Sleeping Beauty's little Sister.

Chapter 4

Hi! I don't know who in my house left 7 pizza rolls in a bag, but that's a pretty buttholish thing =P

Oh, well...I'm trying to rush through these chapters to get back to when Natsume comes in, because I just love him...hehehe. I have to pack and visit my dad's side of the family, so this will be the last update for a couple days.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Gakuen Alice, they belong to the amazing Higuchi Tachibana-sama. Story inspired by E.D.B.'s story

An hour later, Mikan reached unfamiliar ground. She stayed on the path she thought would take her to the branch of the Crystal River that led toward Shimshee, but by late afternoon she was no longer so certain. Although the path seemed to be going in the right direction, she had yet to see or hear the running water. She began to wonder if she was lost. By the time the sun began to sink behind the trees, she was sure of it.

A wolf howled somewhere in the forest and Mikan remembered the story she'd heard about a wolf following a little girl and eating her grandmother. She was considering climbing a tree for the night when she smelled wood smoke. Hoping to find the home of a woodcutter, she hurried toward the source of the smoke and entered a clearing, where she found a small cottage that hummed with magic. The candles flickering in the window looked ordinary enough and the magic didn't sound like the nasty kind, so Mikan tiptoed to the window and peeked inside.

An old woman with white hair and the plump, sweet face of a kindly old grandmother carried food to two small children seated at a wide plank table. She used a cane when she walked, shuffling across the floor with an unsteady gait. When Mikan bumped into the shutter, breaking off a corner, the children turned in their seats and stared at her through big, dark eyes set in pale faces. They were beautiful children, the boy had silky hair the color of walnuts while the girl had silky hair the color of ravens wings and both dark lashes framing their eyes, but their cheeks were dirty and tear streaked, and their clothes were soiled and torn. The boy looked as if he were a few years older than the girl, but their features were similar enough that Mikan thought they might be siblings.

The boy and girl appeared frightened at first, but when they say Mikan they looked at her for only a moment before shifting their attention back to the food on the table. The old woman had seen them turn their heads and had followed their gaze to Mikan. She smiled now and in a playful voice said "Nibble, nibble, little mouse. Who's that nibbling at my house?"

"I wasn't nibbling," Mikan replied. "I just wanted to see if anyone was home."

"I'm here, so you're welcome to come in. Children are always welcome, especially if they're tired and hungry. I have some very yummy food cooking. It's...What did I tell you it was, little boy?"

"Rabbit stew."

"That's right. And I'm just about to take a nice berry pie out of the oven. Cone in, my dear, and make yourself at home.

Mikan's foot bumped something as she befan to move away from the window. She bent down to see what it was and found a large chunk of striped candy. Picking it up, she realized that it was the piece of the shutter that had broken off. The air smelled like nutmeg and ginger. When she looked closer, she saw that the walls were made of gingerbread decorated with sugar dots and icing swirls.

Mikan frowned as she walked toward the open door. The humming of the magic was constant and reminded her of an old lullaby. It also reminded her that the old woman was probably a witch, yet there was no indication that she was a bad witch, at least none that Mikan could hear.

"Just call me Granny Bentbone, dear. So many people do."

"I'm Hikaru," Mikan replied, hoping that the clothing she wore made her look enough like a boy to make the name believable.