14
From: Delphinium Flora
To: Alice Kingsleigh
Regarding Mason and the Asylum
Today at 7:00 AM
Dear Alice,
There is so much I need to tell you that I don't believe I can say it in person. I don't think I can restrain myself from resorting to foul language.
I spent quite some time researching Mason Potter last night, more so than I did with my initial search. I'll admit that I had to do some exploring in certain places that I'd rather not speak of. Despite everything, the only records I was able to initially find were those at the asylum. Dr. Bumby hides these things well, but Absolem helped me uncover them. He went deeper into the files and found that his parents died soon after they sent him there, a car crash just a few miles from their home. I don't think Mason knows this, but it's not our place to tell him, at least not yet.
Speaking of things he probably doesn't know, it says that Dr. Bumby is Mason's adopted father. That means that you could be charged with kidnapping if we were ever to take this to court. What am I saying, of course we have to take this to court! That place needs to be shut down.
I need you to find out if Mirana, Mason, and Tarrant are willing to testify. We've got to build a solid case against Dr. Bumby. I want that man destroyed. I'm looking through several lawyers as I type.
I'm hoping this reaches you before I see you next so I don't have to explain all of this again. I'm glad you came to me Alice. You must remember that you are brave, and you are not alone in all of this. Use every ounce of muchness you have to carry yourself through.
The fondest regards,
Professor Flora
Waking up to this email was not what Alice had in mind to start her day. Not only does she have to declare her allegiance to Mirana, and, by extension, inherently paint a target on her chest; she also has to challenge the Jabberwocky to a fight and hope by some miracle she can defeat him. Now, Professor Flora has told her to essentially ask her friends to relive their worst experiences in front of an entire courtroom, which also means telling Mirana that she had confided with their art teacher in the first place.
So much to do, and it's only 7:00 A.M.
Alice pulls on a white button up, step one to declaring her allegiance. The stark colour brings out the pink in her cheeks a little too well, but she can't exactly complain. She buttons up all the way to the bit just before the collar, opting to leave that open. She'd never been fond of how the collar choked her if she buttoned up all the way. Professor Flora had mentioned Professor Alden getting involved. Why did he care all of a sudden? He'd always managed to maintain a sort of indifference to everything, and as far as Alice is concerned he seems to outright hate her. So why now? Why bother with getting involved now? As far as Alice knows, this war doesn't directly affect him at all.
She steps into a pair of blue jeans, hopping a little to pull them up all the way. No, him getting involved just doesn't make any sense. She closes the snap with a soft click, glancing over at Mirana's bed, empty with the covers thrown back. Wonder what had her in such a rush this morning that she'd neglect to make it. She walks over barefoot and straightens them out.
She shrugs into her jean jacket, happy for the familiarity it brings. Her eyes wander to the red and black shirt lying on her own unmade bed. She's going to have to rip that in half in front of everyone. She looks back and forth between Iracebeth's shirt and her new uniform. Are she and her sister really that different? Both believe strongly in some sort of ruling system. Both force you into declaring your allegiance one way or the other, whether through brute force or a magnetic nature, and have you show that support by wearing their respective colours. Both are fighting to be on top, one slightly more aggressive than the other.
Her shoes go on next, laces tied tightly. No, that's not true. Mirana is aggressive too, but in a different way. A fierce determination to make everyone her friend and therefore have everyone support her. Tarrant had told her that it was unintentional, but after everything Alice has seen she's not so sure.
She remembers seeing brown roots in Mirana's hair when she'd found her in the asylum. Is all this blinding white really who she is? It suddenly strikes her that this woman that she's fallen in love with is someone that she doesn't, in retrospect, really know much about. Of course, she knows the basic things: her parents run the school, she needs that scholarship to make it far in life, she wants to end Iracebeth's reign. She's also terribly insecure about her sexuality. She cares for her friends, to an extent. Alice has never actually seen her go out of her way to help someone other than Mason, but she's heard from Tarrant that she does care.
However, all this she could have gleaned by simply looking at her. Most of it anyway. But what about the little things? Her favourite season? What she does in her free time? Where she'd like to go on holiday someday? What home is like? The more she thinks about it, the more she realizes that she can answer these questions more easily about Tarrant or Chess because they've occasionally talked about nothing before, but when she comes to Mirana she draws a blank.
Is this even love?
Or just infatuation?
Too many confusing thoughts all at once. Best not to think about it for now. At the very least, she knows Mirana is a friend.
