So, became curiouser and curiouser, have you? Believe me, I know how that is. Everything draws out my curiosity… Pity, though. Curiosity killed the cat. At least, that's what Ches says. He would know. He is part cat, after all. Who knew that being half cat and half human gave you more than nine lives?

I should explain. Or at the very least, introduce myself.

Hello. My name is Alice Celia Turner. Of course, you may call me Alice. I live in Wonderland, though I used to live in the simple country side of England. Life was easy there… I lived in a large house with my parents and my older sister. Mother and Father were kind enough, though very strict. I went through many lessons and rules from when I was young, but they are long gone by now... My sister was lucky (or is it unlucky?) enough to be born first in line, therefore she got to leave before things turned for the worst. When my sister, my dearest sister, went to university, my parents forgot their second daughter. It as though I was a ghost in their home... People said they talked of me all the time, but I didn't believe them.

Tea time was the only time we came together, and even then, they only talked among themselves, treating me as though I was still 8. I mean, I am 19 for goodness sakes! They didn't even care that I hadn't gone to university yet... But oh well, that's the past. I may be 17 forever now… but I am much happier. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I was sick of being ignored, so I started to plan on running away. I knew the perfect time to do it, too. My father was a writer, and he was about to publish a new book. He would be going to London for about a week, and my mother was bound to go out sometime during the day, to tend to our large gardens or to head to the market in the village not to far from home.

The night before my father left, I packed all the things I needed. Clothes, my toothbrush and toothpaste, a flashlight, my phone, my charger and a compact battery to use when I needed. A hairbrush, a few of my favorite books, some random snacks and water. Once I was done packing, my bag was quite heavy, but I didn't mind. I knew I would need this stuff if I had to walk to London. It was a few hours away by car, and even if I could hitchhike, there was a large chance it wouldn't be all the way to where I wanted to go.

I had a plan in my mind. Go to London. Get a job, as small as a waitress if I needed. Live on the street or in one of their many abandoned buildings. Save enough to make rent. And slowly, ever so slowly, gain enough money to do what I really wanted: become a painter. I've had a passion for art when I was young, but it was fed with a few simple lessons then pushed under the rug. My mom wanted me to study and become a teacher, like she once was. My father said I had to be an English teacher, if nothing else. But these weren't my passions. Sure, I enjoyed writing and loved telling stories, but I wanted to do something more. Something that would allow others into my mind, to see exactly what I see through my eyes.

So I waited for my mother to leave for the market. She never said goodbye when she left, but I could hear the door close and lock. This was my chance. I grabbed my bag, and stopped for one last look in the mirror. My dark blonde, almost brown, wavy hair fell in my face. My green eyes were bright against my pale skin. I looked scared. I shook my head and gathered my courage before leaving out the back door. I set my hand on the wood of it, looking up at my old, lovely house. I mumbled my goodbyes to it, then started to walk. I didn't want to go to the road closest to my house, because there was a chance to run into my mom there. I knew there was a road a few fields away, so I started my trek into the vast green hillsides.

After an hour of walking with my heavy pack, I stopped by the edge of a forest for rest. I vaguely remember the forest, as my sister and I would often go exploring here with my father when he needed inspiration for a book. It was wonderful to go out so far away from home. I sat beneath a tree and looked out across the landscape. The hills were bright green, spotted with white daisies swaying in the gentle breeze. It was nice. The temperature was just right, my body in the shade, my legs in the sun. I decided to close my eyes for a bit...

I awoke to a face very close to mine. I yelped, and the man jumped and fell back. I crawled back against the tree, trying to get a good look at the stranger. His shoes were highly worn sneakers with some kind of duct tape around them. His jeans were also worn, with large holes on the knees. His skin there was scarred and pale-pink, and his t-shirt was old and stained with what looked like blood. I got to his face… His pale blond hair was covering his eyes, and his face had a few pale scars. But what I found odd- perhaps scary, even- was two large, pale blond rabbit ears.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I was just... I was walking by and saw you and thought you were hurt and I... I was..." He scrambled to explain, his ears flopped down, hanging in his face a bit. All I could do is stare at him. He eyed my bag beside me before looking at me curiously. "What are you doing out here?"

I looked down at my feet and tried to look for a right explanation. Should I lie? No, it doesn't seem like he is a bad guy... Should I tell the truth?I looked at the boy... rabbit... thing... and weighed my options. It was obvious he wasn't from around here, so what's the harm in relying in him? Maybe he could help
"I'm running away," I say confidently, brushing my dress off. "I needed a change of pace... Now, who are you?"

