Hello. Yeah it's been a while and I'm sorry. This chapter is way longer than the last so I hope it'll make you all happy that I was away so long. Ahaha I'm joking but it is longer than last chapter.
This is my Happy New Year present to you all. So Happy New Year and I hope you all will be good this new year.
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing
Alice.
That was a pretty name, almost good enough to compliment how the blonde looked. Just like the woman that played Alice in the movie Alice and Wonderland although the real, tangible Alice was beautiful. Claire smiled at her thoughts and took her eyes away from the bathroom door Alice had just gone through. The redhead couldn't believe she had bumped into the blonde, Alice. It wasn't like her to be so unaware of her surroundings and so stupid. The worst part of it was that she hadn't even realized what she was doing until it was too late.
*~Flashback~*
Claire walked into the ice cream parlor and immediately began to look around the building. The walls were a faded mint green with occasional black spirals. The booths and chairs were decorated with black cushions with green and white dots. The floor was covered with tile; the colors were either green or white. The tile was laid in no particular order. It was a very cliché looking ice cream parlor as if it were from a movie scene based in the late 1960's. But it was nice nonetheless.
The redhead pulled down the bottom of her blue shirt and headed to the cash registers. There was only one open register and a teenage brunette was working there. Before her was reasonably short line so she had time to think about what to order. Claire began to get closer to the line when a teenager about her age-with her face glued to her phone and holding an ice cream cone-walked passed her. The redhead hardly paid any attention to her until an urge to see what the girl's body shape was entered her brain. On the statement that she would take a peek, Claire looked.
As Claire looked at the teenager, her eyes almost immediately caught sight of the pair of hips swaying passing her. Sure enough, she found her eyes glued to them. The redhead carefully watched as the teen's hips moved side to side and her nicely shaped ass move up and down with every step. Claire was so fascinated by the walking teenager that she hadn't even realized that she was following the blonde.
When the body stopped moving, Claire snapped out of her hypnosis. The redhead was about to stop walking but she had bumped into the other teen. Claire's heart sunk into her chest when the once moving teen didn't respond to the bump.
"Oh my god," Claire gasped out
The redhead remained frozen in her spot as her hands held onto each other behind her back. The real fear of the situation set in when Claire heard the blonde crush the ice cream cone in her hand. She was so dead. Claire wanted to run away from the blonde and hide under the protection of her brother but something told her not to.
Before she got a chance to decide what she wanted to do, the blonde turned around. Claire, though she was still shocked and felt bad about what she did, was caught off guard by the beauty before her. The blonde had very clear bluish green eyes and sharp face. Inside the blonde's eyes, anger danced but it made Claire more fascinated than afraid. Claire's body tensed up when the blonde's eyes ran over her body. She didn't know what to do. Claire wanted to run from the blonde yet she wanted to remain with the blonde.
The redhead was waiting for something to come from the blonde. However, instead of a physical movement, the anger Claire saw in the blonde's eyes became to disappear.
Remember where you are, Claire's brain called out suddenly.
The redhead stopped examining the blonde's face as she tried to find a way to speak. Claire's brain would a form a sentence, then loose it and then restart the process. She needed something to say.
Apologize, Claire's brain urged.
Claire brought her hands up to cover her mouth for a second before dropping them and stuttering out an apology.
*~Flashback~*
Claire wanted to smack her palm against her forehead at the memory but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Sure she had bumped into Alice, getting ice cream all over the girl and making her very angry. However, Claire had gotten her name, a smile or two, and now she was going to buy her ice cream. Surely Alice could never forget her.
"Claire," a high pitched call sounded in the parlor
Claire whipped her head toward the sound as quickly as she had heard it. The redhead half hoped that it was Alice but she knew better-the voice was too high for it. Her eyes went in search of the voice and she quickly spotted K-mart, who was skipping toward her followed by a slow walking Chris. The youngest Redfield maneuvered her way around people while Chris waited for them to pass. Claire smiled warmly at her siblings as her body began to preparing to go into panic mode.
"Hey," Claire greeted, turning her body toward her siblings "I thought you guys were going to wait in the Hummer,"
K-mart shrugged as she and Chris came to a stop a good distance from Claire.
