Chapter 3-3 Alice Winters

Alice paced back and forth while she was waiting for her brother and Hilda. They had been gone for a long while now, and it didn't help that she constantly heard the howls of the Lycans nearby. She wanted to go out and find them, but the Duke persuaded her against it. "You should relax, Miss Winters. Your brother can handle himself. And he has Hilda to guide him."

Alice looked up at the big man that was in the caravan, her hands on her hips as she raised a brow to him. "If Ethan is as capable as you say he is, then he wouldn't have gotten himself captured by the people here or gotten his fingers bitten off." She remarked.

"I never said that he was careful." The Duke mused. She rolled her eyes, but Alice couldn't argue with that one, giving him some credit. She perked up upon the creaking of the red gates, being opened up with a man and a young girl by his side. Alice breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that they were both unharmed. "Looks like you had nothing to worry about." The Duke told Alice, before turning towards the other two. "How did it go? Did you learn anything?"

Ethan and Hilda walked over to the caravan, while Hilda was happy to see the Duke and Alice, Ethan had to explain in a somber tone. "It was Miranda who placed Rose in those flasks…" He sighed, shaking his head to try and make sense of any of this. "We also got this key with feathers." He glared up at the Duke. "Now tell me how to fix this like you said you would." He demanded, growing impatient.

"Settle down. First you must use that key and collect all of the Rose flasks." The Duke explained. So that's what this hunt was about. Still, there had to be more to it than what the Merchant was telling them.

"So, where are the rest of them?" Alice approached, asking the questions.

"There are four in total. You have the one and the other Lords have the rest." The Duke answered.

"Lords?" Ethan repeated with a raised brow.

Alice turned to her brother so she could explain it to him. "The Lords are considered Miranda's Court. They serve under her and help keep the Village in check. There are four of them in total."

Hilda nodded to confirm. "We already met the first one, Lady Dimitrescu."

Ethan was about to ask, but Alice answered. "The tall, vampire woman who can extend her claws and has three sadistic daughters." Ethan was more confused, but he rather not ask any other questions, mainly because of time.

"Then there's Lady Beneviento. She's a doll maker who lives deep in a valley of mist next to a waterfall outside of the Village." Hilda explained.

"Rumor has it that none of her playmates have ever come back from that dank old estate." The Duke added.

Ethan slightly shuddered at that aspect, but Alice rolled her eyes as she didn't think too much of it. "Lovely… who else is there?"

Hilda hummed before answering. "There's Lord Moreau. He's a mysterious creature with twisted flesh who lives in the Reservoir, past the windmills."

"It is said that he is not the only monster that lives in those waters." Duke chimed in.

"And the last one is Lord Heisenberg. He works in his factory on the Village outskirts, always doing his projects." Hilda added.

"And what are these projects?" Alice asked.

The Duke merely shrugged. "Let's just say that some parts of the human imagination are better left alone." Alice decided not to question further, as she preferred to not think of the abominations that this Heisenberg could create. "Come here, my child." The Duke motioned with his fingers for Hilda to approach him. She did, stepping forward just as the Merchant handed her a large piece of paper. When she looked at it, illustrations of symbols of the Lords and the whole area of the Village were drawn on the sheet. The siblings were impressed with how much detail the map had, more so than the one Alice had. "If you truly wish to save Rosemary Winters, you must gather all four flasks. I'll give you this map of the Village with the Lord's locations to help guide you. As well as places that you may want to check out. After all, some treasures still lurk in this Village. I'm sure each one will prove of great use to you."

Alice and Ethan looked up at the Duke, while Hilda was still marveling at the piece of papyrus she held in her tiny hands. "Why are you doing all of this? Going this far to help us?" Alice wondered, as she was suspicious of the Duke's ulterior motives. There was still so much he probably wasn't telling them, even though he was being helpful.

"Why, it's all part of our first class customer service. As a favor of my favorite customer and helper." He reached over and patted Hilda's head, which made her smile and giggle. The Winters siblings still didn't fully trust the Duke, but it wasn't as if they had any other options. If there was a way to save Rose, then the least they could do was look into it. They were already here, so may as well go along the path that was laid out.

"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us." Ethan noted.

