Page 19 of Knot My Wonderland

"So I've been told," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "But being 'precious' doesn't feel like a privilege when it means everyone wants to claim me."

Cheshire stopped circling, his head tilting at an angle that was just a bit too sharp to be human. For a moment, his form seemed to flicker—solid, then translucent, then solid again.

"You misunderstand the nature of your power, little Alice," he said, voice dropping to a silky whisper. "Being wanted gives you leverage. Being hunted makes you dangerous."

The Hatter stepped forward, placing himself partially between us. "This philosophical debate, while fascinating, isn't why we're here." He fixed Cheshire with a pointed look. "She needs practical skills. Not riddles."

Cheshire's smile curled at the edges. "But riddles are the most practical skill of all in Wonderland." He sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes. "Very well. Practical skills it is."

He reached out suddenly, fingers hovering just above my cheek without touching. I felt a strange electric tingle where his presence neared my skin.

"She has potential," he said to the Hatter, though his eyes never left mine. "The magic is already settling in her blood. I can see it shimmering beneath her skin."

The Hatter nodded, adjusting his gloves with a precise movement. "Which is why we need to begin her training immediately. Before others sense it too."

Cheshire withdrew his hand, stepping back with a theatrical sigh. "Very well.” He moved to a small clearing where the plants seemed to shrink back, creating a perfect circle of bare earth. With a graceful flick of his wrist, he beckoned me forward.

"First lesson," he said, all traces of playfulness suddenly gone from his voice. "Wonderland responds to belief. Your world trained you to doubt—to question everything, to seek logical explanations. Here, that will get you killed."

I stepped into the circle hesitantly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Cheshire said, beginning to pace around me, "that in Wonderland, if you believe something is possible, it often becomes so. If you doubt, you weaken yourself."

"So you're saying I just need to believe I can defend myself and I will?" I asked skeptically.

Cheshire laughed, the sound like wind chimes in a storm. "If only it were that simple. Belief is just the foundation. What you build upon it requires work." He stopped directly in front of me, those teal eyes suddenly serious. "Close your eyes."

I hesitated, glancing at the Hatter who gave me a small nod of encouragement.

"I promise not to disappear while your eyes are closed," Cheshire said, amusement coloring his voice again."This time."Reluctantly, I closed my eyes, feeling immediately vulnerable in the darkness.

"Now," Cheshire's voice came from somewhere to my left, though I hadn't heard him move, "tell me what you feel."

I focused inward, trying to detect anything beyond the obvious—the whisper of wind through the garden, the faint warmth of sunlight on my skin, the subtle perfume of strange flowers.

"I don't feel anything special," I admitted after a moment.

"Deeper," Cheshire instructed, his voice now somehow behind me. "Don't listen with your ears or feel with your skin. Reach for the part of you that's changing—the part that tingles when you eat Wonderland food, that makes your veins glow silver."

I took a slow breath, trying to quiet my rational mind. At first, there was nothing—just darkness and the growing tension of feeling exposed. Then... a flicker. Something warm and electric pulsing beneath my sternum, spreading outward in delicate tendrils.

"There's... something," I whispered, focusing on the sensation, trying to figure out the words to describe everything I was feeling. "I feel..." I hesitated, struggling to put the sensation into words. "Something moving. Like currents in water, but through the air."

"Good," Cheshire's voice purred from somewhere else now—behind me. "That's the magic of Wonderland flowing around you. It's everywhere, touching everything. Most can't feel it atall. Dreamers sometimes sense it. But you—" His voice moved again, circling. "You're already beginning to see the patterns."

"What do I do with it?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed, focusing on those strange currents. They felt almost tangible now, like invisible threads brushing against my skin.

"Reach for it," Cheshire instructed, his voice coming from directly in front of me again. "Imagine your hand extending beyond your physical form, touching those currents."

I felt slightly ridiculous, but I tried to visualize what he described—my consciousness stretching outward, fingers extending to touch the invisible flows of energy. For several heartbeats, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, I felt something catch—like dipping my hand into a stream of warm water.

A gasp escaped me as the sensation rushed up my arm, tingling and bright. I opened my eyes reflexively and found Cheshire watching me with an intensity that was almost frightening.

"You felt it," he said. It wasn't a question.

I nodded, my hand still tingling where I'd somehow touched the invisible current. "What exactly did I just do?"

"You reached for Wonderland's magic," Cheshire replied, his smile widening. "And it reached back."

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