Al in Wonderland: You've Gone Mad

Chapter 16: Cloverfield

Warm, hot, Al stirred he awoke. Different. It wasn't his room, sitting up quickly he looked at his clothes. Changed, he had been bathed, cleaned. Nothing hurt. Looking down his shirt he saw the leaves, he saw them around his ankle too. Acting as bandages, he felt the ointment on them seep onto his skin. The miraculous healing properties were as amazing as he remembered them.

Al sighed touching his stomach and smiled relieved, "I'm alright.. I survived somehow." Laying back he felt comfortable and covered himself with the blanket again not wanting to move, a day to relax, but it hit him making him stand right up only to fall right down.

But he was caught, "Oh! Caught you just in time!" This voice wasn't familiar, yet it was. Al looked, he wasn't a cat, nor someone he immediately knew. He stared, wide eyes glared at him suspiciously. "Aha, please don't stare, you'll make me blush!" He laughed saying, though he blushed anyway holding Al close.

Realizing so he quickly moved away from him regaining himself.

"Now now, you need rest. Queen Dinah said so." He gestured, "Please rest." Al was cautious, extremely so that he didn't let down his guard not even to sit.

"Who is he? Dinah? Is she here? I should return the-" he stepped only to almost fall again but was grabbed by this guy who held him firmly. Al flinched feeling a hand where it shouldn't be, squeezing his butt, "Why is he so touchy?!" He quickly slapped his hand away, "Don't touch me!" And pushed himself away keeping himself up. "Who are you? And why are you-"

"Al?" A more familiar person entered.

He quickly turned, "Melodi!" She quixkly went to help him,

"Wei, I told you to watch him!"

The guy laughed, Al looked at him as he said, "I was trying to, he wouldn't let me!"

"Wei?" Too much thinking, his head hurt trying to understand it, "I've seen that name before... where? Wei?" Melodi sat Al down and sighed,

"You're as useless as they come, Wei Lee. Go, I can handle it from here."

"He isn't as light as he seems-"

"Hey!" Al felt offended,

Wei chuckled, "Miss Melodi, I can help."

"Go sit!" She kicked his leg and he laughed giving in and going to do so. "My goodness!" Melodi huffed checking the leaves wrapped around his torso and ankle. Some on his arms and fingers. "You've sustained quite the injuries Al, might I ask how?" She fixed the ones that needed tending to and sighed gesturing he removed his shirt for her to work better.

She helped him out of it and he sighed, "I was just fighting my demons." He answered truthfully. "It seems I'm not ready to handle the big ones yet..." Al narrowed his eyes and frowned, "Not without Cheshire anyway."

"Your demons sure have a lot to hold against you no? Why not ask for help?"

"I.. can't do that." He whispered to her feeling he had to with Wei Lee sitting at the tea table so close by. "You'll be hurt if I do."

"Is it better to do it alone?" She frowned seeing his back was badly bruised along with his neck. "To end up like... this.."

"I... I will live." He smiled feeling bad for worrying her, "It will heal, as all things do eventually."

"Perhaps, but you cannot be so reckless-"

"Mh!" He flinched when she pressed the leaf on his back with new ointment.

"If it hurts that bad, Al, isn't it better to let us help?"

Al laughed quietly, "Thank you, for always looking out for me." His eyes quickly searched for the deck of cards, but they were nowhere to be seen, neither them, the knife, nor the keys. "But.. the only one who can help me isn't here."