Chapter 1 - Lost

Alice took in a sharp inhale, staring hopelessly at the rundown door in front of her. She wasn’t quite sure how long she had been wandering for, but it was enough for her entire body to be soaked with rain, her feet to ache and stomach to rumble. The rickety, borderline abandoned looking cottage where she currently stood before was the first semblance of another person being this deep into the forest. If it weren’t for the smoke pumping out the top of the chimney, Alice wouldn’t have even bothered investigating it in the first place.

Her knuckles softly brushed against the door three times, whilst her free hand pulled her coat tighter around herself.

“Hello?” She called out, her eyebrows forming a deep frown. “Is…Is anyone in there? I’m lost and…”

Alice sighed, cursing herself for being so reckless to the point she was in the situation she was currently in; cold, hungry, tired, with no sense of where she even was.

After she was met with nothing but cool silence, she figured the smoke was a mere fluke. Maybe just some kindling that never burned out. Her worn feet carefully stepped back down from the small porch the cottage provided, yet stopped when she heard the sound of the door creaking open behind her.

“Lost?” A low, sultry voice repeated. “My my dear, if you’re all the way out here…You most certainly are.”

Alice turned to look back at the door. Inside, it was far too dark to make out any sort of figure, yet there was a youthful looking hand holding the door in place, with deep red, pointy nails decorating each finger.

“I-I’m so sorry to intrude,” Alice stammered, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “I’d just like to know where I am, um…Please?”

The mysterious woman seemed to think for a moment, and whilst Alice couldn’t see her, she felt her gaze locked onto her frame.
She wasn’t exactly the biggest girl in the world, being near enough pinpoint perfectly average for her height. Her stomach was flat, her chest more or less the same, and there was just enough meat in all the necessary places to not have her considered to be starved.

A few antagonising moments later, the door was pushed wide open, revealing the cottage’s owner.

The woman was taller than Alice by a good few inches, though her heels certainly aided in that. She was perhaps also a couple of years older, but not by much. Her hourglass figure was covered by a silky black robe, with a small corset pinching her waist.

“Of course!” She exclaimed with a wide smile, “It’s rather rare that I have visitors. Please, come in!”

She was, admittedly, rather gorgeous. So much so it took a moment for Alice to even register the fact she had been spoken to.
“...Yes, yes! Thank you–Thank you so much!”

The younger girl almost slipped back up the stairs in her hurried state, desperate to finally feel her fingers again. As she stepped inside, the darkened interior grew to life with warm candlelit rooms, the main one appearing to be a type of foyer.

It was bizarre, the inside seemed much larger than the outside, and in much better condition too. Stranger still, Alice found her rain ridden clothes had completely dried upon entering, calming her shivers.

“May I?” The woman gestured to Alice’s coat, to which the younger girl gladly shrugged off. Now that she could see her properly, her blatant staring was more than obvious. It was like an alluring predator, examining their prey for any weak spots.
Alice wasn’t sure whether this indeed was the case, or she was just overthinking.
“So,” She continued, hanging the coat up by the door as if it was the most valuable item in the room, “Where have you travelled from, darling?”

Alice rubbed at her arm awkwardly, hesitancy cutting her off from replying.
When it was clear she wasn’t going to respond, the older woman let out a hearty cackle. “Well, while I understand why you may be cautious, I cannot help you return home if I do not know where ‘home’ is, can I?”

This only caused Alice’s face to flush, feeling admittedly rather silly. Yes, of course. That made perfect sense.

“S-Sorry–Um…Greenridge? The East side?”

The other woman guided Alice into the room on their left, which seemed to be a reception area of sorts. All of the furniture was ornate, with deep brown wooden accents mixed with brown leathers and dark red fabric hints here and there. One wall was entirely made up of a grand bookcase which went from floor to ceiling. Alice always thought about the impracticability of the bottom shelves of these types of bookcases.

“Ahhh!” She exclaimed, borderline forcing her to take one of the plush armchairs as a seat, before perching on one of the sofa’s armrests herself. “Of course, I know it well. The good news is you haven’t wandered that far…Though in this rain, I wouldn’t advise venturing out again so soon.”

Alice’s face fell slightly at that, shaking her head. “No, no…I really must be getting home right away–”

“Ah, ah, ah!” The woman interjected, holding a singular finger up in a hushing manner. “I’m not about to just throw my surprise guest back out into the cold and wet so soon! It really is no bother of mine if you stay a while…Plus, you must be hungry, no?”

As Alice opened her mouth to speak, she was cut off once again. This time, however, it was the sound of an extremely humbling stomach rumble echoing off the room’s walls.

The woman couldn’t help but cackle once more, returning to her feet with a clasp of her hands.

“Well, that settles it! Please, dinner is on me.”

“W-Wait–!” Alice squeaked as she began to leave the room, “At least…Tell me your name?”

She paused, a hand holding onto the doorway, back facing the girl.

“...Cassandra, dear. Do not wear it out, alright?”