“Are you ready?"

 

Squirrel stood on the table, her hands placed proudly on her hips. Ms. Dodo looked rather pleased as well, leaning casually against the door frame. The three of them had been going over the plan for the past couple of hours, but as it grew closer to the time of execution, Minjeong was getting cold feet. Taking in a deep breath, she exhaled much louder than she intended, blowing strands of blonde hair away from her face. "No," she replied honestly. "But we might as well just get it over with anyways."

 

Turning towards Squirrel, Ms. Dodo nodded approvingly. She reached her hand out, and little Squirrel hopped on trustfully, carrying her usual timidly excited look. "How about you, Squirrel? Are you ready?"

 

“Ready!" she squeaked cheerfully.

 

“Wait," Minjeong said suddenly. "Are you sure this is going to work? I mean, it's a very nice plan and all, but when you really think about it, it's not the most logical."

 

“Minjeong, how badly do you want to go home again?"

 

She sighed. "Very badly."

 

“Sometimes, you have to let your heart defy your logic.” She gave her a comforting smile, and in that moment, Minjeong suddenly missed her mother very much. She leaned in and threw her arms around Ms. Dodo, almost tossing Squirrel off her palm. She held her tightly in the hug, and though startled, Ms. Dodo hugged her back with as much compassion as she felt. "You're going to do great, Minjeong. All right? And remember, you are not alone in this.”

 

“Yeah," she smiled and finally pulled away from their embrace. "I know."

 

“And Squirrel will be with you the whole way. You know where to go, right Squirrel?" Squirrel grinned back in response. "Good. So, is everyone all set?"

 

Squirrel and Minjeong exchanged glances, nodding in confirmation.

 

“Good luck, you two. And thank you for everything. I really can't explain how grateful I am. I know you will all do great."

 

Minjeong held out her palm for Squirrel to jump on, and she clamored on quickly without hesitation. With a final smile, they turned around slowly and headed towards the door. Minjeong suddenly felt very weak, and it was hard for her to see much of anything. It took practically everything in her not to fall down into a pathetic rump on the floor, but she had put on a brave face. She just couldn't let anyone down now.

 

“Minjeong?”

 

She turned around and glanced back curiously at Ms. Dodo.

 

“Will you tell the White Queen – will you tell her I miss her…and that I'm sorry? Please tell her, I'm thinking about her." Her expression broke. "I've always thought about her."

 

Minjeong smiled softly. "Of course. I'll tell her as soon as I see her."

 

Ms. Dodo looked as if she wanted to say something else, as if she wanted to speak more of the White Queen, but she refrained and bit her lip. "Thank you," she mouthed. There was a quiet moment between them, and Minjeong knew no matter what happened now, she wasn't just doing this for her anymore. Honest smiles were exchanged, and Minjeong turned back towards the door and reached for the handle. She was doing this for everyone.

 

But when she opened it, the sandy island had disappeared. Nothing but trees and greenery enclosed them, and it was Squirrel who had to prod Minjeong forward with a few pokes of her hand.

 

 

They had been walking for some time now, trudging through dirt and climbing over branches. They even had to swim through a small lake which, much to Minjeong’s chagrin, caused her to be soaked for the second time today. It was proving to be a terribly difficult feat, and the real adventure had barely even started yet. Fortunately, Squirrel was being rather patient with her, stopping for breaks and allowing her to relax when needed. The pair remained quiet for most of the time, but Minjeong was growing accustomed to it. She really didn't mind the silence now for it allowed her to reflect more on her situation and the task at hand.

 

How did she allow herself to fall into such a mess?

 

It was surprising when there was a sudden indication of nightfall; Minjeong was starting to think that Kwangya did not have the concept of time, but then she remembered the White Rabbit and figured that they probably just ran later than they were supposed to.

 

The White Rabbit.

 

She was the reason why she was in this predicament.

And if it wasn't for Squirrel’s hidden attraction to her, Minjeong would have shown her a piece of her mind. But no, she had promised Squirrel she’d introduce them to each other, and she intended to keep her word. Squirrel had been a loyal friend for the short time they’ve known each other and it was only right that she pay her respects. Minjeong would take her to meet the White Rabbit, and fate would allow only the sweetest of romances to blossom between them. That is, she had to find her first, which was just among the list of tasks she had to -  

 

And suddenly, a realization dawned on her, and Minjeong turned quickly towards Squirrel and glared deeply at her. "You sneaky little thing! You've been lying to me, haven't you?"

 

Squirrel, who was easily startled, almost fell off Minjeong’s palm. "W-What are you talking about?"

 

“You know where the White Rabbit is!"

 

“What?!”

 

“Ms. Dodo said you know how to get anywhere inside Kwangya! Meaning, you know where the White Rabbit lives."

