Truth on my Tongue (13)

I hesitate before sinking my fingers into the cake and raising a handful of soft batter to my lips. Frosting clings to my fingers as I try to lick them off. It's whipped so light that it instantly dissolves on my tongue. I can taste a memory that I can’t place. Something with family I think?

I reach down to grab another handful, feeling a lot lighter than before. If this food were dangerous, wouldn’t someone have said something by now? I tell myself that as I load some fudge brownies and fruit tarts on my plate. Why can’t my brain always be this quiet? My thoughts are finally calm. They’re not tripping over themselves anymore. No interruptions, no questions. Just silence.

“Keep eating, don’t be shy,” I hear Delilah’s bubbly voice whirl around me and I take a large bite out of the gummy bear in front of me, the perfect mix of sweet and sour flooding my tastebuds. “Enjoy what you can, let the minutes drift by.”

“Funy,” mutters a distant voice. “Wonderland only takes from those who stop thinking. You always ask questions, so why did you stop now?” I am still asking questions! Like has the table always spun like this? It’s Wonderland, so I wouldn’t be surprised.

I pop another mini muffin into my mouth, barely swallowing my last bite. This was my third helping, right? It's hard to say when every bite brings a different flavor. That familiar droopy voice hums in my ear. “Mmm, greedy little thing, aren’t you? Are those sweets really worth forgetting about? Forgetting who? “Iris…”

The more I struggle to keep my thoughts, the more tranquil I become. I’m melting. Not in a messy way. In a good way. It’s…nice. A goofy smile plays on my lips as I fall deeper into the feeling, my head buzzing.

“That smile isn’t yours, little curiosity.” His voice slowly wraps around me, causing my arms and legs to tinge. “If you keep going, I won’t be able to bring you back.”

“The f**k are you-” Delilah’s voice cuts off before she corrects herself. “Oh, goodness, what luck. What cheer! Pray tell, what are you doing here?” Her voice is still sharp despite her words being laced in honey.

There’s a long pause as I continue licking red frosting from my fingers. Cheshire finally perks up again, this time high pitched and mocking. “Oh lookie, lookie. I’ve got no time to play. I

M taking my friends who cannot stay.” His voice drops quickly, shifting into something dangerous. “What do you think I’m here for, you walking headache? The girl and child are going with me.”

A finger curls under my chin, guiding my face up. I blink slowly, Cheshire’s face still spinning. He guides me onto my feet and I grip his arm for balance. Everything’s too loud. Too bright. Too fast. I close my eyes, begging for the feeling to go away.

“Welcome back,” Cheshire’s voice is low in my ear, every word clean and precise. “Don’t mind the red; blood cleans out easily here. Right now we need to worry about waking the kid so we can leave.”

Blood? My eyes drift back down to the table and I find that the cake is no longer the sugar coated dessert from earlier. Green slime slowly slides off the sides, revealing raw packed meat pressed tightly inside. A half eaten cookie sits next to it, lumps of tangled hair and rotten teeth stick out instead of chocolate chips. The teacups were filled to the rim with liquid too dark to be tea. The miniature train rattles past my plate, this time offering bloodied fingernails and what I can only assume to be freshly plucked eyeballs.

I’m gonna throw up… I remember eating it so clearly. The texture of the crepes, the warmth of the tarts, the taste of the cakes… My skin crawls with a sudden thought, urging me to peel it all off. I liked it. WHat kind of fucked up person likes eating this kind of thing?
“You’re not in danger, Iris,” Cheshire says with soft reassurance. “Delilah and Crash are just doing what they always do. You’re just not staying as one of their guests.”

I tear my eyes away from the massacre in front of me. “Always do?” I ask in a small voice.

“Delilah likes to dress sweet, talk fun, and feed you lies covered in diabetes,” Cheshire explains before nodding towards Crash. “Crash is the brawn of Delilah’s brains. Doesn’t mean to hurt anyone, he’s just following orders.”

He passes both Liam and Jules and stops behind Rue’s chair. She’s stuffing a chocolate bar with ground up bones into her mouth.”Their guests don’t last too long, unfortunately. The two siblings have a habit of adding old guests to their new ones’ plates.”

Crash sets the empty trays on the table with hesitation, glancing towards Delilah’s reddened face. “Sister, uh… the cat has outed us,” he stammers, struggling with words. “We need to flee. Or uh… maybe climb a tree?”
“Shut the f**k up, Crash!” Delilah snaps, her sudden tone making him flinch. Her voice had suddenly dropped, low and guttural. “We’re obviously not rhyming anymore, dunce. Just be quiet before I- For the love of the queen!”  Back to Cheshire, pleading. “Why do you need both? I understand the child but at least leave me the girl!”
Cheshire’s eat twitches slightly at the question. “The child’s predictable,” he finally answers after a long pause, careful about his wording. “It would be quite a bore if I were to only take her, don’t you think?”
In a single moment, Cheshire bends down and scoops Rue up with one arm, yanking her away from the table. “Little girl, I already warned you before about eating such foods,” he mutters next to her ear. “It’s time to go.” Rue blinks rapidly, pupils still wide with whatever the food had done. “I’m also taking the other child, of course,” Cheshire states.