There was not one thing Alec hated more than having nothing to do. Alright, sure, he was supposed to be reading. But whose brilliant idea had it been to assign them a kids’ book? Alice in Wonderland isn’t even current literature.

Not to mention the fact that Lawrence had insisted upon studying outside today, which provided a wealth of distractions. The wind was chilly. The grass was prickly. The tree Alec was leaning against was ridiculously uncomfortable as a back rest, but his legs had fallen asleep and he didn’t feel like getting up.

Their cat, Dinah, wasn’t helping either. She had decided to crawl into his lap when he’d sat down, and then because he’d been trying to read instead of paying attention to her, she’d climbed onto his book and refused to move. It was as if the universe wanted him to stop trying to read this stupid book.

Alec sighed and tipped his head back so that it rested against the tree. “I hate this book.”

Dinah mewed. Alec would hazard a guess that it was not a sympathetic meow. More likely she was expressing her disdain for him and his non-cooperativeness.

“Sorry, Di,” he said. He reached out to pet her, but she jumped off of his book and ran off. “Aw, Di, come back! If I lose you, Ed’s going to kill me!”

He stood up to chase her, and his battered hand-me-down copy of Alice fell to the ground. As he followed his brother’s infuriating cat, something white caught his eye. When he turned to look, though, it was gone.

He returned his attention to the cat, but a moment later he saw a flash of white in the corner of his eye again. This time, Alec didn’t move his head to get a glimpse of whatever it was, just his eyes.

It turned out that it was a white rabbit. Not a regular rabbit, of course, becauseclearly he’d fallen asleep and was dreaming. It was at least twice the size of a regular rabbit, and wearing a waistcoat.

“Oh god, I’ve lost it,” he muttered, changing direction.

The Rabbit sped up, racing off toward… something.

Alec followed.

(Okay, so maybe that stupid book was getting to him. What else could possess him to follow a giant rabbit in a waistcoat? Or maybe a better question is what else could make him dream up a giant rabbit in a waistcoat?)

The Rabbit, who clearly had no idea how rabbits were supposed to act, glanced over its shoulder at him and just kept going.

Then it vanished. Alec was just trying to figure out where it’d had gone when he tripped and fell. And then didn’t stop falling.

He fell past things that probably shouldn’t have been underground – like a wardrobe and a floating table with tea things on it. Alec found himself tumbling past any manner of other things as well.

And then it hit him: why haven’t I stopped falling?

It was like a page out of that stupid book.

Actually, when he thought about it, it was a page out of that stupid book.

I’ve got to be dreaming, Alec decided. I fell asleep by the tree or something. This cannot be real.

He hit the ground with a thud. It hurt. Wasn’t there some old thing people do when they think they’re dreaming? Ask someone to pinch them? You’re not supposed to be able to get hurt in dreams. Well, that was one point towards not a dream, then.

On the other side, though, there was still the obvious fact that he’d just spent ten minutes falling past nonsense items that should not be in some crazy underground… thing.

Alec looked around. He was in a small, roundish room with doors of varying sizes on all sides and a round table in the centre.

“I know this part,” he said aloud, looking for the very smallest door. He picked up the key that was resting on the table and set it down next to the door. He hit a bit of a snag when he saw no little ‘drink me’ labelled bottle on the table. He sighed and leaned against the wall between two of the doors. Maybe this wouldn’t be as straightforward as following Alice’s footsteps.

“Hatter.”

The voice was coming from nowhere.

“Hatter.”

She’s found that she’s generally less surprised by things like this than perhaps she should.

“Hatter!”

“What?” she snapped.

A sharp-toothed grin appeared before her, then eyes, then the rest of a striped cat, hanging in midair. “Another Otherworlder came through.”

Hatter groaned. “Are they incapable of staying on their side of the Looking-Glass?”

“You don’t have to pick them up, you know,” the Cat responded.

“I do, though, Ches,” replied Hatter, sighing. “Talking Flowers get killed if they aren’t protected.” She shook her head. “I’m tired of letting innocents die.”

“It’s their fault they’re innocent,” commented the Cat.

“Right, right,” Hatter agreed. “All these Talking Flowers show up in Wonderland, expecting something wonderful. Too bad it hasn’t been anywhere nearwonderful since my great-grandmother was growing up.”

“You could just leave him there,” the Cat repeated.

