ALiCE in WoNDeRLaND
-30-
I couldn't stop thinking about the forest.
Nam had explained how a person was certain to lose their memory once they ventured in there, but that it would also return as soon as they left.
What if...?
"ALiCE?"
I had fallen behind. The guys were far ahead, ready to continue our never- ending journey. I sighed heavily and went to join them.
"We're going to see Adèle," Miyka'el continued, walking along in front of me.
I stopped, and the others almost left me behind. "What?"
"We're going to see Adèle," Miyka'el repeated, stopping, and the others followed his lead.
I caught up and faced him. "I heard you. But... you changed your mind?"
"We have to see her, like you said."
"Wow." I was a little surprised, but oddly not as relieved as I thought I would be. Odd.
"Where's she?" I asked, beginning the walk once more.
No one followed. I stared back at them.
"What?" I whined.
"You up for another virtual projection?" Zione quipped flatly.
Another sigh. "Sure, why not? It's been a pretty good run. Let's go for 2 out of 2 associates trying to do us in."
"Adèle's not like that," Miyka'el muttered.
"You know, prior to our last little excursion, I bet you would have said the same thing about Caol, huh?" I snapped. I started to walk off, then turned back to face him again. "Why are you defending her, anyway? Didn't she dump you?"
I couldn't believe I said that. They stared some more. It was getting a little weird, actually.
Miyka'el's emotions were hard to read at this point. "How did you know that?"
I shrugged. "I remembered, I guess." I didn't want to get into it. At least I let something pretty harmless slip – I could have said much worse...
"She dumped you?" Zione asked Miyka'el with a not-fully-stifled laugh.
"Wait," I interjected. "I knew, and you guys didn't?"
Miyka'el made a face. Zale moved to explain. "I think it was something he may have told you in confidence."
"Eh?" I asked.
"It was a secret, ALiCE," Aurick declared.
"Oops."
I would've expected Miyka'el to react a little more... angrily at me. He was just a bundle of surprises, it seemed.
"Sorry," I whispered as the others moved away, giving Miyka'el and I a moment to chat.
"Yeah, whatever," he replied, not as bitterly as he was probably expecting to sound. "At least you remembered something."
"Eh." I watched him, but he had been avoiding my eyes. "I really am sorry. For telling, and... I'm sorry that it ended that way between you two."
Miyka'el had no further reply.
"Not that it was my fault," I muttered back as I joined the others. "Okay."
They watched as I pulled out my communicator.
"Do I got to call this girl or something?" I asked.
Miyka'el nodded, coming up beside me.
"Then let's do this."
I was terrified, to be perfectly honest, but at least I wouldn't be alone. That would've been a lot worse.
Or would it? It was hard to tell, really.
I was beginning to doubt them. It was terrible, I knew, but after that fiasco with Caol, what did I expect? He was dangerous. I was dangerous. And these guys, trained in some fifty-six deadly arts, were just as dangerous, if not more so.
'What the heck,' I decided, calling the associate. Maybe Adèle would be a little closer to normal.
Maybe.
Or maybe she'd be even crazier that Caol.
"Only one way to find out," I said to myself.
Adèle answered, without a word spoken, and initiated the virtual sequence.
I held my breath, and closed my eyes as the world around me disappeared... and felt Miyka'el take my hand in his and hold on to it tightly.
* * *
-30-
I couldn't stop thinking about the forest.
Nam had explained how a person was certain to lose their memory once they ventured in there, but that it would also return as soon as they left.
What if...?
"ALiCE?"
I had fallen behind. The guys were far ahead, ready to continue our never- ending journey. I sighed heavily and went to join them.
"We're going to see Adèle," Miyka'el continued, walking along in front of me.
I stopped, and the others almost left me behind. "What?"
"We're going to see Adèle," Miyka'el repeated, stopping, and the others followed his lead.
I caught up and faced him. "I heard you. But... you changed your mind?"
"We have to see her, like you said."
"Wow." I was a little surprised, but oddly not as relieved as I thought I would be. Odd.
"Where's she?" I asked, beginning the walk once more.
No one followed. I stared back at them.
"What?" I whined.
"You up for another virtual projection?" Zione quipped flatly.
Another sigh. "Sure, why not? It's been a pretty good run. Let's go for 2 out of 2 associates trying to do us in."
"Adèle's not like that," Miyka'el muttered.
"You know, prior to our last little excursion, I bet you would have said the same thing about Caol, huh?" I snapped. I started to walk off, then turned back to face him again. "Why are you defending her, anyway? Didn't she dump you?"
I couldn't believe I said that. They stared some more. It was getting a little weird, actually.
Miyka'el's emotions were hard to read at this point. "How did you know that?"
I shrugged. "I remembered, I guess." I didn't want to get into it. At least I let something pretty harmless slip – I could have said much worse...
"She dumped you?" Zione asked Miyka'el with a not-fully-stifled laugh.
"Wait," I interjected. "I knew, and you guys didn't?"
Miyka'el made a face. Zale moved to explain. "I think it was something he may have told you in confidence."
"Eh?" I asked.
"It was a secret, ALiCE," Aurick declared.
"Oops."
I would've expected Miyka'el to react a little more... angrily at me. He was just a bundle of surprises, it seemed.
"Sorry," I whispered as the others moved away, giving Miyka'el and I a moment to chat.
"Yeah, whatever," he replied, not as bitterly as he was probably expecting to sound. "At least you remembered something."
"Eh." I watched him, but he had been avoiding my eyes. "I really am sorry. For telling, and... I'm sorry that it ended that way between you two."
Miyka'el had no further reply.
"Not that it was my fault," I muttered back as I joined the others. "Okay."
They watched as I pulled out my communicator.
"Do I got to call this girl or something?" I asked.
Miyka'el nodded, coming up beside me.
"Then let's do this."
I was terrified, to be perfectly honest, but at least I wouldn't be alone. That would've been a lot worse.
Or would it? It was hard to tell, really.
I was beginning to doubt them. It was terrible, I knew, but after that fiasco with Caol, what did I expect? He was dangerous. I was dangerous. And these guys, trained in some fifty-six deadly arts, were just as dangerous, if not more so.
'What the heck,' I decided, calling the associate. Maybe Adèle would be a little closer to normal.
Maybe.
Or maybe she'd be even crazier that Caol.
"Only one way to find out," I said to myself.
Adèle answered, without a word spoken, and initiated the virtual sequence.
I held my breath, and closed my eyes as the world around me disappeared... and felt Miyka'el take my hand in his and hold on to it tightly.
* * *