Her Name is Alice

Chapter Four

Eventually, Alice stopped crying as she became more aware of her surroundings. It seemed that she was in a tall broom closet with a mirror at her back reflecting a dimly lit candle stump and a wooden door at her front. Eva was standing above her, offering her a hand so she could climb to her feet.

Alice brushed her skirts until they hung flat and wiped her eyes with the pocket kerchief her mother had stuffed into her pocket without Alice noticing. There was nothing in the tiny room except for the mirror, the candle and their luggage. She approached the wooden door and pressed her ear to it, straining to hear anything that might give a hint as to what lay on the other side.

"I can hear voices outside the door; they keep saying our names like they know we're in here. But, I think they're waiting for us to come out on our own." Alice straightened her crème dress and knotted her soft blond hair into a neat bun at the top of her head to make herself more presentable.

"Would you like me to help you with your hair?" she asked politely.

Eva had clearly calmed down by then and she shrugged at Alice, obviously uncaring about her appearance.

Eva and Alice pushed through the surprisingly heavy wooden door without another word. Lantern light assaulted their sensitive eyes, causing Ava to hiss at the culprit.

A giant of a man stood before them in a dark gray, pin striped suit. A younger-looking man with bright red hair stood on his left side; he was wearing a simple white shirt with brown trousers.

"Alice White and Eva Wyatt," greeted the larger man, "Welcome to your new home."

Suddenly, before anyone else could speak, a rustle of black wings assaulted the air, only to land on the giant man's shoulder in the form of a large raven. As if copying the much larger bird, a little sparrow appeared out of nowhere and landed on Alice's narrow shoulder.

"Well, hello, Friend. Where have you been hiding?" The bird tweeted softly in her ear, as if it were telling her a secret.

"I hope that your journey was well, I know it can be a rough one for certain people such as yourself, Alice." The burly man winked at her, a smirk playing on his lips. "My name is Josiah Whitmore and I am the headmaster of this academy. This is my son, Atticus; he is a sort of groundskeeper."

The slightly shorter red haired young man standing beside Josiah nodded to the girls. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

He was very handsome, with a softer face than his father's. He must take after his mother, Alice decided. She noticed Eva fidgeting, her eyes darting from Atticus to the floor at his feet. Confused, Alice glanced at his brown leather boots, trying to understand what Eva found so intriguing with them. Finding nothing of particular interest, she returned her attention to Mr. Whitmore.

"How did we get here?" she asked. "The last thing I remember is falling through black water."

"That was the portal that transported you here to this broom closet. We could never get the damned thing to choose any other room no matter what we offered; it simply preferred this closet for whatever reason." Mr. Whitmore waved a hand dismissively before changing the subject. "Atticus will show you ladies to your houses and explain your schedules and the rules, which each student must follow if they wish to stay here at the academy."

With a haphazard smile, the headmaster exited the surprisingly quiet hallway with the raven still perched on his shoulder.

"Come, I am eager to show you where you will be staying; it took me several days to fit you to your new homes. I hope you'll like them."

He was beside himself with excitement.