Alice in Wonderland High (35 page)

And also, she could ground me at home, but there were plenty of opportunities for kissing at school.

“I don't understand. When did—how—why is there a farmers' market all of a sudden?”

“My boss was impressed with my work. I mean, I solved the case for him
and
kept it quiet from the public. So I showed him your petition. He was . . . surprised by the amount of signatures.”

The petition worked! My legs itched to jump up and down, but I restrained myself. Note to self: gloat to Whitney later. Sometimes the right way was the right way. All our illegal efforts backfired—well, except for maybe the breaking-and-entering one, though that wasn't a performance I wanted to repeat—but the one that worked was the one we did without unlawful intent, out in the open, flaunting instead of hiding.

“And, I kind of think he saw the creation of a farmers' market as another way to distract the community, give them what they want so they don't realize what was taken away.”

Another way to cover their tracks. I felt sick. “But . . . why would you do that for me?” I didn't deserve it. Not at all.

Chess rubbed my shoulder, trying to comfort me, but what I wanted right now was a hug from my sister. Confirmation that our relationship wasn't as fractured as I thought, that we could still pick up the pieces.

“I had no idea what went on behind the scenes when I took that job. Your friend was homeless because of them.” She gestured at Chess. “Your other friend is really sick. And I couldn't, in good conscience, continue working there unless I worked to fix their mistakes. That's why I gave Chess's dad the job, why I helped Kingston. Hopefully the farmers' market will fill a small void in the community.”

I broke away from Chess and wrapped my arms around her. “Thank you, Lorina. This means a lot to me.” Tears pressed against my eyes. Happy ones. Even if she hadn't done it for me, she had done it for the right reasons, and hey, it was still a victory in my book.

Her arms remained stiff for a second before she folded them around me. They weren't as tight as mine. In time, we'd work on that. “Don't think this means you're off the hook for getting suspended.” She let go. “Come on, we should go inside.”

Lorina disappeared inside the classroom, but Chess held me back. He leaned down to whisper, “Thanks.”

It was a small word. But it meant so much. Thanks for not giving up on him, for helping to make it happen. He wouldn't get his farm back, not on the old land at least. But his dad had a job again, they'd move into a house, and slowly they'd start putting their life back together.

I glanced at him, and he smiled. In the fluorescent lights, magnified by a stray ray of sunlight, his teeth glowed, the only part of him I could see because it was all that mattered. Until I erased that, too, with a kiss. Then he disappeared completely as I closed my eyes. I knew if I opened them and went into the classroom, I'd see dull reality again: the tar highway replacing sprawling farmland; the coughs issuing from Kingston that meant more than just a simple cold; the other faceless Wonderland citizens who might be sick, too; the sister who would never fully trust me again but loved me just the same; the parents who would never see the results of anything they'd produced; and the secrets hidden beneath the careful façade the township projected.

But for now, I allowed myself to believe Wonderland had finally lived up to its name.

Rachel Shane studied Creative Writing at Syracuse University and now works in digital publishing in New York City. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, young daughter, and a basement full of books. This is her first novel.

You can find her on the web at
www.rachelshane.com
or on Twitter
@RachShane
.

Lewis Carroll wrote in
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
, “Begin at the beginning . . . and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” This is excellent advice not only when it comes to writing a novel but also when it comes to writing acknowledgments.

This book's journey started with my parents, Steve and Nina, without whom this book—and I!—would not exist. Thank you for believing in me, supporting me, and encouraging me to follow my dreams. You always pushed me to be the best person I could be, and for that I'm grateful. Thanks also to my sister, Becca, for cheering me on and for always answering my boring contract questions.

Thanks to my wonderful husband, Josh, who has been there every step of the way and inspired me the whole time. You helped me grow my passion by sitting through many young adult television shows and movies with me. I knew you were “the one” when you agreed to attend the midnight release party for the final book in my favorite YA series.

Preemptive thanks to my daughter, Quinn, for not getting mad when you realize I named you after the villain in my book.

Thanks to JoAnne and Richard Preiser, for your unending support. I'm so glad I married into a family with similar literary appreciation and aspirations! And thanks to Dan Preiser, for taking my perfect author photo.

Thanks to Erika, Crista, Chelsey, Amanda, Nikki, and Jeremy, for always being there for me. To all my creative writing professors at Syracuse University, for giving me the tools I needed to create. To my NBC writing group, who helped me wield those tools. To the Fearless Fifteeners, for sharing this journey with me.

Thanks to everyone who read early versions of this manuscript. Melissa Landers, for your critical eye for details and for helping me grow Alice herself (as a character, not via a magic mushroom). Heather Strickland, for your in-depth overall notes. Michelle Hodkin, for pointing out that my perfect first sentence was originally buried somewhere in the middle of Chapter 1. Janet Gurtler, for your awesome suggestions on the first few chapters. Jennifer Hoffine, for your thoughtful critique. Angela Ackerman and Pendred Noyce, for giving me amazing line edits. Sarah LaPolla, for your excellent editorial suggestions. Jessica Love, for holding me accountable with check-in emails. Rachel Simon, for keeping me afloat and for helping me write these acknowledgments. Everyone else at
CritiqueCircle.com
who read chapters and offered me valuable feedback. And thanks to everyone who supported me along the way, from Twitter to message boards to attending NYC YA book events with me.

Thanks to my critique partners, Denise Jaden, Chandler Baker, and Jen Hayley. Denise, you had the unfortunate privilege of reading all the wrong versions I wrote of
Alice
and helping me find the direction for this right one. Whitney owes her riddles to you. Chandler, our brainstorming sessions make my books stronger and with fewer plot mistakes, plus our daily Gchats fuel me to keep going. Jen, I wrote a large portion of this book while sitting across from you, and now even though you're across an ocean, I still feel like you're with me every step of the way.

Thanks to the entire Merit Press and F+W Media team for putting all their hard work into every aspect of this book. Special thanks to Meredith O'Hayre and MT Cozzola for all their managing editing and copy editing magical powers. Thanks to Frank Rivera for the gorgeous cover.

Thanks to my agent, Jim McCarthy, for swooping in and being a total ninja rock star. I'm so glad to have you in my corner.

Thanks to my amazing editor, Jacquelyn Mitchard, for loving this book as much as I loved writing it and for making my dreams come true. Your editorial insights made the pages sparkle and gave clarity to Alice's nonsensical world.

Copyright © 2015 by Rachel Shane.

All rights reserved.

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

Published by

Merit Press

an imprint of F+W Media, Inc.

10151 Carver Road, Suite 200

Blue Ash, OH 45242. U.S.A.

www.meritpressbooks.com

ISBN 10: 1-4405-8466-4

ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-8466-4

eISBN 10: 1-4405-8467-2

eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-8467-1

Printed in the United States of America.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Shane, Rachel.

Alice in Wonderland High / Rachel Shane.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-4405-8466-4 (hc) -- ISBN 1-4405-8466-4 (hc) -- ISBN 978-1-4405-8467-1 (ebook) -- ISBN 1-4405-8467-2 (ebook)

[1. Environmental protection--Fiction. 2. Orphans--Fiction. 3. High schools--Fiction. 4. Schools--Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.1.S48Al 2015

[Fic]--dc23

2014039500

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and F+W Media, Inc. was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

Cover design by Frank Rivera.

Cover images ©
iStockphoto.com/digimann/YangYin
.

This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.

For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.