Alice barely makes it in time to Astronomy. She'd kept her jacket buttoned up completely during breakfast, all the way to her neck, the red and black shirt seeming to burn a hole through her backpack and into the denim as she sat alone, neither with her friends or Iracebeth's gang, trying to blend in with some of the other students that seemed to be neutral. They'd given her strange looks at first, but once she'd flashed her white collar they let her sit down. Apparently they'd decided that Mirana's side is safe enough to trust.
She slides in beside Thackery, who nervously looks at her. She wants so badly to tell him that she's on his side, but most of the shirts in the room are red, and she knows better than to reveal herself right now. She glances over at Mirana and notices Niven's seat is still empty. Her heart sinks at the sight. He'd still be here, bothering everyone about the importance of time if none of this had happened.
Professor Alden narrows his eyes at her, thumb poised over his clicker to start his slideshow, but says nothing. Curious. No snide comment about how punctuality is a virtue she would do well to gain? No forcing her to wait a good ten minutes before entering the class again, and then have her apologize to her fellow students? Curiouser and curiouser. He must have other things on his mind if he's not expending energy insulting her today.
He clicks, and massive particle rings fill the screen. "Let's continue where we left off, shall we? Miss Kingsleigh," His cold eyes lock on hers. Damn, thought too soon. "Would you care to continue the lecture? I know you were reading ahead, and that's clearly why you're late today."
Alice's jaw drops. "I had a minute left!" she protests.
"Late." Professor Alden insists with a sneer.
He holds out the clicker to her, and Alice resists the urge to snatch it from his stupid hand. She clicks it again, and the title appears: The Origin of Ring Particles. She clicks it again, hoping his usual bulleted list will appear, but nothing happens.
"Problem, Miss Kingsleigh?" Alice says nothing, silently fuming. Where does he get off with all this humiliation? He holds his hand out for the clicker, and once again Alice has to restrain herself from slamming it into his hand. "Arrive on time, Miss Kingsleigh, and this won't happen again."
Alice sits back down, balling her hands into fists. What she would give to land a punch right in the bridge of his nose and break his stupid glasses, mess up his pretentious hair with a big vat of grease. Professor Alden clicks a few more times, his bullet points finally appearing. What an arse!
Her attention is drawn away from the lecture by a sheet of paper being pushed in front of her. Thackery's written her something.
Why?
Alice frowns and quickly writes back.
Why what? What is he talking about?
Why aren't you on our side? I thought you were.
I am.
Doesn't look like it.
Thackery, I promise I'll explain it to you later.
You don't think I'll understand now?
Alice grits her teeth. She really wants to tell him.
I can't tell you now.
The paper comes back to her faster now, a little too loud. Alice hides it under her Astronomy book just before Professor Alden looks over at her. He halts for a second, then continues teaching.
Why not?
I just can't.
Why?
Trust me.
Why?
Ask Mirana, okay?
I want to hear it from you.
Alice quietly takes a deep breath. Thackery is really making this difficult. Why does everybody want answers all the time? Why can't they just accept what she says?
Oh, right, because according to everyone else she's a double crossing monster that caused the whole power imbalance in the first place. She upset the equilibrium.
I can't get into it right now. It's a lot.
Try me.
Let's just say things aren't what they seem, okay?
The paper stays with Thackery for a long time, then:
Okay. I don't like it, but okay.
Thank God he finally accepted an answer from her. She folds the paper in half and tucks it away into her binder. She's surprised that they got away with passing notes, especially since they sit in the front row.
Alice gets a third of the way through the door before she hears that nasal yet rich tenor voice call out to her.
"Miss Kingsleigh, a word."
Alice groans but hangs back anyway. She figures she's got nothing to lose at this point, so when the classroom empties out completely, she whirls on Professor Alden.
"Alright, why me?" she asks, trying to keep her irritation under control. "You don't act like this with anybody else, so why me?"
Professor Alden laughs dryly. "How assumptuous of you. You do realize you're not my only class, don't you?"
Alice frowns. "What else do you teach?" From the way he'd talked about it, Astronomy seems to be the only class he deems worth his time.
"Well, in addition to the two Astronomy class periods, I also teach Philosophy." He pauses. "But never you mind. I want to know what you plan to do about this whole Bumby business."
Alice folds her arms. "Why, exactly, are you getting involved with this again?" She's not going to let him off this easy, especially since she knows he wants answers from her.
Professor Alden rolls his eyes. "Honestly, Alice, it's no concern of yours. The fact that I'm willing to help should be enough. The Underlands fear me far too much to do anything about it, should they find out. I'm more valuable to them than they are to me. Now, and I won't ask again, what do you plan to do about Bumby?"
Alice bites back yet another question, this one pertaining to why he's even working here. "Professor Flora said she had a plan."
