She was in Wonderland.
That had to be it. Wonderland. And not the good kind, with invisible cats and cartoon cards. It was one of those horrible dark, live action Wonderlands made by adults who should be locked up and let nowhere near children.
Mary reached down to touch one of the red daisies by her feet. Nope, not painted.
The thirteen year old looked around the circle of park benches. They were all here. All of them. The dead... well, the missing. And she knew them. Had memorized them. Dreamed of them. Given them personalities, voices. Anthony, the Manager. Dark haired, mustached. Thin, but strong. Afraid of nothing. Tammy, the office girl. Blonde, sweet, shy. Alicia, the scar faced cheerleader. Sad, but bubbly. Melinda, the geek. Smart, awkward. Nona, the dark skinned cashier. Foreign, mysterious. Chuck, the stock boy. Chubby, cheerful. Justin. Short, brown skinned. Good singer.
And now they were real.
Or she was dreaming. That was it. It would explain the four eyed monkeys and bear kids. Wonderland was always a dream, wasn't it? Alice always woke up. She'd wake up, and be with Dad again...
Mary's eyes went to her mother, sitting next to her on the bench. The woman she had dreamed of every night for as long as she had lived gave her a smile of such sadness, such loss...
Mary didn't want to wake up. Not yet.
****
"Twelve years..."
Mary turned to look at Chuck. The boy, man, was sitting between Melinda, who's glasses seemed to sparkle in the light, and the skirt wearing, blue furred four eyed monkey girl with suspenders that were also a bra. Wearing seemingly hastily donned blue pants and white shirt, he was just shaking his head. As if... as if it was SHE that had the outrageous story! She was confusing THEM! She looked around, trying to understand.
"How long has it been for all you?"
"Not even a year," Chuck replied. One hand went to his forehead. "And it's not even consistent with what Goldie and Danny told us! Damn it, the timelines don't match at all!"
Against her better judgement, Mary's eyes flicked over to the two... creatures.
She didn't think she had overreacted when first seeing the furry Goldie. The creature now sitting on the grass was hideous, a cute girl's face on the body of a small bear. That the girl looked to be about her age made it worse, as if an evil witch had turned the girl into this, and it was to be Mary's fate!
The fact Mary was incredibly tired and disoriented hadn't helped.
The boy, though... he had come running down, dressed in just shorts, ready to rescue whoever was screaming. He was... was...
A God.
That was it. If his skin was black, he'd be like that dog headed Egyptian God.
She looked away, blushing.
A freak, that's what he was. A hunky, shirtless, redheaded freak, with the most beautiful eyes...
"What about my parents?"
Mary looked over at Nona. The dark girl looked back with wild, worried eyes. She was alone on her bench, the only one so isolated. Well... that wasn't true. The dirty blonde Tammy was on the bench next to her, also alone... wait, what was the question?
"Nona," Anthony said, voice not as strong as Mary had pictured it, "don't. If we can't go back, it's best to just assume our families are well. We can't do anything, so there's no point..."
"I HAVE to know! Please, Mary! My Mom, Dad... are they OK? Have you heard anything?"
Had she heard anything? She tried to think. It was hard. She had been up early that morning, the excitement of the yearly trip on the anniversary of Mom's disappearance. Then the storm, Dad canceling the trip, her disobeying and trying to make the trip in the snow with her friend's older brother anyways... then, naturally, this whole thing.
Her mom stroked her hair.
"It's OK, Honey. You don't have to answer. I know you're tired. Maybe tomorrow, after we all get some sleep..."
It flashed before her eyes. An article she had seen online. She'd recognized the names...
"I'm sorry, Nona..." Her eyes met the girl's. Nona's expression became one of horror, denial. Slowly, she rose to her feet.
"No, no, no, no..."
"Two years ago. I saw their names. I'm sorry..."
"FUCK ALL OF YOU!"
The Malaysian girl was off, running. Mary saw a door in a wall open, the girl vanishing into it. Nona had almost seemed to throw herself through, with no concern for gravity. It closed behind her. Mary buried her face in her hands.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
"It's OK," Anthony sighed. He reached over and stroked her arm, even as Mom hugged her tight. His touch... it felt like Dad's. The mustached man looked out at the now closed door. "Should someone..."
"I'll talk to her," Tammy said, rising. "She probably went to her old cabin."
Anthony nodded, standing as well.
"We should all go to our rooms, get some sleep."
