Wolf among the Sheep

Disclaimer: I do not own Heart no Kuni no Alice nor their characters

A/N: Originally I decided on Rated M but I discovered I wasn't very good at dark themes. Without dark themes like murder it's safe to say this will be Rated T

Update: I also finished making new cover page featuring (from left to right) Edith, Alice and Andrew! I hope this will immerse you into the story better ^_^

I haven't written an actual story so I decided to cross that out of my bucket list, right now my priority is making a story I can enjoy :D It doesn't have to be liked but it would make me happy just to see some people enjoy it like I do

Apologies if characters are out of place but this is the version I enjoy ;;u;; / I hope you will enjoy these versions of the characters with me, don't worry it's not going to change their overall personality.

Prologue

Alice Liddell fell in love with sword fighting 4 years ago and soon it turned into a passion. When university got to her head, when the pressure of being the club president got too much but most of all it was where she could release all her bottled emotions. She considered herself a worthy daughter to the Liddell family, but that itself was only a thought that kept her from losing her sanity in her University.

She had an above average grades, a fairly high position in the student council, a position as the president in the newspaper club, a great reputation and she was never short of friends. She had a wonderful older sister as a role model and a little sister who looked up to her while supporting her till the end. There was no way she wouldn't set an example. She wasn't as popular with the opposite sex but she knew her worth. She believed with all her heart that she was special and because of that she was able to achieve so much in life.

Yet, there was something else missing inside of her and it that tiny thought started to manifest itself within her mind 5 years ago.

Five years ago, Alice had agreed to play cards with her sister Lorina but dozed off into sleep from all the waiting. When she finally woke up, dreams and visions started invading her mind. She felt like it had already happened. Visions of people, places and events from another world, and she was fairly certain it was more than a dream. It almost seemed like…they were memories.

She wanted to know so much what had happened on that day, it drove her insane. Lorina simply dismissed her thoughts convincing Alice it was just a dream. Although Edith would humor her by adding in other fantasy details, Alice knew Edith thought she was making it all up. She didn't try to bring it up with her parents. Who knows what they'll do, they might even suggest visiting a therapist. Alice didn't like the idea one bit. It was then she found solace in martial arts and sword fighting after one of her colleagues invited her to a mock battle.

Alice decided to pursue it...not after getting a taste of utter defeat on her first match.

She was willing to go through harsh training just to distract herself from these questions and slowly it worked. Alice no longer thought about the incident, and steadily it was buried away deep in her mind.

"Alice look out! He's going to beat you!" a bystander screeched in the distance. Alice quickly snapped from her trance as she barely missed her opponent's blade. 'Oh my God! Alice how could you forget you're in a tournament!' Alice mentally cursed herself for letting her guard down. Her opponent wasn't giving much of a fight that she found the time to daydream. She opened her eyes in a desperate need to see who almost hit her.

Andrew! It took a great deal of energy to suppress the urge to just kick him in the shin for breaking her little daydream. Instead, with a swift flick of her wrist she disarmed her opponent before lifting the pointed tip of the blade onto his neck. A few moments later his sword fell down with an echo on the polished wooden floor of the training center.

"Congratulations, Liddell. Looks like you'll be able to participate in the semi-finals. But if you do that stunt again, you're disqualified, Got that." The older man droned out as he scribbled away on the papers on his clipboard looking rather...irritated. 'Ack, Mr. Wilson noticed that!' Alice hurriedly composed herself a bit flustered for forgetting the basics.

"I'm so sorry sir. I was…thinking ab—"

"Age?" Mr. Wilson asked still scribbling away.

"What—"

"Age." The man growled as he pointed to clipboard on his hand pertaining to Alice's registration.

"Twenty."

When Mr. Wilson had finished scrawling in the details he sauntered over to another pair of students. "Next! If any of your heads aren't in the match right now you can forget about the semi-finals" Alice froze, that comment was definitely meant for her. 'Yikes!' Four years into the program and she still hasn't even seen the old man smile.

