Disclaimer: Nope I do not own Twilight or anything related to Twilight. Accept this story.

Chapter 1

"Can you actually believe that Gucci and Louis Vuitton are paying her to wear their clothes?"

Suppressing a moan, I glanced over my copy of 'To kill a mocking bird' at the little huddle of girls, three desks in front of me. They were the source of my irritation for the last ten minutes. Some overpriced magazine, with smooth glossy pages, lay spread open in front of them. They were discussing someone in the magazine with envy, their eyes filled with desire.

"Clothes are nothing compared to the Porsche she got last week." Jessica commented flipping the page.

"No way" Her best friend, Lauren, whined. "She gets a Porsche for free, while I have to beg my brother to drive me around."

I focused back on my book, trying to force myself to concentrate. Home period was almost over. Soon it will be the start of the last first day of school. Finally, senior year. It felt like forever to reach this point in my life.

"I guess we can't all be Alice Brandon." Angela said next to me.

"Who?" I asked, closing my book with a snap. Clearly, I wasn't going to be able to read it now.

"The girl they are gushing about." She jabbed her chin towards Jessica and Lauren's little gaggle of friends.

"Oh, the little people are important too. Who else is going to buy the magazines the exceptional people appear in?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Being a modern day Serena van der Woodsen might be fun."

"I hope you have a good medical fund, you're going to remove a lot of knifes from your back. Backstabbing comes complementary with the Prada bags."

She grabbed onto my arm and in her best five-year-old whiny voice said, "But you get a free Porsche."

I ignored her pleading eyes. "Great, they can pick you out of the grill of a hummer." I deadpanned. "Or maybe use you in a new don't drink and drive add when you skidded of the road. Then you'll even have your fifteen minutes of fame."

She sighed letting go of my arm. "So what does Angela Weber have that is so great?"

"You have the best thing on earth."

"Which is?"

"Me, duh." Angela just rolled her eyes as the bell rang. We grabbed our bags, before following the mass of thundering students out of the classroom.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

My stomach was literally growling by the time the lunch bell finally rang. After quickly stuffing my books into my bag, I hauled ass to the cafeteria. Emmett signaled me to join him in the food line. Suppressing my slightly guilty feeling for cutting in front of some juniors, I grabbed a try.

"Thanks man. I'm starving."

He just nodded his head. "You are always hungry."

"It's not my fault that I have a healthy appetite."

He eyed the hotdog and fries on my tray. "What about that is exactly healthy?"

"The chocolate milk." I said placing the carton on my tray.

He laughed as we paid for our spoils. We turned to the tables searching for the nearest empty one. We spotted one to our right. "That is a children's drink."

"Says who?" I asked sitting down.

"About all the little children who drink it."

I opened it, popped a straw in and took a long swig. "Well, they have good taste."

Eric and Angela joined us, silencing Emmett from saying what was sure to be a well thought out comeback. Angela pulled her chair out with such force I was afraid she might scrape the linoleum of the floor. Not wanting to get in the middle of Angela and Eric's latest argument, I took a bite of my hotdog.

"What did you do to her this time?" Emmett asked. I kicked him under the table. "Ouch, what was that for."

"Mind your own business." I mumbled giving him a look.

"They are our friends, it is our business." I glared at him giving him another kick. Men are such dunderheads.

"He is right. This pompous ass did!" Angela threw a piece of fish finger at Eric, "Dropped my jacket on my desk during the last period, then he said allowed that I could get my underwear back after school. Everyone, including Ben who was sitting two desks behind me, heard him." Yeah, that will do it.

Emmett's booming laughter made several students look over at our table. I kicked him again, cutting his laughter short. "It's not funny Emmett."

"Then why did he laugh." Eric asked. He could be happy that he was out of my kicking range.

"First of all Eric…" I held up my pointing finger. "You really should stop with your cross-dressing nonsense. You are ruining Angela's game."

He just flapped a limp wrist at me before blowing me a kiss. "I try darling but, the clothes are so pretty." We laughed at his little gay impression. He frowned slightly. "I did that a little to well, didn't I?"

Even Angela laughed this time. "Second of all…" I held up another finger. "You should wait for classes Emmett and I also attend, before you do something like that."

Eric and Emmett laughed but Angela elbowed me in the ribs. "Some friend you are."

"Tell me about it." Emmett commented rubbing his leg. "That last kick was for no reason."

Eric snorted. "Knowing Bella, she enjoyed kicking you on some sadistic level." I just ate my fries ignoring Eric. There was no use in arguing with the truth.

