Awhile later:.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Ace's heart steadily beat in her chest. Where sleep had dropped dead under her eye lids, had come back to life and disappeared. Her limbs, that once had an ache which weighed her down, were now relaxed. Her mouth that had burned with infection was cool with relief. Am I dead?
With a flutter, Alice's eyes opened. Around her were tan walls and bellow her were hard wood floors. Sun light streamed through an open window. Holding up a hand to shield her eyes from the harsh light, Alice noticed how pale she was. She also noticed that she didn't stink. As badly. Running a hand through her hair, which was still greasy, Alice frowned slightly. Suddenly feeling gross in this clean room, which smelled like lemons and strawberries.
Panic rose in Alice's chest. What if the Mad Hatter had grabbed me and took me here? What if this is a cell at Arkham? What if- Do you really think cells at Arkham are this nice? Please. I guess your common sense was beaten out of you as well...
Dragging her nails across her chest, and under her night gown, Alice gritted her teeth in frustration. Shut up... Shut up... shut up! Closing her eyes, Ace pressed harder as the voice turned into a cold chuckle.
Suddenly a pair of slightly larger, also very soft, hands grabbed Alice's hands and held them above her head. As Alice kept her eyes closed, she thrashed her torso and legs from side to side.
"Alison, stop it!" said a slightly harsh, feminine voice. The person gently squeezed Alice's wrists. "Open your eyes Alison. You're safe now. No one can hurt you. Open your eyes."
It's not mom that's for sure. It's definitely not the Mad Hatter, or the Joker. And why would they have fixed me up, if they weren't going to help me? I don't know. Why did they Hatter let you pick out anything you wanted? Stupid girl, so quick to forget. However my memory is permanent, like that thing on your face...
Tears rolled down her cheeks as cold laughter filled her head again. "Make it stop. Please God make it stop!"
Alice's wrists were being held tighter. "When you calm down, I will let you go. Do you understand me?"
Very slowly, Alice stopped thrashing. Nodding her head, the woman releases the young thief wrists. Opening her watery eyes, the young thief saw who was in the room with her. A woman with very short black hair, pink full lips and blue eyes greeted her. "Wh- who are you? Where am I? What happen- are those pancakes?"
The woman blue eyes went wide as she released her. Picking up the tray which had been lying at the foot of the bed, she placed it in front of Alice. Before the woman could rest the tray, which had four buttermilk pancakes drenched in syrup, a tall glass of orange juice, and a big blue berry muffin with melting butter on top, Alice had shoveled the warm pancakes through her dried lips.
Ripping pieces of pancake and muffin with her bare hands, Alice stuffed more food into her awaiting mouth. Chewing only about half of what was roughly shoved past her teeth, a large piece of muffin got lodged in her throat. Grabbing the orange juice and taking a large gulp of it, she heard the woman say, "Slow down! You'll get sick."
Feeling mass rise in her throat, Alice leaned over the bed and vomited her breakfast. More tears poured down her face as she tried to apologize between fits of sick. Her face and mouth burned when all that remained was dry heaving. Alice noticed someone had pulled her hair back and was now talking to her.
"Huh?" asked Alice tiredly as she looked at the woman.
"Are you done?" she asked her voice sounding harsh.
Alice nodded as the woman lead her to the bathroom, which was through a white door that opened in. Alice had closed her eyes again. Coldness burned her feet as she stepped onto the white tiles. The young thief was sat on something hard; when she looked down she saw that she was on a toilet with the lid down. Turning her head, Alice saw the woman filling the claw footed tub, at the edge of the bathroom, with water that steamed as it hit the bottom of the porcelain. Slowly, the woman added pink liquid where the falling water met the ocean which was forming. White foam covered the top of the hot water.
"Now," said the woman as she twisted one of the knobs to turn off the water. "Shampoo is the one on the left, dampen your hair, scrub your scalp and leave the soap in for a minute to get the grease out. Then rinse. Then repeat. Put in the conditioner and rinse. Don't repeat. Use the wash cloth and wash your body. Rinse. And repeat." The woman looked her over. "And repeat again. I would have you take a shower, but I don't think you can stand on your own at the moment. Also when you're done, just call me and I'll help you. Now, let's get you into the tub."
As the woman walked toward Alice, the young thief held up her hands. "I can manage. Just put out my clothes where I can find them and I'll be okay."
The woman's blue eyes looked down to up. "Okay then." Turning toward the door, she did a double take and stared at Alice. "If you need any help, just call."
"Wait," said Alice panting, it suddenly felt like someone was sitting on her chest. "Who are you?"
The woman's face remained solid. "Selina. Selina Kyle."
Raising an eyebrow, Alice asked. "Who?"
Sighing, Selina replied. "Cat Woman."
