Some quotes taken verbatim from Alice: Madness Returns.
"I want to forget," Alice spat at Dr. Bumby as she sat up and rubbed her eyes, trying to rid herself of the pounding headache and the queasy sloshing of her stomach. "Who would choose to be alone, imprisoned by their broken memories?"
Dr. Bumby looked as calm and rational as always, making Alice's hatred of him burn stronger. How could he look so put-together after he'd just put her through hell? This was worse than Rutledge!-Well, Alice acknowledged ruefully, nothing was worse than Rutledge, not really.
"I'll set you free, Alice," he assured her. "Memory is a curse more often than a blessing."
"So you've said many times," Alice interrupted him, anger making her voice shrill.
"And I'll say again," he insisted, still calm. "The past must be paid for."
He went on to tell her to collect her usual medication from the chemist, but Alice barely listened. She was far too impatient to get out of the clutching confines of his office. It made her feel sick every time she went into it, and she pitied the next child, Charlie, who grinned at her as she left and piped up, "It's my turn to forget, Alice!"
As she turned to leave the orphanage and find the chemist (and why did her memory turn into a rusty sieve when it came to finding places about the city? it was humiliating to have to ask for directions every week), her eyes fell upon the small, slightly hunched figure of Harry perched nervously on the corner of the settee.
"Harry!" she cried, feeling a genuine smile tug at her lips. Something about the boy called to her. He looked up and smiled at her. His face was clean, his teeth well-brushed, his clothes still worn and patched but newer, but there was somethiing about his eyes. They were shadowed now in a way they hadn't been when she'd first plucked him off the steps a week ago.
"Harry?" she asked, concern creeping into her tone, as she came nearer and sat on the settee next to him. His body stiffened for a moment before she saw the conscious effort to relax. "Harry, what's wrong?"
Harry simply shook his head before pulling out the chalkboard Matron had given him to try and communicate his needs with. The other orphans would have stolen it off him, but Alice had personally threatened each and every one of them. Since then, they'd skirted a bit far around Harry, but he'd been making a few friends, the last she'd noticed.
"I saw doktor," his shaky scrawl on the board read. He had the too large, uncertain printing of a child half his age, but then again, both Matron and Alice were certain his former guardians hadn't allowed him any proper schooling. The fact he could read and write at all was a testament to his intelligence.
"Doctor Bumby?" Alice asked quietly, burningly aware of the closed office door only feet away. "Let's go for a walk, Harry," she suggested. Harry nodded with alacrity and hopped off the settee, tucking his board up under one arm and holding out his other hand for Alice to take.
A white cat meowed demandingly at her from the top step leading into the orphanage, but Alice ignored it for the time being, searching for a safer place to talk about the damnable doctor. She found it behind a cluster of bushes in one corner of the yard, and gently led Harry that way.
"Now, what about Doctor Bumby?" she asked once the two had settled. Matron was busy overseeing the end of lunch, and Dr. Bumby was with Charlie-they had a while.
Harry bent over the board, scribbling industriously.
The doktor want me to forgit. The doktor tel me i'm usless if i cant forgit. He want me to discrib fits & i cant. He git mad at me for that to.
Slow-burning anger ignited in Alice's stomach once more.
"I'm sorry, Harry," she said, trying to control her emotions even as she motioned for him to wipe the slate clean with the ragged edge of his trousers. "What does he even want you to forget?" Alice asked as the thought struck her. Harry shrugged, but she could tell he wasn't being entirely truthful with her. That was all right. Everyone was entitled to their secrets. Not that Bumby thought so.
"You aren't useless, anyway," she continued. "No matter what he says. Try to keep out of his way, though. He's-not very nice." Bottle-green eyes searched her face intently before Harry finally nodded.
"Now, I need to pick up my pills and you should probably go back in," Alice said, standing up and dusting herself off. Harry shook his head and scribbled something quickly on his board.
I want to go with you.
"Well-all right," Alice shrugged. "I would say that we should tell Matron, but it's only a five-minute journey, really. No harm done." She smiled down at the mute boy, who nodded, a bright expression clearing away the shadows in his eyes.
The cat was still there by the gate and it meowed impatiently at Alice, who rolled her eyes and tried to coax it closer.
"Here, puss, puss," she murmured, outstretching her hand. The cat meowed louder and suddenly scampered off into the dismal, dark streets.
"Oh well," Alice sighed. Harry tugged on her sleeve, motioning for her to follow the cat.
"You like cats, too, hmm?" Alice asked, and Harry nodded.
"Well, all right," Alice said, starting off in the direction the cat had ran. "Here, puss. Where did you go?"
It wasn't until several blocks later that the hallucinations darkened her sight once more. Monsters in human suits, antennae stretching wetly from their heads. Alice bit back a shriek of disgust. Harry was with her. She couldn't frighten him. She clamped her eyes tightly shut, counting to ten like Matron had told her to do.
When she opened them again, she was in Wonderland.
And Harry was with her.
