“Wait, so you’re telling me I can go to another world, another dimension?” I ask, staring at White. He’s sitting on the couch again, and I’m standing in front of him. I’d been too wired to sit down even though it’s well past two in the morning. He just told me that in order to get to Wonderland, we would have to go through a portal to another dimension. I laughed a little at that. Of course, there is some science behind going to Wonderland. I’m still a bit surprised that the magical realm of a trippy story is real, but the evidence is sitting in front of me with surprisingly soft rabbit ears. It’s safe to say I’m about to learn a lot of new information.

“Yes,” he answers. “I can open a portal, and we will step through—” White breaks off, watching me in confusion as I move away from him and towards my backpack. I dump out all the papers and junk onto the floor and begin shoving things inside. “What are you doing?”

“Packing my bag. What does it look like I’m doing?” I pick up a bunch of hair ties and shove them into one of the outside pockets. I’ve never been happier to have a military style backpack. There are more pockets than I usually know what to do with, but it’s heavy duty. You’d never realize how weak normal backpack straps are until you shoved it full of science books. The salesman had assured me the military one wouldn’t tear, and he’d been right. This one has lasted through the years, never once fraying.

“That easy? You’re just willing to jump into a portal with me to a fictional world?” He’s staring at me in a mix of confusion and wonder. It isn’t that difficult of a decision for me, though, not really.

I look at White, my face serious.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life,” I say, shoving a deodorant stick into the bag. “I wanted to join the rebels. I waited for my Hogwarts letter to come. I longed for Gandalf to show up and tell me we’re going on an adventure. When a white rabbit shows up in my life and says ‘I want to take you to Wonderland’, you’d better believe I’m going to pack my bags.”

His eyebrows raise at my words, watching as I shove my toothbrush and hairbrush into the backpack.

“Wow,” he finally says. “I’m surprised.”

“About which part? That I’m a huge geek or that I’m willing to go with you?”

“Both.” He chuckles. “You’re not at all what I expected.”

“You expected me?” I grab a handful of underwear from my still packed suitcase and shove them inside. I try to not to think too hard about the fact that I’ve shoved in some of the lace I never wear, too.

“Yes. I’m certain you were the reason I needed to be at the lab. I was waiting for you.”

I pause and point at him.

“I feel like this is the part where you tell me about an epic prophecy, and that I’m the chosen one.”

White laughs.

“There is indeed a prophecy, but I won’t get into it yet. We have a bit of a journey first.”

I shove a few pairs of jeans and all of my t-shirts into the backpack.

“I figure we’ll only have a few hours before someone finds Josh’s body. Most employees show up around six, but some could show up earlier for work.” For some reason, I say that line without a thread of remorse. I wonder at the lack of feeling I’m having towards the death of my coworker even if he was some sort of serial killer. I put it down to a potential mental wall I built about the situation. Perhaps, I’m putting all of my focus into the other exciting events happening to avoid that one. I pick up my phone. “Does Wonderland have cell service?”

White laughs and shakes his head.

“Your phone won’t work there, no.”

“How about electricity?”

“We aren’t savages. For the most part, think of it as a more dangerous version of your world. Technology from your world doesn’t translate well to Wonderland, however.”

“Okay. Do I need a weapon?”

White perks up, his ears twitching as he eyes me.

“Do you know how to use anything?”

“I’m pretty good with a knife. I took years of classes for it.”

“Then, yes. Bring a weapon, but we do have some there. The Hatter stocks an armory.”

Don’t ask yet, I tell myself at the mention of the Hatter. I’m so curious, but there are other things to find out first. He stands from his position and leans against the wall closest to him.

“So, why is Wonderland dangerous? The stories aren’t like that.”

“I’m afraid it’s too long of a story to tell right now.”

I walk to the wall and unhook the picture of Neptune and I from its place. I stroke my fingers over the frame, before turning and sticking it inside my backpack. I don’t know if I’ll return from Wonderland, if this is a temporary adventure or a permanent one. I don’t want to leave her behind if I never came back.

“Are there things you aren’t telling me?” I ask, meeting White’s eyes. He frowns, his ears twitching the slightest bit. He seems to hesitate for a moment, before he answers.

“Yes.”

I don’t expect that, but the fact that he’s being honest with me, even if he’s not telling me everything yet, puts me at ease. I walk towards him and grab his hand. His fingers are long and tapered, and they thread through mine perfectly. His rough palms press into my soft ones.

“Can I trust you?”

“You shouldn’t,” he replies, his hand clenching like a lifeline, like he’s scared I’ll pull away.

“That wasn’t the question.”

“I won’t let anything harm you.”

I smile at his answer. He’s dripping danger and charisma. I know he’s capable of destruction just by the way he carries himself. There’s a truth that threads through his words. I don’t know why, but I trust him completely.

“Okay,” I say, looking around my apartment one more time. Most of the boxes are stacked up, unopened, their contents still packed away inside. I grab a photo album from the table and shove it inside the backpack, too. I zip it up and shoulder the bag, shifting under the weight. “I’m ready.”

White smirks, his face turning devilish.

“Are you sure?” he asks. He doesn’t wait for me to answer. He pulls a card from the pocket of his stained waistcoat and throws it on the floor.

A swirling portal opens in front of us, and I take a step back in surprise. It’s one thing to be told about a portal. It’s completely different to see one open up in front of you on your living room floor. There’s an intense pull from the depths of the portal, and I slide forward. Panic fills my body, and I clench hard onto White’s hand.

“We have to jump in,” White shouts. The portal is loud, the swirling picking up everything loose in the apartment and throwing it around.

“I’m not so sure about this,” I yell back.

“I won’t let anything hurt you,” he promises. When I still hesitate, he nods his head. “We’ll jump together.”

I bite my lip and nod. He moves us forward towards the edge. The portal pulls at my clothing, and I have the sudden image of us being sucked up like a vacuum. White holds me steady, keeping the portal from grabbing us before I’m ready.

“On three!” he shouts, his hand tight in mine. My heart rate picks up, the thought of jumping into a portal to another dimension both exciting and terrifying. This is it. This is the adventure Neptune wanted me to go on.

“One.” White’s voice pierces the whistling of the portal, reaching my ears as clear as day. I take a deep breath and everything seems to slow. “Two.” I feel a hard tug on my hand as White grins and jumps inside the portal, yanking me behind him. Bastard never said three, but I don’t have time to curse him for the slight. I’m in open air for a moment before the portal sucks us inside, and then we’re falling.

My apartment disappears, and the briefest hesitation flickers through my mind.

Too late, I wonder what exactly I’m getting into. But no adventure comes without danger. I just hope that White is my Yoda, rather than my Vader.