"Almost like the way you enjoy ruining my life." Angela quipped.

"No I don't enjoy that…I love it."

I smiled. This was the only thing that I would miss when we finished school. I would miss my friends and the way we could find the humor in anything. Okay, mostly it was a twisted kind of humor but we soon learned to embrace the weirdness. I pushed my empty try to the middle of the table, half listening to their discussion about the latest 'X-Men' movie. I really had the best friends a girl could ask for.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

I inhaled deeply as I walked into Cakes and Beans. The aroma of coffee and freshly baked pie reminded me of my grandmother's kitchen. You felt right at home, once you've entered the quaint coffee shop. The pay wasn't great but the warm environment made up for that tenfold. The coffee shop was bustling with people as always. The old jukebox was belching an Elvis song. The King was smiling at me from the furthest wall. His portrait was in good company, Nat King Cole, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn to name but a few of the big sized photos that decorated the wall of the retro coffee shop.

Jane sighed with relief when she spotted me. I made my way around the counter smiling at the thin slender girl. "Busy day?" I asked, taking my apron from beneath the counter and tying it snuggly around my waist.

"Isn't it always?" She expertly lifted a piece of apple pie onto a plate. "Take this to table four please."

I nodded placing the plate on a tray. "Sure thing." I checked my pouch to make sure it still contained my booklet and pen. Then, with a smile on my face, I picked up the tray to serve yet another customer.

Everyone in Forks knew that we had the best-baked goods. People would stop in for a warm cup of coffee and a snack before work, during their lunch break, after work, on a date, because they were in the neighborhood, for meetings or whatever else reason they could think of. Esme's baking was just that good.

On my trip back to the counter, I took an order from one of our regular customers. "Doctor Cullen, how are you today?" I asked giving him a genuine smile. The blond doctor had almost every nurse fawning after him but he only had eyes for Esme. Not that she was aware of that.

"A cup of your homebrewed goodness and a slice of…" He paused shifting his head from side to side slightly. Finally, he made up his mind. "Blueberry pie I think."

I smiled writing it down. "Do you want me to tell Esme to bring it over herself?"

He glanced over at the kitchen, you could easily spot Esme through the kitchen portal as she was busy making some fresh pastries. As if feeling someone watching her she looked in our direction. A small line of flower covered her one cheek. As soon as she made eye contact with Carlisle, he gave her a small wave. She waved back and then mouthed the words get back to work at me. I nodded my head and she turned her attention back to her pastries.

Carlisle sighed and with one last longing look at her, he turned his attention back on me. "Maybe some other time, she seems busy today."

I chuckled. "She is always busy." I commented as I walked passed him heading to the counter.

I gave Jane Carlisle's order and leaned on the kitchen counter. "Esme didn't you complain of a sore back the other day. You could always ask Doctor Cullen to help you with that."

Esme removed some muffins from the oven. "Oh it's nothing. I am sure he has better things to do than to look at some old woman's back."

Jane grabbed the percolator, "I'm sure that Carlisle wouldn't mind looking at some other parts as well." She winked at Esme before pouring coffee into a cup.

"I don't know what you are talking about. Now take the dear man his order." She pointed towards him with her flower-covered wooden spoon. "It's why he came here in the first place."

"Esme you are the best pastry chef in Forks but believe me…that man comes here for more than a slice of pie." I picked up his order. "Wait…" I paused with the tray mid air. She placed a brownie with his pie. "Hot out of the oven. Tell him it is on the house."

Smiling I delivered Carlisle's order. "I won't be giving up on her just yet. She has bestowed you with a gift." I placed his order in front of him. His cheeks reddened as he saw the brownie. Leaving him with his own thoughts, I continued on to the next customer.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

It felt like I was on my feet all day long by the time I arrived home. "Dad I'm home." I shouted and he turned down the volume of the TV.

I dropped my bag at the kitchen door and immediately checked what he made for dinner. I only worked on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Charlie covered dinner for those days and I the other four. I opened the Microwave and was stunned to find my favorite meal, marinated steak, baked potatoes and garlic bread. My mouth started watering and I quickly heated the food. As I waited for the food, I grabbed a can of Mountain Dew from the fridge and made my way to the living room.

"Hey Bells, how was your day?" He asked when I walked through the door.

"It's school, can't be anything but boring. Yours?"

"It's work, can't be anything but boring." He smiled at me before taking a swig of his bear.

