Wonderland
The winding depths of Wonderland housed a universe where logic took a strange turn and madness ruled supreme. In this underground world, forgotten by all and disowned by Auradon, lived Red Heart, a teenager whose tormented soul was the echo of this land of madness. Long ago, the passage called the rabbit hole had been sealed off to prevent the cruel Queen of Hearts from sowing chaos on the surface. But this act of protection also had the consequence of condemning Red to live in the shadow of her tyrannical mother, an existence marked by constant fear and icy solitude.
Red, with her flaming red hair and brown eyes speckled with purple glitter, often wandered the palace gardens, seeking an echo of freedom among the rose bushes she liked to crush to pieces, a symbolic act of rebellion. Every night, when the palace fell silent, she would sneak out of her room to sabotage anything that reminded her of her mother’s influence. The queen’s majestic portraits ended up in tatters or smeared with paint, and the guards who tried to stop her were often left baffled by the Princess of Heart’s ingenious schemes.
One of her greatest passions was chemistry. She spent long hours in her makeshift laboratory, mixing substances to create smoking bombs and small fireworks. These creations allowed her not only to vandalize the rose bushes or portraits of her mother, but also to escape the guards when they got too close. Each burst of smoke, each flash of light was an act of rebellion for her, a silent cry against her mother’s tyranny.
In these moments of rebellion, Red found some comfort in the presence of Maddox, the Mad Hatter’s son. Maddox, with his creative mind and kind heart, was the only one who understood Red’s torment. Despite his own streak of madness inherited from his father, he could read between the lines of Red’s sarcasm and sharp barbs. They shared many silent moments, sitting in Maddox’s workshop, exchanging ideas about their inventions and contemplating worlds they could never reach. Maddox was also her tutor, and he taught her everything he knew with pleasure… when Red would listen.
One night, as Red stared at a torn painting of her mother with suppressed rage, Maddox approached quietly. He placed a light hand on her shoulder, a simple gesture but full of understanding. Red felt a shiver of vulnerability pass through her, but she kept her gaze fixed on the painting.
“You know, Red,” Maddox began, his voice soft and reassuring, “you don’t have to become like her.”
Red clenched his fists, a lone tear rolling down his cheek. “And yet, everything inside me screams otherwise. I don’t have a choice anyway, and I never will. You know that. If she sees that I don’t become like her, sooner or later she’ll get fed up and… you know… cut my head off! So I guess one day… yeah… one day I’ll be the heartless queen she wants me to become. If only because the axe got too close and I’d be… scared.” Her voice was shaky, filled with a pain she never showed.
The times when she opened up like this were rare, and she must have felt particularly vulnerable to get to the point of confiding. But Maddox already knew it, he knew her better than Red wanted to admit. She was a teenager with a cruel mother... and she was afraid. Who wouldn't be afraid growing up in such conditions? Red could play the rebel on the surface that nothing could touch, deep down, she had a heart, and a fierce desire to live despite... well... despite everything. And there was no doubt that if her mother lost her patience one day, to the point of threatening her life, Red would choose to live and wisely fall into line... out of fear, out of cowardice... At least, that's what she thought. Maddox simply saw it as a desire to live.
The young inventor sighed and let himself fall into a chair next to her. "But you have a heart, Red. I saw it in your creations, in the way you seek to protect those you care about, even if you don't want to admit it."
Red finally turned her gaze towards him, her eyes shining with a melancholy light. “Maddox, you’re the only one who’s ever been nice to me. But even you can’t understand what it’s like to be afraid of becoming a monster.”
Maddox smiled sadly. “You’re not a monster, Red. And you never will be.”
As the days passed, Red continued to navigate between her desire for freedom and the overwhelming fear of ending up like her mother. She spent long hours in the gardens, drawing sketches of other worlds, places where she could simply be herself, without the shadow of the Queen of Hearts hovering over her.
But despite her efforts to convince herself otherwise, a part of Red dreamed of elsewhere. She kept these dreams secret, locked away in a notebook that she hid under her pillow. She scribbled landscapes of Auradon, or at least what she could imagine of this place with what Maddox told her about it, but even he had never seen it. He knew little about it based on books that evoked it. But Red imagined clear skies, and beautiful landscapes, breathing peace. She imagined streets full of life, and joyful laughter, sincere friendships and maybe even… love. But every time she closed her notebook, reality caught up with her, brutal and inescapable.
One morning, as Red wandered the dark corridors of the palace, she came across Maddox, a letter in his hand. Her intrigued, almost excited gaze immediately caught Red's attention.
"Red, you should see this," he said, holding the letter out to her. Red frowned, hesitant, and took the letter with a hint of suspicion. No sooner had she opened the envelope than an enchanted glow shot out, briefly illuminating the gloomy hallway.
The letter was written in elegant calligraphy:
Dear Red Heart,
I am Uma, Headmistress of Auradon Boarding School. I have heard of you and your unique talents. It is time for you to discover a different world, a world where you can be yourself, away from your mother's influence.
We invite you to join Auradon for your first year of high school. This will be a chance to discover yourself, make friends, and live a life that is truly yours. The rabbit hole passage will be temporarily unlocked for you to join us. All you have to do is hold the letter in front of him, and let the magic do the rest.
Auradon awaits you.
Sincerely,
Uma, Headmistress of Auradon Prep
Red felt her heart clench with emotion. For the first time, a door was opening to the unknown, to a world where she might finally be able to discover herself. The thought of leaving Wonderland, and the only life she had ever known, terrified her as much as it appealed to her.
Maddox, seeing the conflict in her eyes, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “This is your chance, Red. A chance to discover who you really are, away from your mother’s shadow.”
Red clutched the letter to her, a mixture of hope and fear coursing through her heart. “Maddox, what if I can’t change my fate? What if I end up like her, even there?”
Maddox offered her a comforting smile. “You’ve already changed, Red. The fact that you’re asking yourself this question shows that you’re much more than what your mother would have you be. Auradon will give you the freedom you seek, the freedom to be yourself, without risking being killed for it.” »
“But I don’t even know who I am… not quite.”
“Then you’ll find out.”
Red, her eyes shining with determination, nodded slowly. Maybe it was finally time for her to take her destiny into her own hands, to break free from the invisible chains that had held her captive for so long. The journey to Auradon was about to begin, and with it, the hope of a new beginning.