Belle

I don't know why things escalated the way they did. I was never aware of any disdain Merida may have been harboring toward Jane. And I had no way of knowing just what the recent stress was doing to Jane. But one thing both Merida and I knew was that the situation with Alice was driving our friend mad.

The three of us had been together in the courtyard, watching over the patients during free time. The boys were playing catch while the girls sat together picking flowers. It was a truly peaceful scene. They had no way of knowing what was going on in our heads.

"She's not cooperating!" Jane sighed, rubbing her temples. She paced back and forth behind the bench that I sat on.

"Have you been givin' her the pills?" Merida asked while she stood nearby and watched the patients play.

"Of course I have!"

"But has she actually been taking them?" I asked with a smirk.

Jane groaned. "What, I'm I supposed to watch her every move? Babysit her and make sure she follows all the rules? The girl's just too damn stubborn!"

"Come on now, Jane!" Merida chastised. "She's only a child."

"She's fifteen years old!"

"Well, just because that's about the time you were forced to grow up doesn't mean you should do the same to her!" Merida snapped.

"Merida..." I said in warning.

Jane just glared at her.

Merida rolled her eyes. "Look. We all know Alice isn't crazy. We know she doesn't belong here. But there's a better way to handle this. Take the issue up with the right committees, and the girl will be out of here in no time. No need to crush the child's spirit."

"You know no one will go against Helena. And, even if that were to work, what's to keep Alice's sister from sending her back here? Or to somewhere worse..." Jane shook her head. "No. It's better if she understands what's really at stake here. Her future depends on her forgetting about Wonderland so she can be free."

"Jane, Alice is very...different. She doesn't see things the way we do. She's not...logical. She doesn't even realize where she is. She still thinks this is some rehabilitation center." I explained in my most soothing tone.

Merida sighed. "Yeah. If ya' tell her that her big sister tossed her in the looney bin, it'll crush the kid."

"But it may be the only way to show her what she's risking... It's better for her record to say she got through her trial period and was acquitted than that she was deemed unstable and kept here..." Jane reasoned aloud, biting her lip.

I shook my head. "No, Jane."

"But if I could just get her to work with me-"

"Find a way to make that happen without upsetting her!" Merida interrupted forcefully. "I don't care what kind of dance Helena has ya' doin'. Find a way to win while still sparing the girl's feelings."

"It's just not possible, Merida!" Jane crossed her arms with a huff. "She has to see things for what they truly are if I'm going to get through to her!"

I hung my head in deep thought while they continued to bicker. Jane had a point. Her idea made sense. Maybe Alice really did need a wake-up call. Still, I didn't want to see the girl hurt... I knew Jane didn't want that either- none of us did- but her options were admittedly limited.

"Shh, shh! She's coming!" Merida suddenly hissed.

I looked up to see Alice skipping toward us, cradling a crown of daisies in her dainty hands. The three of us put on our best smiles to welcome her as she approached us.

"Hello!" She cheerfully greeted us.

Jane looked slightly surprised to see Alice so happy. They'd been having rough sessions the past few days, so I assumed that Jane didn't expect Alice to be glad to see her.

Alice held the daisy chain up to Merida. "I made this for you. It's not a proper one- I still need practice."

Merida laughed. "Aye, lassie, that's sweet. But those poor flowers won't stand a chance in my hair. They'll be lost for sure!"

It was true. Merida had the wildest, most unruly mass of curly, fiery-red hair. Despite Helena's nagging, Merida refused to try to tame her hair by pinning it up. I didn't blame her; there was simply too much hair to work with.

Merida nodded in our direction. "You ought to give it to Belle or Jane."

Alice giggled and turned to us now. I smiled at her as she took a moment to think it over. Then, she walked up to me, holding out the crown of flowers. I ducked my head to allow her to crown me. We both laughed and I thanked her. But then I spotted a peculiarly unhappy look on Merida's face, directed at Jane behind me. I sensed Jane bristling at the sight of Alice choosing me over her. The feeling of Jane's eyes on my back made my skin prickle unpleasantly. Honestly, what had gotten into Jane? I've never witnessed her acting so unprofessionally.

"Alice. Have you been taking your medication like I've told you to?" Jane asked with a sudden harshness that caught us all by surprise.

Alice shrank a little. "Well...no. I thought I might not need them any more."

"That's not for you to decide, is it?" Jane sighed.

"But I really feel better when I don't take the pills, Jane." Alice insisted. "They make me feel so sleepy. And sad, too. Don't you find that odd?"

"Everyone reacts to the medication differently, Alice. It doesn't matter as long as they're making you better." Jane admonished.

"But they're not making me better!" Alice exclaimed, throwing up her hands in frustration. "I don't need them! Don't you see? I'm not sick!"

"Aye, lass, we hear ya'." Merida placed a gentle hand on Alice's shoulder. "Calm down..."

"If you weren't sick, you wouldn't be here!" Jane cried in response, ignoring Merida's involvement.

"Jane!" Merida barked.

"Jane, don't-" I start quietly.

"From what I can tell, no one here is actually sick!" Alice retorted angrily. "All I see are a bunch of perfectly healthy people that you're keeping locked up here for- for- Well, I don't even know why!"

"Oh, is that what you think?" Jane snapped. "That this is all some conspiracy? That I'm some villain working against you, keeping you trapped here? That you're all just victims? Is that right?"

"That's enough!" Merida ordered.

But Jane carried on, as if Merida hadn't spoken. "Did you ever stop to think that the illnesses we treat here can't be detected from the outside? Hmm? That the sickness lies deep in your head?"