Hatter sighed again. “I can’t, Ches. You know I can’t. It’s my job.”

“Your job is to fix Wonderland, Hatter,” answered the Cat.

“I won’t watch more of these uninformed Otherworlders walk to their deaths,” Hatter said. “Where is he?”

“He’s at the Doors,” the Cat told her, lazily turning over so he was floating upside-down.

“The Doors?” repeated Hatter. “No Talking Flower has fallen down the Rabbit Hole in over a hundred years!”

“This one did.”

“Come on, then,” Hatter said, starting in the direction of the Doors.

“Oh, I’m not going,” the Cat replied. He started to vanish, starting from his tail and steadily moving forwards.

“Ches!” exclaimed Hatter. She reached out and grabbed his left front leg. “Come with me.”

“Take Dormouse,” whined the Cat.

“Dormouse is my lieutenant. He has to stay and be in charge while I’m gone,” Hatter responded. “If you don’t want to come along, make yourself useful and follow him. Tell us if he moves. I’ll bring March.”

The Cat rolled back over and saluted half-heartedly. “Fine, yes, going now.”

He disappeared properly then, and Hatter turned on her heel and walked back into the base. “Oi! March! Another Talking Flower came through – I just got the report from the Cat.”

“Lookin’ Glass must’ve dropped ‘em in a pretty open area if you’re already jumpin’ to go,” commented the Dodo.

“He didn’t come through the Looking-Glass,” Hatter replied. “He’s at the Doors.March!”

The March Hare scrambled around the corner and into view. “Yes, Hatter?”

Hatter sighed. “Didn’t you hear me the first time?”

“No, Hatter,” replied March.

“Talking Flower came through at the Rabbit Hole,” Hatter summarised.

March’s jaw dropped. “No Otherworlder’s come down the Rabbit Hole in years!”

“You don’t think I know that?” asked Hatter.

“Yes, Hatter. I mean, no, Hatter! I don’t not think that you –“ began March.

Hatter held up a hand. “Why do I even bother? Come on, March. The Doors let out in a pretty open place. We don’t want the Hearts getting him.”

“No, Hatter!” agreed March. Hatter sighed again and turned around, indicating for him to follow her.

“Dormouse! You’re in charge ‘till March and I return!” Hatter called over her shoulder.

“Gotcha!” Dormouse shouted back.

Hatter waved vaguely and led the way out of the compound.

March and Hatter walked together through the forest.

At one point, they nearly collided with a petite girl with white-blonde pigtails and a blue vest over her clothes. “A Talking Flower followed me!”

“Down the Rabbit Hole, yeah, we’re on our way,” replied Hatter. “Get back to the base, Rabbit. Don’t want you getting caught.”

 They ran the rest of the way to the edge of the trees, from which they could see a door and part of a wall standing in the middle of a clearing. As they watched, they heard the lock click and saw the door open.

A blond boy, no older than Hatter, wearing a blue shirt and black trousers, stepped through.

Hatter glanced around, pulling her hat down a little to shade her eyes. “I don’t see anyone, but I shouldn’t risk going out there.” She nodded toward him. “Go get him, March.”

“Yes, Hatter,” March responded. He ran out to where the boy stood. “Come with me.”

“What?” the boy responded.

“Come with me,” March repeated slowly, gesturing back to where Hatter stood, half-hidden by the trees.

The boy nodded and followed March back to Hatter.

“Who are you people?” he asked.

“That’s a question better left to safer territory,” answered Hatter. “A better question is who are you?”

“I’m Alec,” he told them. “Alec Liddell.”

Hatter almost laughed. “Over a hundred years since anyone fell down the Rabbit Hole, and the second one is practically named after the first.”

“Are you talking about Alice?” asked Alec.

“Shh!” March said, wide eyed. “Someone could hear you!”

In response to Alec’s obvious confusion, Hatter explained, “Depending on what part of Wonderland society you’re brought up in, Alice’s name is either revered or a curse word worthy of having your mouth washed out with soap. Either way, saying it will get you noticed.” She glanced around. “But yes, I was talking about Alice.”

“What did you mean, ‘over a hundred years since anyone fell down the Rabbit Hole’? Isn’t that the only way to get here?” Alec inquired.

“Someone’s full of questions,” Hatter commented, a hint of annoyance already colouring her voice. “I meant that nobody’s come that way in over a hundred years. Not since Alice. Most Talking Flowers – people from your world – get dumped around Wonderland by the Looking-Glass.”

