Fantastic story. It was a little slow at the start. I think more of the time you spent describing the setting could have been used to deepen Alice's character. Making up some interesting anecdotes she was thinking about on the bus, rather than describing the people on it, for instance. Oh, and the part just as Alice enters the headmaster's office was a little unclear to me as far as who was doing what, etc. You might want to proofread that bit. That's all for my little critique. It really was superb, though. Especially the last page. Can't wait to read more!