Chapter 126: Turning Point

Mary-Beth didn’t quite know how to respond to Niall’s question.

For one, how was she supposed to explain to someone so passionate about his work that she hated it without coming off as disrespectful and snobbish.

Secondly, she didn’t trust him... much like she didn’t trust anyone else for that matter with her innermost thoughts.

Perceptive enough to realize she didn’t want to speak any further though, Niall then said with an understanding smile;

"Alright, then. It’s fine if you don’t want to."

Casually, he began walking away, his demeanor unperturbed.

Considering the lady’s act had been excellent nonetheless, he really saw no reason to dig in deeper than was required. Afterall, everyone had their own secrets.

Besides, as long as she could consistently deliver that output, Niall really didn’t have any issue with it.

Mary-Beth on the other hand, couldn’t help but be genuinely baffled.

Sure, she was glad that Niall didn’t push any further but at the same time, she couldn’t help but be surprised that there wasn’t the slightest judgmental look on his visage.

It honestly made her wonder if he actually cared, or was just being very professional. Both of which were situations she’d never actually experienced in all of her former work environments.

In any case, after Mark was done reviewing the shot, he realized that the extra whom was supposed to make a convincing oak tree, botched the movement as was required.

That said, it wasn’t something they needed to redo the whole scene for. Instead, they could just have the extra retake the part and splice it into the scene with a perfect cut.

Hence, they simply moved to the last scene of the day, one that would introduce the villain without actually revealing his face to the audience.

Just like that, the next two days passed on set and a bunch of minor scenes here and there were filmed afterwards.

Then, on the fourth day of filming, the first turning point in the movie was filmed.

-

{A Maddened Wonderland | 12th, March 2019 | Act 2 | Scene 2 | Take 1}

Enormous mushrooms rose from the ground like colorful towers, their caps stretching several feet overhead as glowing spores drifted lazily through the air.

Some hummed, while others sneezed from time to time and Alice stared at all of it in bewilderment.

A particularly large blue one was currently arguing with a smaller purple mushroom for the better part of a minute in a constant back and forth of puffing spores...

"The sky’s blue, not purple. And no, it isn’t pretending." Alistair, meanwhile, walked ahead with his hands tucked comfortably behind his back as he called out to them and said;

"Now kindly stop your incessant babbles. You’re in the presence of a most esteemed guest."

To that, the large blue spore let out a puff of pride and the small purple one shrank defeatedly.

Alistair on the other hand, spun around while continuing to walk backwards, arms theatrically gesturing wide as he and said to Alice;

"This, is the Mushroom Glade! The mushrooms here have been growing for centuries."

The small purple mushroom from before propped snatched a second wind and propped itself up in pride, only for Alistair to point towards it, ratting it out on the spot;

"Except that one. He’s lying about his age."

The little one dejectedly shrunk again and Alice couldn’t help but laugh this time.

It was the first time since arriving that she looked remotely comfortable.

Noticing this, Alistair smiled even wider and turned back around, leading the way.

Then he curiously asked after a brief moment of comfortable silence;

"I’ve been meaning to ask..."

"...How exactly did you get here?" Alistair waved away a puff of spores as he inquired.

Alice’s smile faded slightly in response.

Nervously twiddling her thumbs, she was just about to respond when Alistair suddenly stopped, his head snapping sideways.

Alice practically walked into him, only managing to catch herself at the very last minute as she stumbled back slightly.

"What?" she asked, her voice a whisper of concern.

Alistair didn’t answer.

Instead, his eyes narrowed as a deck of cards slid from underneath the sleeves of his coat and into his palms.

"Stay behind me." he quietly said to Alice whose concern got progressively deeper as she whispered again, her hand nervously clutching at the tail of his coat as she gently swallowed;

"Why?"

Alistair hadn’t managed to answer before crunches of boots echoed through the glade, his expression hardening.

Materializing out of thin air immediately after was a group of figures numbering in the dozens in red uniforms, black boots and long blades.

At their center stood a man wearing a battered red coat with several shattered hearts, his black hair falling loosely across his forehead, a twirly moustache on his visage and his gaze apathetic.

Alice instinctively stepped backwards upon seeing them... especially because his eyes were looking solely at her.

Alistair caught this, hence why he spoke almost immediately;

"Quite the dramatic entrance, I must say. I give you, a nine out of ten, Knave of Hearts. Deducted points for the battered coat. You can do better than that."

The man instantly turned his attention to him, and Alistair took the opportunity;

"You’ll have to forgive her. She’s only been here an hour."

"You’re a Hatter?" the man asked instead, and Alistair’s eyebrows rose as he replied;

"Good eye."

"The Mad Hatter’s son?" the Knave of Hearts corrected, his tone no less apathetic.

