Mia's Note: I've come back with more "knowledge!" And yet I'm still so dumb.

So one thing I'd like to seriously point out is that this story will be based off of the DONTNOD Square Enix game, Life is Strange. It is beautiful, dramatic, saddening, dark, heavily symbolized, and separated in 5 episodes like TWD, in which they're all released! I have NO idea how I'll even tackle those themes into my slowly-improving writing, since I've never really successfully done that before.

And yeah, did I mention? School is a monster. Like.

I've been seriously struggling with just everything. My mind is comprised of millions of scattered thoughts repelling each other, refusing to touch so that my brain might actually explode. Also, I've gotten terrible insomnia and episodes of uncharacteristic depression, so excuse me if some scenes get bleh. Those are just those "what is life" moments.

Lastly, though I wouldn't rate this M, this fic does touch into sensitive matters that might trigger some readers. That is not my intention, so I'm so sorry if you're leaving now—no, come back!

Music: "Undertale" from Undertale

Lildice Della Arc

Prologue Part 1

Alice woke up in a start.

There she was, under a tree, with the branches looming over her figure so that the leaves could cover most of the sun blinding her hazy, cerulean eyes. Her long lashes fluttered into her fuzzy vision, as if she'd slept for an eternity. Head throbbing, Alice Liddell tried to recollect the events, rubbing her delicate hand on her temple in soothing motions.

The world was so out of focus that she initially didn't even notice her legs clad in light denim jeans, her small feet adorning a pair of red flats. When Alice finally brought herself together enough, she froze. She was hit by a wave of confusion, checking over her stomach and shoulders. She wore a tight-fitting shirt striped blue and white with sleeves that reached her elbows, and a long gold necklace that had a crystal heart as a pendant. The memories of Wonderland stirred back gradually, and the pendant reminded her of the vial topper in which she drank the strange liquid inside of it by force… to start the Game.

Alice gazed up at the leaves, and leaned her head back. Her slightly-aching back was up against the trunk oak, and she noticed something strange. Some leaves were browning and reddening, as if it was fall. But it shouldn't have been fall… it was only spring, right? Or summer? It proved difficult to remember when she fell asleep—if she ever did.

Leaning on her thigh was a Polaroid camera, taken out of the slightly-worn brown bag with notebooks thick and thin inside. She took the camera in her small hands, noticed the button on the side, and curiously pressed.

There was a click and a flash, and the camera dispensed a white paper with an image on it. It was the captured image of Alice's puzzled, innocent face, with the photographer making a double take. She was distracted by the three black hair bands on her wrist. Are these bracelets? Alice wondered, squinting at it.

A vision crossed her mind briefly. She was watching the sunset with a boy whose face she couldn't make out clearly, but she heard his voice in her ears, asking her something. "This is beautiful. What do photographers call it?" he had asked.

Alice heard her own voice. "This is the golden hour."

She placed the camera down on the grass and raked a hand through her messy, chestnut locks. When she couldn't feel the bow on top of her head, Alice deemed everything she saw as just another strange dream.

Her head gave in to an abrupt blow of pain, racking her entire body as she messed up her hair again to grasp her mind. Alice hadn't spoken a word since she had woken up, and she wondered if she'd sound different if she talked—as if she wasn't even herself.

"Lildice!"

The pain quickly subsided. Alice was left unsure of what to think.

As her eyes slowly made its way to the figure speeding towards her, her stomach plummeted to the bottom of the sea. "Pet—Peter?"

Peter wore this huge grin on his albino face, his blood red eyes sparkling, but his body resisted his desires to tackle her. He wasn't clad in his red waistcoat, had a wristwatch instead of a pocket watch, wore denim jeans and, most importantly, had human ears on the side of his ears—there was no trace of any rabbit ears on the top of his head.

"Lildice, there you are! It's almost time for your next period, so you don't want to be late," reminded he. "We can go together inside. I have chemistry next, so it's right across your class."

All Alice heard was, "almost time for your next period." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ugh, Peter—you—you pervert," she sputtered. For a second, she was relieved that she sounded like herself.

Peter jerked. "But I didn't say anything."

"And 'Lildice'? I'm Alice. Peter, what the heck?"

"Lil, are you okay? Do you need to rest in your dorm? You seem out of it today—"

"And what is this place? Where am I? Why am I wearing this, and why are you wearing that?"

Peter was bulleted with questions. He was far too winded to answer. "Lil, don't joke around like that," he laughed nervously, scratching at his ivory locks. Alice had to admit, his hair was beautiful, and his white eyelashes could be seen from a mile away in its beauty.

