Alice sat in her favorite chair in the corner of her uncle's study, wearing the soft robin's egg blue dress he'd bought her for her seventeenth birthday. It seemed silly now how much she'd pined and pleaded for the silly thing, just because it reminded her of a dress Alice would have worn in Wonderland. A first edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland rested in her lap, her fingers absently tracing over the worn cover. Her uncle had also bought it for her, for her fifth birthday. She still remembered the twinkle in his eyes as he watched her unwrap it, his joking remarks that she should have it just in case she ever decided to fall down a rabbit hole. Alice hugged the book tightly, her throat tightening as she fought back tears. There'd be no more jokes about rabbit holes or mad hatters now.

Glancing up at the door, she was reminded why she'd sought refuge in the study. Every room of the house except this study was filled with strangers in dark clothing, pretending to mourn her uncle. Burrowing deeper into the soft leather of the chair, Alice opened the book, intent on immersing herself in Wonderland and forgetting about everything else. Before she could get through the first page, however, the door swung open and her mother swept in. As her mother shut the door, Alice took note of her simple, professional black dress and carefully coifed hair. It seemed a bit perverse to Alice how similar her mother's outfit was to what she wore everyday to work, as if this, too, were a job to be done.

Alice continued to watch her mother as she walked towards her, as cool and controlled as ever. "Alice, you really should be out amongst the guests." Her mother's voice was casual, with its usual undertone of disdain. "Some of them have traveled a very long way to be here, it's rude to ignore them. It isn't as if you're absence is going unnoticed. Several people have already asked after you and the day has hardly started. Your uncle didn't have much family, and the family he did have is expected to make an appearance."

Alice inwardly rolled her eyes. Her mother had always been more concerned with appearances than the happiness of her family. "Those people aren't here because they cared about Uncle Thomas. They are here because they're hoping to inherit something from him. I don't want to be around people who are pretending to be sad right now. I'd rather stay in here by myself."

Alice watched, chagrined, as her mother's mouth thinned and her eyes narrowed subtly, a sure sign of agitation. "Alice Jacqueline Forester, regardless of what your opinion of our guests may be, you have an obligation to at least pretend to be a part of this family. If you don't get out there, people are going to begin to speculate why a young lady such as yourself would be secluding herself at a time like this. That could lead to some nasty rumors that I will not tolerate being spread about our family. It's going to be difficult enough to explain why you're wearing that dress instead of a more appropriate one. Someone could almost think that you're trying to make a mockery of this event, wearing bright blue today of all days."

Alice could feel her face heating up and knew that she was slowly turning red in anger. She'd never quite gotten the knack of controlling her facial expressions like her mother. Alice was an open book, with every emotion showing clearly on her face. Her uncle had found that endearing, a mark of honesty. Her mother just saw it as weakness.

"If the 'guests' want to speculate as to why I'm wearing a blue dress, you should tell them that my dead uncle bought it for me. He loved his niece enough to buy her a ridiculously expensive dress simply because it reminded her of her favorite book. If they want to know why I refuse to come out of my uncle's study, then you can explain to them that I'd like to mourn his passing in solitude. If they can't understand that, then I'm sorry." Alice could feel her voice quavering towards the end, but desperately tried to maintain control. She'd never talked so forcefully to her mother before, but she was certain that crying now would ruin everything. But whether she cried or not, there was no telling what her mother would say or do after Alice's little speech, she was certain, however, that it wouldn't be pleasant.

Before her mother could say anything, however, the door opened and Alice's father came in. Dressed in a basic black suit with a crisp white shirt and perfectly straight tie, Alice was once again struck by how professional her parents looked. Alice might have thought her father was completely untouched by his brother's death had it not been for his nervous habit of frequently and unnecessarily straightening his tie. Though she did wonder if he, like his wife, was more concerned with the family's supposed social obligations than his brother's passing. He calmly closed the door and walked over to join his family, his usual vaguely pleasant expression covering his true emotions. Alice wondered to herself if they had had to take classes on controlling their expressions in law school or if it came naturally.

Alice stubbornly maintained her position in the worn leather chair as her father moved to stand squarely in front of her. With her mother at his side, they made an intimidating pair. The sight of her parents standing in front of her had become an all too familiar sight to Alice. Over the years, they'd formed an alliance whenever they wished to force their will on their daughter. Lately, that had been all that they came together for.

"Alice," her father started, his voice soft and condescending, "I know how much you must be hurting at a time like this. You and your uncle had a very close relationship. He did a lot for you. Now is your chance to repay him, at least a little, by being with his family and friends in their time of need. Besides, he wouldn't approve of your barricading yourself in here. You should be around the people who love and care for you at a time like this."

