Jane

I sighed as I walked into the hospital, eager to get out of the crisp, chilly air. English as I am, I actually despise the cold. So of course, the transition from fall to winter was only adding to my poor temper. I was dreading this day because it was the day that I would bring my evaluation of young Alice Liddel to the attention of my superior, Ms. Helena Hornsby. I already knew exactly how the meeting was going to go, because Ms. Hornsby's opinion was always the same: No patient may be released until every staff member is absolutely sure that that patient is mentally fit enough to be allowed in the outside world. But really, it doesn't matter what any other staff member says, because Ms. Hornsby always says "No, the patient is not." We've had patients trapped in this place for years due to this policy, including some very incredibly young people, and people who should have never been admitted in the first place, but were dumped on the authorities and had nowhere else to go. Plenty of healthy, sound people who only seemed crazy because of all the time they'd spent cooped up in this place...

Don't get me wrong, there are a number of patients who legitimately need our treatment. This hospital isn't a complete farce. I have brought some of Ms. Hornsby's ridiculous policies to the attention of my father, who has quite the number of renowned scientists and politicians within his social circle. But, every time he's tried to have someone meet with him about making some changes to this place, he's ignored. Nobody wants to go up against Helena.

These are all thoughts that regularly plague my mind, but today they nag at me even more than usual because I know that in about an hour, I'll be standing in that witch's office. And I'll try in vain to convince her that Alice is totally healthy- just imaginative, and needs a creative oulet; possibly writing- and should be released. And Ms. Hornsby will refuse and threaten to fire me unless I do a "more in-depth evaluation" and introduce whatever harmful "conditioning treatment" she suggests- well, orders- me to start on Alice in our next session... Which would be this afternoon. The thought of that just makes me sick, but what else could I do? If I'm fired, Alice could wind up at the hands of any of these other doctors- who are all either crooks or very young and horrendously under-qualified- or even wind up being treated by Ms. Hornsby herself. Whatever nasty things Helena may force me to do, I'll still be doing the least amount of harm by going along and biding my time, not losing my position... I can protect Alice as long as I'm her therapist...right?

I shake my head slightly as I walk through the echoing halls, my heels clicking rhythmically on the sterilized tile. I'm not even looking where I'm going, but I've got this whole place mapped inside my head by now; I'm moving automatically to the staff cafeteria for some breakfast. I didn't get to eat before leaving home and I know I'll be distracted enough today without having to hear my stomach rumble.

Belle is already in the cafeteria when I enter. She always comes early to enjoy the peaceful, silent solitude of the empty room, and get lost in one of her fantasy books. I smile a little to myself as I sneak by without her noticing, she's so entrapped by the novel. I open a cupboard at the end of the room and fish out a package of plain sourdough breakfast muffins and a jar of honey. I also retrieve a stick of butter from the icebox, then go over to the stove and light it to toast the muffins. Once they're thoroughly warmed and a little bit crispy, I spread butter and honey over them and set them out on a tray on the counter for the rest of the staff, snagging one for myself. As I bite into it, I hum to myself in contentment and look up at the ceiling.

"Those smell absolutely delightful." Belle comments with a quiet laugh, her unmistakeable French accent catching my attention.

I smile at her and nod toward the tray. "Want one?"

She grins, slipping her book mark in place and setting her book on the coffee table in front of her. She eagerly nods. "Yes, please."

I giggle and grab her one before going to join her on the sofa. I hand her the muffin and we eat together in thoughtful silence, both our minds racing with what the day might bring. After finishing my muffin, I get up and go back to the stove to prepare a pot of tea. Belle stays seated and nibbles distractedly at her own muffin.

"What book are you reading now, dear?" I ask her over my shoulder as I take a teapot over to the tiny sink nearby and begin to fill it.

Belle laughs. "The same one. Again."

"For the third time? My, my... The librarian ought to just give the thing to you at this point."

"He did. Just this morning."

I turn to grin at her. "You're joking."

She shrugs. "He said that if I really like it all that much, I can keep it. Amazingly, it's not a popular choice among the public. No one reads fairytales any more."

I carry the full teapot to the stove and light a fire under it. Then, I walk away from the stove and cross my arms as I wait for the water to boil.

"You know who would probably love that book?" I ask her after a moment of thought.

She raises an eyebrow in curiosity. "Who?"

