Underland - Riley Chapple

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AUTHORS NOTE Special thanks to the Publishing module at The University of Winchester for enabling me to produce this publication.

My housemates for providing an entertaining source of inspiration when it came to writing.

WRITING & DEVELOPMENT The following is a work of fiction, inspired by the work of Lewis Carroll and his novel ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

All characters in these stories are a work of fiction.

All events in these stories are fictional. Some, however, are drawn from the first-hand experience of the author, and do in no way reflect everyone’s opinions or experiences.

All of these stories were written for the sole purpose of entertainment and enjoyment to the reader.

ARTWORK Special thanks to the various artists at DeviantArt for giving permission for their artwork & photographs to be used. I in no way, claim ownership over the material used. I only claim ownership over the edits & alterations made, as well as the writing included in this book.

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A rather intelligent, but timid girl, with a

smart mind

The man who has enough knowledge to be leader of the group.

An annoying and very formal Rabbit, who believes he’s right in everything.

The over-thinker of the group, who is always seeking answers.

A rather cheeky and mischievous cat with a hidden agenda.

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I ALICE The girl that appeared to have fallen out of a story book was timid, but brave to say the least. Long brown hair thick enough to look like a helping of chocolate ice cream atop a vanilla sundae, eyes as brown as the coffee stains you’d find on old parchment, her body was as smooth and curvy as the perfect stone you’d use to skip across a lake.

The key trembled in her hand as she took the first few steps forward.

The wind from above seemed to be pushing her forward, eager to see which of the two options she was going to choose. As she stepped forward towards

the strange and abnormal looking door, the sky began to break open. A warm summer shower began to rain down on the girl.

The girl increased her pace, sheltering her eyes from the rain with her hand. The cobble path on which she was walking down began to twist and turn. The key remained tightly gripped inside the girl’s hand, waiting to meet the lock on the other side of the door.

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II WHITE RABBIT The White Rabbit worried about what awaited him on the other side of the door. How long would it take to die he pondered? How would he know if he had died? His face twitched and itched as the thoughts became more vivid in his head. Questions exploding in every direction. Death was the only thing that he could think about.

The key was inside his blazer pocket, hidden from the eyes of the outside world. There was no way of knowing the answers to any of the questions that he continued to have. The only information he knew to be true was that he had a key, and in front of him was a door. This was something that didn’t tickle his fancy – a lack of information.

He tiptoed forward with great hesitation, unsure if this world would throw any surprises at him. The sky turned dark, the twinkling of starlight the only thing that lit the path in front of him. As he approached the door he sud-

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denly thought to himself, what would happen if he turned the key the correct way instead and lived?

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III HATTER The concept of a life-changing key was a new one to him. A door that when opened would lead you to your destiny, or a portal to your immediate death.

Oddly enough, the idea of these possibly being the last few moments of his life didn’t appeal to him. The Hatter, like so many others that had taken this challenge, wanted to vanish and forget that this whole experience had ever happened.

The sky remained tranquil as if it was getting ready for the dawn of a new day. The young man looked at his pocket watch and smiled at the time.

The hands on the clock didn’t move, stuck on the last moment that Hatter had been in the real world. The key dangled around his neck, twinkling in the last few moments of the newly birthed light, before the world became completely eclipsed in its warmth and tenderness.

He marched towards the door with anticipation and hope. If one worries over everything, then the world around them becomes twisted and dark.

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As the door appeared to move towards the man, the world around him began to unhinge and dissolve itself into a state he had already imagined. A world of his creation which he knew to be true. He smiled and opened his arms to it, ready to accept the outcome which that had already been decided upon.

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IV RABBIT He stood still and glared at the door, his foot tapping against the path on which he stood. Was it eagerness? Was it annoyance? It was difficult to tell at this point. He pulled out a small spoon from his pocket, a dish from his coat, and a cup from his rucksack. He gripped the plate firmly, after placing the cup daintily on top of it.

Despite his earlier frustration, he seemed to show excessive care when it came to the art of tea making. The cup began to fill up with a brown coloured liquid. Two leaves fell from a nearby tree, twisting themselves into

small green cubes that dissolved in the liquid and created the brew.

The tea started to dissolve out of his cup as if it was never there in the first place. Rabbit’s bottom lip quivered as his concept of heaven had vanished from his grasp yet again. In its place was a small brown key that laid at the bottom of the empty tea cup. Naturally the young being put two and two together and assumed that the key would fit in the door that was in front of

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him. He stepped forward, with the idea of making another cup of tea firmly planted within his head.

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V CHESHIRE CAT Suffice to say the others weren’t as meticulous as the last. Cat looked at the door, and looked at the key that had been given to him. He couldn’t remember who or what had given him this strange object, but knew that putting it into a door that possibly led to nowhere was a bad idea.

But that wasn’t how the game worked. At least that wasn’t how the game worked at the time. The sky thundered again, but the youngest of the group still didn’t move. He sat on the cobbled path and refused to take another step forward. He placed his key inside his jacket pocket and tried to forget

that it was even there. He believed that there were more important things to be thought about than doors and keys.

He itched his head to try and think of something to pass the time. The world suddenly seemed very opaque and boring in comparison to what it once was. The colour had been sucked out of the realm, leaving very little room for imagination or fun. The youngest of the group looked back at the

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door that appeared to have retained its colour, as if it was calling out to be unlocked. Though one must never give in to temptation, destiny is something completely different altogether.