"Some of us WERE sleeping," the scar faced Alicia said, but there was no anger in her voice. Rising, joined by the dark skinned boy and the blackish grey furred monkey with glasses (would that make her eight-eyed?), she came to stand in front of Mary. "I'm happy to see you, Mary. Your mother has talked about you so much, missed you so much. I wish we had been the ones to travel to you, but..."
"Me too," Mary whispered.
****
Tammy pushed off down the ship corridor.
Well, wasn't this a fine kettle of fuck.
Life had been calm. Routine. No major emergencies, at least none since Chuck had to have his wisdom teeth removed. No emotional conflicts, now that the Daium/Rinda war was over (she still didn't know exactly what the problem had been. Rinda had been quiet, even when they spent the night together). It had been the calm before the expected storm of childbirths in a week or two.
Now, it was the chaos before the chaos.
Grabbing a handle on the wall, she stopped herself in front of the cabin door. Nona had to be in there. Really, where else would she go? It was her quiet place. Tammy knew that. While the others had almost completely moved into the new gravity equipped rooms, apart from when floating sex was desired, Nona had kept her limited possessions split between two bedrooms. Maybe it was symbolic? After all, she was the only one alone.
Well...
Tammy sighed. Now wasn't the time to feel sorry for herself. She had partners, when she wanted them. If she lowered herself to going to Melinda, or Rinda, and asked them to leave their lover's side for an hour to keep her company. She was asking less and less, as it satisfied her less and less. But, Nona didn't even have that. The girl wanted it. Tammy could see that. She WANTED someone to hold her. NEEDED someone to hold her.
And there was nobody to do it.
Tammy would.
In a heart beat... with her heart beating so fast...
No. Put that aside. This was about Nona. She needed comforting, comforting that was NOT in any way sexual. Tammy would NOT use this to take advantage of the poor girl. Damn it, she could never live with herself if she did that. She had seen guys do it to friends of hers, and it was the lowest a human could get.
No.
She took a deep breath.
"Focus," she muttered. "Be strong for her."
Exhaling, Tammy pressed the keypad on the doorframe.
****
Tammy's heart caught in her throat.
Nona had ripped her clothing off. They floated, orbiting the teen like moons of sorrow. The dark skinned Malaysian was curled into a ball, arms around her knees, slowly rotating in the darkness as she shook. The sound coming from her buried head was almost a low moan, punctuated by uncontrolled sobs.
Tammy's eyes filled with water. Never... never had she seen anyone like this. Someone so sad... and, so... so beautiful. Nona's skin, in the faint glow from the hallway light, was flawless. A smooth light brown stretched over graceful limbs...
No!
Don't!
Better to back off than to approach a girl who has already shown no interest!
But... Tammy found herself floating forward with no conscious effort on her part. Nona needed her. Needed to be held. Needed some connection to humanity, to tell her she wasn't alone.
Behind her, the door slid silently closed, plunging them back into darkness. Not total darkness, though. There was a light. Faint. Rectangular. Floating with the clothes. Her phone. The screen was dim, battery saving settings in the process of shutting it down. As she approached the sobbing girl, the screen finally went dark... but not before Tammy saw a photo of two adults who could only be her parents.
She wished she had met them. Wished she had known the people who had produced such an extraordinary daughter, who had inspired such love. Her own parents... Tammy had not talked to them in years. Didn't even know if the phone number she had was current. Didn't know if she'd care, if...
In the darkness, her outstretched fingertips touched soft skin.
It felt like a shoulder. Moving her hand, she felt the rounded joint that connected arm to body. Guessing, Tammy moved her other hand to where the head should be, and felt hair. Mind filling in the rest of the girl's body, she pulled herself closer and wrapped her arms around the slowly spinning girl. Her head pressed against Nona's, mouth next to the sobbing girl's ear.
"Shhh... it's OK."
The shaking doubled in intensity. Tammy began petting Nona's black hair, forcing the silky strands against the girl as they strove to float however they wished. Her cheek slid against Nona's.
"I'm here, Nona. I'm here for you. If you need me, I'm here..."
****
They floated in the darkness, two humans adrift in space. Eventually, Tammy gave up speech. She just held Nona, hoping it was enough. The girl had done nothing to acknowledge her. Tammy didn't even know if Nona knew she was there.
Time passed.
Sobs and moans gave way to silence, the occasional sniffle. Maybe it was over. Tammy rubbed her cheek against Nona's. Maybe she had done some good. Nona shouldn't suffer...
