You should see me in a crown

Three | Alice in Wonderland

- Chapter Three -
Alice in Wonderland

-§-

A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.

- Jean de La Fontaine -

-§-

No one spoke as they ate their meal. The air was heavy, thick with an unspoken tension. Three of them were missing that morning, Jin, Namjoon, and Jungkook apparently having some urgent business to attend to in a nearby town.

Sighing, Alyssia excuses herself from the table, leaving the boys behind in silence.

Not that she'd admit it aloud, but seeing Hoseok so solemn- and even Jimin too- it put her on edge. And Jin's absence only seemed to make it worse.

Deciding she can't mope around all day, she begins to wander the halls. She doubted she'd fine anything of interest, but it was worth a shot.

It wasn't long before she came to a large hall, decorated with marble flooring, stone pillars, and a high ceiling. There was a large central staircase up to a second level, and the room was lit by six chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

Her breath hitches at its beauty, her eyes wide and full of wonder. Attention turning to the walls, she notices the large windows overlooking the balcony. Locating the glass doors, she steps outside into the fresh air.

Taking a deep breath, the scent of roses fills her senses and she relaxes immediately.

"Do you like it?"

Jimin joins her on the balcony, leaning on the stone railing beside her. The moon peeks out from behind the clouds, lighting up his face with ethereal beauty.

His eyes are a softer green tonight, and she can't help but stare.

"Like what you see?" His eyes flash, and she gets a glimpse of a fang as he smirks. She flinches, hurriedly looking back at the garden below. He chuckles, but her attention is drawn to a bush of white roses growing below.

"They're beautiful..."

He looked at her for a moment, deep in thought, before gesturing towards the plant. His eyes became fluorescent once again, and at the silent command the roses begin to grow and climb to meet him.

Ever so gently, he selects a single rose. The bush returns to its original state, having fulfilled its purpose. He smells the rose lightly, before turning once again to his companion.

"For you, my lady."

She takes the offering.

"B-But how?"

"We all have them. Abilities, I mean. As you can tell, mine is earth." He says. Inhaling deeply, he takes one final glance at the night sky before speaking again. "You're not like other girls, are you? You're different."

She blushes deeply at the sincerity in his voice, and wonders how he could be so different than when they met before.

"Come, it's getting cold. And I think I may have a place you like just as much."

He offers her his arm, leading her down the hallways once again. They come to a stop at a large set of double doors.

Releasing her, he pushes them open easily, dropping into a low bow.

"Ladies first."

Tentatively, she takes a step inside. Her eyes widen in awe.

It's a library.

-§-

It was late into the night now, Jimin having long since left and the sun almost beginning to rise, but Alyssia has no desire to leave. She felt safe here, content. For the first time in a very long time.

She places the book back, the third she'd skimmed in her time here. Running her fingers over the spine, she hunts for her next. As if drawn, her eyes fall on a book quite unlike the others.

It's spine was black, leather bound, but with intricate weavings of silver swirling a pattern on the cover. It was gorgeous.

-§-

"What do you think you are doing?"

She snaps her hand back towards her, as if bitten. Looking at the newcomer, her eyes quickly scrunch shut. Her trembling starts again, and she takes a dead breath before replying.

"Reading."

His own eyes fall on the silver patterns of the intricate book, narrowing at its displacement. Taking a few steps towards her, his body pins her against the shelves as he slowly raises a hand towards her face.

His fingers meet the spine of the book, pushing it back into place.

"Not that one."

"It's a free country."

"Now who told you that?"

His smirk catches her off guard. She still couldn't meet his eyes, but his expression seemed almost... warm.

"Weren't you on an errand in a nearby town?"

His smirk falls from his face, the dark expression falling into place once again.

"Jin and Namjoon are sorting it. They sent me back early."

Jungkook was different from the others. To some extent, she could read their emotions, but him? Nothing.

"I see."

There's another silence, broken by Jungkook standing upright once more. She hadn't even realised he was still pinning her. She flushed at the realisation.

"Why don't you want me to read that book?"

Her eyes meet the pattens of the book, curiosity returning.

"You ask too many questions." He sighs.

"That's because I get no answers."

"Then there's no point to you asking in the first place, is there?"

"You're infuriating."

"So I've been told." His smirk is back again, as was the heat in her cheeks. They lapse into silence, Jungkook staring intently at her as she looks away.

His hand raises again, fingers hovering just above her hair. With a ghost like touch, he traces the line of her cheekbone, falling to her jaw, before finally lifting her chin and caressing her lips with his thumb.

For the first time since the trial, her eyes raise to meet his.

He stumbles backwards as she hits his hand away. Her body is trembling violently now, and without a word she runs from the room.

-§-

"Wow." Taehyung says. "You're moodier than usual. Is it that time of the month?"

He squeaks in fear as his death flashes before his eyes. It quickly turns to anger as the illusion stops.

"Damn it Jungkook! We're not meant to use our abilities on each other!"

The younger remains silent, ignoring his hyung's rage. He continues to look out at the sunrise, grimacing ever so slightly as the light hits his eyes.

Why her?