The trees grew at odd angles and the flowers swayed gently though there was no breeze here. The incident before with those flowers was enough to keep me away from them. The stone path was cold on my socked feet and the under dress I wore was doing me no benefit, I had to find some new clothes. The sky was a swirl of blues and a few fluffy white clouds dotted it. The sun was behind me which cast shadows everywhere, giving the place a rather eerie quality despite the cheery sky. My encounter with Jeongmin had left me confused and angry. “That ert, I hope I never see him again. And who is this Hatter person he mentioned?” I mumbled to myself as the path stretched on. One of the shadows behind me moved quickly and I whirled round but saw nothing but the path and the trees that lined it. I continued down the path again but at a faster pace as I was beginning to get scared. But again a shadow moved behind me and just as I went to turn around again a person came hurtling towards me and I was knocked off my feet.

“Oh dear! I’m sorry, so sorry!” A distressed voice sounded from above me and I looked up to see the rabbit boy bending over to help me up. Close up he was incredibly cute and the white rabbit ears only complimented his image. But they had to be fake, right? Like Jeongmin he had to be around my age, maybe a year or two older. Unconsciously, I reached up and touched the base of one of the ears expecting to find them attached to a headband or something, but it felt like they just grew straight out of his head! What is wrong with the people here?!

“What on earth are you doing, Jiyeon?! And what are you doing wondering around?” The boy looked taken aback by the contact and his cheeks went a shade of pink. But who is this Jiyeon person?

“Um, I’m Taekyung not Jiyeon.” I said slowly while standing up and brushing myself off. He tilted his head to the side and gave me a look of puzzlement.

“Are you drunk? I don’t have time for this it’s almost- Oh dear! I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!” He had taken out a silver pocket watch from his jacket pocket but jumped when he saw the time. He was running in circles muttering to himself before turning to me and grasping my shoulders tightly.

“Listen Jiyeon, I need you to go back to the house and get my gloves from my bedroom then bring them to the palace as quickly as possible!” He said quickly before running off down the path yelling ‘I’m late!’ over and over.

“I’m not Jiyeon!” I yelled after him but he was already out of sight. ‘What is wrong with the people here?! First I’m harassed by one person, then another mistakes me for someone I’ve never met and asks me to get something from their house!’ I huffed and looked around for any sign of a house. They had probably mistaken me for a maid or something, but if I could get into a house I could find a phone and contact someone. To the east I saw a chimney sticking out over the tops of the trees and decided that would be the best direction to take.

I cut through the trees quickly and soon found myself standing in front of a small cottage house. The walls were panelled white with a black tiled roof and large white windows. White smoke bellowed from the high chimney and a sea of yellow daisies grew at the sides of the house. The whole area seemed to have a relaxing feel and it reminded me of the rose gardens at home; I would always sit there with a book and daydream when my parents or sister had annoyed me. I walked up to the wooden door and grasped the small silver knocker, tapping it against the door twice. Nothing moved in the house and it looked like no one else was home, so I held the doorknob and turned it slightly. It moved smoothly and the door eased open with a light creak. ‘Is it right to just enter someone’s house like this?’ My morals caught up to me and I paused for a moment. ‘No, I need to find a way to get back home. So if that means entering someone’s home forcefully, then so be it.’ I stepped over the threshold and closed he door behind me. The house was open planned with a large lounge room leading into a small kitchen. Everything was white or cream with the occasional splash of colour. A fireplace crackled loudly in the corner and a grandfather clock ticked slowly on the wall. I looked around the room for a phone but I couldn’t find one anywhere. I began to get frustrated but then spotted the wooden staircase; maybe a phone would be upstairs. Each stair I climbed made a small creak and I was soon standing on the landing with three doors; two on my left and one on my right.

I decided to try the first door on the left. I slowly turned the doorknob and peeked inside. It was a bedroom, small and quaint, most likely a girl’s. A desk stood in front of a window and a vanity was placed next to a bed. But someone was I the bed. I was about to close the door and run out of the house but my curiosity took over and I walked fully into the room. The person in the bed was obviously a girl but they seemed rather familiar. I stepped closer but had to stifle a gasp. The girl in the bed looked almost, no exactly like me! She had the same wavy dark hair and thought her eyes were closed, I could tell they were the same shade of brown as mine. ‘What on earth is going on here?!’ First I find talking flowers, a ert, a boy with rabbit ears then my doppelganger! This was becoming too weird so I quietly tip toed from the room and shut the door softly. Okay, I would just find a phone, get someone to pick me up and leave this peculiar place forever. This time I would try the door on the right.

This room was furnished sparsely but the pieces present looked rather expensive. A large bed took up most of the room and two bedside tables sat at each side. A large dresser stood at the opposite wall and various photo frames were positioned artfully on the surface. I picked up one of the frames and looked thoughtfully at the picture. I was a photo of the rabbit boy and the girl who looked like me. They were both smiling brightly and had an arm wrapped around each other, the rabbit boy’s face was a bright pink. This made things more confusing and I realised the girl must be Jiyeon, the person who he had mistaken me for. But how were these people exactly, and what was their relationship?

I placed the frame back down and looked at the small mirror placed above it. ‘I need new clothes, desperately.’ The rabbit boy wouldn’t mind if I ‘borrowed’ some of his clothes would he? I opened one of the dresser drawers and pulled out a crimson coat and a pair of black trousers. They were a bit big but as long as I didn’t have to keep walking around in my under dress, I didn’t care. Turning around and facing the room again I began to search for a phone, but like before there was no phone to be found. I sighed in anger and sat down on the large bed. I stared at one of the lamps on the bedside table and saw an envelope sitting there. On the front someone’s name had been written in red ink, ‘Hyunseong’. ‘It must be the rabbit boy’s name.’ I thought, it would be nice to not have to keep calling him rabbit boy. The wax seal had been broken and three sentences were written on the paper.

‘Shim Hyunseong of Wonderland is hereby called upon to join the jury at the Red Palace on the 22^nd of November, at 12:30 pm. Refusal to attend will be met with severe punishment. Court will adjourn at 3:30 pm.’

The letter finished with a flourished signature and a black crest on the bottom of the paper. ‘Jury duty? Wait, the Red Palace? That’s where Jeongmin said that mushroom would be!’ I thought quickly, gaining some hope at the thought of a way home. Maybe if I approached this Queen she would help me home. I stuffed the letter inside my coat pocket and stood up, but I saw a pair of black gloves sitting on the table next to the lamp. Hyunseong had asked me to fetch them so I grabbed then and put them with the letter. ‘Maybe I’ll see him again, then I can give him the gloves and apologise for taking his clothes. And maybe I could convince him I’m not Jiyeon.’ I thought as I swiftly stepped down the stairs and back into the kitchen. I was about to walk out the door but a calendar on the wall stopped me; a familiar name caught my attention. I stepped closer and saw a small note scribbled in the box for the 15^th., ‘Meet Hatter for tea.’ There it was, that name again. Everyone seemed to be talking about this Hatter person so they had to be important, and if they were important they could tell me how to get home!

I grabbed a pair of red boots sitting by the door and dashed out the front door and stood at the edge of the trees, looking both ways for a path. To the left a wide stone path twisted into the trees and down a hill. I could either go the way I came or take the new path. I chose the new path and headed into the canopy of trees. ‘Maybe I could find some direction to this Hatter person…’

Hey again! So, next chapter's up so tell me what you think. For those of you hanging out for the Hatter, you won't have to wait too much longer. :D

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