“DID YOU KNOW THAT CHESS was invented sometime in the sixth century? No, of course you didn’t. You are stupid little girl who doesn’t know anything. Do you know that when they first played this illustrious game that the kings did not face one another? Why do you think that is?”

The royal princess of the White Court, the White Pawn, better known to her friends and family as Lily looked up into her evil aunt’s face. There was a red sash tied over the girl’s mouth, so she could not have answered even if she wanted to.

“Cat got your tongue?” The Red Queen smiled her blood red lips curving upward, “Well I shall tell you this, a king might be a formidable foe, but they are nothing to the true power of a queen. Do you understand, child?”

Lily, blinked and nodded.

The Red Queen continued, “You must play your game remembering that your opponent’s pieces are a mirror image of your own. The Glass House is the most appropriate place to play such a game is it not? Of course, it is—I thought of it! And now that I have you some players to participate with you, we shall have the most fun!”

Lily looked resigned as she stared down at her team. There were eight White Court soldiers acting as pawns. Carlos and Harrison were placed in the knight’s position. The Mad Hatter and Mouse the Jabberwocky were her bishops, while Lory and Mary Ann stood in as rooks. Jay the Jabberwocky was her king piece and standing tall and defiant was Alice, her queen.

The players were under some sort of spell where their bodies did what they were told, but Lily could see by their eyes that they were not willing participants. It wasn’t surprising, because in this game when you were taken out of the game you didn’t come back—ever.

The Knave of Hearts stood directly beside his queen and whispered into her ear. The Red Queen looked irritated, but she motioned for one of her subjects to release the scarf that had been tied around Lily’s mouth.

“I suppose that you must speak to play. Therefore, play stupid girl, play!”

The massive lawns were made up into a square board, much like the one in Wonderland. But here through the looking glass there was an ominous glow to the massive sixty-four-foot square playing field.

Lily had never been very good at chess and didn’t want to play now. She wanted to go home and cuddle up next to her mother or rest in the arms of her father until this nightmare had passed.

“Are you forgoing your turn?” The Red Queen sneered.

“Q-queen’s pawn to d4,” Lily barely got the words out before the solider was yanked by an invisible hook and moved to the location.

The Red Queen tapped a perfectly manicured nail against her lips, “Starting with the Dutch’s Defense, are you? Or was it Queen’s Gambit you wish to employ? Where to go, where to go?”

And they were off shouting this piece and that to Nf6 and Nc3. Others went to c4 and e6, and with each move Lily cringed hoping that she wouldn’t have to witness another player be taken off in a stretcher.

Lily moved her king’s white pawn one space into E3. The Red Queen moved one of hers to h6. Next Lily moved her pawn to c3, and the Red Queen countered by moving her knight to c6. In an act of bravery, Lily moved Alice, her queen to b3 hoping to entice the Red Queen to sacrifice her knight in hopes of using her rook to take the queen.

Lily moved the Mad Hatter into c4. The Red Queen’s face began to flush a horrible shade of red not matching her hair or her lipstick. She moved a pawn to g5 and Lily followed it by moving the Hatter into f7.

There were no pieces to capture the Hatter and the Red Queen’s king had nowhere to go except where the Hatter was standing. Luckily for Hatter, Alice, the queen was protecting him—checkmate.

The Red Queen screamed in outrage and the players were freed from the spell that was holding them hostage. Alice raced over to where Lily was standing.

“Are you hurt?” Alice looked her over frantically, “We need to run, are you able?”

Lily nodded and took Alice’s outstretched hand. The looking glass board began to split apart. The earth was tearing itself up and the skies started to crumble.

Jay and Mouse transitioned immediately, and, in their Jabberwocky, form fought the Red Court soldiers that had begun to attack. Mary Ann and Lory led the way back to the looking glass. They needed to step though before this world collapsed and them with it. Carlos was nowhere to be found.

Mary Ann screamed his name over and over again. The Hatter was wandering about aimlessly and Alice knew that she couldn’t leave him there. Handing Lily over to Lory she bade them both to escape. Then running at top speed, she raced to where the Hatter was walking.

In the distance she saw another individual that had fallen and wasn’t moving—Harry. Alice didn’t know why Harry had done the things that he had. Torn between the two men she grabbed Hatter’s coat and yelled at him.

“We have to leave! This place is falling apart!”

The Hatter turned a cold eye on her, “You my dear must do as you will. We have all made choices in the Red Queen’s game. I am content with mine.”

He yanked his arm away from her and started muttering to himself once again. Alice didn’t have time to argue with the man, so she raced to where Harry was lying.

“Harry! You must wake up!”

His eyes fluttered, and he whispered weakly, “Alice?”

“Harry this world is crumbling, if we don’t leave we will die!”

Harry coughed up some blood and Alice felt her heart sink all the way down to her toes.

“Tell her that I tried to protect her,” more coughing and then, “Tell her that I never served the Red Queen. I only wanted to protect her.”

Alice felt the sky falling like ashes burning her clothing, “Harry come, and you can tell her yourself!”

He shook his head, another fit of coughing claiming him, “Promise, Alice!”

Tears were streaming down her face as she nodded, “I promise!”

Next to where she was kneeling the earth wrenched open and Harry slipped into the deep crevice. Alice screamed so loud that it hurt her throat. Something sharp grasped the back of her clothes and she was yanked into the air.

Jay’s Jabberwocky was carrying her to safety. Alice didn’t know if everyone had made it out. She feared that at least Hatter and Harry were lost. In the last moment Jay flashed into his human form just as they hit the mirror and they went tumbling into The Glass House.

The mirror shattered moments later, and Mary Ann screamed, “Carlos! No, where is Carlos?”

She fell to her knees trying to gather up the shards of glass that were cutting into her hands and legs. Alice and Jay had to forcibly remove her so that she didn’t harm herself further.

“I love him!” she shouted, “I can’t lose another one, you don’t understand. I love him, and I never told him!”

Alice clutched her friend as great sobs wrenched through Mary Ann’s body. Lory and Lily were standing to the side both a little worse for wear, but they were alive. Mouse had a gash on his cheek that was bleeding and burns on his arms, but he too was alright.

Suddenly Mouse yelled, “Holy fuck! Look at that!”

In the largest piece of glass, a small brown furry caterpillar started to creep its way out of the glass. Mary Ann fell to her knees once again sobbing his name.

Once the caterpillar was free he flashed into his human form. Carlos bent down and wrapped his arms around Mary Ann lifting her up and cradling her against his chest.

“It’s over, sweetheart, it’s all over,” he crooned.

“What do you mean?” was her tortured reply.

A sad smile graced his face and he kissed her forehead. Then he turned to Alice, “I once told you to never mess with Arctia Caja. I never should have threatened you and I am sorry I was such a jerk.”

Alice nodded uncertainly, “You have more than made up for that night, Carlos. But what happened in there? How did you escape?”

He blushed, “Turns out that I don’t need to be a Tiger Moth to emit the poisonous fluids.”

Jay cocked his head to the side, “You peed on them?”

Carlos scowled, “Nothing that disgusting.”

Jay’s brow wrinkled, “I thought that your body fluids were poison. If you didn’t pee on them how did you get away?”

He blushed, “I spit on the queen and she screamed as the acid started eating her face. She had another way of exiting the game and was trying to get to it, but I got her first. Then I spit on the glass of the other mirror and it disintegrated. It took me a while to find a piece of this mirror large enough for me to crawl through. The Knave of Hearts was still in there as was Hatter and many of the Red Queen’s soldiers. They didn’t make it.”

“There was another that didn’t make it,” Alice said softly, her sad eyes falling on Mary Ann.

“Harry.”