Chapter Text
Getting thrown into a parallel universe naturally involves a bit of a learning curve. No getting around it. Even when a universe is superficially close to your own, there’s always some change, some difference that you have to adjust to. (I assume. I’ve only ever been thrown into the one.)
Everyone assumes, in Twisted Wonderland, that the thing I’m struggling to adjust to most is magic.
Which isn’t to say that it’s not an issue. Primarily in classes. Even Grim, who falls asleep two minutes into lectures and acts as though cracking a book will kill him, has a basic understanding of magic. I, meanwhile, feel a little more like I walked into algebra before I learned my times tables. Except the times tables will explode if you do them wrong. And also everyone around me has a natural affinity for them and can intuit that three times two is six while I sit around trying to make those grids out of blocks and count them all up.
So. Not a fun experience. But it’s hardly the worst issue in the world. I don’t know what Crowley told the other teachers, but they’re aware I’ve got no magic and have the decency to dumb down the work I have to do, or give me alternate assignments when I can’t complete the practical work. The thing with magic is that it’s obvious, especially here at magic school, and there’s a billion and one resources to learn about it with. I know I need to learn more about magic and I do, all the time.
It’s just that sometimes, I forget magic isn’t the only difference between my world and this one. The little differences, those are the ones that get to me. It’s like walking into a room after someone’s moved around your furniture. Yes, it’s annoying that your bookshelf’s on the other wall now, but you can see that one plainly and adapt. It’s a lot harder to stop tripping over the couch that was only moved an inch to the left. It’s blindsiding.
Usually, I study in Heartslabyul- it’s more convenient for Ace and Deuce, who will only study if I’m there to force them, and Ramshackle is, well, ramshackle enough that it’s not totally comfortable. Grim is okay with it because he can beg food off Trey. And Riddle’s at least mellowed enough that he doesn’t immediately snap at us for wandering off topic and getting a little too loud.
Deuce and Ace are flipping through a set of books on Alchemy- we have a quiz in a few days on restoratives, and they’re trying to figure out the most efficient way to craft an elixir of power. Grim should be doing the same, but he’s half-asleep, crumbs of a tart surrounding his mouth. For my part, I’m trying to memorize the list of restoratives and common ingredients between them. The practical portion of the quiz is a bit of a weird spot for me- technically I can measure and portion ingredients, but Grim needs to be there to infuse the entire mixture with magic. The last time I talked to Professor Crewel, he was still debating on whether I should work with Grim on the potion and our grade should be combined, or if it would be better to make Grim do the practical portion on his own and have me take an extra-long written portion.
In truth, I don’t care what he chooses. I just wish he’d chosen sooner, because now I have to study both a larger chunk of information and the actual way to make the potion itself. I know for a fact that if Grim and I take the practical together, I’ll end up carrying him. Then again, if I’m not there to help, he might blow something up. Win some, lose some.
I lean my head back against the wall behind me and close my eyes for a moment. Alchemical symbols swirl behind my eyelids. Grim gives a particularly loud snort and rolls over. I open my eyes just in time to see Riddle fixing us with a venomous glare from across the room, barely visible behind a stack of books. I nudge Grim awake.
“Myaah? …Cut it out,” Grim mumbles, lazily waving a paw in my direction. I pinch him and he tries to scramble up to retaliate. Unfortunately, his paws land on a small stack of paper, which slips out from under him and sends him sprawling to the ground with a thump and a shriek.
“Shhh!” Riddle hisses from across the room. I make an apologetic gesture and gather Grim up.
“We should go back to Ramshackle,” I say. Grim squirms in my arms, grousing about being carried.
“You’re leaving already?” Deuce asks, finally looking up. Ace yawns, leaning over to stretch his back.
“It’s already past seven,” I say. I think. I don’t have a phone or a wristwatch, and some of the clocks in Heartslabyul are set wrong. I asked Riddle about it (if he likes punctuality so much, why is he making it harder for people to know the time?) and he threw out some rule about having to keep some clocks on alternate times that I didn’t really listen to. But the correct clocks tend to agree, and two clocks in this room point to seven ten as the current time. The darkness outside seems to concur.
Deuce leans over to glance outside. His expression sours upon seeing night has mostly fallen. “I didn’t realize it was so late. Are you going to be okay going back in the dark?”
“I’ll be fine,” I say as Grim starts puffing himself up in my arms.
“Yeah! Nothing out there could be a match for the great and powerful Grim!” I don’t roll my eyes. Barely. But I don’t.
Ace abruptly launches himself to his feet, sending the book on his lap spilling to the floor. Another furious ‘SHHHH!’ comes from Riddle’s corner of the room. “No, no, Deucey is right,” he says, lowering his voice enough that Riddle is mollified. “You can’t walk all the way back there yourself. I’ll come with you.”
I narrow my eyes. “You just don’t want to study anymore.”
Ace frowns. “Hey! I’m just worried about my friend walking back to her dorm all by herself-”
“We could use a break,” Deuce cuts in. “We’ve been studying for hours.”
Eh. He’s right, and it’s not like I don’t appreciate the company. “Thanks, then,” I say. I lift my voice and direct it towards Riddle. “And thank you for your hospitality, Housewarden.” Riddle glances up and acknowledges us before ducking back down to his work.
Together, we organize our materials and head for the front door of the dorm. I open the door, pausing to let Ace and Deuce don their scarves- it’s started to get cold at night, and there is a bit of a hike to get to Ramshackle.
