Twisted Wonderland: The New Student

It didn't take long for Grim to get bored, soon he was running in front of his handler as she tried so desperately to keep up. "Uwaah! Amazing. So this is Main Street." he exclaimed, looking around them. They were on a gray stone path surrounded on all sides by trees. In front of them the school campus, on either side of the walkway, were stone statues.

"I didn't get a good look yesterday but what's with these statues? All seven of them look pretty scary." Grim exclaimed, stopping in front of one of them. It was of a woman, with a small crown on top of her head. She wore a dress that was big and round, part of it being lifted by her left hand. In her other hand, she held a heart. She was smiling proud and definitely downwards.. "This granny looks especially snobby."

"You don't know about the Queen of Hearts?" a voice called out startling the pair. They turned to meet a ginger-haired boy. He dressed in a similar outfit as Xinyi, except he bared a red undervest, as well as a red and black armband on his shoulder. There was also something sticking out of the pocket on his left side pocket. It looked to be a pen of some sort with a ruby-red gem on top. On his left eye was a red heart mark. His carefree smile and curious brown eyes made him look approachable.

Grim looked at the boy with ah. "Queen of Hearts? Is she important?"

The boy smiles a bit more before turning to the statue. "In the past, she was the queen who lived in the Rose Maze," he explained. "She was someone who valued the rules and discipline above all, strict in all things from the march of the Card Soldiers to the color of the rose bushes. It was a land of madness where all submit to her rule. Why you ask? Because or else it was off with your head!"

"That's terrifying!" Grim exclaimed, his eyes wide with fright.

The boy only laughed. "It's cool! I like it." he looked back at the statue, Xinyi joining them. "Nobody would listen to a queen who's just nice all the time, right?"

Grim thought for a moment before answering. "I suppose. A strong leader is better," he exclaimed before turning to the ginger. "By the way, who're you?"

The boy smiled down at the two. "I'm Ace. A fresh-faced first year. Nice to meetcha."

"I am Grim. A genius who'll become the greatest magician." the monster introduced before turning to his counterpart with a frown. "The dimwit over here is Xinyi. They're my henchmen."

Ace looked at the girl trying to catch a glimpse of her face. "You've got an odd sounding name," he muttered, a small frown on his face.

"N-nice to meet you," Xinyi said, extending a gloved hand, a small smile on her face. Ace smiled back and took her hand giving a firm shake.

"Hey, Ace. The lion over there with the scar, are they famous?" Grim interrupted, going off again.

"Of course!" Ace encouraged walking over to the lion statue. The king of cats stood proudly on an upward rock. They were lanky and had grim features. "This is the King of Beasts who rules the savannah. However, he was not born to be king but he took the throne through effort and elaborate planning. After becoming king, he even allowed the loathed hyenas to live in his kingdom without discrimination."

"Oooooh. I guess he was a rock not held captive by his status." Grim admired it before turning to the next statue. "Who's the lady with octopus legs?"

The one in question did indeed have octopus legs coming from her body, as well as short silky hair. She held what looked to be a contract, a smug grin on her face.

"The Sea Witch who lives in a cavern in the deep." Ace continued. "Her purpose was to help all unfortunate merfolk. As long as you could pay the price, she could transform you, help you find love, anything. If it was within her power, there wasn't anything she wouldn't do. They say her prices were pretty high, though. That's what it costs for 'anything'."

"Nyaa ha!" the monster cheered. "So what you're saying is I can get rich if I become a great magician!? Then what about this man in the big hat?

They turned to the next statue. "The Sorcerer of the Sand. He was a cunning vizier to a foolish sultan and saw through a fake prince… That was actually a street rat trying to deceive the princess. Then he got a magic lamp and became the most powerful sorcerer of all! With that power, they say he became sultan.'' The man in question was tall, with long flowy garments and a cape. In his right hand, a cobra snake staff was held.

"Ho hoh! So it is important for magicians to be the center of attention!" the monster smiled, looking at the next statue, a beautiful woman. They looked like a queen, with her long flowing dress and the tiara on top of her head. An apple was in her right hand, held by the stem. "Ooooh! This lady sure is beautiful!"

Ace looked at the statue. "She is the Beautiful Queen. Everyday she checked the 'beauty ranking' in her magic mirror. And when it looked like she might fall from the number one spot, she never hesitated to do anything to get it back. I guess she had the strong will to remain the most beautiful in the world. So freaking amazing. They say she was even adept at making poisons."

"She's pretty but… no thanks…" Grim says, a bit nervous.

"You think? But it's cool that she has something she'll never give up." the boy encouraged.

"S-sure, the single minded drive is pretty cool." the monster mumbled, looking for the next stone person. "Over there, what's with the guy on fire? Just looking gives me goosebumps."

"Lord of the Underworld!" Ace exclaimed, walking over. The man had flame coming from his head and hand, smoke billowing around his feet. "He rules a land crawling with evil spirits on his own. No doubt he is extremely skilled. Even though he's got a scary face, he did that detestable job without ever taking a vacation. And his sincerity won over Cerberus, the hydra, even the titans, to fight for him."

Grim looked at the man with a huge grin. "Mmhmm… So having talent doesn't mean you get to be haughty.'' He then looked at the last statue. "And the last one, with the horns?"

The woman stood tall over all the rest, one hand on her chest and the other on her staff. Her face was calm, having little emotion. Vines of thorns wrapped around her feet.

"That is the Witch of Thorns from the Magic Mountains. Noble and elegant, even within the seven, she is top-class in magic and curses! She can summon lightning and storms, and cover an entire country in thorns. Her magic is on a whole other level. There was even a time she transformed into a huge dragon!"

Grim looked up in surprise, jumping for joy. "Oooh! A dragon! All monsters look up to them!" he said.

"They're all so cool…" Ace said before his present smile turned into a cold smirk. "Unlike a certain raccoon."

I still have a feeling that I haven't written the best that I can write. I think all poets must feel this: that there is constantly something new to be discovered in the language. It's like a thrilling encounter, and you can find things.

Carol Ann Duffy