<span style="color: #40FF40">Alysia looked up at the woman whoâ€™d so suddenly spoken to her. She didnâ€™t want to take a look. She just wanted to go home. To go home and draw with her charcoals. She did not want to go into such a silly-looking shop at all.<br/><br/>But while she was sure the supposed-owner had been speaking to her, a girl with long black hair and blue eyes stood up from her spot on the curb and wandered inside the shop. Alysia watched her with a bemused frown.<br/><br/>Mrs. Ursule was peering at Alysia through her spectacles. She smiled. â€œWell, Alysia? Would you like to see?â€<br/><br/>Alysia stood there frowning. She wasnâ€™t listening anymore. She had grown so very bored of her foster mother and the boring walk. She stared at the window with a frown, ignoring Mrs. Ursule. Then something behind the glass flickered with movement.<br/><br/>Alysia blinked. Then shoved through the door to the shop.<br/><br/>Her mind a whirl and eyes mildly glazed, she found the source of movement. It was a Dragon Fly. Literally a tiny dragon with lacelike wings. It squawked a tiny roar at her when it saw her. Alysia was surrounded by little floating lights, flitting around her like fire flies. She was bemused to see that they were actually little balls of flame dancing about like insects. <br/><br/>The room was actually quite normal, with rows of books on oak bookcases and desks. But not to Alysia. She saw many things that werenâ€™t quite there. She gazed at the Dragon Fly with something akin to awe, but with a very, very blank expression. Another insect appeared on her shoulder: a tiny rocking horse with wings. A Horse Fly. <br/><br/>â€œHow curious...â€ She mused.<br/><br/>â€œVery curious.â€ said a taunting voice.<br/><br/>Alysia turned to see a striped cat with large yellow eyes sprawled out lazily on the window seat. It wiggled its long tail and grinned widely, showing rows of blunt human-esque teeth. It chuckled at her.<br/><br/>â€œThere you are, Alice. Where have you been?â€ said that taunting voice.<br/><br/>Alysia narrowed her eyes at the cat. â€œCheshire cat. I thought I was rid of you.â€ She ground out between clenched teeth.<br/><br/>Cheshire looked offended. â€œWhy on Earth would you want to be rid of <span style="font-style: italic">me?</span>â€ He said as if it were the most ludicrous thing in the world.<br/><br/>â€œIt could be your condescending manner. Just to name one.â€ She shot back.<br/><br/>Cheshire only smiled wider. â€œWeâ€™ve been missing you in Wonderland. Hatter the most, I believe.â€<br/><br/>Alysia harrumphed indignantly. â€œIâ€™m done with Wonderland.â€ She was lying. She just had been too busy to visit. Her foster parents kept her busy.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, Mrs. Ursule was looking on in horror. Alysia had regressed. She was talking to the air again. She was talking about Wonderland. To her hallucination. Mrs. Ursule swiftly took Alysiaâ€™s wrist and towed her out of the shop, shouting apologies to the bewildered shop owner.<br/><br/>How embarrassing! In a public place! She was a doctor. For her patient to suddenly lose it in public was for her to lose her credibility. Amanda Ursule was devastated that Alysia had relapsed in a public place. It was humiliating.<br/><br/>Alysia, meanwhile, was none too happy about being yanked about. She did not like people touching her to begin with. She yanked and pulled and shouted, going so far as to pound her fist on her foster motherâ€™s hand. <br/><br/>Mrs. Ursule only spoke in a tone that was meant to be soothing but came off frantic. â€œAlysia, dear, you were hallucinating again. We need to go home and check your medication. You want to go home, donâ€™t you? You want to get Mister Rabbit out of the car? Iâ€™ll never make you leave him in the car again if youâ€™ll just calm down.â€<br/><br/>â€œLET GO OF ME!â€ Alysia screeched, earning many a stare from the passerby. <br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">----</div><br/><br/>Alysia threw herself into the backseat and clung to Mister Rabbit as soon as she was within reach of him. She crushed him to her chest and glared furiously at the back of the passenger seat. <br/><br/>Mrs. Ursule sighed in relief. She had been worried Alysia would have put up a fight all the way to the car, but she had calmed down. She shut the backdoor and walked around the car to the driverâ€™s seat.<br/><br/>In the same moment Mrs. Ursule opened her door, Alysia threw hers open. The raven haired girl then flung herself out of the car, her feet hitting the ground running furiously. Mister Rabbit crushed to her chest, she dashed down a block then cut into an unfamiliar alley.<br/><br/>All the while Mrs. Ursule called after her in a frantic voice. <br/><br/>Alysia was sure her mother wouldnâ€™t try to follow her on foot. She would try to chase by car. But that would be impossible for the route Alysia was taking. She refused to be found by Mrs. Ursule this time.<br/><br/>The girlâ€™s pace would eventually slow as time drug on. She had wandered into a very, very remote and unfamiliar area. She had no idea where she was or what she would do if Mrs. Ursule didnâ€™t find her. But she had wanted to be as far away from the woman as possible. So she had run.<br/><br/>Alysia wandered rather aimlessly for some time. <br/><br/>When suddenly a flicker of white caught her attention. Being the curious little thing she was, she searched for it. It was like a phantom, a little flicker of white that danced at the ends of alleyways, only to vanish before her eyes could focus. The white flicker lead her further and further into the slums of the town, all the while she remained a beacon in blue and white, clinging to her precious rabbit.</span><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">~*~*~*~*~</div><br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0080">Snow Markenson pressed the apple into Phillippeâ€™s palm and bid him goodbye. With her basket in the crook of her elbow, she began her trek home. She passed the townâ€™s cute little psychic shop on her way, giving the owner a little wave when she caught the womanâ€™s gaze. <br/><br/>Then she looked down the street where there was some kind of commotion. There was a car down there, parked against the curb under a streetlight. Snow looked up just in time to see a young girl with long ebony hair in a blue dress vanish into an alleyway. <br/><br/>By the car, a woman was shouting after her. <span style="font-style: italic">â€Alysia! Come back! Get back in the car! ALYSIA!â€</span> <br/><br/>The name did not ring a bell, but she hurried over to the bespectacled woman as she leapt out of her car. She looked horrified and worried. <br/><br/>Snow immediately volunteered to assist her. â€œIâ€™ll help you find her. Come on, Iâ€™ll follow her on foot. You can take the car.â€ Snowâ€™s grandmother could expect her to be late this afternoon.<br/><br/>The woman nodded frantically. â€œYes, yes, and if you find her bring her back here!â€ She then clamored back into the car and threw it into drive, and was off with screeching tires.<br/><br/>Worried for the girl, Snow set her face determinedly and dashed into the dark alley bravely, her basket in the crook of her elbow.</span>