Death of the Mad Hatter (30 page)

C
HAPTER
F
IFTY-
S
IX

(
Ryley: Present Time in Wonderland)

Hearts walked off the stage. Each creature took a step back when
their queen walked closer. The spotlight moved off Alice Mae and onto the queen the moment her foot hit the ground. As soon as Alice Mae was in the dark, the Joker stepped in front of her, blocking her from my sight completely.

I supposed it was for the better that I could
n’t see her. She distracted me enough as it was, and if I ever needed to mind my words, tonight was crucial.

“
I must say, I’m rather curious why you are here,” Hearts said, smugly. “A small feat since I’m usually quite aware of everyone’s Comings and Goings, young Mr. Edgar.”

The crowd gasped.
A few creatures pointed at me. “Edgar? Robby’s son?” “The Banished Prince’s child?” and the “son of the notorious Prince of Spades?” could be heard amongst the murmurs. Mr. Ruth stepped even closer to me, which I didn’t think possible. His nerves were making mine jump.

“
You made me a rather enticing offer. I’d be a dope not to consider it. And what kind of person would I be not to discuss the possibilities of my reign in person?” I asked.

“
Reign?” A frazzled egret repeated in disbelief. It dipped down from its perch on the tree to get a better look at me. “You plan to end Hearts’ reign?”

“
What’s your name, boy?” A purple colored caterpillar shouted out.
It was so small I hadn’t noticed it before. It took a drag from a tiny hookah and then blew the smoke at me.

“
Ryley Edward Edgar,” I stated.

Word of the
Bleeding Heart Prophecy
lingered amongst the crowd. Their heads were on swivels, looking at me and the queen. The chaos the crowd generated agreed with Hearts.

A lizard stepped forward, eyeing the watch that belonged to my
dad. “Where do your loyalties lay, Mr. Edgar? With your father or with the queen?”

“That very question is what I intend to discuss with the queen, in private,” I said, addressing Hearts.

“
Come, join me by my throne. We can discuss anything you like while Al entertains us,” Hearts said and turned her back to me.

Following the queen, Mr. Ruth and I walked onto the stage but stopped in front of the Joker. He looked at me like I was a bug he could squash with his ridiculous, oversized shoes.

“
I’d like a word with the girl,” I said.

“
That traitorous girl is performing for the queen,” the Joker said. “Surely you don’t want Hearts to wait.”

I gripped my bat with both hands.
“Alice Mae told me you like to play games. She spoke
fondly
about your play dates. Perhaps you and I could play a game of baseball later?”

“
Ryley, don’t!” Alice Mae warned. “The Joker is a far better trickster than I.”

The Joker grinned. I don
’t know if he practiced in the mirror, but when he lowered his face, shadows cast on his face made him appear absolutely evil. “Only if I can bring the equipment.”

“
Sure, now please step aside, I have something very important to discuss with Alice Mae before I can give the queen an answer. By keeping me from speaking with her,
you
are making the queen wait more.”

“
Then you should proceed,” the Joker said and bowed. He dropped a marble. When it hit the stage, a flash of light burst. He was gone.

“
What are you doing here?” All the blood had drained from Alice Mae’s face. “Mr. Ruth was supposed to keep you safe.”

“
Keep me safe?” I said, mockingly. “That Hare
convinced
me to come here.”

“
I did no such thing!” Mr. Ruth exclaimed. “I did the exact opposite! I tried to get him to stay in the Otherworld.”

“
He convinced me with what he didn’t say. My dad loved my mom, but from afar. It was painful for both of them, and I
refuse
to do the same, especially if the girl is worth the trouble. And, boy-oh-boy are you troublesome, Alice Mae. But you’re worth it.”

“
You should have listened to Mr. Ruth,” Alice Mae said. “It’s not safe for you here.”

“
And it’s safe for you? Word has it that you are going to dance to your death.”

Alice Mae swallowed a lump in her throat.
“I am.”

“
For me?”

She whimpered, which was as painful as gutting me with a dull knife.
Dropping that bat, I gently cupped her cheek and directed her attention back to me. “You
have a way with words, Alice Mae. You twist them upon themselves, and you tell the truth only when you don’t think anyone will believe you! You manipulated me to do what you want, and…” I took a deep breath. “And, I’ve never been sorrier for what I’ve said then I am right now. I never should have made you feel worthless, even if I have every single right to be catastrophically outraged at you. But, no matter how hard I tried—and believe me, I’ve tried—I can’t
not
love you!” 

“
Love and hate are rather similar emotions for being polar opposites. Perhaps you are confusing the two.”

Out of everything she could have said, that comment hadn
’t made the Top Ten. “Did you ever love me, or were you just toying with me?”

“
I’m not toying with you,” she said, sliding her trembling hand along mine. “I love you.”

“
I want a future with you—a real future,” I said. “I’m sick of going back and forth between love and hate, between friends and not friends, between being enemies and lovers.”

“
If all this wondrous nonsense hadn’t interfered, we might have had a future,” she said. “But, it did, and we can’t change the past, no matter how hard we try.”

“
But we can control our future.”

“
Our future has been foretold.” A tear slipped from her eye. She pushed away from me. “Goodbye, Ryley.”

As she turned her back to me, I grabbed her wrist and jerked her against me. She caught herself against my chest.
I didn’t need a memo to know she was telling me the lies she believed to be true. Even if the prophecies were true, I’d still fight for her. As much of a nuisance as she was, she was worth fighting for—even if she’d already given up.