"We were until this one," Chris jerked his thumb in K-mart's direction "Started to get impatient,"
"Can you blame me?" K-mart retorted, looking at her brother with narrowed eyes before looking at Claire suspiciously "You've been in here for like…ever,"
The redhead nodded and gave her sister a well-what-can-you-do shrug. Claire was going to open her mouth to assure K-mart and Chris that they would get their ice cream until Chris cut her off.
"Yeah Claire," Chris joined in "What happened?"
Claire began to get a little worried as they all stood there in silence. K-mart and Chris knew she was still trying to figure out her sexuality but she was more afraid of them knowing that she was staring at Alice-who hopefully wouldn't be there while Claire was talking to her siblings-in such a way that distracted her greatly. It wouldn't look too good on her part and with K-mart around-yeah it was best to save the truth for another time, but would need to say something.
Act as if nothing interesting happened, Claire's brain called out.
It's probably too late for that, Claire thought. She had been silent for a while and Chris and K-mart were exchanging weird looks in front of her eyes.
Just try, Claire brain demanded.
Claire mentally nodded while she composed her face and her feelings.
"Uh Claire," Chris called
"Great Chris," K-mart scowled "You broke her,"
"I'm not broken," Claire assured with a playful smile
"Then why were you all," K-mart's voice trailed off as she stared into space
Claire snickered at her sister "I wasn't like that,"
"Actually you were," Chris assured with a small smile
"I wasn't," Claire objected
"Oh come on you so were," K-mart chuckled "It was like something bad happened,"
"Look nothing happened, I was just a bit lost," Claire lied
Yeah that was real smooth, Claire's brain retorted.
The redhead mentally slapped herself for using such a weak excuse to her action. K-mart's brows furrowed while Chris looked at her questionably. The oldest Redfield took a look around, examined a few people then looked at Claire with a knowing smirk. Claire returned the look with a quick glare.
That was one thing Claire hated about her brother, he was too damn smart. He could examine her, take a look around, and within seconds he would know what was going on. K-mart, however, just loved to get people to admit what they were hiding once she knew what they were hiding by messing with their heads-not that she was all too good at finding out what the person was hiding. Claire, at the moment, couldn't decide what was worse at the moment. The redhead was going to start explaining until a voice joined in.
"I see you have company," the vaguely familiar voice of Alice rang out
Claire turned her head to the voice at her right side and smiled when she saw Alice smirking at her. The redhead looked at the blonde over. Her tank top was free of the ice cream and the syrup. Claire sighed in relief at not ruining anything else Alice had with her.
"I guess the damage wasn't too bad," Claire stated happily
Alice nodded and looked down at her tank top "Yeah. It came out easily,"
"Good," Claire replied awkwardly and looked at Alice's chest
Claire could just barely make out the size of Alice's breasts when some sense got knocked into her. She was in a public place with Alice and her family. Now was not the time to check Alice out. The redhead stared for a few more seconds before turning to her siblings. Claire could barely focus on the facial expressions the other Redfields were making; she was too busy trying to get the image of Alice's breasts out her head.
"I guess you spilled some more ice cream on people huh?" Alice joked and glanced at Chris and K-mart before she frowned "I guessed wrong,"
Claire blushed softly while Chris' brows furrowed and K-mart pouted in thought. The redhead could see the gears turning inside K-mart's and Chris's head.
"Spilled more ice cream?" K-mart repeated quietly then gasped before looking at Claire "You spilled ice cream on her!"
Claire felt her heart jump into her throat as if she were a child that had been caught taking cookies from the cookie jar. K-mart and Chris were getting closer to embarrassing her-too close.
"It was an accident," Claire quickly countered
"You rarely have accidents," Chris commented coolly
"Yeah Claire," K-mart joined in with a smug look "Something must've really distracted you,"
Claire felt the need to show her middle finger to her brother and sister but knew it would look suspicious in front of Alice. The redhead was hoping there would magically be a distraction to save her from this confrontation. Now that she thought about it, she most likely won't get one. Claire was never one to have such luck.
"Speaking of which," Alice joined in and looked at Claire "What distracted you?"
All eyes were now turned onto Claire, who wished could look at someone else and ask them the same question. The redhead was not going to get out of this so easily. She needed a plan and quick.
Claire shrugged shyly and bowed her head. Maybe if I pretend to disappear they'll go away, Claire hoped and closed her eyes. There was a blissful minute of silence before someone cleared their throat loudly. The redhead opened her eyes and saw that she standing on green and white tiling. Yup, she was still in the parlor.
