Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness, #1) by Kellie Sheridan

Author:Kellie Sheridan
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: teen, Young Adult, ya, fantasy, retelling, wonderland
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Published: 2013-05-19T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

DIAMONDS, CLUBS & ACES

There was no doubt in Rose’s mind that the Eastern Queendom would be entirely different from the rolling hills and small towns she was accustomed to. Neither growing up in Neverwood Forest nor her reign in the west could have prepared her for bustling urban sprawl where the Red Queen ruled.

The journey from one corner of Wonderland to the other lasted only a day, but Rose had never felt farther from home.

As her carriage passed through the last trees of Neverwood and into the Red Queen’s domain, Rose craned her head out the window to get her first glimpse of a place she had only read about in books. Where Rose’s own kingdom was quiet and quaint, this one was crowded and vibrant. She had heard that there were no farms in this part of Wonderland, no vast stretches of land at all beyond those belonging to nobles in the farthest reaches of the kingdom. Only now did she believe it. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of red-brick buildings dotted the landscape and crowded around roads that weaved through the land. Gas-fueled lanterns lit up the streets, allowing people to continue their business well into the evening, and no one seemed to find the nocturnal nature of the Red Queendom the least bit strange.

Rose had to trust that her driver knew where he was going, as each town fed into the next, creating a never-ending stretch of city life. The square buildings and lack of greenery created an image all too similar to the world Rose had seen in her vision. Yet, seeing it all up close, there was something exciting about it. Being so surrounded by life was both comforting and invigorating all at once. Rose considered that perhaps there was value to be found in this way of life after all. Gwen herself had said change was coming, maybe this was what Wonderland needed.

It wasn’t long before the ebony-stone palace of the Red Queen came into view, seeming to loom over everything with its five twisted spires. Both impressive and menacing, it was designed to strike fear into anyone who thought to cross the Red Queen. The castle had been built over a century ago when the Red Wars had raged through Wonderland, and though Queen Daliah hadn’t had a say in its design, Rose couldn’t imagine that living there would have endeared her to many of her subjects.

Thankfully, Rose did not have to visit the castle on her first ever trip to the Eastern Kingdom. Instead her driver had been ordered to bring her to a building several blocks from the Queen’s home.

Initially, the Red Queen had refused to meet at all. But Rose had persisted and managed to arrange the first official meeting between her and the Red Queen.

And so Rose set foot into the first and likely only nightclub she would ever visit, as there was no room for places like these where she came from.

Immediately, she fell in love.

Though the night was still young, men and women danced together in a swarm of writhing bodies.

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