Chapter 01

Since she opened her eyes for the first time, she knew that there is something odd and different in the place where she is right now. The houses without people, the cracked roads, dried trees, even the sky color is grey, like it will raining sooner.

“Where is … this?” she murmured, turn her head to a young man that held her hands and guide her to walks across the houses.

“Wonderland,” the young man answered.

“Wonderland? Is this a place where the trump knights, rabbit, and Chesire cat belong?” she asked again.

“Hm, but they are waiting in the palace. Waiting for you.”

She nodded, and then observing the situation around her and once in a while staring at the young man.

“May I know who you are, Sir?” she asked.

“My name is Mad Hatter.” He answered.

“Do you know who I am?”

The young man named Mad Hatter stop his steps and then his gaze meet hers, “Your name is Alice, the chosen girl.”

“Alice …,” she repeating the name and keep it in her mind, “is that my name? Alice?”

“Yeah. Why are you asked that?” Mad Hatter asks.

“I don’t remember why I’m here,” Alice says, “the last thing I remember is that I was in a big white room and then …, and then …, I don’t remember after that. They are blurring like a mirror covered by dew.”

Alice’s face become sad and she lowered her head. She really can not remember what happened before she came here. Even she can’t remember her name. The first thing she find out when she opened her eyes beside these odd place is the blue dress that she wears, the black bow in her head, and the young man beside her.

Mad Hatter smiled when he look at her attitude. He then lowered his head so his gaze met hers, “You are Alice, and I’m Mad Hatter. As simple as that, you have to remember that.” Said the young man,” because you have many times to remember all of it.”

“Really?”

Mad Hatter nodded. He clearing up her skirt and the black bow in her hair before he answered Alice’s question, “For now, you just have two things to remember. Your name and also my name, the second is …”

Alice look at Mad Hatter when he hanging his words.

“… you are destined to be a Destroyer to this land.”

***

Four months later

Alice painted the last white rose and smile widely. Her job to painting the white roses with red tint is finish now. The job took a half a day to finish, but now is done. She gaze at every roses she painted with red and her smile become more widely. The Queen of Heart will love the result since she asked her to painted all of the roses in the labyrinth garden.

She then cleaning up her tools that she borrow from art room and then hand over it to the trump knights that always stand behind her before she running fast to the white castle with red top, the palace of the red haired queen, The Queen of Heart.

“Miss Alice, please don’t running!” said some the trump knights that trying to keep up with her.

“Catch me if you can, Trumps,” she yells back, “and I will give you the red apple that I found in the Dragon’s Fruit Garden!”

Alice laughing when she sees the trump knights trying to catch her with their funny movements. The trump knight, like their name, has a body like a card, tiny and you can blow them with a little wind and see them flying like a piece of paper. They do have hands and legs, also head that covered with a silver helmet.

The blonde girl jumps when she across a knight and waves her hands with a tricky smile. The trump knights still don’t give up to chasing Alice. If they fail to catch her, they can imagine what disaster can she brings into the castle.

“Miss Alice, please wait!”

“Oh, come on, you are knights can’t catch up with a teenage girl like me? How a shame!” she laughs again, “Come on, catch me!”

Alice running again. People in the palace knows her behavior when she is bored, and just like this, the girl will seducing the trump knights and will not stop until someone tell her to do so. Although Alice looks like a juvenile, but she never bring anything or do something that can harm other people near her.

The girl then turn to right in the corridor when she bumps to something, or maybe someone that quickly catch her before she fall to the floor. All trump knights stopped two meters behind her and look in fear to who Alice bumped to. That person held Alice’s waist and look at the girl with a flat expression.

“Ouch …, that’s hurt.” Said the girl.

“I ever and always tell you that you can not running freely in the castle, Alice.” Said the person.

Alice look up to the person and see a pairing of gold eyes that gazes at her with a warn look.

“Jabberwocky!” Alice hugs the young man that covered by the black coat, “You are back, Jabe. I miss you!”

“Nice to see you still has a spirit like a free bird,” said Jabberwocky, “But please, why are you always calling me by my full name? Just call me Jabe and I will forgive you to still hugging me. You know you are heavy, Alice.”

“Because you are Jabberwocky and you are my little cutie black bird, so I will always call you that.” Alice laughing.

Jabberwocky, or Jabe, only let out a sigh and then pat the girl’s head that still clinging to him, “Alright, you are smelly, bad girl. Are you finished painting all the roses and spilling out the tint everywhere?”

“Of course not, you dummy,” Alice releasing her hug, “The queen wanted all of the white roses in the garden painted with red. She said that the white color is too … monotonous? I think she said that before, so she asked me to painted all the roses with red.”

Jabe turn silent for a while, but then he hit Alice’s forehead slowly and makes the girl yelp.

“Hey, why are you hitting my forehead?” the girl pouted.

“Next time, asks the trumps to do the job,” his gaze turn to the trump knights that trembling, “It’s their job to help you without hesitance, you know that, Alice.”

“I know, but it’s not fun at all if I just sit on the bench and watching them do the fun things,” said Alice. She still touching her forehead although it’s not really ached.

“Oh, where is that fat cat?” Jabe asks and holding Alice’s hand, “I don’t see him in the outside.”

“Chesire is in his usual place, sunbathing, and maybe pranks someone else in the kitchen.” Alice answered.

Again, Jabe shake his head. He then walks with Alice and take the girl into her room. The blonde girl smiling and follow where Jabe will bring her up to. It’s already four months since she came to Red Palace, where the Red Queen lived in Wonderland.

The first time Alice come into the Red Palace, she felt nervous, because she can not remember anything beside her name and the reason why she is in the Wonderland. But she can adapted very well and the people of Wonderland welcoming her so she felt relieved that they are welcoming a stranger like her.