Alice looked over the map that Hilda held, then turned towards the wooden gate that was close by the caravan. Supporting a symbol of a golden ring with four black wings. "Looks like one of the Lords is through that gate." She stated.

"That's where Lady Beneviento lives," Hilda pointed out. She then rolled up the map and placed it in the satchel, as she was the one to be trusted with it.

"Looks like that's our next stop." Alice stated, checking her weapons and reloading them.

"Then let's get going. The sooner we get those flasks, the sooner we can get Rose back!" Ethan declared.

Alice turned to face her brother, as her eyes shone with a serious nature. "Ethan… you aren't coming with us."

"What?! Why not!?" The older of the two stared at his sister confused.

"Because I came to this Village to not only save you and your family, but for another mission as well. And I'm not going to babysit you while trying to do my job."

"I don't need a babysitter! I need my daughter back!" Ethan shouted.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about." Alice pointed out. "You go into situations without thinking it over and manage to make it worse for yourself and others."

"Name one time I did that!" Ethan urged.

"How about when you decided to head to Louisiana without telling anyone? And fought against a possessed molded family just to get your wife back?! Doing so without telling anyone else what your plans were so no one would be able to find you if something happened!?" Alice shot at him.

"Hey, I only wanted to make sure that message from Mia was real! I didn't want to drag you or anyone else down with me to waste time."

Alice rolled her eyes as she turned her back from him. "Here we go…"

"Hey, this involves me just as much as it has to do with you. I have every right to heal my daughter."

"Can you listen to yourself for a minute?!" Alice argued with him. "You honestly think you are capable of facing those Lords?"

"I'm not scared of those freaks!"

"Those 'freaks' are more powerful than any amount of firearms you could possibly use! I had to fight for my life just to escape the Castle. Those daughters took the cold climate and furniture just to stun them, and that Lady hardly flinched when she took a bullet to her face! Going up against them with what weapons we both have combined would only get us killed. I know what I'm doing."

"And I don't?!" He argued. "You're not the only one with military training and had experience with B.O.W's."

"And how has that been going for you so far? Because since you've gotten here, you had your fingers chewed off and gotten abducted by those in charge."

"Hey, I'm alive at least. I have every right to get involved now! She's my daughter!"

"And my niece!" Alice began to grow increasingly impatient as they continued to argue, wasting more time. "I can handle this. It's my mission."

"I'm not letting you do this on your own! You could die!"

"And I could lose you!" She cried, turning around to face Ethan while holding back tears. "I don't want it to be like Louisiana all over again!" Ethan blinked when he heard her say that. He took a step away from Alice, while she tried to calm herself down. With a heavy sigh, Alice tried to explain more rationally. "I know you wanted to get Mia back, but for those three years after she was gone, you had completely shut me out. You hardly ever went outside or hung out with your friends. And when you were starting to finally accept she was dead, you got that message from her telling you to get her in Dulvey. You didn't even tell me, and just went off without a second thought on your own. I had to find out from your friend what you were up to, instead of hearing it from you personally! She was my sister-in-law, I had the right to know about where she was and the right to go with you. So don't talk to me about doing this because of your obligation, because you didn't give me that choice back then!"

Ethan stared at his sister, not having any comeback for her explanation. Alice kept her eyes on him as it made Ethan realize something: He tried so hard to be a good husband and father, but he became a shitty brother. "...You're right," he finally admitted, making Alice be caught off guard. "I should have told you back then. I knew how much Mia meant to you, and you were always there for me after she disappeared. Honestly, I didn't want to trouble you because, part of me believed it was a prank. Part of me believed she was always dead and this was someone playing a joke." He admits. "But I didn't mean to shut you out. Losing Mia felt like losing mom and dad all over again."

That remark made Alice bite her lip, but she understood where Ethan was coming from. "How do you think I felt when you left without saying anything? How do you think I handled the idea that you were suffering in those swamplands by those B.O.W's? You promised that after dad died, we would stick together and always have each other's backs. Where was that promise when you left me to head to Louisiana?" There wasn't any hostility in her voice, Alice instead had longing and betrayal, which was much worse for Ethan to bear.