“
Kiss me,” I said. “Kiss me, and if you can still tell me goodbye, then I’ll back off.”

“
It’s not that easy.”

“
Anything worth fighting for usually isn’t.”

Standing inches from her, I never felt so far away. I lifted her chin and guided her lips to mine.
Part of me expected her to bite my tongue, but I hoped she’d kiss me back, and
oh
, did she kiss back. Her body slid up against mine, moving like she did when she danced. She wrapped her arms around my neck when I pulled her against me. I kissed her like I’ve never kissed another girl in my life. I drank in her lips as I pulled her close. She broke the kiss in a sudden gasp when I slipped my hands around her waist. When I looked into her breathtaking eyes, I knew my question no longer warranted an answer. She wasn’t going to tell me goodbye. I’d finally left her speechless.

“
Run,” I whispered. “Run far, far away and don’t come back until I send the white rabbit for you.”

She trembled in my
arms. “I
won’t
leave you.”

“
That wasn’t a request,” I said, memorizing how she looked.

“
How romantic,” Hearts said, sarcastically. “The boy and girl tripped into each other’s arms and fell in love.”

“
It’s better than tripping onto a guillotine blade,” I said.

Mr. Ruth passed out. He hit the stage, making the only sound in the entire court for a solid minute.
Everyone looked at me like they couldn’t believe I’d say such a thing (even Alice Mae). I kissed her on the forehead and told her to take off as soon as I caused a big enough distraction.

“
I had a few questions before I take you up on the offer to end your reign,
Sweet Heart
,” I said, ensuring I laid the sarcasm on thick. I grabbed my bat and flipped it in the air before handing it to Alice Mae. “It’s no sword, but it’ll pack a good punch if you swing hard enough.”

“
You want something that will pack a good punch?” the Joker said and flung a tiny, black toy-bomb (with two plastic legs) on stage next to me. It walked forward, edging closer and closer until it hit my foot…

I didn’t remember the explosion.

C
HAPTER
F
IFTY-
S
EVEN

(
Alice Mae: Present Time in the Waiting Room)

I awoke on a checkered floor that was covered in shattered glass. My clothes were torn, least of my worries. My skin was scratched and my legs burned.
But, it didn’t compare to the stabbing pain in my feet. They were bruised and bloody.

I pushed myself into a sitting position.
The glass ground into my palms. I tried to stand, but my feet refused to carry me. I remembered an explosion… and then, nothing. Everything went blank.

“
Good, I thought you’d never wake.”

I recognized that voice anywhere, even in the
dimly lit
Waiting Room
. “Did you decide that you couldn’t wait for me to dance myself into an early grave, Joker?” I asked, looking around for the man in the dunce hat.

He lit
a sparkler and put it in his mouth like a cigarette. The sparks lit enough of the room that I could only make him out. Everything else bled into blackness.

“
Actually, if I had my way, the Mad Hatter would have front row seats as you danced yourself to death, but the queen had a better idea,” the Joker said, kneeling in front of me.

“His name is Ryley, not the Mad Hatter!”

His beady eyes could always pierce their way into my soul. It was like I could feel him clawing his way through me, seeing into the darkest parts, and forcing me to act upon them. “Oh, how I missed our play dates, Al.”

“
What do you want?”

The Joker stood up suddenly, like he was a puppet and his puppeteer yanked on his cords.
“It’s been months since I’ve played a good Guessing Game,” the Joker said, twirling around on his feet like I did in my ballet shoes. “The Mad Hatter’s punishment is… Blank. Would you like a hint or do you think you can fill in the blank all by yourself?”

I fought back tears. I hated that I cried
so easily. It made me feel like a little girl. Tears made me feel weak. “Is he de-dead?” I asked, choking on the last word.

“This game is getting boring!”
The Joker clapped his hands together. “I’d be more worried about you, my dear, stupid girl.”

“
What about me?” I asked, pushing away from him.

“
We’re setting up picket pool. I’m betting you’ll go kooky with grief. Perchance there is a vacant room in the psych ward where Robby calls home. Chez says you’ll take your own life,” he said, prancing around the room with his sparkler in his hand. He wrote the words:
Want a Hint yet?

“
Just tell me!”

He lit another sparkler and handed it to me. It was everything I could do not to poke
him with it.

H
e whispered, “Death is not in your immediate future, Al. But, I cannot say the same for that boy you were kissing. His expiration date is coming soon enough.”

I grabbed his collar and pulled him close.
“If Hearts hurts him in any way—”

“
You’ll what? If y
ou return to Wonderland,
for longer than a second
, your head is mine! I’ll add it to the collection of others. So unless you find a way to stop time, you can never return, unless you like being hunted,”
the Joker said and laughed giddily. He cleared his throat and spoke like he did when announcing the news to the court.
“The best part is that any creature who merely
sees
you in this realm again and doesn’t report it will have their
eyes
scooped out, regardless if they are still protected by the Rightdoing Law. Hearts says she’ll send the traitor—which is you if you’re wondering—the eyes. And, anyone who actually helps the traitor will be subject to punishment via play dates with me, yours truly, the Joker.”

I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer. They poured from my eyes
like they were coming from a spigot. The Joker jerked my hand from his clothing. He took out the watch that belonged to Ryley and tossed it to me.

“
A token of the
time
we spent together. Get it?” he said, chuckling at the pun of his joke. “I really should get going. I’ll be late if I stay much longer. The Mad Hatter and I have a very important date. Cheerio!”