Alice's Sister's Adventure In Underland

Chapter 1: The Engagment Party

The year is 1880 in England. The fashion for women contains tight fitted bodices, narrow sleeves that has frills at the end, high neckline, and sometimes the skirts ends right above the shoes. For the men, they are slim with the jacket unbuttoned a little to show the neat waistcoat and the chain of the pocket watch. The collars are stiff and they have a tie or bow tie.

England is beautiful with lush green grass and trees. Carriages take people to their destinations, and everyone is well groomed, including the horses. It is clear and sunny above the polluted sky. This day isn't like any other day, and this one day changes my life forever.

I dislike parties and I specially dislike this party for two reasons. My sister, Margaret Kingsleigh, which I hate with every fiber of my being is going to attend, and this party is an engagement party for my other sister. Alice Kingsleigh, my sister, doesn't like the man that is going to propose to her, and I really don't want her to get married. She is truly the only friend that I have in this world. Except, I'm not too worried she will accept the proposal, because like I said she has told me on many occasions that she hates Hamish. As you can guess, Hamish is the man that is going to propose to Alice.

"You're not wearing a corset," Helen, mother, says to Alice and I snicker a little. Of course Alice isn't wearing a corset, she despises corsets just as much as I dislike them. Alice's blue eyes flicker towards me on the other seat and focuses back on mother.

"I despise them," Alice replies in a soft, yet determined voice, "Besides, AnaBeth isn't wearing a corset herself."

"AnaBeth doesn't need a corset, but you do," mother says as she checks to see if Alice is wearing any stockings, which of course she isn't. I stick my tongue out playfully at my younger sister, and I turn back towards the window. Seeing Alice's reflection in the window, I see her roll her eyes and a strand of her golden blonde hair falls down her face. Mother not missing a beat, quickly puts the strand away from her face, and puts it with the rest of her curly hair. Her hair is beautiful, but it doesn't really suit her pale skin.

Closing my eyes from all of the fuss, I take a deep breath in and the smell of wet grass makes its way through the air. The wet grass smell reminds me of that horrible day, and the gut retching emotion takes over to the point where I have to open my eyes. It seems that neither mother nor Alice notices my discomfort, and I give a small sigh of relief. The rough rocking of the carriage starts slowing down and finally stops altogether.

The young footman opens the carriage door, and mother steps out with the help of the footman. Alice, who is only a few months younger than me, is helped out and then myself. Taking Alice's arm in my own, I start whispering to her and making sure mother doesn't hear me.

"Can you believe it, Alice?" I whisper excitedly, "We are nineteen years old, and you are already being proposed to."

"Please, don't remind me, AnaBeth," Alice replies with irritation in her voice, "I do not like or love Hamish, and I will not say yes to his proposal. Thank you for telling me about this beforehand, sister."

"You are welcome, sister, but make sure you at least act surprise, when he asks you, because I will get in trouble if you don't," I plead to her, "Which means that Margaret will want to talk or yell at me, and you know I don't want to ever see her again."

Before Alice can reply, we arrive in front of the huge stone mansion, which is owned by a man that was friends with our father, before father died. We were six at the time, when Charles Kingsleigh died from an illness that I can't even remember anymore. I didn't know Charles for that long, but when I entered this family, he treated me like I was another one of his daughters. Yes, I am not originally from the Kingsleigh family and that's why I have a different last name, but they treat me still like I'm part of the family.