Deck of Cards

Chapter 1

Alice could have sworn that the blood had frozen in her fingertips, just by feeling how much they prickled once she entered the small café. She was welcomed with the warm scent of wood and coffee, and the bell ringing as she opened and closed the door.

"I'm really sorry that I'm so late-" Alice emphasised on 'really', as Mary always gave Alice that suspicious look when she arrived late for her shift.

"I can tell." She said, blowing strands of dark burgundy hair out of her face with a huff, something she often did when mildly annoyed. But Alice only let out a light chuckle, as she put her ashy blonde tangled mess of hair into a semi-neat ponytail.

"How come you're so late anyways? It's not like you have anything better to do." Mary continued on, handing Alice her black apron.

"I missed my stop on the train." Alice said, her face slightly flushing with embarrassment.

"Again?" Mary still sounded annoyed, but there was a glint of worry in her eyes as well.

"Oh it's not like I can help it! When i stare at the sky for so long I just get lost in thoughts... Quite normal I've heard!" This time, Alice was the one to let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'd never dream of hearing Alice Lockhart refer to herself as normal." Mary said teasingly, elbowing her lightly as she filled up the coffee grinder with another batch of coffee beans.

"I suppose I'm known for believing in the impossible." Alice had a playful grin, and it was clear that all was forgiven between her and Mary, for now at least.

"Oh!" Mary's eyes widened slightly, "By the way, your sister left a letter for you here. Can't believe I almost forgot!" She said, before handing Alice a rather small letter. It had a slightly yellow tint to it, and had been decorated with silver details. "Are you sure?" Alice asked. This didn't look like something Lizbeth would give her, but it wasn't impossible either.

"Well no. But according to the back it's from Lizbeth Lockhart." Mary said, turning the letter around to show Lizbeth's handwritten signature. Surely enough, it did in fact match.

Without a second thought, Alice began opening the letter impatiently, but carefully, to avoid ruining the stunning details. It was safe to assume that Alice was fairly excited to read a letter from her sister, considering how long it had been since they had last spoken. But upon opening it, she was only met with disappointment.

"What does it say?" Asked Mary, bouncing slightly in hopes of peeking over Alice's broad shoulders.

"Nothing..." Alice said, the disappointment seeping through her voice, as she handed the letter to Mary.

"That's odd... Perhaps some sort of error occurred? Or maybe she accidentally put in a blank note instead of the one with writing?" It was obvious that Mary tried to give a logical and reasonable explanation, but Alice was far too focused on the blank page to even register what Mary had been going on about. It didn't take long for Mary to catch onto this though, causing her to stop talking for a moment of so, leaving only silence. But it was short lived, as the silence was soon broken by an angry customer who had been waiting for his americano.

"Ah- I'll be back in a second dear!" Said Mary, before rushing off to give the stubby man his cup of coffee, leaving Alice alone puzzled over the letter.

Such an organised and responsible adult like Lizbeth wouldn't simply 'forget to write something in a letter'like this, nor did any other explanation seem very plausible to Alice. But it couldn't have been impossible. Not according to Alice, of course.

________________

Alice was relieved that Sunday had arrived, as it was her day off. Despite being treated quite well at the café, she had heard some of the employees whisper and murmur about her odd behaviour.

She didn't really understand this though. Of course, Alice had her unique and uncommon quirks, but so did most people. She didn't mind being seen as weird and unusual, but she didn't like how she didn't know exactly what made her so odd to many.

"Perhaps I'm only imagining all of it-" She mumbled to her ginger cat, stroking its chin gently. Dinah was one of the few things in this world she could trust in, and so, she had become quite attached to her. At one point Alice had fallen down a hole and hit her head after her cat almost slipped in herself. Dinah had been chasing a rabbit of sorts? She couldn't remember all the details though. Her memory was hazy, and had given her weird retrospection of a rabbit dangling a pocket watch around.

With an exhausted but determined sigh, Alice got up from her bed, and got herself dressed. As much as she'd love to stay inside all day and read and paint, she knew that fresh air would be beneficial for both her and Dinah.

"It's quite cold outside, so I ought to bring a scarf I suppose." Alice chuckled, before opening her front door, and walking out with Dinah. "Not all of us are born with fur that can keep us warm. Although I suppose it would be interesting if we did." She said, before shaking her head at the thought. What nonsense.

The frostiness in the air made it feel extra fresh and crisp, but also made ones lungs ache if one were to breathe in much air at once. But Alice found the feeling refreshing, as she was quite fond of winter. Unlike her sister, who favoured spring. That probably applied to Dinah as well, as she would often bite at flowers, and come home covered in petals and mud. Usually with a proud and confident pose.

Alice hadn't realised it right away, but she had arrived to a very familiar park. "remember Dinah? This is the hole I fell in." She hummed, pointing to a hole that, oddly enough, hadn't been covered in snow. Perhaps an animal had rigged its way in or out. But as the approached the hole, Alice couldn't help but notice the odd stains nearby the hole.

"That is... A little bit odd to say the least..." She said, dipping her finger into the crimson stains, but surprised to realise that it was warm. The stains seemed to grow bigger and bigger the closer Alice got to the hole, eventually big enough to be considered puddles. "Maybe... Maybe an animal like a fox lives there or something."

It sounded more as if she was trying to convince herself of this more than anything else. But her mind only flooded with frightening images, despite how impulsive that conclusion might've seemed. "But that hole is quite big for a fox's hole I must admit..."

She kneeled down, and carefully peeked into the hole. She couldn't see anything else other than a dark empty void of nothingness. But her face become very warm when peeking down, and she could smell the sweet spice of cinnamon mixed with some other unfamiliar scent.

Leaning in slightly closer, she could hear a quiet and serene music box playing. It was very faint, but discernible nonetheless. But with that slight shift of her weight, she felt her hand losing its grip on the snow, and soon, plunged headfirst into the dark, warm void of nothingness.