Page 11 of Wondrous

I blinked at her. “What?”

“I’ve always wondered why I never saw the White Rabbit again,” she said. “I wondered if they’d forgotten about me—the Cat, the Farmer, the Mock Turtle, and the Ten of Hearts. But of course they hadn’t—you came here and took my place. You’re an—an imposter.”

“An imposter!” I had never heard anything more ridiculous. “But we don’t look a thing alike.”

Alicia and I regarded each other. It was true—it wasn’t just our coloring; we weren’t even the same size, as Alicia was almost bone-thin. The only bit of congruity was her faded blue dress, which resembled a humbler version of what I had worn when I first fell through the rabbit hole. Yet I felt, for some reason, as if I were gazing into a mirror, the sort that showed you a distorted image of yourself, and a little shiver went through me.

“I didn’t replace anybody,” I told her. “I had my own adventures here—I was even put on trial by the Queen of Hearts.”

The girl acted as if she hadn’t heard me. “I’m going to save Wonderland,” she said. “And I don’t want you in my way, confusing everyone.”

“To save Wonderland?” I repeated. It felt as if she were constantly two steps ahead of me while I trailed behind like a loose ribbon clinging desperately to a lock of hair.

“This isn’t the only hollow place that’s appeared recently,” she said, sounding as if she were speaking half to herself. “I found one, even larger than this, completely blocking Come Hither Path where it crosses Skedaddle.”

“Oh no,” I murmured. “That makes three, then—there’s one by the lake downstream from the Hare and Hatter.”

“The Hatter?” Her gaze sharpened on me. “The Mad Hatter? You know him?”

“I’m his apprentice,” I said, drawing myself up straighter. It was true that the Hatter had never used this word to describe me, but he’d taught me how to make teacups and mix teas, so it didn’t seem like an untruth. “Do you know him?”

I don’t know if I could have borne it if she’d said yes, if the Hatter and Hare had been playing host to other girls without telling me, so it came as a relief when she shook her head.

“The Farmer sells him daisies to pin to his hats,” she said. “Apparently he’s even madder than she is, and he puts enchantments into his teacups.”

“Yes,” I said, “sort of. It’s the clay by the stream that’s enchanted; the Hatter just makes use of it.”

Somehow, this was the wrong thing to say. Without another word, she lunged forward and yanked me by the arm so violently I nearly fell to my knees.

“What are you doing?” I cried.

“I told you,” Alicia said, her grip tightening on my arm. “I’m going to save Wonderland.”

“That isn’t an answer!” I struggled against her grip, but she had a wiry strength that surpassed mine, and for every two steps she dragged me forward, I regained only one.

“I have to stop these hollows—whatever they are—from spreading,” she said. “I have reason to think you’re responsible for them.”

“What!” I exclaimed. “But I didn’t even know—”

“I came down this path yesterday. There wasn’t a hollow here yesterday. Then I come back and find some stuck-up toff standing here in front of a huge ugly one. That’s suspicious. That’s evidence.”

“Evidence! How on—” But she yanked me ever closer to the gaping hollow, and my words twisted into a scream.

“And you’ve been learning magic,” she went on.

“Teacups!” I protested. “My magic is strictly confined to teacups! Not blasting huge holes in the forest.”

She dragged me ever closer to the hollow. We were almost close enough now to reach out and touch the jagged edges of it. Alicia’s jaw was set, her eyes hard, and I realized with a sickening lurch of horror that she really meant to do it.

“You—you’re—” I was too terrified to be articulate, and my brain snagged on a single word. “You’re a murderer.”

“Not at all,” she said. “I’m a problem-solver. You’re a problem. So I’m solving it.”

She might have done it, too—shoved me into that terrible swirl of nothingness. But Hedgewitch, who throughout our fight had been hiding in the breast pocket of my cloak, clambered onto my arm, and then, as Alicia adjusted her grip, she rolled into a ball and wedged herself between my arm and Alicia’s fingers.

Alicia screamed and released me at once. Hedgewitch’s spines had embedded themselves in two of her fingers, and when she pulled her hand away from me, Hedgewitch went with her. The hedgehog squeaked, and then she was flying through the air as Alicia shook her hand violently. She clutched the hand to her chest and shot me a glare that promised violence.

I didn’t require additional motivation. I ran.