Slowly, the Cheshire’s body was hurting. He knew what was going on. The changes Alice had made in the past were starting to manifest in this world. And since Jack never died in this new version of life, he never came back for Alice, and the Cheshire never possessed him.
Mind bending stuff, even for the sneaky cat.
The Cheshire fell to his knees, knowing he had to posses another soul as soon as possible. Or he would simply die.
Clasping his face, the Cheshire realized he’d been tricked by the greatest murderer of all. He’d been tricked by time. Never a tick too soon. Never a tock too late.
Chapter 87
Mrs. Tock and Mr. Tick watched the Cheshire fall to his knees, wondering if they should help him.
“It’s a shame that the evil cat was that much of a fool,” Mr. Tick said.
“Time befriends no one,” Mrs. Tock said. “But I really had so much fun today, Mr. Tick. It was a timely adventure.”
“Me too, Mrs. Tock.” He held her hand. “We should do this again some time.”
“Really?” Mrs. Tock’s eyes brightened. “When?”
“A couple of hundred years from now,” he said.
“Why not? We have all the time in the world.”
“Which is pretty boring,” he said. “But not as long as we’re together. Ticking and tocking all the time.”
Mrs. Tock laid her head on his chest and sighed. “Since you’ve finally admitted I make your life better, I have a confession, Mr. Tick.”
“After all this time?” he mocked her lovingly.
“I know why you can’t grow hair anymore.”
Mr. Tick grimaced. “You know?”
“I have to confess it’s because of me. I didn’t want you flirting with younger girls. So I —”
“So you did what?”
“It’s the tea you drink all night and day. It has a substance that causes baldness.”
Mr. Tick was shocked. Even upset. He pulled his arm away and paced away from her.
“Mr. Tick!” she called after him. “I can make it grow back. Black pepper and olive oil will fix it!”
She ran after him. The Cheshire was still choking to death behind her.
Chapter 88
THE PRESENT: ALICE’S FUNERAL, THE RIVER THAMES, A WEEK LATER.
The Queen had just finished her speech about Alice. The crowd and kids clapped, thinking she was talking about the stubborn seven-year-old Alice in the books. Every news reporter in the world wondered why the Queen wept.
“I will always miss Alice,” the Queen said, flashing cameras surrounding her. “She will be always a part of my past, present, and future.”
“Do you plan to build a statue of her?” a reporter asked.
The Queen thought it over for a moment. It seemed like a good idea, but hell no. She wouldn’t make the people of England think there was someone as important as her in this life. She suddenly realized she didn’t care about Alice. What was she doing?
Her face twitched and she yelled out, “Off with their heads.”
The kids began to laugh. “Why is the Queen of England acting as if she were the Queen of Hearts?”
“She is mad,” a child began to cheer. His friends liked the idea. Why couldn’t be they were all mad in this world? They began singing. “We’re all mad here.
***
Fabiola stood next to the March Hare. He had woken up after Mr Tick and Mrs Tock got what they wanted.
“I can’t believe she is the Real Bad Alice,” the March Hare said. “I thought she was a sweet girl who believed she was Alice. I liked the idea a lot.”
“You’re na?ve, Jittery. That’s all. I will need you to grow up into a man.” Fabiola said. “Now that Alice is dead, the Wonderland Wars have just begun. Us against Black Chess.”
The March’s ears stood erect again. Fighting Black Chess without Alice scared him. “I wonder who this Mr. Jay really is.”
“I think I have an idea,” Fabiola said. “I won’t sleep well until I know who he is. So far he is the man behind Black Chess. We need to find him, or we will never win the war.”
“Things got a lot complicated,” The March said. “What are we going to do, White Queen? We’re almost powerless.”
“It’s a shame you’d say that knowing who I am.”
The March Hare shrugged. Of course he knew. The past was shadowing the future again. Clashes were unavoidable. Masks had been taken off, and there was no going back. “I know.” He nodded, about to cry. “I just can’t believe this sweet girl was Alice.”
Chapter 89
THE PRESENT: TOM TOWER, OXFORD
I’m up in Tom Tower, watching the world below. This is the place where the Pillar once stood, shouting and warning the world of an upcoming war, yet no one paid attention. Things have changed. The world is talking about the possibility of a Wonderland War now. If they only knew what’s coming.