 

“I…I..." But Squirrel had trailed off, turning a strikingly beet red. Minjeong tried not to feel bad for hastily accusing her, but she was just so tired of being so confused. However, Squirrel looked like she was going to explode from embarrassment, and the guilt began seeping in. Minjeong knew Squirrel hadn't done it to hurt her feelings, so she stopped in her tracks to sort out their conflict.

 

“Look," she sighed and placed Squirrel down on a nearby branch. "I guess I understand why you didn't tell me, but if we're going to make it through this, we can't keep lying to each other, all right? I promised you I would find a way to get you and the White Rabbit to meet. The fact that you know where she lives will make this whole thing a lot easier, so after we finish our quest, we'll go do that, okay?"

 

Squirrel nodded quickly, eager for her new friend’s forgiveness. "I'm sorry, Minjeong. I promise I won't lie again.”

 

“What a precious moment this is. But I'm afraid you're trespassing, blondie, and I'm going to have to ask you to leave," a woman’s voice, deep and clear, uttered from behind them.  “That is, before I make you."

 

Minjeong gasped at the new voice and whipped around as quickly as she could. Squirrel squeaked as well, equally stunned by the new stranger. Minjeong was expecting anywhere between an axe murderer and a ghost, so she wasn't sure if shielding herself would do any good. But as she came face to face with the angry voice, she was both intrigued and startled by what she saw.

 

A girl, not much older than herself, stood arrogantly in front of her, arms dangling strongly at her sides. She was noticeably taller with broader shoulders. Her attire was surprisingly normal: a v-neck black tee, a dark blue coat (slightly oversized); a pair of black pants, and simple sneakers. The bottom half of her face was obscured by a thick, wooly, red scarf wrapped around her neck. The only thing that was on the unique side was a dark boater hat perched on the top of her head. It was comically too large for her and looked like it was sown to her skull for it did not move an inch no matter how much the girl moved her head. Minjeong continued to stare at her, unsure whether to be amused, frightened, or simply confused. She saw the girl’s eyes carefully watching her - they looked oddly familiar.

 

“I know I'm of the attractive sort and all," the girl snorted as she continued staring, "but I'm giving you five seconds to leave. Unless...” Her eyebrows suddenly shot up suggestively. “…you’re willing to spend the night."

 

Minjeong rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass."

 

“Well, now you're just being cheeky," she cocked her head and started to circle around her.

 

“Hey, can you not!" Minjeong snapped, trying to suppress the apprehension rising her voice.

 

“Never seen you around before," the girl muttered and casually tipped her hat (which was not sown onto her skull after all.) “Surely, I'd remember," she added, smugly.

 

“Now, you listen. First of all, I didn't know you lived here. So technically, I wasn't trespassing. Second of all, who lives in a forest? It's so... barbaric. Lastly, that hat is incredibly horrendous and out of style. I would recommend you to take a trip down to the mall and purchase yourself a fedora or something, though, your head is slightly misshapen, so it might accent that. But then again, your current one isn't doing you any good either." Pleased with her rant, Minjeong cocked her hip and smiled.

 

But the girl just let out a howl of laughter, purely amused by her sass. "Oh, this one's got some bite to her!" She paused, giving her a more detailed look over. Minjeong stood uncomfortably, but she refused to show it and held her head high. "You really don't like the hat?"

 

“Most hideous thing I have ever seen."

 

“They all love the hat."

 

“Are they blind?"

 

The girl whipped off her scarf, allowing long, dark luscious locks to cascade down her shoulders. She smiled, letting out a shadow of a dimple on her cheek…and that mole just below the corner of her lips. Minjeong knew exactly who she reminded her of. 

 

“From my point of view, blondie, they were certainly not blind."

 

Minjeong furrowed her brows, trying to annihilate the satisfaction dancing on the other girl’s face. What an arrogant face. And an arrogant smirk. And an arrogant hat. And an arrogant – oh!

 

Hat!

 

Suddenly, Minjeong’s hateful gaze turned to that of complete earnest. "You're the Hatter!" she proclaimed. Squirrel perked up as well; she had been absently relaxing on her branch, a bit uninterested by their exchange, until now. She sat up eagerly and stared carefully at the girl as Minjeong closed in on her in excitement.

 

“So you have heard of me?" Cocky, cocky, cocky.

 

“Only of recently," Minjeong defended.

 

“Ah, I see my reputation reaches even the most distant of Kwangya residents.”

 

“I’m not actually from Kwangya, you know."

 

“So I'm well-known even outside Kwangya?"

 

“Will you stop?” Minjeong snapped. "Listen, I've been looking for you all night! I need your help. It's