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VI THROUGH THE RABBIT HOLE The key unlocked the door in a single turn. There was no hesitation from the one who unlocked the door. Who that was, however, wasn’t yet made clear.

The group stood in the doorway and looked inside. It was dark and muggy, like the entrance of a never-ending tunnel.

Liquid dripped from the roof of the tunnel, followed by an ominous gust of wind that began to pull them inside. The White Rabbit twitched his nose as the smell from the cave weaved its way inside of his nose.

It was pungent and damp. Like wet sand and salted air that reminded

you of a southern beach. The only sound they could hear was the faint echo of the wind that urged them to begin their adventure.

“You know you want to,” a voice whispered in their ears. The group paused and looked at the worry and doubt that had been carved into each of their faces. They still had no idea as to why they had each been given keys, why they had to unlock a door, and why they had all been put together. The on-

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ly thing they knew for certain was that ahead of them was a tunnel, and behind them an inevitable and painful end.

“You must keep going. Otherwise you will lose the game.” The voice joked again. Alice stepped forward, her foot just narrowly touching the cave floor. Rabbit gripped her arm, trying to pull her back into the safety of the outside.

“You can’t,” he said. “You don’t know what’s inside.”

“We haven’t got any other choice.” White Rabbit said with a tone of superiority in his voice. “We can’t go back, you heard the voice.”

“But what if it was lying?” Rabbit said with desperation. Cheshire cat rolled his eyes, already irritated by one of his companions that he had become

stuck with.

“Where else are we going to go?” Hatter asked, crossing his arms across his torso. “There is no exit.” Rabbit’s bottom lip trembled; unimpressed that so many people were against him in the first place.

“Trust me, Rabbit.” Alice said, touching his hand with hers. “We just need to keep walking.” Rabbit’s eyes glazed over, his heart beating faster than before. Alice smiled an innocent and friendly grin in his direction. Rabbit’s nose twitched.

“Okay.”

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VII HEARTBREAK IS THE SADDEST WAY TO GO “Why are you sad Mr. Rabbit?” Alice whispered. The group continued to creep their way through the tunnel, avoiding the strange dripping liquid that hovered above their heads. The Hatter, Cat and White Rabbit had already advanced quite far through the tunnel, and though Alice could have followed after them at an even faster pace, she had decided to stay behind and walk with Mr. Rabbit.

His ears were dangling down against his shoulders. His newly bought blazer was already coated in a thin layer of slime. He pulled out a cream hand-

kerchief from his pocket and wiped his nose with it.

“I’m not sad Alice,” He answered. Alice giggled as little girls should and took the handkerchief from the rabbit.

“It’s okay to be sad, you know, Rabbit,” Alice added, wiping her own nose with the small piece of fabric. “If you aren’t sad every now and again, you can’t be happy every now and again.” The rabbit looked up at the little girl who contin-

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ued to smile without a worry or fear in the world. He however was filled with the opposite. His brain turned and flipped with concern and angst over the feelings he had developed for the girl.

How could he confess? Should he confess? The multitude of emotions continued to twist and turn together until they had moulded themselves into a ball of confusion and distress inside of his head. His steps became sloppy; his

brow began to leak with sweat.

Alice didn’t seem to notice the whirlwind of emotions that the rabbit was experiencing, as if she was in another world all together.

Finally, the rabbit fell to the floor. His once cleanly pressed brown trousers were now torn and ripped from pieces of rock and rubble. He had become a rabbit in the headlights, unsure of what to do next. Alice finally noticed Rabbit had been knocked down. His body twitching manically on the floor.

“Oh no, Mr. Rabbit. Are you alright?” she cried, as she grabbed the rabbit firmly by the waist and sat him up as best as she could. Her soft, human hands stroked his matted, autumn fur to reassure him. “Mr Rabbit, can you hear me?” she asked with a distressed tone in her voice. The spoon from the rabbit’s pock-

et fell onto the floor, transforming itself into yet another key, and rattling as it landed.

“Oh Ms. Alice! I’m so sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you!” the rabbit pleaded. He gazed up into the eyes of the young maiden who sat beside him, cradling him like the tiny animal he was.

“What trouble, Rabbit? I couldn’t just leave you here by yourself. As the 25

two locked eyes, it was hard to break the moment that was forming between them.

The key that rested on the floor began to rattle and click.

The rabbit’s eyes watered and shimmered as happiness began to grow inside of him. His earlier sense of self-doubt was beginning to dissolve away and disappear as if it wasn’t ever there to begin with.

“Come now, we have to catch up with the others,” Alice added, patting her friend on the head. As she stood, her eye caught the sight of the key on the floor. How unusual, she thought to herself. The rabbit quickly grasped it in his hand, placing it back into his pocket before Alice could say anything.

“Let’s keep this quiet, shall we?” the rabbit said with a twitch of his nose.

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VIII READY SET GO “What do you mean we’re lost?” The White Rabbit shouted. Alice sat still on her toadstool, drawing swirls and circles into the ground beneath her feet. The Cheshire cat continued to laugh manically from a tree as the argument raged on.

“I said we are lost man, alright!?” The Rabbit argued back. The two continued to argue back and forth until neither had the energy to pursue the other. The Mad Hatter rolled his eyes at the dispute. He knew that neither of them knew where they were going, however, even he had to admit that the White Rabbit had more reasoning than Rabbit.

