Chapter Two: The Land of Red Roses
502 Words
Alice fell.
Down.
Down.
Down.
Wind howled past her ears as scarlet petals swirled around her like a storm.
She tried to scream, but no sound came out.
Then suddenly—
THUD!
Alice crashed into a pile of soft roses.
For a moment, she lay there, stunned.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
The sky above her was crimson.
Not blue.
Not gray.
Crimson.
A giant blood-red moon hung overhead despite it being daytime.
"What...?"
Alice sat up.
Thousands of red roses stretched as far as the eye could see.
The flowers were taller than her waist.
Their petals shimmered strangely.
Almost as if they were watching her.
A chill ran through her body.
"This isn't possible."
She looked behind her.
The mirror was gone.
The attic was gone.
Home was gone.
Only the endless sea of roses remained.
Then she heard laughter.
A low, eerie chuckle.
Alice turned sharply.
A black cat sat atop a stone wall that hadn't been there moments ago.
Its eyes glowed scarlet.
Its grin was impossibly wide.
Far too wide.
"Well," the cat purred, "you're late."
Alice blinked.
The cat had spoken.
"You can talk?"
The cat rolled its eyes.
"You can fall through mirrors, but a talking cat surprises you?"
Alice opened and closed her mouth.
The cat jumped gracefully from the wall.
Its tail swayed lazily.
"Name's Scarlet."
"You named yourself Scarlet?"
"No. My mother did. She wasn't very creative."
Alice stared.
The cat stared back.
Then both burst into awkward silence.
Finally, Scarlet sighed.
"You really don't know anything, do you?"
"Know what?"
The cat's grin vanished.
"The kingdom is dying."
A cold wind swept across the roses.
In the distance stood a dark castle surrounded by black clouds.
Its towers pierced the crimson sky.
Alice felt something twist inside her chest.
The castle looked familiar.
As though she had seen it before.
In a dream.
Or a memory.
"The Red Queen rules from there," Scarlet said quietly.
"Who is she?"
The cat's ears flattened.
"The woman who stole the kingdom's future."
Before Alice could ask another question—
THUMP!
The ground shook.
Birds exploded from nearby trees.
Another thump followed.
Closer this time.
Alice turned.
Something enormous was moving through the forest.
Branches snapped.
Trees fell.
The roses trembled.
Scarlet's eyes widened.
"Oh no."
"Oh no what?"
The cat jumped onto her shoulder.
"We need to run."
A gigantic creature burst from the trees.
It was made entirely of playing cards.
Thousands of cards twisted together to form a monstrous body.
Its glowing eyes burned red.
Across its chest was a single symbol:
♥️
The Heart Collector.
The creature roared.
Alice's blood ran cold.
Then it charged.
"RUN!" Scarlet screamed.
Alice didn't need to be told twice.
She sprinted through the roses as the monster thundered after her.
Behind her, the Heart Collector tore through the field, crushing everything in its path.
And somewhere far away, inside the dark castle—
The Red Queen opened her eyes.
And smiled.
"Alice Redgrave has returned."
- Writer