Freed from giving all her attention to the girl in her arms, Tammy suddenly became aware of herself. What she was doing. Her left hand... had slid down Nona's back. It had traced the girl's spine... and now was slowly heading lower. Her fingers were reaching the cleft of Nona's...
Tammy jerked her hand away, lifting her head off of Nona. God damn it! She was taking advantage of the girl! It was a kind of rape! Worse than rape! You don't fucking do this!
"Don't..."
The voice was weak, raw. Tammy's heart broke. What had she done. She had just wanted to...
"I'm sorry, Nona... I'm so sorry... I'll go..." Tears coming to her eyes, Tammy loosened her hold on the girl. She'd leave her. Maybe find Hannah, send her... no, she would be with her daughter...
"No!"
It was a shout. Tammy froze, her dress covered body still half pressed against Nona. She couldn't see, but felt the girl shift. Nona's voice trembled, cold fingers finding and touching Tammy's arm.
"No, please, don't go. Hold me. Hold me..."
"Oh, Nona, Nona..." Tammy once again engulfed the girl. This time, she felt her responding, arms going around her, hands tentatively touching, caressing. They cried, together...
****
"He thinks I hate him."
"Hmm?"
Tammy brought a hand up, touching Nona's face. The two floated, bodies fully extended, feet intertwined. Nothing existed, at that moment. Nothing that wasn't them.
"Daddy. I told him... I hated him. He died thinking I hate him. I never got to.. to..."
"Shh..."
"Mom too! We fought! Oh, God..."
"They know you love them, Nona. You were just being a teen..."
"It's their fault." Her voice had turned cold. Tammy shifted, bringing her nose up to press against hers.
"Whose fault?"
"Daium. Anthony. All of them. I wanted to go home. That's all I wanted. To go home. They were all fucking around, and I wanted to go home!" She spit those last words out. Tammy winced, at the truth of it. Finding home HAD become secondary. Mind you, once they realized this galaxy wasn't even the Milky Way, there hadn't been much that could be done. But...
"I'm sorry, Nona. I'm just as responsible. It's my fault too."
"No, it's not. You had no one to go back to..."
"But I knew how you felt. We should have tried..."
"I don't blame you..." Nona's voice was getting tired, groggy. Tammy pulled her closer, their heads sliding past each other, cheeks touching.
"Sleep, Nona. Sleep. Sleep for me..."
"Stay..."
Tammy closed her eyes. She knew the answer she wanted to give. The answer every fiber of her being cried out with. Nona felt so good in her arms...
"Until you send me away, my Nona..."
****
Hannah stood next to her daughter in the upstairs hallway. Her eyes, still unbelieving, could not leave Mary's face.
Mary.
The toddler she had left behind, not yet in her terrible two's, now stood beside her on the verge of womanhood. She had missed... everything. Her first day of school. The first lost tooth. A dozen birthdays. Her whole life, gone by in the blink of an eye. It was too much. She could see herself in the girl, though. See the teen she had been, that her younger sister had been. There was some of Mark, too, in the eyes. The skinniness, almost a twig of a girl with just the start of breasts, also probably came from him. Hannah had gone from baby fat to curves. But, she was definitely her daughter.
A daughter who was a stranger.
And so, worse still, was she.
"You sleep in the store?"
Mary's voice was incredulous. Beside them, Anthony let out a laugh. Hannah was so grateful to him. Everything she didn't know how to say, seemed to come from him so easily.
"We didn't, at first, but it's more home-like than the rest of the ship. More... human."
The girl nodded. The hall was carpeted in a soft, shaggy dark red, wooden walls painted white with an alien oak trim. A mural, soft brush strokes depicting a forest scene, ran between two doorways on the left. Shifting her small backpack to her other hand, already holding her winter coat, Mary reached out and touched it.
"Who?"
"Goldie," Hannah said, moving behind her, hands going to her shoulders. "She's a great artist, isn't she? You should see what she's done with her room."
Mary seemed to lose interest on hearing the artist, backing away and looking around. Hannah looked over at Anthony. He shrugged. Mary turned to them.
"Where am I sleeping?"
"Well, obviously, we weren't expecting you. Maybe we can put you in Nona's room, for now. I'm sure she won't mind..."
"Can't I sleep with you, Mom?! Please?"
The pleading was well practiced. You could see that. This was a girl who had gotten what she wanted for most of her life. Not spoiled, maybe, but Mark had never stood a chance. Neither did Hannah... at least, not yet.
"Of course, Honey." She looked at Anthony, who just laughed.
