Wonder Never (The Fairytale Diaries #2) (2 page)

She gave her friend a piercing stare, and the girl dejectedly stood and slunk away. Josh and Aspen both watched as Maisy exited the patio and trudged away. Once she was well out of ear shot, Josh invited himself to take the seat Maisy had just vacated. Aspen's spine stiffened.

"Aspen, I can help you," Josh whispered.

Anger flashed in her eyes. "My name is
Alice
," she snapped. "I don't know any Aspen, and I don't know
you
!"

"Listen," Josh replied, consciously working to keep his voice soothing. "Whatever you're afraid of, don't worry. I know it's you. I will keep you safe." He reached for her hand, hoping to comfort and reassure her.

She jerked her hand away. "Stop!" she demanded, her voice rising slightly. "I'm only saying this once more. My name is not Aspen, it's Alice! You've made a mistake! Now please, I must ask that you leave me alone."

Josh's heart plummeted. He didn't know exactly what to do. Perhaps Aspen had run away from Faraway just as he had. Perhaps she did not want to be found; to be returned.

However, that didn't explain the fear in her eyes, or her timid, jumpy demeanor. An alarm sounded in Josh's mind. Without a doubt something was amiss. But he didn't know what to do. At that moment, he had no choice but to do as she asked. He gave her one more forlorn look and then rose to return to his own table.

Just as he reached it, another oddly dressed person rushed onto the patio, bursting past Josh so quickly, it sent him slightly off kilter. He regained his balance and then dropped into his chair.

Josh raised his book in front of his face, but kept his eyes trained on "Alice." The man who'd nearly knocked him down was dressed in crisp black slacks, a starched white shirt, and a pin striped vest. He had a smart bow tie and a golden watch chain could be seen draping from his vest pocket. He was a small man with a shock of wavy white hair; though he didn't look very old at all.

"We're late!" the man cried. He seemed to vibrate with nervous energy. "Where's the girl?"

Josh could barely hear Alice's response.

"I… I had to let her go."

"Alice!"

"For now," she rushed on. "I'll return for her again soon!"

The hyper man groaned. "Fine then," he grumbled. "Come on, we're late."

Alice sighed, looking near tears. "Can't we stay just a while longer?"

"NO!" the man bellowed. "WE'RE LATE!"

Josh watched the man take Alice's hand and pull her to her feet. She hurried to keep up with his short, quick steps, though she was significantly taller than he.

They left the patio and hurried down the street toward the forest that roosted at the dead end. Just as the odd pair parted a tangle of brambles and stepped into the trees, Josh leapt to his feet. He tossed a ten dollar bill on the table, grabbed his back pack, and headed after them at a dead run.

***

When his foot stepped into the underbrush as he moved to dash into the woods, he stopped abruptly. The sound of the dried leaves and fallen twigs snapping beneath his feet died on the sweltering air. He waved his arms frantically trying to regain his balance with his other foot frozen in midair.

He could see Alice and the small man vaguely through the darkness and trees though the foliage was so thick he couldn't make them out clearly. He saw Alice stumbling over objects on the forest floor as the small man continued to drag her along.

They made no indication they'd heard him over the man's incessant, nasal chatter. Josh finally lowered his foot for a second step into the forest, creeping along laboriously slow so as to remain at an advantage of watching Alice without being observed.

"Ansel!" Alice cried. "ANSEL! Please! Slow down!"

On the white haired man dashed, seemingly as energetic as a rabbit. "We're late!" he shrieked.

Alice groaned as she stumbled again. "For what?" she argued. "What exactly are we late for?"

For once, the little man said nothing.

"That's right," Alice said, jerking to a halt. The man called Ansel snapped back into her, and then pulled away, giving her an indignant look. "We aren't late for anything at all," Alice said softly, giving Ansel a sorrowful look. Josh crept still closer to the scene, afraid to draw so much as a breath.

"So, kindly, slow down," Alice demanded in a quiet, even tone.

Ansel and Alice exchanged a strange glance, as though there was a sudden shift of authority. Josh had previously believed Ansel to be in charge of Alice. However, the look he gave her then suggested Ansel wished to control her, but knew he really only could if she allowed it.

Josh frowned.

Ansel took Alice's hand again but much more gently this time and he led her on at a more leisurely pace. Josh could see the tension it caused the little man to move so slowly, etched around his wild, darting eyes. And he noted Alice's smug, tight lipped smile. Something told Josh her small victories brought her great joy because they were sadly infrequent.

How odd a pair Ansel and Alice made; two well-dressed people venturing on foot into what would no doubt end up a crocodile infested swamp. And of course there was Josh, the tourist who wouldn't see a croc coming until it bit off his foot. All of them strolling along to certain doom.

Despite the heat, a shiver raced up his spine. He simply could not lose sight of "Alice."

Each step increased Josh's anxiety. He knew he should turn back. The ground grew softer as they proceeded; his boots had begun to be coated with mud as he carefully slopped through the mire.

And how much did he care about this "Alice" anyhow? Aspen Briar had been no friend of his. Just like virtually everyone else in Faraway, she'd not known he was alive.

Well
, he thought,
at least she was never cruel or even unkind to me either
. There was that.

A stench permeated from the swampy woods that turned his stomach. He could hear the slap of bat wings as they fluttered in the trees not far above his head. He swatted at bugs as they lit on him, beginning to fear the possibility of some poisonous bite or sting.

