One night, Alice was rapt with frustrations, turning to her friends for answers. She needed their support more than ever. The sun had already set, and the trio found themselves at March’s business, The Bandersnatch Brothel. The three sat around in a dimly lit room, filled with various patrons flirting. Mingling and dancing with one another in various stages of undress. Half wore masks of creatures; the others were creatures themselves. Drinks flung left and right in a chaotic melody, conducted by cutely dressed waiters in this dizzying affair.

The sharp pinch of incense filled the air, and the sound of hushed flirtation socialized within the smoke. Casting a delightfully amorous atmosphere with a lingering taste of singed cigars. Alice had grown up frequenting the deep red establishment, CC would bring her by when she had grown old enough as a way to connect between friends. March was the owner and the boss, so there was always a private room sectioned off just for them. Draped with blood red curtains, transparent in single layers, yet when drawn, they overlapped and provided a hazy overcast that tantalized seduction, keeping them secluded.

Alice sat at their usual spot; only now did she find it bizarre that her friend owned such an establishment. March wasn’t a prude by definition; he was outgoing and willingly partook in the chaos that Mad provided. He could be joyous and silly, but Alice had grown to know him as the calmer and more strait-laced one of the group. She wondered how he had become the owner of such a place. As far as she knew, he never even dated anyone. To then own a brothel, left her mystified about his personal life. Alice wanted to ask, but other problems laced her mind.

“If he whisks me off on another adventure, I’m going to pull out my hair and scream.” Alice grumbled, as she hung over the arm of the red leather couch; defeated and deflated. CC and March endured the barrage of non-stop complaints, sitting opposite her in their own luxurious chairs. “I’m at my wit's end here guys, whenever I ask him something BAM! He’s taking me somewhere new.”

“He’s the master of avoidance.” March agreed without an ounce of emotion.

“You have to be patient, try laying off the probing.” CC advised.

These were not the answers Alice wanted. “I can’t do that, and you two won't offer any information either?”

“Not a chance.”

“Nope.”

Alice threw her hands up and groaned with exasperation, without shame, drawing attention to their little cozy corner. The loud display caught the other guest off guard, who, all at once, turned to stare at the disturbance. The social reprieve was awkward and suffocating. Thankfully, March stood up and calmed their agitation, insisting it was merely the cries of a frustrated lover and her relationship problems. At that explanation, everyone huffed and mumbled in agreement with jubilant understanding. They all turned away and went back to their drinks and nightly ministrations.

“You have to be patient with him, you can’t keep trying something that isn’t working. Let him come to you.” CC reassured their friend.

“I can’t do that, if I wait for him, my bones will long be turned into dust. You all keep forgetting I’m made of finite time; I don’t get the leisure of waiting for him.” Alice sat with her arms crossed, one leg over the other. Her foot bounced up and down at a pace that out tempoed the music of the club.

“I understand that mortals are impatient, but you can’t force him.” March returned, “You’re on Wonderland’s momentum now, you’ll have to compromise.”

“Things move slowly here.” CC agreed.

With a rebuttal stuck in her mouth, the trio was gently interrupted by a mousy waiter with ears the size of saucers, “Your drink boss.” He said with a charming smile and polite demure, lowering the tray for March to take the gifts presented. With thanks, the mouse man moved around asking each of them for their order. Alice politely declined.

“What is he up to anyways?” March asked after his employee left.

“He’s working. I don’t know much about it, but apparently, he’s got a large order to fulfill or something. He’s been working nonstop these last few days.” Alice provided all the information she knew.

“Must be for the upcoming festival.” CC added. Alice’s brain lit up! A festival in Wonderland, she had never been! Focus. Alice redirected her thoughts.

“I think he wanted me out of the house, he was really insistent that I come hang out with you guys. I’ve been peeking around the library. And…I think one of the books I was interested in has gone missing. I know he’s hiding things from me, but now he’s physically keeping things from me too?” Alice had sat forward, bringing her hands down clasped by her knees. 

