"Well, Dax, where is the head I requested?" Red shouts, her cheeks turning a bloody shade when I enter without her trophy.

"I have nothing your majesty. The girl you were seeking hasn't been born yet." I figured the lie would do, considering Red didn't know who Alyce was anyway.

"But the prophecy spoke of her! She is why I hired you from that Society in the first place!" she exclaimed, standing from her gaudy throne. I cast my glare to the male at her side, Shade, who raised an eyebrow in question. I never cared much for him, quite the suck up if you ask me. He offered nothing more than the bark of a Chihuahua, yet she had played right into his hand, even out ranking me. Shade new I was much more powerful than he, being of hybrid blood, while I carried the pure blood of my kind.

"Maybe the witch was wrong in her declaration. You know I am the best tracker you have in the court," I say, cutting my eyes to Shade, who huffed to himself. Shade walked down from Red's platform and stood in front of me.

"How do we know you aren't lying to her majesty?" Shade asked.

"Then maybe you would like to venture out for yourself, and see if I am lying." A threat mostly, I knew no one else would dare enter the human realm at the fear of being hunted.

Red settled herself back onto her throne, tossing her legs on the back of the trembling dwarf she used as a footstool. "Shade, leave Dax alone. If he says she wasn't there, then we have no reason to doubt him. Besides, he knew the cost of her head on a platter," Red smiles, satisfied in keeping her control over me. "Dax will simply remain a part of both our worlds."

Puzzled, I stand from my kneel, "Your majesty?"

"You will stay in the human realm, and wait for her to be born, and once she is of age, you will bring me her head."

"Your majesty, our kind no longer lives amongst humans. If they find out what I am they will – "

"Exactly why you will remain hidden. You will be given key passage back into Wunderland if you find trouble and need refuge, but I suggest you not return to Court without her head. That is your mission, Dax Hatter. And I would hate to send a bad report to the Society on your behalf." Red states, pleased with herself.

>>>>>>><<<<<<<<

Stepping across the boundary for the second time, I had no plan how to remain hidden. Something about being in the presence of this realm brought out my beasty nature more than usual. The Society had never sent me on a mission into the human realm, which made it harder for me to adapt to the rich environment. I just wanted to run free. And I did.

I couldn't remember the last time I succumbed to my full fae nature. I ran for hours. The feeling of the damp soil beneath my bare feet was so refreshing. The worldly sounds and scents were intoxicating, and I relished in them. One particular scent led me to the outskirts of the city limits, to a white plantation manor. In this form I could see even further, and the darkness hid nothing from me. I saw a family gathered around their wooden kitchen table, delighting in their meal, yet one place set was missing a human.

Thump.

Why hadn't I realized the scent I followed was hers? I scanned the rest of the house until I find a young blonde next to her bedroom window, painting her imagination on the blank canvas before her.

"Alyce, dinner!" a voice calls. Alyce stops her colorful strokes, and pours the cup of paint water out the second story window, and peers into the forest in which I was hiding beneath the tree line. I hear the girl gasp when her eyes meet my glowing stare, and she cast a subtle wave. Impossible. I back deeper into the trees, and prepare myself for the fight that may be coming my way once she tells her humans what she saw. But Alyce said nothing to her parents as she begins eating her meal.

I may not know my course of action, but I know I have to find out who this Alyce is, and why Red wants her head so badly.

to be continued..

R E A D E R INVOLVEMENT //

hmmm, Hatter reacted differently than we would think. What are our thoughts on his decision to 'post-pone' his freedom he so desperately wants?