"I know she does, stupid girl."
Alice colours. "Who are you calling —"
"Keep. Your. Temper." Professor Alden says levelly, yet still with an underlying danger to his tone. "I want to know your plan, because if Delphi's fails, you'll be left with an ugly mess to clean up."
Who's Delph — oh. Delphinium Flora. Alice wonders when Professor Alden had dropped that formality with her, but knows better to keep that to herself, however reluctantly. "I don't really have one."
Professor Alden frowns. "Odd. I thought you would. You seemed to have thought everything through when you went to break Mirana out of that institution. Or do you believe now that Mirana's safe, you don't have to care any more?" He rises, gripping his desk, regarding her with cold eyes behind his shining spectacles. "Because if that's the case, you're wrong. As long as Bumby is around, she will never be safe. Whatever you did to fool him will not last long." He slams his palms on the desktop, startling Alice. "Think, Kingsleigh! You've got to! Even if it's for your own selfish reasons!"
Alice glares at him. How dare he? "I could say the same for you!"
Professor Alden curls his lip. "Go on." he says cooly.
She balls her hands into fists. "Admit it, if Professor Flora weren't involving herself in this case, you wouldn't either!"
"You don't know what you're talking about." he growls through clenched teeth. "You stand there, screaming at me, stupid girl," he hisses those last words. "When you know nothing about me. Who. Are. You?"
Alice clenches her jaw. "I'm Alice." she says, trying to maintain control.
"No, you most certainly are not."
Alice squeezes her palms so hard that her nails start to make little dents in the flesh. "Why do you keep saying that? I am Alice! There's no one else I could possibly be!"
"Prove it."
"I am Alice Kingsleigh! I've got a sister called Margaret and a mother called Helen. My father Charles died when I was young, and my Aunt Imogene tried to commit me to an asylum a few years later because of something beyond my control. I'm seventeen years old going on eighteen May next year, and I've been moved from school to school up until now. All my life I've been told what I must do and who I must be, and it's still going on even after I came here to get some form of independence! I know who I am, and I shouldn't have to prove it to you to make myself believe it!" Alice inhales sharply, trying to calm her impassioned breathing. "I. Am. Alice." she says firmly, looking straight into Professor Alden's emerald eyes. "And I do not care if you believe me or not."
Professor Alden is unreadable for a moment, then, starts chuckling. "Alice, at last. You're just as dimwitted as you were the moment I first met you. Insisted on calling me 'Caterpillar', as I recall."
Alice doesn't know whether to be insulted or shocked. "We've… we've met before?"
Professor Alden fishes around for something in the center drawer of his desk. "Think back to when you were homeschooled. I knew Imogene tried her best to make you forget me, but maybe this will jog your memory." He holds his hand out to her, fingers tightly closed around something, but when they unfurl Alice is suddenly hit with wave upon wave of memories long buried.
"Yes, Alice, that's it. Good."
Charles Kingsleigh beams with approval as seven year old Alice stands in the first parry position: left foot forward, right back at ninety degrees, right arm back, and left arm forward, left hand holding a sabre much too large for her in front of her right side. Alice mirrors his bright smile back at him, happy to have pleased her father, warm brown eyes just like his sparkling with a kind of childlike joy.
"Am I just like you, Father?" she asks hopefully, stepping out of position.
Charles kneels in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "No, my dear girl." Alice looks disappointed for a moment, until he adds, "You are so much better."
He tickles her and Alice squeals with delight, dropping the sabre and squirming to escape his fingers. He hoists her up into the air, tossing her up and prompting another happy little squeal, before resting her on his hip.
Alice rests her head contentedly on his shoulder. "Am I mad for wanting to learn?" she asks, glancing at the sabre now lying far on the ground below, seeming a million miles away from her place in her father's arms.
Charles grins. "I'm afraid so. You're mad." He boops her nose. "Bonkers." He ruffles her hair, making her head go 'round a bit. Alice giggles. "Off your head!" he roars. He leans in conspiratorially, and whispers, "But I'll tell you a secret. All of the best people are."
Alice's eyes widen at this sudden phenomenon. "All of them?"
"All of them."
Alice giggles. "Then you're mad too!"
Charles chuckles and is about to make some quip about how it's no fun to be sane when the doorbell rings, a booming chime that resonates throughout the house. He smiles and sets Alice on her feet, taking her tiny hand in his and engulfing it.
"Come now, Alice. It's time to meet your new tutor."