"...It must have been the worst feeling in the world…" Ethan answered, stepping over to her so he could speak more. "I don't want to fight you on this, Alice. You can be mad at me for what I did and hold it against me for the rest of our lives. But the last thing I ever wanted was to get you involved and risk losing you."

"You still should have told me at least…"

"I know… and you're right." Ethan agreed with her. "I probably reminded you of Chris with how I acted."

Alice chuckled slightly at his remark. "I don't hate you THAT much. You may have done some stupid things, but they aren't anywhere near Redfield's level." She reassured as she managed a smile. He grinned back at her. ""Still… I wish you would have told me yourself and gave me the option to go with you. I'm not that little sister you had to protect back then."

"You are my littler sister, and I'm always going to want to protect you." Ethan retorted. "But this is more than just you, this is about my family. I lost it before and I'm not going to let it slip away again. I don't understand a lot about what this Village is or these Lords, but I do deserve to be involved for the sake of my daughter's life."

"Ethan… the Lords and Miranda already know about you. They'll be expecting you and probably already know how you operate. This mission requires stealth, and no offense, being sneaky isn't your strong suit."

He took offense to that. "Hey, how many times did I sneak over to Mia's in the middle of the night without getting caught?"

"Do you mean before or after she moved out of her parent's place?" Alice teased. Ethan rolled his eyes as they were back to sibling bickering. "I know you want to save Rose, but I also have my own mission to accomplish. If we go together, the Lords and Miranda will be able to point us out much quicker. If and when I need you, I'll let you know. Let me handle this for now. Besides, you look like you could use some rest given what you've been through."

Ethan seemed he wanted to protest more, yet as he looked at Alice she was more prepared than he was. Her outfit was more suited to the darkness and she had more than enough weapons and ammo on her. He might just slow her down, and if she managed to avoid one of the Lords while he got caught, she should be able to get through this better than he did in America. "I… guess I haven't gotten any actual sleep unless you count being knocked unconscious." He shrugged.

"Then you get some rest with the Duke," Alice offered. "Let me take care of this Lady and I'll be back before you know it." Alice promised. Ethan nodded, as he went to the caravan while the Duke smiled.

"I'll watch over your brother. You be careful, Alice. The Lady has a thing for mind games, from what I hear."

Alice wasn't sure what the Duke meant by that, but she took that warning to heart. She got what she could from the Duke and headed towards the gate, Hilda following behind as she wanted to help out. The child used the newly made key and inserted it into the lock, opening up the gate with the four winged golden ring. The two headed through, preparing themselves for what would happen. They walked across the snow, searching the area as they wondered what they would face next. "Stay close Hilda." Alice advised. There was a dense fog covering the path, making them feel more isolated. The area was quiet, as the only sound that could be heard were the steps of their feet. The only things Alice could make out through the mist aside from the trees were many graves and dolls scattered around the ground, with flowers placed near the stones. She felt an unsettling emotion surrounding her, as the atmosphere was making her skin crawl. "What is this place?" Alice questioned.

"I believe this is Potter's Field." Hilda answered, staying close to the older woman.

"Potter's Field?" Alice repeated. "You mean a burial ground for those who were unnamed or unknown were placed here?"

Hilda nodded. "Or people that didn't belong to the Village or who had some parts of their body missing. If they fit that description, they usually ended up here."

It made sense that there would be such a field here, considering how sadistic the Lords and Miranda were, there would no doubt be too many deaths for people to keep count of. Especially if some of those victims weren't from the Village and she wanted to cover up the Cadou experiments. Alice felt Hilda leave her as she headed towards a particular grave with two candles and a bundle of marigolds. Alice approached, as Hilda knelt down to the grave. The Winters noticed that there was some writing on the grave. 'Johanna: February 1983- April 2012. May your daughter outlive you.' Hilda stared at the stone, looking at it with a somber expression as she reached over, her gloved fingers touching the cold material. Alice noticed how the child was reacting to the grave, as a theory formed in her head. "Hilda… Do you know this woman?" Alice asked, but already knew the answer.

