Title: Of Ravens and Shadows
Category: Movies » Alice in Wonderland, 2010
Author: Fan-of-Insert-Sues
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T
Genre: Mystery/Romance
Originally Published: 03-07-10
Chapters: 13, Words: 45,245

(A/n) Another oldie but goodie, I had this one floating around with my other account. I figured I would post it again as well and pick up where I left off. People seemed to like this one too. Also, Mary Sue alert. If you couldn't tell by my author name then here is the warning. I go where my plot bunnies whisk me. They are few and far between.

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

"How..."

The inkwell had knocked over, the black ink spilling onto the white paper that bore a simple question.

How is a raven...

The rest of the question was blocked, the paper quickly soaking up the ink that had spilled. A hand darted out to grab the inkwell, a small hand that was covered by stained, white gloves. The gloves ended to about mid arm, failing to conceal the olive skin that was marred with burns. The puckered skin seemed to reflect the dull light of the lamp that rested on the desk. The gloved hands were twitching as they folded the paper very neatly, the ink becoming soaked by the already blackened tips of the fabric.

The paper neatly folded, a gloved hand reached down to pull out a drawer and dropped the paper inside, falling gently upon a growing pile of similarly folded, black splotched pieces of paper. The drawer was closed with a snap and the hand lightly twitched as the sound of screaming pierced the very thin walls of the room.

"How, now..." The voice that spoke was soft in its tone and yet it cracked, as if it was hardly used. "Nevar more.. Nevar more..." A gloved hand reached up to brush along an olive toned cheek, the fingertips leaving a black stain along the puckered skin. The right cheek was burned as badly as the arms, leaving one wondering how such scars had come to pass. "How does the raven see the shadow that lies beyond the tree?" Dark eyes glanced at the solitary window that was covered with bars, a single branch scratching against the metal and glass. "How, now..."

The gloved hands disappeared into a tangled mane of curly, dark hair, a broken hum escaped lips that pursed and thinned, pursed and thinned, the dark eyes rolling from the ceiling to the floor and back again. The screaming continued, echoing through the drywall and along the hall, the sign of madness. The young woman continued to hum the broken lullaby, not noticing that the screaming had stopped.

The door to her room opened and a nurse dressed in white entered, leaving behind a wheeled tray that bore various bottles and plastic cups. "Helen?"

The humming stopped and the dark eyes rolled toward the nurse, the lips continuing to move though silently. The nurse walked up to the young woman, bearing a cup with several pills and a cup of water. "Here Helen, open wide."

The young woman took both of the cups, her ink stained gloves smudging the white of them. She downed the pills and the water without complaint, opening her mouth to show the nurse that the pills had been properly swallowed.

The nurse took the cups and smiled at the young woman, a sad smile that seemed genuine. The woman had been living at this asylum for the better part of fourteen years. No one knew who she was, she was a young girl who had appeared on the grounds of the asylum, marred with terrible burns and raving about shadows and ravens and a man who stole her reflection. She was clearly mad and they had taken her in, knowing not what else to do.

She had no name, nothing in which to identify her. She wasn't like the other inmates, she seemed vaguely aware of what was going on around her but it was quickly lost when she began to mutter about ravens and shadows. The staff had given her the name Helen, a name that seemed to suit her. She answered well enough to it over the years.

As the pills began to kick in, the nurse helped Helen to bed, the terrible lolling of her head an indication that she would soon be gone. While the nurse settled the inmate into her bed, tucking the blankets around her still form, she looked around at the walls. They were completely covered by white pieces of paper, bearing drawings of ravens, some of them bearing splotches of ink that appeared to be shadows, and one in particular a sketch of a man with a wicked grin with jagged teeth. Was this the man who had harmed her? The nurse had wondered for years now but they did not know what happened to this poor woman or who she was. She spoke in nothing but riddles so they could not get a clear answer from her.

She was truly mad...

With a sigh of regret, the woman studied Helen with a sad look before turning on her heel and leaving the room altogether...