While waiting for them, I take a moment to look up at the sky. It’s dazzling here- so many stars. Maybe they’re brighter in Twisted Wonderland, or maybe light pollution just works differently, because despite electric lighting of the dorm, I can see an enormous smattering of stars across the sky. It’s not quite as full as some photos I’ve seen of clear night skies, but it’s close.
I’ve never been good with stars, but I turn my gaze toward the one celestial object I’ve always known how to find- and pause. It’s not there.
“Are you coming?” Ace asks. I blink. He and Deuce have walked past me and are now waiting on the steps of the dorm. I’m still dithering in the open doorway.
“Sorry,” I say, giving one more glance up at the sky. “I was looking for Venus. I guess the sky’s different here.”
“What’s Venus?”
I look at Deuce. He blinks back at me, expression perfectly bewildered. The thing with the chickens in the eggs was one thing, but this is another. I look over at Ace, hoping to see the grin he gets when he’s ready to tear Deuce a new one, but he is staring at me too.
“It’s probably a constellation,” Ace says with a shrug. “Don’t ask me where it is, though. I’ve never been any good at that sort of thing.”
“No,” I say, a little incredulous and a little trepidatious. “It’s a planet.” Nothing. “The planet Venus? Second in our solar system? Only planet named after a woman?” Nada.
Deuce’s face scrunches a little. “I’ve never heard of it.” Ace shakes his head.
“You’ve never heard of Venus?” Maybe if one of them hadn’t heard of it, I would have brushed it off. But given that both of them are giving me looks like I’ve gone bonkers, I’m starting to get a little nervous.
Okay. Third opinion. I turn to Grim. Wait. Maybe a third opinion from someone who isn’t an idiot. I head back into the dorm, stirring up shouts of horror from Deuce and Ace. I ignore them and march straight back to the common area.
Riddle looks up as I walk in and his face immediately goes tomato-red. “Why are you wearing your shoes in the dorm?!”
“Riddle. This is important. What’s Venus?”
He sputters for a moment. Long enough for Deuce and Ace to come scrambling into the room behind me. “Wh- I- The painting?”
“No!” I half-yell, throwing my hands up. “The PLANET!”
Riddle looks around me at Ace and Deuce. “Is she… all right?”
“I dunno,” Ace says. “We were just heading out and then she started getting all weird about the sky or something? Asking where Venus was?” He looks at Deuce, who nods along.
“The only Venus I know is the painting,” Riddle says. “It’s of a goddess of the same name who was worshipped a long time ago.” He peers at me uncertainly. “I don’t know of a planet called Venus.”
I take a deep breath. “I need to see what the solar system looks like.” The three boys and Grim look at each other. “Please.”
Riddle pulls out a blank piece of paper and rapidly sketches something, then slides it toward me. It’s a simplified diagram of the solar system, as seen from above.
There are only five planets.
I look over it a few times to make sure I’ve got it right. It’s a pretty simplified diagram, but Riddle’s drawn it clearly. Five planets. And the second-closest one to the sun is labeled ‘Twisted Wonderland.’
I stare at the paper for a long time. Five planets. Caselotti is the closest one to the sun. The furthest out is Arendia. Walten comes next, and the third furthest is Olead.
“Um.” Deuce clears his throat. “Gray? Are you…?” He trails off, glancing at Ace and Riddle. Both of them look equally nonplussed. I can’t imagine how insane I look right now, storming in and demanding a drawing of the solar system. Even Riddle’s staying silent, though I’m sure he’s ready to explode about my shoes touching the dorm’s carpets.
I feel somewhat stupid now. Obviously the planets wouldn’t be the same here. The stars aren’t the same either, probably. I’m in a totally different world. It makes sense that the solar system would look different.
Somehow, though, it just… never occurred to me. A weird emotion twists in my gut, like I’m dropping away from the rest of the world, further away from anyone than I’ve ever been. The realization that even the sky is different here feels like something fundamental has been ripped away from me. Something I never even considered important before.
“Huh. Y’know, it looks different where I’m from,” I say. My tone’s as deliberately light as I can make it. “I guess I never considered it before.”
Ace and Deuce are silent, still looking mildly concerned. Riddle arches an eyebrow at his drawing. “In your world, you mean? The place you’re from?” He’s been the most curious about where I’m from since I told the Heartslabyul crew about how I got here. He’s also generally too polite to push about it, but I can see the interest in his eyes. “How different?”
“Well, for one, there’s nine planets,” I say. “Actually, there might only be eight now. I was never clear on what happened with Pluto.”
“Pluto?” Ace repeats, his face scrunching. “That’s a dog’s name.”
“It’s a planet name where I’m from,” I say.
“And Venus is too?” Deuce confirms. I nod.
“Sorry for kind of freaking out a little there. I guess I was just surprised it’s so different.”
Grim huffs at my feet. “Are we going to head back to Ramshackle or not?”
“Sorry, Grim.” I bend over to pick him up so he can see what we’re doing. “I just… wanted to check something. We’ll head back.”
He’s already distracted, staring at the drawing on the table. “What’s that supposed to be?”
Riddle looks offended. “It’s the solar system.”
Grim nods. “What’s that?”
There’s a moment of stunned silence. “Oh yeah,” I say. “I always forget you never attended actual school before this one.”
We all pitch in to try and teach Grim the basics of the solar system, though we keep having to detour to explain concepts like ‘gravity’ and ‘planets.’ Eventually, Riddle remembers that I’m still wearing my shoes and pitches a fit, prompting Grim and me to retreat back to the mirror, and leaving Ace and Deuce to whatever lecture Riddle is sure to give.