Without looking up, the young girl spoke. "From what I've been told, this was my mum…" She admitted, causing Alice to hold in her breath. "I was still too young to remember her face, but she died with me in her arms. I was taken to the Orphanage not long after that." There was no merriment or excitement in her voice, it was low. Alice knew she was upset, not that she blamed her. This Johanna woman was probably the only parent Hilda had, and she lost her before she could have any fond memories of her. She couldn't imagine how that would affect any child. But… she had her own experience.

"I'm sorry… I'm sure she must have been a great mother."

"I hope so… despite what everyone else said about her." Hilda sighed. "I wished I could have at least known what she looked like. I didn't get to remember her face before we were separated." She explained.

Alice reached over and held her arms out, holding the child close into her chest and rubbed her head. "I know what it's like to lose a mother at a young age." She told Hilda.

The child looked up at Alice, as she remembered mentioning that. "How did you lose your mum? If you don't mind me asking…"

As painful as it was for Alice to relieve that event, she wanted to help Hilda feel better. And by sharing her pain, it would hopefully help Hilda take her mind off her own mother. It took her a while to figure out what she would say, as there were a lot of details but she had to dial it down for Hilda to follow and not to be terrified. "There was an outbreak… in the city where me and Ethan lived with our parents. It was a virus that a company that specializes in medicine was making."

"Why was a company that makes medicine creating a virus?" Hilda questioned.

"Well, they weren't a good company." Alice admitted, being reminded of Umbrella and their history. Even though they were gone, the damage they did could never be undone. "We're not sure how it happened but… somehow the virus leaked out of their labs. Then it spread somewhere in the Raccoon City's water supply and within a few days, many people got infected. Ethan and I weren't sick since we bought bottled water and our dad didn't trust tap water to drink since he feared we would get some kind of lead poisoning. Looking back, his paranoia ended up saving our sanity." Alice realized.

"Anyways," she continued. "When it happened, Ethan and I were home alone. We tried to find our mom, going to the nearby pharmacy where she was working. When we got there… She was already infected. I hardly recognized her." Alice still shuddered, remembering how twisted she was. Her dull gray eyes glaring at her, and her lips red with the blood of what she had been feasting upon. Most of her night terrors always relayed back to that moment in her life, or at least somehow ended with that. She tried to keep herself from shaking, but talking about it made her be reminded of the night when her and Ethan began to fall apart.

Hilda turned her head around so she could look up at Alice, worrying about her as she went quiet. "I'm sorry you had to experience that…" Hilda apologized to Alice, as she didn't want her to continue.

Alice noticed Hilda had tightened her hold on the older woman, and it made the Winters realize she needed to continue on her mission rather than deal with the past. "I'm trying to say I know the pain of losing a mother. But you aren't alone, Hilda." Alice reinstated as she looked down at the child. "You have my word that once this is over, I'll take you out of the Village and make sure you experience a life outside of these mountains." Alice promised. She had already grown attached to Hilda, and if she could escape this place, then Alice wanted to make sure she would be there for the child. After all, she still had her whole life ahead of her and deserved more than what this hellhole of a Village had left to offer.

"I've never been outside of the Village before…" Hilda admits. "Is it… safe?"

"Well, safer out there than in her at the moment." Alice answered honestly. "To be honest, I haven't been in Europe for that long, but from what I've seen it is beautiful." With that stated, Alice picked herself up on her feet, and held onto Hilda. They still had much to do before they decided on sight seeing. "Come on, we still have a long way to go before we can leave." Hilda nodded, holding onto Alice's hand as they continued down the path.

Eventually, they found a lone bridge that seemed run down. The rope connecting the wooden boards appeared loose and could come undone at any time. The wood of the boards themselves looked worn out and even rotting. Alice feared that if she took even one step, the bridge would collapse under her. And considering how deep the canyon was below her, she didn't believe she could survive. It didn't help that it was slightly swinging, despite nothing on there or any wind passing through. "Come on Alice," Hilda urged. "Lady Beneviento is just across the Suspension Bridge." The child began to step across the overpass, keeping her eyes ahead until she made it to the other side. Alice was impressed with how fearless Hilda was. Then again, maybe she had done this many times before? If it could manage to hold Hilda, then Alice should have no problem. She began to walk across, trying not to look down. She did catch many other bridges across the cliffs that were out of commission with how run down they all were. Looks like there were other pathways but became corroded over time. At least one bridge was still in use, Alice thought.

