Guilty Alice: Finding Love In Wonderland

Chapter 1

It all started over something so trivial. Never did I dream that my life would completely change on that very day.
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"Alright. It looks like I have everything I needed to buy now," I said, looking down at my shopping bags in my hand. As I look back up I notice something's different.

Has there always been a shop here? I take this street all the time. I can't believe I've never noticed it before. I doubt the store just opened recently. There were vines along the brick walls and the windows were covered in dust.

I have a strange sense of wonder as if it has always been here. Maybe I should have a peek inside?

I walk over to the building and slowly open the door. "Wow!" There are so many cute little things in here! Like a hand mirror interlaced with numerous wedges of colored glass, as if it were made out of stained glass. The lucid crystal pendant twinkles as the sun shines on it through the window.

However, what captivates me the most out of all the things I see, is the alluring jewelry box. It was decorated with an elegant relief and glowed the color red. It appeared as if it were radiating brighter than any other item in the shop.

Everything here is so beautiful, but something about the boxes beauty makes it especially stand out from the rest. On the lid are different colored jewels, each shaped like one of the four playing card suits. As I trace my eyes along the golden rims, I see the jewelry box is supported by adorable cabriole legs.

I wonder if it's an antique or something? I don't see a price tag anywhere. I carefully open it, nervous that I might break it. Inside there is a heart-shaped jewel.

"It's so beautiful!" I proclaim. I've never seen anything like it before.

Captivated, I find myself reaching out my fingers as if it were drawing me towards it. Right as my fingers gently made contact with the jewel's surface... *crack*  the jewel shattered into pieces.

Why did it...how did that just...?!?

"I'm so sorry! I'll pay for it!" In a panic, I rush over to explain what happened to the shopkeeper and show him the jewelry box. However, the man who appears to the shopkeeper is a man with a purple, cat-shaped hood pulled down over his eyes and a mask in the shape of a cat smile covering his mouth.

"Why thank you, kind visitor. However, if I'm not mistaken, this jewelry box doesn't appear to be broken at all." the shopkeeper says.

"But...I...the jewel inside, it.." I hesitated to speak. How did he not notice the broken jewel right in front of him inside the box?!

"Jewel? What do you mean? There was never anything inside this jewelry box to begin with." He asks.

What's the heck is going on here? The jewel was in the box a few seconds ago. How could it have possibly disappeared so quickly?

I don't know why, but I just can't leave the jewelry box like this and go home.

"How much is this jewelry box? Please let me buy it" I plead.

"Gladly. Thank you for your purchase that'll be..."

And just like that I headed back home, holding a beautiful and enticing jewelry box in my arms.
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In the evening I perch myself on my bed, carefully looking at the jewelry box.

"The more I look at it, the more beautiful it becomes...It's so lovely." But just what was that entire thing with the jewel cracking? There's no use in thinking about it.

For some reason I feel so tired. I let out one last sigh, and give up on speculating. I decide to hop in bed. I turn off the lights and crawl under the covers.

Then, perhaps not realizing how tired I really was, I immediately fall into a deep sleep.

However, this sleep was the whole beginning.

I saw a dream full of wonder.

I saw something unbelievable, something outrageous. Like the very definition of  'out of a dream'...

It was the dawn of a dream filled with wonder...