"Message for Dora!!!"

The White Knight, our retired one, came careening through the crowd that had assembled, his horse pulled to a sudden stop that threw him headfirst at my feet.

"What news Sir Knight?" I was glad to have all the help I could. But so far, not much progress had been made. There were several volunteers whom I was trying to teach the basics of cheshiring, but I honestly couldn’t expect them to figure out in a day what had taken me years.

Especially not with me as the teacher. Perhaps I was being hard on myself, but my only other student was now lost in another dimension. I knew which two dimensions she could be in - Oz or Earth - but I didn’t know which one she was in. I didn’t know if Gryfon had made it to the same dimension. And I could only hope they were both okay.

All I knew for certain was the schedule. The new cat was supposed to be here, and in a week, it was supposed to take over from me, fill CC’s place. I didn’t know if I could - or would - be able to keep WonderLand alive beyond that time.

I didn’t feel like waiting to find out either. I didn’t think the kitten would be ready by then, but it was a chance we had to take.

The White Knight, after several attempts, managed to get to his feet. He saluted. "The authorities of Oz, failing to find the kitten and Gryfon, believe that they may have resident one Cheshire Cat. They are seeking him out to inform him of our situation."

Others around me cheered.

CC… If he came back, maybe, just maybe we could last a little longer. The moment of relief and hope was gone quickly though. As much as I wanted CC ‘s help, I didn’t think I could face him. I had failed.

"Any news from the other dimension?" I asked.

The Knight blinked, caught off guard. "Wot, Earth? I don’t believe we have contacts there, Dora."

I thought about it. "Nobody…"

"That’s right, we don’t have anyone there now. Couple of people who’ve visited, but that was awhile ago…"

I interrupted him. "Sir Knight, ask our friends in Oz if they have resident a character called Nobody…"

The Knight nodded solemnly and, after several failed attempts to re-mount his horse, rode off about five feet before being thrown from his horse again. I sighed, any other time the White Knights clumsiness would have been funny.

"Rabbit!" I spun around and he was there. "Rabbit, I need you to…"

"..check the Vaults to see exactly when Nobody departed WonderLand…" he said with me. We must be on the same brainwave. "Good idea." He added and was gone.

Where am I? What happened?

It takes a lot of effort just to get my eyes open. I move slowly, blinking a lot at first. Everything just aches. My head. My tail. Even my whiskers ache. I’m starting to remember…the stupid bugs, the tree…then passing out. I make the mistake of stretching my back, I feel the bruises and cuts there, still tender. Fur still stiff with drying blood. I guess I wasn’t out of it very long.

Good thing too! There’s a monster headed this way, with eyes bigger than me. I stare at it in disbelief. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s so HUGE. And noisy.

And…it’s slowing down! It doesn’t take much to notice that I’m on this things path. It’s worn the ground to a flat surface here. Bet it’s territorial too, look how it stays away from the yellow lines! How am I gonna get out of this? There’s some tall grasses nearby, maybe if I can make it to those, it won’t see me.

I dart for the grass, feeling some cuts open with my movements; but I make it there before the monster stops, growling in place. I watched with wide eyes as two very tall beings emerged from the monster.

"Casey, what was that?"

"Must have been a rabbit or something…but check this out…the guys are not going to believe this!"

Their attention is on a nearby statue in the path that I’d failed to turn around and see.

"Whoa…I’ve never seen anything like this! Geez, look at the detail…it’s kind of creepy…"

"Yeah…weird…" The was a pause as they walked around the statue, looking at it.

"How do you suppose it got here? It wasn’t here when we drove by earlier, to drop the guys off…"

"I don’t know, but I bet it’s worth something! Help me get it in the truck!"

"Um…Casey, is this a good idea? I mean, whoever left it here is bound to come back looking for it."

The ‘Casey’ grunted some sort of reply while trying to move the statue.

"Oh fine, but we’re calling town as soon as we get back to the farm! I really wanted this to be a relaxing vacation, and with our luck this will turn out to be another cow chase…"

"Hay! " ‘Casey’ paused to point at the other being, "That cow was a significant part of Northampton! It’d been at Louie’s Variety Store since…."

"Yea, and it also just happened to be solid gold. A stolen national treasure - do you know how close we came to being caught with the guys by the FBI??? Just because you got bored!"

