Alone.
They had both been brought into two different worlds, both destined for two different types of greatness.
Both knowing pain, knowing what it was like to long for something they could never have.
A father's touch.
A mother's love.
One descended into darkness. The other fell into madness.
They had met in their past lives, it was destiny that they would meet in this life too.
XX
Wanderer. Vagabond. Homeless. Street rat. The names were meant to dissuade her, to make her think she was the lowest creature on the planet.
But too bad for them, the names didn't do anything but lift her up higher, make her stronger, and show her exactly how the world worked.
Sure, she had been alone, she had nothing or no one, but she never let it discourage her.
Even if she were the last person living in the streets, she would always make the most of it to see the best in people.
Tilly could read other people like a book. She could see into the depths of their soul, even when she barely knew who they were.
And Ivy Belfrey was no exception.
The homeless woman could tell the well put together woman was hurting, watched her as she left Belfrey towers late at night after everyone went home (Tilly had pulled a watch out of her pocket and noted it was 2 in the morning); watched her pull a handkerchief out of her purse to dab at her eyes that had welled with tears. She watched as the woman pulled up to her loft, jammed her finger into the '5' button on the elevator and stepped out of the box to unlock her door, trying not to slam it shut. A light turned on, but the silhouette on the wall was of a figure sliding down the wooden door.
She must not have a single friend in the world…the woman thought, walking back to the troll statue she had always resided at, not having anywhere else in the world to go, feeling as if she were trapped herself.
She laughed and laid back to gaze at the stars. But then again…neither do I. I mean, I have the troll and my drawing pad, and sometimes Weaver, but…
She hated when negativity shot through her mind making her contemplate her entire being. It wasn't fair, seeing people on the streets holding hands and laughing with one another. Parents with their children, friends in a meaningful conversation, lovers in an embrace that she had never experienced once in her life. She felt as if she were the scourge of the earth in her tattered clothes and jacket that was too big for her slim frame. It made her wonder if this world were too big yet too miniscule for the existence of someone like her.
Alone.
But…
Maybe not.
Maybe she just needs a friend as badly as I do.
Maybe I could try.
XX
Drizella Tremaine was a trickster. A user. A person who couldn't care less about anyone else but herself.
She had casted the dark curse, had made sure that everyone who had looked down upon her, who let her down would know the true meaning of suffering.
Ivy Belfrey was-
A failure.
The words echoed in her mind as she slid down the frame of her door, face buried in her hands.
You're a failure, dear. You're only good for two things: doing as I say and rotting in the ground. And even then, you're taking too much space in this world.
Ivy Belfrey was the woman who let her mother control her, another life, another time, same Drizella.
She was a woman that let her mother tow her car because she felt as if it were beneficial for the young woman to learn what it was like to have come from nothing. A woman who still waited around her mother's beck and call just to have the luxury of saying she actually did something right for the woman; to receive her praise for the first time.
And yet, your mother is the type of person who would get Ana a limo with a chauffeur and driver so she never would have to plant her feet on the ground again…
She stood up and walked over to her hidden liquor cabinet to pour herself a glass of wine. She caught a glimpse of herself in a passing mirror; mascara lined her face where she had been unable to stop the tears, hair matted from frequent stress caused by her mother. She looked like a shell of her former self, a shell of the person who was able to rip out hearts and deceive princes.
The mirror made a shattering sound as she tossed her glass into it, letting out a silent scream.
She wanted her mother's suffering, she reminded herself. But the cost was too much. The price of constantly being under mother's scrutiny was too much.
Close your eyes… A voice whispered in the back of her mind.
Close your eyes and picture your mother's destruction. It's too late to give up now, my sweet Ivy.
She cleaned up the glass and pool of dark liquid on the floor, deciding she was in too deep now to turn back.
"Just a little while longer. Just a little longer, mother, and you'll learn what true pain really is."
XX
The next day, true to her personal vow, Tilly tried her best to improve the day of the woman with the plastered-on scowl.
Ivy's apartment wasn't far from where the blonde usually resided, so she was able to get a decent idea of what her schedule was going to be like. Right on time, the woman walked out of the building of her loft and onto the street towards Belfrey Towers.
That's when the woman decided to make her move
She ran over to Ivy's side, holding up a skeleton watch. The inner mechanisms of objects had always excited Tilly, and when she was able to grasp hold of the rare and impossible, she rarely let it go.
