Ch. 2 NOT the White Rabbit

The brown haired teen stood there, tensed and alert, glaring at the spot amongst the trees that the laughter was coming from in a small attempt to intimidate the voice. Or, at the very least, deceive the thing into thinking she wasn't afraid. She had similar things before, so she could only hope the habit would stay true despite the unknown and unusual environment.

After a few more seconds, the laughter ended, "What an absolute cat you are today!" His voice sounded smooth, confident, and entertained with the slightest bite in it.

Taking a step back as the teen tried to gather more information, she couldn't pinpoint the accent very well, "What do you mean by cat?" It had to be from the United Kingdom, sounded like it had bits of Welsh or Cornish yet didn't quite fit either dialect she's known.

"There are great many ways to describe a cat. I figured one of them fits you quite nicely today." A sharp smile and bright green eyes suddenly revealed themselves above the tree's branch.

Feeling the fight-and-flight instinct creeping up on her, the teen took several steps back, "Which is?"

"Have you forgotten about me so quickly?" He was avoiding the question. The smile then widened, another small laugh, before he blinked out of existence.

The teen started to panic, looking around to see where the creature might have gone. She nearly jumped out of her skin and screeched when she felt something rub against her leg. Stumbling backwards, nearly tripping over her own feet, she looked at what had touched her.

A cat.

Short fur length and ginger in color with stripes of a slightly darker shade. There was roundness in its features, yet it held itself in a powerful manner. Despite rarely seeing a ginger tabby form before, the teen knew it was a British Shorthair—how could she not recognize the UK's most popular pedigree feline? Normally, the teen would be comforted by the presence of feline companion. If only that cat didn't have the same green eyes and uncanny grin as the creature did in amongst the trees. Still, the teen couldn't help but be captivated by its eyes, never having seen such vibrant green eyes against that color of fur, let alone on this breed of cat. Not to mention, they seemed to hold way too many secrets.

"Allow me to introduce myself again. I am a Cat with a Cheshire Grin, but you have called me the Cheshire Cat." There was humor in his voice, but it didn't change the fact that the teen didn't know how to respond to the perfectly spoken words coming out of a cat's mouth.

Wait.

Cheshire Cat?

The teen started the sputter out a jumble of words. The wheels in her head inching towards a conclusion that she did not want to acknowledge right now, "Did you—what do you—I—?

The ginger tabby tilted his head. It would've been cute had it not been for that stupid, unnerving grin of his, "What is the matter? Lost your tongue?" His tone sounded like he was laughing at the frazzled girl.

Having reached a limit, the teen lifted her hands up, turned on her heel, and swiftly walked away "That's it. I'm out. I'm not thinking about this anymore. I've obviously lost my mind." She managed to take a good four steps before she nearly screeched at something brushing against her leg again.

"Well, you've always been mad, Alice."

Again…

With an eyebrow twitching, the teen stopped. Glaring down at the cat that was curled around her leg, grin wide and eyes of false purity, she demanded, "Why do you keep calling me Alice? Stop that!"

The tip of Cheshire Cat's tail twitched back and forth as he laughed, "My, you are madder than usual. Remember, you //are// Alice."

Should she just stomp on him?

Frowning, she chose to take a step away, keeping an eye on the feline, "I don't know what you //think// you know, //Cat//, but I know I'm NOT Alice."

"…You always say the funniest things, Alice."

"I'm not being funny, you mangy Cat. I'm NOT Alice. My name is Layna. Layna W-Waltrude Darnell!" Damn, she hesitated on her middle name. And, seeing Cheshire Cat's ear twitching when she did so, she knew he caught that stutter.

So, the Cheshire Cat laughed, this time a bit more hearty than before, "Waltrude, then?"

Layna's face flush in embarrassment. God, she hated that stupid middle name, "F-Forget it!"

He gave a shake of the head, seemingly to enjoy the situation quite a lot, "It doesn't matter what silly name you've spoken because—" A grin way too wide, eyes shining as if he has found a toy to with. Then he was gone. His whole existence leaving without a trace.

A face popped into existence in front of Layna's shocked features. Ginger hair, short and a bit wild, cupping around his face. Eyes, still a vibrant green and sharp. Teeth, still dangerous with that wide grin. But, instead of a cat's face, it was human. A human face with freckles scattered around his cheeks.

"Mad, mad Alice. You are and always will be //Alice//." Voice, sounding more full and menacing. He was looming over her.

Layna stood there frozen, fearful and unable to fully comprehend the situation. Mind blanking.

Silence permeated the air again. This teenage boy then inspected her, a bit too close for comfort, invading her space. His eyes locking onto a point on her face. Moving back, he revealed more of himself. Layna then felt something soft flick upon her cheek. She instantly came back to reality, swiping away whatever had touched her and taking a few steps back. She lightly touched beneath her eye, still feeling the swelling.

"My, seems you've copped a mouse, Alice."

A what?

However, Layna didn't dwell long on the sentence, too focused now on the levitating person in front of her. He seemed to be lounging lazily on thin air. Strange upon strange, even his outfit was unusual. Tuffs on his head, twitching about like they were actual cat ears. He wore a straightjacket, orange in color and seemingly outdated, that was fastened tightly. The straps and buckles of it were a slightly darker shade, like the stripes of a tabby, and two of the straps hung in loops at his hips. He wore similarly colored trousers. Shoes, on the other hand, seemed the most obviously vintage—a white leather upper with buttons, a middle in orange, and a cap toe in white like a cat's paw. But, the most peculiar thing was a moving tail that seemed to be missing some of its parts. Layna had a sneaking suspicion that tail was what had flicked her face earlier.

"The White Rabbit is occupying the Queen of Heart's time now, so you'll have to wait for a formal introduction. Perhaps an appointment. He's always short on time. Either way, why don't we wander around Wonderland. Hm, Alice~?" He sounded leisurely, as if he hadn't threatened Layna or messed with her personal space just moments prior.

Still, Layna blinked, "…Wonderland…" Finally, the conclusion came barging in without her consent. Exasperation leaked out of her voice, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. God, I must be dreaming. No way I'm in some children's book."