The microwave dinged and I placed my can on the table. I hurried to the kitchen removed the food, grabbed some eating utensils and was back in the living room before he could even blink properly. "What is the hurry?" He asked as I sat down, already taking a bite out of the bread.

I swallowed. "You made my favorite and I'm starving."

"You are always starving" I just rolled my eyes taking another bite of bread. It was silent while I ate, I was almost done when he picked up the remote and channel served until he landed on a rerun of Buffy. He turned the volume up and settled into a more comfortable position.

I frowned, "Since when do you like Buffy."

He shrugged. "You like it don't you? We always watch what I want to watch. I just thought you would like to watch something that you liked for a change."

I looked at him, then down at my almost empty plate and back at the TV. "Okay, what did you do?"

"What do you mean?" He asked all innocent like.

"You made my favorite food. You are watching Buffy with me. I mean its BUFFY dad. You hate Buffy. Which begs the question, what did you do?"

He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Can't a father do something nice for his one and only daughter?" I just stared at him, not buying his act for a minute. He was as guilty as a rabbit in a carrot patch.

"Do I have to drag it out of you?"

"I didn't do anything Bells."

"Is Sue pregnant?"

"No! Jeez. I'm didn't do anything."

I snorted. "If it walks like a duck and sits like a duck, it is a duck."

He sighed and glanced at his watch. Then, like a guilty kid who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar, he confessed. "The daughter of a friend is going to stay here for a while."

I placed my now empty plate on the coffee table. "How long is awhile?"

"Uh…well…kind of the whole school year."

"What!" I asked in shock. "That's not awhile dad. That is a year."

"Technically it's only about ten months." I glared at him, not impressed with his little comment. "Bella, this is the only place her father could send her. He trusts me to look after her. Here she is away from all the parties, drugs and paparazzo that are thrown in her face on a daily basis."

I did a double take. "Paparazzi? Who is this girl?"

"Alice Brandon. Her father and I go way back. I owe him a really big favor."

Alice Brandon. Like The Alice Brandon? Living under the same roof as me? Living in Forks? Yeah, this will go over well. "When does she arrive?"

As if on cue, there was a loud knock on the door. Charlie and I looked at each other. His eyes pleaded with me. To forgive him, to understand, to not make a scene. Well that might be a tad difficult.

There was another impatient knock. "I guess now." He said getting up. I followed him into the hallway. He opened the door and the shortest girl I had ever seen walked passed him. Her head held high.

"Finally, some service in this place." She had short black spiky hair, an elfish face that was starring at her surroundings in horror, her blue eyes wide. "What kind of establishment is this? I would like to see the Manager, service here is completely lacking."

I raised my eyebrows at Charlie. Clearly, her father did not fill her in on the living arrangements. What the fuck were they thinking, sending someone like her here? Charlie closed the door and smiled at her. "Alice, uh Stefan was supposed to… uh tell you this. You will be… uh staying with us. In our home."

Alice stared at him in disbelieve. "What are you talking about? Father would never do a thing like that?"

Without meaning to, I snorted. She looked at me, more like looking down on me. I cleared my throat. "I'm sure if you called "father" he'll explain everything to you."

"Oh, I will do just that. There is no way that I'll be living in this…" She looked around her again. "Well… in a place like this." What was that supposed to mean? Snob much bitch?

She lifted her handbag that had been dangling on her arm and after almost plunging her whole arm into the thing, brought out her phone. She literally jabbed at the key pad and lifted the electronic device to her ear. It rang loudly in the silence that surrounded us. After the fourth ring, someone picked up. "Daddy, what is the meaning of this." She got right to the point not even greeting her own father. "These people cannot be serious. They say that I'm supposed to stay with them. Tell me that…" A loud voice interrupted her little rant. "But you can't…" She paled. "Fine." She disconnected the line. She straightened her shoulders and turned to me. "I shall require someone to get my bags from my car. When you take it to my room, please make sure that my room is heated. I shall be there in a few minutes."

I chuckled, shaking my head slightly. Biting my lip not to say anything I walked to the kitchen and picked up my discarded schoolbag. Then I looked over at Charlie. "Father, I shall leave this to you." I mimicked Alice's tone almost exactly. "I have homework to do." Without as much as a glance in her direction, I walked up the stairs and to my room, making sure to slam the door behind me.

I leaned against the door making it easier to hear Charlie's voice even though the door muffled it. "I'm sorry for that, Bella had a long day. She's not usually like this." Why the fuck is he apologizing to her? She was the one giving out demands as if she was the queen of England. Talk about being disrespectful.

