This is my first ever 'Alice' fanfiction. This story will be loosely based on the original plot of the mini-series, but it will have my own twists and storylines in there.
I wrote this chapter just before I went to bed, so please excuse any grammatical/spelling errors.
Enjoy.

Through The Looking Glass

The high pitched wail rang through the room, echoing off the walls and disturbing the peaceful slumber that he had fallen into. Groaning to himself, David threw his duvet over his head, attempting to shield his ears from the sound, before realising that the irritating noise was coming from his alarm. Reaching out a hand, he slammed the button on the alarm, immediately ceasing the annoying sound. He peaked out from under his blanket, he winced as he opened his bleary eyes, blinking repeatedly until he was able to focus on the clock beside him. 8:40 AM.

Shit! He only had 20 minutes to get ready and get to the dojo on time before his first class. He ripped the covers off of his body, throwing them to the side before practically jumping out of bed. He hurried towards the curtains, flinging them open and wincing at the bright light that attacked his eyes through the window. He groaned, spinning around before all but running towards the bathroom where he slammed the door shut and then debated whether or not he would have time to shower...

Running a hand through his damp unruly hair, he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. He dialled his boss's phone number, putting it to his ear and listening as the tone sounded on the other end. He looked around impatiently, trying to weave his way through the sea of people on the streets of New York. People looked over and glared at him as he pushed passed them hurriedly, some commenting on how he "needs to slow down" and should "get some manners!" David didn't care, for he was already running 10 minutes late. He then decided that having a shower this morning probably wasn't the best thing to decide.

Finally, his boss picked up the phone. "Hello David," his boss's deep voice boomed through his ears as he pushed people towards the side, fighting to get passed them.

"Hey Frank," he panted out his greeting in his thick Yorkshire accent. "I'm just calling to let you know that I'm gonna be a little... um... late." He finished pathetically, wincing at the onslaught that was sure to come.

He could hear a deep sigh on the other end of the phone. "You don't say? You're already over 10 minutes late, Davey," David gritted his teeth at the nickname. Frank had called it him once, and when he had found out how much it irritated the young Yorkshireman, he decided that it would become his little nickname for him. "How much longer are you gonna be? Jessica's trying to stall them, but she isn't doing a good job. Some of the students are getting a little annoyed, Davey. Get your ass in gear! And while you're at it, buy a new alarm!"

He flinched, pulling the phone away from his ear slightly as Frank's voice spat at him. "I'm almost there. I'm just around the corner," he grunted out, finally being able to move from behind a lady who would lose a race against a snail. He hung up the phone, thankful that Frank hadn't gone to the extreme and fired him. Practically sprinting, he ran around the corner, breathing a sight of relief as the dojo came into view. He ran inside, skidding to a stop, cheeks flushed. Panting, he nodded towards Sally who was on the reception desk, before running towards the staff area. He quickly changed into his gi, trying to catch his breath back. Fastening his belt around his waist, he ran into his classroom and nodded in greeting and gratitude towards Jessica.

"You're welcome" she smiled at him, winking slightly before walking out of the classroom and down the hall, over-exaggerating the sway of her hips, which made David roll his eyes. David turned away, apologising to his class, who were glaring at him for being late.

Pulling his coat tighter around his body to shield himself from the chilly air of October, David walked towards his mother's house. The concrete streets were just as busy as this morning, but this time, David was in no rush, considering he didn't have to fight his way towards the dojo this time. It was Wednesday evening, the time of the week where David and his family sat down at his mother's house and had a family meal. His mother had insisted on this happening every week, as she said that she 'missed cooking for him'... David suspected that this was his mother's way of making sure he got a good meal in his stomach, instead of the pathetic attempts of his own cooking. He was an awful cook.

He had moved out of the house a year ago, 4 years after they had originally moved to the US. He lived alone in his own apartment across town, but his younger half-brother, Ryan, still lived with his mother in their little family house.

Walking up the driveway of the house, he smiled as he saw the silhouette of his mother through the living room window. He was home. Grasping the doorknob, he opened the front door and stepped inside, removing his scarf from around his neck, the smell of his mother's delicious cooking invading his nostrils. "Mum, it's just me!" he called out, removing his coat and hanging it up, before taking off his shoes and walking into the living room.

His mother was standing near the bookshelf, putting away various books. Placing a copy of 'Alice in Wonderland' on the shelf, she turned around and smiled at him. "Hello, David". She walked towards him and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a motherly hug. David hugged her back, smiling, before pulling away and asking his mother what they were having for dinner. It was, of course, his favourite – a nice, traditional cottage pie.