Once they were on the other side, Alice breathed a sigh of relief to be on solid ground. Thankfully the boards and rope didn't do the cliché troupe of falling right after she got across. Continuing on, they walked down a pathway until they were blocked by an iron gate. Before she could approach, the bars began to slowly open on their own. Alice knew that was a red flag right away, but Hilda pushed through as she went on ahead with Alice trying to keep up. The child stopped in her tracks when she noticed a gate to her right, looking at it long enough for the Winters to catch up. That was when Alice noticed that the gate also had statues of children holding lanterns on either side of the entrance, with some stone steps leading up to a large building. Was this where the doll-maker lived?

Hilda darted through the entrance, forcing Alice to follow as she realized the kid seemed to be drawn to this place. As she went close, she noticed the courtyard had playground-like equipment all over such as seesaws, swings and a mini carousel. Then she looked at the building, which gave her church vibes as there was a stained window near the top with a sun being overshadowed by a crescent shaped moon. A staircase connected on one side of the building to the ground, which made Alice question if this was the house were the Lady lived in.

"It's still standing…" Hilda marveled as she looked up at the building. "I thought it would have been destroyed when the Lycans attacked."

Hearing her say that made Alice curious. "Hilda, do you know this place?"

The child turned back to her as she was approaching the porch. "This is the Orphanage I grew up in."

Alice blinked when she heard that information. "This is an Orphanage?" She was somewhat surprised that such a building would be here in the Village. Then again, given how many casualties Miranda and her Lords had, it would make sense that some children would be without a mother or father. Near the front steps, Alice caught a glimpse of a wooden sign which read: 'Beneviento Orphanage'.

"Beneviento…" Alice repeated as she looked at the name. "Wait, that's the name of one of the Lords."

Hilda nodded. "This Orphanage has been in Lady Beneviento's family for many generations." That would explain why it was so close to the doll-maker's estate. But why would the Beneviento's be interested in watching over an orphanage? Alice continued to ponder until Hilda opened the door to the building, going inside. She immediately followed, and entered the foyer. Right away, the atmosphere seemed creepy with how silent the halls were. Drawings made by children hung on the light gray walls with cubicles for coats and shoes lined the structure close to the stairwell on the right. A few toys were littered on the floor, as the light hanging on the ceiling was flickering. It wasn't that welcoming, but it did seem in tack for the most part. No claw marks or blood splatters anywhere, unlike the other houses within the Village. "I don't see anyone…" Hilda noted as she looked around the foyer.

"I… don't think there's anyone here." Alice stated. She highly doubted there would be any survivors, since the Village had pretty much been wiped clean of any human inhabitants. It was weird that there weren't any blood marks or strong stenches, which meant there weren't any bodies nearby so that was one less nightmare to see. Hilda and her headed down the foyer, at the end of the hall was a wooden door with a window showing a room inside. "Have you lived here for long, Hilda?" Alice asked.

"Since I was two," She answered, as they headed into the room. It seemed to be an office with a desk, filing cabinets and bookshelves. "This is Luzia's office!" Hilda gasped.

"The woman Ethan mentioned who he sought refuge in?" Alice questioned, remembering that name as it was the one her brother mentioned when he got to the Village. "You said she was the owner of the Orphanage, right?"

"She wasn't the owner, but she did work here. I guess her ancestors were the closest to the Beneviento's, so that's why they were in charge of the orphans." Hilda stated. So Luzia worked here, which meant she must have been in contact with the Lords. The Winters noticed a few framed pictures and a document on the desk, which she wanted to investigate. She picked up the paper and read over it.

'The Beneviento Orphanage was established by Madalina Beneviento in 1783. When she found out she was infertile, Madalina took it upon herself to house children who had lost their parents in her own home as a way to protect them and fill the void in her empty heart. The current Beneviento Estate was where Madalina housed multiple orphans, and expanded the area with plenty of rooms to hold as many as possible. When more orphans sought refuge in the Village, she took it upon herself to create a better, structured building and helped those parentless children find shelter and food. Thus, this Orphanage has been proof of her love and care for kids. Madalina Beneviento eventually adopted a few of the children to continue the Beneviento bloodline herself. The Benevientos' have since kept up with the Orphanage and it would seem that the recent owner of the estate, Donna Beneviento, has taken up the same interest as her ancestor and has begun to adopt the children here to take to her place to raise them as her own.'

