#*snalice

“Do you hear that?”

Truthfully, Alice didn’t. She had been stuck in a day dream as they wandered along the corridor, relieved to have been dismissed from lessons for the weekend, and imagining what it would be like if the flowers in the decorative vases around the castle raised their heads and started to sing. She heard something, yes, but she doubted Snow White meant the melodies that were echoing in her head. Stopping in the corridor, she listened carefully, and then shook her head.

“Not a thing. You’re probably imagining it.”

“No, no I’m not,” Snow replied, rooted to the spot as her eyes scanned around where they stood. Even then, Alice couldn’t help but admire her - she was the picture of beauty no matter what she did. No wonder a few of the boys had that nickname for her. The fairest of them all, something silly and stupid like that, but the world would go to hell in a teapot before she admitted they were wrong. She was pondering over this when she did hear something, a faint sound that was vaguely animalistic. That wasn’t a good sign. The two were standing outside the doorway to the castle’s library, and while Alice was on good enough terms with the librarian, Belle didn’t really like people being too noisy outside it, and she certainly didn’t appreciate it if anyone’s pets got lose and caused a ruckus. She still remembered her as a student, four years older than her and always kind, happy to share her books with anyone interested. She was out of school two years now, but an arrangement with Madam Harte’s “son” meant that she had stayed on to work there. Everyone knew he wasn’t really her son, more like a ward than anything else, but he was still seen terrifying and unlikeable, just like her. It was easier to imagine them related, they were so alike in temperament.

For a moment, she wondered if it would be him to round the corner, and she felt uneasy at the idea. She really didn’t want to have to run into Adam, not now, but Snow didn’t seem likely to move any time soon. Moving towards her, Alice slid her hand into hers and gave it a gentle tug, jerking her head down the corridor. She desperately wanted to get out, but Snow wasn’t having any of it, and a slow smile began to creep across her face. Before she could urge her to move, Alice knew why. Whatever animal they had heard was approaching, and cawing. A bird of some sort, and Snow White never could resist the lure of birdsong. She could never resist the lure of any animal that promised a degree of cuteness, and sure enough, the bird came around the corner, perched on the arm of a Miss Jane Porter. It was shielded by the other, but no amount of hiding it could quieten the birdsong, and she stopped dead as she finally caught sight of them.

“What a lovely bird, Jane!” Snow called, releasing Alice’s hand and skipping down the corridor towards her. “What type is it?” There was no answer as Jane walked up to meet her, evidently trying to get off the corridor as fast as possible, but it was futile - the door swung open and out poked a head, brown eyes scrutinizing for the sound of the noise. Belle demanded absolute silence in the library at all time, and outside interference was never usually tolerated, but Alice noticed her face soften a little at the sight of Jane.

“Is that an animal, Jane?” She asked, fully stepping out with a playful smile on her face.

“Of course not!” Jane immediately replied, eyes slightly wide as she frantically searched her brain for an excuse. “It’s - it’s…”

“It’s your newest pet, I’ll bet,” the brunette in blue replied with a wry smile, approaching them with an outstretched hand. The bird squawked in response, and nipped at her fingers, causing Belle to withdraw it, and fix Jane with a stern look.

“Jane, this is the third time in four months. You know Madam Harte’s stance on pets…”

“I know, Belle, but I couldn’t just leave him outside! Look at that plumage, how wonderful would sketching that be? And his poor wing!” Sure enough, it was bent at an odd angle, and Alice saw Snow’s face crumple at the sight of it. Moving up to stand beside her friend, she took her hand once more, entwining their fingers and giving her hand a tight squeeze, to assure her it would be okay. “I have to fix it, and then I’ll let him go,”

Belle sighed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face before jerking her head down at the library. “Come on then. I’ll help you patch the little thing up, but then you have to let him go, Jane. I don’t want you getting punished for this, not after last time,”

“I promise, Belle. Isn’t he just the cutest little thing, though? I named him Horatio!”