But Alice began to cry.

The soft sound of her misery found him like black musical notes of a sad song. A long sliver stream of Spanish moss hanging from a tree limb caressed his face and he imagined her tears falling. He thought of them hitting the ground and splashing.

As Alice wept harder and harder, he imagined a storm of her tears; a torrent. His heart raced. He felt swept away, as though flowing on a river of Alice's sadness. He knew he should leave her.

But someone rescued him once.

Josh hurried on.

Chapter 3

Finally they came to the slightest of openings in the trees. Ansel and Alice passed through it. When Josh reached it, he hovered there, hidden behind a massive oak.

The opening led to a negligible clearing; so small it could barely be called a clearing at all. The only thing in it was one tree, in the center, washed in a shimmering pool of sunlight. It was a willow tree. This one was different from the many other willows Josh had passed. Unlike the rich, lustrous green of the healthy swamp foliage and moss, this willow's leaves seemed faded, like an old technicolor photograph. It seemed almost silver like a memory or a dream. The other leaves and limbs in the forest danced tipsily in the pleasant breeze. Yet this willow's plethora of tendrils remained deathly still and perfectly quiet. Nary a hint of life came from it.

Ansel reached forward, thrusting his hands into the willow's weeping fronds. Josh was surprised when it did not turn to ashy dust and disintegrate. Instead, Ansel created an opening into the shadows within the willow's eerie umbrella of limbs.

He and Alice disappeared inside it.

Josh's heart hammered by then. He considered simply charging in behind them. After all, the little man was clearly no match for a fit fellow such as himself.

But, he again recalled Alice's emphatic claims that she wanted him to leave her alone. What would he do, drag her back clumsily through the woods? Certainly that wasn't the right thing to do either. Josh hoped an answer would become clear to him as he remained transfixed in his spot.

"Please, Ansel. Just go back without me!"

Josh's spine went ridged as Alice's sad voice lilted over the clearing.

"Alice," Ansel replied, his tone indicating complete frustration. "Don't be ridiculous, you know that isn't possible!"

Josh could hear her crying again. His heart broke for her.

"P… Puh… Pleeeeeaaaaasssseee Anssseeeeellll!"

From Ansel's hidden post among the willow's leaves, Josh could hear him groan. "Enough, Alice. You act like a petulant child."

She answered with another pitiful wail.

Ansel's tone softened then. "Alice," he said softly. "You know she would only come and find you. She always does obviously! And she'd be so angry…"

"Oh we mustn't anger the
queen
," Alice growled snidely.

Ansel sighed. "Just eat it, Alice."

"No."

"Alice, this is the exact reason why you aren't allowed out alone! Now eat it!"

"No!"

"EAT IT!" Ansel's voice thundered. Josh flinched at the surprising ferocity. After a pause, Ansel spoke again. "Good, now drink."

Seconds later, a gust of air blasted so harshly through the clearing that it knocked Josh flat on his back in the mud.

***

After another massive whoosh of wind quickly followed the first, Josh scrambled to his feet. He peered heavenward, through leaf and limb, to check the sky for the approach of a sudden storm. But it remained a blue, cloudless, perfect day.

He glanced down at himself with disgust. His boots were caked with mud. The fall had also resulted in his favorite jeans and his black t-shirt to become splattered with forest goop. He sighed with frustration then returned his attention to the peculiar tree in the clearing.

An eerie stillness had settled over the forest following the bizarre wind from nowhere. Woodland creatures fell quiet and not a bud or blossom moved anywhere. Josh stood stalk still listening for any hint of Ansel or Alice. They had not emerged from beneath the blanket of the willow's tree limbs.

After the profound silence became so intense that it pounded in Josh's head like thunder, he became overwhelmed with anxiety. He'd waited too long to decide what to do. Something was very, very wrong.

Josh burst through the small clearing crashing through the shroud of the weeping willow's limbs. Once inside the cool shadows, he stopped short, frantically looking around.

It was as though he stood in a small dark room. The floor was that of the forest and the walls were created by the drape of the willow tree. Random dusty moats of light that managed to sneak inside provided just enough light to see.

And what he saw was that Ansel and Alice had vanished without a trace.

Josh's heart pounded and his head spun dizzily. There was no way they could've come out from beneath the tree without Josh seeing or hearing them. He angrily massaged his own temples, mentally chastising himself for not charging in sooner, as he'd originally considered.

He squeezed his eyes shut, a sudden headache mounting rapidly. It was when he opened them again that a bright glint caught his attention.

His eyes were drawn to the trunk of the tree and a small brass knob. His head tilted to one side and he frowned, creeping closer.

Upon climbing directly in front of the trunk, he found it had a small door which explained the knob. He studied it for a long time, hesitant to touch it because of course, it was preposterous to find a door in a tree. On the other hand, it was also nonsense to think of anybody disappearing into thin air.

And in this case, the two ridiculous things were likely related.

So, Josh reached out with trembling hand, and opened the little door.

What he found inside only caused him more consternation. In fact, it was rather anticlimactic. He'd feared any number of horrors jumping out at him, possibly gnawing off his face. Instead, he found a small plate stacked with what appeared to be candies. A slip of paper propped on the plate said, "eat me."