"Oh Claire don't pull the innocent card," Chris declared "It won't help you,"
Claire looked to her right, trying to gain some form of confidence, when she spotted two girls staring in her direction as they talked. They were both pretty teenagers. The brunette looked a bit mean and dark while the blonde looked bubbly and friendly. The redhead barely realized that her long staring in the one direction caused everyone else to do that same.
"Who are they and why are they staring?" K-mart asked out loud
Claire shrugged at the question, unaware that the question wasn't directed at her.
"Don't worry about it," Alice assured
All head turned toward Alice. Claire saw the small, warm smile on Alice's face as she continued to look at the teenagers. The redhead could only guess that Alice knew them.
"You know them," Claire stated more than asked
"Those are my friends," Alice informed "I'll be right back,"
Claire nodded absentmindedly as she watched Alice walk away. Once again, Claire's eyes were drawn to Alice's swaying hips. The redhead cleared her throat loudly and tore her eyes away from Alice's body. Claire could feel heat settling into her cheeks for staring at Alice like that. The redhead quickly began to get a hold of her emotion when a snicker broke out. Claire looked up and saw Chris grinning mischievously while K-mart held a hand over her mouth as her shoulders shook. Was K-mart really laughing at a moment like this?
"So she must be a big distraction huh?" Chris teased
~~*Ashley*~~
"I can't wait," Spencer grinned happily "We actually get to hang out this time,"
Ashley chuckled at her girlfriend's excitement at seeing their friend again. Spencer and Alice had grown extremely close over the years. When the two first met they weren't the best of friends. Alice didn't like how whipped Ashley had become and Spencer felt that Alice wanted to get rid of her. The two blondes had the biggest problem with one another for at least a month and a half before Ashley had to get involved and settle the dispute.
Ever since that bump in the road was smoothed out, the two became the best of friends. One Ashley was busy; the two of them would hang out-at times for hours on end. It reminded Ashley of her relationship with Alice, except she and Ashley were usually rough with one another.
"You do know that you have four classes with her this year, right?" Ashley teased
"I know that," Spencer assured, giving Ashley a loving smile "But ever since summer and senior year started we haven't hung out that much outside of school,"
"School started last week," Ashley pointed out "Besides there'll be time for us to hang out throughout the rest of the school year and life,"
The brunette parked her car next to Alice's and shut off the engine. Ashley always loved Suzanna's Ice Cream. The brunette had been there more times than she could count since she was a little girl. Recently, however, Ashley had been avoiding the ice cream shop ever since Aiden was hired as one of the cashiers. The brunette didn't want Aiden interfering with her relationship as he had done already. Aiden had tried to assure her that he was over her, but his behavior told her something else entirely.
A loud slam knocked Ashley off her thoughts as her head whipped toward the location of the sound. The brunette only saw the lower half of Spencer as the blonde pulled down her orange tank top through the window of the closed car door. Ashley shook her head, scattering all of her thoughts, and got out the car as well. The brunette walked to the front of the car and extended her hand out to Spencer. The blonde smiled happily and took the offered hand before they entered the ice cream parlor.
Ashley let out a little shiver when the cold air of the building attacked her skin. The brunette turned her head to the right, hoping to find Alice sitting down at one of the booths with her ice cream and cell phone in hand.
"Found her," Spencer declared
"Where," Ashley muttered, looking at Spencer
Spencer pointed ahead and Ashley looked in the direction. Sure enough Alice was there but she wasn't alone. Alice was standing between a large man and a redheaded teenager. The redhead had her hand down while Alice and the man stared down at her. Ashley's eyes narrowed in suspicion as to why they were all staring at the redhead.
"Who the hell are they?" Ashley questioned
"Ashley," Spencer scowled quietly
"What?" Ashley asked "It's just a question,"
"Be nice," Spencer implored, squeezing Ashley's hand
"I am being nice," Ashley argued "I could've said it to their faces,"
The redhead in the group looked up in their direction. Ashley could feel the awkwardness coming off of Spencer causing her to gently squeeze her girlfriend's hand. The brunette wanted to tell the redhead to get Alice but didn't feel that yelling across the ice cream shop was proper civilian behavior. Therefore Ashley continued to stare. Alice looked over at them and the blonde smiled warmly. Ashley returned the smile with one of her own. She had rarely spent time with Alice since Spencer, school, and her singing career. Even though Ashley didn't treat Alice the best ways, the short haired blonde was her best friend for life and Ashley missed her company.