The two could hear Belle chiding her about naming the bird the whole way down to the library, before collapsing into giggles. Jane was considered a little funny, especially for an older girl, but no-one meant it in a malicious way. She was well liked by everything, just a bit… quirky. Carrying on, their conversation drifted to trivial things as they headed towards their tree - homework, the annoyance of the younger pupils, the dreaded assembly they would no doubt face on Monday morning, and the upcoming winter dance. Many girls were complaining because of the bitter weather outside, and how they would need to alter their dresses to keep warm, but Snow and Alice didn’t mind one bit. Snow was, well, Snow, and to hate her namesake would have been unfathomable, and Alice knew that the secret was a pair of stockings and socks on over them. The dancing would keep the rest of them warm. Snow was going through the detail of the dress she wanted when they heard a shout from behind, and turned to see the hatter boy racing towards them, something cupped in his hand. Snow’s eyes quickly slid to her friend’s face, and though she couldn’t know the way her heart thumped faster, she heard the sharp intake of breath and saw her stop dead for a second. The boy looked over at the two with a smile that promised mischief, and the corner of Alice’s mouth twitched upwards as if to mirror it. It was a second before the blonde realized he was holding something out to her.

“I think you might have misplaced this, Miss…?”

Alice’s hand immediately went to the pocket where she always kept her watch and chain, only to find it missing. Snow filled her name whilst she inspected what was held out to her and realized that it was indeed her pocket watch, taking it gratefully.

“I didn’t even notice,”

“Things like that, most people don’t. Takes a special mind and a trained eye to notice something small like that,”

“Are you complimenting yourself?”

“Maybe, but you’re not telling me otherwise,”

It caught her off guard and her face turned a light shade of pink - the hatter boy laughed, and pressed the watch into her palm.

“It’s a joke, Miss Alice - but if riddles are more your thing, I most certicanically tell you them. Splendid things, riddles, never the same answer, never the same question. Would you be interested in one?”

“Go on then,” she managed to get out, their hands still pressed together over the watch.

“Why is a raven like a writing desk?”

Now that made her laugh, though there was a hint of nerves underneath it. “That’s a riddle? It sounds impossible!”

“Nothing’s impossible, Miss Alice,” Tipping his hat, he released her hand and turned on his heel, only for her to shout after him.

“I never got your name,”

“Why not just call me the Hatter? Everyone else does,”

“Well, okay… thank you, Hatter,”

“Any time, Miss Alice,”

For a moment, they stood together and watched him strolling down the hall, before Alice pocketed the watch once more and they continued on their way.

“D’you know what I think?”

“Hmm?”

“I think you like him,”

A chill in the air was not enough to keep the two girls cooped up inside, no matter what the mistresses said. Provided they wore enough layers to prevent themselves from falling ill, there should be no reason why they shouldn’t be allowed out, and this argument, so sweetly proposed by two smiling faces, couldn’t be refuted. They had been released into the gardens of the estate and immediately made for “their” tree. During the spring, little blossoms flowered and Alice would often pluck them from the branches, showering Snow White from above and causing squeals of mock annoyance. During the summer, the blonde would clamber up the branches and pull two apples from where they sat on the bough and the two would feast until it was time to go back in for lessons or supper. During the fall, they often played games in the leaves that gathered in a pile below it, but winter meant no real fun for them. Oh, Alice could climb into the branches as she always did, and call down stories to Snow White, but where was the fun in that if they couldn’t do it together? Winter often found them in the drawing room with the other girls boarding in the transformed castle. Snow White would exchange ideas about princes with Charlotte LaBouff, an excitable blonde girl determined to become a princess one day, and Alice would lounge near them, butting in every so often with nonsensical words to try and liven things up. When that failed, she consulted with Belle Merchant, who was more often that not found with a good book that had some charming pictures in it, and the two would talk of that. No matter who else they talked to, though, everyone knew that when the weather grew warmer and they were permitted to be outside, Snow White and Alice would walk arm in arm around the gardens, and no-one could separate them, no matter how hard they tried. They were best friends and bedfellows, and even the mistresses and the tutors knew so. No-one would be surprised to look out the window and see the two of them huddled together, giggling over a private joke. It would be stranger if they were seen apart - where one went, the other followed. It was just the way it was.

Arms linked now, they walked down to their tree, glad of the fresh air. When the winter was fully upon them and the snows fell so hard that the ground could not be seen, then they would be glad of the roaring fires lit in most of the rooms. But December was not yet upon them and November was only just drawing to a close, so the heat was stifling. Yes, outside was cold, but with their cloaks and gloves, they were warm enough. Snow even had a bonnet on, to protect her ears, but Alice had decided it was a tad too much and left hers sitting in her bedroom, content to ignore the wind nipping at her ears. When they returned to the estate that night, she’d be chided on letting them get so red in the cold, but that would be later, and she was happy to put that off as long as she possibly could.

