Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber (9) Cheshire’s POV

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I was only gone for an hour, one measly little hour, and the Hatter was already fussing over the two like they were something he was allowed to drool over. Do you see what happens when I’m away, attending to Alice for too long? They wander, they stumble, and somehow follow Hatter inside his creepy little shop.

 Hatter’s eyes stay glued on Rue like she’s a slice of aged cheese newly cut.He watches Iris like a clockmaker obsessed with figuring out the tiniest gears. F*****g fantastic. He likes them. How unfortunate. For him, of course.

My eyes narrow in on Hatter’s practiced smile, rehearsed and flawless. Rue finds him funny, but from what I heard, she also finds ceiling fans fun. She’s not a reliable source. But Iris, Iris should be able to tell something’s off. Not falling for his absolute nonsense.

I see the moment Hatter notices my presence cause his smile widens. My tail flicks with irritation. The f****r doesn’t even flinch at my appearance. It’s rude to ignore a threat properly and he knows it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t loathe the man, I just have a strong distaste for him. Some call him mad, but I call him unimaginative. There’s a difference and one of us is still interesting.

I watch as Hatter offers Rue a purplish blue liquid, his fingers brushing against hers as he hands it to her. My tail curls, eyes zoomed in on his expression. It stays the same; warm, pleasant, enthused. Everything you would want to see in a stranger. But I catch a glimmer of interest passing through his eyes when they touch.

They’ve definitely caught his attention, yet I’m surprised. Children are hard to come by in Wonderland, yes, but I am unsure why Hatter would be interested in Iris. Iris is just the child’s caretaker, nothing else interesting about her. But the way she looks so familiar with this world, already used to the absurdity of it all, might be a bit intriguing…

Out of the corner of my eye, I see two dark figures walk past the fogged up window, arguing loudly. My thoughts immediately shift from Iris over to Tweedledee and Tweedledumb. Oh good, my two favorite inconveniences. The world folds around me, air slipping past my ears before I appear behind the two. They’re bickering. They’re always bickering.

“It was your turn to watch her, Ty,” the twin with darker hair snaps. “I was supposed to steal the ingredients.” Oh boy, they lost her again. But that explains the armful of different potions he carried. “What, me?” Ty cried incredulously. “Kai, I literally reminded you it was your turn to babysit before I left!”

I watch as the argument continues before finally deciding to speak up, allowing my appearance to be known. “Tell me, Tweedledee and Tweedledumb,” I purr, watching them jump at the realization I’m behind them. “Which way did your little bird fly? Don’t tell me you misplaced her again?”

My voice is sharp, accusing yet not even a bit surprised. Sylbie is one of the few children made in Wonderland but the two double headed mistakes are always finding ways to lose their sister. They’re the most irresponsible brothers in Wonderland, yet Alice finds them entertaining. I find them to be good-for-nothings. What a joke.

Both twins tense, glancing anxiously at one another before quickly pushing the other under the bus. “Kai was supposed to watch her!” Ty accuses simultaneously as Kai yells, “Ty was the idiot who lost her!” Good, now this was the correct way for someone to react to my presence.

A smile curls on my lips, deceptively sweet. “Where. Is. She?” I ask again, my voice dropping dangerously low. Children are beloved here. I keep them safe, while others… show their love in ways that even make me uncomfortable. Children see the world the way it's meant to be seen: wide eyed curiosity and unshaped by the twistedness of it. Adults don’t.

“At the Children’s Table?” Kai whispers, watching closely for my reaction. My eyes flick to him, a smile tightening. 

“The tea part?” I ask, jaw tense and words clipped.

“We can easily get her back,” Ty speaks up, not as scared as his brother. Apparently not as smart as him either. That’s why he’s Tweedledumb out of the two. “We can just convince someone in town-”

“Everyone in Wonderland knows who you two idiots are,” I interject harshly, ear twitching slightly. “No one would fall for it.” It’s true, the twins are well known pranksters that take their pranks too far. “You would need someone who doesn’t know anything about you…” I trail off, eyes following three ordinary humans walking out of a small shop. The teen looks miserable as his whole body shimmers with light.

Perfect. That’s exactly what we need.