Author's Notes: I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. My life has been insane for the past few months. Things are thankfully settling though. So, here is the next chapter! Finally something more from Alice's POV.
Also, next chapter will introduce the Labyrinth~ Be prepared!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth.
Chapter 6: Her Fractured Psyche.
Alice was enthralled.
She had never been good at interacting with others. People found her strange, and she found people intimidating. This compounded with her being shuffled around to various foster homes and never staying very long in a certain school district led to her becoming a master at playing the quiet wallflower.
Keeping decent grades and staying out of the way is what helped her stay so long at this particular school. Most foster parents would send her back after a few months, dumping her into the nearest orphanage or halfway home. They claimed that she was too… aware. Her quiet nature unnerved, making her like a ghost, but her eyes… the pale blue eyes simply watched the world, assessing things, judging people. She made those around her feel scrutinized, as if all there flaws and sins were laid out in the open to this simple looking, fae-eyed girl
Yet if they could truly see into her mind, they would realize that she could care less about what was wrong with them. All people were flawed in her opinion: the world around her seemed dull, boring, and she had long since given in to fantasies to drive her through the day.
That's how she learned of the Underground.
She had first read of the Underground when she was eleven, having stumbled upon the old, worn out book while looking for more detailed picture references of fairies. Soon, she found herself entranced in the world of dwarves and elves and dragons, having gained a ravenous knowledge for the world so different and enthralling than her own.
That is the start of the split in Alice's psyche.
To the outside world, she was simply the quiet girl who spoke to no one and barely even seemed to exist. But in her mind, she took on a new form, crafting fantastic worlds and beautiful creatures, which leaked into her dull reality through sketches and the occasional painting she created during art class. She could see more with her mind than she ever could with her eyes.
Yet these beautiful fantasies were not all perfect. Perfection bored her, and the more lore she read, the more she could visualize the darker, more twisted aspects of the magical world within her mind. Not all fairy tales had happy endings, and the truest ones could be the cruelest of all. And eventually, Alice began to learn of the Fae.
On the outside, they appeared perfect, pristine, creatures meant to inspire envy and desire when a human laid eyes upon them. But the cunning beings should not be underestimated she learned as she stumbled upon tale after tale of wished away children and tricks played upon foolish mortals. In her opinion, Fae were the perfect blend of Light and Dark, of Beauty and Mischief, of Fantasy and harsh Reality.
Her fascination became a near obsession for the young woman-child. So, when she learned of her kind English teacher's extensive collection of Fae lore, she near begged just to look through it, just to read the books so she could extend the never ending reality within her head. Never did she imagine that Mrs. Sarah would simply allow her to take books as often as she wanted, unknowingly allowing the young Alice to feed her addiction.
And did she ever gorge herself. Mrs. Sarah had at least a hundred books lining the bookshelves in her room, yet Alice had already nearly read them all over the course of her freshman year. She likely would have finished them all if she did not allot time for her studies to keep a decent grade. If her grades fell, Elaine might send her away, which meant she would loose this glorious collection.
Nearing the end of the books, Alice had finally allowed herself the chance to look at the book that had been calling to her for over a year. The blood red cover looked aged, and her fingers traced over the gold lettering as she settled herself onto her bench, the one nestled away from prying eyes, hidden amongst the tall trees and foliage of the quiet park.
And with a content sigh, she opened the book and began to read.