The Daring Escape
The days passed slowly in the twists and turns of Wonderland, where the madness and tyranny of the Queen of Hearts reigned supreme. Red lived every moment under the oppression of her mother, a cruel and uncompassionate figure. The Queen of Hearts, with her shrill screams and merciless orders, constantly belittled her daughter, smothering any spark of innocence and happiness.
One morning, as Red was getting ready for the day, her mother burst into her room. The Queen, with a contemptuous look, took in Red's outfit, black pants, a red T-shirt with a broken heart pattern, and a red leather jacket with slightly puffed sleeves, her favorite jacket. "What is that?" she cried. "You look like a commoner. You are a Heart, and you must show it. Change this horror immediately."
Red gritted her teeth, holding back the harsh words that threatened to escape her lips. She knew that any answer would only make the situation worse. She simply nodded and changed her outfit under her mother's critical gaze. In that moment, she felt a deep humiliation and a dull anger, aware of the abysmal difference between her and her mother. Where the Queen of Hearts saw strength in cruelty, Red yearned for gentleness and justice.
Later that day, the Queen held a hearing to judge a poor gardener accused of not having pruned the rose bushes to perfection. Red, reluctantly present, watched the scene in horror. The gardener, shaking with fear, apologized profusely. "Your Majesty, I beg you, forgive me. I was missing an essential tool, I did not want to disappoint you. »
The queen, unmoved by her pleas, turned to Red. "What do you say, my dear? Should he lose his mind over this affront?"
Red felt a wave of nausea rise within her. She could not condemn this man for such a trivial mistake. "No, mother, I think he should be given a second chance."
The Queen of Hearts laughed, a cold, mirthless sound. “A second chance? Ridiculous. Mercy is for the weak. Cut off his head!”
The gardener was dragged out of the room, and Red had to look away to avoid witnessing the horror. She felt anger and frustration boil inside her, fueling her desire to escape this nightmare. In this act of cruelty, Red saw not only the injustice done to an innocent, but also the echo of what she feared she would become. She knew she had to flee, not only to escape her mother, but to save what was left of her own heart.
That night, in Maddox’s workshop, they hatched a plan for Red’s escape. “We’ll have to be extremely careful,” Maddox began, his eyes shining with excitement and fear. “The guard is on guard, but we can use your chemistry skills to create a diversion.”
Red nodded, his mind already concocting the necessary concoctions. “I can make smoking bombs and fireworks to distract them. That’ll give us time to get to the rabbit hole.”
They spent the next few days meticulously planning every detail. Red stockpiled the ingredients needed for his creations, while Maddox studied the guard’s schedules to find the perfect time to escape.
Finally, the night of the escape arrived. Red, his bag full of his inventions, joined Maddox in a dark corner of the palace. “Ready?” he asked, a determined glint in his eyes.
Red nodded, his heart pounding. “Readier than ever.”
They slipped through the silent hallways, every sound amplified by the anxiety weighing on them. The shadows seemed to move, each crack resounding like a clap of thunder in their ears. When they reached the garden, Red threw a first smoking bomb, creating a thick white cloud that disoriented the guards. They ran, hiding behind bushes and statues, narrowly avoiding the patrols whose voices rose in the night.
They finally arrived in front of the rabbit hole, an old passage now sealed. Maddox took Uma's letter from his pocket and handed it to Red. "It's your turn now."
Red took the letter, but a glint of sadness crossed her eyes. "Maddox, I..." She didn't finish her sentence, the words stuck in her throat. As much as she wanted to hug Maddox, she couldn't. Her mother's teachings about the weakness of love were holding her back.
Maddox understood without her having to say it. "I know. But you have to go. You have a chance at a better life. I'll stay here, cover for you, and keep you informed of what's happening."
With tears in her eyes, Red just gave her a grateful look, unable to show the full extent of her feelings. Maddox hugged her tightly, knowing that this might be the last time they'd see each other. "You don't need to thank me. Go, Red. Be free."
Red, with a heavy heart, took out Uma's letter. At the rabbit hole, the spell clicked and the letter flew straight down the passage, temporarily unlocking it as promised. Red turned to Maddox one last time, tears blurring her vision. Then, taking a deep breath, she stepped into the passage, wondering what awaited her on the other side.
The world she had always dreamed of seeing was now within reach, and with it, the hope of a new beginning. Her emotions were torn between the excitement of a new life and the sadness of leaving behind her only true friend.