“And who exactly are you?” repeated Alec.

Hatter sighed, looking around again. “We’re part of the Resistance,” she answered cautiously.

March laughed. “She is the Resistance.”

Hatter smirked. The effect was kind of creepy, as her face was still half-hidden in shadow. “I wouldn’t say so.” She held out a hand, feeling bold. “I’m Hatter.”

They’d walked a little more than halfway back to the base when Hatter stopped.

“What are we stopping for?” Alec asked.

“You need to know what you’re getting into,” Hatter answered, sitting down by the pond they’d stopped by and kicking off her boots.

“Fifteen minutes ago, you didn’t even want to tell me your name,” Alec pointed out. “What’s changed?”

March gestured toward the pond. “The Hearts won’t come here.”

“This is sacred ground,” explained Hatter. “We’re safe.”

“…sacred?” repeated Alec.

“We’ve known each other twenty minutes, and already I’m beginning to regret going out myself to pick you up,” Hatter commented, exasperated. “I should’ve sent the Tweedles.”

“Aw, Hatter, the Tweedles never let me come with,” March complained.

“One, I wouldn’t have sent you along if I sent the Tweedles,” replied Hatter, “and two, you’re already here, so shut your mouth.” She walked around the edge of the pond. “This is a saltwater pond,” she told Alec. “It’s called the Pool of Tears, after part of the Alice legend.”

“Yeah,” said Alec, nodding. “She cried so much the room with the doors flooded and she had to swim.”

“Exactly,” agreed Hatter. “Alice is rather a big deal here. The legend says she cried up a whole room, but historians – the few who feel safe enough studying it, of course – say that their caucus race probably happened by this pond, so this pond is sacred ground. No Card would dare attack us here. They’re all so scared of the Otherworlders and Alice that they’d probably never even come close.” She stepped into the water, so that it just reached her ankles. “I used to come here when I was a kid.”

“Should we brief him, Hatter?” March asked.

Hatter pulled off her long brown coat and tossed it aside next to her boots, then rolled up her sleeves. “That’s why we stopped.”

“Get on with it, then,” prompted Alec.

“All in good time, Talking Flower,” Hatter responded, flicking water at him. “Alice brought logic to Wonderland. Up until she showed up, Wonderland was even more nonsensical than it is now. It’s how the Heart family keeps in power.”

“Ever since then, the people have started to question. They’ve started thinking for themselves,” continued March.

“They’ve started thinking, full stop,” Hatter corrected. “Added onto that, the Caterpillar – they’re kind of like oracles, I guess? – two generations ago predicted that the corrupt rule of the House of Heart would end at the hands of an Otherworlder. Since then, they’ve taken to killing any they find.”

“That’s why we pick them up!” March added. “And we call you Talking Flowers, so the Cards don’t know what we’re talking about. Probably think we’re talking about actual talking flowers, I reckon.”

Hatter rolled her eyes. “That’s the point, dimwit.” She sighed and pushed her hat back a bit so she could make proper eye contact with Alec. “You’re double dangerous because you came in the same way Alice did. Or at least that’ll be the reasoning the Hearts use to have you executed if they find you. Because they’re having to do that more and more. Reason, that is.”

“I’m not gonna try to overthrow your government,” Alec said.

“I am,” replied Hatter, smiling. “Or at least, that’s my goal.”

“Why?” asked Alec.

“Because the Queen of Hearts is a terrible ruler. There is no justice here, only the Queen’s whims. Not to mention that she keeps her position by discouraging sense and thinking for oneself. This place is a mess because of the Heart family and has been longer than anyone remembers,” Hatter answered. “It’s past time for a change of government.”

“Hatter?” March said hesitantly. “We should be getting back. The sun’s going down; Dormouse will worry.”

“My lieutenant is a bit of a mother hen,” Hatter told Alec. “If he weren’t such a good fighter, I’d probably demote him for driving me mad.” She stepped out of the water, pulled her boots back on, and picked up her coat. “Follow after March.”

Alec nodded. March resumed walking in the direction of the base. Hatter and Alec fell into step behind him. “So you… you’re their leader?” Alec asked.

“They call me that, yes,” Hatter answered.

“How long have you been, er, resisting?” continued Alec.

“Five years, give or take,” Hatter replied. “March’s been around longer.”