Donna Beneviento, that must be the Lady that was one of Miranda's court. So it seemed that her ancestor began to take care of children who lost their parents and eventually made this Orphanage for them. And much like this Madalina, Donna began to adopt some of the kids to live with her at her place. Alice set the note down and looked over at the framed pictures. One of them showed a woman in a long-sleeved button up black dress with hair the same shade as her outfit in a bun. She stood in front of the building with a smile. Next to her was a woman dressed in black clothing, with a funeral veil over her head. Alice assumed it had to be a woman since she was in a dress. The one with the face covered also appeared to be holding a strange doll dressed in a wedding outfit. Her mind recognized this person and doll from one of the pictures she saw in the church. The woman with her doll must have been Donna, the second of the four Lords. So the other woman must have been Luiza. She set the picture down and picked up the other one, which showed Donna being surrounded by many of the children in front of the building. The kids seemed to like her, smiling up at her and clinging to her clothes. A few of them were even holding her bride doll.

Hilda saw the picture of the boys and girls surrounding the lady, smiling before speaking. "Lady Beneviento is very kind. She would always send up many toys to play with and would craft outfits for us, as well as give us the food her gardener would grow. She rarely comes out of her estate, and doesn't talk much herself. But she's always been generous to us." Alice noted the way Hilda mentioned Donna, speaking about her with such praise. Alice didn't have any bias since she never met this woman herself, but from what she heard, she seems to be a charitable Lady. She even seemed more like a saint compared to Dimitrescu and Miranda. Perhaps Donna wasn't as bad as the others, especially with how she took care of the children. Maybe that was why Hilda thought so highly of the leaders of the Village. The child headed out of the room, checking around. Alice merely followed, wondering what else Hilda was looking for. Even though they should be heading to the real Beneviento Estate, Alice couldn't help but explore more of the Orphanage as it could hold some secrets.

They searched the rest of the building, going through the door next to the office which took them to a common room. It had a few windows with tattered curtains that danced in the wind. Tables lined with more drawings and colored crayons, some pictures remained unfinished. Shelves lined with books with a few tossed to the floor nearby. A small piano and a box full of musical instruments sat against one end of the wall. It was another room that was void of any life, but Alice took it as a good sign which meant there weren't any corpses nearby and hopefully no Lycans that had been attracted. They headed over to a double door entrance, leading them to a dining room with a long table and multiple chairs. There were plates and cutlery on the table, but no food. If there was any, then it most likely would have been rotten at this point. There was another wooden door to the far left of the back wall. She entered with Hilda, being taken to an old fashioned kitchen with a wood burning stove and oven. Pans and pots hung up on hooks over a large island, where another note rested on the counter for Alice to read.

'February 1st. Bi monthly supplies from Beneviento Estate. Carrots = 60 kg. Potatoes = 55 kg. Corn = 40 kg. Oats = 75 kg. Rice = 80 kg. Apples = 35 kg. Cabbage = 80 kg. Figs = 35 kg. Hazelnut = 105 kg. Leek = 55 kg. Lettuce = 65 kg. Olives =90 kg. Peas = 135 kg. Sugar beets = 75 kg. Cherries = 45 kg. Wheat = 150 kg.'