Alice said something to the trio around her and started her way over. Ashley half expected Spencer to go running over to Alice and was a bit surprised when Spencer remained at her side. The brunette guessed it had something to do with the fact that there were three complete strangers around. Spencer was never one to hang out with Alice's friends because of all the trouble they got in but Spencer didn't know that the trio was not Alice's usual group of friends.
"Hey," Alice greeted once she was in hearing range of the girls
Ashley let go of Spencer's hand before giving Alice a very small hug in greeting.
"Hi Alice," Spencer said and pulled Alice into a hug
The short haired blonde awkwardly returned the full hug as a smile decorated her face. Had Ashley been a bit more like Spencer, she would 'aww' and go on about how cute the two were. When in reality, Ashley could only smile and admire how close her best friend and girlfriend were in silence. After Spencer had finished squeezing most of Alice's life force out, the three of them stood around for a second in silence.
"So who are you're new friends?" Ashley asked, motioning to the arguing two behind her
"Friend actually," Alice corrected, not even glancing back "Redhead Claire bumped into me, killed my ice cream and now her family is here,"
Ashley nodded her head "So not a friend huh?"
"I got her name. Does that make use friends?"
"I wouldn't say so," Ashley stated "What's her name again?"
"Claire,"
"You know the name of the other person?"
Alice shook her head in response and put her hands in the pocket of her jeans. The short haired blonde looked over at Spencer and her brows furrowed.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Alice asked
Ashley arched an eyebrow at Alice before turning her head so she could look at Spencer.
"I'm sorry did you say that she bumped into you and killed your ice cream?" Spencer rephrased
Ashley's other eyebrow lifted up at accompany the other near her hairline. She hadn't heard the piece of information the first time. Everyone knew; especially Ashley and Spencer, that messing with Alice and her ice cream was social suicide if not actual homicide. After all, Alice had to go through Aiden to get her ice cream and to Alice it was like going to hell. Now it made sense that Spencer was giving her a very confused look.
Alice nodded slowly as she eyed Spencer oddly "I did say those things yes,"
"I'm amazed she's still alive," Ashley chuckled at Alice's expression
Alice rolled her eyes at her friends "What? You think I'll just kill anyone?"
"If they bumped into you then ruined your ice cream day…" Spencer hummed in thought before saying "Yeah,"
"How did she even bump into you?" Ashley questioned with narrowed eyes "Or did you bump into her?"
Alice placed her hand over her heart in mock hurt "How could you accuse me of something so rude?"
Ashley rolled her eyes angrily while Spencer let out a little laugh at Alice's behavior. The brunette was tempted to push Alice harshly but she wouldn't want to upset Spencer. Ashley smiled lightly at the thought of her girlfriend. Spencer was everything Ashley could ever ask for. She was smart, beautiful, bubbly-pretty much the exact opposite of her at times. Ashley sighed happily and just like that her anger was swept away.
"Stop playing around and answer the damn question," Ashley demanded, playfully pushing Alice
Alice barely moved from the weak push but she humored the brunette by moving her shoulder as far back as possible.
"She bumped into me from behind," Alice clarified then added "I was going to rip her head off but I didn't want to get kicked out before I got my ice cream,"
"Well I'm happy you didn't," Spencer declared, patting Alice on the shoulder
Alice mock glared at Spencer, who stuck out her tongue at Alice. Ashley barely noticed the movement. Her mind was racing with questions. The first: how this 'Claire' bumped into Alice? Usually, Ashley was never so suspicious about people or why certain things happen. But after the video stunt with Kayla, Ashley was not willing to trust anyone so easily. Alice was in the middle of saying something to Spencer when Ashley cleared her throat, catching the girl's attention.
"Wait Claire bumped into you from behind?" Ashley interrogated
Alice nodded "Yeah from the back,"
"Was she texting?" Ashley mused
"Don't know honestly," Alice declared and took a quick glance at the two "We should join them. Claire is going to buy me ice cream,"
Ashley hummed in agreement before retaking Spencer's hand. The brunette and the long haired blonde followed behind Alice, who led the way. The closer the got to the two, the quieter they got and soon enough they stopped talking. Ashley couldn't blame them, she would get quiet too if there were strangers approaching. As Ashley eyed them, she soon spotted another body among the two. There was another girl, a blonde. She looked just as bubbly and happy as Spencer, only her eyes were a striking grey. She looked younger than the rest of them.