“Do you think Madam Harte will let us go to the ball?” Snow asked excitedly as Alice found her well worn footholes and began her ascent to the branches of the tree. Snow was a great fan of parties, and Alice couldn’t blame her. She was a wonderful dancer, and her voice was soft and beautiful. Alice herself was less fond. She didn’t like dancing too much, and her voice would often crack when singing. If she managed to avoid that, she was pitched too high or too low, and preferred to leave early to do something more interesting. Parties were the only times the girls were ever really seen apart, but no-one ever saw it as a sign of deteriorating friendship. It was the only time their personalities and likes seemed to clash, and it was just accepted.

“I doubt it,” Alice declared after taking a moment to settle herself on her favourite branch. Leaning on her stomach, head resting on folded arms, her cloak hung over the sides of the branch and fluttered in the wind, whilst Snow took a seat at the base of the tree and leaned her head up to meet her friend’s eyes and listen to her words. “She never lets any of us go to the balls for the older girls. We have our own winter and summer dances, why should we get to go to theirs too? I doubt it’s much different anyway, only they’re a bit older and have fancier dresses. We’ll be doing the same in four years anyway, all you have to do is be patient,”

“Four years is such a long time, though,” Snow replied wistfully. Sixteen, Madam Harte had declared, was the perfect age for “coming out” and into adult society, and so the balls were set up for the more grown up girls. Snow White and Alice, being only twelve, still hadn’t gotten to see what went on during these balls, but Alice had a sneaking suspicion it was exactly the same, only they tried to match you up with someone. If that was true, Snow White would absolutely love it. Perhaps she could find her prince at the ball, but Alice would rather get a kitten and live on her on, to do what she liked. Maybe those thoughts would change in four years, but she doubted it.

“Well, maybe it is, but you can’t make it go faster, can you? Maybe in another world, but not this one,”

At this, the dark haired girl sighed, and Alice could tell she was still thinking about the ball.

“Cheer up, Snow,” she encouraged. “We still have our winter one coming up, and we’re all getting new dresses. You’ll love that, won’t you?”

At this, a smile crossed Snow’s face and her eyes lit up. “Oh yes, I definitely will! I think I’ll get this one in blue and gold…”

“Snow?” Alice frowned, confused. It wasn’t like Snow to trail off in the middle of describing the sort of dress she wanted. Usually, Alice would know the colour, the pattern, the style, the cut of the skirt, whether she wanted short sleeves or long sleeves, gloves or no gloves, shoulder straps or puffed sleeves, and to not hear Snow enthusing about it all was a tad confusing.

“Alice, look over there. It’s a carriage.”

At this, Alice’s head jerked up. Carriages were very rare at the Walter E. Disney Estate. It certainly wouldn’t be a new pupil, for they had all arrived in September - they had all been so young, quivering with fear and anticipation as they lined up two by two to be inspected by the headmistress, before being inducted into the academy. That was how Snow and Alice had met. They had been herded together into a pair to be inspected by Madam Harte, and clung to each other for comfort and reassurance. Six years later, the girls were the very best of friends. But beyond pupils arriving, and receiving some esteemed guests, carriages rarely ever made their way towards the huge estate. If a guest was arriving, they would have had a month’s notice, and Alice’s curiosity was piqued. From her spot in the tree, she had a better view of the carriage approaching the front doors, and she was thankful that the gardens her and Snow frequented were set out on either side of the front door. There were a variety of other gardens around the expanse of land, but this had always been their favourite and it seemed they had good taste. As the carriage ground to a halt, Alice pushed herself up and straddled the branch, eyes widening as the door to the carriage sprung open. The doors to the castle opened at the same time, and out bustled Mrs. Potts, who was a matron and head housekeeper. Alice knew she was in charge of overseeing the workers in the castle, and wondered if they were getting a new one. The boy who stepped out of the carriage couldn’t have been much older than some of the pupils still there, eighteen at the very most, and Alice couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was tall and gangly, with dark hair, but that was all she could tell for now. Mrs. Potts ushered him in and luggage began to be carried in, and Alice’s curiosity waned. It was getting chillier outside and she was regretting leaving her hat inside. Swinging her legs over the branches, she dropped down, stumbling a little as she tried to regain her footing. Snow White rose from where she sat, and the two started towards the castle.

