Page 7 of Escaping Wonderland

“No time for such nonsense,” Miraxis said, squeezing her cheeks to force her mouth open. “When the king calls, weallmust answer.”

Alice jerked and wiggled, growled and stomped on his feet; Miraxis grunted but did not release her. Alice’s struggles only seemed to make him moredetermined to restrain her, and he was farstronger than he looked.

Cecilia pinched Alice’s nostrils shut and raised the bottle, tipping it to pour its contents into Alice’s open mouth. The liquid was sweet—impossibly sweet. It sent Alice’s taste buds into overdrive; electric tingles arced across her tongue.

Alice sputtered, but she couldn’t spit; she choked the liquid down against her will. The cool liquid seemed to heat up as it flowed down her throat. By the time it reached her stomach, it was delightfully warm. She gasped for air, but Cecilia dumped the remainder of the drink into her mouth. Only when Alice had swallowed that last mouthful did Miraxis let go.

Lifting a hand to her burning throat, Alice stumbled forward. She needed to get away from these people, needed to get out of this place. Her entire body felt heavy again, and that set her heart to racing; this was too much like what the orderlies and that doctor had done to her. The entire room swirled and spun, the colors and people blending together. Voices and laughter echoed all around.

“What…did you…do to me?” she rasped, moving her hand to her head and squeezing her eyes shut. Though she could no longer see the room spinning, Alice now felt likeshewas twirling in place.

“Get her up to a dressing room,” Cecilia said. “The Hatter will be livid if she’s not looking her finest when we send her up.”

Miraxis caught Alice’s wrist and dragged her toward the stairs. Her stomach sank at the sudden motion, and she nearly fell; her limbs were delayed in obeying her mental commands to move, though they felt oddly light now despite the heaviness that had gathered in them a moment ago. The room continued to sway, but it wasn’t quite so unpleasant anymore.

As she followed Miraxis up the stairs, Alice turned her head, searching the crowd for the grinning shadow man. All the colors around her seemed more vibrant; what wouldhiseyes look like now? But she couldn’t spot him; there were too many people, too many faces, too many masks, all of them drastically different and exactly the same.

Alice had no idea how far up they’d traveled when Miraxis turned into a long hallway. His pace increased as he led her along the hall, finally stopping near its end in front of a blue door. He opened the door without hesitation, stepped aside, and shoved Alice into the room ahead of him.

She stumbled forward and, as soon as she caught her balance, paused to study her new surroundings. There was a mirrored vanity against the wall, all its little shelves and compartments overflowing with a dizzying array of makeup and brushes. A tall standing mirror was in one corner with an open wardrobe nearby, the latter filled with bright swaths of fabric in all colors and more dresses than Alice could count.

Alice furrowed her brow. She knew what all these things were for individually, but her mind was too fuzzy to put it all together. Why was she here? And why did her hospital gown feel suddenly so…restrictive?

“Finally!”

Alice stepped back with a start, turning her attention to the person who’d spoken.

The woman standing beside the vanity was rail thin, wearing a plain brown dress and a white mask that was featureless save for its black eyeholes.

The faceless woman stepped forward, grabbed Alice’s arm, and pulled her farther into the room, guiding Alice to sit on the cushioned bench in front of the vanity.

Alice swayed on her seat, feeling light, airy, and warm, and looked into the mirror. Her eyes were so vibrantly blue, her lips such a lovely pink, and her hair looked like strands of spun gold.

What…what’s wrong with me?

Before she could answer her own thought, something in the mirror caught her attention—a thick shadow just behind Miraxis, with two teal eyes glowing in the darkness. It was gone faster than she could blink. Alice turned her head toward the doorway, leaning far to one side to see around the praxian, but there was nothing there.

Miraxis cleared his throat. “She is to be collected by the king tomorrow, but the Hatter will be conditioning her until then. She must?—”

“Shoo!” The thin woman waved Miraxis away. “I don’t needyoutelling me how to do my work, especially whenyou’rethe one who brought her here late.” Taking Alice’s chin between long, cold fingers, the woman turned Alice’s face toward her and sighed. “And there’s much to be done.”

Alice was only vaguely aware of Miraxis exiting the room and closing the door. She was sealed in here now, trapped in this building, and she needed to get out. She needed to go…wheredid she need to go? Why couldn’t she think? Why couldn’t sheremember? Fear clawed up from her gut, but it was quickly swept aside by a wave of euphoria.

Gentle pulses of heat spread through her body, easing the tension that had begun to seize her muscles. This place, this room, was as good as any, wasn’t it? Everything here was sowondrous—even the walls. They were blue.Soblue. A pretty, robin’s egg blue.

“Blue is my favorite color,” Alice murmured.

“Is it now?” the woman said. “Well then, we’ll have to find you something pretty and blue to wear for the Hatter tonight. It’ll bring out those eyes of yours.”

The woman set to work, selecting a brush from the vanity and sweeping it lightly over Alice’s skin.

“What are you doing?” Alice asked.

“Making you the prettiest at the party, dear. You’ll be my masterpiece. It’s not going to stop him from doing what he means to do, but it might make him a little gentler. Now close your eyes.”

Alice’s eyelids fluttered closed, and she smiled; the soft motion of brushes over her skin was soothing, lulling her deeper into relaxation. It didn’t matter where she was—she feltgood.

Soon, the woman’s fingers were no longer on Alice’s face, but in her hair, brushing the strands, easing the tangles. Alice hummed appreciatively.

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