His mother, Helena, walked into the kitchen, and then the thunderous sounds of Ryan's atrocious music filled his ears, making David glare up at the ceiling. His brother really did have the worst taste in music... He walked out of the room and towards the staircase, rubbing his temple and trying to block out the sound of Kanye West blaring from upstairs.

"Ryan!" he called up, trying to gain his brother's attention. "RYAN! RYAN, YOU INSUFFERABLE LITTLE DICK!" his mother scolded him for his use of foul language, "TURN IT DOWN!" he screamed. He then sighed in relief when his brother finally turned the monstrosity that he called 'music' off.

His brother bounded around the corner and appeared at the top of the stairs. "No need to get touchy, David. At least my taste in music is better than yours!" he smirked, noticing how David glared at him. He walked down the stairs, travelling into the living room to watch television, while David walked into the kitchen.

After apologising to his mother for his foul language, David began to set up the table in the living room, before helping his mother set out the food. "Ryan, dinner's ready!" his mother called, placing the final plateful of food onto the table. Ryan sat down on one of the chairs, sitting across from David. They ate in peace... mostly, anyway. There was a moment where Ryan decided to bring up the subject of music once more, just to irritate his older brother. It worked.

Both of the brothers helped their mother clean up the table, thanking her for the meal. They all walked into the living room, where Helena grabbed the remote and tried to find something decent to watch. David sat on the armchair, relaxing and stretching his limbs out. His mother and Ryan sat on the couch. They were all watching the television screen intently, focussing on the film that Helena had managed to find.

"Mum," Ryan began, somewhat hesitantly, "can I go to Arizona with Mike and Paul?" he rushed out. His mother turned around to face him, staring at him unbelievingly.

"What? Ryan, don't ask stupid questions!" she exclaimed, staring at him with disbelief. "Mike and Paul? You mean those 18 year old kids that you hang around with?" she asked, trying to remember who these people were.

Ryan glared at his mother, "Why can't I go?" he asked loudly, "And yeah, that's them. They're my friends, mum. It's not like we're gonna get killed, for God's sake!" he yelled a bit louder, turning his head up defiantly.

David chose to stay quiet, and let his brother have his little childish rant. It was usual for Ryan to try and argue with people, but he rarely did so with his mother.

"Ryan, I said no. I don't care who you're going with, or what you're wanting to do there – you're not going and that's that." she said forcefully, "You're not an adult yet. You're 16, you can do anything you want once you're an adult, but right now, you're still a child and I'm the adult. You aren't going off on your own to a state that is practically across the country!" she finished, the tone in her voice showing that that's where she wanted to end the conversation.

Ryan stood up, glaring down at his mother. "I am not a child!" he spat out, making David roll his eyes. "I'll do what I want, and you can't stop me! I'm going with Mike and Paul, and you can't stop me!" he continued on, still glaring at his mother. David began to rise up from his seat, intending to try to calm his brother down. "You're the worst mum ever!" he spat out at his mother, shaking from his tantrum.

"Oi!" David bit out, grabbing Ryan's arm and spinning him around "Don't speak to mum like that, you little brat. Apologise, now!" he shouted in his face, glaring down at his little brother.

Ryan smirked, "No." He said simply, pulling his arm out of David's grasp. He glared up at his brother, who towered over the short boy, showing that he truly was not an adult. Ryan pushed his brother out of the way, shoving him to the side as he ran out of the house.

Looking down at his mother's face, David saw her distraught face. "Mum, he's talking a load of crap. He's a child, a silly teenager. He doesn't mean it," he said to her, giving her a small hug "I'll go find him before he gets into trouble" he told her, before running out of the house after his brother.

"RYAN?" he shouted out into the alley where he had seen his brother run down. "Ryan, where are you?" he called out, squinting in the dark to try and make out where he was. He walked towards the end of the alleyway, where he could see a small amount of light. The cold air enveloped him, and he now regretted forgetting to pick up his coat on the way out, his shirt, pants and boots being the only form of protection against the cold.

The sound of Ryan's yell rang through his ears, and his feet ran towards where he had heard the sound. He heard the yell again, and he pushed himself to run faster, his breath coming out in short pants. He called out, trying to locate his brother, and then he saw it – the men pulling his struggling brother into the back of a large white van.

"HEY! RYAN!" he shouted out, trying to speed up "Hey, what the hell are you doing?" he screamed out as the men closed the door to the van. Once of the men turned around, glaring at David. The other ran to the front of the van and hopped in, attempting to start the engine. David pushed himself to run faster, his body being fuelled by the adrenaline pumping through his veins. The van's engine began, but David was slammed backwards, the wind being knocked out of him, and the van sped off into the distance before disappearing out of sight.

