When I opened my eyes, I knew that I wasn't awake. I was back in the large ballroom of my dreams, only this time I realized it was Wonderland Castle and the women who strolled around the room were in identical pairs. It hit me like a ton of bricks, these were the twins before Lark and me.
The pairs of women strolled around the room, eating, dancing, talking and just having fun. I began pushing my way to the center of the room. Rose was still there, in a red ball gown, her black hair floated around her.
I could see a set of twins not far from them, one twin wept for Rose and the other just looked bored. The bored twin saw me and sneered, she turned around and walked over to the table with food and started snacking, only taking small bites of food before throwing it on the floor where it promptly vanished.
The weeping twin, continued to cry, she barely noticed the people around her. I placed my hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but my hand went right through her.
"Hello?" I tried to speak but she didn't respond. "Hello?" I yelled this time but still nothing.
I went up to several of the other women and tried to get their attention, but either they couldn't hear me or refused to, either way I was getting no information from them. I walked back up to Rose and sat on the floor below her with my knees drawn up, studying her face.
I reached out with my magic, to try and connect with anyone but the only person who was giving off any notes was Rose, and hers were faint. What I did see was the black roots growing into her, but they grew so aggressively they were taking chunks out of her.
I figured talking to Rose wouldn't hurt anything, and I had nothing else to do since I had no way of leaving this place. "I met Lark," I spoke quietly so only she could hear me. "She's amazing. I wish I had gotten to know her growing up. Coach is doing good too, he and my mom are dating. It's a little weird."
I sighed wistfully. I wished she would speak to me. At first, I felt more then heard the slight tremble of her voice. I pushed in closer, putting my ear close to her mouth so that I could hear her whispers.
I could finally hear her sing in a voice that wasn't all together human:
"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Beware the Jabberwock, my young!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
She took her vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe she sought—
So rested she by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought she stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
She left it dead, and with its head
She went galumphing back.
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish joy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
She chortled while being coy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."
Rose kept repeating the words over and over. I could tell they were affecting her as tears poured from her eyes and the weeping twin wept harder. Over and over, she said the words, her voice getting louder and louder and the weeping woman crying harder and harder.
On the floor water started to rise, the more the woman wept the higher the tears until I was treading water just to keep my head afloat. The other women in the room seemed to not be affected by the tears and just swam around like they were mermaids at King Triton's ball.
When the water reached my head and I started to sputter, Rose looked me in the eyes, her face a mask of pain, "You can't be here. You must leave."
"But how do we stop the Jabberwocky?" I pleaded with her.
Rose opened her mouth, but nothing came out because at that moment the water filled the room and all she could do was scream, but no noise left her mouth. I tried to swim closer to her, to hold on to her but a massive current that pushed and pulled me about the room kept me from her.
With the current and the lack of oxygen, I finally closed my eyes and succumbed but when I opened my eyes, I was back in the office with Bandersnatch sitting on my chest and trying to lick me awake. I was covered in sweat from my fever.
I picked him up and put him under one arm, "that was a fever dream, right? You don't turn into a giant purple cat with pink stripes and sparkle whiskers, do you?"
Bandersnatch licked my face and meowed but otherwise stayed silent.
I looked at the door again, to Ms. Merle's office. The strange runes were still there but they felt like puzzle pieces. If I could just turn them with my magic, I could open them. So, I tried, I moved them around with my magic until I was lightheaded and heard people crashing through the hallway.
I collapsed onto the ground, tired but still conscious when the Lost Boys, Coach, my mom and Fala came running through the door.
"Oh, my God, Wren where have you been? What happened to you?" my mom called out and came running over to me, feeling my forehead for fever.
"I felt Dahlia with my magic, and I had to come get her. On the walk over, Mr. Green drove me. He's the Jabberwocky."
Everyone was silent. They gave each other looks like I was crazy. "I'm not crazy. Bandersnatch saved me, he turned into this giant cat that was purple with pink stripes and sparkle whiskers and I saw Rose and a bunch of the other twins."
I knew I was babbling and that none of them believed me. It didn't matter though; they were all simply happy I was okay, and I was happy I was back with them. Stone leaned down and plucked me from the ground, kitten, and all. He turned to leave the office when I yelled, "wait!"
"Please, I need to open that door. I think Dahlia is in there," I gestured towards the door.
"Are you sure?" Phoenix's voice was skeptical. I could understand why with my story of a gigantic dragon monster, a cat that shapeshifted, my biological mother who was thousands of miles away and my aunt who had been hidden by her father the dragon monster.
"Yes!" I was frustrated, tired, and wanted to go home and sleep for days but I knew for all our sakes I had to open that door. "Well, I think so."
Stone placed on my feet but stayed behind me with his hands on my shoulders keeping me steady. I turned my head and gave him a grateful smile. He smiled back and brushed his lips against my forehead.
With the tiny burst of power, the kiss gave me, I turned back to the door. I started moving to runes around again until the melodies they made together played a song. I reached down with my hand and pushed open the door, praying there were no traps.
Coach, Saint and Phoenix rushed in past us. The rest of stayed in the outer office hoping that Dahlia was inside the room and that she was safe.
Coach yelled out a few minutes later, "You've guys have got to see this!"
We walked into the room slowly, Stone still being my crutch to stay upright. A large desk took up most of the room and Dahlia had been spread out on it. I was surprised by how peaceful she looked, not hurt at all. "I'm surprised he didn't hurt her more, trying to get the invitation from her."
The twins ran to the dorm rooms and got a blanket from one of the girls that lived there and then we wrapped up the slumbering woman.
"Be careful, Drake," mom reminded him when he hefted her into his arms.
I couldn't stop starting at her face, it was just so much like Rose's. What had it been like for her to grow up with her sister after losing her mother and her father? I knew how it felt to not have any of those things.
I finally noticed Fala standing to the side. She was incredibly quiet.
"How did you get here? We didn't have practice today."
She let out a breath of air, "Saint told me how you weren't feeling well so I decided to come visit you. I can't believe you met the Jabberwocky all on your own."
"I hit my head before a fight even happened," I shrugged.
The guys loaded Dahlia into the back of Coach's truck, her head on Phoenix's lap and the twins on either side to keep her secured. Coach jumped into the front of the trunk; Saint sat up front next to him.
Stone took us girls back to the house in the SUV, everyone driving incredibly slowly.
When we got back to the house, we took her straight to my room and the full-length mirror. I placed my hand on it with the stone and whispered, "Lark Morgana."
Within seconds I saw my sister's happy visage, "hey Wren. How was ..." When she saw my face she just stopped and looked around the room and finding Dahlia laying on my bed. "You found her!"
I gave a small nod, "I ran into the Jabberwocky, but apparently he doesn't like cats."
Her Princes started to form behind her. Mercury was trying to assess Dahlia, even if it was difficult through the mirror, "did you try to wake her?"
"We brought her all the way from the school. She hasn't woken up at all." Coach ran his hand through his hair, something he did when he was nervous or upset.
"I'm not getting a lot of emotion from her, but that could just be from the slumber," Silk reasoned. His forehead was creased with worry.
"I think we should bring her through. The palace physicians can attend to her better from here," Gryphon hypothesized.
Lark looked at me, "What do you think?"
"It's your castle," I told her. I had no idea what to do.
"No, it's our castle. You are a Princess here too," Lark articulated thoughtfully.
"I think she will be safest in Avalon," I gave her my option whether it was a good one or not, time would tell.
Lark nodded. She placed her hand on the mirror and it rippled softly. "Bring her through!"
Coach picked up Dahlia and we went through the mirror. As I slipped between worlds, I had a dreadful foreboding.