White Rabbit - A Criminal Minds Fic

Eighteen

Things had changed. Not dramatically so but since the night Ally had run from the hidden hut at the bottom of the herb garden, things had been different for Alice, at least in her head.

Not that she let on to anyone though. She still went to weapon training, still went about her daily chores and still let Lewis tell her that she was important, that she was going to be a leader. But she didn't believe it anymore. She quickly learnt to hide that though, it wouldn't do well to slip out of favour with him or the other elders. Despite her perceived mishap that night, Lewis still seemed to worship the ground she walked on, showering her with praise and visiting her bedroom at night. And she let him, all the while thinking and wondering of what would happen if she or Abby were to fall ill.

Abby was older now, and spending more and more time away from Alice, which she didn't mind so much. What she did mind was how much time she was spending with Rebecca, Lewis and Marnie when Ally wasn't in the house. Initially it hadn't bothered her. She and Abby had never had a strong relationship, and Alice had been grateful that she could easily palm her off. But now, all she could think was that Abby was being brainwashed too, the same way she'd been. But there was very little she could do about it. Abby adored Lewis and Marnie, and Rebecca was a firm favourite. All three seemed able to give her what Ally was unable to; unconditional love and attention. Alice wasn't able to, she'd never been able to connect with her, and she'd tired of her easily.

Which complicated things immensely for Alice. She'd been working on a way out of her situation, carefully calculating things and making plans. When Charlie and Eric, or some of the other elders went out into the woods, she'd always ask to accompany them. She wasn't allowed into any of the towns, Lewis wouldn't permit that, but she was allowed out on wood runs, and to help patrol the walls and fences, to help fix and mend any weaknesses providing she was accompanied.

She was mentally filing away the lay of land immediately outside of the compound, keeping note of any areas of the wall that she could possibly scale or slip through. She spent time in Lewis's office, memorising the rota that was set up for the night shift security and she wheedled information out of Charlie over many months, about how far away from the nearest town they were. Not that far as the crow flew it turned out, it just took longer by car or truck because of the terrain. He estimated about twenty miles.

Lewis had maps in his office, of the compound and the surrounding area in the park and over a number of weeks, Alice would sneak in, copying the map meticulously piece by piece folding up the four pages she had numbered carefully and keeping it stuffed inside of her sock at all time during the day and hiding it under a loose floorboard in her room at night. Under her bed and pressed against the wall was a backpack, hidden by stacks of books she'd been slowly pilfering from the school room. The back pack contained a stack of Polaroids she'd taken during her first few years, when she happy and ignorant, the camera belonging to Marnie. It also contained three bottles of water, crackers and nuts, and importantly a flash light and compass that she'd stolen.

She had a plan. One that was complicated by Abby, something she still didn't know how to deal with. She'd figure it out though, when the time came.

The time came just over a year after the incident in the hut. Lewis had been telling her for months that the next one was up to her, she had to learn sooner or later. Alice just nodded and smiled at him, thinking that she'd be out of there before that time came. She was planning on leaving during the next full moon, thinking that the light from the sky would help guide her and save her battery usage on the torch.

Before the full moon came though, Alice was called for again, this time by Eric. At this point she'd been at the compound for four years and five months, celebrating her twentieth birthday only two months before.