“That’s going a bit far don’t you think? It may have just been misplaced. What could possibly be in a book he doesn’t want you to know?” CC asked disinterested, as their eyes pulled to the opposite side of the lounge. Their attention slowly pulled away from the conversation as feline eyes landed on a sumptuous lady resting against the nearby bar. “Oh~ You know what, let’s table this conversation for later.” CC straightened their vest, tugging at the half suit that constricted their muscular frame. With a slick of their hand, they checked their hair, glancing at their reflection in their cup before sauntering off for their own sexual conquest. 

With a defeated sigh, Alice slumped in her seat and glared back at March, his interrogation was next. “Come on, there's gotta be something you can tell me? Please! It’s driving me insane! The secrets, the distractions, you can’t agree that this is healthy. You’re his best friend! Doesn’t it bother you? Aren’t you worried?”

“Of course I am,” March’s eyes drowned in his cup of tea, “But I don’t want to risk sending him down a spiral again. Sometimes, it's better to just not bring something up unless ready.”

Alice sighed, slumping even further into her seat as the released air deflated her body; demoralized her resolve. She paused, the sound of the music drowned out by the crowded room was dizzying and distracting. Alice’s ears felt stuffed with cotton and her nose tingled with whatever scent laced the air. It was a mixture that had her body relaxed, yet her heart pounded with the tempo. With her mind wandering, she looked back at March, his grey eyes examined her as she lay melted into the cushions.

Her mind buzzed, feeling hazy, she blurted out something that had been weighing heavily on her mind. “It’s just us here now, why don’t we talk?” Sitting up, she leaned forward toward the hare-like man. “Why do you want me to keep that night a secret so badly? Is any of that related to all of this?”

March raised his finger while he finished his drink, swallowing it down, he slowly responded. “Before you even try bringing that up to him, just know he won’t remember it. So, there’s no point in even trying.”

“March!” She whined.  “But why!?” Alice readjusted herself, frustration had her limbs twitching, she needed to move. “Why can’t I talk about it? Why can’t he remember? Why can’t I know these things?”

March’s mouth parted; his eyes filled with a sympathetic softness. He was about to offer another round of solace when he was interrupted again by another employee.

“Sorry to interrupt boss,” a conspicuously dressed man halted the conversation. His cheeks were freckled with scales that outlined his dashing cheek bones. A sharp line that trailed up towards horns that grew atop his short, green hair. He threw his leg over the armrest of March’s chair, straddling it his eyes looked down over March. His cadence and posture were familiar and brazen. Flipping his hand in an exaggerated fashion, Alice noticed each finger was adorned with gaudy rings that flashed in the red lighting of the room; the kindred bangles chimed with the movement. His teeth were sharp, and his tongue was split, traits that were exacerbated by a cheeky smile as he spoke casually and confidently next to March.

“We got a bit of an issue with scheduling. It’s getting pretty ugly. Figured you’d wanna handle it, unless you wanna stay here with your pretty little plaything?” He winked at her and then grinned down over March. The interaction left Alice rather stunned, the man acted much more of like a friend then a subordinate with his boss, speaking and acting with such familiarity. March wasn’t a cold boss by any means, Alice had always admired the kind and friendly way he had acted with his staff. This seemed different, there was something off.

March rolled his head, releasing a frustrated groan while one gloved hand rubbed his temple.  All the while this employee grinned from ear to ear, a mischievous, toothy expression filled with sharp daggers.

“Bill, what did you do?” March grumbled, staring up at the lizard like man, his eyes were contemplative and deep.

“I didn’t do nuffin,” he said as he raised his arms up in defeat, a smile still stretched across his face.

March rolled his eyes at the response, but a low chuckle left his lips. One the boss tried to hide behind his hand, “When it comes to you, I find that hard to believe.”

“Theres a lot to me you find hard to believe.”

“We’ll you’re pretty unbelievable.” March was snappy, quick witted with the retort, but there was the outline of a lingering smile across his lips.

The man named Bill pursed his lips and clutched his chest, the bangles and chains that decorated his wrist clinked together in a melodious bell-like chime. “Ow, I know that’s not a compliment.”

“It’s not. Alice. Will you excuse me,” March said, obviously something was going on between March and the lizard man. The hint of a flirtatious energy was drifting through the room, thick like the smoke that clung to the air. Alice’s curiosity burned brighter. Curious over the man she’d grown up with, one whom she never so much as seen glance towards another, now had a certain gleam in his eyes. Alice didn’t know much, she wasn’t always the brightest, this she could admit. But there was one thing she was insightful about: crushes and romance.