"I'll see you two in the morning." Turning, he made his way back to the stairs. He'd probably sleep in their old cabin. Or maybe in the garden. It was warm enough. Mary looked between them, confused, and seemingly not sure if that could be blamed on being tired.
"Doesn't he sleep up here?"
"Usually," Hannah replied. Deciding to postpone that whole aspect of this new reality, she moved down the hall to their room and opened the door. "Come on in, Mary."
Somewhat hesitantly, the girl passed by Hannah into the room. Almost, it seemed, as if she still wasn't sure this all wasn't some trick, that now that her "Mother" was alone with her the mask wasn't going to come off, revealing a monster.
Hannah had some of the same trepidations, really.
Mary stopped a few feet inside, looking around as Hannah closed the door. The bedroom wasn't in the most visitor friendly shape: the king sized bed, with its four posts and light blue canopy, wasn't made. Clothing was scattered on the blue carpet from that morning's pre-wedding activities. With a seeming sigh, she let her pink backpack and coat drop to the floor.
"It's too... normal."
Hannah tried to think of a response. Mary's gaze fell on the vanity against the left hand wall. It had been a birthday gift from Anthony, modeled after one that had been in her bedroom as a child. Light blue, with a pink trim. Mary slowly walked over to it, winter boots leaving a faint trail in the carpet. Letting herself drop into the wooden chair, her eyes gazed into the large mirror. They met Hannah's.
"This is his room, too."
"... yes."
The reflection of the girl nodded. It gazed down, looking at the few brushes and cosmetics scattered on the counter. Once again her eyes rose and met the still frozen Hannah.
"What happened?"
Hannah sighed. Walking without conscious thought, she found herself sitting on the edge of the bed, left hand playing with the carved post as she tried to organize her thoughts. Mary waited, back to her mother.
"We don't know," Hannah finally said, voice tired. "Really. One minute we were closing the store, the next the power was out, the parking lot was just empty snow, and the entire store was on another planet."
"Another... planet."
"Yup. Very stupid. We all agreed on that point." She laughed, shaking her head. "'Something quantum' has been our standard explanation for all the shit and coincidence that have gone on." Mary's reflected eyes doubled in size on hearing her mom curse. Hannah shrugged. "Mary... I'm probably not the woman you think I am. I can't imagine what you've gone through. What it's been like growing up." Her voice became emotional. "Mary, Honey... I..."
"When did you give up on Dad?"
"What?" Hannah jerked up straight. Mary's head turned from the mirror, eyes boring into her.
"Dad waited ten years before moving on. Ten. Years. I had to FORCE him to date again! And... you..."
Hannah bowed her head.
"I wasn't a good wife, Mary. I won't say I was. The marriage wouldn't have lasted if none of this had happened."
The silence was deafening. Hannah looked up, saw Mary's face a mass of sorrow and outrage.
"Wha... what about me? Were you glad to be rid of me, "Mommy"?"
"Honey, No!"
"You're already replacing me!"
OK. That did it. Hannah was pissed. She rose, eyes blazing.
"Mary! Come here!"
"No!"
"Mary Moyer! You get over here, NOW!"
She heard her own mother in her voice. Heard the echoes of countless generations of women. She stood, glaring, as her teen slowly stood and meekly walked over to her. Taking her hand firmly, Hannah led Mary around the bed. Coming to the corner of the room, she pushed her daughter in front of her, hands on the girl's shoulders.
"There. Look."
Mary stood, silent. Hannah couldn't see her face, but hoped she understood. Before them, was the shrine. A small corner shelf held a baby car seat, a stuffed yellow bunny with a pink bib buckled in tightly. Framed pictures of a year old baby surrounded it. Varnished wooden vases held freshly cut flowers. On the floor, was a square box. It was wrapped with balloon covered wrapping paper, topped with a pink bow.
"What's that," Mary whispered. Hannah moved forward, letting her belly press against her daughter.
"That, my little girl, is the gift I bought for you on an alien world, for your second birthday. I've been saving it."
Silence.
The shoulders under her hands began to shake.
"I'm sorry, Mommy. I love you."
"I love you too!"
A moment later they were hugging. Crying.
Bonding.
****
The bedroom door opened. Anthony peeked in, eyes well adjusted to the dark of the store. Two lumps, one big, one small, lay next to each other under a sheet on the bed. Glancing over into the corner, he saw the gift box open and empty. The car seat was empty as well.
The head pulled back out of the room. A moment later, a vase of flowers appeared, placed on the floor just inside the room.
The door closed.
Mother and daughter slept on.