Alice was losing her courage now. "Well, that's why Margaret sent me here for therapy."

"It goes deeper than that Alice! What's going on in your little mind goes far deeper than a few sessions of therapy! Why do you think most of your belongings were moved here?" Jane spat back.

Alice took a moment to process Jane's words, then stepped back, wrenching herself out of Merida's grip. She looked at each of us with am accusatory glare. It was obvious she was wounded.

"This... This isn't a place where people get better. Is it?" She asked rhetorically.

Jane stared back at her as if in a daze. Merida hung her head regretfully. I met Alice's gaze with comforting eyes.

"It can be, Alice." I told her. "But, truthfully, for most..." I am temporarily lost for words that might soothe her. "Well, it's a sanctuary."

Alice shook her head. "No... A sanctuary is supposed to be a safe place." She glared at us all then. It was obvious that we'd lost her trust. "I don't feel safe here." She turned and ran away, sprinting back toward the building.

We each called after her, but our cries fell on deaf ears. The girl vanished inside. Jane started to run after her, but Merida grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Now do ya' see what you've done?" Merida demanded, her fiery temper taking over.

"I- I'm sorry, I... I don't know what came over me!" Jane cried.

"You'd better hope that you do get that girl out of here! Because it's clear to me that staying in this place with you may very well drive her off the deep end!" Merida emphasized her point by sticking an accusatory finger in Jane's direction. "Whatever comes to her in this wretched place is on your head!"

"I'm only doing what's best for her!" Jane shouted back. She looked between Merida and myself. I remained silent. Jane scoffed. "Can't either of you see that? Why am I the only one actually trying to help her?"

"Well, if ya' call that helping-"

"Oh, Merida, stop it! Enough!" Jane took off, jogging away toward the building.

Merida angrily muttered to herself and stormed away in the opposite direction. I was left alone. I sat there for awhile, letting everything that had just happened roll over me like a wave. It was a lot to take in all of a sudden. I sighed to myself. I worried for my two friends, and what would become of them. But mostly, I feared for Alice. My student, the dear child who I'd come to care for deeply, the girl who only knew of joy before coming here. I'm afraid that we've ruined her now.

I stood up, walking resolutely toward the building. I let myself in through the kitchen, nodding at Tiana, the chef, on my way through. I navigated through the corridors of the first floor until I reached the door to Alice's room. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should just give her space. Then, I decided that the last thing the girl needed was to be alone. She needed to know someone was on her side. Allowing her to feel isolated wouldn't help her in her recovery. So, I knocked on the door.

"Go away!" Alice's tiny, broken voice called from within.

I ignored this and opened the heavy metal door a little, slipping inside and then shutting the door behind me. She was laying curled up on her tiny bed, facing the wall and ignoring my presence. I took a few steps into the room and waited for her to acknowledge me or invite me to sit by her. She did neither. I suppressed a sigh and walked over to the bed. I hesitated again, not sure how many boundaries to cross. Then, for her own good, I threw caution to the wind. I sat on the edge of the bed, right next to her. Then, I reached over with one hand and started to stroke her silky blond hair. She stiffened a little at my touch, but remained quiet, crying to herself. Eventually, she relaxed.

"I'm never getting out of here... No one will listen to me!" Alice said hopelessly.

"You shouldn't think like that." I whispered to her. "You mustn't. You understand?"

"You all think that I'm a loon." She sobbed into her pillow. "My own sister threw me away because she couldn't handle me. What makes you think you can help?"

I was silent for awhile, allowing her to cry. I became lost in thought, my mind wandering to less pleasant memories while I continued petting her hair. I decided to share something with Alice that I had only willingly shared with a couple of other people. Something that I believed might help her.

"I'm going to tell you a secret, Alice. Something that only the people closest to me know about. Do you promise not to tell anyone?" I asked quietly.

"I promise." She whimpered.

I nodded. "Good... It's the story of how I came to work here. My papa is a brilliant inventor. But with his genius came a few...quirks. He's a little odd. Eventually, his strange behaviors caused the others in our village to become concerned. I was away at the time, and could not stop them from locking him up at the local asylum."

"They threw your father away?" She whispered.

"Yes. But I came back home to save him. It took a lot of work, but I got him out of there. And we came here from France. Here, papa could continue his work in peace. And I began my career as a teacher. When a position opened up here, I was intrigued. I vowed to never allow the injustice against my papa to happen to anyone else. I promised myself to not let anyone else be mistreated in a place where they should be finding help. And I also decided to do everything in my power to free anyone who I knew didn't belong here." I moved my hand from her hair and gently gripped her chin, turning her head so she could face me. "That's you, Alice. You are like my papa. You're not crazy. You're smart. And others feel threatened by this."

"Really?"

"Yes." I put my feet up on the bed and laid down beside her. "You know that Jane and I are both doing what we can to get you out of here. Jane is just...worried for you. That's why she's not acting like herself now. She doesn't want you to be trapped here. None of us do. Understand?"

Alice nodded.

I continued, "That is why you must trust us and do everything we tell you. It's how we can protect you. Follow all of our instructions carefully, and we will get you out of here."

"Does that mean I have to take those pills?"

"I'm afraid so, my dear. You cannot give Helena any reason to believe you're resisting treatment. If you do, she'll keep you here."

"It's all very upsetting..."

I sat up, and she followed suit. I pulled her into a tight hug.

"It is always darkest just before the dawn, Alice. Remember this. And be patient." I told her.