wonderland4

PART 1d

He could easily remember himself at thirteen so you could imagine his shock at seeing that same young face staring back at him with an expression to match his feelings.

Panicked somewhat Kevin instantly realized that the damn clock was probably responsible for this little regression. It was idly kicking its boots before Kevin suddenly whirled it around looking at the dial frantically.

Kevin tried to grab the hour hand again but his sleeve was now ten times his new size, growling he jerked his arm furiously trying to get the sleeve back over his hand. Waving it the material finally fell away enough so he could grab the dial and start to hurriedly turning it back.

Winding it furiously Kevin started to grow again... or age would be the correct term. In his panicked state he pushed the dial past three o'clock and after a moment stopped.

The clock blinked innocently.

Looking at his hand Kevin gasped when he saw it, looking down at himself and feeling his face he turned the clock back around now scared for what he would see.

And his worst nightmare looked back... THE FACE OF A FIFTY ONE YEAR OLD MAN!

"OH GOD! THIS IS WORSE!" Kevin yelled gaping. He sure as hell did look older and his hair even was duller and having the beginnings of being gray!

Furiously turning the clock back around Kevin grabbed the dial and rewound it wildly... this time paying attention so at to *precisely * put it back at three o'clock.

That done he fumbled with the walking clock to look at its back and was relieved to see his *normal * face looking back. Feeling his hair and seeing it black with no signs of gray Kevin quickly turned the clock back around and slammed the glass panel shut... at this point his entire curiously with this damn thing was sated to the point of he wanted it the hell away from him.

The clock blinked at Kevin with wide eyes as he finished latching the glass panel shut and quickly set the clock back onto the ground where it stood blankly for a moment.

It tilted its entire body back up to look at Kevin for a moment and blinked one last time before turning slowly and continued on its merry way. Kevin stepped aside for it and watched as it walked past him and continued down the path. He stared at it as it happily walked away and watched it go till it was a good distance away before turning back around and shuddering visibly.

"Yeesh!" He said out load. *That * had been freaky! No matter how cool it might have seemed, reversing time and messing with your true age *probably * wasn't the brightest idea one could have and now matter how tempting Kevin wasn't even gonna *try * with that one!

Shaking his head Kevin looked over his shoulder again but the walking clock was disappearing down the path and he could only make it out cause it was the only thing moving.

"Wonderfully wild and fantastic huh? Yeeeeeeeah." Kevin drawled quickly turning forward and bending down to haul the suitcase back up. He wasn't going to even pause to dwell on what happened. what the hell would be the point?

Straining to lift the case Kevin glanced at the sign one more time and shook his head again and hiked onward.

Just go down the path... and I'm outta here... I just continue down the path and I will be outta here. I'll just get some Prozac or Valium or something and this weird little land will go back into my head. He vowed... though he was pretty sure he didn't *want *this place in his head or anywhere *near * it... no matter how dormit!

"Only been here probably two hours and already I hate this place with a passion." Kevin muttered darkly as he walked on. Okay... so maybe the last thing he had sorta brought onto himself but everything else he hated.

As Kevin continued onward his duster fluttering behind him gently as he did, he didn't notice the flowers were slowing changing as he walked further and further down the path.

Well... they didn't really *change * per say, more like. the colorful blue pink purple orange red silver gold etc etc... flowers began to lessen and lessen.

What replaced them were only the black and white flowers.

As the eldest Backstreet Boy made his way still not noticing, the black and white flowers started to form into a pattern forming more and more as he continued.

The black and white flowers began to form into patches... into a square checkered pattern.

Kevin was so distracted by his thoughts on what had happened with the clock

( Not to mention his entire situation. ) that when he glanced around casually he blinked and stopped to look at the change of color. As far as the eye could see was the checkered pattern made of flowers. The trees were still all around but the flowers...

Okay... this was new.

Kevin didn't particularly like this new development either, the fact the flowers formed this kind of pattern so perfectly was... disturbing?

Having no choice though Kevin bit his lip and turned back around and started hesitantly and uneasily forward, his eyes shifting back and forth to each side of the path looking for. he didn't know but was pretty sure he would run into it.

And he was so right about that!

