Alice was perfect. Long blond curls and rosy cheeks, soft skin that was warm to the touch, rose-red lips, and bright blue eye that sparkled with life and joy. She was sweet, and had so much charisma, that it seemed impossible that such an amount could fit into the small girl. She was loved, by her parents that showered her with affection, by her tutors that deemed her brilliant, by the boys in the village, who day dreamed about marrying the beautiful Alice. Yes, she was indeed an ideal child, a perfect child. Gwendolyn hated her for it.

Gwendolyn was far from perfect, and people often thought it was a joke when they found out she was Alice's sister. Gwen was so different from her elder sister, such a complete opposite that people were positive that such a sweet girl like Alice couldn't have such a rotten sibling. Gwen's black hair that was cropped to her chin, a defiant angled line as it went shorter as it reached to the back of her head, and yet, it was always scruffy. Her lips were not as full as Alice's, and were often placed in a frown, the facial position seemingly stuck. Her skin was pale, as she didn't like to go out in the sun, since she was always too tired. Her eyes didn't twinkle blue, but instead a cool green, a quiet yet secretive glance she was infamous for. Her parents didn't love her, and the boys preferred to stay their distance from her, since Gwen was not a girl to be crossed. Her tutors had been separate from Alice's, and had often left the Liddell residence in a rage, claiming that they refused to teach a stubborn child, who refused to listen to what they said and preferred to keep her nose tucked in a book of fairy tale nonsense.

It was one of these incidents that happened on that warm, Sunday afternoon. Gwendolyn's parents attempts to calm the tutor were heard even in the library where Gwen sat, lazily turning the page of her novel. A few more screams were audible, a curt; 'Good day', and then the sound of a slamming front door. Silence, then a flurry of angry footsteps, as her mother burst open the door of the library, Mrs. Liddell's beautiful face set into an image of annoyance. "Pleased, are we?" she said, crossing the room to the raven-haired girl. "Do you enjoy embarrassing me?"

"No," Gwen said in her tone of mock innocence. "I simply disagreed with her." Her eyes flickered away from the book and into her mothers blue eyes that had been inherited by Alice. Most of Alice's features had come from their mother, while Gwen apparently gotten her odd appearance from her great Aunt Helen, who had been known for her rebelliousness, and unwise adventures. Gwen liked her great aunt Helen, even though she had never met the woman. Helen seemed like the kind of lady who wouldn't follow her husband like a little dog, more like she would have made her husband follow her around.

"Gwendolyn, I've had far too much of this attitude." Mrs. Liddell said, her tone going up all high and nasally; a sign that Gwen had really gotten to her. "You need to stop this rebellious act of yours! You HAVE to become the lady you were meant to be, and that means listening to your teachers, stop reading that fantasy nonsense, and for goodness sake stop wearing pants!" Gwen looked down at the men's trousers she wore, a pair she had found up in the attic, belonging to god knows which dead relative. They were slightly moth-eaten, and a just a tad tight around her calves, but that fact was hidden because of the boots that laced up her leg, ending several inches below her knee. She blinked, then returned her attention to her fuming mother.

"No can do, mother." she said lazily, lankily rising from the armchair and walking past her, opening the door as she was about to leave. She had had enough of her mother, and she felt the headache coming on. "So sorry that I'm not like Alice," she said softly, before leaving the library and walking quickly to the front door door.

"IF ONLY YOU WERE LIKE ALICE!" Her mother screamed after her. "I WISH THAT ALICE WAS MY ONLY CHILD, SO I WOULDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOU AND YOUR ARROGANCE!"

Gwendolyn didn't hear a word, she had already slipped outside.

It was her least favorite weather; sunny. Bright light that irritated her eyes, and the heat that felt itchy. Her legs quickened their pace as she desperately ran into the trees, their cool shade welcoming. She leaned against a tree, her back sliding down it's rough bark as she settled on the ground, watching the green leaves flutter as one fell to the ground. Idly, Gwen picked it up, looking at the lines that ran through the leaf, the green slightly impaired by the brown that signified autumn was near. Gwendolyn loved autumn, and winter even more. She adored the long nights of staying up and reading, the hot apple cider that the kindly maid brought up in the evening, and the glorious colors of the leaves that exploded in the tree. Contentedly, Gwen sighed, leaning against the tree and letting her eyelids flicker closed, drowsiness from the afternoon too much. A few seconds later, she was dead asleep.


