A light knock at the door starlted me awake. I slowly pulled myself up into a sitting poisition seeing that the white rabbit was no longer in my bed, not even a single hair to suggest that he had even been there in the first place. Another knock sounded loudly, almost impatient.

"Come," I said tugging on my robe and pulling my hair to the side of my face. One, two, three maids walked into the room with grooming things in their hands. I walked over to the chair in front of the mirror and sat down as a maid took a thick brush to my flat buttermellow colored hair. My eyes looked pale and washed out and my cheekbones were too high and showed too forward. I sighed thinking of my mother in all her perfection and shook my head as the maid tried to tie an elegant knot at the base of my neck but that ended in giving up and putting a braid instead and a black ribbon around my head. The next woman tugged off my robe and assisted me with getting dressed in a plain green gown with a brown apron over it and my eyes lit up,

"Well it is Wednesday My Lady," A maid said as she tied my shoe.

"It most certainly is," I replied smiling. I rose out of my chair and counted as I walked so that I wouldn't walk to fast but that I would get where I was going as fast as I could without running into someone or being scolded for moving faster then is appropriate for a lady.

"Good morning, Miss Alice," A kitchen maid said handing me a small white kercheif that was folded around something. "I didn't figure you would want to stay here with us if you could be out in the garden,"

"Thank you Miss Mattie, I will see you this eve," I replied practically skipping down the walk way. I opened my white kerchief to see two slices of bread with honey and a sliced apple.

"Good morning, Miss Alice," I looked up to see a tall lanky man with miscolored eyes, one not matching the other, har longer then was fashionable and a wicked grin on his otherwise innoent and perfect face,

"Good morning, ser," I replied bowing to the royal hat maker, "I trust you are here to see my father," When the man in the tailored suit nodded his head I bowed my head and called to a near by servnat, "Please escourt this good ser here to see my father," I said with a light smile.

"You are so very kind Miss Alice," He bowed his handsome head and looked up at me whispering to me words that to this day I will never forget, "You can always run away Alice,"