Alice: House of Broken Souls

By ShadowFaxIV

Inspired by the Video Game "American McGee's Alice" with a few things taken from Disney's version.

This Fanfic is written purely for the enjoyment of its readers and is in no way making any form of prophet

Chapter One: The Beginning and the House of the Broken Heart

"ALICE!" screamed an angry voice from downstairs, "ALICE WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT THAT DARN CAT!" Alice immediately dropped her looking glass onto the desk and ran as quickly as she could down the stairs to the kitchen where her mother had undoubtedly found Dina hiding under the kitchen sink (or one of a thousand other possible hiding places).

"Sorry mother!" Alice shouted on the way. Immediately upon reaching the kitchen Alice spotted her mother (Dina in arms) walking toward the back door. "Oh Mother Please! Its snowing outside and Dina will get cold!"

"No animals in the house Alice," her Mother stated coldly, (well it seamed cold to Alice, as all rules do to children at the time, but it was probably just spoken sternly) "you know the rules, stop letting her in!"

"But she's lonely!" Alice cooed, holding the o much longer than she needed to. "How can you throw her out on a night like this Mom? Just look outside!"

Alice's mother opened the back door and paused. She seamed to waver there, almost as if stopped by something and for a moment it seamed like she would drop Dina on the back porch and doom her to a life of frozen winter, but after a moment she closed the door, and handed Dina to Alice.

"Alright," Mother smiled and ruffled Alice's brunette hair, "but only for tonight, as soon as it stops snowing she's back in the yard."

"Oh thank you mother!" Alice shouted happily, "Do you hear that Dina! Do you?" Dina did seam to hear, but the only answer she gave was a soft purr as she began to lick Alice's arm with her rough tongue. "Dina I don't need a bath thank you." Alice's mother began to laugh.

"You need a bath more often than you think young lady, now off to bed with you, your father will be there to read you a bed time story in a minute."

Alice scampered happily up the stairs to her room, Dina licking away, and jumped into bed. It was only about a minute later that her father entered, smiling broadly, with a copy of The Wizard of Oz in his hand. They had been reading it for the last three weeks together, and they were on the last chapter, which is what they spent the next few minutes reading. When they finished Father tucked her into her bed in the way only a parent can manage comfortably. He kissed Alice on the forehead and walked to the doorway where he hovered near the dresser.

"So what did you think of the story Alice?" he asked.

"Oh it was wonderful!" she smiled, "Dorothy had such a great time in oz didn't she father?"

"She sure did sweetheart," Father smiled, "Do you want me to blow out the candle?"

"No thanks," Alice answered rather quickly (her father had started asking her this a lot before he left for the night, but Alice wasn't ready to sleep without the light), "Hand me Mr. Rabbit there will you Father?" she motioned for the tattered little stuffed animal with one hanging button eyeball that was sitting on the desk.

"Aren't you getting a little old for stuffed animals at this age?" he replied shaking his head and grabbing the stuffed toy off the dresser.

"He isn't just a stuffed animal to me," Alice replied, "he's the one that can lead me to Wonderla…"

"Alice please," Father sighed as he handed her the doll, "No Wonderland talk tonight." Alice opened her mouth as if she was going to argue, but then closed it and turned over on her side angrily. "Alice I'm sorry," he sighed again, clearly disgusted with himself, he knew how much she loved her Wonderland after all, Alice didn't reply, "I'm sorry Alice, look, we can talk all about Wonderland in the morning how does that sound?" Alice didn't reply, "Goodnight sweetie I love you." Alice grunted something that sounded like 'nugget' as her father closed the door.

"I'm worried about her," was what Alice's father said to his wife that night, "She's twelve years old now and she still sleeps with that old rabbit, she still sleeps with the light on, and she still talks about Wonderland every night. Shouldn't a girl be growing out of these things by now?" Alice's mother rolled over on her side to look at her husband as he lay down next to her.

"I don't want to talk about it," was all she said, which of course was exactly the wrong thing to say at exactly the wrong time to say it.

"We never want to talk about it!" Father hissed quietly under his breath, "that's just the problem isn't it! We need to talk about it… well I need to talk about it, I'm the one who listens to it!"

"What is it about her daydreaming that upsets you so much?" Mother sighed, "can't you just accept that she's a dreamer like her mother and father used to be?"

"It's not that," Father sighed, "not that at all. It's just…. Just that when she talks about it… she's so… so…" he trailed off, as if not sure what to say next, or perhaps, uncomfortable as to what to say next.