"Gee... this isn't unnerving." Kevin said furrowing his eyebrows as the checkered pattern didn't go away and didn't look like it would. The dirt path was the only thing that remained unchanged. A light brown line cutting and interrupting the checkerboard, it curved as it ran through the forest.

The only time it changed...

Was when it broke into a perfect round circle. A clearing.

Coming along it Kevin slowed down and eventually to a stop surprised, right at the entrance of it. The clearing was free of trees and flowers.

Course that wasn't the thing that really caught his attention.

More along the lines of the girl riding on a unicycle upside down... which Kevin didn't notice until she suddenly zipped by right where he was standing.

"WEEEEEEEEEE!" She shrieked with glee suddenly zooming past him making Kevin damn near have a heart attack at her sudden appearance, with a startled yelp he jumped back dropping the case his hand flying to his chest in shock as he stumbled back.

"THE HELL!?" He gasped managing not to fall over as he stared at the just plain bizarre sight. ( Then again as if this was anything new. )

The girl shrieked with giggles as she rode around the outer edge of the clearing on the unicycle. She was doing a hand stand on it, her head on the seat and using her arms to make the peddles move as she moved backwards on it, her legs kicking in the air towards the opposite way she was peddling.

"WAAAAAAAAAH! HA! HA!" She yelled happily as Kevin gaped in disbelief as she leaned to make the unicycle follow the circle's edge. The red pigtails from her court jester's hat fluttered like arms reaching out for help around her head. They were about as long as she would be standing up so they sort of hid her face. Kevin jumped again as she zipped past him once more still yelling happily.

"Uhhhhh..." He said not to sure what to say as he couldn't help but stare.

Who *wouldn't * stare at a sight like *that *?

Really... what exactly *should * he say to a girl riding a unicycle upside down in the middle of the flippin forest in WONDERLAND!?

But across the clearing a ways away Kevin could see that the path continued into the forest. All he had to do was cross the clearing and he'd be back on his way.

If he was even *going * the right way to get out of here! Gee... could Nick have been a *little * more vague?

As stupid as it seemed just ignoring her and going on his way seemed kind of... rude. Then again from what Nick had told him everyone here was nuts ( A fact he was quite willing to believe at this point and wasn't to sure if he wasn't one of those people. ) and he wasn't to sure if he *wanted * to approach anyone from this place.

But then again despite her odd... activity she was the most normal person Kevin had seen so far. He couldn't tell yet but from what he could see she didn't seem to have any animal features.

Course... even then Kevin wasn't to sure he should even ask her anything. For god's sake she was riding a unicycle on her head in the middle of a forest!

IN WONDERLAND! Out of the three things Kevin had run into so far none of them had provided much good in this damn place. So why should it start now?

Still...

"Uhhh... excuse me? Miss?" Kevin asked hesitantly stepping forward only a step and leaning out a little.

The girl either didn't hear him or ignored him and continued to happily peddle kicking her legs in the air.

"*Excuse me! Miss *!" Kevin said a little more loudly and forceful and just slightly more irritated.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!?" She sang out happily stopping suddenly and balancing across the clearing for a moment before peddling forward a few feet and began to spin in small circles backwards right where she was giggling gleefully.

Kevin took a little change and stepped forward a few more inches still not wanting to get anywhere *near * anyone in a place like this. "Uh... what... are you doing?" He asked after a moment's hesitation to debate with himself weather or not to just ask if he was really heading in the right direction outta this place, or if he should let his curiosity ask what the hell she was doing.

Curiosity won... wasn't a landslide mind you! But it still won by an inch or two.

"What an odd question! What does it look like I'm doing!?" The girl asked happily continuing to spin around backwards in circles before stopping again suddenly and spinning halfway in a turn and zooming backwards again going back to her original course of running along the outside of the clearing.

"Well... it looks like your riding on a bike but I meant as to why your riding it... uh, the way you are?" Kevin asked carefully.

"Ah!" The girl exclaimed peddling past him again this time riding slower and at a more pleasant pace.

"I'm riding it this way because I am board!" She said jovially as if it should have been obvious.

"Board?" Kevin repeated staring at her in disbelief. Was she *serious *!? As in "I-have-nothing-to-do" board? Shit Kevin got board to but when he did he didn't ride upside down on a bike!

