She'd been in and out of the mental hospital a few times, Alice had. They'd release her thinking she was better and then something would happen again later on and she'd be sent back. She told me once why, but I couldn't believe what she told me, it just proved that she is bonkers. Alice said that she faked that she didn't believe in the magical wonderland, of which she made up because there's no such thing, so that they would release her thinking she was fine and they would. Alice would get so tempted to go visit Wonderland by jumping in a hole in the woods and she claimed that she had. She would come home after a few days of missing acting weird and would claim to have gone to wonderland and my dad would send her back. She was returned last week and the doctor said she won't be returning for years if at all because it's a psychological problem that has not been solved and will take a lot more to solve if it can be. They have diagnosed her with schizophrenia and that makes this all make sense.

That day Alice entered the house crying hysterically and my father got her to sit down with him and explain. I stood in the doorway to hear everything, of course.

"Alice, what is it?" He asked, worry in his voice.

She shook her head, looking down so that you couldn't see her face. Father reached for her hand and she pulled away.

"Look at me, Alice," father said and when she didn't he lifted her chin with his hand. She looked a mess, her eyes pink and puffy and her face was white as snow. She was still crying but not as hard as before. "That's better, now I asked you a question and didn't get an answer."

She shook her head, crying harder now. "The mad hatter…dead, decapitated by the…heartless bloody queen…" She looked down again.

I feared for her then, knowing she was on about Wonderland again and that she was soon going to be sent away again.

Father gave a sad sigh and shook his head. He slowly pulled out his notebook from his coat pocket and a pencil and flipped a few pages. It was a journal on Alice when she's losing it to mark what she thinks she saw or heard, Alice's doctor requested for it.

"Yeah, Alice? Did you see it for yourself?" He asked.

"No," she said, her voice less shaky. "The white rabbit…told me. He's always…late, but not really…"

"Where'd you see this rabbit?"

"In the woods. He led me there and told me."

"I see…"

Alice looked up at him and panicked. "You don't believe me, you think I'm crazy and you're going to send me back!" She started to rise.

"Alice, wait."

She didn't run but didn't sit. "What?"

"You're entirely bonkers…But all the best people are…"

She gave a small smile. "And I'm so sorry love." and then it all happened so fast. He pulled her down to the ground and she kicked and screamed and cursed as he pulled a needle filled with iodine from his pocket. He always carries that around in case of times like this, it calms her down and puts her to sleep. He wrestled the crazed Alice. "Ophelia, help," he said, struggling.

I jumped at my name being called, shocked he knew I was there, but I didn't dare just stand there. The sight of this made me go bonkers myself, it was horrible and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Tears escaped my eyes as I approached them. "Hold down her arm!" he exclaimed, struggling to keep her down.

Alice looked up at me with a face I've never seen before, I face I wish I hadn't. This would be the first time I had a part in sending her away, and I didn't want to. "Don't you help him, Ophelia," She yelled, still fighting. I was hesitant. "We can run away to Wonderland together and leave this cruel world behind!"

That gave me the courage to do it, I was done with this wonderland nonsense and clearly she needed to be sent away. "Ophelia, now!"

I gave her a look of apology. "Because I love you," I choked out before pinning her arm down.

She screamed the loudest at this moment and kicked harder and tried to move her arm and I was struggling to keep it down. "Screw you! Screw you both! I'm not crazy! It's real, Wonderland is real! And next time I go I won't return, screw you!"

He shot the iodine into her arm and her movements slowed. I let go of her arm hovered over her, my tears rolling off my face. "It's all in your head, we're going to get you better," I said and I held onto her hand.

"liiiees," her words were slowing too. "Yooou…don't see…it be…cause you…don't try."

"Trying won't open a magical world, Alice," I said to her.

"When I…most need…an escape…Wonderland's there for me."

"Yes, in your head. You've created Wonderland in your head as an escape, it's not real," I explained to her.

"Don't visit me in…the hospital…Ophelia."

That stabbed me like glass. I never wanted this, her to hate me, no matter how crazy she is she's my sister, my best friend. I swallowed hard, released her hand and walked away.

I did visit her though, once. And she was still angry with me. I walked into her room, it being only us two, and she said, "You came like I knew you would. You helped put me in here when I'm not even crazy, I don't belong here_"

"Alice, I_" I interrupted her but she kept on going.

"I trusted you, I thought you'd be the only one sticking up for me but I was wrong. No one believes me, if only you'd give me a chance to show you but now I'm in here and the hole is out there."

"I did what I had to," I defended, "You can trust me, I'm with you Alice. No matter how crazy you get_"

"I am not crazy!" she yelled at me.

"Alice, it slipped, I didn't mean to_" I stuttered apologetically.

"I know you think I'm crazy, like everyone. You never had it in you to say so, but you've thought it all along. You're with them because you're just like them, now go." She looked away in disgust.

I sighed. "Yes, Alice…I do think it – but for good reason! This wonderland is something you'd read in a fairytale. You have schizophrenia, it's in you're head_"

"I think I'd know the difference between something in my head and reality," She shot at me harshly. "It feels real because it is. There's even smells, that's not in my head. And these people, you think I've made up all of them and the stories? – Whatever, it doesn't matter because you nor anyone else is ever going to believe me and I will spend my whole life locked away in here if I don't return to Wonderland and stay because it's real and I'll always believe so therefore things will never change." She looked out the window. "The only problem is getting out of this prison."

I still didn't believe it of course but if I just pretended to…I don't know, it's worth a try. "Fine. I believe you."

She looked back at me, shocked. "You do?"

"Well I'll give it a chance. I'll break you out and you'll take me there and when I see it I'll believe it."

A smile spread across her face, mischievous. "Finally came to your senses, sister. Now how are we getting out?"

I thought hard. "Well…You're the one with all the good ideas, you tell me."

She sat quietly for only a few seconds before smiling. "We just run. They can't stop us if we do and when we get to Wonderland we're safe."

I was hesitant to that because I still didn't believe in it and I'd get in trouble if I was seen breaking her out. "How about you run first and I run like I'm chasing you down?"

"Yes," She laughed excitedly and stood up and grabbed a bag with a few things. "Okay, follow my lead…Run fast and don't stop until I do, got it?"

"Got it," I smiled nervously at her.

She opened the door and bolted. I guess that was my cue. I ran after her, a little far behind, but not too much. She ran into a nurse but kept going. "Hey! Stop – somebody stop her!"

I laughed, the adrenaline rising in me. It was going good so far until the alarms went off. Alice made a quick turn to the left and I followed hoping she knew her way. I looked behind me and there were two doctors following us. I heard one of them say, "That's Alice Kingsley! She has to be stopped, she's lost her head!"

"Go to Wonderland and you'll lose your head too if you rub the red queen the wrong way" she shouted back and she laughed, enjoying messing with them because they thought it was all in her head but so did I.

There was a nurse in front of us far down the hall with no turns. "This ends now, ladies."

"Alice!" I panicked.

But she was quick to think, she didn't stop running, actually knocking the nurse to the side. "Way to go!" I called after her.

"Thanks!" she called back.

The doors were right ahead, we were almost there – when a white rabbit with glasses and a clock walked through them. I stopped, paralyzed with shock. Alice turned to look at me. "Oh, seeing things Ophelia? Like a whit – Ophelia?"

Yes, I was seeing the white rabbit from her stories and that was the last thing I saw before blacking out.