Prologue: New Year's Eve, London 1938

For Alice Lowell, the most magical time of the year was not Christmas. Coming from a family that struggled to have all the bills paid by the end of the month at a time when jobs were limited often meant that you didn't always find a bunch of beautifully wrapped presents under the tree. For her, all the magic happened on New Year's Eve. Every year, no matter how tight money was, the Lowells always held a party for various family members, friends, and coworkers. Alice was allowed to stay up late and dance to all that jazz and swing music with either her brother Jerry, her sister Clara, or one of the older cousins, as well as eat from five different kinds of pastries and candies without having her mother scold her. But the best part of the evening was the lighting of the candles when midnight approached. At the time, everyone made one wish, which was supposed to be your greatest desire for the New Year. The point of this, her father often told her, was to maintain a sense of hope despite any hardships they would have to face, as well as to be grateful for the things they did have. "Times may be hard now, Alice, but some people have it a lot worse. Just think of all those poor people in Germany and Russia. Those of us who live in England are very lucky indeed," he would tell her whenever she started getting upset.

At the age of nine, Alice didn't fully understand what was going on in the world, but she had some idea of what her father was talking about. She'd listened to it on the radio, read about it in her father's newspapers, and seen newsreels at the movies. Her teacher talked about, Jerry and Clara often whispered to each other when listening to the radio broadcasts, and even her friends talked about how bad it must be to live under those dictatorships. But as far as she knew, these problems could never reach her own happy if sometimes difficult life.

Then, on New Year's Eve, it all happened. Alice had taken three slices of sponge cake from the decorated dining room table and was looking for Jerry, who had promised to actually teach her how to dance this year. Instead, she found Clara looking worriedly around the house.

"Clara? Where's Jerry?" Alice asked.

"He's with father. They started talking to this wealthy guest who was asking some rather strange questions. But now, I can't find them anywhere…"

"Clara! Alice!" It was Jerry, who was running in panic around the hallway. "We have to get out of the house right now!"

"Why? Is something wrong?" Alice asked, looking anxiously from her seventeen-year-old brother to her fifteen-year-old sister.

"A man has a gun, and he's threatening to kill father!"

Clara turned pale, but quickly gripped Alice's arm, and the two girls started running outside without even considering stopping to get coats. Jerry stayed, warning any guest who would listen. In five minutes, more than half of the party was outside, but everyone was clearly able to hear many gun shots. Several children started screaming and clinging close to their mothers, who looked as scared as they were. A couple of men tried to get into the house, threatening to kill the madman themselves, but Jerry blocked the door, telling them that they needed to stay outside. Clara had her arms wrapped around Alice, who was shaking violently out of both the cold and her fear.

In about a minute, the police and an ambulance arrived. Jerry stepped out of the way, letting them investigate. About seven people were let out alive but with terrible injuries, but a lot of time was spend going over the dead, with those unharmed being lead to identify relatives and friends. Within a few minutes, a policeman who knew the family well approached Jerry.

"Jerry, your parents were found dead. Your father of three gunshot wounds in the back, and your mother of one in the neck. The killer escaped, supposedly through the broken window. I'm so sorry."

At that moment, Alice burst into tears and put her arms around both Jerry and Clara. The three of them held each other for a long time, knowing that they were now all alone in the world.

This is my first Alice in Wonderland story. I hope to continue, but I must hear what you all thought of it first. Sent reviews with any thoughts, questions, or suggestions for improvement. I would really appreciate it :)