O h, my God. She's only ten or so. I run to her and get on my knees. I have to crawl inside to get to her. Her mouth is tied, and her dress is torn, ashes covering her legs. The look in her eyes is killing me. Those pleading eyes. I can't imagine she's been locked in this awful place for so long. This damn Cheshire Cat. I swear I will catch him.
When I reach for the girl, she pulls away, still panicking. I'm assuming she is in great shock. "It's all right," I say. "I am here to help you."
The girl stops panicking but doesn't move or allow me to untie her hands and legs. I feel like I want to scream and cry at the same time. I want to tell her that I know what it feels like being trapped and isolated in such a small room. She reminds me of myself in the asylum. I am praying the Cheshire didn't do this on purpose, sacrificing the girl to play with my head.
Whenever I crawl closer to her, she shies away. I don't want to force her. She's been through enough. I need to find a way for her to trust me. I reach for the ashes and smear them on my face and hands, trying to assure her we're both alike. That I can save her if only she'll let me. The girl still doesn't trust me. Her mouth is duct-taped, so she can't speak. But her eyes speak. I wonder what she wants to tell me.
"Please, let me help you," I say, tears trickling down my cheeks.
She does that thing with her eyes again, unable to speak.
"At least let's remove the duct tape, so you can tell me what you want."
She thinks about it, then nods. I crawl over and pull it slowly. She's brave. She doesn't moan anymore.
"Are you Alice?" she asks me, with her faint and weakened voice.
"I am." There is no point in asking her how she knows now.
My answer makes her relax. She allows me to unbind her and help her crawl out of the fireplace. We get out to the middle of the hall, where she hugs me while I am on my knees. Then she finally let’s go and cries hysterically. She's been through a lot.
My whole world is falling apart. I have never felt this much emotion for such a long time—I don't even know how long. The sane world is too cruel , I think as I hold her tighter to me. I don't even know her, but I want to give her all the love I can provide. How can the Cheshire do something like that to this young kid? The sane world is horrible. The Pillar was right. Living among the sane is insane.
"I'm not a fan of drama," Jack says from behind me. When I tilt my head, I see him climbing out of one of those highly arched windows. Is this guy some kind of a thief, or what? "But you owe me a date!" He points a finger at me, then waves goodbye to the girl. I am surprised that she waves goodbye to him. For the first time, she smiles.
When I turn to look at Jack again, he's gone.
"Well done, Alice," the Pillar says in my ears. "Not too shabby for our first day at college. See you in the asylum tonight." He hangs up on me.
"Are you okay?" I ask the girl as I catch my breath.
She nods. "As soon as you told me your name was Alice, I knew I was going to be okay. Thank you."
"Really?" I check her body for any bruises. "Are you hurt in any way?"
The girl shakes her head. I can tell she is all right. The Cheshire didn't hurt her, which makes me wonder what all of this was about.
"What's your name?" I run my finger through her hair.
"Constance."
"What a lovely name." I hug her again.
"Not as lovely as yours." Her small hands cling to my pullover from behind. "My mom was going to name me Alice first."
"You love that name a lot, huh?" I smile, wondering why my name means so much to her.
She hits me with the answer: "The man who kidnapped me told me a girl named Alice was coming for me."
"Oh." My face tightens, and my need to catch the Cheshire heightens. "Did you see his face?"
"No, he was wearing a mask of a grinning cat," she says. "But when I asked him if it was Alice in Wonderland who was coming to save me, he said yes, it was her. He meant you," the girl continues, her head on my shoulder. I fight the tears. She thinks Alice is her hero from the books, and that she came to save her. Or maybe I am too stupid to notice that she is right. That I am Alice, and that I am destined for much more than a cell in an asylum. "I told him Alice is only seven," the girl continues. "She can't save me."
"What did he say to that?"
"He said, 'Alice is grown up now, and she will try to save the world.'"