“You both are slowly like a snail.”

That voice makes Alice turn her head and see a young man with a hat in his head, stand beside her bedroom door with a wide smile.

“Maddy!”

Alice release Jabe’s grip and hug Mad Hatter.

“You call me that again, Alice,” said Mad Hatter and hug her, “And you still acts like a spoiled kid.”

“You already back, huh?” said Jabe that now stand behind Alice that still hugging Mad Hatter.

“Of course I have to come home to accompany my beautiful girl.” Mad Hatter answers.

“Alice is not your girl, Maddy.” Said the golden-eyed man.

“Ah …, she will be my girl if she accept my proposal,” said Mad Hatter and look at Alice, “Will you marry me, Alice?”

“Of course not,” Alice answered with a smile, “And I also don’t want marry Jabberwocky.”

“Hey, hey …”

Alice laughs when she sees their expression. Now she grab their hands and walk into her room. Her room is wide, with a bed covered in blue blanket and has red canopy, closet for her clothes, and also a make-up table in the side of the bed. In the middle of the room, there is a round carpet from bear skin that look so soft, some books are left opened in the carpet. In the other side of the room, there are two bookshelves that contains so many books. There also some plants that makes the room feel cool and three crystal vases with red and purple flowers in it.

The girl then asks the two young man sit in the carpet. They both sit with their legs crossed like they will be scolded by their mother because sneaking into the kitchen before dinner time.

“So …,” Alice asks, “What did you two found on your trip?”

The girl’s tone become so cold when she asked. There is no cheerful tone in her voice, even her facial expression become serious than before. It looks like the cheerful Alice was gone and the serious Alice before their eyes replaced it.

“I found nothing. The Red Queen is never shown herself to people so there is even no little information about her before she took the throne. No weakness found after all.”

Alice nodded, understood, “And you, Mad Hatter, what did you found?”

“I’m the same as Jabby,” the young man smile widely when Jabe glare at him, “there is no a single bad news spread about the queen, because, yeah … she is even didn’t shows up herself in the public.”

Again, the girl nodded, “Okay, I understand. Somehow, I always feel that there is something wrong in this palace no matter what.”

She ever said it once when she is come to the Red Palace. Even since she woke up in Wonderland without remember anything. Alice always feel that something pushed her to the Red Palace to looking for something that she even don’t know what. And so Mad Hatter planned to get into the palace with her. He said to the queen that Alice is a brilliant artist, and know what the latest fashion in Wonderland so the Red Queen employs her without second thought.

And after four months she came here, Alice feel something that ‘called’ her getting stronger. She even trying to find out about it, but never get the right answers. When she walking around the palace, she met Jabberwocky that lying under the tree and looking at her. He found out that Alice was ‘different’ from the people of Wonderland so he got his eyes on Alice. And just like that, Jabberwocky met Mad Hatter, they three get well along together since then, although they are look so intimate, but Alice never take it seriously.

“It’s okay, Alice. I’m sure you’ll find it sooner or later.” Said Jabe and grabbing her hands.

“Thanks for your consolation, Jabberwocky. But too bad, that can’t make me to choose you as my partner in life.” Said Alice.

“Ouch, our Jabby get rejected once again.” Mad Hatter laughed.

Jabberwocky smile wryly. The girl bringing up the topic that always be their jokes since the beginning. Once again Mad Hatter laughed when he see Jabe expression that look so funny in his eyes.

“Hey, do you both think I’m … odd?” the girl suddenly asked.

“Odd? On what?” Jabe frowns.

“Well, you see that I was different from the people in here. Everyone has different styles of hair, clothes and even their taste for everything, especially for their hair color. My blonde hair is different from them. Even I know the rules in this land although I just came here for four months,” she says, “Of course I know the Red Queen never complains about it, but I just feel that I’m not belongs here.”

Mad Hatter look at Alice and let out a sigh, “You are different because you are special.  You don’t have to think about what people concerned about you.”

“Mad Hatter is right. Although you are different, you still be the part of this land, no matter what. It just because you confuse what are you have to do in here and still looking for something you even don’t know what.” said Jabe.

“You are not making her feel well, Jabby. It’s a bad words.” Mad Hatter says.

“At least I’m trying, you idiot.” The golden-eyed young man glare at Mad Hatter.

Alice look at them and sighed, “Can you both not get in to fight at least for one day? Why are you both keep fighting like this?”

“It’s because of you,” Mad Hatter smile, “You are too beautiful to be seen by other mans  in the outside. So you must choose me or Jabby to keep you save from predators that want to eat you anytime.”

“Instead of them, is that you that may eat Alice anytime?” said Jabe.

“Stop you dirty mouth, Maddy. I’m mad now.” Alice agreed.

The young man laughed, “Then, how about we going to library? The smell books usually makes you feel calm, right?”

The girl tilted her head and then nodded to his idea, “It’s a good idea. Are you coming with us, Jabberwocky?”

“No. I have to accompany the queen to meet her sister, the White Queen,” said Jabe, “I can’t protect you from this young man sweet mouth, but still, you have to be careful if some man try to catch you away. If Mad Hatter makes you hurt, you have to tell me soon, get it?”

“Oh, come on, Jabby. I’m not that type of person,” said Mad Hatter, “Don’t look at me like that, Jabby. I know you want to break me into pieces right now.

“Enough, you both. Your fighting makes my head feel dizzy,” Alice rolling her eyes, “We will see you when the dinner time’s come then.”

Jabe nodded, “I will go now. See you in dinner, Alice.”

“Yeah, I will miss you, Jabe.”

“You miss me because only me that can be your accompany when you are going to the forest just to lying in the side of Sugar Lake.” Jabe sneered.

Alice only show her wide smile to him.