Meanwhile, Alex finds the garage

Alex found his way downstairs into a large echoing room. As he turned on row after row of lights, Alex couldn't believe his luck. He wasn't sure why it surprised him so much to find it; after all, of course a mansion has some form of transportation, but for some reason, he was assuming he was stranded until someone picked him up. Yet here were six cars, ranging from a pristine-condition Model A to an 80s Porsche, with the keys hanging up by the door. They clearly had not been driven in decades, and he wondered what it would take to get them driveable. But the potential was there.

He was also more sure than ever that aside from the people cleaning the place and keeping it from being colonized by raccoons, this house was abandoned. Help was not forthcoming, but no one was likely to arrest him either. The only staff here was him, the maid.

There was a shop near the back of the garage. He checked the gas pump and found that it was full and still working. It was immaculate and thoughtfully organized, very different from his dad's and his granddad's shops, which were a mangled mess of misplaced tools. In a drawer, he found a utility knife. He tucked in the front pocket on his dress, thinking he could use it to remove the corset later if necessary. Even better, in a bottom drawer, he found a green coverall.

The coverall was smaller and tighter than he expected, making him suspect that the mechanic was a woman. No coverall could possibly be as feminine as this French maid uniform, so he considered it a step forward. If he could stop dressing like an Alice, maybe he would stop turning into one.