Outward, Inward.
"Only a few find the way;
some don't recognize it when they do;
some don't ever want to."
Cheshire Cat.
"Alice" A sweet melodic voice echoed in the darkness, a light burned far away but she couldn't go near it. Everywhere, hands grasped at her skin, at her hair, at her dull colored blue dress. And when she couldn't scream, the numerous voices continued to call out for her. Begging from far away in her subconscious and the hands held her from going near the light.
"Alice!" She woke with a start and automatically sat up in her bed, her eyes blinking away the blurriness as she turned to the doorway to see a woman, Nora Rainbird, a few giggling children huddled at her side. "You overslept again, Alice. Get up and do your morning chores." Ms. Rainbird turned away and left the room.
Alice flipped the blankets off and swung her legs to the side, her bare feet touched the wooden floor and she shivered at how cold it was in the room.
"Did you have another bad dream, Alice?" A boy asked, he wore brown plaid shorts, and a black shirt with a tie. His hair was a mess and his face filthy.
She rubbed her eyes and a yawn escaped, "Yes. Edward. I was trying to reach a light, but the hands were keeping me at bay." She stood up and walked towards her dresser and pulled out a black and white dress with a white apron. She shooed the boys out and closed the door, she quickly changed and turned to the small table with a picture sitting on top. A picture of her lost family whom died in a family when she was young. Without her notice, she itched her skin where she could feel the flames licking her. With a sigh, she left her room and walked into the foyer of Houndsditch Home and Refuge for Wayward Youth.
The place was filthy, but what did you expect. No one in London cared about orphans, and no one bothered to adopt any. The young children were brought up in abusive homes, places Alice never been in. The memories of the asylum seeped in her mind, the screeches of metal doors being opened and closed, the squeaking of wheels and the flickering of lights. A slight pain entered her mind and she tried to shake it away, she breathed in and out and picked up a few stray toys on the floor. Two young boys stood in front of the bookshelves and were ripping out the pages.
She raised her brow and walked over to them. "Edgar and Rowan. What are you two doing?" She seethed, grabbing the book they were tearing up. They giggled and ran around her, "Go upstairs and play with Jasper."
They both shook their heads, "Jasper's in therapy."
"Yep. Yep. Therapy. J-Jasper's in therapy," Rowan mimicked and ran off down the hallway with Edgar following after him.
Alice raised her brow, she glanced down at the teared up pages scattered on the floor. She picked them up and placed them inside the book and neatly put them into the bookshelf. She turned around to head into the kitchen to start on the dishes or any other chores. Instead she found a young girl standing by the front door, staring back at her with a vague expression.
"Oh.. Hello.." Alice muttered, walking around the table. "Is there.. something you needed?" She wondered. From the clothing the girl wore were too clean to be an orphans, she wore a red dress with black boots, her dark hair were in curls down her back, her eyes were a dark emerald.
"I was chasing a white cat and seemed to find myself all the way out here. I was wondering if it came inside." The girl glanced around, not moving from where she was standing.
Alice narrowed her eyes down the hall, the giggles and laughter of the children were dim and none seemed to be on the main floor. "I'll check if the children have it." The girl nodded and stayed by the door while Alice headed down the hallway and up the stairs to the second floor.
She looked into the boys dorm room first, they were playing with the blocks by the window, a few were coloring on sheets of paper. "Have any of you seen a white cat?"
They all looked to her, they all had a piece of cardboard tied with a thin rope around their necks, a number was on the front in black bold letters. Alice never questioned this, she didn't want anything disturbing ruining her treatment, so she pretended what was happening was just her imagination.
"Why would a cat be in here?
"There's a cat.."
"Where's the cat?"
They questioned each other, muttering cats and looked under their beds, pushing their clothes from their dressers and simply made a mess.
Alice rolled her eyes, "I was just asking." She moved to the girl's dorm where the beds were perfectly made, however, they sat on the floor, tearing off the dolls heads and clothing, papers of strange drawings were on the walls.
"Have any of you seen a cat come in here?" She asked the girls.
A few looked at her, some didn't. A few snorted and laughed.
"Dr. Bumby doesn't let us have cats.. No cats."
"No pets allowed," Another snickered.
"Don't be daft, Alice. There are no cats."
"Do you still miss Dinah.. Stupid cat."
Alice sighed and walked towards Dr. Bumby's room. She knocked and heard soft words on the other side. She knocked again and when she opened the door. A young boy sat on the couch, Dr. Bumby, an older man with a mustache and tailored clothes sighed at her intrusion.
"There's a girl downstairs looking for a white cat. Have you seen it?" Dr. Bumby sat up straight, tucking the key - he helps the children forget their pasts - in his pocket
"No. There are no pets in this house, Alice. And I haven't seen any since I've been in here working with Jasper, who is this young girl?" He asked, patting the boy on the shoulder and he slid off the couch and walked towards the door. Alice didn't even look at him as he left.
"I didn't ask her name. She looked to be an aristocratic girl, she said she followed a white cat and ended up on this side of the city." Alice felt a sense of familiarity enter her mind, but she pushed it away.
Dr. Bumby sighed, "Alright then. Can you tell Elsie to come in here, please." She nodded and left the room, she called to Elsie, the young brunette wearing a white dress and a glare in her eyes to see Dr. Bumby. The girl rolled her eyes, dropped her toys and headed for the room.
Alice went back downstairs, when she returned into the foyer. The girl was gone. Ms. Rainbird walked into the foyer from the kitchen, a hand on her hip, her teeth clenched. "Hurry it up, Alice, quit dawdling."
"There was a girl here.. Have you seen where she went?" Alice asked.
Ms. Rainbird narrowed her eyes at the doorway, "No. Alice, I haven't seen a girl. Can you get into the kitchen and do the dishes." She screeched which made Alice's heart jump almost out of her chest, she scurried off to the kitchen, at the same time she wondered why the girl would leave, then again, maybe she found her cat and left.
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a/n: Reviews are appreciated. No flames or bashing please.