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Th-thank you!! I seemed to get a similar response from the people on Fanfiction. I seem to write better when I think in a british accent razz
Here's the next chapter!
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Ch. 2: A Cheshire Welcome

Ali shuffled around the ground and groped for her lantern. When she found it, it was already in pieces. She sighed and gave up hoping for light. Instead, she began to search for a way out.

She ran her hand along the wall, wondering where she could have fallen. Obviously, this was not dug by Jillian and her siblings. Maybe something had happened while she was out of town sometime? No, that couldn't be. She frowned as her hand ran across something that was not the wall--in fact, it felt like a person! She jumped back in horror, going through all her slef-defense classes in her mind rapidly, ready to claw the person's eyes out.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Came an amused voice from where she had just been. "There's nobody here but you and me." The voice was quiet for a moment, Ali not daring to talk. "Ah, I see, you want the light. Well, look around you, silly. It's been on this whole time." She looked around and, sure enough, the cavern was filled with light as if it had never been dark. She gazed at the place, puzzled. Instead of the dirt cavern she had been expecting, she found herself in a marble room, which confused her greatly because she'd felt the dirt with her own hands. Now as she ran her hands along the wall and ground, it was smooth, as most marble was. She looked over to where the voice had been, and saw no-one.

"Looking for me?"

Ali twirled around and was face-to-face with an amused looking boy, seemingly nineteen. He smiled a huge grin, and bowed a deep bow. He was sporting a spiffy maroon suit that accented his hair, which was slicked back and a multitude of hues--blues, purples, reds, oranges, and greens.

"Cheshire von Katt, at your service, madame. Pleased to make your aquaintance." He straightened up, still smiling his ridiculous smile. She saw that his eyes were a deep, entrancing violet color.

"You mean, the Cheshire Cat?" Ali said skeptically.

Cheshire von Katt cocked his head slightly at her, his smile beginning to be rather unsettling. "Yes, I have been called that at times. Not many use that alias, though--that is, of course, because I am not a cat. Although, I would surely like to be one. Why, I've half a mind to change into one!"

"Oh, poppycock. One can't simply 'change' into a cat, or any other animal for that matter." She said, tearing her eyes away from his smile and turning away from him in a huff.

"Really, now? Then, if I've gotten the rules wrong, why is it that you have those bunny ears on your head?"

"What?!" Her hand shot up to her head. "Nonsense, there's no way I--" She stopped. There was some kind of furry appendage growing out of her head, whether it be bunny ears or something else....She felt her face turn white. She swiveled around to face Cheshire--but he had dissappeared again. In his place stood a full length mirror, in which she could very plainly see the two, soft, furry, white bunny ears that were indeed growing out of her head.

"Now, tell me, if one can't turn into an animal, then what do you think you are?" She looked behind her to see Cheshire, hanging from a tree branch that seemed to be growing straight out of the marble.

"Dreaming. Yes, that's it," She said, mostly to herself. "I must have fallen asleep in the garden. All this nonsense is coming to my mind because Eliza wouldn't stop talking about that stupid movie. I'm just dreaming."

"Dreaming or awake, you're still here." Cheshire said, dropping from the ceiling and twisting(much like a cat does) to land on his feet. "Now, tell me--are you a friend of Alice? Or of Lewis? Or--" He did a bit of a skip-hop toward her. "Both?"

"I have no idea what you mean," she said impatiently, tugging at her newly acquired bunny ears to make sure they weren't fake. They weren't.

"Well, I should think it an easy question. Are you a friend of Alice, Lewis, or of both?" He put his head in his hands, leaning his elbows on a table she hadn't noticed before. "You had to know one of them--they're the only two people ever to come here besides you! They must have told you where to find us."

"Do you mean Lewis Carroll?"

"Yes, I do believe that was his name. Quite an odd duck, that one. I think he went mad, too. Not that I've the right to call anyone else mad--we're all mad here."

"Well, I'm not friends with either of them, as if that makes any difference. Alice doesn't exist, she's just a character in a book. And that book was written by Lewis Carroll, and he's dead."

"Really? Such a pity. I did like that boy. He fit right in here. Not Alice, though, oh, no. She stuck out like a sore thumb. Anyway, we should be heading out now, hmmm?"

"Yeah, right, as if I'd go anywhere with you." Ali scoffed. "You're madder than Lewis Carrol himself, and I want no part of it, thank you very much."

"All the same, we must be getting along." He began to walk away.

"Didn't you hear me? I'm not going."

"Of course you are! You do want to get out of here, don't you?" He said, turning on his heel to face her. "Of course, if you want to stay in this place forever, then feel free. I must be going." She gasped as she saw him fading away, first his feet and hands, then his torso, and finally his eyes and mouth were the only thing left. His grin hadn't left his face once.....well, figuratively speaking, of course.

Then he was gone. Ali stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. Then she shook it off. "Perhaps I should have gone with him," She thought aloud. "God knows I don't know where I am, let alone how to get around. How insane this all is. I do hope I wake up soon."

She looked at the table Cheshire had been leaning on earlier, and with shock found her sketchbook there. She picked it up and thumbed through it, seeing all the usual things. It didn't seem to be touched. Except for the last page--on the last page was a picture of Cheshire, drawn in Ali's hand, her style down to the dot. In the picture, Cheshire was pointing to the left, wearing that mischevious grin of his. Impulsively, Ali looked to where the picture pointed---

There was a door. It was tall and wooden, and most certainly hadn't been there before. She looked back at the page, but the picture was gone. She blinked. "What an odd boy he was. I don't think I'd much like to see him again." She closed the sketchbook and turned to the big wooden door, pulling absentmindedly on her freshly sprouted bunny ears.

"This looks the only way out--and despite what I said before, I've no intention of staying here."

With that, she grasped the big brass handles and gave the door a good, hard shove.


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LOL Cheshire's funny, ne? I like him. He's always been my favorite character. Anyway, I'd appreciate reviews! See you next time!

BTW, here's some Vocabulary for you: The word "cheshire" means someone who mimics someone else or steals ideas so as to further their social status.