March’s gaze softened momentarily, as he looked back towards Alice, “On your way back home, if you happen to see a copy of my ‘Medical Explanation of the Partially Inspired,’ on my bookcase, I suspect that may be one of the books that have gone missing at home. I won’t mind if you borrow it, but I only ask that you don’t bring anything up. It might give you some answers.”

Alice stood, flabbergasted, she could get answers! “Thank you!” She immediately took off from the lively room, leaving March and Bill to banter like an old married couple, and CC dazed by their current fling. Alice paused long enough to take a mental note to check in with them both about it when they had the moment to. Romance, the idea had her giddy.

She made a quick dash to March’s room, having been there countlessly, the portal had a permanent connection from his closet to Mad’s. She examined the stuffed bookcase, finding a sea of Wonderland text that reignited her synaptic highways. A language she had almost lost, had been coming back to her in waves as she practiced more and more. The sea of medical textbooks slowed her search. Strings of unfamiliar words on the binding of books had her eyes skimming for the one she could recognize. Complicated words speckled between texts theorizing the mortal world, various historical and philosophical ones, blended together, hindering her search. 

Finally, she landed on the one she needed, pulling it out with a heavy heave, she was aghast by the sheer size of the tome. A weight as heavy as the book dropped into her stomach, overwhelmed by the size of the book. Mad’s copy was not this large, perhaps it was a different book altogether, but it should still help. With the weight of the book pressing against her arms, she was transported back to her college days, studying like her life depended on it. Sighing, she practiced a mantra she’d heard all too many times before, “Patience. Yeah, yeah,” she muttered before stepping back through the portal. Instantly, she was back home. Rushing to her room, she stared down at the large book she tossed onto her bed, it landed with a THUMP and barely jostled with the recoil.

She wasn’t even sure where to start. She curled up into her bed, sitting cross-legged, she flipped through the pages. Reading what she could, trying to find anything relevant. She started with something that seemed promising; really, it was the illustration that caught her attention. It was a detailed drawing of the brain. In great detail, it expressed the anatomy of the organ, labeling each small bit of their biology. It was very much a human brain; the names of each section was the same. From what she could recall from her Intro to Biology course in college, it surprised her that much of her mortal anatomy was the same as Wonderland humans. Her eyes danced over the wall of text, doing her best to decipher the words.

Alice translated mentally. Brain meets spine, imagination is made, when severed, they, “die”. Alice was already aware of this facet of Wonderland anatomy and wasn’t interested in looking into it further. As she flipped, a page with a preserved flower stood out. A red poppy, dulled as it dehydrated and pressed into the pages for who knows how long. March must have saved this spot. She began looking over the words. Lost in the long passages, they told her that damage to these parts of Wonderland brain anatomy, could cause hallucinations to manifest. 

Alice sat back and took a moment to process what she had just read, remembering the beautiful memories Mad had shared with her when he got back. Mad had mentioned when his feelings were strong, he could project his memories. Alice looked over at the next section, her heart began to poud over its words. Descriptions that meant the hallucinations could transform and cause hard towards others who happened to be near by during an episode. 

She was just about to find resources of medical support when a delightfully, cheerful voice caught her attentions. 

“Sweet Cakes, are you back?” Startled, Alice was abruptly torn from her studying as Mad’s harmonic voice called out to her. She quickly tucked the book under her pillow just as Mad reached her door frame. Arms folded into one another with his hip jutting out, he leaned against it like he usually did when he found her alone in her room reading. He was disheveled, exhaustion clung to his presence. His hair was fastened into a messy ponytail, falling from the bun it had once been. The ends of it had all but peeked out through the twist that had once kept it in place. His lean yet muscled forearms were exposed with sleeves that were rolled to his elbows, on a shirt that was dusted and covered with scrap fabric. Their eyes met, and Alice’s energetic ones met his, heavily lidded with exhaustion. The green to them were matte, lacking the familiar reflectiveness Alice had learned to be the tell-tale-sign he had just shot up.