Chapter Text
Red followed the path left in the grass to find Max. It had been less than two minutes, and yet Max somehow managed to get a good distance from the tree. Red was tired before she started following, but this walk was just making it worse. But luckily she was able to find him a second later as he was sitting on a rock.
“For what it’s worth, I’m still investigating if Pink and I are related.” Red took a seat on the same rock. Max looked over as she sat. For once, his hand didn’t go to her as soon as she was in reach.
“I get why she doesn’t fully trust me.” Max leaned back and looked over at Red. His eyes found hers easily and with no sense of discomfort.
“I trust you.” Red barely even hesitated before she answered. “You didn’t have to come here in the first place. And if we can save my mom, maybe it’s not too late to help your dad.”
“Red, why would you want to do that? You know how he is.” Max leaned forward as he spoke, looking at Red as if she were crazy.
“Cause I believe there’s good in everyone. Even when you can’t see it.” Red was trying her best not to give too much information away.
“Well, my whole life, everyone’s said the opposite so…” Max took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry, Max…” Red wanted to reach for his hand, but she wasn’t sure if now was the time.
“It’s his own fault. His complete obsession with finding this thing he saw in high school. All he ever talked about.” He looked away before speaking again. “Like time travel is even a thing.”
Red froze. “Time Travel?”
“Yeah, that’s why everyone thinks he’s a madman. I keep thinking if I could just get him to bargain with us, but with what?” Max looked over at Red.
“Anything he can’t live without?” Red made eye contact for a minute before looking away.
They slowly made their way back to the group. Everyone was just sitting around as they walked in. A few of them were even trying to sleep, but Max’s voice stopped them from nodding off.
“I know how to stop my father.” Max stood by Red and watched their reactions. There were a few small questions, mainly what, but besides that, everyone went quiet.
“We go after his Oraculum. His most prized invention. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do to protect it.” Red watched as Max explained before she spoke up.
“So we’re going to steal it and use it to get Mom back.” Red looked at Pink as she spoke.
They all spent a couple of moments talking about what the plan was before a sudden purple light started appearing around them. No one noticed until it was too late. A second later, they were teleported to a chessboard.
Red was up first. She looked around for a moment before shaking the others awake. “Hey, guys, wake up.” Chloe was the closest person to her, so Red was able to wake her up quickly.
“Where are we?” Chloe looked around as she spoke. It was clear they were on a game board, but where was another question.
“Am I still asleep?” Robbie looked towards the flowers surrounding them.
“It can’t be.” Luis helped Robbie up, looking around for himself. “I’d never dream of myself this small.”
“Oh my gosh, I’m even cuter, tiny!” Pink somehow found the only good thing in this mess.
All of a sudden, they heard noises coming from above them; everyone looked up at the same time. It was a butterfly flying over them, and it was huge.
“We’re toast…” Max looked as the butterfly flew away.
“Smees, go climb that flower and get a better look.” Hazel pointed to a flower.
The Smees nodded and went to the flower ut before they climbed it, it became dark and started trying to bite them.
“Okay, I’ve got an aggressively hot tip,” Robbie spoke up. “We stay on the board.”
The other Smee, Red, wasn’t quite sure which was which and spoke up to the flower to protect his brother. “Hey, leave my brother alone.” Before the board started flashing, all of a sudden other players appeared. But they were wearing dark suits.
Everyone stepped back, and Max pulled Red behind him. Red even saw Hazel take a step in front of Chloe.
“Uh-oh, looks like you’re trapped.” A face appeared on the timers on the side of the board. “Over here. You're all pawns in Maddox’s game now.” The face laughed. “It’s simple: if you ever wanna get off this board, you need to capture the king, unless you’re captured first. Make your move.” The face disappeared.
Chloe spoke up first. “Hey, everyone, he’s challenging us to a game of chess. Line up on the squares.” Chloe pointed to the back row of squares. “Come on.” She showed everyone their spot before she spoke again. “Now, chess is all about strategy. The classic first move is pawn to E4. So, Robbie, you go to that one.” She pointed to the square she wanted Robbie to go to.
Robbie hesitated for a moment before he took a breath and moved. He stood on it for a moment before he was suddenly thrown off the game board. “IT’S NOT E4!”
“Chloe, did you really think this would be a simple game of chess? Maddox does not do simple.” Hazel spoke up, but she didn’t seem mad, just frustrated.
“It’s just the first move.” Chloe was trying to figure out what they needed to do.
“We need to think out of the box,” Red spoke up next. “Maddox won’t follow normal chess rules. We need to think like a villain.”
Everyone agreed, but Hazel spoke. “Oh, they listen when she says it.”