The Rabbit stomped his feet in a state of anger, shaking the ground beneath him. After leaving the cave, the group had stumbled upon a series of unique paths. Each was blocked by twisting bushes and trees, with brightly coloured flowers decorating each route. One path seemed to lead to a tall, multicoloured building, another, a maze made from stones and rocks, and even one that led to a flight of stairs into the clouds.

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“Do we really need this childish act Rabbit?” Alice asked quietly. He froze, uncertain as to why the tiny girl had decided to question him. The Cheshire cat slid down from his tree and leant eagerly over the Mad Hatter’s shoulder, whispering into his ears.

“I think we may have found our first split in the group Hatter, what says you to leaving?” He asked. The cat was known for being the sneakiest out of all

in the group. He was able to charm his way into any discussion, and often go completely unnoticed by the others. The Hatter rolled his eyes and didn’t respond. He knew that he was wiser than the Cheshire cat, and that all of this was nothing more than a scheme to cause trouble. “Or would you prefer to resolve this matter alone?” He asked.

The Hatter stood up from the ground and marched towards Rabbit, who

was still furious. It was certainly Hatter who was the most mature out of everyone in the group.

“You need to drop this Rabbit. If we carry on like this, we’ll be stuck here forever.” He pointed out. The Rabbit drooped his ears like a lost puppy. At this point, the White Rabbit couldn’t help but overhear their conversation. “Listen, just apologize to him, and we can try and get out of this mess together.”

“Forget it!” The White Rabbit shouted. “I don’t want anything to do with him! His attitude is disgusting!” with that, he ran off down one of the narrowing paths that were ahead of the group. The Cheshire cat chuckled beneath his breath before following after him. They were partners in crime, but, no-one had yet caught onto that fact.

“Wait!” Alice cried out. The girl stretched out her hand to try and grasp her 29

friends back, but her efforts were useless. The Hatter shook his head and sat down on the ground, clearly frustrated with the lack of empathy that Rabbit was showing.

“Are you happy now? They’re gone.” Hatter crossed his arms and gazed at the drawings that Alice had drawn. The Rabbit adjusted his waistcoat to smarten himself up.

“Yes, actually I am.” He replied. Alice looked back up at him, scanning his face for some form of sign that he was lying. There was nothing, not even a smile. It was like looking upon a sad canvas devoid of art. Alice could feel the shudder of a cold shiver down her spine.

Something was awakening.

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IX BILLY KNOW-IT-ALL His idea of common sense was severely fractured. His tail longer than any normal lizards should be, smell distinctive enough to be picked up on from a mile away, and voice as annoying as a broken truck horn.

The Cheshire cat shook his head as the White Rabbit argued his point across to the lizard. The pair had stumbled upon an abandoned house where they thought best to rest for the night. The only issue was that a Lizard was lurking in the darkened corner of the house, and now refused to leave.

“We just want to rest, please let us use this house.” White Rabbit argued.

The Lizard didn’t move from his spot, he coughed and hissed but that was about it. “How long have you been here exactly?” White Rabbit asked again.

“About twelve hours.” The Lizard replied. The Cheshire cat laughed into his paws, his face turning a bright red from the delight he was now feeling.

Could it be that the Cheshire Cat foresaw this meeting?

“And is this house yours Lizard?” The Cheshire Cat asked, coughing on

his laughter as he spoke.

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“Nope.” Lizard replied. The White Rabbit walked back outside to get some fresh air, the sound of the lizard and Cheshire Cat arguing back and forth continued to roar through the house. He sighed, and examined some of the vegetables that were growing in the garden. There were carrots, cauliflowers, and a rather unusual purple looking fruit hanging from a tree.

It had been awhile since White Rabbit had last had something to eat, his stomach rumbled from hunger. He lifted his little rabbit paws into the dirt and began to dig into the ground to fetch a carrot. The soil was hard and cracked, as if it hadn’t been hoed or tended to for quite some time. The lizard ran outside being chased by the Cheshire Cat. “Just because I don’t have a key to this house doesn’t mean I can’t stay here!” Lizard proclaimed. The Cheshire Cat laughed once again at the Lizard’s

stupidity. “Besides, I do have a key, I just…don’t know where it goes.” He added.

The White Rabbit crunched into his newly harvested carrot before realizing what the Lizard had said. The keys, he had one as well. He sifted through his blazer pocket and pulled out the small golden key he had on his person.

“Does it happen to look like this?” White Rabbit asked. The Lizard nodded.

“What do you think this could mean Cat?” White Rabbit asked again. The Cheshire Cat chuckled quietly and shrugged his shoulders. The White Rabbit at this point knew that perhaps his friend knew more than what he was letting on.

They had all been given the same instructions to go through the same door, however, that was all they knew to be factual. He pondered for a moment, thinking what use a collection of keys would be.

“Everyone in Underland has a key.” The Lizard added, stroking his tail with 33

his slimy, green hands. The White Rabbit twitched his nose even more.

“And why is that?” He asked. The Lizard flicked his vision between both the Cat and White Rabbit, clearly hesitant to reply. “How many people are there here in…Underland.”

“Only a handful. You have to be chosen to come here.” Lizard replied.