"Don't worry, I'm not here for harm. My name is Peter... Peter Lepus. You're running away?"

I nodded, looking at the ground, kicking some dirt with my shoe. "I was sick of being ignored. So I took control of my life. That's all"

He ran a hand through his hair, looking at me, a shimmer of understanding in his eyes. "I get that... If... If you'd like, I know somewhere you can go. That is, if you trust me."

For a moment, I thought of saying no. That would be the logical answer… wouldn't it? Perhaps... But, at this point, I had nothing to lose. It was getting dark, and I was still an hour away from the main road. Plus, not many people are driving around here at night, and there are animals... I glanced at his ears.

"I suppose so…" I said, biting my lip, wondering if I just made a mistake. He smiled and held out his hand, his ears perking up. I gasped a bit when they moved. He chuckled a bit.

"Yes, they are real and no, you cannot touch them. I understand that only true rabbits have ears like mine /I nodded quickly and brought my eyes from his ears to his knees, then tilted my head.

"Yeah... Only rabbits have ears like that... Why are your knees so scarred?

"Well... Because of where I live… Come on, I'll show you."

He took my hand as I slid my bag on my shoulder. "Think you can keep up?" He said, smirking at me before darting into the woods. I yelped before running after him, trying to follow his moves. He laughed, gracefully dodging branches and leaping over fallen trees. Eventually I was laughing with him, my heart lifting now that I was with a friend. Just as I started running out of breath, the trees thinned out into a small meadow, filled with different colored flowers. I gasped and he chuckled, heading towards a dead tree in the center.

Getting close to the tree I realized there was a large rabbit hole at the base of it, and I watched as he got on his hands and knees and crawled into it. I stared at it for a while, confused. Where on Earth was he taking me? For a second I became afraid, and thought about turning around. But then I decided that this was just an adventure. I hadn't done much after my sister left, and the thought of the unknown got my heart racing. I got on my knees and crawled inside. The tunnel was dark, and I could barely make out anything, but I could hear Peter quickly scurrying in front of me. I followed the sound, my head telling me to stop, turn around, danger, danger. But my heart and my body told me to keep going. We crawled for a while, the only noises were my breath, heart beat and his scurrying. But, suddenly, I couldn't hear Peter moving anymore. Then a loud sliding noise and a laugh rang through the silence. I crawled forward, feeling the ground slowly slope downward, and, after losing my footing, I fell forward. Planning on stabilizing myself, I put my hands in front of me, but I felt nothing but air. Letting out a loud shriek, I fell down the hole.

Tumbling into ever lasting darkness, I found myself wondering why I followed the boy-rabbit named Peter. Fear struck my heart. Where could he had gone? After what seemed like hours but must have been seconds, I could see light. There were candles and light bulbs sticking out of the walls, glowing brightly, and I could see where I was falling. The hole was large, large enough for me to open my arms wide without brushing the sides, but that's not what I focused on. I could see the ground… No, not the ground. Myself. Falling, screaming, pale, eyes wide… The end of the fall was a mirror? Before I could wonder what this meant, I hit it, but instead of feeling indescribable and impassable pain… I felt as though I had jumped into a cool pool. I wouldn't dare open my eyes, not until I got to the surface. I used all the strength I had to push myself through the water, hopefully in the proper direction.

Just before I gave up, I saw the light, blinding behind my eyelids as I rose to the surface. When I breached the water I gasped, amazed I was alive, frightened of where I was and highly aware of the aching pain of my muscles and the deep burning in my lungs. I finally opened my eyes, and as they adjusted to the light, the sight before me was unbelievable. I was in the middle of a small sized lake, but that wasn't what was spectacular about it. The lake water was a pure sliver, and when the water near me stilled, I could see the reflection of everything around me. My face, the purple-blue sky, the mist filled forest that lined the waters edge.

I could see Peter on the shore, fixing his hair and pouring water out of his shoe, a giant grin on his face. "Ya coming?"

I swam towards where he was and he came out into the water, taking my hand again and helping me into the rocky beach.

"Where… Where are we?" My voice was shaky and rough, my throat stinging slightly when I talked. He winced then handed me my bag, ruffling my wet hair before walking into the mist and disappearing.

"Hey, wait!"

I ran and followed him, only to gasp at the land before me…

Oh dear, I'm late for me and Ches's date with Hatter! I'll have to finish my story later… See you soon for tea!

~Alice~