Alice needed a plan if she was to truly leave. Luckily, she had just that, if a crude one. The hoof prints and wheel tracks were most likely still going to remain there, as no other carriage had entered the village since Charlotte left, but that could change any day now.

Supplies were a guaranteed need. Alice filched a couple of knives from her father, but they felt cumbersome and unwieldy. The biggest problem was food; Alice didn’t know how to hunt, and was planning on learning through trial and error. Hopefully the sack of vegetables and fruits Alice had stolen from the garden would be enough to hold her over until she learned.

The last thing she’d hoped to do was write a letter for everybody she cared about—Father, Mother, Ben, and her friend August—but there were several problems. One, she had no paper. Two, there were no writing utensils. Three, none of the people she’d listed could read.

Alice sighed. She wanted to tell them what she was planning, so they didn’t think she’d gotten kidnapped, but there was no way of achieving that without talking to them personally. And if Alice did that, they would surely find a way to keep her here.

Alice slung the sack over her shoulder, grimacing when the fruits and vegetables smacked into her back. They were heavier than she’d anticipated, but she should be able to leave the village without having to stop. Standing upright, Alice examined her apartment one last time. Who knew when she was going to have the opportunity to be here again?

Alice exhaled. Staying here in the sea of memories wouldn’t do her any good. To keep her will from deteriorating, she quickly walked over to the door. Opening it, Alice stepped into the hallway and looked back into the apartment; a window to her past.

Heart heavy in her chest, she closed the door with a click. No turning back now. Adjusting the sack, Alice started down the stairs. She burst out the building and after a quick glance around, she headed down the street. She had one destination in mind: the gate.

Alice couldn’t help but notice the whispers and stares that followed her despite her best efforts. A child carrying a full-packed bag wasn’t a normal sight in the village, after all. Sweat trickled down her neck when she spotted several of the older women bundled together and talking while gazing at her. Alice recognized them; her mother often gossiped with them in her free time. Lowering her head, Alice picked up the pace until the ladies couldn’t see her anymore.

After about half an hour of walking, Alice neared her goal. The gate was only a few meters away in all of its glorious design. Two guards stood on either side. Alice gulped, her heart pounding rapidly. She steeled herself; this was nothing compared to the wild.

The thought made her push forward with shaky legs, and Alice tried to appear as inconspicuous as possible by staring directly into the face of one of the guards, who reacted by cocking his head. Faintly, she realized that made her stand out more and hastily dropped her gaze again.

When she passed by the guards, the tension was at its peak. Her legs were practically knocking into one another as she tried to maintain a calm composure. She could have sworn one of the guards stared at her weirdly and her heart froze; it was over. She failed.

Then he resumed facing forward and Alice walked on ahead, reaching the outside of the village. She nearly lost all feeling in her legs and collapsed, but she made herself continue walking. She was almost safe, just a little more until she reached the woods!

So drunk was she on her self-assured victory that she failed to detect the telltale sign of footsteps running. Or perhaps she did but discarded it as some children racing one another. It was only when one of them yelled out, “ALICE!” that she froze.

Her heart stopped beating, at least that’s what it felt like to her. Alice clutched the bag tighter and shut her eyes close, praying that she had misheard. As long as she didn’t turn around, she could have her beliefs. “ALICE, FACE US RIGHT NOW!”

Before Alice knew it, she rotated her body to face her parents. They looked mad—no, mad wasn’t a strong enough word to describe the conflicting emotions displayed on their faces. They were absolutely furious, panting heavily and red from exertion. That did nothing to detract from the fearsome image and aura they excluded, the weight of the promise of the beating of her lifetime present. Her father pointed a shaky finger at her, unable to maintain the professional persona he usually tried to do in public.

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”Just. . .” Here, he paused, inhaling sharply. “What do you think you’re doing with that much food?”

”I’m leaving,” Alice said, struggling to maintain an even tone.