"Hey Alice, want something to drink? I can treat you to some free water to congratulate your 45th win over me." Andrew jabbed a thumb at the water cooler's direction obviously a little down Alice beat him. Again. She elbowed the man with a grin and nodded in reply. Andrew walked her towards the water station with a sigh "First martial arts now sword fighting? What's next? Wrestling? Are you sure you're not mad at me..." He took an empty plastic cup from the dispenser waiting for his turn.

"Andrew, it's not like that. If I was mad at you I'd knock you unconscious then throw you to the bottom of the sea" Alice rolled her eyes jokingly as she took a sip of water from her cup. She knew what he was hinting at. She flitted her eyes at his figure, Andrew was a man with a medium build who was a bit taller than her. His shoulder-length black raven hair was tied to a neat pony tail making it easier to see his turquoise eyes. He often wore his heart on his sleeve with that grin of his. He was more of a gentleman with the way he moved and he wasn't much of a sword-fighter but Alice would often drag him with her during practice.

"Without my father who's going to protect my family. Lorina? Come on, my sister's a total lady she's definitely going to inherit the family business and Edith's still in high school but if I practice real hard I might be able to teach her a few tricks to protect herself in the future" Alice snapped as she downed the rest of her cup. Without a doubt she knew Andrew was a monster when it came to Taekwondo, something he had been hiding till the incident he and Lorina were cornered by a bunch of thieves.

"You know you can't carry a sword in public-"

"Anything we get our hands on can be used as a sword, Andrew"

"Oh? so you can use that cup as a sword then?" Andrew jokingly grinned as he flaunted his empty cup at her.

"Haha. Real funny, you know what I meant"

"I'm just joking! Lighten up, you've been a real stick in the mud lately." Andrew playfully threw his cup into the bin before his usual smile turned to a softer yet serious look "Your sister, Lorina, and I are just worried about you, you've been going into these sword practices more often. Tell me that's something Lorina and I shouldn't be worried about. If there's something that's bothering you, you can tell us" His voice turned to a whisper.

"Alice, you know that, right?"

Alice closed her eyes and inhaled deeply and looked straight into his eyes. Andrew Evans was her sister's fiancé and…

Her ex-boyfriend.

She could remember how much it had hurt her 5 years ago when Andrew finally told her the truth. The fact that he only wanted to be with her just so he could get closer to Lorina. The break up was ugly, it left her questioning whether she could love again. She would lash out whenever he was there and blame him. It took her months to realize she too made mistakes, both of them weren't perfect and neither was their relationship. She had relied on him too much for happiness all because she didn't love herself.

Even after the break up, Andrew would still visit her and try to engage a conversation. It took Alice at least a year to be ready but she couldn't be happier knowing her sisters and Andrew still loved her in their special ways. Andrew had even devised Project Love Yourself program just for her during her lowest moments. Sure enough Alice learned that she was better than this, and this has only a small part to do with her. A part of her can change.

And she did.

"Yeah, I know" Alice sighed as she packed her stuff in the benches. "You're doing too much for me Andrew, Are you sure you're practicing what you preach? What was it again? Love yourself more?" She pulled her rubber elastic letting her hair down while she slung her bag on her shoulder.

"I prefer the term looking out or else you might cover yourself in toilet paper again and hide un-" Before he could finish his sentence a hand clamped his mouth shut

"W-we agreed to never talk about that again!" Alice shrieked as she placed a finger to her lips trying to shush the man of her past misadventures during her early years in the newspaper club. It was so hard looking for a scoop back then.

Andrew closed the door behind them before accompanying Alice on the way home. The sun was setting and the caramel ribbons in the sky gave an ethereal glow to the neighborhood. There were people strolling to new shops in the sides. Little food stands were littering the sidewalks as well, Alice couldn't help but think about dinner. Andrew cleared his throat breaking the silence.