“So why aren’t you in charge, then, March?” Alec inquired.

March laughed. “Because Hatter’s a tactical genius.”

“That’d better be why,” muttered Hatter. Alec raised his eyebrows, but Hatter shook her head. “Question time’s over, Flower.”

Before long, they reached the base. March ran off to rejoin Ducky and the Eaglet at whatever they’d been up to before he’d been called to accompany Hatter.

“Dormouse!” Hatter called.

 A young man in his mid-twenties practically materialised in front of them. “You need to keep better track of the time, Hatter.”

“Dormouse, if it was reasonable to demote you, I would,” replied Hatter casually. “This is the new Talking Flower. He’s called Alec.”

“Is this one of your jokes, Hatter?” Dormouse asked, staring at Alec.

“I have not gotten enough sleep in the last few days to have the ability to come up with such a prank, as you well know, Mousey,” Hatter told him.

“But Dodo and Rabbit said he fell down the Rabbit Hole.”

“He did.”

“And he’s called Alec? Really?”

“He is.”

“Do you think –“

“It’s unlikely.”

“But possible! Hatter, what if he’s –“

“We’ll ask Caterpillar later.”

“Why not now? He’s –“

“Dormouse, he’s right here.”

“Yeah,” agreed Alec. “Er, who’s the Caterpillar? I thought you said –“

“There’s one for every generation,” Hatter explained patiently. “We have the current one. And not even as a prisoner or anything! He’s on our side. The Queen was rather upset when she found out.”  She chuckled. “I love making the Queen mad.”

Dormouse frowned. “That attitude’s going to get you killed one day, Hatter.”

Hatter shrugged. “So be it.” She stumbled a bit as they walked through a doorway.

Dormouse caught her. “Hattie, that’s it. We’ll survive without you for a night. You haven’t slept in days. I’ll give Alec his tour.”

“Dormouse-“

“Go.”

Hatter glared at him, but complied. As she walked away, she heard Alec ask, “She’s in charge here, yeah? How come she listens to you?”

“Because she knows I’m right,” replied Dormouse. “She’d work herself to death if she didn’t have someone here to stop her.”

Hatter rolled her eyes, but didn’t turn around. She didn’t stop until she reached her room. When she did, she flicked on the lights and set her hat on the side table. She stopped only to shrug off her coat and kick off her boots before falling fully clothed onto her bed.

Dormouse showed Alec around the compound, introducing him to everyone they came across. Most of them were rather intrigued by Alec. Alec tried not to think about it.

“And this,” Dormouse said at last, “is where you’ll be sleeping. You’re sharing a room with Todd; he was the last Talking Flower to come through.”

Todd waved. “Hey, Newbie.”

“I’m Alec,” declared Alec, holding a hand out.

Todd shook it. “Todd, obviously.”

Dormouse smiled. “Ducky’s collecting some clothes for you, Alec. She’ll bring them in the morning.”

“Thank you,” replied Alec. Dormouse nodded and shut the door behind Alec.

“So where’d the Looking-Glass drop you?” Todd asked.

Alec crossed the room and sat down on the vacant bed. “Actually, I fell down the Rabbit Hole.”

“Really?”

“Uh… yeah,” answered Alec. “How long have you been here?”

“A few months,” replied Todd. He shrugged. “It’s kind of unreal, to be honest. Feels like I’ve been here forever.”

“Do you ever think about going home? What about your family?” Alec asked.

Todd shrugged again. “For a while I did, but not so much anymore. There’s a lot to do, even for non-Wonderlanders.”

Alec wasn’t sure whether this was comforting or disconcerting. Well, he thought, it looks like I’ll have plenty of time to figure it out.

No more than six hours after being sent to bed like a little child, Hatter awoke. She groaned and rolled off of the bed, reaching blindly for the clean shirt that she knew Dormouse had put out for her. He always did, no matter how many times she told him that she could handle herself. Her fingers found the soft fabric. She fumbled with the buttons on the shirt she was already wearing, and then shrugged it off, tossing it in the vague direction of her laundry pile. She picked up the clean shirt and immediately cursed her ridiculous lieutenant for choosing another shirt with buttons.

Based on the light (or lack thereof) in the hall, Hatter guessed that it was probably about 2 in the morning. She stuck her head out the door and called, “Mousey, really?”