"Detailed," Mother agreed quietly. Even though she didn't hear the tales nightly, it was impossible to live in the same house with Alice and not hear them. It was of course, the same discomfort, that had prompted her to tell Father 'I don't want to talk about it' in the first place.

"I don't know if I should be worried is all," Father continued. "At times I wonder if she is just daydreaming or…"

"Your not suggesting our little girl is insane are you!" Mother stated angrily and pushed herself up on one elbow, "Because I know how little girls act and Alice is just fine thank you!"

"Alice isn't just a little girl anymore, she… she's running a bit slow in that regard," Mother opened her lips as if threatening to attack her husband he held up a hand to let him finish, "and I think wonderland is to blame."

"So what do you suggest high and mighty," Mother sneered her voice rising, "Lock your daughter away in a mental institution! Why not Rutledge! I hear they have a wonderful staff in Rutledge!"

"You've got me all wrong Hun," Father replied with a hopeless exhale, "and keep your voice down or you'll wake Alice. All I'm trying to say is…" he took a deep breath, preparing for the enormity of what he was about to say. " I'm starting to wonder if Wonderland is just… Wonderland, or if maybe… just maybe it's…" He trailed off shaking his head, not sure if maybe HE belonged in Rutledge.

"Real," Mother finished for him, nodding her head slightly. "Maybe it's time we spoke with Alice about this and…" The bedroom door suddenly slammed itself shut, and the lock clicked.

"What in the…" Father began. But the smell of smoke stopped the rest.

"Oh my God," Mother whispered, "ALICE!"

In the other room Alice was actually dreaming of wonderland. (well as much as it can be called 'dreaming') In fact she was at that moment talking to the Cheshire Cat, (well as much as it could be called 'talking' with the Cheshire Cat) and he spoke in his customary riddles and rhymes.

"I'll ask you one more time Cat," Alice snapped in exasperation, "Where is Rabbit you silly fool, I'm tiered of your riddles."

"Not so kind as once you were," was the Cat's reply, "a grown up response that one was sure." Alice groaned and sat down on the nearest possible object. (something that was actually quite difficult to find in Wonderland)

"All I want to know… Cat, is…" but she never finished the question. For at that moment, the Cheshire Cats entire demeanor changed. At one moment he looked his always charming self. Fat, uncaring, but always pretty and self confident, and then, there was a look of utmost concern and caring that Alice had never seen, and he interrupted her.

"If before dawn you do not awake," he all but shouted, "Then you will never live to suns embrace!" Alice cocked an eyebrow, suddenly very guarded.

"What the hell does that mean?" she spoke in her customary voice, but the look on the Cat's face was unnerving her.

"Wake up before Dawn Alice," The Cat spoke rather plainly, plainer than Alice had ever heard him speak, "Wake up or you will die tonight, my god I didn't think she would act this quickly!" now he seamed to be speaking to himself, "I should have been there! Damn it Alice your just to precious to be with for your own good, maybe… maybe she knew that!"

"Cat your scaring me what's going on!" was all Alice could think to say, she began walking toward the Cheshire cat.

"Wake up Alice," he whispered as she approached.

"Cat?"

"Wake up Alice," he spoke out loud this time.

"I don't understand…" Suddenly the Cat was fifty feet tall, the tree that he had perched on was simply gone, and he leered menacingly down on Alice, as if ready to tear her to a million pieces. His face was suddenly one of terrifying hunger, his claws razor sharp, his teeth forged to eat meat. He bent down so that all Alice could see was his terrifying head and screamed so loudly that it seamed the only sound in the entirety of Wonderland.

"WAKE UP!" and what she could see through the Cat's dark opening of a mouth, was Dina knocking the candle off her dresser, before she woke up screaming. That was when she saw the flames all around her.

The first thing she heard was her mothers frantic screaming. "Alice! Alice!" Over and over she was just screaming the name. Alice looked around the room frantically, her possessions were all burning, the books, the toys, everything right down to the stuffed animals on the shelves, but Mr. Rabbit was safe in her arms, and that was the only item in the room that mattered to her. She made a quick look around for Dina, but didn't see the cat anywhere.

She had been taught that in the case of a fire, it was best to have several escape routes. The routes that Alice had were limited, the bedroom door was on fire, and two of her three windows were blocked off by flames, but the only window that really mattered was an easy path to take. As the smoke at the sealing slowly began to fill the room, Alice made a choice. Screw safety.

With a mighty leap the twelve year old girl cleared the flames blocking the bedroom doorway. Landing awkwardly on her left foot, she allowed herself to hit the ground and roll five or six times (just in case she was on fire), before getting up and rushing for her parents closed door. She thought this was strange, as her parents never closed their door, but she shook off the feeling. Her mothers screams for her name continued, and Alice felt compelled to answer.