If it weren't for his annoyingly obsessive personality. What a turn-off and a waste of handsomeness.

But now, Alice felt like she was falling down the rabbit hole again. Nothing made sense—the world was spinning, mocking her without having to use words. This itself drove her to end of the not-so fine line between sanity and insanity.

"Peter, you're not—I don't—"

"Lil, you should probably give it a rest," urged Peter worriedly. He offered a hand to her, smiling slightly. "Don't worry about my germophobia. I'll be fine."

Alice stared blankly into Peter's face. He still had his round glasses perched up his sharp nose, his face clean and clear. But his personality seemed so… off. He wasn't obsessive or delusional like he usually was. Was he trying to start over and get her to like him? Or was she just jumping to conclusions too quickly?

"Peter White, is that even you?" she muttered, hesitantly taking his hand and glancing at the ground. She watched as her small feet and long legs stood upright—when was the last time she wore pants?—and then suddenly snapped her head up at their touching hands. "Your hands."

"Um… what?"

Alice grabbed his hands. "Peter, you're not wearing gloves," she incredulously said, turning his large hands around in her palms.

"It's not chemistry yet," he chuckled slowly, thinking that she was joking. Then, he hesitantly yet boldly took her hand, and gently tugged. "Come on, Lildice. You can call it a day. I'll take you back to your dorm room, if you want."

Why is he being so considerate and kind? Alice blushed. It's almost like he could be… someone I could eventually grow to like…

Silently, hand in hand, Peter took Alice to the Lewis Academy girls dorm. He even held her bag for her.

Alice's dorm room told more than enough about "Lildice." There were photos taken on her Polaroid camera neatly taped on the yellowish-beige wall, with titles and dates sharpied on each of them. On the bed were photos of people, mostly those looking at nature or with nature backgrounds. Beside the bed, there was a keyboard with music sheets on the stand, and beside that was a table with a laptop and a small bookshelf with mostly classics and photography books.

There was a tall plant on the windowsill, with the window's light blue curtains half-veiling it. It was such a beautiful sight that on impulse, Alice took her bag from Peter, pulled out her camera, and snapped a photo.

"That's the Lildice I know," Peter sighed in relief. "I was worried for a second."

"Peter, you're not rhyming," Alice realized around. She whirled to meet his eyes, examining his face for a moment. Peter stood stiffly still, smiling and glancing back and forth from her face to the wall.

"You've known me for two years, Lil. Are you mistaking me for someone in your novels?"

"Peter, if that even is your name," Alice began to demand, "are you trying to hold back or something for me? It's really creeping me out."

Peter's confusion found itself at a whole other level. "Wh—?"

Pain seared into Alice's brain. She let out a sore cry, and Peter held her arms to keep her from falling. "Peter," she gasped, clutching to his arms and banging her head at his chest. Peter winced, but refused to tear away.

Then, Alice fell limp.

The next day was Saturday. Alice found that day to be her chance to figure out what was going on, while "Lildice" didn't have to attend school.

The first thing she did was look in her brown bag and examine her notebooks. The first page told her that her name was "Lildice Della."

"Wait a minute," she whispered, pausing for a moment. "Lildice Della… Li, l, d, ice, dell, a… A, l, ice, li, d, dell. Is that my—oh my life."

Why was Alice's "anagram" her identity now?

She flipped through her notes. There were more doodles than class lecture information. Alice soon realized that she was in her senior high school, which didn't make much sense. She was supposed to be in college. Did she get younger?

Scrambling to find a bathroom, to her horror, Alice had to get out of the room. She swore, searching for the picture she took the day before. "Where is it?" she grated in frustration, double-checking her bag. She must've left it outside, under that tree.

Taking a deep breath, Alice sat her butt down and tilted her head back to check the clock. It was 10:30AM, and she was getting hungry. She hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon, but she didn't really care, since she thought it was all a strange dream. She'd wake up in her normal bed, in the Clock Tower, back in neutral territory so that she'd hardly hear a gunshot…

She shook her head blankly. "What?"

Alice took a moment to scan through the notebooks again. One in particular looked more like a journal, with its worn leather cover; its crumpled, colored tabs; its coffee stains and faint hazelnut scent, which reminded Alice of the coffee she used to make for Julius; and the larger, more detailed doodles she drew on the side. There was also an important thing about it to consider: the photographs taped on some pages.

"This is important," Alice told herself, reading the pages more carefully. Each journal entry was dated in green pen, while the writing was in blue. The doodles were done in either yellow or red, which she tried to think about but decided it wasn't worth the energy, and just read the entries.

