Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness, #1) by Kellie Sheridan Read Free Book Online Page A

rolling
hills and small towns she was accustomed to. Neither growing up in Neverwood
Forest nor her reign in the west could have prepared her for bustling urban
sprawl where the Red Queen ruled.
    The journey from one corner of
Wonderland to the other lasted only a day, but Rose had never felt farther from
home.
    As her carriage passed through the last
trees of Neverwood and into the Red Queen’s domain, Rose craned her head out
the window to get her first glimpse of a place she had only read about in
books. Where Rose’s own kingdom was quiet and quaint, this one was crowded and
vibrant. She had heard that there were no farms in this part of Wonderland, no
vast stretches of land at all beyond those belonging to nobles in the farthest
reaches of the kingdom. Only now did she believe it. Hundreds, maybe even
thousands, of red-brick buildings dotted the landscape and crowded around roads
that weaved through the land. Gas-fueled lanterns lit up the streets, allowing
people to continue their business well into the evening, and no one seemed to
find the nocturnal nature of the Red Queendom the least bit strange.
    Rose had to trust that her driver knew
where he was going, as each town fed into the next, creating a never-ending
stretch of city life. The square buildings and lack of greenery created an
image all too similar to the world Rose had seen in her vision. Yet, seeing it
all up close, there was something exciting about it. Being so surrounded by life
was both comforting and invigorating all at once. Rose considered that perhaps
there was value to be found in this way of life after all. Gwen herself had
said change was coming, maybe this was what Wonderland needed.
    It wasn’t long before the ebony-stone
palace of the Red Queen came into view, seeming to loom over everything with
its five twisted spires. Both impressive and menacing, it was designed to
strike fear into anyone who thought to cross the Red Queen. The castle had been
built over a century ago when the Red Wars had raged through Wonderland, and
though Queen Daliah hadn’t had a say in its design, Rose couldn’t imagine that
living there would have endeared her to many of her subjects.
    Thankfully, Rose did not have to visit
the castle on her first ever trip to the Eastern Kingdom. Instead her driver
had been ordered to bring her to a building several blocks from the Queen’s
home.
    Initially, the Red Queen had refused to
meet at all. But Rose had persisted and managed to arrange the first official
meeting between her and the Red Queen.
    And so Rose set foot into the first and
likely only nightclub she would ever visit, as there was no room for places
like these where she came from.
    Immediately, she fell in love.
    Though the night was still young, men
and women danced together in a swarm of writhing bodies. Bright blue tuxedos
collided with sequined silver dresses that shimmered even in the dim lighting.
Women wore their hair short while some of the men wore it long. There was so
much to take in, and so little time to do it in, as Rose was swiftly escorted
through the crowd.
    The beat of a lone drummer was
accompanied only by the abrasive music of a saxophone and a trumpet. At first
the sound was jarring, but as Rose made her way through the club, she found the
rhythm creeping into her soul. An impeccably dressed guard ushered her up a
steep set of stairs, away from the hypnotic energy of the dance floor. Rose
promised herself that she’d find a way to bring everything from the atmosphere
to the vibrations in the air home with her when she returned.
    Rose’s head was still spinning when she
arrived in a reception hall that she never would have imagined could be
attached to the club below. Everything but the painted red walls was made from
perfectly clear glass, from the tiles of the floor to the delicate table and
the chairs that surrounded it. Rose pushed all thoughts of music and dancing
from her mind as she locked eyes with the woman she had long been