"Did you know time moves forward while the gears turn backwards?" She asked the woman, who glanced over at her with a disgusted sneer.
"Right, and I bet you're going to tell me that stolen watches really are worth double the profit because of the risk you take to get them. I have somewhere to be, and I don't have time to feed the homeless."
But the comment didn't shy Tilly away. In fact, it only made her feel sorry for the woman, having to resort to such snide tactics in order to push someone away. "Homeless? Why have one bed when you can have many?!" Her lips curled into a smile and her grip on the watch tightened, arms splayed outward towards the sky. "Not many people can say they have the chance to see the stars while everyone else is sound asleep!"
"I'd rather sleep in a comfy bed than a dirt infested ground, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"Money doesn't equal love, Miss Belfrey. You don't have to be so rude, I just thought you would enjoy some light conversation."
Ivy's mouth opened, then closed, then her smirk fell into a scowl. "Even if, if, I did decide to step away from my peace and quiet for a second, why would I want to talk to a street urchin like you? Unless you have something to say that's actually worth my time, I suggest you go back to that bench you call a home and leave me alone."
Tilly's consistent smile dropped for a moment and she gave a soft nod. She wasn't stupid. She knew defeat and wasn't going to continue an effort that had been deemed pointless. "Okay. You made your point. Goodbye Miss Belfrey. Sorry for wasting your time."
Ivy watched the blonde woman turn and walk away. She had made it only a few steps towards her destination before guilt began to eat at her and she went over the conversation in her head.
"Wait!"
But when she turned around, the blonde was lost in the crowd, probably already far away from someone wretched like her.
XX
Mother had asked her to run errands again.
Or, as she recalled, told her to "bring me frost black tea leaves and don't come back until you find it". When Ivy had dared to ask how she was supposed to find such a rare item, (and without a car at that) her mother sneered at her and rolled her eyes.
"Well, since you're so skilled at using your phone all day when you're supposed to be working, I'm sure it shouldn't be a problem for you at all."
She had stormed out of her mother's office, fed up with her micromanaging attitude, searching for all the tea shops she could find, knowing her mother had probably sent her on a search for the impossible item just to get rid of her daughter's presence.
She had been walking back to her loft to change her clothes, her eyes subconsciously glancing towards a nearby bench.
And then her heart constricted in her chest, remembering the conversation she had earlier and how she had, for what seemed to be the first time in a long time, felt guilty about how she treated someone.
How she treated Tilly…Especially Ali—Tilly.
Ivy blinked back tears and shook off the memory of a person she hadn't seen in a long time.
Forget Mother's pet project. She was going to do whatever it took to fix the problem she had created.
Even though Tilly was different, Tilly wasn't Alice. But she was still the shell of the person Alice used to be.
She was the person who believed in Drizella, the person who saw the good when everyone else saw her as damnable.
XX
Detective Weaver, it's nice to see you again." The woman stood up straight, as if this was strictly business and she wasn't just about to ask him for a silly favor.
"Is it? As I recall, the one in dire need of my services is your mother. That's who I answer to. Unless it's important, I'm busy," the man turned back towards the paperwork on his desk, his head lifting up when he heard Ivy stammering.
"I-It's about Tilly."
His eyebrow raised and his gaze went to her eyes as if he was trying to look through her; trying to determine exactly why she had needed his assistance. Or if she were just trying to cause trouble.
"What about Tilly?"
"She…" Spit it out! It's not a big deal! "She just…She did something nice for me, and I wanted to pay her back. But I don't know anything about her, so…I thought you could help."
"You decided to interrupt my busy day because you want to get a gift for Tilly?" He scoffed as he leaned back in his chair, trying to hide the small remnants of a smirk that made its way to his lips.
He was quiet for a moment, and in the midst of uncomfortable awkward silence Ivy decided she would leave. He would be of no help to her.
But as she went to turn away, his voice rang out and the young woman couldn't help but sign in contentment as she received the information she had longed to hear.
"Marmalade sandwiches. The girl loves to eat. Or buy one of her watches. That's all I'm giving you. Now, unless you have any pertinent information on any of my cases," he gestured to his stack of paperwork, "I suggest you leave."
"Are you going to tell Mother about this?"
"Are you going to leave in the next five seconds?"
Ivy didn't give him an answer as she turned and walked out the door, the clacking of her heels tapping against the tile floor fading with each step.
"Well now, that was odd." Weaver muttered to himself, wondering what kind of trouble Tilly had gotten herself into this time.
XX