"I'm right here mommy, me and Mr. Rabbit," Alice grabbed for the door handle and pulled, it was locked. "Mommy I can't get the door open!"

"Just go Alice!" it was her fathers voice, "Just go baby we'll be fine, I'll get the door open just get out of the house!"

"I need to get the door open!" Alice called back, refusing to leave the doorway until her parents were clear of the burning household. "Maybe I can knock it down?"

"No Alice your father already tried that," her mother spoke, "We'll get out through the window, like we taught you, now go sweetie, is the front door on fire?" Alice looked backward and downstairs to the living room.

"No," Alice replied looking around desperately for any means to get the door open, no one item presented itself. Oh if only this were Wonderland, she found herself thinking, Something is always there in Wonderland!

"Alice?" her father asked, "are you getting out?" There was a long pause. It was one of those moments she would look back on in later years, one of those small moments that seam to last fifty years, as one made a choice that would mean the world of difference. Obey, or do what you think is right. There was no right answer, there was just what would keep her alive, or what would kill her. After all, she told herself, they will exit through the window and we will all be alright.

"I'm going," she called back.

As the flames crept up the hallway from her room Alice jumped on the railing and slid down the stairs like she had done in earlier years, and sprinted toward the front door. Throwing the door wide open she leapt into the snow and ran across the street to where there was already a crowed of people gathering to watch as the house burned.

Alice heard the sound of sirens as the fire department was clearly on its way.

"Alice!" called a voice from behind her, it was one of the neighbors, "Alice thank god your alright where are your parents?" Alice looked toward her parents bedroom window, but she saw no sign that they were even attempting to open it.

"I…" she stuttered, looking desperately to the window, but still nothing was happening, "They said they would be coming out the window, why aren't they coming out!"

"Alice?" the neighbor called again, this time from right next to her, "are you alright?" The fire department had pulled onto the curb and were already unloading their equipment, when Alice looked again to her parents bedroom window.

For the briefest of moments she saw a staff in that window. It was something like a wizards staff, a long shiny pole with a diamond crystal or something on the top, only this staff didn't have a crystal, it had a large red heart, like you would find in a pack of playing cards.

"Noooo!" Alice screamed as she stood and ran as quickly as she could toward the front door of the house (which was already on fire), but was intercepted by an evil firefighter, who was shouting things like 'it's going to be alright little girl' and 'were going to put it out' as if that was going to help. "No she's taking them!" Alice screamed, "Oh God no she's taking my parents!"

The firefighter looked down at the screaming twelve year old with a look of concern. "Is there someone in the house with them? Did someone start that fire?"

"It's the Queen!" Alice screamed in desperation, "The Queen is taking my parents somebody had to do something. Let me go!" Alice began to thrash in the mans arms knowing that he could never understand. The Firefighter would later state to the press that she had been alarmingly strong for a twelve year old girl.

"The Queen?" the firefighter asked bewildered, it was the strangest thing he had ever heard, "who's the Queen?"

"The Red Queen," a little girl said from his left. He turned to look at her and cocked his head.

"Whose the Red queen?" the man asked, Alice still thrashed in his arms, but he was a strong man, and Alice was only a little girl. Alice began to scream, it was a wail of frantic, hopeless despair. Alice knew the little girl who was speaking to the Firefighter, it was Mindy from across the street. The bitch had been making fun of Alice and her Wonderland in school for at least three years in school.

"You see Alice has this fantasy," Mindy replied in that same high and mighty tone she had always used when tormenting the dreamer, "she daydreams all the time in class, and when the teacher asks her what she's doing Alice will be all 'sorry I was in Wonderland', Wonderland is her fantasy realm you see…"

"Shut up!" Alice suddenly screamed at Mindy. Here she was, her parents trapped in a burning building, and still the schoolyard enemy couldn't drop the grudge, who the fuck was she to be a bitch anyway! "You shut up you bitch!" Suddenly Alice was furious, she couldn't explain it but Mindy needed to be hurt, she needed to feel Alice's fear. Alice suddenly changed her direction and began trying to free herself in Mindy's direction. Mindy did seam momentarily stunned by Alice's sudden aggression, but it didn't delay her long.

"The fantasy world," Mindy continued, staring the firefighter right in the eyes, "is ruled by an eeeevil queen, the Queen of Hearts or, as you know, the Red Queen, see she is the queen in a castle inhabited by a group of card men, clubs, diamonds, spades… and hearts"

Alice was still trying to free herself as the firefighter looked down at her with an odd, awkward look on his face. He looked at the way the girl in his arms thrashed.

