Not a Rabbit Hole

"Wake up, Alice." A cloudy voice resonated softly inside her head.

A fallen, darkened, orange leaf fell on Alice's cheek. She opened her eyes, almost as if she had woken up from a deep slumber. "Cat..." She whispered, trying to regain her strength. She stood up, and examined her surroundings.

She was in a dim, damp, overgrown square room, void of any windows or doors. There was only a small hole on the wall, and one furniture. A table in the middle of the room, with a bottle labelled 'Drink me.' in its centre. She smiled. "You must be joking." She giggled. "Where is the cake then?" She then examined the bottle closely. It was a transparent glass bottle, half filled with an equally transparent liquid.

Having a chemist father made her to be more of a careful observer on most situations, especially this one. She wasn't fond of chemistry, nor was she interested in anything related to it, however, she knew that she couldn't just open the bottle and chug it down her throat. She first opened the cork, then carefully smelled the content. It's alcohol, she thought. She also knew that many poisons are odourless, so she held herself back. And at that moment, she ignored the bottle altogether and began looking for another way out.

"You're name is... Alice, right?" Said the cat, suddenly.

She quickly turned and saw the stark white cat. She froze. It was probably dread that filled her mind. She knew nothing was normal from the beginning, and she knew for certain it began with the cat in front of her.

"You've got the wrong Alice, cat. Or is your name... Cheshire?" She said. She couldn't move an inch, nor could she avert her eyes. But the cat's voice sounded softer and more feminine than what she had imagined, so she dared to talk again. "Speak clearly or I'll begin my offense."

"Feisty, aren't you? Well, no, I'm not Cheshire. No, you're not the wrong Alice. And... I don't know if you have realised this, but this is not a rabbit hole. At least, not the one you once read in a... Particular book." The cat smiled.

Alice kept her focus. She held her ground, refusing to react to the cat's words.

"Hahaha.. Alice.. You're sharper than I thought. I didn't think I'd have to use option B."

"What's option B? What was the option A?" She asked quickly. Her focus hasn't changed. A single smile from a suspicious being didn't affect her mood about the subject. "Explain, cat."

"There is no need to be cautious. You see Alice, that potion was supposed to take your consciousness away." The stark white cat explained while slowly and casually approaching the frightened Alice.

"Why?" She took a step back.

The cat then swirled her tail, in which a familiar shape emerges from the transparency of thin air. "There is very... very little time left, Alice."

"You're not making sense, cat." She took a few steps back. Alice couldn't contain her confusion anymore. It was as if she could just give up to her fear and tuck her knees close to her chest. But she didn't. She was trembling, but she could still think. She saw her hourglass. And she could see the grains were almost all the way to the bottom.

"Someone is waiting for you. I'll also be there. In short, this world is not what it seems, Alice. You have to wake up. I'll explain later." The cat then gently put her paws on the hourglass.

"Wait, what do you mean? Who?"

"Three... Two..."

"Wait!"

"One."

The cat cracked the hourglass open with a single push. Then the walls collapsed, the ceiling fell, and the room went dark.

I can't breathe, thought Alice. Help, I'm buried... Help... I'm... floating?

Alice couldn't see, nor could she hear anything. All she could sense was the smell of parchment. The smell of a dry, old wooden table. Then it suddenly went cold. So cold that she could smell the cold. It was sharp. It only went for a second until all became normal and she could hear a quiet voice. A second later she then heard two voices.

"...do you really think she could believe anything?" The gentle, but slightly coarse voice said. It seemed familiar to her.

"Well, I don't know, she should remember as soon as we explain it to her." Said a soft, soothing voice. It must be the cat, she thought.

"Why did you threaten her?"

"I didn't! I merely made her curious enough to tag along. And... Oh, she just woke up."

She could see her friend, and the cat. What? Why?, she thought. "Why are you here? What happened?"

"Snow, get me some water please, and some bandages if possible." He helped her to get up and sat her on a chair next to the desk full of books. "It's a long story, but what you just experienced, was a leap through the fourth dimension."

"Umm... What?" She squinted her eyes and looked at him again.

"I might sound like a chuunibyou, but I'm not making this up. Snow and I will explain later, okay? Just don't panic." He said.

"Here's some water, miss." Snow came in the room, dragging a small leather bag. inside it she could see a water bottle and a piece of white fabric.

"Show me your temple. You must've scratched yourself against a debris while in a leap." He said. Gently wiping a streak of blood from her temple. "That room was very old. But I didn't think it would collapse alongside a leap."

Alice took a deep breath. "Look, I'm okay, I'm not panicking anymore. Just tell me what happened, and why. I won't tell anyone that both of you have mastered witchcraft, but I want to go back home as soon as possible. It's already very late, I could get scolded and punished if I spend any more minute in this place. Thank you for the water bottle, the bandage, and the entertainment, but I have to go home."

"Alice, wait, listen."

"What?"

"This... This is your home."

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