Alison's Wonderland

Chapter 1 Books and Crooks

The girls didn't know that Carson was standing there until he said, "Hurry up! We have to get there before there are no seats left." He left then, slamming the door in his wake.

"What has his jock strap in a knot?" Alison asked curiously.

Casey just shrugged not knowing the answer herself. "Maybe he's PMSing."

The two girls laughed as Casey brushed out Alison's hair. "Done!" she exclaimed proudly.

Alison didn't stop to glance in the mirror. Her mind buzzed with the thought of

The girls went down the stairs and into Carson's waiting car. He ran a hand through his shaggy white-blonde hair. "Well, let's go before we miss the movie!" he shouted to the girls who hurried down the front steps of Casey's house.

Carson drove to the theater, but there was no parking. He drove around the block, mumbling under his breath the entire time about girls taking forever to get ready. Alison listened to her iPod to block out Casey complaining that she had to pee, and Carson cursing at traffic.

After driving around the block four times, Carson finally found a parking spot. He got out of the car quickly and began to storm away. Alison caught up with him, and grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop.

"What's your problem?" Alison asked, gazing up at him, her eyes glinting in the sun. He had to fight the smile that threatened to spread across his face. She always had a blunt way of going about things.

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter," he answered, jerking his arm out of her grasp.

She quickly went to catch his arm again. Her eyes showed her confusion, her eyebrows drawn with the sense of trouble about. "Yes, it does Carson. Quit being such a girl, and tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing. I'm just tired." He jerked his arm away, and Alison didn't bother to try and grab it again.

If he's going to give me the cold sholder, I can play that card too, she thought. She turned her back to him. "Whatever."

Carson began to walk away. He cast a quick glance behind his shoulder to take in Alison. He sighed, not fully understanding the reason he acted like that either. He turned and continued heading towards the theater.

Casey bounded up to Alison and stood in front of her line of vision bouncing up and down. "Alison, can we find a bathroom first before my bladder explodes?" She then noticed her brother's absense and gave Alison a questioning look.

Allison sighed and shrugged, and then motioned for Casey to lead the way.

The pair wandered around searching for a shop that was open. Everybody's lights were off, doors locked, and shades down.

"This is so weird! It is a Friday night, not even ten o'clock yet, and everything is closed!"

"Why don't we just go back to the movie theater and you use the bathroom there as I suggested before?" Alison said, irritation clear in her words.

Casey looked at Alison. Before she said anything, she saw a light of a small shop on. "Look!" she shouted, pointing across the street, "maybe they have a bathroom."

Alison sighed. She narrowed her eyes to read the sign on the door. "Morgenstern's Family Bookstore. I guess it doesn't sound too flaky. Although this is a pretty shady part of town."

Casey was far from listening as she dragged Alison int the store. A little bell attatched to the door rung at their entrance.

The shop was relatively small, bookshelves neatly in rows behind the small front desk. The front of each row was labeled with its corresponding number in the Dewey Decimal system. One shelf 100's to 200's and so on. It also said what type of genre the numbers meant below. Large plush reading chairs were haphazardly scattered around the room. A warm light shone from overhead casting its hazy glow onto everything under it. Paintings were hung on the walls dipicting things from lover's kisses to gruesome war scenes. It still managed to give the shop a cozy homey feeling. The most noticable thing in the small store was the man behind the desk.