Wonderland by David-Matthew Barnes

Author:David-Matthew Barnes [Barnes, David-Matthew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781602828353
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2013-01-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

My eyes were still shut tight when I heard Tasha’s voice cutting through my hazy thoughts. For a moment I wondered if I’d somehow lost consciousness and was just coming to. I was sprawled on my back but had no recollection of how I ended up that way or where I was.

Tasha must’ve been thinking the same thing. “Where are we?” she said. Her voice was cracked and her throat sounded dry. She wasn’t next to me, but pretty close by.

I felt something cold and gritty against the back of my legs, arms, and neck. It was a rough texture pressing against my skin.

I knew we weren’t in Wonderland anymore. The dinner party was over before it even really began. No more dances with Dominic. No more magic.

I opened my eyes. I stared up at an empty black swing swaying back and forth above my face. Beyond that I could see a ceiling of stars, blanketed across the August night sky.

I tilted my head. I saw the shiny metal slide. Next to it was the cement tunnel Topher used as his hideaway when Nathan, Boyd, and Skeeter chased him from school.

We’re at the playground. But how? Did Adrianna send us here? Are we being punished?

I rolled over in the sand and crawled out from beneath the swing set. I brushed off the back of my blue party dress. I kicked off my white high heels and scooped them up with my hands.

The playground felt eerie. It was bathed in patches of moonlight and darkness. It didn’t seem right to be there after sundown—like something bad could happen to us at any second. I tried to ignore the tickle of fear tumbling through my veins.

“I think we crash-landed,” I said. My body ached from head to toe.

Tasha was lying on her side a few feet away. Her face was turned toward the harbor. I could see the shoreline in the distance. The moon was reflected on the surface of the slow, rolling waves. Like the playground, the beach was deserted. Not a soul in sight.

I went to Tasha and knelt beside her. I touched her arm. “Are you okay?” I asked.

“I hurt,” she said. “And I think I ate sand.”

Tasha turned over and sat up. Her hair was a windblown mess. I reached out and smoothed it down and back into place. The front of her dress had a tear in it. A piece of the peach chiffon material was missing. “Do I look as awful as I feel?” she asked.

“You’re as gorgeous as ever,” I lied.

Tasha reached for me, grabbing my hand. “Did you see her?” she asked. There was a glimmer of panic in her eyes. “Juliet? Was she real?”

“I don’t know,” I answered. “Is any of this? I mean, did all of that just really happen?”

Another voice cut across the playground, coming to us from somewhere in the distance. The sharp urgency in the words chilled me. “You can’t talk about it.”

Tasha hurried to her feet. She stood in front of me as if it were her instinct to protect me.

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