"Yes! I got board ridding the other way so now I'm riding it this way! I've discovered that the world is much more interesting when viewed upside down!" The girl cheered turning so she and the bike turned and she peddled straight across the clearing. Kevin watched her go from left to the right and once reaching right reversed the way she was peddling and headed back left this time face the right way even though she was still on her head giggling.

"Ooooooookay." Kevin said slowly watching her go back and forth.

The world was more interesting upside down huh?

Kay.

"Uh... listen Miss..." Kevin tried to say as the girl peddle backwards again across the clearing. "I'm kinda in a hurry here... sooooo I was kinda wondering is this the way out of... erm, Wonderland?"

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmm..." The girl considered peddling past again as if she were really thinking over Kevin's question. "Now why would you want to leave!? Don't you like it here?"

Not. Really. Those two words couldn't even begin to sum up Kevin's feelings for this place but came as politely close as possible. "Its... fine." He chocked out ( Case like hell he was gonna say he *liked * the place! ) Damn. that was harder to say then he thought! "But uh. I would really like to leave. I don't belong here." He said following her course yet again as she passed by.

"Well you are here now! So obviously you belong now don't you?" The girl giggled wildly.

God he hoped not! This was NOT a permanent thing!

"NO!" He said a little to vehemently, horrified at that prospect. "I mean... no, I don't... uh, I have to just go. I have to... get to a concert!" He blurted out as a last ditch effort for her to give him some damn directions.

Course... she hadn't really said she actually knew the way out though.

"So... is this the way out of here?" Kevin finished after she didn't answer after a few moments. The girl turned halfway across the clearing heading towards the other side away from Kevin.

"Hmmmmmmmm...Well! It could be and it couldn't!" The girl said giggling. Kevin watched her peddle so she was directly across the clearing from him and stop again balancing carefully kicking her legs in the air.

"So which one would it be?" Kevin asked carefully after a moment when it was clear that *that * had been her answer.

The girl beamed with a wide grin even though Kevin couldn't really see her face since it had shadows darkening it. Her legs continued to kick in the air slowly.

"Which do *you * think it is!?" She asked back crossing her eyes at an upside down far away and irate Kevin.

Oh for god's sake, Kevin gritted his teeth and forced himself to remain calm. Just what was with everyone here? Just once they couldn't give one straight answer!? All he wanted to know was if he was heading in the right direction!

"I don't know! I wouldn't be asking if I did!" He growled still trying to remain polite.

"Guess!"

"*What *!?" Kevin instantly snapped not believing she had just told him to "guess" the damn answer.

The girl giggled completely oblivious ( Or deliberately ignoring. ) Kevin's growing anger.

"Guess! It'll be a game! You guess and I'll tell you if you're right!" She said happily.

"I don't want to play a goddamn game! I just want the answer!" Kevin said exasperated.

"Well your not getting it till you guess! So you have no choice!" The girl was obviously getting quite a kick out of this.

Kevin decisively was not.

He stared at her in disbelief before a look of reluctant hidden fury crossed his face and he rubbed his eyes for a few seconds, forcing himself to breath slowly and carefully to cool his anger.

It's basically just a yes or no question. he told himself suddenly frighteningly calm. Just basically a yes. Or no. *Question *!

"Alright..." He said slowly lowering his hand and squaring his shoulders. "Then I guess I'm going the right way?"

The girl giggled and kicked her legs more forcefully and clicked her heels together.

"Then I guess your right!" She said cheerily.

Thank you! Relieved Kevin's tense shoulders instantly sagged letting out the breath he was holding.

"Alright! Thanks... that's all I needed to know." He said calmly as he turned to lift once again his heavy suitcase from the ground, as he leaned over the girl blinked and kicked her legs a little to hard.

"Wai wai! Where are you going!? You can't go!" She wailed still standing on her head on the unicycle.

Kevin paused and stared at her raising an eyebrow.

"I told you...I'm *leaving *." He stressed on the word "leaving". "I gotta get outta here." He lifted the luggage up with a grunt and swung back around to face the girl. "I'm in a hurry... I think." He said his face scrunching up into thought.

Technically if it was the next day then he supposed since the concert was over and everyone probably already had figured out he was missing he really wasn't all that much in a hurry to do anything.