Later that day:
Fighting to keep her hand steady as she gasped the silver spoon in her hand and put it in her mouth, Alice also had to use self control to not pour all of the hot oatmeal down her throat. Her pace quickened as the cinnamon warm dripped into her stomach. The metal spoon burned her tongue, however she did not care. As she shoved more oatmeal into her mouth, it became harder to swallow, and water came to her eyes as her mouth burned.
"Slow down!" demanded Selina as she came up behind Alice and yanked the spoon out of her hand and sat it on the table. "That's why you're eating this instead. I thought oatmeal would be easier for you to digest, but only if you don't shove it down your throat. Slowly finish your oatmeal. I want to show you something."
Reaching for her spoon, Ace slowly scooped up the cooling oatmeal and emptied it in her mouth. Using all of her self-control, she would swallow the warm substance before getting another spoonful. She tried to ignore the fact that her stomach felt emptier than her heart or that this was the realest food she had had in... How long? Great. Another question to ask Selina. God, this oatmeal is so good...
Her hand quivered as Alice as scooped up the last bit of oatmeal and placed it in her mouth. Dropping her spoon, it landed on the wooden table with a clatter, she began to lick the bowl. A hand clamped on her shoulder and forced the empty bowl away from her.
"Come on," said Selina as she lifted Alice from her chair. Leading the young thief away from the black table, Alice's bare feet slapped against the dark hardwood floors. Sunlight from a window which was directly across from her, felt warm against her covered arms. The yellow, long sleeve shirt Alice was wearing looked very bright next to Selina's dark blue t shirt.
Looking at her reflection in the steel appliances that surrounded her, Alice studied her scar. Alice was too dazed to look at it in the bathroom mirror. The black stitches looked like they were redone, the thread looked straighter and there was an even distance between each stitch. Alice counted three all together. There was still red swelling around the wound, which had already began to heal. The redness had a faint pink in it that was curved and sharp like a dead tree. Alice's heart skipped a beat when she realized how badly her wound would scar.
A permanent reminder of me! You and your bimbo of a mother thought my smile was enough. Now, no matter what color you change your hair or how much weight you gain, I will be able to spot you and finish what I started.
Alice's hands balled up into fists, her short nails digging into her palms. Tears threatened to fall from her green eyes, until she saw what Selina was showing her. Every cabinet was open revealing boxes of cereal, potato ships, and other dried foods, mostly cat food. Feeling a cold breeze, behind her, Alice turned around. The refrigerator was filled with different kinds of meats, cheeses, and vegetables were neatly put together. Ice cream decorated the inside of the freezer.
Before she knew what she was doing, Alice had taken a step forward and had reached out. Something had grabbed her forearms and was holding her back. As she tried to pull away, the grip got tighter.
"Do you see all of this? Alison, do you see this?" asked Selina in her ear.
"Yes. Can I have some? Please," said Alice as she tried to step forward.
"Yes you can. But first digest what you have. In a little while, you can have more. Don't worry Alison. You're safe, I have my assistant go shopping for me every Wednesday. We will never run out of food. You won't go hungry again if I can help it."
Silence filled the air. Tears dripped from Alice's eyes as she gritted her teeth. However at the sight of all of the food, the young thief didn't feel as hungry anymore. Her stomach was filled with something besides oatmeal. It made her stomach feel almost light and her heart rock solid. Taking a deep breath, Alice mad the tears stop flowing.
"How can I trust you? And why did my mother send me here?" Alice demanded. Her voice was soft and weak.
Upon hearing Selina sigh, Alice felt the back of her head heat up. Ungrateful brat. Always been that way and always will. When I get my hands on you...Dragging her nails up her yoga pant leg, she quickly stopped as Selina began to speak.
"If I was going to kill you I would have done so-," she began before Alice interrupted her.
"No. I mean, how I know you're not going to just kick me out after I'm better. Or, how do you know that I'm not going to kill you in your sleep and take all of your money and leave," asked Alice as she took deep breathes.
Rolling her eyes, Selina replied, "Number one, stealth isn't really your thing. I heard you a mile away last night and number two," she turned Alice so that the two were facing each other. "Why would I show you that I have all this food to share with you, if I'm just going to kick you out later?"
Biting her lip, Alice looked away.
"You need to learn to trust some people. Not everyone is out to kill you, you know," said Selina with a small smile.
"But why are you doing this? How do you know my mother?" asked Alice.
The small smile disappeared as tight line replaced it. "I guess you have the right to know. Let's just say, that crazy mother of yours helped me once."
"Helped you? Or save you?" asked Alice.
"Does it matter? Anyway it was a long time ago. And anyway, you need your rest," said Selina as she turned Alice around.
Reluctantly, Alice let Selina guide her to her room.