Alice

9. The Ruby

9. The Ruby

The next few weeks were blissful. We kept our relationship a secret, for Jack feared what the Queen would say. Jack seemed happier then he'd ever been. He laughed more often, and when he looked at me, there was this look of fondness in his eyes. We held hands sometimes, but at night, we went to "our place" by the lake, as he called it. There, we could kiss and not worry about anyone seeing us. I was on top of the world, and I didn't want to come down.

One day, as we sat underneath the willow tree, I saw Brokk come hopping up as fast as his little legs could go. "Jack!" he called. "Jack! Jack!" When he came to a stop in front of us, he was panting.

"Brokk? What is it? Has something happened?" Jack asked, looking worried.

"No," Brokk huffed. "but I've discovered something. Something-" he looked at Jack. "-that can help you become king, Jack."

Jack looked exasperated. "Brokk, we've talked about this. I've already proved that it's not possible."

"Yeah, but that was before I made a new discovery!" Brokk was so excited, his ears were twitching.

Jack sighed. "All right. What did you discover, Brokk?"

"Okay, so you know that ruby heart pendant the Queen always wears?"

"Yes," Jack and I said at the same time.

"Well, that ruby has power. So much power, that it controls Wonderland."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Well, I'm not really sure. But I do know this," Brokk said. "Whoever possesses that gem is the ruler of Wonderland. But, if a blood member of the Heart royal family owns the ruby, its power is even stronger, and no one, except their other half, their significant other, the person they believe to be their true love, can take the gem away."

I let that sink in. And that was when everything made sense. "That's why the Queen of Hearts killed the king," I breathed. "So she could steal the ruby heart."

"Exactly," Brokk said, nodding.

"And your mother," I said to Jack, "broke into the castle to try and take back the gem."

"I guess so," Jack whispered.

"So, if you take back the ruby heart-" Brokk started.

"You can become ruler of Wonderland." I finished.

Jack wouldn't meet our eyes.

We sat there in silence for a few long moments. Finally, he raised his head. "I- I can't. I just- I just can't."

"Why?" I whispered. But I could see the answer in his eyes. He was scared. His mother had gotten killed doing exactly what we were asking him to do. I gave him a look of understanding.

"But..... We have to get that ruby," Brokk protested

"Okay," I said. "I have a plan."

We spent the next couple of days planning our strategy. Finally, we had it: I would get close to the Queen, close enough so that she trusted me. Then, when she expected it least, I'd take the ruby heart. I'd give it to Jack, and he'd become king.

Jack heavily protested the plan. I knew that he was worried that if the plan failed, I'd be killed. I kept assuring him that I'd be fine, and that the point of us planning was to prevent anything from going wrong. Secretly, however, I was happy that he was so concerned for me.

Our relationship kept growing. When it was just the two of us, I was the happiest I'd ever been. Even though I'd never had a boyfriend before, I knew that what we had was something more than infatuation. Nothing I felt was like what the girls at school described their love lives to be like. I didn't do anything that they did. I didn't worry that I loved Jack more than he cared for me. Just being with him was enough for me; I didn't care if he held my hand or not, or if he kissed me or not. Of course, he did, but I was content just sitting next to him. I can't really describe to you how I knew that I was really, truly in love, I just.... was.

One day, we decided to initiate the plan the next day. That night, Jack and I were in our special place, sitting on the bench. He was being really quiet, and I knew that that was part of his personality, but normally when it was just the two of us, he talked a little more. But that night, he said nothing.

"Jack? Is everything okay?"

He sighed, and then he turned to look at me. "Alice.... I- I love you."

I started smiling uncontrollably. I hoped that he could see me in the dark. It felt so good to hear him say it for the first time. "I love you more." I threw my arms around him and kissed him.

When he pulled away, his eyes were sad. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"I love you. And if you get hurt, I won't be able to go on. I was fine before, when I was alone, when I didn't think that anyone out there could care about me. But now that I know what it feels like, I wouldn't be able to live with anything else. Alice, if you.... die, I wouldn't be able to move on."

"Jack..."

"I'm not trying to stop you. Just.... Be careful. Please."

I reached over and took his hand. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. You'll see. Everything will turn out better in the end. Okay?"

He took a deep breath and squeezed my hand. "Okay."