"Even better." Alistair grinned.

"You have his face... and his wardrobe..." the man continued, not a single reaction on his feature.

Not that it stopped Alistair from flourishing his coat briefly as he responded;

"I’d like to think I’ve improved it."

Then he followed up immediately after;

"Riddle me this? How’re you still alive and what do you want with her?"

The Knave of Hearts remained stolidly indifferent... only to remark a moment after, almost as if he wasn’t even speaking to Alistair, but to all and sundry;

"You’ll all be finding out soon enough..."

A black-and-white grin suddenly appeared behind Alice and she screamed for dear life.

Two enormous yellow eyes opened into the space and The Cheshire Cat materialized from nothing, the rest of his body following immediately after as he said;

"Well, hello, little Alice."

"Get away from me!" she stumbled sideways as Alistair immediately flicked a card between his fingers, his gaze a hint of curious annoyance as he spoke;

"Cat."

"Young Hat." Cheshire responded with an ever-widening grin.

"You’re looking more suspicious than usual." Alistair pointed out.

"Why thank you!" the mischievous cat’s big, yellow eyes thinned into an amused slit.

Alistair instantly threw the card and it exploded into a blinding burst of light!

The Knave’s expression on the other hand had flickered as his men had charged forwards, only to be flash-banged before they managed to get anywhere.

Cheshire on the other hand had vanished before the card ever got to him, his wide grin appearing beside Alistair’s head as he remarked with a playful whisper;

"Missed~."

Vanishing immediately after yet again, Alistair ignored him, flicking four cards into the ground around Alice.

Immediately after, a shimmering dome of purple enveloped her as he rushed the recovering Knaves!

Chaos magic erupted around him in bursts of color and he made the best use of it, the deck of cards flitting out and revolving around him like a ringed-planet as he grinned.

Weaving between them with an impossible reaction time, he practically danced around them, his footwork unpredictable as he effortlessly twisted himself through attacks that should’ve landed.

In similar fashion, playing cards appeared and disappeared between his fingers as he flicked them around the battlefield.

He spun into one Knave’s attack, only to kill his spin at the last minute and slap a card onto his face, the chaos magic erupting and sending him crashing into another charging group.

Alistair ducked beneath a blade, his palm slapping against the ground as a playing card enlarged beneath him, launching him into the air and eking him just out of the reach of yet another blade.

Like a fidget spinner, he used the opportunity to flick out cards around him like a hailstorm, each one landing with enough force to knock out and send his assailants flying back.

Just as he landed onto the ground, more than half of the group out like a sack of potatoes as Alice kept watching him with widened eyes, The Knave raised one hand and commanded;

"Enough."

The word carried across the glade and the air immediately changed.

Alistair felt it immediately.

A strange, almost invisible weight settling over everything.

His smile disappeared in an instant as his eyes widened in clear disbelief as The Knave slowly opened his palm, a contained ripple of black-and-crimson energy twisting around his fingers.

"You..." Alistair’s voice trailed... only for him to immediately throw several of his cards before him, every single one coalescing and blooming into an even bigger dome.

At the same time, it seemed to be charging up a beam of energy that looked extremely dangerous and could be unleashed at any second.

Yet, The Knave of Hearts only snapped his fingers and the attack collapsed, the entire glade bending with it as the ground warped and the mushrooms twisted sideways.

Alistair’s eyes widened as his own cards suddenly began vibrating violently between his fingers.

"No," he tried to control them.

"Come on!" the cards turned against him, each one exploding right after the other into rubber ducks as The Knave walked towards him and said, the slightest hint of intrigue in his tone;

"You’ve learned to use chaos. But you haven’t earned its acknowledgement."

The air exploded immediately after and a beam of pure chaos magic walloped into Alistair, flinging him backwards like a broken marionette.

Like a ragdoll, the young hatter crashed through three mushrooms before landing hard against the trunk of an enormous one.

As he let out a pained groan, the very dome he’d been protecting Alice with having shattered from The Knave of Heart’s attack, she rushed towards him as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth;

"Alistair!"

Before she could reach him, Cheshire appeared beside her, his grin stretching impossibly wide as he said;

"Come, little Alice~,"

"Stay away from me!" the lady recoiled with a shriek!

"We’re going somewhere much more interesting~." Cheshire ignored her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Before she could manage to let out another scream, they both vanished.

As Alistair’s vision blurred, he tried reaching forwards as he watched the Knave of Hearts slowly dematerializing, his fingers clawing against the grass;

"Don’t..."

"Please..."

That was the last thing Alistair managed to say before consciousness abandoned him and everything went dark.

"Cut!"

-

Advance Chapters are available on Patreon!

/Caer07