Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness #1)(17)

That can’t be. Gwen squinted at the clouds, trying to focus her vision in case her eyes were deceiving her.

Unfortunately, they weren’t. Just outside the perimeter of the clouds, small fissures were forming in the sky. Each one was a different, vibrant color. Every ragged crack in the sky started out small, but they were definitely growing.

But that’s not possible!

A raindrop hit the side of Gwen’s cheek. Biting her lip, she decided to take a cue from her neighbors. Despite the feeling of unease that comes with walking towards a tempest, she knew it was time to go home. For Gwen had read of a storm such as this one, in ancient texts that told of her world’s history.

Cracks of blue, and white, and green. With the storms end, change...

Gwen struggled to remember the poetic phrasing from one of the books, but it evaded her. However it was worded, its meaning was clear. A rift between worlds had been opened, and Alice was on her way to Wonderland.





CHAPTER EIGHT





HERE COMES ALICE


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Marc was nothing but a gentleman as the two made their way south towards Lucky’s part of the forest. He did his best to make conversation as they walked, but he was continuously pausing and biting the inside of his cheek as though trying to stop himself from speaking. At first, Lucky thought it was adorable, but the weight of what they weren’t saying started to grate on her nerves.

“Fine,” Lucky mumbled, kicking a stone into a nearby tree trunk.

“Hmm?”

“Fine! Ask whatever you want. I can tell you’re dying to talk about it—Alice, her world, the prophecy.”

Lucky expected him to politely decline, but instead he jumped right in, endearingly eager. “What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen on the other side?” Marc asked, offering Lucky his hand for balance as they climbed over a fallen tree. A small part of Lucky wanted to point out that she was more capable of maneuvering through this forest than he was, but she didn’t. Instead, she locked eyes with Marc and felt a small flutter as her fingers wrapped around his.

“Cars. Definitely cars.” She looked up at Marc expectantly, wondering how much he and Gwen really knew. He shrugged. “They’re basically automated carriages. No horses, all technology. And they go so fast.”

“Sounds fun. Have you ridden one?”

“You don’t ride them exactly...” Lucky had no hope of explaining cars to him. She’d quickly figured out to stay out of their way, and she only knew what they were called due to an overheard conversation on her third trip. The rest was still a mystery. Admittedly, she was a little impressed with herself for picking up as much as she had.

Every time she found herself waking up in some strange new location, it was a little less jarring, and she was starting to get the hang of things. She should have picked their communication devices to tell Marc about, but those were nearly impossible to explain, and Lucky had no idea what they were called. “The driver and passengers all sit inside together,” she continued, “kind of like—” Marc’s expression was interested, yet very, very confused,”—oh, never mind!”

“All right, new topic then,” Marc said, amused at Lucky’s frustration. “What I really don’t understand is why you aren’t trying to control all this yourself. Why not take command and see what you can accomplish when you’re at the helm instead of being dragged along for the ride?”

“Until I met you, I was half convinced I was imagining all of this. Eaten the wrong side of a magic mushroom—that kind of thing.”

Marc laughed, throwing his head back. “Okay, fair enough. And now?”

She had to admit he had a point, but that didn’t mean she wanted to just dive in and see what happened. Lucky had spent days trying to avoid exactly the thing he was now suggesting she do on purpose. “I don’t know. What if I transport myself somewhere I shouldn’t be? Maybe I should just wait and see where I end up.” Lucky toyed with various possibilities, letting courage well in the pit of her stomach. Maybe tomorrow she would just try it. It was entirely possible nothing would happen.

“Wouldn’t you rather it happen while you’ve got someone here to watch your back?”

“Wait, you want me to try it now?”

Marc stopped walking and gestured towards a large boulder. “Sure! Right here, right now. Prove that you can do it, and give me something interesting to report back to Gwen with.”

“Oh, well as long as you benefit from my temporary displacement, why not?” Lucky shot Marc a wry grin but found herself walking over to him. “What’s in it for me if this works?”

“Renown throughout Wonderland? Control of your own destiny? Dinner with me?” As the last words slipped out of his mouth, Marc’s carefree persona seemed to melt away. His eyes seemed to be looking everywhere but at Lucky.

With a smirk, Lucky sat herself down on the ground and pulled Marc after her. Not giving herself a chance to change her mind, she leaned against the fallen boulder and squeezed her eyes shut. “Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need it.” Marc’s strong hands once again wrapped themselves around Lucky’s, offering a gentle squeeze.

At first, Lucky was frozen, both mentally and physically, terrified that one mental slip would send her tumbling out of her own body. She was perfectly aware of everything around her, from the damp stone at her back to the birds sailing through the trees at impossible speeds.