“Who do you think that was?”

“No idea. I don’t think he was a prince though, so try not to be too disappointed.”

As it turned out, they had an encounter with the boy not two weeks later. When the girls who needed outfits for the upcoming ball were called in to speak to a tailor about the designs they wanted, he was spotted in the same room, busy with making hats and headbands. So, he was a worker, not a pupil. That had satisfied Alice’s curiosity, but when he raised his head from his work and their eyes met, the friendly smile he gave her made it so that she couldn’t get him out of her head. Even that night, lying in bed with Snow fast asleep beside her, his face lingered in her mind, for a reason she couldn’t put her finger on. There was nothing overly special about him, after all. He was just one of the multitude of workers that the academy employed, and it was unlikely she would ever see him again unless she needed new clothes. Besides, he had to be at least sixteen or older, so it was unlikely they’d even have any common experiences to talk about, if they ever got a chance to talk at all. It puzzled Alice for weeks, but it took Snow White less than two days to figure it out.

They never once spoke about it, but Alice couldn’t help but notice Snow White’s smile every time she came in contact with the hatter boy, and Snow White couldn’t stop herself from smiling at her friend’s obliviousness to her first crush. Childhood innocence always had been a blessing, and a buffer from feelings one couldn’t comprehend, but it was more amusing than anything. Snow White kept quiet, though. Alice would realize in her own good time.

As odd as it seemed, Snow White had finally run out of stories.

The silence that descended upon Alice’s room was a comfortable one, if strange. The two girls were so close that they didn’t mind not speaking. Their reunion had been a testament to that. Upon Snow entering the hospital room, Alice had thrown back the thin blanket and leaped from the bed, running to embrace the girl she had not seen in almost a year. To her, she had simply fallen asleep and woken up, guarded by the very man who kidnapped her. To everyone else, she was as well as considered dead, having been missing for so long. The two had wept tears of joy and relief for what seemed to be hours, and Snow had spent the long day filling her in on everything she’d missed. Some things had, of course, changed. When the tea trolley came around, Alice politely refused but the way she clung to Snow’s hand, knuckles white from the strength of her grip, showed that something within her was different.

Night had descended now. The open curtains let the stars peek in at the two of them. They were both on Alice’s bed, with Snow White kneeling above her whilst braiding her hair, to keep it out of her face during the night. A pretty blue ribbon was continually being fed through Alice’s fingers, a belated gift from a beloved friend. The other girl was alternating between humming and whistling whilst she worked, but Alice’s eyes were fixed on the dark sky she could see through the glass.

“I know a story about the stars.”

She spoke quietly now, calmly, the impact of each word carefully weighed up in her mind before they passed her lips. For a second, Snow stopped braiding her hair, as if expecting her to go on. With her back to her, Alice couldn’t see her quizzically raised eyebrow, and she resumed her work as she spoke in reply to her friend.

“That’s wonderful, Alice. You know how much I love stories - will you tell it to me?”

“Of course I’ll tell it,” Clearing her throat tightly, Alice began to absentmindedly wrap the ribbon around her wrist and fingers, eyes still focused on one star, shooting across the sky.

“Once upon a time, a star lost it’s heart.” Yes, once upon a time would most definitely have Snow interested in the tale. “It shot across the sky and left it behind, where it fell to Earth, and into the garden of a young man. Hearing the bang of the star, he went to investigate, and found the heart in his garden. It had taken on the form of a small child, and he brought her to his home, to question where she had come from.”

“What did the star look like?” Snow asked, and Alice thought long and hard for a moment.

“Her eyes were white,” she eventually declared. “As white as the moon, and she wore a dress the same colour. Her hair was a beautiful light orange, and she had freckles across her nose and cheeks. No shoes, though. And she glows. Not very brightly - just enough to show she’s different.”

“She sounds lovely, Alice,” Snow enthused. “What about the young man?”

This, Alice needed no time to think about.

“Tall. Very tall, and very, very beautiful. Dark brown hair, with green eyes, and a smile that could light up a room with no effort at all,”

The bemused look on Snow’s face was missed by the small blonde. She was utterly caught up in her thoughts, and it took Snow nudging her with a reminder of the story to make her continue.

