ground feel like a home.

Lucky inhaled deeply, enjoying both the smell and the feeling of her garden before taking off towards the western end of the forest where the village of Birchelm could be found. She did her best never to take the same route twice or else risk creating an obvious path. Lesson number forty-eight was to never let your enemies know where you sleep.

The sun beamed down from a cloudless sky as an eastern wind blew through the trees. It would take two hours to walk to Birchelm—Neverwood was the largest forest in Wonderland, after all—but Lucky was glad for the walk. She had been feeling strange for several days but fresh-air always seemed to sweep away whatever was ailing her.