They couldn’t have looked more dumbfounded if somebody took a log and hit them over the head with it numerous times. Her mother narrowed her eyes on Alice.

“What did you just say?” Spittle flew from her lips, venom evident in each word with the way she spat them out.

”I said, I’m leaving. This village, I’m leaving it to go find my sister.” Alice added, making certain there was no chance of her parents not understanding what she was talking about.

Horror dawned on their faces as they realized the full extent of what was happening. Her father sighed, rubbing his face. “Damnnit, Alice! Why’d you have to concoct a harebrained scheme about going off on your own to find her when she’s miles away?!”

When Alice didn’t react, her mother took over. “Sweetie, think about this. You’ve never been outside the village on your own, you won’t know where to go! There are monsters in the forests! People out there. . .they’re not like the ones in the village. They’re cruel, they take advantage of young girls like you. And even if you do make it to the capital, how will you get in? Alice, come home and we’ll talk about it! I’m sure we can come to an arrangement that benefits all of us!”

”. . .I’m sorry.” Three words, but there was an air of finality to them that was indistinguishable. Her parent’s faces changed, contorting into something darker. Hurtful.

”. . .leave the food,” her father said. Alice’s head whipped up in shock, and even her mother stared at him aghast, hitting him on the shoulders. He brushed it off, his eyes never leaving Alice’s. “That’s the food our family earned through hard work and trials. You. . .if you leave this village, you’re no longer part of our family. That food doesn’t belong to you, it belongs to us.”

Alice’s eyes widened and her mother let out a shuddering gasp. What her father was saying. . .he was essentially disowning her. She wouldn’t have kin anymore, no home unless she made it herself.

The fact that her father was willing to use that as a threat. . .he was serious. But then again, so was Alice. Looking at her parents, the way they were fidgeting and shifting their feet, things began to click in place. Her parents were relying on the fear of losing her only food supply being enough to keep her in check and stay.

Alice glared at her parents, wondering if she should just continue walking ahead. Her parents were misguided, but they weren’t cruel; they wouldn’t chase after her and strip the bag of food from her grasp and toss her aside. Nor would they even follow her, their pride preventing them from relinquishing their firm beliefs to do so.

However, Alice was prideful as well. Slinging the bag around her wrist and holding it out in front of her, she tossed it through the gate. Alice savored the shock plastered across her parent’s face, feeling an overwhelming rush of smugness.

Then she felt bad, recalling that this was going to be the last time she’ll see her parents for the foreseeable future. She didn’t want to leave things off on a bad note, no matter how tempting that was. So, with immense effort, she pushed past the pride and boiling anger she still felt, smiled tearfully, and said, “Thank you for everything. I think I’m okay now.”

//The weight of a parent's influence is heavy, but necessary to cast off if you wish to survive. You have gained Skill Points!

[Independence] Rank E, Level 5->[Independence] Rank E, Level 6

Progress to next Level: 89%

What? You can get points for something so mundane? Putting that aside for now, Alice turned around and made a beeline for the forest. No turning back, no turning back, no turning back, became her mantra even as she felt the intense gazes of her parents bore into the back of her head.

When Alice heard them take a step forward, a cold hand grabbed her heart; Alice was paralyzed, wondering if it had been she who miscalculated, she who had misjudged. It doesn’t matter. I need to keep on moving. Alice soldiered through.

Alice heard her parents grab the bag, and then a whisper, so slight she wasn’t sure if it was real or her imagination.

”She’ll be back soon.”

A last-ditch attempt from her parents to reinforce their personal beliefs, to keep the image of the Alice they had in their minds alive. Maybe it was a coping mechanism, to help them sleep at night with the fact they may have sentenced their second daughter to death by starvation.

”No, Mother, Father,” Alice whispered. Her eyes burned, and streaks of liquid ran down her face, revealing swaths of blanched skin behind a thin layer of dust. “I’m not coming back.”

Alice entered the forest, and the forest swallowed her up.