Lilly Hatter. That was here name. She had found that it had a nice ring to it. Growing up, she had always been curious as to the origin of her father's name. As a child, she had believed, along with the encouragement of her father, that he came from Wonderland. She had always loved the story, and her parents had told her many tales of Wonderland. Lilly remembered meeting an old family friend, someone named Jack, who had visited them before, but both times he had aged a great deal. Lilly's memories of her childhood were nostalgic, missing her childish trust and complete belief in her parents.

At the age of 10, Lilly no longer believed in the lies of her parents. Their fairy tales no longer worked on her. There was no Looking Glass. There was no Ring of Wonderland. It was her parents trying to keep her childlike and innocent from the hurt of the adult world.

Lilly was going to celebrate her 18th birthday this day. It didn't feel very special, but her parents were making a big deal out of it.

"Dad, you do not have to invite Gran!"

"Yes, I do. Your mother would kill me if I didn't."

"I just want to have a small celebration with my family and friends. We don't need to have a big dinner in a hotel."

"Yes, we do. You're an adult now. It's good to celebrate. Too bad that my parents couldn't see you…" Lilly saw her father looking sad and pensive.

"Dad?"

His usual full smile was on his face again, although Lilly knew that he was faking it. "I'm fine. Let's get you ready. Your mother will be back from the dojo any minute and you'll need to be ready."

"Alright! I'm going!"

Lilly went to her room, locking it so that her father would leave her alone. Posters lined her wall, most of them based on books. Above her desk was the poster that her father had painted of his version of Wonderland, along with a map on the corner. She smiled at it, reaching for the most used book that lay on her bedside table. She stared at the cover, hoping, just as she had when she was a child, that she would be able to disappear down the rabbit hole.

Lilly got dressed, and was starting to do her make-up when her mother arrived in the house.

"Open up, Jellybean!"

"Mom, how many times do I ask you not to call me Jellybean!"

"Just open up!"

Lilly got up and opened the door, seeing her mother dressed in one of her relaxed outfits. "You got back early."

"I wanted to help you get ready. Where's you brush?"

Lilly handed her brush to her mother while she went back to applying blush. She loved the feel of her mother brushing her hair, which looked exactly like her mother's. She shared a lot of characteristics of her mother: stubborn, caring, strong, adventurous to a fault, according to her father.

"Mom, you need to get ready."

"I am ready. You wanted it to be relaxed, so I'm relaxed."

"Mom, if I'm wearing a dress, you are wearing one too."

"Fine. I'll get ready."

Lilly reached from the book again and felt some sense of premonition as she looked at the drawing on the cover.