Underlands Madness Unlocked [ Alice x Hatter ] B1

Dead Hydrageas

My mother is gone.

No, that's not correct. My mother is dead. The doctors can't point out the proper terms to use for why she died. Or maybe they just don't want to share the terrible details with me so soon. Her funeral felt to quick. To sudden. To organized. Like Margaret had it all planned out her whole life, just like her wedding.

I'm currently sitting on the couch in my sisters and brother-in-laws study. In front of me are dead hydrangeas that they put out at her funeral a month ago. Dead they are. Dead like my mother, never to bloom again and grace us all with their beauty.

One year and eleven months since I left Underland. One year and ten months, me and my mother were on our voyage. Three months since my mother started feeling sick, and one month since my mother was pronounced dead.

I've just been going through the motions. Just listening to Margaret talk about the estates and finances. Of course I'm not listening to her right now, I'm to focused on the dead flowers in front of me. I've been staying with Margaret since we came back to England. She told me I can stay there until we get the finances figured out and I was eligible to get back on the Wonder.

As much as it pains me to worry about the Wonder right now, I have a promise to keep. Even though my mother is gone, I have a promise to keep for my mother. She made me promise to her, the day she awoke from her first sleep spell, that I would keep going on adventures even if she wasn't around. That I would keep doing what makes me happy. Of course I thought that was bonkers for her to say that at the time, but I promised her anyway. And I attended to keep that promise. No matter how much it hurts.

"Alice, are you listening to me?" I blink a few times and look at my sister. She has a face of annoyance at the moment. I guess I conjured that in her since I'm being terribly distracted today.

"Yes, I mean, no. Sorry. Can you repeat what you said?"

My sister inhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose. I hear her say under her breath, "Oh, Alice. What am I going to do with you." It wasn't really a question, of course. Just her way of secretly telling me she wants me out of the house as soon as possible. Instead of replying, I sat there quietly waiting for her to tell me what was so important that I had come to her husbands study.

Lowell is currently slouching in his chair, probably hoping for this meeting his wife called for to be over already. If this is what he's truly thinking, then that maybe the first time we agreed with something.

"Alice, we're talking about mother's finances right now. This needs your full attention and it's very rude for you not to listen. It is also disrespectful towards mother for you not to care for something like this." Disrespectful towards mother? Disrespect towards mother! She's lucky I'm having an off day otherwise I would very much be telling her what's disrespectful towards mother.

Whats disrespectful is that she announced her pregnancy at our mothers funeral! Or, that her husband was away half the funeral probably snogging another "close" friend. Or, that every time we talk about mother she has the audacity to say she would want me to marry. She doesn't know what mother wants. She never did!

She realizes I became extremely stiff and bows her head. She probably realized what she said was quiet cruel, but of course she will never admit that. She breaths in sharply and finally decides to repeat what she said, "Now that I FINALLY got your attention, this is about mother's finances, this includes her wealth and estates. She left the house and the ship to be split between the both of us. But I don't believe will be able to keep the ship."

This definitely got my attention now, "What? Why not?"

"Mother has no more money Alice. She must of spent it all while you were away. The company didn't run as well as you both hoped, and with the baby on the way... we need this house Alice. We're going to have to sell the ship to cover all the debt mother has left us in."