“W hat can I do for you, dear Alice?” the Queen of Hearts says, standing before me.
She hasn’t possessed the Queen of England’s body yet at this point. She looks as ugly as I’ve seen her in Wonderland. Stocky, short, her facial features almost unrecognizable. Like a frog, with bulging eyes, a lost nose, and a big mouth.
“Still as ugly as you’ve always been,” I mock her, testing my credibility.
“Thanks for the compliment.” She lowers her head, fidgeting with her hands. “I’m working on a new face in this world. Haven’t found a spell to get it, though.”
“How about Margaret?”
“She was the first one to arrive from Wonderland. She had someone surgically fix her. But she’s taller than me, so it’s easier for her. She’s in Parliament right now.”
“Proud of her,” I say. “She isn’t wasting time playing by the book.”
“I’ll tell her that. She’ll be happy.” She stops to think about it. “But maybe I shouldn’t tell her about you now. You know no one knows about you but me and Mr. Jay.”
I didn’t know that. It explains why none of the Wonderlanders knows about the sequence of events in the future. I wonder how the Queen didn’t recognize me in the future, then. I’m sure I will know how along the way. “How about Waltraud? She knows who I am.”
“Don’t worry about that loser,” the Queen says. Waltraud isn’t in the room. “We’re feeding her a huge dose of Lullaby pills right now. She will not remember you. I believe that’s your wish, right?” She raises her eyes to meet mine. “I understand you don’t want to take the pill and spend the rest of life in the asylum.”
I nod, wanting her to spill the rest for me. Why did the Bad Alice want to forget about what she had done? It can’t be that I changed overnight. There must be a reason. I have to find out why.
“Mr. Jay told me about the deal. If you take the pill, we will have to take it, too,” the Queen says. “You don’t want us to remember you as well.”
So that’s why no one remembers me in the future. The Bad Alice had a change of heart and ordered her obituary, spending the rest of her life in an asylum.
“I’m impressed your stupid brain managed to fully understand my wishes,” I say, playing my part.
The Queen’s face twitches. She fears me, but she holds grudges. It makes sense. She once ruled Wonderland with her stupidity and anger. Then something happened after the circus. Who knows what? It’s hard to bring the subject to the table right now. “Do you happen to also remember why I need the pill?” I say. “I need to make sure you understand.”
“Of course,” she says. “Because of Jack. I’m really sorry.”
“What about Jack?”
“But you know why, dear Alice.”
“Just spit it out.”
“You regret having accidentally killed Jack on the bus,” she says. “Even though everyone on this bus had to die, Jack wasn’t meant to be on it. He didn’t have to die. I understand how this changed you. Love changes everything.”