Alice stared at her father incredulously. "Your right Father, I did have a close relationship with my uncle. He did do a lot for me. He bought me presents, tried to teach me about the world, and encouraged me to be myself against all odds. More importantly, he gave me a refuge where I could escape a mother and father who were too busy arguing with each other to notice their own daughter. He gave me a home and hope. But you were wrong about repaying him. He treated me like a daughter, and daughters shouldn't have to repay the kindness a father shows them. They shouldn't have to earn affection. I'm 'barricading' myself in here, as you so eloquently put it, because the only person who ever truly loved or cared for me is gone."

Alice hardly had time to marvel at her bravery of finally speaking the words that had been suppressed inside of her for so long before her mother's hand connected solidly with her cheek. The sound of the slap seemed deafening. Over the years Alice had been berated, yelled at, grounded, even sent to bed without supper, but her parents had never raised a hand to her. Alice barely had time to raise her fingers to touch her cheek however, when she was shocked again by her father's iron grip on her wrist. Yanking her out of her chair, her father looked down at her coldly, nearly making Alice shiver. "You will leave this room now. You will go out amongst the guests and be pleasant. There will be no negotiation." Her father then shoved her towards the door, nearly causing her to trip before she caught herself against the door.

Alice knew there would be no reasoning with her parents. She could either leave the room of her own accord or they would force her to leave. At least if she left of her own accord, she might be able to slip away, disappear even. This new, violent side to her parents scared her, and without her uncle here to shelter her, Alice no longer saw a reason to stay. She'd be eighteen in a month, legally independent. She'd just have to decide whether to stick around for another month or evade her parents and whatever means they used to find her.

Alice's thoughts raced as she opened the door and preceded her parents from the room. She forced herself to smile weakly at the crowd of people, accepted their half-hearted condolences as she slowly made her way towards the front door. Ever mindful of her parents eyes on her, she hovered in the crowd just a few yards from the door, trying to decide whether or not she should try to make a run for it now, when her parents couldn't escape their social obligations to go after her.

The sound of the doorbell cut through Alice's thoughts. She automatically walked towards the door, curious as to who would ring the doorbell when everyone else had just walked in. When she opened the door, she was unsurprised to see a little, round man dressed in a dark suit, after all, the house was full of men in suits. She wasn't even surprised when he asked if she was Alice Forester, since everyone knew she'd been close to her uncle. She was surprised, however, when the man introduced himself as her uncle's lawyer, Mr. Knolls. By this time, both of her parents had joined them and asked him if he'd like to come in to the study.

Alice followed curiously, wondering what her uncle's lawyer could possibly want to discuss on the day of his funeral. Her curiosity was piqued even more when she reached the door to the study, which her father had been trying to close, and Mr. Knolls told her that she should come in. Moving through the doorway quickly, Alice took a seat opposite Mr. Knolls, forcing her parents to either stand or sit farther away. She couldn't help but smirk a little as the man across from her tried to hide his grin when her disgruntled parents were forced to stand on either side of her chair.

Mr. Knolls cleared his throat as he pulled a manila envelope from his briefcase. "Well, as you know, I was your Uncle Thomas' lawyer. A few years ago, he came to me with the wish to make out his will, just in case anything ever happened to him. Although it might be an inopportune time, I am here to execute the said will, as per his request. He seemed quite anxious to have his will executed as soon as possible after his death." At this point, Alice saw her parents shifting slightly out of the corners of her eye, though from nervousness or anticipation, she couldn't tell.

"Alice," Mr. Knolls continued, looking directly at the young girl across from him, "your uncle left everything in his possession at the time of his death to you." At this, Alice distinctly heard a sharp intake of breath, though she couldn't tell if it was from her mother or father. "He also asked me to give you this letter." Alice reached for the letter with shaking fingers, barely registering the fact that her parents had started to argue with her uncle's lawyer. When they started to raise their voices, screaming at the little man about the 'indecency' of the situation, Alice moved outside, barely noticing as she passed through the crowds of people dressed in black. Finally, she sank down into the grass under her favorite tree in the front yard and pulled her uncle's letter out from the envelope. She felt tears well in her eyes as she started to read her uncle's familiar, slanting script.

"Dear Alice,

If you're reading this, I'm gone. I'm so very sorry. Please know that if I could, I'd be there for you now. I know it won't make up for my absence, and will probably be little to no comfort right now, but I leave to you everything I own. Hopefully, my house will provide you a refuge from the harshness of the world and my fortune will give you the opportunity to pursue your dreams. Keep the book I gave you close, just in case you fall down a rabbit hole.

And always remember, I loved you. You were the daughter of my heart. Now go, make your own Wonderland.

-Thomas"