"It turned out okay…"

"YOU weren’t the one kidnapped!"

"YOU weren’t the one that everyone else thought was psycho!"

The two beings exchanged glances for a while. Then ‘Casey’ finally waved his limbs. "C’mon April! This will be different!"

There was a brief pause that dissolved into muttering and eventually laughter as the two worked together to move the statue onto the back of the growling monster with huge eyes. When they’d gotten the statue in place, they entered the monster, which once again started moving down the path. Away from me.

I’d done it, I was safe. They hadn’t seen me. I sat up. Oki, great job self. So, now what?

I wasn’t sure.

The candle glowed next to Rabbit, a single point of light in the darkness that was the Vaults. He’d been searching for hours now. It shouldn’t have taken this long at all, especially not now, when time was precious. He was not a newcomer to these Vaults, he knew where it should be. But it wasn’t here. It wasn’t here.

Rabbit wrinkled his nose in an expression of frustration. The Mirrorwall always registered it’s own activity here, with exact locations and times. Always before, without fail. Even the tiniest disturbances, a piece of grass bending in the wind, touching the Mirrorwall. It should be here, there was no reason for it not to be. But it wasn’t here. What should he say? How could he tell them?

Rabbit paced. Here he was, surrounded by the knowledge of the ages, but still unable to make sense of the recent events. Think. The solution’s got to be here.

It was hard to think. The world might end in a week.

He stood near the Tulgey Woods section of the Vault. One of the three open Vaults. He had already read the newest Tulgey Woods record - it showed when the one tree had left the bunch, how it had come to take the kitten, and gone to the Mirrorwall. The individual tree had recorded the exact damage Gryfon had done to it before returning to the Woods, recording it’s path and time. Interesting stuff, but not extremely helpful.

Rabbit knew it was rare for a tree to go out on it’s own. Usually they traveled in packs, and even then, they just wandered. But now, this one tree had left. And it had taken a path directly to them. It almost seemed planned. What Rabbit couldn’t figure out was who? Why?

The trees of Tulgey Woods weren’t known for taking orders either…but it seemed more acceptable than the alternative to Rabbit. WonderLanders had always respected the Tulgey Woods, there was no reason Rabbit knew of for the trees to turn against them. Nevertheless, it was a disturbing thought.

Equally disturbing was the Mirrorwall. The Mirrorwall had recorded the kitten and Gryfon going through. Three weeks before it had recorded CC’s departure. In-between it had recorded grass and the shifting dimensions on the other side. So when Nobody had left, the Mirrorwall hadn’t recorded it.

Rabbit wandered over to the Parliament records, tried to cheer himself up by re-reading their newest scrolls, the one’s that made March Hare illegal. It wasn’t working.

Rabbit sensed movement long before his ears picked it out. He lifted his candle and turned towards it. "Allo?"

"Allo Rabbit, it’s just me and March." Dora appeared as she spoke, key in hand, anger in her tone. "We’ve got to open the fourth vault." She walked right past him, not pausing.

Rabbit blinked and looked at March, who followed Dora, carrying a candle. "…doomed.." March whispered as Rabbit fell in step with him. "

March, what can the Chess Board records tell us? We already know where they could be. Earth or Oz. And since Oz hasn’t reported them, it’s got to be Earth." Rabbit shook his head and continued without waiting for a reply, "Now here’s an idea I’ve had, what if Nobody’s still here? You know nothing’s been going by the rules lately so…"

"It’s locked." March interrupted, the first question having finally registered.

"What? The Vault? Well of course…"

"The Board."

Rabbit stopped walking, grabbed March’s sleeve, pulling him to a stop too. "WHAT? How..?"

March looked down at Rabbit. "I don’t know. But the pieces can’t move or be moved. CC can’t get here through the Mirrorwall."

Rabbit stared at March with wide eyes for as long as his neck would allow. March was significantly taller. A grim hush fell between them. Things that must never happen, could never happen, were happening. It could only mean one thing.

"Doomed…"muttered Rabbit, for the first time really believing it. March nodded wisely.

"Hey…can I get some light over here?!?"

Rabbit blinked a couple times. Still recovering from the shock of it all. They were doomed. But, maybe Dora had a plan. "Coming…."