Tilly is home alone whilst Rogers is working at the station. As she wanders around the apartment, she browses through the many books she has found whilst living as a runaway, as well as some belonging to Rogers. On the small bookshelf, she searches for what book to read as a way of distracting herself from the current circumstances. She pauses her perusal when she comes across an Alice in Wonderland book. Tilly picks it out of its place and with misty eyes, she looks at the cover of the book intently as a flashback suddenly crosses her mind. She remembers the time when she was having one of her episodes and ran out of Rogers’ place with tears in her eyes and pills in her bag-back. The only other place she could think of going to at that moment was Eva’s motel room she’s staying in. Tilly releases a hesitant breath before she knocks on the motel door and hopes for Eva to answer. Eventually, Eva opens the door and is happy to see Tilly but as soon as she looks at the girl’s tear-streaked face, she’s overcome by a sudden motherly instinct to protect the poor girl. Eva swiftly turns the kettle on and offers Tilly some decaffeinated camomile tea to calm her nerves down whilst the young girl anxiously sits down on the sofa, wrapped in a soft fleece blanket. As the two women talk, Tilly feels herself relaxing immensely; the tea definitely helping. She mentions how she finds comfort in reading one of her favourite books—Alice in Wonderland— and how much she can relate to the character of Alice. Eva softly smiles at her and gets up from her place on the sofa to go look for the aforementioned book; she finds it tucked inside one of her desk drawers. With a smile and a twinkly in her eye, Eva sits down—book behind her back— and presents it to Tilly. The unadulterated look of pure joy on her face is a sight Eva will forever cherish. Whilst Tilly is focused on reading the book, Eva tasks herself in making some grilled cheese sandwiches for her and Tilly to eat for lunch, which they finish in seconds— much to their amusement. Before Tilly goes back to Rogers’ apartment, Eva gifts her the Alice in Wonderland book she loves. Not knowing what to say, Tilly hugs Eva in gratitude, a soft thank you whispered in her ear. Eva let’s Tilly know that she is always welcomed to visit, and if she needs someone to talk to, she can always come to her— no matter what it is. Looking at the woman she views as a mother figure, Tilly sticks up her pinky finger and says ‘promise?’. Eva looks at the young girl with the hopeful look in her eyes and replies with a nod, ‘pinky promise’…
