“Who…?” Alice began, but already knew the answer. It was the Queen. Her regal presence and noble stature was enough to tell her that. “Enter.” the woman commanded, and Alice willfully obeyed. Once inside, Alice saw the Queen in all her glory. A tall, elegant woman, with rich, flowing black hair, and emerald green eyes the sparkled with amusement and command. Her skin was a soft olive shade, although Alice couldn’t tell for sure in the dimmness of the room. The Queen wore a flowing nightgown of a goldish hue, and was adorned in shimmering gold jewlry from head to toe. The Queen’s glossy, plum-colored lips curled upward in a smile at Alice’s admiration, showing a row of white, straight teeth behind them. “I am beautiful, arent I?” the Queen asked, knowing the answer already. Alice still could not resist to answer in a meek whisper of “yes” before she blushed. “I’m sorry, your Highness, for staring.”

“It is quite alright. One would not wish to grow a magnificent rose and not let it be admired, would they?” the Queen enigmatically replied. “Now, you wish to look into my mirror, correct?” Before Alice replied, the Queen continued, “Now, you know that once you look into it; once you know reality, you cannot go back?” Alice was unsure of what the Queen meant by this, but nodded her head. The Queen suddenly looked sad, almost regretful, and began to move towards a large, oval object in the middle of the room in which they stood, covered in a silken, white sheet. the Queen reached up with her slender, graceful hands and gently pulled the sheet off. Into the darkened mirror, Alice stared, and for a moment she saw nothing. But then a picture, a reflectionherself – lying on a table. A surgery table! And people standing around her; weeping, screaming. And then she recognized the screams. It was her family. Her mother.