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X THE LIZ-OCKET The Mad Hatter had walked around each of the strange and bizarre looking pathways, every time returning to Alice and the Rabbit.

“How could they have disappeared like that?” He asked the others. Alice shook her head, refusing to look back up from her drawings. The names of the White Rabbit and the Cheshire cat were now carved into the ground. The Rabbit on the other hand lent his body firmly against the body of an old willow tree, his arms crossed across his chest.

“Perhaps they got eaten by something, or even swallowed by this world itself!” Rabbit argued. The Mad Hatter rolled his eyes and removed his hat, sifting his hand through the inside. In a matter of moments, he pulled out a rainbow coloured handkerchief and blew his nose.

“You know that attitude of yours is what caused this to happen in the first place.” The hatter argued. The Rabbit twitched his nose and looked away. Alice stood up from her toadstool and walked closer towards one of the coloured

paths. “What’s wrong?” Hatter asked as he tucked his handkerchief back into his 36

hat.

“Perhaps we should go towards the stairs.” Alice pointed out, her finger pointing towards the stairs in the distance. The Hatter smiled at the idea, reluctant to tell Alice that he had already wandered down that path. “We may all end up meeting in the same place.”

Just then, the ground started to shake beneath Hatter’s feet. The soil

cracked and broke. Hatter jumped next to Alice, holding onto his hat in case it fell into the ground. Rabbit’s ears twitched, he turned back around to see what all the commotion was. A small hole had now formed in the ground, a tunnel so to say. Alice crouched down to see what was inside, causing Rabbit to stumble forward and take notice in what was going on.

“I think I can hear something.” Alice said, her head leaning towards the hole to hear better.

“What do you think it is?” Hatter asked. Alice squinted her eyes, trying to pick up on each of the tiny sounds.

“Its…its getting louder.” She pointed out. WHOOOP. The lizard unexpectedly zipped up from the hole and into the sky. Alice fell backwards in shock.

“What on earth?” The Hatter and Rabbit watched as the Lizard soared through the sky, until finally landing with a crash on the ground.

“Are you dead?” The Cheshire Cat shouted from the hole.

“Cat!? Is that you?” The Hatter shouted. He gazed into the hole.

“Oh Hatter, um…is the Lizard dead?” Cheshire Cat replied. The Hatter turned and looked at the unusual creature that had splatted itself on the floor.

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“I don’t…think so?” Hatter replied. The Lizard flickered its eyes open and looked around. Alice turned her body around and began to crawl towards the Lizard to lend him a hand. “Why are you in a hole anyway Cat?” Hatter asked.

Then, White Rabbit and Cheshire Cat both poked their heads through the hole in the ground, and looked at the Hatter.

“Well, we couldn’t find a path back to you.” The White Rabbit pointed out.

“So, I had to make one, initiative and all that.” The Cheshire cat laughed under his breath once again, the Rabbit getting more frustrated the longer it went in for.

“Is that a dig at me by any chance?” Rabbit asked, hopping his way towards the hole. The White Rabbit sighed.

“You need to get over yourself Rabbit, we found a clue.” White Rabbit replied. Hatter turned to face the Lizard, who’s key was dangling around his tail. “I think we all deserve an explanation.”

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XI THE MEAL THAT BURNED The group sat around a freshly lit fire that the hatter had ignited. In the world of Underland, time didn’t seem to be a strong concept. One moment it would be a dark and cold night, then the next it would be a sunny and bright day.

The flowers and plants that grew in Underland were luckily edible. The only way they had of knowing which ones were good or not was to forcefully encourage Lizard to try them. At first it had seemed that the group of five were the only ones in Underland, now it appeared to be that there were more.

“Mine tastes like pizza.” Rabbit said. “With some sort of kick to it?” He added. Cheshire cat chuckled as he cooked his flower bud over the flames. Alice chewed on a mushroom that she had picked earlier. It had the texture of a Victoria sandwich, but the taste of a strawberry cheesecake. Hatter was busy picking more samples from the flower bushes and trees, it seemed that he had become the leader of the group since the rabbit’s dispute.

“So how long have you been here Lizard?” Alice asked politely. Her cheeks were puffed out like some small hamsters as she chowed down on an-

other mushroom. The Lizard twiddled his thumbs together, hesitant to join the 40

others in their meal.

“I don’t know actually.” He replied. Cheshire cat rolled his eyes. “I just sort of stumbled here.”

“How can you stumble here?” Cat asked. The Lizard held his hand up to the cat, like a traffic warden does to cars in the real world.

“Don’t interrupt me.” The Lizard said. The Cat was taken back, how could

he have known the Lizard was going to continue talking with a topic like that.

The Lizard took in a deep breath and continued his point. “The last thing I remember, I was walking to some sort of building. It was filled with people and posh looking buildings.”

“How peculiar.” Alice said, lowering her mushroom onto her lap to listen more carefully to the Lizard. “I don’t remember anything like that.”

“You’re right. I only remember seeing a door.” Hatter said as he sat down beside Alice.

“Well, I did see that too…but I remember before that as well.” Lizard said. The group hesitated, each swallowing a mouthful of food to break the tension. “Do any of you remember before you arrived in Underland?” Lizard asked.

There was no response, each of the original five focusing their sole attention on their food.