"Look little girl" he said to Mindy, "I don't think your helping any here."

"Let me go damn it!" Alice roared, she looked back toward the house and saw that her parents room's window was now billowing flames, "My parents are in trouble let me go!" Alice took up her screaming again, and again tried to free herself in the direction of the house.

"At first they were cool stories," Mindy continued her relentless onslaught of information, "even I enjoyed them, there was some really interesting fantasy in that mind of hers, but in time we figured she really believed the crap she talked about, by we I mean myself and the kids in class. Yep, now she's just crazy old Alice. She belongs in Rutledge's if you ask me."

By this time the house was blackened by the flames that the fire dept. had managed to put out. There were still flames exiting her parents window, but Alice just stopped, her thrashing ceased and the sudden change caught the firefighter off guard. He was forced to catch her weight. For a moment he thought she was going to try and run, but then he heard, and felt, the sobs.

"Mommy! Daddy! Mommy! Daddy! Mommy! Daddy!" and it didn't stop, she just screamed that over and over. The firefighter held on to her, Mindy finally left at some point, Alice can't remember much about those last few moments. Only that Mindy was finally gone. The firefighter was still there, and from somewhere in the night Dina was suddenly nestling up in her lap. How had she gotten into a sitting position she couldn't remember, only that she was leaning up against the fire truck, sucking a thumb in one arm (with rabbit clenched under an armpit), and Dina in the other, sobbing and sobbing. Someone got around to asking her about what had happened, and Alice told them what she had seen and done upon waking up in the middle of the night, and that was the last time anyone spoke with her for a very long time.

The neighbors of the Area will later say how the poor girl was saying strange things, frightening things. At some point the firefighter had to keep the little girl from killing Dina. There were many things about that night that are unknown to even the parties who were there, one thing was certain though, to everyone who was watching from across the street, as Alice's house burned to the ground. The firefighters, Mindy and her family, and all the other bystanders agreed that somewhere in between the moments Alice exited her home, and the time it took for the flames to burn the last embers of her once happy home, she was gone. When the Fire fighters last came to check on her, she wasn't responding to anything. They tried speaking to her and yelling. One particularly cruel man even screamed 'Your parents are here Alice!' before being kicked in the nuts by one of Alice's fathers old friends. In any case, Alice was entirely unresponsive.

The news teams had a field day with the story. The newspaper in the morning titled the story 'Burning the Mind", but the most famous title came on the Today show, after all the facts had been released, right down to the conversation Mindy had had with the Firefighter, one of the anchormen, during an interview, had called it "The House of the Burning Heart" and that was the one that stuck.

Over the country millions sympathized for Alice's loss, thousands even emphasized, people who had lost their own families spoke on the news about how their losses could possibly relate to the way Alice must have felt, and eventually a psychologist would explain, in medical terms, what exactly had happened to Alice and why she was in a coma.

In the end even Wonderland became famous. People began saying things like 'the little girl must've been crazy from the start and this last bit just pushed her over the edge,' to America Alice was the new tragedy, a tale of what ones fantasies could make them believe in a case of life threatening crises.

What was never explained, but well published, was that the door to Alice's parents room was unlocked when the firefighters came to retrieve their corpses, and that there were clear signs that there had been many attempts to bash the door open from the inside. There were also bloody claw marks on the easily opened window, signifying that someone had tried and failed to claw their way out.

"Why didn't they just open the door," one man would later say in an interview on Fox News, "Why would he just slam himself into the door over and over when the door was unlocked?"

"Maybe they didn't know," the interviewer replied, "maybe they just assumed…"

"Yeah the little girl said the door was locked when she tried to get in, and they told her to leave and they would go out the window, so maybe they weren't thinking very clearly about that, but then they tried to claw their way out when the window was so easily opened by the authorities. It just doesn't add up man."

"What are you saying?" the interviewer asked.

"Only that maybe there was someone in there that night, someone who knew of Alice's Wonderland fantasies and wished her harm for some reason."

"But who would do that?" was what the interviewer asked.

"That's the question isn't it," the interviewee said, "Who indeed."

Three weeks after the incident, the hospital was done with Alice, calling her a lost cause. The American public criticized the hospital and kept the young lady in their care for three extra months before they lost interest in the story (as they always do), and finally, one afternoon she was wheeled silently, and sorrowfully by one of the kinder hospital nurses, out of the Ambulance, and into the uncared for grounds of Rutledge Private Clinic and Asylum. The story had begun and ended to everyone. Everyone except the twelve year old girl that everyone thought was just in a coma.