The New Wonderland. Chapter 11.

Instructions

Click or space for what I think the area + castle (up close) would look like. ping list! @the_mighty_bunny @everybody820 @Swiftie13girly @BooksAndTea2023 @ponylove25 @its_aves @happy-lemur82 Alice ran. She ran and she ran and she ran and she ran. She breathed. She blinked. Her heart kept beating. All signs that she was alive. But it didn't feel like it. No, it felt like the world was crumbling around her. Which was really ironic because she wasn't even sure what world she was in. Her legs struggled to catch up with the pace her heart was going. She sprinted along the winding forest path, going deeper and deeper. She heard footsteps running after her, but continued to run. She kept going until she saw the castle. Yup. A castle. As if she needed more weird stuff to happen in her day. And, apparently, since the universe was just against her that day, there was blue mist surrounding the castle. Blue mist. It was already dark, and rainy in that part of wonderland. But no, that wasn't enough. There just /had/ to be a creepy castle surrounded by dark blue mist. Because everyone loved torturing Alice. The castle had a sort of energy to it. She was tempted to walk towards it, even though it was miles away. She felt her legs moving forward in a sort of trance. she needed to get to the castle. She didn't know why, but- "ALICE!" Before she knew what was happening, Payne rushed forward and tackled her. Or maybe it was a hug. Alice decided it was both, for the look on Payne's face was a mixture of rage, and relief. "You could have died. Like, actually died. You can't get that close to the castle!" Alice struggled to get up. She didn't know when it had happened, but she was pretty sure she had twisted her ankle. "How can a castle kiII me?" Payne sighed. Alice studied her face. She looked tired, and worried. Her legs and arms were covered with scratches. She had a nasty cut just above her left eyebrow. It was clear to her that Payne had run here, just like Alice. That made her feel guilty. Why did Payne have to be a good person? "I'll explain back at the cave". And so they ran back. It was /not/ good on Alice's ankle. But, after stumbling, and crying out in pain several times, she made it back to the cave. Soaked from the rain, and covered in scratches, Alice stumbled inside. She was greeted by the same look Payne had given her by Allie, Peter, and C. "Okay, everyone! We have some explaining to do".