"So..the sun is-"

"Andrew you know I hate small talk, just get to the point"

'Wow, way to shoot me down there' he laughed meekly in his head. "O-okay, Well I was thinking about how pretty those flowers were" He pointed at some of the flowers a vendor handed to a customer. 'Flowers huh?' Alice thought as she placed a finger on her chin. "Daffodils would look pretty cute on your hallway, right?" 'Ah, so that's what it's about' Alice looked over to Andrew wearing a devilish grin on her face. The man beside her paled in contrast, wondering if he touched a nerve.

"Lavender, she loves lavender flowers" As expected, Alice knew he was talking about Lorina. He smiled as he scratched the back of his head.

Alice smirked as she tossed her hair over shoulder and sauntered over the small flower boutique. "After you~" she made a mocking curtsy motioning him to the lavender flowers in the side. "Please, you need to make a better curtsy for the King of Flowers" Andrew melodramatically placed a hand on his heart while wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. Soon enough the two of them started laughing.

Alice opened the door motioning the man beside her to put the fresh picked flowers onto the vase in the corner. First she needed to go to her room to change. Second, she needed to set the plates after Lorina and Andrew volunteered to make dinner. Lastly, she needed some peace and quiet.

I'm finally home.

Opening the doors to her bedroom she stared at the gloomy little room she would often spend most of her time. It was tidy, orderly and most of all, lonely.

She sauntered to her room, dropping her bag to side and throwing her university blazer on her bed. Opening her closet she started to change into her usual attire. She looked over her cheval mirror Alice smoothed her knee-length puffed sleeve blue dress down double-checking for any creases. She moved on to make sure her striped stockings were free from any holes. 'Alright!' She mentally cheered for herself as she pulled out her white pinafore from her closet. Once it was securely in place Alice slipped on her black knee-high boots in place. She had to admit she missed her ankle-strap shoes but when it came to protection her boots were the best choice.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror once more. Her hair had grown longer but she had to cut it because the idea of her hair always brushing her behind got too much. Alice smiled at the dainty features she had growing out of her baby eyes period. She was looking more and more like Lorina each day. Considering she was a late bloomer it was highly unlikely she'd look exactly like her sister. Oh wait wasn't there something she needed to do?

She should probably go set the plates now, but the idea of laying on her bed seemed like a better choice...and so she did.

Alice plopped down her bed stretching like how a kitten would in comfort. She noticed something poking out of her pillow and quickly knew what it was. Letting out a sigh of mild disappointment she pulled the object from her pillow which turned out to be a notebook. A notebook with pieces of her dreams.

Five years ago she decided to write her experiences despite not making any sense. There were even scribbles of what was suppose to be people. Try as she could, why couldn't she remember the citizens faces. The only faces she vaguely recalled were only a handful of people. Opening the notebook, she was suddenly flooded with vague visions of the past.

"If there's something that's bothering you, you can tell us, huh?" Alice repeated the words Andrew told her earlier. No, she couldn't bring up the topic about her so called dream five years ago. She didn't want to worry Lorina and Edith the most. The thought of that was enough to make her stomach sink with anxiety.

Still couldn't help but feel like there was something missing from her life.

There was a missing piece in her heart she couldn't fill up no matter how many achievements she's gotten. Every night she'd have visions of strangers, weird places and adventures. She'd forget their names the moment she woke up. What scared her the most was that it felt too much like home or more. Alice immediately slapped her cheeks with both her hands shutting eyes tightly.

'Snap out of it Alice, you are home! You've got a bright future up ahead, everything you need is right here…. .''

A soft knock in the door startled Alice as she immediately jammed the notebook under her pillow. "Alice, can I come in?" came the gentle voice of her sister, Lorina Liddell. "Just a second!" When the notebook under the pillow was plainly sticking out, all the color from her face drained. She mentally cursed herself as she dropped the notebook on the floor and kicked it under her bed. "Alright! You can come in now!" Alice hastily sat down on the edge of her bed, smoothing down her dress to try and look as presentable as she can.