"What are you doing, you stupid oyster?" the man asked, holding David by his collar. The elderly man had an eerie smile on his face, his white hair blowing slightly in the wind. Before David had a chance to say anything, the man stiffened suddenly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small electronic communication device, studying it closely, reading whatever it had written on it. His head snapped up to look at David, before he pulled his fist back and attempted to punch him square in the jaw. Using a simple defensive move, David was able to block the attack and then get free of this man, pushing him back slightly.

"What the fuck have you done with him? Where are you taking him?" he spat out at the old man, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him against the wall. The man smiled at him, before pulling out a small device and shoving it into David's side. He yelped in pain, grasping at where he had been electrocuted.

"None of your business!" the old man yelled back to him as he ran down the alley. David struggled to his feet, breathing heavily, before chasing after the elderly man. He may have had a head start, but being a lot younger than him, David was easily able to catch up, even if he had just been electrocuted.

He could clearly see the man, but in the blink of an eye, he was suddenly gone. All that David could see in front of him was a large antique mirror. He tried to stop his sore feet, but he couldn't. He prepared himself, expecting to feel the cold glass slam against his face as he fell into it and the hard concrete floor as the landed on it. But surprisingly, David didn't feel any of this... but he did feel like he was falling. Opening his eyes, he gasped loudly, gazing at the various swirls of colours that were around him. He was indeed falling – and quite quickly.

He closed his eyes once more, the colours and the motion making him feel quite sick. Then, suddenly, he landed with a thud on something soft. He groaned in pain, pushing his dazed body up. Looking around, he could see what looked like a small grassed patch of floor... and then what looked like a flooded hallway.

"Hello?" he called out, looking around, trying to find some sort of familiarity. In the distance, he could see the dark silhouette of a man step out into the hallway. "Oi!" he shouted to the old man, beginning to run after him. The grey-haired bloke looked behind him, glancing at David, before quickening his pace. "Hey! Wait!" David shouted, trying to get the man to stop. The man just ignored him.

David carried on running, watching as the man walked through the doorway at the end of the hall. Slamming the doors open and running through them, he narrowly avoided falling of the end of what appeared to be a cliff, but when he looked around, all he could see were houses and buildings built on top of very high structures. It looked like they had just built on top of their old houses over and over again. Glancing to his left, David saw the man disappearing behind a corner, and David chased after him, shouting for the man to stop. The elderly man, of course, did not stop.

They carried on running, winding through various buildings and trees. The man seemed to know where he was going. Stopping suddenly, David's eyes opened. He could see Ryan... being dragged by two broad men in black suits. He looked unconscious, and the old man helped them pull him inside of the building frantically. David chased after them, looking at the doors. The logo read "White Rabbit".

A loud rumbling vibrated through David's feat and ears, shaking his body. Turning around, he saw a large aircraft with bright shining lights turning around the corner. Stunned, David stood still, simply staring at the vehicle. It lights shone around him, until one of the beams caught on his arm. He stared, amazed. Where the light had touched him, a small green design appeared, tattooing his skin painlessly. The aircraft continued on, and David quickly spun around and entered the building, pulling open one of the large doors.

Walking through, all he could see was large green plants growing along the walls. Looking down at his new mark, he tried to rub it off, albeit unsuccessfully. Looks like it was permanent. Glancing up again, he walked through the rooms cautiously, trying to find Ryan. He looked behind him, seeing a small lighted entrance to a white padded room. Walking up slowly, he noticed that there was a small table in the centre of this room, with a small glass bottle on it. He picked it up, and read the label that was attached.

"Curiosity," it read, "...killed the cat".

Confused, David placed the bottle back onto the glass table, before casting his eyes around the room. He noticed that there was a small sliding rectangle on one of the walls. Curiosity took over, and he walked up to it, sliding open the metal door.

Looking inside, all he could see were loads of padded rooms, similar to the one he was in, but they all had different people inside. All of which had marks on them. Similar marks to the one that he had just received by the light. He gasped, closing the door and standing up quickly. The door to the padded room closed. David was trapped. Then – the ceiling began to lower, making him get onto his knees. The walls moved closer in, enclosing him in a small white padded box.

One of the rectangular doors slid open, and the old man appeared. "Ahh, couldn't resist, could you?" he asked in his silken voice, smiling slightly to himself.

"Let me out!" David shouted at the man, but the man simply stated that he shouldn't chosen have followed him. He then slid shut the door slowly, before walking away, leaving David alone in his small, white, padded box...