A/N: :D hahaha! I am copying the way Christy does these author's note thingies… :D This is the second chapter of my not to good fiction... I hope I get some good reviews… I lurve all my fans out there who like the story… The beginning was sort of slow, I know… but it'll get better. I hope o_o;;

Chapter 2

Discoveries

            Alice breathed heavily, trying to become calm again after the rude awakening. The owl was long gone, and her palms were sweaty and the letter was warm in her hand. She glanced down at the letter… An odd address on the left side, a stamp on the right. She arched a brow then dropped it on her chair. 'What an odd letter… and owl sending a letter? What an absurd idea!' she was too tired to even realize where it came from… She shook her head and walked as if in a daze to her wardrobe and pulled out some red plaid pajama pants, and her black tank top, then twisted her hair up and flopped on her lilac colored bed spread. She immediately fell into a deep sleep.

            The alarm clock she hated so much beeped loudly in her ear as she drowsily sat up and scratched her head. 'Great… 6:30 AM… time to get up…' but instead of getting up as her mind told her to, she fell back on the bed and dozed for a while. Before she knew it, Candy was beating on her bedroom door screeching, "Time to get up Alice!! Up! Up! Up!" Alice moaned and tossed her stuffed bear at the door. Candy opened the door and grinned at Alice, her face looking like someone threw up on it. She had that green gunk all over her face, her blond hair up in rolls, and her fuzzy pink short robe on, with well shaped tan legs showing beneath it. Alice glared up at her in annoyance. "What the heck do you want!?"

Candy smiled, "Hun, it's time to get up! It's already 7:10 you sleepy head." Candy looked extra happy this morning, for God knows what. Alice sat up and glared at her. Candy always tried to be as friendly as possible to Alice, but Alice would never let anyone get close to her besides her best friend Mae. Alice tried to humor her, and looked questioningly at her. "What are you so happy for Candy?"

Candy beamed and grabbed Alice's two narrow, pale hands into her beautifully manicured tan ones. "Baby, your daddy just proposed to me! I can't believe this! After our fight last night, we eventually made up and discovered how happy we were with each other and knew we were meant to be."

Alice stared dumbfounded at her. Her father proposed!? Well that was just great! Now she'd have this annoyingly happy-go-lucky American woman for her step-mom. Alice tried to look happy. "Congratulations I guess…"

Candy patted her hand. "Oh Alice! Do practice your smiling a bit more… It makes you so pretty when you smile, but you still are a darling little girl…"

            Alice scowled. "Can you believe this, Mae!? 'Darling little girl blah, blah, blah! Now I'll be your new mommy!' Gosh, she needs to just screw off for crying out loud." Mae sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Well Alice, you should try to understand her better… I mean it can't be that hard, can it?" With one look at Alice's expression, Mae knew this wasn't going to be easy. "Well… I mean Alice, you REALLY need to get over this 'wall' thing… I mean, you should learn to like people more often! It can get you very far. Give people a chance to get to know you, like you did for me!"

Alice looked guiltily at Mae. Mae was very dear to her, they'd been friends ever since before she can remember. Mae was about her height, 5'4" and weighed a bit more than she, 145 pounds but didn't seem fat. Her blond hair cut into a sort of bob around her delicate face, her big brown eyes wide and gorgeous, framed by dark lashes. Mae's mother was a witch… but she didn't get any special talents from her mother… She had died a year ago. Mae's wound was still deep, but she was slowly getting over it. Alice suddenly realized something. The letter! She had left the letter at home… Could it be? Was she a magical… witch? No, no… it's not possible… Was it? 

            Mae noticed Alice's odd expression. "What's wrong Alice?? What happened?" Alice blinked and tried to smile. "Well Mae, it really isn't anything special... honest!" Mae looked at her questioningly – there was NO way she could get away from Mae! Alice gave in "Well… you see… I was awakened last night by an owl… calm me crazy, but yes an owl… but not just any owl, Mae, THIS own had a letter! And it resembles the ones they give out for Hogwarts!"

Mae stared at her dumbfounded. "So you're saying…" She drifted off and stared at Alice, quiet and pale. Alice merely nodded slightly. "I'm a witch."

LATER THAT DAY…

Candy and Phil both sat across from Alice at the dinner table, Alice stared at her father angrily and growled. "So, you never told ME my mother was a witch!?"

Phil sighed, and Candy patted his hand. "Well Alice…" Phil went on. "We didn't want you to grow up… and well, knowing you had powers… We knew you thought you were different from everybody else, and you were. But we simply acted like there wasn't… and your mother, well, she was angry and… she walked out on us… and she was the one who had magic blood in here. I was a human… or as she calls us, 'muggles'" Alice raged. "How dare you! And what of my other letters!? Where did they go?" Phil's plump face turned red. "Well, you see Alice… your mother received all those letters… I told her to take them so you wouldn't go to some devil school! But I guess she sent one here... and you certainly are NOT going!" Alice gave him her 'death glare' look, and stalked out of the room.

            Oh yes, she was definitely going. Alice sat on her bed and read the letter over and over… she WAS a witch… and they invited her to come and join the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But she also received a letter from her dear mother… Alice read that again also, the unwanted tears made it difficult to read the letter.

            Dear Alice,

I know this is sudden, and I'm sure you wish I never sent this letter, but love I do wish you'd go to your true school… where you belong. People there are just like you, and they'll understand you I swear it. I went there as a small girl, before I met Phil, before my life went downhill. I am sending this letter to you Alice, and hope you take this to heart. I never meant to leave you, but your father was dating my best friend. I couldn't stand it, I had to leave you behind and my dearest, I've regretted every second of it. I hope you do know that I love you and always will… And I hope for me, you will go to this school. Please Alice, I want you to go there… Settle a few scores for me and improve your powers. I bid you farewell and my eternal love, Adriane.

Alice reread the understandable yet confusing phrase, 'Settle a few scores for me…' what did that mean? Alice hugged the letter close to her, and she could smell a bit of violet perfume from it. It brought back memories, very blurry, of her mother. She always wore that perfume… And it seemed to fit her profile. Adriane was very beautiful, dark chocolate brown hair that was ever so thick, her lilac eyes you could get lost in, and her tan, well shaped figure. Alice wished she looked like her mother, not her stupid father. She hated him, he was such a laid back bum. And Candy was a bit dotty in the head. Alice knew what she must do. She had to go to Hogwarts, to fulfill her mother's dream, even settle a few scores as well. But with whom she wouldn't know until she found out. She would be forced to start on the 4th year, even though she knew nothing of magic, or the basic spells. Alice had never even heard of Platform 9 ¾ before! How strange this was to her… but somehow she'd find a way to make it there, but for now she had to escape this dreadful house. Alice slipped a few belongings into her backpack; toiletries, a book, her mother's letter, the Hogwarts letter, an extra change on clothes, and of course, a photo of her family and her only friend, Mae.

            Alice really didn't want to leave Mae, but she could always write her letters… wait! Alice knew exactly what to do, she could get Mae to help her to get to platform 9 ¾! Mae's mother knew all about that stuff, she taught Mae everything before she died… so Alice had decided her plan… She wrote her dad and step mother a letter, telling them where she was going, and NOTHING would stand in her way, and instead of writing, 'love,' she simple put her name. Alice. Alice climbed out her window, jumped onto the cemented walkway, and ran towards 3rd street to Mae's house.