"Alice. You should have her read it. In fact, I think the only thing to do for her imagination is to fuel it, allow it to expand. Maybe incorporate creative writing in her courses?"

Belle nods slowly. "That's a thought... Helena won't like it, though."

"I'm worried about what's best for Alice, not Helena."

Belle shrugs after gulping down the last bite of her biscuit. She reaches forward to open her book again. "I'll see what I can do."

"Well, definitely get her reading. I think it'll help."

Belle nods as she gets back to her own reading. "Yes, I think so, too..."

I pace back and forth for a few minutes. It's a nervous habit of mine. Belle's the only one who isn't bothered by it, so I tend to move more freely when she's around. All my other co-workers find it aggravating and usually ask me to stop. The teapot begins to whistle and I quickly take it off the flame and start to make the tea. I pour a cup for myself and Belle, placing them both on the table, then put together a saucer of cream and sugar and place that between the two cups. I sit beside her again and drop two sugar cubes into my cup, stirring the liquid inside with a small spoon. I leave the spoon on the saucer for Belle, deeply inhale the aroma of my warm tea, sigh, and eagerly begin to drink. We sit in silence for a long time. At some point, without tearing her eyes from her book, Belle reaches over to take her own cup, drinking it plain because she can't be bothered to look away from the pages and add anything to it. I smile a little to myself. Everyone else might find Belle strange, but I think she's positively delightful and unique.

Our moment of silent bliss is ended when we hear three pairs of thunderous laughter from out in the hall. I sigh in anticipation of the impending annoyance. Belle rolls her eyes, but continues to focus on her book, completely ignoring the three brawny security guards that enter the little cafeteria. These men were Clayton, Rourke and Gaston, three brutes who took more pleasure in pestering our poor patients than protecting them. I avoid all interaction with these men as much as I can, but sometimes there's just no escape. I can't believe I'm actually hoping for my appointment with Helena to arrive just so I can get away from these oafs. I'll feel bad when I have to leave Belle alone with them, though... Hopefully someone else arrives before then. Or, better yet, hopefully these men leave.

Clayton glances my way as Rourke begins to prepare a pot of coffee and Gaston noisily munches on a muffin. I offer him a polite smile, only because I don't want any trouble, then quickly look away. I'm already silently scolding myself because I can sense that he's about to take this brief exchange as an invitation to conversation. I wish I can express the dread I feel. Clayton has expressed an unprofessional interest in me a few times before. My father's reputation and acclaim have both drawn him in but also kept him from being outright about his desires. However, it's perfectly obvious how he feels about me.

I loathe this cruel, pompous man. I've never felt such a strong dislike for anyone in my entire life.

Clayton walks over to lean on my end of the couch and leer over me like a big cat creeping up on his prey, a feral grin stretching his lips. I keep my head down and try to ignore him for a moment, but it's a futile effort.

"Good morning, Ms. Porter." He greets me in that low English drawl.

My skin is crawling at the sound of it, but I push aside my uneasy feelings and turn my head up to smile at him. "Good morning, Mr. Clayton. How are you today?"

"Oh, quite well, thank you." He assures me. "And how are you?"

"Oh, just getting ready for my big meeting with the boss." I say with a light snicker.

"You're meeting with Ms. Hornsby?" He tips his head to one side. "Whatever for?"

"To discuss my newest patient. Alice."

Gaston scoffs loudly from the opposite side of the room. "That loony little girl who keeps going on and on about smiling cats and blue caterpillars and rabbits in waste coats?" He rolls his eyes and sips at his coffee mug. "Don't waste your breath on that kid. She can't be helped."

"You could stand to be a little more empathetic, Gaston." Belle remarks, finally looking up from her book. "We're supposed to be helping these people. Not laughing at them."

Gaston sighs and puts down his coffee, crossing his large arms over his broad chest. "And I think you could stand to do a little less reading, Belle. It's obvious all those books have got your pretty head in the clouds."

Belle narrows her eyes at him, but says nothing in response. Instead, she goes back to her reading just to spite him. Gaston stares at her for a moment in irritation while Rourke chuckles lowly at his side.

More people enter and I look up to see Shang, Hercules, Mulan and Merida wandering in. Mulan and Merida are giggling about something while Hercules is grinning boyishly and Shang is playfully rolling his eyes, his face otherwise as stern as ever. I smile a little, silently thankful that there are actually some good people on our security team. I also wonder if the entirety of the security staff will be meeting in here this morning. The room is getting awfully cramped, and only three members are missing.