The door softly creaked as Lorina pushed it open to side and started to study Alice's room before looking at her sister. "Okay, I know what that look means" she chuckled while raising a skeptical eyebrow, while making a quick motion to her sister. "What are you hiding from me this time?" Alice immediately straightened her hair with her palms before hastily giving a reply "Hiding? I'm not hiding anything. Why would I be hiding anything?"

"Alice"

"-Are you hiding anything?"

"Alice"

"Things are fine and how could I possibly be hiding something, just when I…"

Lorina sauntered over to Alice's bed and she sat down beside her little sister. She placed her hand on her little sister's shoulder and with a firmer tone she called out her name "Alice…". This seemed to snap Alice's senses back allowing her to sharply exhale and slowly relax her tense shoulders. Patiently, she waited for what Lorina had to say.

"Do you remember when we used to play cards back outside the garden?" Lorina hummed as placed a hand on Alice's head "You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to, but I want you to know I'll be here for you through thick and thin" Alice's knelt her head onto her sister's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I'm tired" she replied as she felt Lorina gently stroke her hair in a soothing manner "Lorie, I'm not trying to sound ungrateful for everything but I just feel like I'm missing out on something. Everyday I wake up to the same old faces and the same old places but it's not what I'm looking for. Every night in my dreams I see it and I know it's out there just waiting for me to find it"

"What do you see in your dreams?"

"People I don't know, but it feels like I've known them for so long and every time the dream ends I forget their names. I just wish I knew what all of this is trying to tell me."

"Is it the same dream five years ago?" Alice froze right there, her heart stopped for a split second as she felt her stomach lurch. She pulled away from Lorina, looking straight into her teal eyes, her sister's face wasn't laced with concern. Instead what greeted her was a warm smile.

"I've known you for so long, Alice. I know you don't want to talk about it but you need to know I'm here for you, we're here for you, through whatever and whenever. We love you. I love you." Lorina gently pulled her sister into a tight embrace

"Ugh, Lorie you're going to make me cry" Alice whimpered trying to wipe the tears threatening to fall with her sleeves "Ugh! Too late it's already working" she sniffled returning the hug tightly.

"That makes the both of us, oh my Alice..your nose" Lorina stammered as she broke the embrace to wipe her tears in a dignified manner compared to her sister. "You look terrible" Lorina joked as both of them giggled in unison.

"By the way, won't you call little Edith dear?"

"Oh so is this what it was all about!" Alice dramatically gasped throwing her hands in the air in a mocking manner in what was suppose to be shock. Lorina rolled her eyes before making her way to the door. "Alice, I'll have you know Andrew can't handle our hide and seek champion. He'll need some well-trained back up won't he?"

Alice passed by her sister on the door before looking behind her shoulder "Then you called the right person for the job!"

Edith yawned as she woke up from her nap and stretched her arms. It was already nighttime...Yikes...looks like Alice was going to kill her for sleeping in the garden again. She couldn't help it! The oak tree shade under a quiet afternoon was the best sleeping spot at home. Her room wasn't adequately lit that it almost felt like a room out of a horror flick. Pushing her thoughts aside, she heard Alice calling her name from one of the windows in the house. "I slept that late?"

Edith brushed the leaves that stuck out of her Bob cut hair. She rubbed the sand of her teal eyes before standing up. If one were look at the Liddell sisters now they'd mistake Edith for Alice herself. Five years of growing up wasn't able to give Edith the well-endowed qualities of her sisters. Sure she wouldn't consider herself...blessed...being almost as flat as a board. It was her expressive eyes that brought her charms up. She didn't want to be mistaken as Alice by Alice's high sisters cool friends so she decided a haircut was in order.

Snap!

Edith jumped a little as she eyed the direction where the sound was coming from. Edith blinked slowly as she stared at the white rabbit. It wasn't like she never saw one but this one in particular was wearing clothes. More than that, it was injured, it looked like it hadn't spotted her yet. "He looks so scared" Edith whispered as she shuffled to the side slowly she followed the rabbit.