The door across the way opened. “Yes, really,” Dormouse replied sleepily. “Stop complaining about buttons, put the shirt down, and go back to sleep.”

Hatter dropped the shirt by the door, crossed the hall, passed Dormouse, and climbed onto the top bunk in his room. “Fine.”

“You’re going to try to keep me up, aren’t you?” asked Dormouse.

“Am I really that juvenile?” Hatter innocently replied.

“Yes,” responded Dormouse. He flopped onto the bottom bunk. “Pretend you aren’t and just sleep, okay? We’ll talk in the morning.”

Hatter rolled her eyes, not that he could see her in the dark, and pulled the blanket up over her head.

The next time she woke up, the Cat was floating a few inches above her. “There’s a Caucus Race in Cardhouse today,” he announced.

Hatter swatted at him. “I know.”

“Are you going?”

“I was going to send Dee and Dum.”

Dormouse kicked her bunk. “Dee and Dum are grounded.”

“Then you and I will go,” Hatter replied. “I’ll put March in charge for a few hours. Nobody’ll get hurt as long as Dodo deals with anything flamey and nobody leaves the base.”

Dormouse laughed. “To the Caucus Race we’ll go, then. At least this way you won’t get hurt.”

“I wouldn’t hurt myself at a Caucus Race, Mousey,” said Hatter.

“No, you’d get yourself arrested,” Dormouse corrected.

The Cat laughed as he faded away.

Hatter sat up, scooted across the bed, and slid down the ladder. “Dress for a party, Dormouse.”

“Just dress, Hattie,” replied Dormouse.

 Hatter chuckled, nodding. “I’ll get right on that, Mousey.” She gave him a vague salute and stepped out the door.

In the hallway, she crashed into Alec, who was walking with Todd toward the mess hall. “Sorry!” he exclaimed.

“No worries, Alec, it was my fault,” she replied easily.

“You’re… you’re not wearing a shirt,” Alec observed.

Hatter laughed. “Stunning observational skills, there, kid. My shirt’s in my room, just there.” She pointed to the door opposite her. “I fell asleep in my clothes and –“

Dormouse stuck his head out of the door she’d just exited. “Hattie, what time are we leaving?”

“After breakfast. You’re always nagging me to eat,” Hatter answered. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to go dress myself. I can’t exactly go out like this.”

“Uh, sure, go ahead,” said Alec. He looked rather uncomfortable. Hatter laughed again and walked into her room.

Todd started laughing, too, at the expression on Alec’s face. “You get used to her,” he said eventually, catching his breath. “She’s… comfortable. I’m not sure if Wonderland has different ideas about all this or if it’s just the Rebels, but they’re all at least a little like that.”

Alec didn’t really know how to respond, so they just kept walking. “I wonder where they’re going.”

Todd shrugged. “Beats me. Best I can figure, Hatter almost never leaves base if Dormouse isn’t here. I don’t think they trust March to take charge, but he’s third-in-command.”

“Yeah, I can see why,” replied Alec.

In the mess hall, they sat at a table with four other people who Todd told Alec were also from Earth. Two of them were little girls, no older than 9, and the others were a teenage girl and boy who looked related.

“I’m Marcella,” the smaller of the two little ones said, “an’ this is Chelsea.”

“I’m Alec,” replied Alec, shaking Marcella’s hand. He looked over at the other two people sitting at the table. “Er, who are you?”

The girl nudged the boy. “My name’s Nick,” he introduced. “My sister’s called Nat. She doesn’t talk.”

“Nice to meet you, Nick,” Alec said. “And Nat, too.”

Nat nodded. She signed something to her brother, which he relayed to the others. “Nat wants to know if you’re ‘the guy’. Tasha, I have no idea what that means.” Nat rolled her eyes and signed something else. “Oh!” Nick exclaimed. “I get it. She wants to know if you’re the new guy March told her about yesterday.”

“Probably?” Alec responded. “March and Hatter were the ones who picked me up, so…”

“It’s him,” Chelsea confirmed. “We saw March walk in with ‘im.”

Marcella nodded. “An’ then Dee and Dum tol’ us tha’ March tol’ them tha’ the new guy fell down the Rabbit Hole like Alice.”

Nat pointed to Marcella. Marcella grinned, and Chelsea pouted. Alec raised his eyebrows questioningly. Todd explained, “Marce and Chels have been here foryears. They’re young, but they’re old timers, as far as Flowers go. They like imitating different Wonderland accents and then Nat – she’s got a good ear for accents – Nat judges. That was, what? Northeast?”

