"Amy! Amy, stop!"
I laugh and duck behind a tree. Mrs. Jensen runs past, her hair a mess, the bottom of her dress is muddy, same with her shoes.
"Bloody girl," I hear her mutter.
I hear tree's rustling to my right and spin around. A big white rabbit wearing a spotted vest hurries past, he pauses and looks me up and down. I shake my head, I must be going crazy, and he's gone.
A hand grasps my arm. "Amy! Your fathers not going to be happy."
Everyone stares at us as we enter the ballroom. They eye us up and down and whisper to each other. "Amy Dele Tyne! Get here!"
I glance at Mrs. Jensen. She is smiling her fat head off.
I approach my father. "Hey, dad."
His eyes narrow. "Do you find this funny? This party is a big deal for me! Would you rather live in this big house and not have to lift a single finger? Or out on the streets?"
I glance around, "Dad, keep your voice down, people are watching."
He drags his hand down his face. "Go to your room Amy."
Mrs. Jensen accompanies me upstairs. It's just so she can hiss threats at me without my father hearing.
I step inside my room and slam the door in her face.
I stand in front of the mirror and pick at my light blue dress. It hangs down up mid thigh, so
before I left I pulled on a pair of black tights. Dad made me wear this dress, everyone wore blue today.
I try unzipping it, but it's stuck. "Stupid. Dress. Get. Off. Me!" I yank the zip with each word.
I sigh and sit on my bed. I can faintly hear the rumble of feet and voices below. I look at my watch, still another hour or so till the party ends.
I stand and grab my coat, I brace myself on the windowsill and jump into the tree next to my window. I slowly climb down and skip to the woods.
It only takes me a few minutes for me to find rabbit tracks, their bigger than usual, though.
I follow them for quite a while, I don't know how long, until I come to a rabbit hole. The fancy watch lays next to it, I bend over to pick it up, then loose my footing. I grab the edge of the rabbit hole, though the dirt just crumbles away under my hands.
"Help me!" I scream, then fall.
"Alice?" someone whispers in my ear. "Alice?" a small hand pushes my head softly.
I open my eyes, another rabbit, this one scrawny and old, kneels beside me. I scramble away from him. "Who are you?!"
"They call me Dunner! Are you Alice?"
"No, I'm Amy. Alice is my sister."
His face falls. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear." he pulls on his ear nervously. "Your not Alice?"
"No! Where am I?"
He curls into a ball and starts sniffling.
"What's wrong?"
"WHERE IS SHE?!" a woman's screams fill the air. "BRING THE GIRL TO ME!"
"Oh no! Girl, drink this!" Dunner wipes his eyes with his ears and hands me a bottle with bright green liquid in it. I stare at it for a few seconds. "Quickly! Drink it!"
I unscrew the bottle and take a sip.
"Find the Hatter, he'll get you home!" he whispers. I nod and suddenly feel myself shrink.