Aside from *leaving * that was.

"But that was fun! I wanna play some more!" The girl said excitedly.

Well that was just to damn bad cause Kevin wasn't gonna hang around to play.

"Uh... sorry miss, I really have to be going." Kevin said trying to be polite again. "But thanks for the help." Cause she had been so helpful to begin with! Kevin made a move to walk into the clearing and it was apparent he was heading towards the other side to get to the other path. The girl kicked her legs into the air again.

"But you can't go! I'm board! I wanna play with someone and no one has come along in a long time! Your perfect to play with!" The girl squealed.

Kevin paused a few steps out and gave her a leery look.

Funny thing was... he had a feeling she was actually talking about "playing", as in actual games or something. Not like "*playing *" like a fan would like to get a hold of him and "*play *"!

A relief... extremely weird... but a relief nonetheless.

"I can't miss... really. I *really * need to get out of here." Kevin insisted as gently and firmly as he could.

"Wah! You're a spoil sport you know!" The girl whined. "Its no fun playing by myself! I know I'll win! You have to play with me! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease!" She wailed loudly.

Oh yeah... cause whining was gonna win Kevin over at this point. He halted for a moment to grit his teeth at the sound. Brian's wail before had been bad enough.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... wah!" The girl had gotten so involved in her wailing she forgot about her balance and wobbled a little. which turned into a big wobble... which promptly lead to the next step.

A big fall.

Yelping the girl toppled over to the side. Letting out a startled shriek that had Kevin jumping in surprise and watching with a tini sense of horror as she landed in the flowers with a small "Opf" of pain. Black and white petals exploded upward in a small mushroom cloud affect.

Kevin's jaw had fallen open and he immediately forgot his earlier anger.

"Holy cow! Are you alright!?" He yelped dropping his suitcase again and about to run over... he had already taken a few steps forward but the girl's arms and legs kicked as she tried to roll over sending a whole new flurry of petals into the air.

"Wah! I'm okay! I'm oooooookay! I meant to do that!" She claimed rolling over quickly and bouncing onto her hands into a hand stand once more. The unicycle had fallen into the flowers as well and had seemed to had sunken and disappeared into them. She giggled and gave Kevin a dazzling wide grin.

"Hey! I got an idea!" She exclaimed her earlier spill forgotten as fast as it had happened making Kevin raise an eyebrow at her. She lifted a hand balancing on the other and snapped her fingers at her idea. "You stay and play one game with me! We can play whatever game you want to!"

Kevin's concern also faded as quickly as it had come and he mentally groaned but visibly rolled his eyes turning slightly.

Apparently the word "no" wasn't in this chick's vocabulary.

Huh. kinda like his and the boys manager. He almost grinned at that thought.

"Listen Miss... I told you I can't stay, I'm in a hurry." He said annoyed.

"There is no such thing as being in a hurry! Only a person feeling the need to go real fast! Time is but a state of mind my friend! Your destination will always be there weather or not you are one minute ahead or two behind!" The girl chirped.

Kevin was unconvinced. "Yeah right."

The girl giggled and suddenly bent her arms and did a flip as soon as her red elf like boots hit the ground she ran straight towards Kevin.

No... she didn't run, that wasn't right. This girl ZOOMED across the clearing towards Kevin at a speed no person would normally be capable off. She zipped towards Kevin like a bullet train in a blur leaving behind a neat little tunnel of dust behind like... kinda like when the Road Runner zoomed down the road in Looney Toons.

"HIYA!" She squealed literally in the blink of an eye suddenly *right * in Kevin's face.

"WAH! YAH!" Kevin bellowed recoiling in shock completely caught off guard by that little... whatever move she had just done... and wasn't expecting her to suddenly be right in his face ( Or expecting her to have MOVED at the pace she had. ). He stumbled backwards and tripped over a combination of his own two feet and his fallen suitcase and hit the ground with a "thud"!

"Opf!" He grunted landing painfully on his backside and instantly looked back up his jaw hanging open at that... SUDDEN move the girl had made.

"HOLY GOD!" Kevin suddenly gasped staring in disbelief for the third time...at a familure face.