Wait, is it...talking? She could hear the rabbit muttering what seemed to be words.

'No s- n-t -er- n- h-e -o-t h-'

"Edith!" Edith scrambled back in shock and before she could speak the rabbit had already vanished. She didn't want to back down on this and ran towards the spot where the rabbit previously was. It was under another oak tree and instead of seeing the furry creature all she saw a hole on the ground. A dark hole that was eerily enough for a human to fall into. What gave her shivers was that the hole didn't seem to have an end.

"Edith!"

Edith blinked as she was brought back to reality by the sound of her sister's voice.

"Edith! What are you doing out here in the garden this late at night?"

"Whoops, I accidentally dozed off" Edith gave a meek laugh as she scratched the back of her head. "But you wouldn't believe what I saw, it was rabbi—"

"A rabbit?" Alice tilted her head to the side, come to think of it her assignment for one of her projects was related to rabbits. Just a small picture wouldn't hurt anybody right? "You know it's already nighttime Edith, I don't think rabbits would be out and about" Edith's smile sank as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt "Y-yeah I guess, but I really saw one-"

"I believe you"

"Huh?"

"I said I believe you"

"You do?" Edith tilted her head to the side looking like a lost puppy. "If my little sister says so, then I'll believe it so come help me get the camera. Dinner time can wait right?" Alice shot a wink at her little sister's direction who couldn't control the growing smile on her face. That is until the door opened with a rather slightly impatient Lorina and an apologetic Andrew on the side.

"What can wait?" Lorina's foot tapped on the soft grass impatiently, the face she was wearing was pretty firm for someone who was known to be gentle. Alice was about to make a snappy comeback until Lorina's expression turned into horror. Andrew was already running up to them in panic. "Alice what are you doing standing beside that hole!"

Suddenly the ground beneath her gave way. 'What' The gaping hole grew wider in size as it tried to swallow the whole Liddell family. Edith tried to get away but stumbled on loose soil on the edges. Alice grabbed a loose tree root. She did it. Barely. Andrew and Lorina fled up to the sisters. "Dammit!" Andrew growled as he reached out to grab Alice. The distance between them was to big. Alice was already at the near bottom of the pit clinging for dear life.

"Edith grab my hand!" Alice reached out barely catching her by the wrist. "Don't let go! I'll ge-" Edith's face paled as she looked over Alice's shoulder "Alice! Big sis is-!"

Before anyone could register what had happened Andrew fell into the hole when he had tried to get a hold of Alice. "Andrew!" The sisters screamed in unison till the sharp sound of the tree roots breaking quickly took their attention. Lorina could feel her heart pounding as she stifled a sob. What does she need to do? How was she going to get her sisters out this? She couldn't breathe. "Ali..." Lorina fainted before falling down the hole as well.

"No!" Edith shrieked as she managed to grab Lorina by her dress. Alice hissed at the added weight as she started to feel herself slipping. Her muscles were aching and her heart was pounding at her ribs. She couldn't take this any longer.

Her grip was starting to weaken "Edith! Don't let go." She shouldn't have looked down. She should've just kept her eyes on the roots she was clinging to for dear life. The moment she looked down and saw the mist hovering the black abyss that was the hole, panic took over her.

SNAP!

The thin piece of wood had snapped off the tree plummeting the remaining Liddell sisters into the darkness. Just like that everything went black.

Author's Notes: Hey guys I've had this story in my head for months and I just couldn't help but write it down. This is my first story! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I know my grammar can be a bit hard to understand but bear with me /

Alice may be out of character but I envisioned her as a stunning woman who developed as years passed by. Edith on the other hand is the spitting image of Alice during her first trip to Wonderland. As for Lorina I won't delve to deep in her and probably let her stay in the clock tower helping out.

I'll be focusing on Alice, Andrew and Edith's adventures in the now war ridden Wonderland. I'm still going to decide which role holders to focus because too many characters is a bit hard.