Alice (The Chronicles of Alice, #1)

by Christina Henry

“It’s a rose,” she said, and suddenly she felt like she was drowning, drowning in memory, rows of scarlet roses marching through the garden, rows of roses on the dress she wore the day she snuck away with Dor.

“You’re only a mouse if you let them make you one.”

I won’t let anything happen to you, Alice. I will kill you before I let the Walrus or anyone else take you away from me.” She gave a choked laugh through her tears, a grim and not-so-merry sound. “Most men give a girl a ring, you know, not threaten them with murder.”

That mad building could only house a mad person.

She must start believing in impossible things, for impossible things kept appearing before her eyes.

“Just because I’m mad doesn’t mean I’m not right. And you were mad not so long ago yourself.”

These were very large rats. Very, very large rats. Rats the size of horses.

“He’s sworn to eat and murder whoever removed the Caterpillar.” “You mean murder and eat,” Alice said. “No, I mean eat and murder,” the rat said. “I’d rather it the other way around, wouldn’t you?” “I’d rather it not at all,” Alice said.

It always seemed to be night in the Old City.

Life is not much like stories, Alice thought. Still, her life had a giant talking rabbit in it, and she didn’t think that was very common.