The girl grinned down wildly at Kevin and giggled oblivious to his shock. She watched blinking innocently as he frantically scrambled backwards as if she had the plague and out right stared.

"Sa...Sa-Sa... SARAH!?" Kevin stuttered out once he was a good distance away.

Sarah Martin. the one and only... A.J.'s fianc�e... stood there blinking at Kevin with her hands clasped behind her back and her head tilting to look at him.

"Who?" She asked confused.

Kevin stared his mind past shock and into... a whole new level of disbelief!

Sarah Martin stood there... no mistake. This wasn't like someone who *looked * like her... this *was * her.

Standing there, despite her odd get up, she was easily recognizable.

It was the same as Brian and Nick... them but... not.

"*You'll see familure faces which really aren't familure at all! At least not here! No one is who you think they are just because they look like someone you know! You know *?"

Nick... The Cheshire Cat's... words rang through Kevin's mind again as proof positive of THAT statement stood in front of him looking at him innocently.

"Jesus Christ!" Kevin gaped... it was one thing to see friends in this place.

It was an entirely different thing to see girlfriends and fianc�e's here as well!

He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed before who he had been talking to. then again she had been moving around so fast and was talking so cheerfully and in a higher tone then she usually did ( Plus his mind had been preoccupied. )

Kevin slowly looked her over his mouth opening and closing but no sound coming out.

Sarah wore what resembled a red court jester's outfit. The hat on her head had only two pigtails on it and was quite large... indeed it was so long the tips reached her ankles, at the end little gold bells on each. The pigtails were also curly... kinda like a curly cone matching the two twin strands of long dark brown hair that had slipped out ( Or had been deliberately left out ) by her temples that were in beautiful curls. Around her waist was a belt of... well, gold bells. Her skirt sorta matched her collar... which was four triangles cut out that stuck out in the front and back... a tiny bell on the ends of each.

"Gah... wah... you... wow!" Was all that Kevin could manage and Sarah giggled as he stuttered and raised a shaking hand to point at her.

"Did I scare ya?" She asked winking at him.

Boy if she only knew! That was the understatement of the decade!

Kevin tried to get his brain to start working again and scooted back a little.

"Um!" He squeaked out... his voice was about ten decimals higher then normal. "You-you-you... I..." He squinted suddenly looking at her closely.

"Sarah?" He asked still not believing his eyes.

God he really must have gone off the deep end.

Sarah blinked and straightened up clapping her hands behind her back and tilted her head. "Who?" She asked innocently confused.

"You!" Kevin said pointing despite his best efforts still in shock. "You... your... you Sarah." He stuttered out like a moron pointing.

Sarah still looked confused and rocked back on her feet a little.

"Hmmm... my name isn't Sarah." She corrected nodding knowingly. "My name is Chess!" She stated puffing up proudly.

"Ch... what!?" Kevin said not sounding like he believed a word she said.

"Chess!" She exclaimed again throwing her arms out with flourish and a giddy grin. "Like the game! I like playing games!" She suddenly charged at Kevin again and before he could even begin to react she jumped much higher then even an Olympic player could and flipped gracefully through the air as she smoothly did this act making it look as if it were easy as pie.

Kevin watched jaw-hanging open as she flipped over him spinning halfway in the air and dropping something.

Kevin didn't know what she had dropped but when she did drop it and it came towards him he was immediately distracted. With a startled yelp coming from god only knew what the thing was he fumbled again. The small object bounced in Kevin's hands into the air again and like an idiot he struggled to catch it... it bouncing a few more times into the air before he actually got a hold of it. With a quizzical look he looked at the chess piece Sarah had dropped on him.

Which was it? The queen or king? He couldn't tell... been a while since he had played.

WHY THE HELL WAS HE THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?

Kevin snapped out of his thoughts suddenly with that realization. It was a damn game piece! Look at the source that had given it to him and his main thought was WHICH PIECE IT WAS!?

As Kevin gave the chess piece a "what the hell is this" look Sarah landed behind him gracefully on one foot and with a delighted squeal spun around again and jumped in the air waving her arms wildly.

"PLAAAAAAAAATIME!" She sang out running towards the other end of the clearing thankfully at a normal speed this time. Kevin shifted to look over his shoulder feeling completely lost and horrified.

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