Chelsea laughed. “South. They’re close, though. You’re learning.”

“F’it makes you feel better, you’re still better at Central than me,” Marcella said, elbowing her friend.

“Central’s easy, ‘Cella. But someday I will master all the regions and you’ll be left in the dust and people will think I was born here or something!”

“Er… right,” Alec said, “anyways, could someone explain to me what’s going on with this place? I mean, Hatter and March explained a bit, like history and stuff, but it really didn’t tell me much.”

“The Rebels all have codenames from the Alice story,” Todd told him, “which you probably already noticed. From what I understand, Dormouse has been here longest, then March. Probably Dodo and Eaglet after them.”

“And Hatter?” asked Alec. He knew she’d mentioned how long she’d been around, but he wanted someone else’s take on her.

Todd shrugged and looked to the younger girls. “Hatter showed up ‘bout five years ago,” Marcella answered promptly.

“With the Tweedles, Dee and Dum,” added Chelsea. “It was right after somebody kidnapped the princess, and the Hearts suspected Hatter. That was the story they gave, at least.”

“I’ve certainly never seen any sign of a princess ‘round here,” Marcella agreed. “But apparently Hatter’s still a wanted girl for the disappearance of Madison of the House of Heart, so she’s probably around somewhere.”

“She’s got to be somewhere,” Chelsea said. “Whether she’s here is up for debate. Maybe she’s in Neverland or Oz or somewhere.”

Hatter and Dormouse stood at the edge of Cardhouse’s central square as the mayor announced the rules.

“Everyone run in whichever direction you’d like. Start when you want, stop when you want.  Ready?” he declared. The crowd responded positively. “Go!”

Everyone began running. Hatter grinned and grabbed Dormouse’s hand. “Come on, Mousey!”

Dormouse laughed and they joined the race. “I love this. Why don’t we ever hold one of these at –“

“Do you honestly think we have time for social events on a regular basis?” replied Hatter.

“No!” Dormouse conceded.

“Stop! Stop!” the mayor called. Everyone skidded to a halt, panting. “Alright! As you all know, after a caucus race comes story telling in the meeting hall! You have half an hour before the story starts!”

Hatter caught a little boy by the arm. “D’you know what the story’s about tonight?”

“Yeah,” he answered, “It’s about a time the Rebels infiltrated the palace. An old cook is telling it. She says she reckons that’s when they first got an eye on the princess. S’probably the day they decided to kidnap her.”

“Right,” said Hatter. She let the kid go, and he ran off to rejoin his friends. “We’re leaving.”

“I haven’t heard that one before, though!” Dormouse whined jokingly. He lowered his voice. “I really haven’t, Hattie, and I’m with the Resistance.”

“It’s nothing special,” Hatter replied. “It was about 6 years ago.”

“You weren’t even with us yet then,” observed Dormouse. “How d’you know about this?”

Hatter chuckled. “Have you forgotten my intimate knowledge of the palace’s workings, Mousey? What I don’t get is how you don’t know – I mean, you guys got a guy pretty far into a Heart party. I always thought that would’ve involved a lot of… involvement.”

“Honest, Hattie, I never even heard about anything like that, even when I was in charge and I went through the backlogs of old missions,” Dormouse told her as they walked away. “I never saw anything about it. We’re trying to overthrow the government, not get ourselves killed.”

“Right, right,” said Hatter.

Dormouse grabbed her by the elbow and spun her to face him. He glanced over his shoulder before he spoke, to make sure that they were entirely alone. “Hatter, stop. I know you’ve got your personal thing against the Queen and Court, but don’t for a second suggest you’d risk your life unnecessarily for it.”

“Being remotely involved with the Rebels is a risk –“

“There’s a different between taking a risk and throwing your life around like it’s nothing,” interrupted Dormouse.

“I was joking,” Hatter tried.

Dormouse looked her right in the eye and said, “I know you, Hatter. And I know you weren’t.”

Hatter sighed. “D’you want to go back into town and hide out ‘till the dancing after the story or should we just go back to base?”

“Depends, which would you hate more?”

“Would you believe me if I said dancing?”

“Not for a minute. We’re going home.” He slid his hand down her arm to her wrist and pulled her further away from town, into the forest. “And when we get there? You’re grounded.”