My Introduction

My name is Lildice Della, and ever since I was small, I knew I wanted to be a photographer.

I've always seen the world through my own lens finder. Maybe it's a way for me to be a part of the world, but at a safe distance.

I have an older sister and a younger sister, both who shine more than I ever could. My older sister, Lorina, was both beautiful and smart, and everyone saw her as the perfect daughter. My younger sister, Edith, was also very smart and successful. As for me, I never really fit in, ever since my mother died. Before she died, she told me not to cry. She told me, "Alice, no tear should fall past your beautiful face. Do you understand?"

Oh, and… my name used to be Alice, but I changed it after mom died. People taunted me with that previous name, so I ran away and changed my identity. I haven't heard from my family since.

Anyway, I don't know why, but I love instant camera selfies. Make fun of me, I know. But just you wait—I'm going to be famous one day. I'll prove to my family that I'm not just an invisible, unwanted face. I'll come back to my father, and he'll actually look at me and pay attention to me for once. Lorina is probably worried sick, but she'll forgive me after I come back with fortune. And Edith will no longer hate me for not crying at mom's funeral. My life will be pieced back together.

July 10, 2013

I got accepted into Lewis Academy! I can't even write properly because my hand is shaking in excitement!

Lewis Academy is a unique and famous private school for—that's right—seniors only. No mean and ugly freshman anywhere! That "Congratulations" note made me scream, ahhh!

The best part about this? No entrance fee, no enrollment fee, no green spent. Not a single penny. I'm feeling amazing!

August 18, 2013

So this is it. I'm leaving my old city of clovers to go back to Arcadia Carroll, my hometown. Usually people go to the high school closest to home. I suppose I am too… it's just that I haven't lived there for 5 years. Out of all the best photography programs in the world, I choose to go to the smallest, back in a town I was excited about leaving.

Maybe I wanted to come back all along, just to see if HE and I are still even friends. But I do wish HE could have moved with us to Clover… that city was made for him! When we would play pirates in our rooms and in the woods as kids, it seemed like Clover was that fabled, faraway island of treasure and adventure that we were always seeking. With coffee shops!

But Clover wasn't like a fable. Au contraire! Now Lewis Academy seems more exotic to me than any other place in the world. To study photography under Mr. Joker… SIGH. Insert hearts and flowers—

—"What the frick," muttered Alice.

Plus, there will be cool diverse students from everywhere. It won't be like my high school now… I never really found a groove with my classmates. Or with boys…

I'm lucky I have a few friends here. But it's time to go!

August 29, 2013

I didn't realize how much crap I had to pack until I packed it. Then, realizing that I'm leaving my friends, though so little, and leaving the city, I cried like a little girl. I'm going to miss Clover City! Crap!

Though, the great thing about moving to a whole other place is that you can start all over. Change your entire wardrobe, your personality—hell, I can get an accent and no one would see through it (if I manage to pull it off).

Bottom line is… I'm looking for something different.

September 2, 2013 12:09AM

I'm in my dorm. This is the night before my first day at Lewis Academy. It feels different, a bit lonely, but I'll be alright.

Lately, life has been so crazy that I haven't had time to take pictures or write anything down since I got here. My crap is in boxes all over the room, which are small but mine, so I'll have to attend to those soon. I'm excited to decorate the wall with my photos! That'll be really fun!

I did bump into some of my dorm mates, and I forgot all of their names, naturally. This dorm was infested with girls of different kinds, and I can already tell who are the "popular" ones and who aren't.

Anyway, I'm tired. Will write tomorrow. Sweet dreams.

September 3, 2013

Lewis is awful. I promised myself I wouldn't whine so soon, but oh my soul… I was so excited this morning like it was Christmas, that I couldn't decide what to wear. So I wore the grossest, most dorkiest clothes ever. And I bet you everyone judged me on that day. First impressions were out of the window of my mind then! Oh God!

I remember when this girl, Crysta Snowpigeon, took one look at my clothes and judged me on the spot. I knew she was this spoiled rich girl when I first looked at her, so there. That's really all I've got.

September 4, 2013

So much time to write, and yet I shouldn't be writing. There's so much work to be done. Lewis shows no mercy, even to newbies.

I probably sounded like a loser yesterday. Well, in the very least, I made a new friend in science class today. His name was Peter White. We exchanged phone numbers and everything. He'd make a great study partner, not that I'd leech on him. He's too nice of a guy, and he's a bit dorky too. It's cute.

But honestly? I thought being 18 meant that the drama life is over. I THOUGHT.

Anyway. Mr. Joker is a calm, cool teacher. He could look like a hipster at an angle. He assigned the class a lot of reading, but I won't complain. I WANT to study them.

