ALiCE in WoNDeRLaND

-44-

Miyka'el took a step back, perhaps thinking I was about to let loose some crazy Jabberwocky-killing magic on him or something like that. I took a step toward him, wanting to say I wasn't going to hurt anyone until I figured out what was going on, but it wasn't me he was walking away from.

Nam had somehow managed to get on his feet without a sound. I was about to ask him if he was alright, but he didn't even acknowledge me. He was fully focused on Miyka'el.

"Nam," Miyka'el began, taking another step back.

"Don't let him fool you, ALiCE," Nam said, ignoring Miyka'el's plea. "Look at him. What did she do to you?"

"Adèle didn't do anything," Miyka'el swore.

"She told you something."

"No."

"She had to."

I was too confused to even try to break into the conversation.

"She saw something, didn't she?" Nam asked. "About this place."

Miyka'el's face fell. "How did you know?"

"Wait, Adèle got her visions back?" I asked, interjecting at last. "What did she see?"

"Us," Nam replied.

"The old vision she had, of us dying?"

Miyka'el shook his head.

"come on, you and I both know what she saw," Nam said, ignoring me once again. "The only question left to answer is whether or not you're going to do anything about it."

"You know I can't," Miyka'el replied.

"Then what good are you?" Nam asked.

Before I had a chance to react, Nam reached into my bag and pulled out my vorpal blade. Miyka'el took a step forward, then another one back, as Nam pointed the blade to the ceiling.

It didn't grow, like it had done for me. This time, a shot of light flew from the tip of the blade and hit the rocks over Miyka'el's head. I yelled to Miyka'el as the rocks began to fall but it was too late. He was quickly buried under a pile of huge stones.

I pulled on Nam's arm, trying to get my blade back, but he brushed me aside and went ahead to make sure Miyka'el had been properly taken care of. I followed after him.

"What in the world is the matter with you?" I cried as I kicked over a few rocks, then began pushing some more to the side.

Nam grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the rubble and toward the other side of the cliff.

"Look, I don't know what's going on with you. IF you just killed Miyka'el because he couldn't do anything to save us..." I didn't know what to say. I was almost speechless, dumbfounded. I don't think the reality of the situation had fully dawned on me. I must've still been in shock.

"I knew Miyka'el couldn't save us from the very beginning," Nam explained.

"So why kill him now?"

Nam stared at his reflection in my vorpal blade. "He would've got in the way."

"I don't understand where you're going with this." I paused. "What did Adèle see?"

"Us."

"What about us? What happened?"

Nam looked to the floor. "We left this place."

"Did we go to WoNDeRLaND?"

"No."

"Did we die?"

"I don't think so."

"Then where else is there for us to go?"

"I don't know. But I don't want to find out."

"And what did killing Miyka'el accomplish?"

"I don't know. I just didn't want to look at him. He reminds me of her. Everytime I look at him I think about that vision of hers and... It can't be true. I don't know about any place but this. I don't want it to be true."

Nam was beginning to scare me, with his whole losing grip in reality spiel.

"Where are the others?" Nam asked.

"I don't know," I lied.

"Cowards."

I didn't know what to say.

"You know they all left you because of this. These visions. The fear that whatever it is that's going to take you out is going to get them, too."

"But I killed the Jabberwocky."

"Open your eyes, ALiCE. We're not fighting monsters here."

"Then what is it we're fighting?"

Nam had no response.

"Each other?"

"You never know."

"I thought you were friends."

"We don't have friends. This is our job."

"And I don't think you're fit to fulfill it at the moment."

"My job is to protect you, isn't it?"

"Miyka'el was no threat to me."

"How can you be sure?"

"How can you?"

We were getting nowhere.

Somehow, the Queen was the furthest thing from my mind.