"Excuse me…. miss? I'm looking for… oh for pete's sake, EXCUSE ME!" Gwen's eyes flew open with fright as something jabbed into her stomach, knocking the air out of her. She coughed, then gasped for oxygen. "I'm sorry, that was little rougher than I intended. My deepest apologies."

Her eyes snapped to the man that was crouching beside her, his face a few inches from her as he judged whether she was all right or not. His pale blond hair fell in soft waves down his cheek, and he was dressed in a red suit, small hearts embroidered on his cuffs and neck. He smelled as if someone had gone hog wild with perfume, and he had ended up in all of the flowery havoc, which, in more simpler terms, meant his scent did not appeal to Gwen. "I'm looking for a miss-"

"Alice is inside." she snapped, interrupting him. It wouldn't be the first time she had caught desperate suitors who had wandered into the Liddell estate in hopes of finding the blond beauty. You could imagine the disappointment and fear they had felt in finding Gwendolyn instead, causing her to be angry when they bothered or annoyed her. "And if you are that inclined to ask for her hand, you'll have to get in line." She rose to her feet, brushing off the dirt that had accumulated. The man stood as well, and looked at her curiously, his gaze causing Gwen to shift uncomfortably. She sighed. "I'm sorry, but Alice has already got her eye on someone, and she has enough suitors as it is…"

"I'm sorry… but I'm afraid you have the wrong idea." He said, smiling and rubbing the back of his head. "I'm looking for her sister, do you know her?" Gwen lost all sense of sympathy for him, and a frown plastered itself onto her face.

"Go away." she said in a rude tone. She gave the man one final glare before turning on her heel and heading back to the house. She had had enough with this creeper. Or he was just playing some practical joke.

"Oh, please, miss! It's of the utmost important that I speak to Miss Alice Liddell's sister!" he called after her and ran to catch up. "She is very, very, very, very much needed."

"Go away. I don't want to talk to you." she repeated, firmer this time. The man snatched her upper arm and held her there, Gwen being unable to pull away from him.

"Are you miss Gwendolyn Fey Liddell?" he asked, his eyes sparkling as he finally understood. Rolling her own eyes she nodded. He let go and clapped delightedly. "Oh my, they'll be so pleased." He reached into his jacket, and pulled out a small mirror, looking into it. "Found her." he said happily. Gwendolyn frowned. Who the hell spoke to a mirror, besides very vain people? This man was clearly insane. She took a small step backwards, hoping to leave unnoticed, but he saw the movement and quickly grabbed hold of her again.

"Let go, let go, let go!" she screamed, pushing away from him, but he held the mirror in front of her face. Her anger momentarily forgotten, she gazed into the mirror, surprised to not see her reflection, but an image of a house in the middle of the woods. She leaned a little closer when she thought she had detected a movement in the picture, but some strange force pulled her in, letting her fall and fall and fall, deeper into the darkness. Was she still dreaming? Was this the effect of reading so many fairy tales? She didn't know, but Gwen didn't like the sensation at all, and she was panicking, desperately reaching out for something to latch onto. There was none, and sudden realization that Gwen would die crashed upon her. Her mind starting to shut down, Gwen uttered the two words that would most likely be her last.

"Oh fuck."

And then, dark silence consumed her, Gwen gratefully slipping into unconsciousness.

a/n;

Aha. My first fanfiction EVER. I'm not normally so good at keeping to the story usually, and it typically ends up very, VERY different then what most people have in mind. I know that the main character isn't Alice (forgivemeforgivemeforgiveme) but I usually like to have OC's to bend and twist to suit my odd mind. I'll try and get next chapter on PRONTO.