Alice took her place next to Claire and motioned to Ashley and Spencer.
"Claire and others these are my friends Spencer and Ashley," Alice introduced
Ashley flashed a smile while Spencer gave them a polite wave. The blonde, the male brunette, and Claire waved in return, each with a small smile.
"Nice to meet you," Claire said then pointed to the other blonde and the man "These two are my siblings Chris and K-mart,"
"Nice to meet you two officially," Alice grinned
"Hey Chris and K-mart," Spencer greeted
K-mart, are you serious, Ashley thought. Ashley had to admit that she had run into a fair share of odd names but K-mart had to be the weirdest. After all it was the girl's name. Or was it just an often used nickname? Regardless, K-mart looked very friendly and kind so her name wasn't too much of a draw back. Ashley's eyes went from K-mart's kind face to Chris'.
Chris was built like a freaking brick. Seriously, he had more muscle than Aiden and Aiden was pretty muscular. The man was smiling widely at her and kept looking her up and down. Ashley scoffed silently and pulled Spencer a little closer to her. Chris didn't seem to take a hint because he continued to look at her like she was a stake.
It was quiet for a few seconds before Alice decided to break the silence.
"So K-mart, that's your name-like your real name?" Alice asked aloud
"Alice," Spencer hissed
Ashley mentally nodded; she wanted an answer to that question too. K-mart didn't look the least bit bothered by the question. The blonde just smiled at Alice and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Maybe she was uncomfortable?
"Just a nickname," K-mart explained "I don't really like my real name,"
"I don't blame you," Spencer declared "I don't really like my name either,"
K-mart seemed to like this because she smiled brightly at Spencer. Ashley felt herself warming up to the K-mart. The younger teen seemed so comfortable with who she was. That was a big win her book as far as people went.
"I like it," Ashley stated with a small smile "You have the guts to be different,"
"Everyone's different," Chris joined in "My little sis just decided to be something extra special,"
K-mart pouted at Chris before giving Chris an overly sweet smile. Ashley could tell it was the smile of pure evil. K-mart was about to say something to Chris until Claire cut her off.
"Don't even start," Claire interfered before the brother-sister showdown could start
K-mart pouted again and muttered something close to the word killjoy under her breath while Chris just snickered at her sisters. Ashley shook her head in amusement at the classic brother-sister treatment the trio had going. It wouldn't be so awkward if Ashley, Spencer, and Alice had something to do other than watch the three siblings bicker.
"So I guess I'll get you your ice cream?" Claire suggested
"Oh I can do that," Chris offered "You girls should go find a seat somewhere,"
"Are you sure?" Spencer asked
"Positive," Chris assured with a wink
Ashley narrowed her eyes at Chris and let out an irritable sigh. She didn't like the way Chris was looking at Spencer at the least.
"Now what can I get you ladies?" Chris asked
"Cashier boy knows," Alice declared "Just say 'I want an Alice regular, an Ashley and Spencer special' then order whatever you want. He'll understand,"
"If you say so," Chris said and walked away from the group
Ashley turned her head toward Alice, who was watching Chris join the line in front of the cash register.
"Let me guess," Ashley piped up "Aiden is working today?"
"You know it," Alice sighed "Come on, let's go find a booth,"
Ashley nodded in agreement and grabbed a hold of Alice's shoulder.
"Lead the way dear booth finder," Ashley teased as she steered Alice in the way of the booth
"Will do Captain," Alice chuckled and put her hand over her eyes as if she was looking for a lost island
Ashley let Alice lead them to a booth near the back of the building. Alice stood by the edge of the half square booth and let Spencer then Ashley slide into one side. On the other side K-mart and Claire slid into the booth. Alice slid into the booth next to Claire and gave Ashley a mischievous wink.
Ashley glared at Alice from across the table. At that moment Ashley knew that Alice saw the little encounter. Alice began to snicker quietly as a conversation began to form around them. Ashley gave her a threatening look before making a slicing motion across her throat. Alice just winked at her the second a chime went off.
"Phone," Spencer announced "It wasn't mine,"
"It's mine," Alice declared
"Who's that?" Ashley asked before smirking "Did you find Princess Charming?"
Alice scoffed as she pulled out her phone "God you act like I'm seeing someone,"
"You never know," Spencer joined in, giving Alice an over dramatic wink
Alice laughed at her friend then began to look through her phone. Ashley watched as Alice's face fell. All traces of teasing and humor left the brunette's system as she watched Alice's shocked face.
