Wonderland (Intergalactic Fairy Tales Book 1) (26 page)

Seamus grinned back. “Until we meet again,” he said, and stepped aboard The White Rabbit.

Cheshire had disappeared at about the time of the funeral, but appeared long enough for her to see who she was hugging. He disappeared with a final flash of mischievous yellow eyes and a whispered, “I’ll be seeing you.”

A few moments later, The White Rabbit took off and disappeared into the night sky. Alice waved until she couldn’t tell his white form from the stars in the sky, then turned and began the dreaded march back to her house.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

The walk back wasn’t long, but it was crowded with thoughts. There wasn’t any way that her parents would believe any of the truth, and yet, the idea of lying about her adventure didn’t appeal to her in the least. It would be better for her relationship with them if she lied and told them she’d fallen down a well or something. That wasn’t a thought that would have occurred to her just a few short days ago. Her parents had instilled in her a steadfast belief that telling them the truth was the only good option. Now, she realized that sometimes the truth was far more complicated.

Her decision as to what to tell her parents seemed to change between each footfall on soft grass. Finally, she decided not to decide at all until she met with her parents and read their mood. She filled the rest of the walk with a mental debate about what kind of punishment she would receive if she told the truth. They would probably send her to some sort of boarding school, maybe even a military academy if they were particularly cross with her. Strangely, the thought of punishment didn’t affect her the way it had before her trip to Wonderland. Nothing they could do to her would ever be equal to the battles she had fought there. As the Mad Hatter had said, the punishments were simply advice to be taken or ignored.

She stepped onto the manicured expanse of her yard and realized there was still one more decision to make. Should she climb back in her window and wait for morning to deal with her parents, or should she go around to the front door and deal with them immediately?

One look at her disgusting clothes made the decision clear. There was no way she wanted to sleep another night in those blood-caked rags, and putting on other clothes would just ruin them unless she showered. Also, if she went to sleep, there was the possibility that the trip to Wonderland would fade away like the dream she swore it was for so long. The front door it was.

If she were a little more honest with herself, she just wanted to see her parents. To hug and kiss them and revel in their safety. She’d missed them. Would they feel as unfamiliar as Nedran soil did to her now, or would it finally feel like coming home?

The large red door had looked ominous for as long as she could remember, with its large metal knocker shaped like some sort of goblin or gargoyle with a ring in its mouth. Now, it was just a door and a harmless chunk of metal. The true beasts on Nedra were the Colarians and they only attacked the cities with their ugly gray ships. There was nothing in her house to be truly afraid of.

Alice reached up, grasped the metal ring, and brought it down with a heavy clack three times. Lights flashed on and almost instantly were followed by the sound of running footsteps. It had to be well after midnight. Her parents should have been sleeping like the dead.

When her father flung open the door, it was obvious that he hadn’t slept properly in days. His hair was a mess and there were dark circles under his eyes. Mother came up behind him and then was pushing him out of the way in her rush to wrap her arms around Alice. It took her father several moments to wipe enough sleep from his eyes to realize what was going on and then he joined the hug. Dinah joined in at a lazier pace, rubbing her head against all of their legs as if she didn’t know what all the fuss was about, but wanted to be a part of it. She didn’t fool Alice one bit. If she was able, she would be giving her a Cheshire grin.

“What in the world happened to you?” asked her mother through her tears.

It was the moment she’d been preparing for. Time to decide on the truth or a lie. When she thought back on the last few days, on bravery, nobility, and the lengths great souls had gone to for the people they truly cared about, there was only one answer she could give. “I’ve had the most unbelievable adventure.”

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About the Author

Robert McKay is a clever nerd, who feels uncomfortable being called such. He believes in the oxford comma, puns, and true love. Stories that wrap all of these things together, along with some outer space adventure, make his heart go pitter-patter and his days a whole lot brighter. When he’s not writing, he’s probably reading, but if he’s not doing either of those things, he may be found bowling, playing tabletop games, or researching how much it costs to rent a space shuttle.

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