These foods were from Donna's Estate? Hilda did mention she supplied them food as well as toys and clothing, guess she was just as generous as Hilda made her out to be. Alice and Hilda headed out of the kitchen and decided to check the second floor, so they went to the foyer and began to go up the stairs. While Alice took her steps, she noticed there were pictures hung up on the walls. They were photos of children with plaques beneath the frames detailing their names and ages. They must have been the children that lived here. The younger kids were at the bottom of the stairwell while the older ones rested on the top. With a pattern of boy, girl, boy, girl, and so on. Alice read the names of the children and their ages. 'Andrea, Age , Age 7. Luca Age 8. Audrey, Age 8. Philippe, Age 9. Rosa, Age 9. Xander, Age 9. Laura Age 9. Matteo Age 10. Sofia Age 10. Hugo, Age 10. Camilla Age 10. Stefano, Age 11. Caroline, Age 11. Antonio Age 11. Francesca, Age 12.' Of course, there were others, but Alice noticed that those children had something special about them. Next to their plaques was a small sun symbol with a moon overlapping the side, the Beneviento symbol. Perhaps this meant the children were adopted into that family? Her green eyes soon noticed another plaque that mentioned a familiar name. 'Hilda, Age 10'. However, there was no picture to show Hilda's face. That was strange, according to Alice. Why was Hilda the only one that didn't have a portrait of her in the Orphanage?

She didn't ponder it for too long as she made it to the second floor, where there were three doors. The first room on the right led to a nursery, where nine white cribs lined in a three by three row stood in the center of the room. Changing stations and some rocking chairs were in the corners. The only door on the left of the hallway led to a more childlike room. Bunk-beds lined up all of the walls, two on each side with a total of 16 mattresses. The room was colored with a sunshine gold and clouds painted above the ceiling with a window facing east. Alice noticed that with the sky blue bed sheets, this must have been the boys' rooms. The last door took them to a similar room setup, but the walls were a midnight blue with stars above the ceiling and a window facing west. Dolls scattered around the floor, and the bedsheets had a frilly pattern, meaning this was the girls room. The child ran into the room, opening a closet door and rummaging through the insides. "Where is it… it's got to be here somewhere."

Alice watched Hilda go through the small space, raising a brow. "What are you looking for Hilda?"

Before she could get a verbal answer, the young girl turned around and placed a cardboard box onto the ground. "Found them! My treasures!" She smiled and giggled, looking through the box. Alice noticed some words written on the side: 'Hilda's. Hold until further notice.' That was odd, why would they label that box of Hilda's stuff like that? 'Hold until further notice'? What did that mean? Did something happen to Hilda before the purge? Maybe she got adopted and was going to her new home? Then again, she would have taken all those supplies with her. And Alice doubted she would have been in the Orphanage at the time of the attacks…

Alice watched as the child took out what was in the box and placed them in her satchel: A leather bound sketchbook with a few pencils. A small porcelain doll of a girl that had a similar outfit like Hilda, but it was all black and white coloring, and the doll had brown hair and blue eyes. The last thing she took out was a story book with black and golden lettering and cover. She seemed the most pleased holding that treasure. "This is my favorite bedtime story! It's supposed to tell the origin of the Village." Hilda explained.

Alice approached, noticed the title and read it out loud. "Village of Shadows?"

Hilda looked up at the older woman and explained. "The story tells of a young girl who had lost her parents and ventures into the world to find a new place to call home. She travels through a forest, a graveyard, an ocean and a metal tower. Each area has a guardian that protects that place, and would take the lives of those who dare to enter. The girl gives each of the Lords a gift in exchange for safe passage in their realms. In return, they also offer gifts to her, which she uses to help aid on her journey. Once she reaches the final area, all of the monsters gather around her to present her with a test."

Alice stared at the book, becoming more interested. "What kind of test?"

Hilda shrugged as she pocketed the book. "I dunno… I always fall asleep before I read the ending." She admits.

Alice merely chuckled at that notion. "Fair enough… okay, can we get back to finding the Beneviento's estate now?"

Hilda nodded, standing up and adjusted her strap on her satchel. "Lady Beneviento's estate isn't too far from here. I'll lead the way!" She grabbed Alice's hand and headed down the stairs out of the Orphanage and back outside. They went on the snowy path that was narrowed due to wooden and iron fences and tombstones caving in on them. It also appeared to be getting foggier now, especially when they came to a circular clearing with what appeared to be a grave in the center. Yellow flowers producing golden pollen floated in the air, which caught the attention of the two. There were a few porcelain dolls scattered around the greenery along with many other smaller tombstones next to the coffin.