Shang nods respectfully at Rourke, who's the head of security, as the older man hands him a mug of coffee. The other officers help themselves and begin to chatter idly, waiting for the day to begin. Belle decides that things are getting a little too claustrophobic for her and gets up to leave. I eagerly follow, forcing another smile for Clayton on my way out. As Belle and I walk down the hall, my earlier suspicions are proven correct when Phillip and Helga- two of the remaining security guards- pass us by, seemingly on their way to the cafeteria. Helga ignores us while Phillip offers a friendly smile and a wave as they go.

"What time are you meeting Helena?" Belle asks me, reading as she walks.

I check my watch. Fifteen minutes from now, I would be in that dreadful woman's office. "9:00. I suppose I'll head over early. She does appreciate punctuality."

Belle nods. "I'll be in my office." She turns a sharp left and disappears down that hall while I continue forward.

I sigh quietly to myself as I walk over to Ms. Hornsby's office. I have to pass by the rooms of quite a few patients as I go, so I move quietly to ensure I don't disturb them. I reach the door to my superior's office, the gleaming plaque reading her name making my stomach sink when I see it. I check my watch. In five more minutes, I can knock on that door without Helena scolding me for being too early. I pace back and forth for a little while, diligently checking the time every time I feel a minute or so has passed. Finally, it's 8:59. I take a deep breath and pause in front of the door, raising a fist to delicately tap the dark wood.

"Come in." I hear her drone from inside the room.

I collect myself and push the door open, stepping into the office and quickly closing the door after me. I stand there for a moment, waiting for Helena to tell me to sit. She gestures with one lithe hand toward the chair in front of her desk, and I obediently take a seat. She looks me over with her cold green eyes, her bony face a completely blank mask. Her black hair is pulled back into a tightly coiled bun, and she is dressed all in dark garments that hang elegantly off her thin frame. I can imagine that she was very pretty when she was younger.

"So..." Helena says after a long moment of scrutiny. "Tell me about our dear little Alice."

"I don't believe the girl is dangerously delusional, Ms. Hornsby. I don't really think she's unhealthy at all. I just think she's very imaginative, and doesn't have an outlet." I explain, trying to sound confident as I speak. But Helena has a way of making everyone around her feel small and powerless, simply by giving them a look. So I sound mousy in spite of myself. "I just think she's rejecting the ideals of womanhood that society is trying to push on her, and clinging to childish fantasy because she resents the idea of having to grow up. If I can show her that being an adult isn't all bad, maybe incorporate some creativity into her process of maturing-"

"Then maybe little Alice will turn out right as rain? Live out her days happily without causing damage to any of the people in her life?" Helena cuts me off, raising one elegant eyebrow in doubt. "Come now, Jane. She's only been here two weeks. That's hardly enough time to get to the bottom of what's plaguing her."

"But, Ms. Hornsby-"

"Observe the girl for one more week. See if she makes any real progress. And, if she doesn't- if it turns out that your way isn't going to work, which it won't- we'll move on to my treatment. Do I make myself clear?"

My throat suddenly becomes very dry as I contemplate what she might have planned for Alice.

Helena tisks in annoyance. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Jane Porter. You know it's our job to make these people well, to see to it that they don't pose a threat to society. We're doing good work here. And, if you plan to get in the way of that, there will be consequences. Understand?"

Before I can answer, we hear shouting from out in the hall. We both look up toward the sound, which draws nearer to this office. Then, the door crashes open and Rourke and Gaston drag in a struggling girl. It's Aurora, one of our more troubled patients. She's had a few problems with security before, usually because she was provoked, which I'm sure is the case this time, as well. I want to step in and insist that the guards release their rough hold on her slim arms, but I see how the young girl is already glaring at Helena. Her violet eyes, half shielded by a curtain of her messy golden hair, are filled with more hatred than I would have ever thought possible for one human to possess against another. I turn to see Helena eyeing the girl indifferently.

"Jane. Go about your day. I need to have a word with this patient." Helena tells me.

"Ms. Hornsby..." I start to interject.

She gives me an icy look, silencing me. I quickly stand up and leave the room, giving Aurora an apologetic look as I go.