"What happened?" Ashley questioned
Claire, K-mart, and Spencer all looked at Ashley before looking at Alice. Alice was ignoring them in favor of the text and it was getting under Ashley's skin.
"Alice," Ashley called harshly
The short haired blonde didn't move an inch but she did look up from her phone. Much to Ashley's dismay, the blonde face was blank.
"It's Angie's dad. I gotta go," Alice stated and stood up
"But you just got here," Chris joined in as he rounded the table with their ice cream "And I got your cone,"
Alice put her phone in her pocket and grabbed the ice cream cone from Chris. The short haired blonde pulled money out of her pocket and placed in Chris's newly freed hand.
"Thanks for buying me ice cream," Alice said to Chris then turned to the girls at the table "Nice meeting you three. I'll see you guys around,"
"Bye Alice," Spencer waved
Alice's eyes shot over to her two friends. Ashley gave her a single wave and an encouraging smile before her face became a blank canvas.
"Call me," Alice directed at Ashley and Spencer before rushing out of the parlor
No one said anything while Chris and a random worker dished out the ice cream. Once Chris took a seat at the booth, everyone glanced at the direction Alice had taken off in. The five of them watched as Alice got into her car before minding their own business.
"What was that about?" Claire asked once Alice had started her car
Ashley and Spencer shared a look. Ashley let her hesitation to speak show as she looked at Spencer. The blonde gave her a weak smile that said 'trust me' before turning back to the redhead.
"Alice is a part of this big science study to save her friend's life," Spencer informed "She spends most of her time doing research and stuff,"
"You don't say," Chris piped up, his interest suddenly peaked
"Wow," K-mart dragged out "That's so sweet of her,"
"Have they found anything?" Claire questioned, hope clear in her voice
Ashley shrugged "We haven't gotten the chance to ask her yet. But I'm sure they've gotten something by now,"
"I hope so," Claire muttered and began to eat her sundae
Ashley watched Chris from the corner of her eye as they ate. Chris's eyes were looking out the parlor's windows. His eyes were clouded over with thought as he blindly fed himself a spoon full of ice cream. Ashley's eyes went back to the bowl of ice cream she was sharing with Spencer. I better tell Alice to keep an eye on Chris.
~~*Alice*~~
I think I have found the cure.
Could it be true? Could Dr. Ashford have found have the cure for Angela?
Alice had reread the text message again and again. Only to be sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her-thankfully they weren't.
The message made Alice happy, excited, nervous and afraid all at once. She never imagined she would feel like this. Alice always imagined herself jumping for joy, hugging everyone she saw and maybe even crying for finally being able to save her sick friend but not this. The blonde didn't expect to be afraid, full of doubts and what-ifs. Yet she knew why-she was afraid that it would not be strong enough for Angie. The younger Not only that, this could go wrong like the other experiment had. The last 'cure' had nearly given Angie a heart attack and the last gave the younger teen flu like symptoms and internal bleeding.
It had almost killed her and it had almost killed her father to see his daughter in so much pain.
Alice didn't want another scare and they couldn't afford to have any failures.
But they would encounter many and they needed to overcome them before it was too late.
Alice pulled into the gravel driveway in front of the large white building and drove into the open garage. The blonde shut off the engine and slowly got out her car. She hadn't been to the mansion since last week and it felt extremely odd to be back after practically abandoning the place. The blonde shakily approached the door to the Ashford's second mansion as she fumbled with her set of keys. When Alice was in front of the door, she pulled out the key to the mansion. Alice couldn't help but examine the gold key in the light from the sun. The blonde could never forget the day she was given the key.
~~*Flashback*~~
"Do you think the supermarket will be crowded?" Angie asked
Alice glanced at her friend in the passenger seat of her car. Angie was staring out the side window, her pale hands folded in her lap. Angela had been sick with a cold for the last few weeks and had yet to get better. The redhead's skin had gotten pale and clammy, her hair had lost its glorious shine and red color and Angie had purplish bags under her eyes. Alice could tell there was something else wrong with her friend but she never pushed the redhead into telling her.
Angie had called Alice over to take her to the supermarket and the blonde was more than willing to take her. The redhead was acting very strange in Alice's opinion. Angie wouldn't take her eyes away from the side window and her hands were holding onto each other for dear life. Alice knew Angie was nervous but what for was the mystery.