The fire crackled and hissed. The wood that was sustaining its life force almost entirely burnt out. Cheshire Cat twisted and turned his skewer that was jam-packed with mushroom, flowers, and leaves. The different colours of each piece began to darken and gain a thick, black, charcoal coating around each in-

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dividual chunk. By the time the Cat noticed, the White Rabbit had already thrown the skewer into the hole they had emerged from earlier.

“I was gonna eat that!” He yelled. The White Rabbit glared at the Cat, who immediately backed down.

“Any particular reason why you took so long to notice Cat?” the White Rabbit replied. Cheshire Cat swallowed heavily, his demeanour changing from

its typical clown like personality to nothing more than a confused and delirious child. The Lizard looked puzzled at the Cat, his face trying to place him in a world that may or may not have known him before.

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XII WELL THIS IS AWKWARD “We need to get moving.” Rabbit announced, pushing himself up from the floor and standing tall. “I agree with what Alice said earlier, we need to head upwards.”

“You don’t even know what we’re meant to be doing Rabbit!” the White Rabbit argued, chewing on a mouthful of chocolate tasting mushroom.

“He’s right.” the Lizard added. The group all turned to face him in unison, surprised by his statement.

“What?” White Rabbit asked. The Lizard twisted his tail and grabbed hold of his key.

“These keys, you have one each as well right?” Lizard asked. Alice coughed, trying to ignore the memories of herself and Rabbit from when they first arrived. “These keys are what he uses to control us.” Lizard added.

“He?” Cheshire Cat asked.

“The King of Underland, the man who governs this place.” Lizard said. He

stood up from his seat and pointed towards the stairs. “If you head up there, 44

you’ll eventually find his courtroom. That’s where he keeps us all, and where you’ll be able to leave this world.”

“That…doesn’t make any sense.” Alice replied. Lizard laughed.

“Yes, it does. That’s the law of Underland. He takes us from a world we aren’t happy in and places us here. He keeps us safe.” Lizard said. Cheshire cat shook his head, as did Hatter.

“I can’t even remember; how does he know if I was truly unhappy?!” Hatter shouted. Lizard held up his hands in defence.

“I don’t know, nobody does. I’m just telling you what I know.”

“Where did you hear it from?!” The Hatter demanded, his face inches away from Lizards. His face was puffy and pink. Lizard swallowed, sweat rolling from his face.

“The caterpillar! The caterpillar!” He repeated.

“And, where is he?!”

“Up the stairs! He guards the entrance to the King’s courtroom!”

The Hatter stormed passed the Lizard and ran towards the stairs. White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat and Rabbit followed quickly after. Alice stood to chase after her friends, but Lizard gripped her hand tightly to stop her.

“Wait.” He said. “You mustn’t go!”

“Why not?” Alice asked. She looked at the Lizard, whose body was shaking and turning more and more pale by the second.

“If he finds you, you’ll forget everything. You’ll be stuck in Underland, for-

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ever.” Alice glanced at the Lizard’s key, she couldn’t help but notice it’s faint glow dimming in and out. “Please, you have to stop them.”

“But we can’t stay here.” Alice said, trying to explain to Lizard her reasoning. The Lizard fell to his knees, grabbing hold of Alice’s hand with both of his.

“It’s too late for me.” Lizard said, his eyes filling with tears. “He already

knows, I’ve told you too much.” Lizard’s key flashed more rapidly than before.

His grip on Alice’s hand increased.

“Lizard?” Alice asked. They’re eyes met for only a second, but that was all it took for Alice to remember this moment. The Lizard’s lips parted, as if he was about to say something, but it was too late. There was a boom of light from the key that hung around his tail, and with that the body of the Lizard was gone.

Alice stood shocked and alarmed, looking around for some sign that he was still here.

Little did she know, that would be the last time anyone would ever see Lizard in that form, again.

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XIII SHE APPEARED The stairs kept going up, and up, and up. The only difference was what the stairs were made from. The higher the group climbed, the more they seemed to go

through all the layers of a planet. They had started climbing up towards the blue sky that we all know, but once they reached the top, it seemed as if they had broken through a barrier and ended up in the ocean. The steps continued to appear one after the other, each time leading up to another area.

“How is this possible?” Alice asked, trailing from behind. Fish swam around their heads as they climbed, their ability to breathe remained. As they looked below them, the movement of the water seemed to blur the world they were once getting too comfortable in, covering it in a sapphire blue.

“Don’t ask questions Alice, just keep moving.” The White Rabbit said. The steps were floating in the air, each made from what looked like clear pieces of crystal. Once they reached the top, they broke through into another layer, this time a dark space like one. Planets spun in the distance, stars twinkling in the 48

night. The steps had changed into rocks, each getting smaller and smaller as they escalated higher.

“We’re almost there!” Hatter shouted from the front, his legs getting stiffer from the change in gravity. Rabbit was huffing and puffing as he struggled to keep up. Each step to him, felt like a mountain. Alice tapped him on the back, encouraging him to keep going forward. “Up there!” Hatter shouted.

There was a bright light coming from above, each of the five hoping that it was the end of their climb. Hatter stepped through first, his eyes taking their time to readjust to the light. He had entered a white walled room, with a spinning purple cube in the middle. The White Rabbit, Alice, Cheshire Cat, and Rabbit all followed closely behind.

“What is that thing?” Cheshire cat asked. The cube was the size of a double-decker bus, with the group being nothing more than the size of tiny bugs.

