Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness, #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

hundreds of years these things happen
again and again, or at least they’re supposed to.
    “One hundred and fifty years ago, Alice
arrived. We’re not sure how. We only know she came from somewhere else and
changed everything. Since then, the patterns of our history have never quite
matched up again, and we’ve suffered for it. The Red Queen rises, but the White
Queen is still too young to fight her, and so on. Bit by bit, Wonderland has
changed, turning into something stale and dull.”
    “That’s precisely what I’ve seen in my
visions!” Rose exclaimed, slapping her hand against the table. “But I also see
Alice, and she’s long dead by now.”
    Gwen pointed to a drawing in her book.
“It’s about patterns, you see? For the first time in over a century, the right
players are in place and at the right times. And once again, there’s a girl
named Alice with the ability to come here and change everything.”
    Marc smiled, encouraging Gwen to
continue.
    “Some of the players are obvious.
Wonderland almost always has two Queens, red and white. And I suspect I know
which role I will play...” Gwen trailed off, unwilling to admit anything until she
was certain. “But there are others, and we’ll need to find them or else we risk
history simply repeating itself. There won’t be a chance like this again within
our lifetimes.”
    “Any idea where to start?” Rose asked,
resting her head against her palm. For a royal, she was turning out to be
surprisingly open-minded.
    Gwen worried that in being so excited to
explain her ideas, to see them come to light, she’d forgotten to take the time
to make sure she was being understood. Still, while the Queen looked confused,
she didn’t seem to be losing interest, and so Gwen prattled on.
    “I’ve actually started already,” Gwen
declared. Marc and Rose blinked in unison but didn’t volunteer any insight.
“How does the legend of Alice begin? Which Wonderlander meets her first?” Gwen
suspected that she sounded a touch condescending, but it was better to be clear
and ensure everyone was on the same page.
    “The rabbit,” Marc offered.
    “The white rabbit,” amended Rose,
smirking.
    “I’m quite certain the creature has no
affiliation with the Eastern Kingdom, your highness .”
    Rose shrugged. “All the same.”
    Gwen rolled her eyes and continued.
“Back then, animals were part of Wonderland society. They were intelligent,
although usually fond of life with a sprinkle of insanity. So somehow the White
Rabbit made it into Alice’s world and brought her back.”
    “And now...” Rose prompted after Gwen had
seemed to get lost in her own thoughts.
    She braced herself to continue.
    “I’ve been talking to a rabbit. He also
happens to be white, though I’m not sure how important that actually is.”
    “You talk to rabbits?” Rose asked.
    “Among other things...” Gwen didn’t want
to go into detail, but she cast an apologetic look at Marc. He shouldn’t have
had to find out like this, but he probably shouldn’t have sprung the White
Queen on her either. “Yes. So we have that much working for us.”
    “I’m not sure,” Rose said hesitantly.
“None of my visions have featured wildlife at all.”
    “Just today the rabbit assured me that
things are moving forward... His very presence here was all the proof I needed.
I’m just not exactly sure what it all means—what happens next.”
    “So we need to find him,” Rose said.
    Gwen stayed silent. She knew she should
be the one to go but couldn’t make herself volunteer. Both Marc and Rose
remained silent as well, each waiting for another to speak first.
    “Well I can hardly do it,” Rose said,
exasperated. “I’m a little surprised my royal guard hasn’t come knocking on
your door already.” Marc rolled his eyes, but his smile suggested he was only
teasing. “Besides, if I’m going to be a White Queen worth remembering, then I
have another visit I’ll need to make.”
    “I can’t