Mad as a Hatter by Kendra Moreno

Author:Kendra Moreno [Moreno, Kendra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-08-17T04:00:00+00:00

When we step inside the house and my eyes find March again, I can’t suppress a gasp. He doesn’t look in any way like he did outside. His suit is pristine, his skin smooth. I see no muscle or bone, no mottled flesh. The only flaw on his body is the missing half ear. That’s still the same even if his ears are covered in fur and healthy looking. Besides that, he’s handsome, strikingly so, even though one of his eyes twitch constantly, drawing my attention every time. It seems more of a tic than an anything. I notice some of his fingers do the same thing, flicking every so often to a rhythm I can’t hear.

The house is the same as March. Outside, it looks ready to collapse, barely livable if at all. Inside, it’s normal and bright, no mildew smell or rotting wood. It’s cluttered but not dirty, warm and inviting.

March giggles when he notices me staring at his ear. I’m trying to figure out why it’s the only thing that isn’t whole, why everything else is fixed beside the missing chunk.

“It’s because it was gone before the red Queen got to me,” he says, pointing to the half ear. He accompanies the words with manic laughter, like it’s the most hilarious thing he’s ever heard. “I got that in a fight with a Bandersnatch. Well, with a different Bandersnatch.”

I raise my eyebrows at him but don’t comment. I’m not sure if I want to know any more about the Bandersnatch, not after hearing the roar when I was with White.

“Clara Bee wants to learn the history of the Red Queen.” Hatter’s voice is gentle as March offers us seats at a table. There are books stacked up under one of the legs, keeping it level.

“Of course, of course,” he replies, bustling around the kitchen. “Best get to it before the Bandersnatch head this way.” He looks at the terror that crosses my face. He giggles, trying to stifle it by putting his hand over his mouth. It doesn’t work. “The beasts like to hang around,” he offers, “Because the Red Queen set them on me.”

“Is that what happened to you?” I think of how he looked outside, like something had tore into him.

His face darkens, the smile dropping instantly. I open my mouth to apologize for asking, but he beats me to it.

“You’ll see soon enough.” His voice is rough as he grabs jars from the cabinets. He fills a kettle with water and sets it on a stove. He pours a bit from each jar into a tea cup and mixes them together. When the kettle whistles, he pours the boiling water over the ingredients, and a small cloud puffs up in the shape of a heart. He brings the cup to the table and sits it in front of me. I look at the liquid, noting the blood-red color of it.

“Is it safe?” I ask Hatter, staring at the opalescent liquid. White had warned me never to drink tea from anyone, and yet here I am, accepting more tea.

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