You can still feel Alice pressed against you, but even with her touching you she seems to far away. Everything around you seems like a dream, and for just this moment, just this split second, all that matters is you and Doe. Her eyes meet yours, and without a thought you know the right thing to do... but you can't. Your entire life, everyone you've ever known, everything you've ever done... you can't leave it behind. You can't stay and become little more than a slave. Not even for her. Tears well up in your eyes and it feels like you're ripping your heart in half, but you still know you have to go. Even in the face of losing someone so attractive - no, more than that, someone you love - you can't stay here.
"Doe... I'm sorry..."
Her long ears perk up as your words reach them and tears start to run down her face, but she tries to look strong and show she understands. You wish it helped, but all it does is make it feel worse. Even when she's losing you, she accepts it. Doubt floods your mind as you wonder if the life you're going back to is even worth losing her, but it's too late. You've made your choice.
You lunge forward in an attempt to escape Alice. You make it three feet... and then spring back to her. Looking back at her, your vision blurred with tears, you can see her body stretched out and sticking to yours, preventing your escape, her face showing no remorse or pity. She lets off a bit of a laugh as she literally walks through you, her body passing over you like a splash of water, and when she's left standing in front of you you feel tight straps around your arms and legs. She turns to face you and admire her handiwork: a tall, thin, surprisingly durable rubber pole, with matching rope wrapped around your wrists and ankles. Struggling makes the pole bend and the ropes stretch, but never enough to make a difference.
"Amazing," Alice says with an air of genuine astonishment. "And here, you wondered what I intended to do with you, and why I kept you here? It should be obvious by now. Clearly you love her," she says, raising an arm to Doe. "No beast would never give up such perfect companionship, and yet you men, who think so highly of yourselves, would abandon it in a heartbeat! And to what end? So you can live a short and pointless life devoid of meaning? So you can work day and night for a pittance that sometimes sates your hunger and thirst but never your heart's desires? So you can cling to the familiar and mundane even when it means abandoning that which you yearn for most strongly? Even the lowest of creatures would never cling so strongly to mediocrity." She lifts your chin, bringing your face to hers, and stares into you with piercing red eyes. "This is why I take such an interest in you. Men are an oddity among nature, and perhaps the only beings I feel no guilt in toying with. You deserve what you get."
Having finished her speech, Alice spits in your face and then quickly regains her composure. "Perhaps if I were to... lower you to our level, you might learn to respect what you're offered and not only what you already have. And perhaps if I make it impossible to go back to that dreary life of yours, you'll stop running like a fool from someone who clearly cares quite deeply for you." She looks towards Doe and your eyes follow, but the deer girl won't even look at you anymore. "In any case, it'll certainly pass the time, won't it?"