He had been waiting for three hours now, Veronica had predicted that she would awake today. Oz spun his gun around his finger, over and over. The smooth feel of the cool metal against his hand seemed to calm him. He had been waiting nineteen years for her, the girl frozen from a thousand years ago. She had the answers, for everything. Everything he wanted to know about the past, the truth. The sun shined through the mansion’s windows, the rays of the sun falling mysteriously over Oz. He stopped the gun and cocked it, he was done waiting. He pushed off the table he had been sitting on and began to walk towards the grand staircase, ready to burst out the front doors and go seize the girl. Before he had the chance to put his plan into action, Oz heard the front doors open and the sound of heels on tile echo through the main room. Adrenaline pulsed through Oz and he sprinted down the corridor, seeing the light of the main hall. He heard the footsteps stop and soft voices entered in their place. He could perceive Victoria and Poplar’s voice, the two had finally arrived.


“Go get her clothes from Veronica.” Victoria commanded, holding authority strongly in her voice. Oz laughed as he emerged from the hallway and entered the main room, even though she was second in line for the Reinsworth family. The light blinded Oz momentarily, he blinked rapidly so he would be able to see the girl faster. “Oz Bezarious? What gives me the pleasure of your company this fine day?” Victoria said calmly, reaching into the back of her pocket and pulling out a silver pistol. As Oz aimed his gun at Victoria, but a light voice broke his aim. Oz fired two crazy bullets that broke a window next to he big doors. “Alice, why did you do that?” Victoria questioned. Oz shifted his gaze from Victoria to the girl next to her, a small girl whose long caramel hair curved around her thin waist. She looked up at Oz, her emerald green eyes pierced through him. The only other thing Oz noticed was that the girl was naked. He felt immediate embarrassment and spun on his heel, facing the wall behind him.


“V-v-Victoria! Who is that girl next to you? Where is the girl frozen in ice?” Oz yelled, the embarrassment clear in his voice. Victoria laughed loudly, her voice booming throughout the main room.


“Why Oz, are you embarrassed for seeing Alice naked? I didn’t know you were such a child!” Victoria teased, and Oz could picture her making a silly face. “Oh Poplar, perfect timing. Alice take these clothes and go change behind those curtains.” Victoria commanded the girl. Victoria already had her under her control, Oz had lost to the Reinsworth family once again.


‘Don’t order me.’ The light voice said politely. Oz spun to see where the voice came from, had it come from the girl? He was too late, the girl had already disappeared behind the curtains. Victoria mumbled something to herself and swiped a blonde curl behind her shoulder. Oz found something he could use against her, the frozen girl didn’t listen to her. Oz placed his foot on the top step of the stairs, making sure it made a sound so that Victoria would look up at him.


“Victoria, the frozen girl doesn’t listen to you?” Oz spat, descending the stairs with triumph. Victoria laughed and patted down her coat tails.


“You think you can control her? She is a free will, that’s why she was chosen to be frozen in the ice you foolish brat.” Victoria hissed back at Oz. Oz flinched at her words, and as he hopped off the last step of the staircase, the curtains waved and the girl appeared from behind the curtains. She pulled her hair out from the white collar of the white blouse from under her purple jacket. The purple jacket had diamonds lining the length of the sleeves that lead to oversized white cufflinks with diamond lace. The jacket had to purple tails curving around her fair legs down to her white tie up boots. Oz watched as she struggled to tie a white silk bow around her collar. Victoria made her way over to the girl, offering her help. Oz waited for the girl to accept Victoria’s help and let her take over. Victoria reached out her hands to tie the bow, and the girl slapped them away. She backed away and Oz could tell that she wasn’t comfortable in the short, tight white skirt that she had been given. It held her legs together, something dresses back in her days did not. Oz pulled out his pocketknife and walked over to the girl. She eyed him curiously, her emerald eyes watching his every move. He flipped out the blade and knelt down to his knees and sliced the sides of the white skirt. The girl’s legs relaxed and she kicked a leg out behind her, feeling the new looseness of her skirt. She looked down at Oz, and smiled sweetly and gratefully.


‘Thank you.’ Oz’s eyes widened. Her mouth hadn’t moved, yet she spoke.


“Telepathy?” Oz whispered amazed. Victoria laughed and went back to the girl to tie her bow. Yet, once again, she slapped away her hands. Oz saw Victoria becoming frustrated with the girl, and she tightly grabbed the girl’s wrist.


“Do not slap away my hands Alice!” Victoria shouted angrily. Victoria pulled back her free hand, preparing to slap the girl. Oz reacted instinctively, standing in the hand’s path and protecting the girl. Oz’s cheek throbbed from the impact of the slap, but he didn’t move from in front of the girl. He grabbed Victoria’s hand and twisted it effortlessly, and she moaned in pain. She released the girl’s hand and Oz snatched the girl away a few feet. When he made eye contact with the girl, there were tears in her eyes. The face she was making broke Oz’s heart and made him want to pull her into his arms. Oz noted the ribbon that was falling to the floor and caught it gracefully. He swung it around the girl’s collar and quickly tied a bow, matching the white bow in her hair.


“Are you ok?” Oz questioned, gently picking up her hand and examining the girl’s wrist. Then the girl fell to the cold floor, bringing Oz with her. “What’s wrong?” Oz asked worriedly looking back at her face. The tears that were in her eyes, now poured down her face and rolled off her cheeks onto the floor. Oz smiled and pulled the girl into his arms, holding her tightly against him, protecting her. “What is your name?” Oz asked, pulling away to look at the girl once more, only to see she was see through. “Your, disappearing! Victoria! Get Veronica!” Oz shouted back at the fallen woman on the cold floor. “You can’t leave, I have so many things to ask you. So many things, you have to answer for me.” Oz yelled angrily. The girl put a transparent hand against Oz’s lips, silencing him. Her lips moved and a beautiful sound came from them. Oz pulled out his gun again and fired a crazy bullet where the girl had just been. She was no longer there, she had already gone back through the looking glass, and Oz had lost his answers forever. The only clue the girl left him was her warm voice in his ear, still ringing as the sun’s rays pierced through the white curtains of the large windows.


“Alice Liddell.”