Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. All I'm doing is mixing Stephenie Meyer and Lewis Carroll's characters in Tim Burton's world while adding a dark splash of my own imagination.

Chapter One: Escape

It began as most stories do—once upon a time, of course.

Alice Brandon was getting ready for a luncheon in Cambridge that she had to attend with her mother, albeit she did so reluctantly. If she had the option to skip it, Alice would, but, alas, she didn't have any say in the matter.

Having that in mind—and given her natural unruliness—Alice designed and tailored her own tea dress. Although, to be honest, it looked more like an underdress or petticoat because ofits ruffled skirt and the cream cotton it was made of. The garment's fitted-bodice design showcased her body perfectly, but its quilted cups and waistline, which had a garter belt shape, accentuated her curves even more. Another thing that would highlight her attributes was the deep blue, leather corset she'd wear over the dress. It was a corset holster that had three adjustable buckles in front, above and below the bust.

Dressed in only her underclothes, Alice proceeded to put on her stockings and shoes. She took her checkered hosieries and slipped them on her legs until they reached her thighs, fastening them with the garters that fell from her full girdle. Alice then took a seat on a stool by her vanity, pulled on her black leather boots, and tied them securely.

As she went in search of Rosaline, the Brandon's maid, Alice contemplated how she'd convince Rosaline to help her get clothed. Although that was actually a regular task that Rosaline performed, Alice knew that Rosaline would be wary of how Mrs. Brandon would react.

Once Alice had managed to get Rosaline to enter her room, it took a lot of pleading to get her to accept assisting Alice when Rosaline saw the clothes Alice planned to wear. Having expected it, though, Alice didn't hesitate to beg since she would do anything to get what she wanted. Rosaline was quiet as she slipped the dress over Alice, and then tied and adjusted it until the fit was just right. When she was securing Alice's corset, Rosaline finally broke the silence.

"Your mother is going to have a conniption when she sees you dressed like this, Miss Alice," Rosaline chastised, as she tightened the laces on the corset. "Where did you even find this awful thing?"

Alice chuckled. "With the corsetier, of course; all I had to do was flash Whitlock a smile whilst I told him that it was part of a costume I planned to wear for the ball on All Hallows' Eve."

"Oh, that poor boy!" Rosaline chortled. "You've made a fool out of him once again."

Alice shook her head. "I wasn't entirely lying to him, Rosaline; this is a costume after all—it's just not for that ball."

Rosaline sobered upon hearing Alice's words. The small, yet playful, banter that had been shared between them dissipated just as quickly as it had started. "Why do you say that, Miss? Do you think that all of this is a joke?" Rosaline inquired as she motioned to the clothes Alice wore.

"No, Rosaline, it's not," Alice replied softly, "although I truly am tired of being told what to do and how to behave."

"You're not the only one that has to deal with that, Miss Alice," Rosaline murmured. "It's the society we live in which determines what is appropriate and what is not."

"And my mother is always trying to fit rightly into that wretched society, Rosaline," Alice sighed. "I wouldn't doubt that she's seeking a suitor for me already."

Rosaline looked down, nodding. "I did hear her and Mr. Cullen discussing the possibility of you and his son getting more acquainted with each other at today's luncheon."

"I knew it!" Alice exclaimed. "There's no better reason to look more like a harlot than a maiden at that event. God forbid that I end up being engaged to the nerdish Carlisle Cullen today, otherwise."

An uncharacteristic laugh escaped Rosaline's lips. "Oh, Miss Alice, you truly are awful."

Alice grinned, winking. "I'm as awful as it gets, Rosaline. Don't you forget it."

"I won't," Rosaline said, chuckling as she shifted Alice's hair from over her shoulder down to her back. Alice's long, dark tresses fell down in waves, contrasting with her pale skin. Rosaline threaded her fingers into it, as if combing it, before she stepped in front of Alice. "I think I am all done here, Miss Alice. Well, unless you need me to help you with anything else, that is."

Alice shook her head. "No, that would be all, Rosaline. Thank you so much for your help."

"You're welcome, Miss Alice," Rosaline replied. "Good luck with Mrs. Brandon."

"Oh, I'm afraid that I'll need more than luck for my mother to allow me to leave the house looking like this, but I truly do appreciate your sentiment," Alice said glumly, fully aware that it would be next to impossible to get away with her plans for the evening.

Rosaline nodded, exiting silently as Alice moved to sit by her vanity again to begin selecting a few cosmetics that she'd apply to complete her attire. She applied a rouge color on her lips and then lined her eyes in black before applying Maybelline cake mascara to darken her lashes and brows, making her features prominently stand out. Alice stood from her stool and moved to stand in front of her full-body mirror, twirling in front of it as she rejoiced in seeing how beautiful she looked.

When she finally stopped, Alice looked at herself closer.

Something was missing.

As Alice scrutinized her getup, she realized that she needed some type of adornment on her head, as well as her ruffled fingerless gloves. Deciding that a hat was what she required for her hair, Alice walked to her armoire to retrieve it along with her cream lace gloves. She selected a small black hat from her vast collection, and then returned with both items to stand in front of the mirror.

Alice slipped her gloves on and then parted her hair to the side before putting on her hat. As she secured it on her head, Alice thought of the Mad Hatter—a friend she'd made in her childhood when she traveled to a land that many claimed only existed in her head. Alice had pleaded for everyone to believe that she'd actually been to Wonderland, but, of course, having been only a young girl, everyone dismissed her notions. It didn't matter to Alice, though, because that trip, and everyone she'd met there, were true—from the floating Cheshire Cat to the angry Queen of Hearts.

Alice had arrived at Wonderland, as its residents called it, after following a white rabbit down a hole, and then was suddenly suspended in the air, falling down a dark abyss until she reached the bottom. There was a long tunnel ahead of her which she followed until she entered a long hallway that lead to a circular room. Once there, Alice explored it, noticing a small door on the bottom. She had no idea where it led, and being too tall to pass through it, Alice couldn't find out.

Luckily for her, there was a table in the center of the room which had a key to the door as well as a bottle with a potion that made her shrink. Howbeit, Alice was unaware of its effects, and simply imbibed it after reading the label on the bottle which read "Drink Me," and subsequently discovered that her size changed as it occurred. When she tried to reach for the key, however, she realized that she'd shrunk overmuch, but, as if it had all been planned beforehand, she found a small piece of cake by a foot of the table.

The frosted bread was inside a small glass case with the words "Eat Me" written in icing on its top, and it was after taking a small bite of it that Alice converted to a suitable size to pass through the door. When she finally managed to get to its other side, Alice encountered a world that left a very strong impression on her. She remembered it so vividly that, as Alice looked at the reflection in her mirror, she imagined that she could see it there in great detail.

A longing to escape her reality bloomed in Alice's heart, especially because she was dreading the discussion she would definitely have with her mother as soon as she saw her. Sighing, Alice pressed her hand to the glass, willing it to cross into the dimension where Wonderland existed. The desperation to achieve it must have been such that Alice was certain she was in fact accomplishing her goal, encouraging her to perform the same action with her other hand. Her right leg followed next, and then her left, until she had ultimately entered the universe that had brought so much joy to her as a child.

What do you think of Alice? She's a Steampunk babe in my eyes! You can check out the inspiration behind her characterization on the Heavy Red clothing website by Googling "Alice en deshabille costume." The first link that shows up in the results should take you directly to the visuals for her outfit in this chapter.

Thanks for reading! ;) Hope you like the beginning of this crazy adventure.