Also, Mr. Joker is really cool when he says what he thinks. I think he expects us to do the same, but it's not as easy it is for him as it is for me.

Can I marry him? Just kidding.

September 15, 2013

The teachers should stop trying to grade my work. Homework is kicking me in all sorts of places.

Crysta is apparently an honors student, but she lets it get to her silver head. Her ego can't fit through the door. I get she's smart, but does she have to shove her grades across every face in Lewis?

And then I meet her male clone 2.0: Blood Dupre.

Apparently, the Dupres own Arcadia Carroll. They give sh*tloads of money to Lewis Academy, so Blood literally saunters around like he owns the place. Yesterday during class, he leaned back and texted while the teacher ignored his sick little face.

While I can probably get suspended any time now, Blood and Crysta can act like king and queen that rule the school. Both are part of this "Spades Club" that hosts popular parties I'm never going to go to. I'll never be invited anyway, but I wouldn't go even if I do get invited.

Don't think I hate everyone. I like Pierce Villiers, this cute and shy boy in my photography class. He looks so feminine and doesn't even try to act super manly, which I find adorable. He's ten times better than Crysta, or Blood. You know what? Make that a thousand.

September 23, 2013

I finally took some pictures of Lewis today. This school may be crappy, but its exterior is amazing to behold. The skies were perfect.

Mr. Joker told us about the national "Crown of Cards" photo contest he wants us all to enter. The winner gets a trip to San Francisco and a lot of publicity, which would get anyone a head start if they wanted to pursue a photography career. But I'm scared and screwed over. But at least I have a few weeks until that's due. I think I'll procrastinate!

September 30, 2013

I'm getting this love/hate relationship with Lewis. Keeping up with homework is such a pain! I'm lucky that I have Peter to help me with science and history, at least.

Ms. Vivaldi, my science teacher, is so kind and awesome. She explains things so that even I can understand what she's saying. I can tell she's committed and passionate about life. It makes me actually want to do my work, so that I don't see any disappointment in her face.

I don't know if I'll ever really fit into this school. I feel like a complete background character. But, as my mom always told me long ago, "You have all the time in the world. To make a change, to reach your goals, to fulfill your dreams."

I hope she's right. Love you, mom.

Alice smiled, feeling her eyes welling up. She promptly blinked the blurriness away, and took a deep breath, turning the page. She was met with nothing.

"I don't want to ruin this, but…" Alice tentatively reached for a pen in her bag, popped off the cap, and wrote something down.

October 5, 2013

My name is Alice. I am not Lildice, but for now, I'll accept being called that.

I've woken up yesterday, only to find myself in a whole new world. No one's wearing normal clothes around here. It all looks and feels strange. Since when was I interested in photography? This—magic is amazing and weird.

Apparently, I haven't been with my family a little ways after mother died. I don't know what's happening, but Joker's a teacher, Lildice hates Crysta (who's that?) and Blood, and she also is friends with Peter. She likes Pierce and Vivaldi, and… well, I haven't seen them here yet. I've only seen Peter.

I'm so lost. The only thing that seems to make sense is that I'm not in Wonderland. But even then, I felt like that made more sense than this. Somehow…

I have nothing else to write. Maybe another time. –Alice

When she opened the closet beside the exit, Alice found clothes she wasn't used to. There were loose tops and black tights, denim jeans and soft, wool sweaters. Even the shoes were strange—shoe-laced boots with grey legwarmers? Slip-ons and sneakers? Most of her stuff were either red, black, white, or blue. A few greens and yellows speckled her closet, but it was mostly the aforementioned colors.

It reminded her of her blue dress lined with ruffles at the hem of the skirt and sleeves, and the stripped tights with the red shoes. The memory rushed to her head, and it suddenly felt heavy.

Changing into a black miniskirt with striped tights, a blue, buttoned top that tucked in the skirt, and the same pair of red flats, Alice headed out. She wouldn't normally do this, but for this one time, she had to find Peter.

Mia's Note: The prologue is split into a few parts, since the first chapter would be very long if it were just one. I'll try to get most, if not all of the main characters in within the prologue chapters.

I know this seems like a weak prologue, but I'm really trying to focus on taking the liberties that come with the characters and making them my own in a sense. Their personalities aren't going to be completely parallel with the Life is Strange characters; I'm going to play with that a bit. Take Alyssa for example—I'll have her as a main character in this fic as a Role Holder (I'm not telling who exactly yet ;)).

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this first part of the prologue, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! Let me know if it's confusing, dissatisfying, missing anything important, or if you actually liked it. :)