Bliss might be the best description of family life in the early days of the Lochley family. High school sweethearts, Margaret and Robert Lochley fit the bill perfectly. Robert was a salesman who worked day in and out to provide for his family, while Margaret worked as a nurse. Her own career took a bit of a back seat once the pair decided to start a family. Alice was the first of three to come along, an easy baby for the couple just starting to figure out the whole 'parenting' thing. Margaret had their whole life down to a schedule, which went like clockwork. Alice was three years old when her younger brother was born, and three months later, Margaret was back to work and simultaneously going to school to become a Nurse Practitioner. All the while, Robert was working, in and out of town as his job carried him all over the country, and at times the world.

In a word, precocious was a word best to describe the child that Alice was. She was consistently curious, always asking questions, and desperate to be included in "grown up" conversations. Some might say she was an old soul from the get-go, and at times too sensitive and deeply empathetic. A caretaker to her younger siblings (her little sister coming along when she was six), it was on her as the eldest at times, to hold down the fort when mom was at work and dad was out of town. She never minded it, even though the first time she babysat at age twelve, her brother nearly electrocuted himself -- nearly. Chalk one up for a save.

As a teenager, she was weirdly fascinated with the history of Salem. While she stopped short of dying her hair black and getting mixed up in the occult, she became so enthralled by reading history books of the place she called home. A bit of a history buff anyhow, it was the first real taste she saw in herself of what feminism meant to her, and how it defined so many women in history. For a long time, Alice thought she would actually become a historian, maybe dress up as one of the Sanderson Sisters (thanks, Hocus Pocus!) for every Halloween ... but she figured that wasn't exactly practical, even if it would have been awesome.

High school was also a time for Alice where she had to re-evaluate a lot about her life. Through a series of unfortunate events, it was revealed to Alice's mother that Robert had been carrying on an affair in another state for years. While he carried on as the "loving father" to his family in Connecticut, he had two children with another woman in another state. Though he tried to talk his way out of it, Margaret was resolute in her next moves. She had always been so strong and so much of a planner, but this wrench in her plan set her back some. Margaret kept the house, began working for a private practice which meant better hours and more money, and the kids all fell in line behind her. The kids to varying degrees refused to speak to their father after the divorce.

Alice worked hard through her years of high school to earn both scholarships and money (thanks to an after school job at a local theatre) to lessen the burden on her mother of paying for college. With acceptance to Columbia University, she worked even harder to make sure she wasn't coming out of school with massive student debt. New York was an intoxicating place for her to escape to, and she so quickly found herself enamored by the city itself. After college, she worked internships where she found her love (and talent) for interior design. She loved what she did, taking a blank canvas of a new home and turning into something spectacular and personal for her clients.

As much as Alice loved Manhattan, she craved at least a little slower of a pace -- and more importantly, being her own boss. After discussing her need for change with her very best friend, the two decided to open their own real estate agency in Irvington, NY, where she'd double her clientele for interior design. Over the next couple of years, she settled nicely into her life, with frequent trips to the city when she feels like she's been gone too long.