Her Name is Alice

Chapter Three

Alice poked her head through the small opening that served as a window. Right away she noticd how the suddenly full moon cast an oddly deliberate path that led to the churning ocean several yards from the stagecoach. Alice's loose blonde hair stirred in the sudden breeze, distracting her towards the foreboding ocean.

The coach door was jerked open sharply, causing both Alice and Eva to jump in their seats.

"Alright, ladies, this is where we stop. Please follow my instructions to the letter and our journey will end smoothly." He said this with a soft chuckle as if he knew something they didn't.

They followed Mr. Colfer to the edge of the ocean where the tide stretched its watery fingers towards the hem of Alice's dress. Eva stood a minimum of ten feet from Alice at all times.

"Do you two still have your letters?" he asked, stroking the blazes on his team's noses. 

Eva and Alice simultaneously produced the red envelopes and showed him. Alice had received her acceptance letter to Whitmore Academy the morning of her birthday. It had been pinched between the panes of her window when she awoke that morning and her mother swore she had not put it there.

"Good. Now throw them into the water, specifically the black part if you want to get to where you're going."

The tip of Alice's tongue wished to ask what the purpose was, but years of scolding from her mother forced her to hold her tongue. They did as they were told and the scarlet envelopes drowned in the ocean's tide. A single black spot slowly appeared where their letters had been swallowed; it grew into an ink blot the size of the coach and all its horses before their very eyes. 

"Now," began Mr. Colfer, "walk into the water and don't forget to breathe evenly."

In what felt like less than a moment, he rode off in the stagecoach, leaving them and all their positions behind. Alice tried calling after him but the horses were too swift and soon, he was long gone.

When she turned around to face Eva, she saw that the young woman was already waist deep in the black ocean, letting her suitcases wade through the freezing water with her.

"What are you doing?" I reached to pull her back onto the shore, but she was already too far away.

"It feels wonderful." She kept walking until she was almost fully submerged.

Not wanting to be left behind, Alice stepped into the surprisingly warm water with her luggage in hand. The moment her head was completely engulfed in the black water, her stiff body melted into complete bliss. She found comfort in the darkness that surrounded her, as if it took away all of the fears and doubts that had been plaguing her since the beginning of her journey.  

Oddly, she found that the darkness knew her name, as if it had been expecting her timely arrival. The inky blackness soothed the ache in her heart from leaving her mother and home behind. This strange, simple place placed a sense of calm in Alice's soul she felt that she had lost a very long time ago but couldn't remember how she lost it or why.  

"Lie still, Alice. Lie still and you will find your way. Let us guide you--"

"No!" Alice interrupted, suddenly afraid. "Let me stay here, please, let me stay."

"Alice-"

"Please, don't make me leave."

"Wake up, Alice. You have to wake up now."

"No, please!"

"ALICE!"

Alice sat straight up, drenched in cold sweat and her eyes wide in fear. The beautiful liquid night was gone, replaced by a harsh yellow light that made her skull throb.

Eva bent over Alice, her hands gripping her shoulders tersely. There was a look of almost worry in her deep brown eyes.

"What happened? Where am I?" Her heart was hammering in her chest at the sudden loss of peace.

Eva didn't speak a word, only continued to clutch Alice painfully. 

Alice began to sob uncontrollably. It left her; all she had wanted was to stay in its black embrace but it just left . Why couldn't she have stayed in the ocean where the soothing calm was her only companion? Why did she have to leave?

How was she going to get back?