They watched helplessly and unsure as to what to do, or what this strange object was. The Cheshire cat stepped forward, his arm stretching out towards the cube.

“What are you doing?!” Rabbit yelled. The cube stopped spinning. The

group jolted, surprised by the change that had occurred. “Cat, don’t move.” The Cheshire Cat smiled and raised an eyebrow, clearly thinking he had more courage than anyone else.

“What is there to be afraid of? It’s just a cube.” He replied. The cube cracked open, revealing inside it a smoky, blue, puff of air. Cheshire Cat coughed, shading his eyes from the smoke. Once the smoke had dispersed itself, the group could work out what exactly was inside the cube itself. A thin 49

framed girl stepped out of the cube, her body wrapped in a formal blue dress.

The Hatter froze, his heard thumping inside of his chest. Something inside of him had changed.

“Is that…the caterpillar? the White Rabbit asked. Hatter stepped forward, his eyes widening. The key that had dangled around his neck suddenly began to shine.

“Why are you here?” The girl asked, her voice timid and frail. The Hatter held out his hand to the girl, his lips trembling. “What have you done?” The girl asked.

“Who are you?” Hatter interrupted. The girl sighed and smiled.

“How can you not remember me Hatter?” She replied. The Hatter gasped, was this was the Lizard meant about forgetting things?

“Don’t listen to her Hatter!” Alice shouted. Hatter shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “You have to trust me!” Alice added. Hatter lowered his hand, moving it back towards his side.

“You’d rather trust her…over me?” The girl asked. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, her dress twinkling with what looked like magic or star-

dust.

“Come now Hatter, surely you remember your own girlfriend.” A voice boomed. Hatter looked around him, confused as to where the voice was coming from. That was when they all noticed it, the man stood behind the girl this entire time. “I’m disappointed in you. I thought I wrote you better than that.” He added.

The group shook, what did he mean, wrote?

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XIV CONFRONTATION “For the last time, I did not take the toilet paper!” Ryan shouted. Adam continued to stare him down, refusing to back off.

“For flip sake, why are we arguing about toilet paper?!” Marcus asked.

“It’s stupid.” Adam rolled his eyes, walking back into the living room. “All I said was that I wanted to talk about some things.” Marcus said, his fingers busy typing away on his laptop. Adam sat on the opposite sofa and brushed his fringe out of his face. Ryan was busy scurrying away in his room like some sort of animal, the sound of clicking, clacking and zipping coming from every direction.

“I know he took it, why else would he go into his room.” Adam said. Ryan tutted in his room, the volume was too loud not to hear it. Marcus typed a few more things into his laptop before shutting the lid, his expression wasn’t as polite as before.

“I’m telling you, it wasn’t us.” Marcus said. Adam laughed with sarcasm.

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“If you had an issue, why didn’t you raise it earlier?” Adam asked.

“Because Ryan doesn’t like Jacob.” Marcus answered with a whisper.

“Why are you whispering?”

“Because I don’t know if he’s in his room.”

“No.” Ryan added, walking out of his room and sitting behind Marcus.

“He’s not.”

“But why are you telling me this?” Adam asked.

“Because you think I took the bloody toilet paper!” Ryan argued. Marcus lifted his hands in the air to try and soothe the tension.

“Alright, alright. Look, Ryan didn’t take the toilet paper.” Marcus stated.

“But something is going on here.”

“What have you got against Jacob anyway?” Adam asked. Marcus turned to Ryan, seeking refuge and support in his friend’s words.

“He’s rude. Simple as.” Ryan replied.

“So?” “I don’t want to be around someone like that.” Adam sighed and gestured

his hand, slumping his body back into the sofa. Marcus watched from the side, trying not to get involved in the next potential outbreak of housemate vs housemate.

“Then just talk to him. Simple.”

“We’ve tried that.” Marcus said. “He didn’t listen.”

“Well…” Adam trailed off, clearing unsure of what further advice he could 53

offer to them.

“Look. The situation is this. I don’t want to be around Jacob. I hate his personality, his attitude stinks, he doesn’t help when we ask him too…”

“And he has no initiative!” Marcus interrupted. Ryan rolled his eyes, it was a common trait for Marcus to interrupt, but he didn’t want to say anything out of politeness.

“What is it with you and initiative?” Adam asked.

“It’s just cause over the summer, Ryan and I…” “That doesn’t matter though.” Adam pointed out. There was a click from the front of the house, followed by the sound of something unlocking. Marcus and Ryan’s hearts both stopped. Their arms covered in goose bumps from nerves and worry. The light from the outside world shone into the house through the crack in the door.

“Is that?” Adam whispered.

“Sshhh” Ryan replied. The sound of footsteps followed next, and then the shadow of a person.

“Hiya.” Bryony announced, her voice kind and innocent. There was a mass sigh of relief from inside the living room. Bryony laughed and smiled as she walked into the living room, her rucksack dangling from her arm. “What?” She asked.

“They thought you were Jacob.” Adam replied. The pair laughed, but Marcus and Ryan seemed somewhat unimpressed.

“I’m gonna go do some work.” Ryan announced, heading back towards 54

his bedroom again. Marcus watched his friend leave, noticing how off his expression seemed.

“Are you alright?” He asked. Ryan shook his hand before shutting himself away in his room. He stood with his back against the door as safety finally swallowed him whole. The only time Ryan felt peace was inside his room, that was the one place where no-one could anger him.

