ALiCE in WoNDeRLaND

-35-

"Man," I muttered. "That sucks."

Angelos laughed. Roared, actually. "It sucks that you're going to die? That's not exactly the answer I was expecting to hear from you."

"Why does the thought of my death make you so happy?" I pondered.

"Aren't you in an interesting place? Frame of mind, you know." He made some more laughing-related noises. "You have pieces of your past, pieces of your future, and no present. And everybody else has nothing but pieces of their past and little bits of their present."

"Even you?" I asked. "And Adèle?"

"Hmm?"

"What's in your future, Angelos? Has she told you?"

I could feel the mental machinery turning in his brain. "I see where you're going with this. You're going to try and tell you see something."

I didn't reply.

"Well, it's not going to work, you hear?"

I didn't believe him. You could tell he was interested. "She didn't tell you anything."

"Her visions are gone, remember?"

"Is she really dying?"

"Isn't everybody?"

"Touché."

He sighed. "I don't want to know."

"Then why do you keep telling me that?" I looked around. "Does this radio thing work on you, too?"

"No."

"You sure? We could try. See what happens."

I could hear him throwing something into the wall behind me. "I don't want to know."

"Why? Why not?"

"Because I know, okay? It's not going to end well."

"Then do something about it. Make it better."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

He wasn't putting on his cool act anymore. "You really believe Adèle?"

"Believe what?"

"That destinies can be changed? That we can really control our lives?"

"We can."

He went on as if I hadn't spoken. "What if she's just crazy? And she thinks she's saved all these people's lives, but in reality, she's just like some naïve little kid who thinks they're a superhero or something. It's not real."

"None of this is real," I muttered, offhandedly. Unconsciously, even.

He stopped his little diatribe and I wondered what I had said. "What?"

"What?"

"What did you say?"

I thought about it. "What did I say?"

"You said it wasn't real. That none of this was real."

"I was being metaphorical!"

He was frantic. "It's not real?"

"Angelos, dude. Get a grip." I could hear him pacing behind me. It was really starting to freak me out. Was everyone but me losing it here?

"I can't... it can't be."

I had lost him. "Shit..."

The door opened again. "Angelos?"

Adèle entered when he didn't reply, letting the door crunch some more behind her.

"Hey, Adèle," I called out cheerfully.

I could feel her staring at him. "What did you do?"

"Freudian slip," I cracked. "And then he slipped, you know, mentally. He flipped, I guess."

"Shut up," she snapped. "Angelos?"

I heard the door open and close. He had run out.

"What did you say to him?"

"I don't know, Adèle. Maybe it was your little brainwave radio or something. Everyone's been acting really weird lately. It's so odd."

"Don't worry. It'll be over soon," she replied bitterly, coming over in front of me to gloat.

"You have no idea," I agreed as I kicked my legs out from under the chair, sending the desk right at her. She fell onto her back as I slowly stood up above her. "Let us out of here, now."

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