Alice was just a normal girl. At least, she was until she looked through the looking glass. She never knew that from a simple glance, her life would be thrown into adventure, excitement, and friendship. So maybe the looking glass actually helped. From a shy, quiet, and lonely girl, she became the person the world depended on. The one whose final decision would decide everything.
Prologue
Alice ran as fast as she could, hot tears trickling down her cheeks. Her cheek burned with pain, red from the impalement of a palm. She ran through the woods, the trees around her seemingly mocking her with cruel laughter.
She bit her lip without realizing it, until she felt the distinct flavor blood in her mouth, startling her. Alice quickly bit her lip again, just to make it numb, so she wouldn’t have to deal with more pain adding on to both her current physical and emotional pain.
She ran further, until finally the nauseas feeling was swept away and chill went down her spine with the dropping temperature. She stopped and fell on her knees, palms flat on the dark soil beneath her. Alice panted, wiping sweat away from her forehead with the back of her hand.
She looked around and saw she had stumbled into a small cave, constructed by large, slanted boulders leaning into each other, creating just enough shelter for a young girl for the night. Alice sat, her arms tightly encircled around her knees.
Her wild, fiery red hair was caked with mud, her face dirty and her blue eyes looking glassy. Painful memories filled her, and she wished she wouldn’t have to go there again. But they always found her. Somehow, they would. But this time was different. Alice had a plan.
She decided to wait for morning, and have a rest before starting her journey. Alice’s thoughts wandered, and she slowly fell into a deep, dark slumber. Her eyes closed peacefully, and she smiled as though she was having a nice dream. Alice only smiled in dreams.
Alice had a dream. No, not that kind of, dream, but a dream of what she truly wanted to take place in the future. Alice wished for her life to be out of the ordinary. Well, a good out of the ordinary, unlike the bad kind she was currently living.
She wished for things she knew would never come true, but she kept on dreaming. Alice remembered when she would sit on the porch with a tall glass of cool lemonade, daydreaming what her life would be like if everything had turned out differently. If that wretched day hadn’t taken place…
No, Alice knew that it was fate, and she couldn’t possibly change it, so she shouldn’t live in the past and sulk. Alice was always optimistic, curious, and brave, yet her shyness won, giving everyone the illusion that she was a quiet girl.
But they were so wrong.
The next morning, as Alice woke up with a loud yawn and a stretch, she quickly remembered her plan. She had planned to be coming to this cave soon, but fate brought her there earlier, so she should just make the best of it.
Alice stood and started moving the boulders and rocks, pebbles and stones. Finally, covered in a very thin layer of dust, was a small, blue backpack, sitting in the corner. Alice had been planning her escape for months, and had placed the bag there earlier in case she needed supplies.
She double checked to make sure everything was there before zipping the bag up and glancing out the cave entrance, making sure no one saw her. Alice had to leave before they noticed she was gone and went searching for her.
Alice covered any evidence pointing to her presence there with pebbles and stones. She slung the backpack over her shoulder and looked out the cave entrance. For moment she felt doubt, as if her plan wouldn’t work. But Alice knew she had to do it.
It was now or never.