"Charming I'm sure." Alice replied. "Which way to my room?"

"Uh…oh yes. Just up the stairs. It's the last door on your left." The loose stair creaked as she made her way upstairs. Ungrateful little bitch. "I guess I'll go get your things then." Charlie said asked.

"Unless you expect me to fetch it myself?" I jumped as her voice sounded right outside my door. I suppressed the urge to open the door and let it whack her for talking to Charlie like that.

The front door opened and closed. I could hear Charlie muttering something through my open window. A door down the hall opened followed by a loud gasp. "Of all things that are holy, surely they don't expect me to sleep in this broom closet? No surely not." There was a loud bang, as a door slammed shut. "What lies behind door number two?" Another door opened. "Well at least it's not a broom cupboard."

The front door opened and I heard Charlie curse loudly. Several bangs resounded through the house as he made his way upstairs. "What took you so long?" She inquired from down the hall.

"Ungrateful little wretch." Muttered Charlie as he stumbled passed my door. I chuckled softly.

"Would you open the door please?" Charlie asked out of breath.

"No, no. They go in here." There was silence. Then several bangs as heavy objects were placed on the floor.

"Uh, that is my room Alice."

"I'm sure you said the last door to the right."

"Nope, I said the last one on the left."

"Well either way I prefer this one. It has the bigger bed."

"Alice…" In my minds eye I could see how Charlie pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to control his temper. "That is my room and that is final."

"You don't really expect me to sleep in that little broom cupboard do you, I'm not Harry Potter." Thank Merlin for that. Otherwise, the wizarding world would be in deep trouble. Voldemort would win for sure.

"Who?" Charlie asked slightly taken by surprise. I giggled and decided to take pity on him. I opened my door and poked my head outside.

"He sleeps naked in that big bed you are so fond of, sometimes even without showering. Do you really want to sleep in something like that?"

She looked at me for three heartbeats, then grabbed the nearest bag and disappeared into the guestroom. Charlie gave me a grateful smile and carried the rest of her luggage into the room. "I took the liberty of enrolling you at Forks High. School starts at nine, Bella usually leaves a little after eight. I'm sure she won't mind giving you a ride."

Oh sure, can I run her over while I am at it? When it was clear she wasn't going to reply, he closed the door and made his way toward me. "Did Stefan save your life? This is not a favor. Medieval torture would even be a better option."

He glanced back to the guestroom door. "She is just acting out. I'm sure her attitude will change soon enough."

"I won't hold my breath if I were you."

He gave me his hundred-yard look. "Don't you have homework to do?"

"Okay I get it, end of discussion."

"Smart girl." He commented as he headed back downstairs. I closed the door and on my way to my bed grabbed 'To kill a mockingbird'. Making myself comfortable against my pillows, I began reading. Escaping this craziness, we call life.

Alice in Wonderland.

I have been exiled. Living in a place that seems almost like a different world. No one understands me, understands what I've lost. How could they? I can never live like this. I need to get out, to escape. I have a plan. Drive my fellow housemates insane and they will have to send me back. I have a feeling the old man will break first. The Red Queen on the other hand is a real piece of work. However, I'll get her to crack. One way or the other. Eventually everyone does. I just hope that this strange new way of things does not drive me insane first.

Comments:

Flirty - Honey, I'll save you from that crazy place. Then we can live in my castle, where you can have your every hearts desire.

Bear - By castle, you mean the basement in your mother's house. Yeah that is very romantic. No, you just hang in there. Seems like you have had a change in scenery. Look out the window, you might find that you like the view.

Glasses - I agree with Bear, change isn't always bad. Give it some time, maybe you'll even like it.

Muscles - Do not listen to them. Give those people hell. Then take back what is rightfully yours. I can come beat those people up if you want.

Blondie - Exile huh? Sounds like you're in some shit storm. Exile is for those who did something wrong. Did you stray from the narrow path? You know what they say, every bitch for themselves out in the big bad world.

Dork - Boohoo, live is not fair. Blah, blah, blah. If it rains on your party bust out the soap.

Glasses - The soap?

Dork - Foam party…duh. Jeez, Glasses get a live.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

A/n this story has been swirling the gutter that is my brain for some time now. Finally, I can get it out. The Alice in Wonderland part is a blog that Alice keeps and it is crucial for the story later on.

That is all she wrote…until next chapter.