Through the Looking Glass
By Autumn Dawn
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About this ebook
Alice upside down.
Ali met a biker named Rabbit in mirror, and now her life is a zoo. The wicked Queen of Hearts wants her dead and the handsome Cheshire Cat has come calling. Will their romance remain a fairytale, or can a man who lives in a mirror really share her life?
Autumn Dawn
Autumn Dawn writes futuristic, urban fantasy and paranormal romance. With over twenty books and six series, she continues to thrill fans with her werewolves, dragons, elementals, gargoyles and trolls with a thing for Poe.She spent most of her life in Alaska, including several winters in a cabin in the woods, where she became intimately acquainted with outhouses, generators and woodstoves. Her years of snow machines, boating and mosquitos convinced her to move her family to Washington, where she basks in the “tropical” winters. You can find out more about her books at www.autumndawnbooks.com.
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Through the Looking Glass - Autumn Dawn
Chapter One
Excuse me. I ordered a non-fat pumpkin spice latte. This tastes like it’s got fat milk.
The twenty-something blond across the counter looked at Ali meaningfully as she slid her half-consumed beverage across the gleaming counter. Her manicured fingernails tapped on the tall cup, making sparkles fly off the fake gems glued on her nails.
The lunch crowd had rushed into the coffee shop, and this socialite wanna-be had timed her complaint just right.
Ali gave the rhinestone princess across the counter a strained smile. No, ma’am. I definitely used non-fat milk.
It had been a long day and she wasn’t up arguing with someone who wanted a free refill. She probably had a bet with the pair of young women seated nearby. The blonde’s friends exchanged amused looks while Ali squirmed. Ali didn’t want to reward this brat’s gall.
The rhinestone princess fixed Ali with a menacing look and glanced at her badge. Look, Ali, you made a mistake. I want you to fix it. The customer is always right, right?
Stumped, with a pile of customers in line, Ali forced a smile and reached for the latte. Just as her fingers touched the cup, her coworker Sue swept it away.
With a sunny smile, Sue told the blond and the equally surprised Ali, Won’t take a moment, honey. You’ve forgotten all about the fat tester, right Ali? We’ll fix you right up,
she assured the blond. She turned her back and hummed while she did something with the drink. They saw her lift the straw and pass it through a light coming off one of the machines. It beeped, and Sue nodded happily. She turned back to the blond with a smile and slid the drink across the counter. Nope, the machine says it’s definitely low-fat. I love technology! You have a nice day now.
Faced with grumpy customers behind her, the blond settled for a hard look and backed off. Her friends giggled as she returned to her seat.
Ali shot Sue a grateful looked and helped the next customer. It wasn’t until the next break that they got a chance to laugh about it.
I couldn’t help it; she was trying to rip us off.
Sue grinned and flipped her blond braid behind her shoulder as she put her feet up on one of the break room chairs. At seven months pregnant, she used every chance she could to rest them. Her husband was trying to convince her to quit her job, but she wanted to wait until the baby was born. As a young military man, his pay wasn’t much. She probably shoplifts, too.
Ugh! She can have my job if she needs something useful to do,
Ali said. She enjoyed her job at the café, but her heart wasn’t in it lately. Nothing had been right since her grandmother had died two months ago. Lately everyday had been a blue Monday.
Sue smiled wryly. Honey, she could live for a month just by pawning those shoes. I don’t think she’s going to be working in a café anytime soon.
Ali sighed as she eyed her worn sneakers. She didn’t begrudge anyone their money, but she wished she had more. She was going to lose her grandmother’s house if she couldn’t raise more cash.
She fingered her locket. Her grandmother had given it to her on her sixteenth birthday. Made of platinum with gold scrolling, it was the most expensive gift her grandmother had ever given her. Inside was a picture of her grandmother and a tiny mirror. Ali remembered how she’d laughed in delight and teased her grandma; after assuring her that she really loved it, of course. Is this for signaling airplanes if I’m lost? I’m going to have a hard time checking my makeup with this.
Her grandmother had smiled. Alice of Wonderland traveled through a mirror to another world, Ali. This mirror might lead you to new adventures. Meanwhile, it’s to remind you to cultivate wisdom as you reflect on the past. Mind that you don’t live there. I raised you to shape your own future.
Ali felt a new surge of determination as she reviewed her grandmother’s words. Whatever came, she would make the best of it.
It was dusk when she got off work and headed for her bicycle. She looked both ways, then stepped off the curb—and was nearly run down by a motorcycle that came out of nowhere. The wind from its passage tore at her clothes, making her gasp. She caught an impression of pale hair and a flash of white on the tank before it roared around the corner. She hopped back, then jumped as a truck horn blared. Muttering an expletive, she ran for her bicycle and fumbled with the combination lock. The world was full of crazy drivers tonight.
She was still shaky when she rode into her grandmother’s driveway fifteen minutes later. The old Victorian stoically looked on, its windows sad and dark. Built over a hundred years ago, the old girl had seen her share of births and deaths. It would handle a new owner more gracefully than Ali would. She hated the thought of handing over the keys to a stranger. Would they treat the house well?
It wasn’t as if Ali had the means to fix it up. The graceful turrets needed new shingles and the paint was peeling. The inside was old and worn, and she had a feeling that was the least of the things wrong with it. She needed a handyman with a big pocketbook. What she had were aging neighbors and a bank that wanted to foreclose.
At least the rose garden was as beautiful as ever. Ali had spent her childhood helping her grandmother tend the antique roses and weed the daffodils. The garden had bloomed under their loving care, rewarding them with a flourishing rose hedge lining the white picket fence. Sweet peas decorated the outside of the fence, filling the early evening with luxurious fragrance while lavender snuggled at their feet. Climbing roses in white and red smothered the arch over the gate, and lemon thyme filled in the spaces between the flagstone walkway. Spiral topiary parked by the front steps, ivy trailing gracefully from their square clay pots. An herb garden grew in a neat semicircle on each side of the porch, ready to be snipped for the kitchen. Ali broke off a piece of mint on her way and inhaled the fragrance deeply. Coming home always felt like a little bit of heaven.
Bittersweet memories twisted her heart painfully. So much of her grandmother was here. If she lost the house, it would be the garden she missed the most.
She unlocked the door and flicked on the dim overhead light, smiling at the memory of baking cookies. Grandma always had something in the oven when Ali came home from school. She’d call hello and beckon Ali into the sixties style kitchen. Ali would get the milk from the fridge while Grandma opened the avocado green stove and pulled out a batch of cookies. The kitchen might be dated, but it was sparkling clean and filled with love.
Ali grabbed some iced tea and washed off her makeup. When she was comfortable, she popped some popcorn in the eighties era air popper and slathered it with salt, butter and grated blue cheese. She carried her bowl to the living room and sat on the lumpy old couch to