Remember when I said I really hoped this wasn't a dream? I take it back because the creature before us looked like he wanted us for supper.

The monster known as the Bandersnatch let out a fearsome roar just as several red looking knights snapped very much like playing cards came running at us.
I grabbed Alices hand and we started running in the opposite direction and I slightly cursed my size as my dress dragged along.

I glanced behind me to see red knights with nets scoop up flamingos that ran beside us, then chained the dodo bird We stopped at a cross rounds and saw cards from all angles running at us.

I whipped my head frantically around and saw a narrow path up ahead
"Hurry this way!" I shouted dragging her along.

I saw the white rabbit then get captured by a net and a strong urge in my told me to help them. As if... as if it was a my job to. But there was nothing I could do. I wasn't a fighter and I wasn't even the right size!

However my internal argument with myself was paused when my best friend did something beyond stupid.
"Wait." She stopped in her tracks causing my to almost fall cause our hands were still connected.
"What the bloody hell are you doing!"

"It's only a dream. Nothing can hurt me."
She turned around just as the beast was running straight towards us trampling everything in its path. My heart was racing in panic as I tried dragging Alice by the arm but she firmly stood her ground.

"Alice! Stop being a stupid girl like the caterpillar said! Even if this is a dream I don't want to use this creature to find out!"

The creature came to a skidding stop and let out a very large roar in our faces spreading its whole mouth.

Well this was the end.

"Run you great lugs!" I heard a voice exclaim and before you knew it the Brave little mouse had ran all the way up the beast figure to its head.
She pulled out her needle and stuck it in the eye pulling it out.

Our eyes widened in shock as the creature cried out in pain and accidentally scratched Alice's arm.

She shouted and I finally grabbed her uninjured arm and we sprinted away through the forest of mushrooms, the Tweedles coming out of no where to follow us.

_____________

It felt like eternity before we stopped running. We were clearly out of the forest because well, everything around us seemed dead.
We came to a stop at a twisted stump with two branches pointing down two roads.

We were both panting and I turned to looked at Alice's bleeding cut.

"Alice that doesn't look good."

She looked down at it and grimaced
"We'll worry about it later. Let's just figure out where we are going."

"Snud or Queast?"

Suddenly the twins grabbed Alice's hands again and tried pulling her in different directions and bickering on where we should go.
"Boys! Bickering at this point won't do us any good! Now let her go and let's-"

Just when I thought that I was done with new, strange, fearsome creatures, a loud chilling sheik filled the air. We turned around and a large menacing bird with long feathers and a red head, swooped down towards us talons bared.
"Duck!" I screamed tackling Alice to the ground

"That's not a duck that's-" Dee couldn't finish his sentience as the bird swooped down and grabbed him and his twin.

My heart sank as they were taken away flying off in the distance till we couldn't see them no more.

We stood in silence panting trying to calm down before I asked the dreaded question.

"So what now?"

__________

We walked in silence for a while through a dark part of a forest. My senses were heightened as we walked expecting some other large creature to come out of no where.
I glanced at Alice who was in front of me to see her gripping her injured arm.

"Alice stop for a second."

She stopped and turn to me and I grabbed her arm having a look.
"Alice this is going to get infected fast. It looks like their was poison or something in those claws."

She took her arm away from me
"It'll be fine because all of this is a dream except this time you're in it." She turned to start walking again but I knew I wasn't done with this.

I rolled my eyes
"Alice you've pinched yourself, got stabbed by a mouse, and got scratched by a creature not known to earth. How can this be a dream?"

"I'm in a very deep sleep that's all. I'll wake up eventually when you or mother come and get me."

I snorted
"Well I'm right here and mother is back at the party having no clue we fell down a hole so good luck with that one."

She turned me to curious
"You seem less freaked out about this then before you know."

I shrugged
"I... I can't explain it but... despite falling deep down a crazy hole and that thing coming after us... I feel sorta safe here you know? I can't quite put my finger on it."

She raised a brow then asked another question
"What did you mean before that you heard a voice in your head?"

I was about to open my mouth to answer when she hissed in pain and gripped her arm. I rushed to her side and insisted
"Alice we should a least-"

"It seems that you ran into something with wicked claws. What did that to you?"

We turned around to see a large cat with huge green eyes. He grinned at us full of teeth but there didn't seem to be any malice behind it.
"Alice that cat just talked." I whispered again hesitantly
"I think we established almost everything talks here." She stepped toward the cat

"A banded.. a bander-"

"A bandersnatch." I answered for her.

"The bandersnatch?" Suddenly I gasped when his body disappeared and only his head reappeared beside Alices arm.

Do not fear him. He is a friend.

That voice again. I've heard that voice I know it. Why now? Why here?

The cats observation paused the questioning in my head.
"It needs to be purified with evaporating skills or it will fester and prettify." He spoke as his body twisted and reappeared as he looked at Alice's reddening cuts.

"I rather you didn't." Alice insisted "Besides I will be fine when I wake up."

I groaned "excuse my stubborn friend. She's having trouble taking everything in."

I had to admit I guess I wasn't doing much better. But like Alice said I think I'm starting to get comfortable being here.
The cat disappeared the reappeared behind us.

"Let me at least bind it for you." He said pulling a cloth out of thin air then gently wrapping it around her wound.

"So what do you call yourselves?" He questioned looking between the two of us.

"Andromeda. Annie for short." I didn't even bother trying my last name.

He hummed to himself eyeing me up and down
"Like the Star. The daughter star of Cassiopeia."

I smiled small
"Yes that was my mother's name. She had a thing for Stars and moons and such."

I didn't miss the familiar look in his eye and the knowing grin that came over his face.
"Lovely." He smiled "You remind me of a friend I use to know."

Then he turned to Alice
"And you?"

"Alice." She stated simply

"Thee Alice?" The cat pulled back excitedly his eyes going wide.

"There's been some debate about that." She sighed

"I never get involved in politics." Suddenly he disappeared again and reappeared behind us once more. Gosh I wish he'd stop doing that but it also heightened my curiosity even more of how such a talent could be.

"You best be on your way." He floated a little ahead of us and I could hear the annoyance in Alice's tone

"What way? All I want to do is wake up from this dream?"

He floated towards us upside down and him and I shared a look. I sent him one that read 'I wouldn't try convincing her'. He sighed and said
"Fine. I will take you to the Hare and the Hatter. But that's the end of it."

He disappeared in a whispery cloud of smoke his eyes being the last thing to vanish. At first I was slightly worried he left us till he reappeared a few feet ahead to the exit of this dark forest.

"Coming?" He called in a teasing voice.

Alice and I looked at each other and she said
"Should we trust him?"

I shrugged
"I don't think we have any other choice at this point." We started walking and I spoke again

"Besides, I wanna meet whom ever calls themselves the Hare and the Hatter. Funny names."

What I didn't know at the time was the second of those names was going to change my life forever, even more then it already has been then just being in this world.