"If it is," Alice began slowly "Would you want me to go in for you?"
Angie shook her head, still refusing to look at Alice's eyes "No. you wouldn't know where to go to find it,"
"Just tell me what it is and I'm sure I can sniff it out," Alice joked, trying to lighten the mood
It didn't work in the slightest. Angie remained silent in her seat, still watching the city go by. Alice sighed silently as she ran a hand through her hair. She didn't want what to do anymore. Angie was so shut down recently, even when she was at school. As the radio continued to fill the silence, Slut like You began to play. Alice let out a shot of laughter when she heard the beat. This would lighten Angie's mood, it always did.
"Hey," Alice smiled widely and turned up the radio "You still feel like singing Angie?"
The blonde looked at her friend as she stopped at a red light. Angie didn't respond to the question, she didn't even respond to the song blasting from the speakers. The song was Angela's ultimate favorite, she always moved around when it was on.
"Angie," Alice called
Still no response.
"Angie, what are you doing?" Alice chuckled and nudged the redhead
Angie's body limply leaned forward from the nudge. At first, Alice thought the redhead had fallen asleep until she spotted something wet dripping from Angie's hidden face.
"Angela," Alice panicked and reached over to turn Angie's head
The redhead's eyes had rolled into the back of her head and foam was seeping from her slightly parted lips. Alice's heart went into overdrive as fear coursed through her veins. The blonde unbuckled her seat belt and leaned over her friend. Alice began to shake the redhead, hoping it was just some prank Angie wanted to pull.
"Angela! Angela!" Alice shouted, trying to wake the redhead up
Tears began to form in Alice's eyes as Angela didn't respond. Alice's fingers shot to Angie's throat as she searched for a pulse. The blonde let out a cry of relief when she found Angie's pulse but she was deeply worried when she realized it was slowing down.
God what do I do, Alice thought frantically. The blonde thought about all the things Angie had told her about her sickness when it hit her-Angie needed her father. Alice got back into her seat and preformed an illegal U-turn. She ignored the honking horns and the shouts coming from the other drivers as she got in the way of passing cars. The blonde pressed down on the gas and sped toward Angie's house. Alice held Angie's hand in a tight grip as she maneuvered her car around the slower cars on the road.
"Just hold on Angie," Alice spoke to her friend
~~*Flashback*~~
Alice had barely made it to the Ashford mansion to save Angie's life. The whole knocking on the door routine really took a chuck of time and life from Angie since Dr. Ashford took forever to answer the door. That was when Alice was told of Angie's condition and it was also the same day they tried the first 'cure'. The fear of that day came back to haunt Alice every night. Even though Angie was better now, there was chance of her going back into such a state.
Alice inhaled some fresh air deep into her lungs as she pushed her fears aside. She needed to be focused when she walked through the door. She needed to have a clear mind if she was going to help save Angela.
Alice put on a brave face as she put the key in the lock and opened the door. There was barely a sound to be heard in the house. The blonde was a tad bit surprised. Usually Charles was reading to Angie or the two were playing chess. But it was dead silent. It was a good thing the floors didn't creak because Alice would be making quite a ruckus.
"Hello," Alice called into the silent home as she shut the door
"Alice!" Dr. Ashford replied "Come upstairs sweetheart,"
"Alright," Alice called up to the doctor
Alice set her keys in her pocket before walking toward the big staircase. The blonde walked up the slowly as she took a look around. Alice was hoping to find Angie so she could see how the girl was fairing. Sadly, the redhead had yet to appear.
Alice continued on to the second floor and headed to Charles's study. Along the way, the blonde peered into Angie's room. As usual, the teen's room was very neat and nothing was out of place. Alice didn't have to look for long before she spotted Angie. The redhead was sleeping soundly in her bed with ear buds carefully placed in her ear. Alice smiled fondly at her friend's sleeping habit and pulled her head from Angie's room. The blonde left the door how she found it before jogging to Dr. Ashford's study.
Alice knocked on the closed door to Dr. Ashford's study and waited for his approval of entry before walking inside. The room was newly decorated. The doctor's desk was in front of two large windows that now had small bookshelves underneath them. The walls were a soothing velvet color and a hand woven Persian carpet sat in the middle of the room. It was a very worth change for a study. It gave the room a mysterious, Indian Jones movie look.
