Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness #1)(10)
“Among other things...” Gwen didn’t want to go into detail, but she cast an apologetic look at Marc. He shouldn’t have had to find out like this, but he probably shouldn’t have sprung the White Queen on her either. “Yes. So we have that much working for us.”
“I’m not sure,” Rose said hesitantly. “None of my visions have featured wildlife at all.”
“Just today the rabbit assured me that things are moving forward... His very presence here was all the proof I needed. I’m just not exactly sure what it all means—what happens next.”
“So we need to find him,” Rose said.
Gwen stayed silent. She knew she should be the one to go but couldn’t make herself volunteer. Both Marc and Rose remained silent as well, each waiting for another to speak first.
“Well I can hardly do it,” Rose said, exasperated. “I’m a little surprised my royal guard hasn’t come knocking on your door already.” Marc rolled his eyes, but his smile suggested he was only teasing. “Besides, if I’m going to be a White Queen worth remembering, then I have another visit I’ll need to make.”
“I can’t either,” added Gwen. “Not now, at least. Now that I know this is all about Alice I should really be researching what it is we’ll need to do differently this time around.” It was true enough, but if she were being honest, Gwen might have admitted that she just didn’t want to be the one to go into the forest.
“But we still need someone to track down this rabbit...” Rose started, stopping when she caught the look in Gwen’s eye.
Both Gwen and Rose raised their eyes to Marc, waiting expectantly as he blinked back at them, perfectly oblivious.
“What?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. The hint of a smile played on Gwen’s lips. “Me? I don’t even know who I’m looking for.”
“It’s simple, really,” Gwen started. She paused to see if Rose was thinking the same thing.
A huge grin broke onto the young Queen’s face. “Follow the white rabbit.”
“Yeah... that’s helpful. I’m so glad I introduced you two.”
The next morning, Rose wasted no time sending Marc on his way. They had canceled all their upcoming appointments, knowing that Alice would be their priority for the foreseeable future. If the Alice prophecy was handled properly, they wouldn’t need to worry about finding business at all—they’d be hailed as heroes and sought after for their expertise.
The rabbit hadn’t returned, but Marc refused to let that stop him. He planned to track it into Neverwood, or at least to try. He wasn’t exactly an expert tracker, but he liked the forest, and Gwen suspected Wonderland might give him a nudge in the right direction. If she had learned anything at all over the past few years, it was that Wonderland wanted to follow these patterns, that the land itself craved these cycles. It would be her biggest ally in the weeks to come.
For now, she would be content to dive back into her books and records to search for key players and places. But to do that, she was going to need more notebooks. Within the span of forty-eight hours, Gwen had managed to write on every scrap of paper in the house. Every napkin, every card. Everything but the books—she would never dream of defacing the books.
She walked to the market with a spring in her step. The heart of Tildoor was bustling with people, and Gwen stopped to chat with various neighbors as she shopped. It was simple to find the things she needed. Paper, fountain pens, and enough food to last the week. The trip might only have lasted half an hour if she hadn’t stumbled upon something she didn’t even realize she needed.
The shopkeeper gawked at her as she bounced up and down, paying for her found treasure. She carried her find home in a brown box and was ever so careful to keep it steady, though it would take more than a fumble to hurt it.
After shutting the front door behind her Gwen kicked off her shoes in a flurry of leather and laces. Holding back a childish giggle, she made her way to the floor-length mirror in the front hall.
Gwen couldn’t help but sigh as she removed her latest find from its packaging. It was beautiful. She lifted it up to examine it one last time before pinning it to her hair with trembling fingers, just off to the side—a half-sized, pale blue top hat.
Now, she was ready.
CHAPTER FIVE
A MOST FORTUITOUS MEETING
A small bronze clock ticked incessantly from the wall, tethering Lucky to her body. At least she hoped that was what it was doing. Otherwise it was driving her crazy simply for its own enjoyment.
It was almost two days ago that Lucky had first vacated her body and transported elsewhere against her will. Since waking up on the forest floor, it had happened three more times; the second and third journeys only lasted a few minutes each, but the fourth went on for hours no matter what Lucky did to try and get home. She had woken up on the floor of her kitchen with a gash across her forehead. She probably hit it against the counter as she fell, but knowing where the injury came from didn’t make her feel any better.
The trips were becoming more and more distressing, and they hadn’t been much fun to begin with.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Lucky exhaled and tried to remain aware of every part of her body. If she maintained absolute control over everything, from her thoughts to the rhythm of her heart, maybe she could stop whatever was happening to her.