Fall of Wonderland!

One

So, I had decided that I wanted to write a second book. I worked on it for months, but hit a wall. I might pick up this concept in the future. This section hasn't been edited yet, so it's a bit "cringe." I wanted you all to see Alice and Valentina get together.
:)

GOLDEN CHILD

This chapter contains themes of parental abuse that are somewhat mild. I do not want to be the cause of anybody's pain, so please read at your own risk. It is a sensitive topic that I hope I did not romanticize in any way. What happened to Alice is awful and affects her greatly. I do not want to harm anybody who has faced similar experiences, despite the fact that these characters and their experiences are fictional. ❤️
However, I did my best to be un-descriptive and blank at that part. Less details might be easier for some people. It shouldn't be a big deal, but you never know what may trigger somebody. :)

There were a few awful things about the group's circumstances. They were lost in the woods of Wonderland, which never quite made sense. Flowers would yell at you for picking them (Alice knew this because she had tried to give Valentina a white rose), sometimes gravity decided not to work... for some reason.

There was also the unsettling feeling of looking at yourself and seeing your hair and eyes the way they used to be. Mali had used an illusion spell to make them appear as if they were citizens of Wild Wonderland, and not Dinah City.
There was also the fact that they were wearing their dresses from the party, unable to change until they found a village of some sort. Sometimes a random animal dressed in full clothing would come up to them and ask for directions.

So far, Alice loved Wonderland. It was such a nice break from the bleak life that she lived in the palace. And there was also the fact that she was surrounded by her favorite people in the whole world.

Lori's not here though, Alice recalled. She betrayed me. She may have tried to help us in the end, but only because she didn't want me hurt.

Alice remembered when Lori had purposefully pushed Valentina off of the rooftop. Lori wouldn't have cared if she died. But Alice? She would have been broken.

"How much longer are we going to have to roam around the forest aimlessly as the world turns to nonsense around us?" Valentina frowned. She had grown up a princess, and likely wasn't used to getting dirty or going hungry. Alice and Mali... well, that was their whole childhood.

"There's a mountain up ahead," Jude noted, pointing. Alice followed her finger and saw a small mountain, sandstone. Only the sandstone was the color of cotton candy, and smelled as much. "Maybe we can look for a cave, somewhere to spend the night."

Their luck was fortunate, and the group found themselves curling around a fire Valentina had made with their magic. Alice watched as everybody began to fall asleep. She closed her eyes.

And awoke screaming.

"Hey, it's alright!" Mali jumped up in surprise. "He can't hurt you anymore. He's long gone." Valentina touched Alice's arm. Alice was grateful for their comfort. I don't deserve to wake screaming most nights. Not after Mali's parents endured a fire, and Valentina was forced to marry a man who manipulated her.

Jude's face was shocked. "What happened?" She scanned their surroundings, finally understanding. "Is this a normal occurrence?" Jude's rooms were nowhere near the common room, so she had no idea about Alice's frequent nightmares.

"Yeah, it's alright." Mali answered. "We've got it covered."

Jude shook her head. "Why does she have these night terrors... did something happen?"

Alice smiled weakly. "Sorry for waking you. I'll explain. When I was little, my dad tried to drown me. Nobody noticed, and I almost died. Ever since Julius attacked, they've been worse."

"Oh," Jude whispered. "I shouldn't have intruded."

"No, it's fine." Alice shrugged. "If we're going to be traveling together, you should know." Still, Alice's mind reeled back to that day.

It was a sunny summer day. Alice was eight years old, and her family still lived all together. Their mom, dad, Alice, and Lori. Lori may have been minutes older, but she was still the golden child in Mr. Liddell's eyes. His name was William. Alice never thought of him as anything else.

Alice was never the favorite. She got into fights at school, failed classes, and always managed to mess things up. When Lori would break one of Mom's vases, Alice took the blame.

William was never right inside his own head. That's what Mom always told her. But that wasn't any excuse for what he did.

The family had been playing by a river near the woods, all splashing around in the water and having fun. They hadn't met Mali yet. Lori had gone to the bathroom with their Mom, and then.

William tried to kill her.

Alice had opened her eyes in her bed. It had been hours. She came downstairs, and everybody pretended nothing happened. And so Alice did too. Years later, there was a new policy about marriages between two different signs outside of the Knave Council, they were allowed a pardon. William left, heading into the Club Sector.

Alice confronted her mother about that day. Ava Liddell knew what happened and did nothing. Ava Liddell was an imperfect person, yes, but she does not deserve an excuse.

Good mothers don't stand by and let abuse happen. That's what Ava did.

Alice snapped back into reality. They were walking through the forest once again. Every bone in Alice's body ached and ached. Mali stopped, her feet planted to the spot. Alice bumped into her, and fell onto her bottom. Valentina reached down, holding out a hand for Alice to take. Her blonde hair hung loose at her shoulders, like the way it had before the Candle Ceremony. Alice had seen pictures.

Valentina looks beautiful. Alice's face heated. "You alright?" Alice nodded. "Guys, a village!" Jude exclaimed. Everybody turned and practically burst to tears.

Their first stop was the Inn.

★♥︎♠︎♣︎♦︎

"We don't get a lot of visitors in Hatson." The mayor greeted them each with a handshake. "Not many folk travel throughout Wonderland." He had rabbit ears atop his head that reminded Alice quite strongly of Anahita. How they had gone from checking rooms at the Inn to meeting the mayor was beyond her.

"It's official." The mayor decided. "Tomorrow night we will hold a feast in your honor!"