“When he asked who she was, she said she had no name, because stars didn’t need names. Only families of stars got names. When she asked his, he didn’t want to tell her. He felt uncomfortable for her to know him, without him knowing her, and so he asked her to call him Mad Boy. When she asked why, he told her everyone thought him mad. She asked him to call her Star Girl after that, because that’s what people would call her. When she explained she was the heart of a star, he asked, ‘have you any way to get home?’ And she replied, ‘when a star loses it’s heart, the heart must die. I can go back to the sky and space, but without my star, in three days, I’ll be gone forever.’”

“Mad Boy found this quite sad, especially as most of one day had already been wasted in falling, and offered to help her track down her lost star, so that she could find it and live forever, as she should. It was only after he spoke that he realized he had no idea where to begin, because he couldn’t comb the galaxy, looking for one lost star. Star Girl, though, told him she appreciated the thought, but for now, she would like to stay with him. They stayed in his house until the sun began to come up, talking about their lives, and then Star Girl had to go. Released into the back garden once more, her glow faded away as she took to the skies, to hide behind the clouds until the day ended.”

“That night, Mad Boy waited for her. He heard a tapping at his bedroom widow, and when he threw back the curtains, Star Girl was hovering outside his window. During the night, she had gown up from a little girl to not quite a teenager. Mad Boy was surprised, and she explained to him that without her star, she would age until she died. When he asked why she hadn’t aged to much older, she told him that stars always died in their prime. It was why they burned so brightly in the night.”

“That night, they sat again and talked. Mad Boy told her more about his life, how he got the name Mad Boy, how he liked to take his tea, his favourite past times - if she asked about it, he told her. In return, she told him about the different stars in the sky, who they were and what they liked, and this conversation went on until the sun rose. Once more, Star Girl fled to the skies, and Mad Boy waited once again. That night, he was waiting in the garden for her, and she appeared from the heavens, having grown up to an age that matched his. For their last night together, she wanted to do something special, and so she held her hand out.”

“‘Come with me, Mad Boy’, she said. ‘And I’ll show you the stars.’”

“Mad Boy took her hand and together they flew. The traveled through space, visiting all the stars that they could, and Mad Boy kept an eye out for her own star, because he simply didn’t want her to go. She took him to see the moon and the constellations, and as the night drew to a close, they danced, just to hold each other close. It was then Mad Boy noticed something behind her - a shooting star, without a heart.”

“Her star?” Snow asked - she had finished the task of braiding Alice’s hair a while ago, but hadn’t the heart to interrupt Alice to ask for the ribbon to tie it. The girl seemed so engrossed in her own story, she didn’t dare disturb her. Indeed, the blonde was in a trance, and gave only the briefest of nods to indicate she heard her friend.

“Her star. She didn’t have to die, not that day, but she didn’t want to leave. There was no way for Mad Boy to become a star with her, though, and she had to bring him back to Earth, before she took her place where she belonged. ‘Remember me’, she asked him. ‘Remember me, and remember the Star Girl that loved you.’ ‘I’ll remember’, he promised. ‘Every time I see a shooting star, I’ll remember seeing the skies with you. Every time I see the stars, I’ll know that they light up the sky for you, and only you.’”

“Embracing for the last time, they shared a first and last kiss. ‘I love you, my Mad Boy,’ she told him, before retreating to where she belonged. That night, and every night after that, Mad Boy checked his window, to see if she ever came back. They never saw each other again, but every time he saw a shooting star, he thought of her, and Star Girl never, ever forgot him. Love like that lasts, no matter how far apart you are,”

For a moment, there was only silence.

“That was lovely,” Snow murmured, reaching over Alice’s shoulder to gently pull the ribbon from between Alice’s fingers. Tying the braid, she placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder, trying to pull her attention from the stars. “Do you think either of us will ever find a Mad Boy of our own?”

I already have, Alice thought. The shooting star had disappeared from view, but she knew it was still out there somewhere. Perhaps, at the heart of it, a young star girl was falling to Earth, to search for love. Perhaps she was already there.

“I’ve no doubt we will, one day,” she finally answered. What she didn’t voice was her fear that for all that she had a Mad Boy of her own, she might not be his Star Girl, and that thought would destroy her inside if she let it linger too long in her mind. Rising from the bed, she crossed to the window and shut the curtains, one face now stuck in her mind.

“That’s the only story I have,”

“That’s okay, dear. I think it’s time you got some rest tomorrow. You’ll have a very mad boy visiting you tomorrow, and you have to look your best for him,”