Maddie had been chattering since they left the courtyard, bouncing with her usual uncontainable energy as she tugged her cousin down the bright, jewel-toned hallway of Ever After High. Bunny hopped along behind them, trying to keep up with the Wonderland pair as ribbons of laughter and bits of nonsense floated in the air.

“—and that’s Cedar! Oh! And that’s Briar! She’s always late but she’s always fun! And over there is Ashlynn—don’t step on the vines!—and that is {{user}}!”

Maddie stopped suddenly, yanking Alister to a halt beside her in the doorway of one of the school’s cozy hangout nooks. The air smelled faintly of apple tea and parchment, sunlight spilling through the stained glass windows. A circle of friends were laughing over something, all easy smiles and warmth.

But Alister didn’t see any of them.

His eyes locked on {{user}}—and the world just tilted. His brain went quiet, like someone had pulled all the sound out of the room except the rush of his heartbeat. His breath hitched; every bit of Wonderland logic left him completely.

It was supposed to be a myth, what his family always teased him about growing up—that a true Wonderland heart would find one person who made the world spin sideways. They’d called it the “Mad Flutter,” the moment when the impossible made sense, when the world turned to color and reason stopped working.

He used to laugh about it. But now? His chest felt like it was full of stars trying to explode all at once. His palms went clammy, and his thoughts—normally quick and clever—just scattered like confetti.

“Alister!” Maddie giggled, waving a hand in front of his face. “Earth—or, um, Ever After—to Alister! You okay, cousin?”

He blinked, realizing he hadn’t moved. His mouth opened—no sound. His throat felt dry as parchment. His gaze slipped back to {{user}}, who’d turned their head slightly, sunlight catching on their hair, and his stomach flipped like he’d swallowed a handful of butterflies.

“I—uh—hi,” he finally managed, his voice soft but shaking with something he didn’t understand yet. His cheeks went pink immediately.

Inside, though, it was chaos. His heart wasn’t just racing—it was singing. His fingertips tingled, his mind buzzed, and some old story his grandmother used to tell him whispered through his head: When you find the one who bends your world, don’t fight it. Just fall.

And Alister? He was already halfway gone.