Present: Beneath the Mushrooms, London
N ever have I imagined myself kissing someone in this position, but I couldn’t help tasting Jack’s lips. He kisses me back as passionately. It is him. This isn’t a game this time.
“Slow down, Alice,” Jack jokes. “You’re killing me.”
“Shut up,” I wave my Vorpal sword at him, realizing it’s an aggressive move. I guess he has to get used to my temper.
Jack pulls me closer and in a strange maneuver spoons me under the darker mushrooms.
“What’s on your mind, Jack?” My eyes widen.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” he says. “We need to stay together to stay alive.”
“Such an excuse to be so close to me,” I raise an eyebrow.
“As long as you don’t go crazy on me.”
“You remember I’ve spent time in an asylum, right?” I pinch him jokingly.
“The best part, actually,” he smiles. “Most girls don’t let you know they’re crazy. You come with a chip on your shoulder. Refreshing.”
“That wasn’t romantic.” I pout.
“It wasn’t meant to be,” he shows me his tongue then his eyes darken as a spew of fire lands nearby.
“Come with me.”
We stand up but crouch as we start to run hand in hand, protected by the mushrooms.
“Just like when we were kids in Wonderland,” I say.
“What’s gotten into you?” Jack seems alerted. “All touchy-feely and puppy-eyed. We have to find a way to kill my father.”
“I’m just happy you’re here.”
“Alice, we’re going to die if we don’t do something about him.”
“Well, he is your father,” I say. “You must know his weakness.”
Jack says nothing. I have a feeling he has an idea.
We sneak into a burned-out building. It’s pretty dark inside. Next to each other, we lean against the wall to take a breath. It’ll only be a few minutes before the Jabberwocky attacks again.
“Who did I kill then?”
“Spades,” Jack says. “I escaped him. He was trying to kill me. I assume he pretended he was me and the plant told you I was the Jabberwocky.”
“Yes, how do you know that?”
“He tried to convince me the same. I only remembered the connection, that the Jabberwocky was my father when I escaped and spent some time alone.”
“Why did they make me kill Spades? It doesn’t make sense.”
“It makes sense. It’s Black Chess’s ultimate trick, to drive you crazy and dupe you into thinking you killed or hurt someone. Their best weapon is to convince you you’re no different from them.”
I consider and agree actually. “To make us think we’re not on the good side. Is that what the Pillar did for me?”
“I’m not sure about him, but my heart tells me he is on our side,” Jack stares at me. “Listen, I think I know how to kill the Jabberwocky.”
“Not with this, right?” I point at my useless Vorpal sword.
“Actually, with it,” Jack says. “The thing is we have to defeat him the way he defeated each one of us.”
“How did he do that?”
“By sneaking into our minds and souls and confusing us into madness.”
“You want to get into his mind?” I grimace.
“Something like that.”
A moment of silence lingers between us.
“What’s on your mind, Jack?”
“I want you to trust me.”
“Who is getting emotional now?”
“He is my father, I remember little of him, but I have a gut feeling of how to kill him. You have to promise me, though.”
“Promise you what?”
“To never hate me after what I’m about to do.”