The blonde was greeted by a smiling Charles Ashford with a lit cigar in hand. Alice returned the smile and added a small waved before her face grew serious.
"I uh got your text," Alice replied as she neared the man's desk
"Yes I am aware," Charles chuckled "I think we may be onto something,"
Alice lifted an eyebrow as she leaned against the small chair in front of Charles' desk. She crossed her arms over her chest while Dr. Ashford continued to mess with his laptop.
"Have you tested it yet?" Alice questioned
"Indeed, I tested a couple of your syringes last week before you left," Charles informed as he maneuvered his wheel chair around the desk "Your creation might just be our solution,"
"You're joking," Alice guessed and began to follow the man
"Not at all," Charles assured "However, there is one small problem,"
Dr. Ashford led her to a room that was connected to the study. The walls were covered with baby blue paint and the floor was made of some type of metal. The room was a bit colder than the study and the entire ceiling was one motion censored light. The blonde acknowledged the two metal tables and the large sink area on the wall opposite of the one she walked along. The room gave Alice the creeps despite how often she dreamed of getting a horror movie modelled science lab. Charles led her to a small closet in the lab that had a black curtain over the door way. It was the one space of the lab that the motion censored light didn't touch.
Alice stared at it uncertainly when small growls came from behind the curtain. The blonde stood beside Dr. Ashford, who reached up and pulled the black curtain aside. The light inside the small, hidden section of the room turned on. The light was very dim and yellow compared to the bigger light but it displayed 12 small boxes that had been stashed away. Alice glanced at Charles, who was staring at the boxes with a blank look, before she began to approach the boxes.
"I wouldn't get to close," Dr. Ashford warned "If I were you,"
Alice turned to look at Charles "Why not?"
"They're a bit aggressive," Was all Dr. Ashford said
The blonde's brows furrowed as she turned back around. Alice took a small step closer to the boxes and peered into a random box. As her face continued to get closer, a small pink organism jumped out at her. Alice cursed loudly as she jumped back from the box. The pink organism kept trying to break out of its cage to attack Alice as the surrounding organisms began to try the same think.
Alice continued stared at the pink organisms, her face twisted with disgust and curiosity. The blonde glanced at Dr. Ashford, who was staring at the organisms with interest.
"What the fuck is that?" Alice questioned, staring at the pink, deformed organisms "A naked mole rat or something?"
"These were rats actually," Charles corrected, driving his wheel chair a bit closer to the boxes
"Rats?" Alice asked in disbelief
From what Alice could tell only a handful of the rats were alive. They were all hairless, pink, and there was a thick layer of film over their eyes. Those same rats were extremely aggressive and hi-de-ous. Some were growling-actually growling at her and Charles. The other rats were lying lifelessly in their boxes. Alice could feel her stomach twisting and turning in the most uncomfortable ways as she eyed each of the rats closely.
"Is that what I did?" Alice questioned as she was overcome with dread
"Yes," Charles replied "But you aren't looking at them all,"
Alice's brows furrowed as she watched Dr. Ashford point to a box underneath the rest. The blonde got on her knees and leaned forward so she could peer into the box. There was one small, unaffected rat that was staring at her. It looked as if it had never been injected with her 'cure' and it was much calmer than the others. The rat even came up to the plastic wall of the cage and began to sniff at it. Alice looked away from the rat and spotted the small number in the corner of the plastic box. Number 12, Alice repeated in her mind.
"What do you think about number 12?" Charles piped up
Alice looked down at the metal flooring before looking back at the rat. There were a lot of possibilities as to why the rat was not affected by the injection. It could be an adaptation, or he didn't get the proper dose or maybe even that he has a superior immune system.
"Well it's clearly unaffected by the 'cure' I made," Alice supplied "It didn't mutate and there's no sign of aggression. But that still leaves the question; 'why wasn't it affected',"
"Exactly," Charles stated "Are you willing to conduct a few more studies on rat number 12?"
Could she do that? Conduct studies on a rat that had already survived a lethal injection? In all actually the answer was yes. It wasn't like Alice was doing this as some sick pass time, she had a reason. Angie was the reason. The blonde was going to try to find a cure for her friend no matter what.
Alice straightened up her back and looked up at Charles. The man wore a hopeful expression on his face as he rotated the cigar around his fingers. Alice could tell he wanted the answer she would give him.
"Of course," Alice replied "Where do I begin?"
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