“Time to get back to work.” Ryan whispered to himself. He walked over to his laptop and switched it on. Unlike most men, Ryan’s computer was simple, and clean. He had a very small number of programs on his laptop, but only tended to access one. He sat down and scrolled through his favourite list, before clicking on a program titled: Project U.

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XV BREAKING POINT The unknown man slapped the Rabbit across the face. Over, and over, and over.

The White Rabbit, Alice, Cheshire Cat and Hatter were nowhere to be seen. The Rabbit coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he did. He was tied to a chair, his paws held together by wires. The last thing he was able to remember was the strange man confronting him and the rest of the group.

“Wh-why are you doing this?” Rabbit muttered, his ears flopped against either side of his head. The strange man took a step back and smiled.

“Because you cheated.” He replied “Cheated?”

“Don’t play dumb. You, and your friends, all made it here. No-one has access to that information. No-one.”

The Rabbit turned his head to a more comfortable position, his face soar from the slaps he had received. His cheeks were swollen, and teeth luckily all

still stable inside his gums.

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“We heard it from the Lizard.” Rabbit mumbled. The unknown man slapped Rabbit again.

“That’s impossible! You five are the only ones capable of thinking individually!” The man argued. He stood still, pondering the idea. By now, the rabbit had enough time to take in the appearance of the strange man, as well as contemplate what sort of personality he had. There was a knocking sound in the distance, followed by the sounds of a door unlocking.

“Sir, I have the chest you asked for.” A voice muttered. Rabbit instantly recognised it, it belonged to the girl that had appeared earlier. It belonged to the caterpillar.

“Thank you, C., You may go.” The man replied. The Rabbit groaned in pain, hoping that his sound of distress would resonate with the girl. “Oh, don’t even try that card. The only people in this world C can feel any emotion for is myself, and Hatter.”

“You are nothing more than scum to me.” The girl added. Rabbit was taken back by this comment, still confused as to what was going on. The girl placed the chest inside of the strange man’s hands and left the room. Her face was empty and cold, the only thing that Rabbit could pick up on was a tiny tear falling from her face. What could it mean, was it an act?

The man and Rabbit appeared to be in some sort of storage room, it was dark but dimly lit. The walls silver and metallic light, with a sort of iron like smell.

“By now I assume you’re wondering what’s going on. Why you’re here and where your friends are.” The man said. The Rabbit shook his paws, trying to

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see how tightly he was trapped. “Don’t fuss, I made it so that you’d be here for a long, long time.” He added.

“Who are you?” Rabbit asked again. The man turned the box around to face Rabbit. It was small and brown, with tiny golden latches decorating the centre.

“Everything you need to know, is inside here.” The man said. He placed

the box on the floor, and began to walk behind Rabbit. He untied the wires and stepped backwards into the shadows. Rabbit shrugged his shoulders, moving them in every direction to try and get comfortable. Having been sat in the same position for a while, Rabbit was unsure as to how much strength his limbs would have. He moved his paws towards his chest, examining how much damage the wires had done to his wrists. His once posh and formal outfit had degraded it-

self, turning grey and old.

“Why have you?” The Rabbit muttered, twitching his nose.

“You have two choices.” The strange man muttered. “You can either look inside the box, or, you can come and find me.” The Rabbit slivered his body down to the floor, pushing himself onto his knees as best as he could. His face was directly in front of the box, his nose just touching the golden lock. “You already know what you have to do to unlock it, right?” The voice whispered.

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XVI THE GIVER OF KEYS “Welcome to Project U. The ultimate way to explore your creativity online.” A computer-like voice sound spoke. Ryan placed his headphones over his ears, hoping that the sound would aid in blocking out the outside stress that he was beginning to feel. “Please, select your avatar.” The voice said again.

Ryan scrolled through a list of characters and options, each offering unique methods to customize them later in the game. He sighed as the game continued to load.

Finally, he selected an avatar. He chose a simple looking peasant boy, with simple skills and abilities. The screen came up with several additional options, including: name, bio, and contact details.

“You will now be spawned in a random location.” the computer spoke.

“Please enjoy exploring the world of project U.” Ryan looked out his bedroom window, the sky beginning to turn dark. The clock was close to five when he first logged in, the sounds of his housemates arguing continuing to scream through

his headphones.

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His screen opened to a village-like location, the world more tranquil than what Ryan’s could ever be. Around his own character were other players, and a mixture of non-playable characters. Ryan checked his inventory, the only item he had was a handbook of information. Ryan didn’t bother to check it, he had already played several versions of this game, and assumed that this one would be no different.

“Hey Ryan!” A voice said. Ryan turned his avatar around using the controls on his computer. In front of him was a more advanced looking player. He had more gear and level points than Ryan’s character, but for some reason was in a starter village.

“Oh, hey Rich.” Ryan replied, adding a command to make his avatar wave.

“It’s been weeks since you last logged on, what took you so long?” Rich asked. Ryan moved his character again, this time making him walk through the village. “Come on, you can tell me.” Rich pestered.

“You already know.” Ryan muttered. His earlier positive demeanour changed and became more cold. “Did you do what I asked you to while I was away.” Rich walked closer to Ryan, becoming only a few inches away from his ear.

“Of course.” He whispered. Rich was also now acting stranger than before. The two continued to walk until they had completely left the starter village.