“Listen up to me team. I know this goes.” Red started explaining her plan. “There are no referees. No control, stay on your toes. Fake them out; never let them see which way you’re gonna go. That’s the way you win this thing.”
Red stood in the middle of the group. Max’s eyes were locked onto her the whole time as she spoke again. “Think fast, counterattack.” Red turned to Max with an elbow held in front of him. But instead of stepping back, Max seemed proud. “Push ‘em up against the wall.” Red pushed Luis back.
“Step back.” Chloe chipped in.
Hazel stepped in front of her. “Don’t overreact.”
Then Pink pushed them apart. “I’m ready to risk it all.”
“That’s the way you win this thing.” Red pointed to where they should all go. The other players started to move as well this time. Starting the game. “Let’s show them who wants it more. There’s an all-out battle on this dance floor.”
One of the other team’s players moved forward. And Red did as well. “Throw out the rules. Yeah, just let them go.” Red kept instructing everyone as they moved. “Follow your heart and trust that it knows.” The other team moved again. “The beat’s a trance. There’s no strategy.” Max moved to just in front of Red. “When you're dancing with the enemy.”
The group kept moving. Felix evern through a card at the other team. Every time one of them moved, there would be movement from the other team as well. The team worked together, even explaining everything to each other.
“It’s a vibe; it’s a feeling. Move your body like a villain. Blow the roof off the ceiling; that’s exactly how we get ‘em, come.” Red wasn’t sure who started it, but they were all going with it.
They fought for a moment before Chloe spoke up again. “This is impossible. We’re never making it out.”
Red called to her. “Gotta jump over obstacles, get up when you’re knocked down.”
“I can try if you want me to. Even though it feels wrong.” Chloe helped Red avoid one of the other team’s members.
“Tell them opps to bring it on.” Red nodded to Chloe.
Hazel was working with the Smees. “Step it up. Think with your gut. Hit them high when they go low.
Pink was holding onto one of the other team members. “This seems crazy to me, but I kind of like it, though.” She smiled as she beat the one she was holding.
Red spoke up again. “Time to lock into the zone.” All of a sudden, Felix was thrown off the board the same way Robbie was.
Pink managed to make it across the board and take out the other team's members. “There are no rules in love and war. It’s an all-out battle on the dance floor.”’
The group worked together for a while to take out as many other team members as they could. One of the Smees fell into the board, and they were all pushed back to where they started. And the king’s square raised him into the air. Where no one could reach.
Pink rushed to try and help Luis, who had been surprised by three of them. But she ended up getting picked up by another one of them. Max tried to help them them but he was also stopped. Red pointed to the flower from earlier to Chloe. She looked confused for a second before nodding. They grabbed Hazel and went to them. Red let Chloe get closer to the flower to try and jump on it, but Hazel grabbed and pulled her back before it could get Chloe.
The flower was stuck on Hazel’s hook. Red took her chance and jumped on the flower before it launched her into the air and towards the king piece. Red quickly pushed the piece off the square, which caused the game to end. And the other pieces disappeared.
Everyone cheered, and once the square that Red was standing on came back down, Max was right there to check on her. He looked her up and down, checking her for any injuries she could have gotten. They stood there for a second before Hazel spoke up.
“Shouldn’t we try and find a way to get back to our normal size? I don’t want to be smaller than a flower the rest of my life.” She crossed her arms as she spoke. Everyone paused for a second before they simply nodded.
They searched around the board to try and find something to get them back to normal size. It was Pink that ended up finding something. “Look, Red. I think I found one of Alice’s cookies.” She pointed to a cookie with a note that read, ‘eat me’ next to it. “Do you really think it could be hers?”
“I grew up hearing the stories. Maybe they’re true.” Red watched as Pink grabbed a bite. But she only looked at it first. Waiting for what Red had to say.
“I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?” Before Pink could eat it, Red piped up.
“We get smaller and end up being eaten by a bug or squirrel, or smushed under someone’s shoe.” Red looked at the cookie as she spoke. But she ended up tearing a piece off and turning to the others. “Who’s hungry?”
Luckily, the cookie returned them to their normal size. Not anything smaller. They brushed themselves off. Pink put what was left of the cookie into her bag. For when they find the others that were still small.
“Come on, guys. We’ve got a long way to go to get to Maddox’s cottage.” Red faced everyone as they listened.
“Let me guess. More walking.” Hazel rolled her eyes.
Pink did waste a moment before she started moving, everyone following behind her. Red was happy to let her lead. It saved her from questions about where they were and how to get to places. Max was a bit behind her for a moment before he caught up and grabbed her hand. Red didn’t even really care about it anymore. In fact, it had been starting to feel weird when he wasn’t holding her hand.