"A grave… out here?" Alice leaned closer to see who it belonged to. On the tomb it read: 'Freed from the binds of flesh, she now walks the valley of death'. Ominous, Alice thought. There was also an indent on the cover of the grave, with a name and two sets of dates. 'Claudia Beneviento. 1987-1996.' Claudia? She must have been a relative of Donna since they shared the last name. From what Alice could see, this girl died when she was only nine years old, a pretty heartbreaking age as Claudia didn't live a full life. Clearly there was a connection between losing loved ones and being infected by the Megamycete, Alice noted. Between Miranda and now Donna, that was a pattern she couldn't deny.

Hilda went closer to the grave, placing her hands together in a prayer manner before saying that same prayer she had with the others who passed. Alice watched and waited for her to finish. When she did, Hilda stood up and sighed. "I hope Claudia will be reunited with her parents."

"Do you know this child?" Alice questioned.

"Not personally, but from what I know, she was Lady Beneviento's sister." Hilda explained.

"Sister?" Alice questioned. That would explain their connection. So… did that mean Donna was the youngest of the Lords, given the time frame? "What happened to her?" She asked, becoming curious.

Hilda shrugged. "No one knows how she died, but after her death, their mother and father jumped off the waterfall near the Estate. They died and left Donna alone to inherit the family name. Not long after that, Mother Miranda adopted Donna and she's been a Lord ever since." Alice shuddered when she heard that tale, as it was disturbing on more than one account. To think that Miranda would take a broken child who had lost everything and experiment on her just to get her daughter back. That was beyond evil, it was twisted. How did Donna manage to cope with being a failed experiment and forced to partake in Miranda's quest? Alice couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for Lady Beneviento.

They walked around the area of pollen, porcelain and death, coming to a structure with double red doors. Alice pushed it open with ease, finding themselves in a cave that had a few light sources from the candles scattered around. The two headed down the stone pathway until they saw an iron lift with bars. Alice wasn't sure why there would be an elevator here, but she didn't question it. Hilda pressed the button, which opened the doors and allowed them to walk into the shaft. Once inside, the child pressed another button as they were slowly ascending higher from the cave. Alice kept her guard up and gun out, as she didn't trust how eerie this was. So far, it almost seemed too easy for them to be able to come this far without any obstacles. It was as if Donna was leading them here on her own accord, luring them into a trap.

The lights suddenly went out, causing Alice to gasp in panic. When they came back on, she panted and checked around the elevator, making sure they were alright. "Alice?" Hilda looked up at her. The older of the two looked down at the child, ready to speak until she noticed something that had been written on the side of the lift. 'Come play with me'. That caused her to shudder, as that writing was not present when they came on. "Alice? What's wrong?" Hilda asked, becoming concerned.

"Hilda… did you write this?" Alice pointed to the words.

The young one turned and stared at where she was pointing, but appeared confused. "Wrote what?"

"This writing on the wall…" Alice continued to gesture towards the words.

"But… there's nothing there." Hilda stated. This caused Alice to blink, looking baffled.

"But… the lights went out and…"

"They did?" Hilda looked above, but seemed confused just as Alice was. Alice pulled her hand back and placed it on her head, believing she was going crazy. Or perhaps this was just part of Donna's trap? What was happening to her though? And why was it only affecting her? Thankfully, the elevator shifted as they were on a new floor, taking them to another cave within the earth. Alice decided not to question further, and headed out with Hilda to the small space and were taken to a snow covered hill side. They rounded a corner until they saw a giant manor, sitting at the edge of the cliffside with a large waterfall flowing behind it. It wasn't as grand as the Castle, but it was impressive nonetheless. If the area wasn't creepy and had such a depressing history, this would be a fascinating location. Of course, Alice had a bit of anxiety noticing how far away this Manor was from where Ethan stayed, and the atmosphere surrounding the place did not appear too welcoming.

"Woah!" Hilda's eyes sparkled in awe, as she practically bounced on her heels. "I've never been this close to the Beneviento Estate before! I wonder what the inside looks like!" She seemed to be thrilled by the adventure, despite the horrors she had to recently face. Still, the answers and items they seek were inside, and it was the only place they could go. The two walked past the iron gates and up the porch. Alice still had a bad feeling about this, especially with the red flags from the elevator alone. There was no turning back though, so inside they would have to go.