They were now heading towards what looked like a simple, twisting tree in the middle of forest. “Did you get what you needed?” Rich asked. Ryan walked to-

wards the tree and placed his hand on its centre. A panel emerged and glowed 62

around Ryan’s hand.

A series of circles, squares, and triangles began to appear on the ground, they each spun round the tree and worked together to create a series of patterns. A doorway into the tree emerged, Ryan and Rich walked inside. Inside was a dark and cramped space, no light or sign of extra life.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Rich asked. Ryan turned to his

friend and smiled.

“Simple. We input the code.” Ryan said with a cold and stern tone. “Then, we invite them all to join our game.”

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XVII DESPERATION The Cheshire Cat walked back and forth across his prison cell. Alice sat in hers and watched the Cat ponder his thoughts. The White Rabbit was laying on his cell floor, counting the ceiling tiles. Hatter was fiddling with his hat, hoping that he would be able to work out a solution to the problem.

“Suppose Rabbit doesn’t make it back, then what do we do?” the Cheshire Cat asked.

“He will come back.” Alice said faintly. Her once upbeat and cheerful per-

sonality had all but been destroyed by everything that had happened. The Cheshire Cat stopped moving, noticing Alice’s change in tone. He sighed and sat on the floor, stroking his tail to keep him calm.

“Sorry.” He muttered. Hatter unhinged a button from his hat and started to throw it up and down in the air. The sound of the plastic hitting the ceiling echoed through the prison. “What are we going to do though?” Cheshire Cat asked. The White Rabbit swung his feet over the edge of his bed, twiddling his 65

thumbs to think of a solution.

“We wait.” Hatter said. The Cheshire Cat perked his ears up, his whiskers tickling his cheeks. “We wait until the time is right.”

“What good will that do?” the White Rabbit asked. “We have no control of time in this world. We don’t even know how long we’ve been here for.” Alice rose to her feet, her hands gripping onto the bars of her prison cell.

“Hatter’s right. We should wait.”

“Have you two gone mad?” Cheshire Cat asked. “We don’t have time to wait. For all we know, Rabbit could be…could be…”

“Impossible.” Alice interrupted. “Rabbit won’t leave us.”

There was a loud bang, followed by a bright light at the end of the hall-

way. A door opened. It was the girl from before.

“Hatter…” The girl whispered. The Hatter jumped to his feet and pressed his face against the bars. The girl quickly ran towards his, pressing her forehead against his. “Oh, thank goodness.” She pleaded. “Please. Please tell me you remember me.” The Hatter didn’t know how to respond, he looked at Alice for help.

She couldn’t find the words to convey how sorry she felt. Hatter looked into the eyes of the strange girl, who seemed more human than ever before.

“I…” Hatter trailed off, his mind whirring with thoughts that he couldn’t quite remember. “I can’t….”

“Remember me!” The girl pleaded, her hands touching his. There was a sudden pain in Hatter’s head, a pain that he had felt only once before. An image

of a house filled with friends. He could see each of their faces, and place them 66

directly onto the others in the prison, including Rabbit and the girl in front of him.

“Please…” The girl whimpered.

The Hatter’s fingers interlinked together with the strange girl’s. She looked up with a shocked expression on her face. The Hatter was smiling. He hadn’t felt this happy since he arrived in Underland, now suddenly, it was as if he was home again. He remembered home.

“Cara.” The Hatter mumbled. The girl’s lips parted and cracked a smile.

“That’s… that’s right.” She laughed. The Hatter turned to Alice, who was now also smiling.

“Bryony, Ryan, Marcus and Jacob.” He muttered. Alice’s face was filled with surprise and intrigue. “Our names…they’re our names!” Hatter shouted.

Cheshire Cat’s ability to find fun in any situation suddenly reappeared, his tail twisting and turning with delight. White Rabbit could only smile from his bed, too self-confident to make a comment.

“Adam, we need to leave this place.” Cara said, her eyes filled with desperation.

“But how?” He asked. Cara turned to the door, the light still shining as it

was before.

“Through the door.” She replied. Adam’s face lit up, realizing what she meant. He grabbed the key from around his neck and gripped it tightly in his hand.

“Everyone!” He said. “Grab your keys, the ones we were each given!” Alice, the White Rabbit, and the Cheshire Cat each grabbed their keys. Adam 67

looked around the prison cell, looking for some sort of lock. Cara helped, looking on her side of the bars. Nothing was there, it was just a wall of iron bars.

“What do we do now?” Alice asked, her face peeking out from the bars to get a better look at Hatter. Hatter didn’t know what to do, his plan had come to a halt. These keys, the doors, what did they all mean. Hatter looked back into the eyes of the girl that stood in front of him, looking for just one sign of advice and

help.

There was nothing, they couldn’t think. They were out of options.

“I’ll get Rabbit, then come back for you.” Cara whispered. “I promise.” She quickly ran back towards the open door, Hatter watching as she left.

“What’s she doing?!” Cheshire Cat asked, wanting to know as much as everyone else how they were going to escape. “What’s going on?!”

“Relax Marcus!” Hatter said sternly. The Cat was taken back by the comment, alarmed by the attitude that Hatter was taking. “She’ll come back. Just, just give her time.” Hatter added. The hesitation in his voice could only mean one thing, even he wasn’t sure what the outcome of this situation would be.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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