They leave Charles's study and descend the grand staircase into the parlour. A young man in his early thirties lounges on one of the sofas, smoking a pipe. His long, light brown hair spills over his shoulders and down his back, emerald green eyes regarding the luxurious paintings hanging on the walls behind brass spectacles. He wears a white dress shirt paired with a red dotted tie and a navy blue vest over it along with matching slacks, black dress shoes to complete the look. Pinned to the vest is a tiny silver caterpillar, arched in mid-crawl.
Alice becomes fixated on the pin and draws nearer to him, letting go of her father's hand. She must know why the caterpillar has stopped crawling.
Charles sighs. "Absolem, really, put that out. Alice is —"
Alice is sitting on Absolem's lap, prodding at the pin. It still isn't moving. Why won't it move?
Absolem takes the pipe from his lips and laughs, reaching into his pocket for a coin to press into the bowl before setting it aside. "Is this yours?" he asks, gesturing at Alice.
"Yes, she is, and you know it." Charles says, watching amused as Alice continues to poke the pin. "I'm terribly sorry, she's a very curious child."
"Much like you, no doubt. She's grown since her baptism."
"No one was stopping you from visiting."
Absolem rolls his eyes. "You know me, always busy. Until now, that is." He frowns when Alice begins to tug on his pin and gently pries her fingers off it. "What's got you so interested, hmm?"
Alice looks at him pointedly. "Your caterpillar doesn't move."
"Ah. You see, Alice, this is not a real caterpillar. It isn't supposed to move."
Alice frowns, not following at all. "Not supposed to?"
"Correct. Like your paintings up there." He points to a recent portrait of Alice. "You wouldn't expect that to move, would you?"
Alice giggles, shaking her head. "No! That's a picture! Pictures don't move!"
Absolem smiles and points at his pin. "This is a picture too."
"I don't understand."
"I'll teach you." Absolem shifts her on his lap. "I'll teach you lots of things, because I'm going to be your new tutor."
Alice frowns. "New tutor? But Father is my tutor."
Charles moves over to them, looking a bit sheepish. "You see Alice, my travels are making it a bit more difficult for me to teach you much more than the bits and pieces I have been. I want you to be learning on a steady schedule, so your godfather, Absolem, is going to be your tutor from now on."
Alice hops off of Absolem's lap instantly and rushes over to her father, wrapping her arms around his legs. "You can take me with you!" she pleads, peering up at him from her messy blonde curls.
Charles smiles tiredly. "I'm afraid I can't. Absolem will look after your studies. I'm sorry, darling."
Alice pouts. "I want one thing."
"Name it."
She points at Absolem. "I get to call him 'Caterpillar'."
Charles roars with laughter at Absolem's expression. "Oh, yes, Alice, please do. Call him that every chance you get."
Alice peeks from the staircase, watching as Aunt Imogene screams at Absolem. Absolem looks positively unaffected as she rages at him, sitting calmly on the sofa as Aunt Imogene waves her arms about, pacing the length of the massive floor rug.
"Can't believe you would even encourage that sort of behaviour! What would Charles say?"
Absolem regards her with a neutral expression. "I believe he'd be very impressed that she knows how to defend herself."
"And the philosophy?"
"Broadening her perspective."
"The acceptance of homosexuality? Jews? Buddhists? Blacks?!"
"Honestly Imogene, wake up. We don't live in Victorian England. We have to be accepting of everyone, even if you don't necessarily agree with their beliefs."
"Jesus says that they are abominations!"
"That's only true of one of those things. He also cursed a fig tree."
"I don't like the way you're corrupting Alice." Imogene says, seething. "A proper young lady should not be exposed to these vile things."
Absolem gets to his feet, rage finally spreading across his face. "As opposed to what? Keeping her ignorant? Not letting her think for herself? Not giving her a choice?"
Alice nearly falls down the stairs when she feels something nudge her back, silencing her reflexive squeak. Her mother looks down at her, raising an eyebrow. Alice wordlessly points to the spectacle down below. Helen sighs and scoops her up, descending the staircase.
"What's going on here?" she asks.
"That man," Imogene jabs an accusatory finger at Absolem. "Is ruining your daughter. I want him out!"
Helen doesn't look the slightest bit flustered. She turns to Absolem. "I'm sorry, Imogene is terribly protective. I'm sure you're doing quite well."
"Protective? Protective?!" Imogene rounds on her sister. "I'm right about this, Helen, you'll see." She stalks off to God only knows where, leaving Absolem alone with mother and daughter.
Alice speaks first. "You're not ruining me!" she says indignantly. She wriggles herself out of her mother's arms and runs to hug his legs. "You're a great teacher!"
Absolem smiles down at her fondly. "I'm glad you think so."
"I know so."
Absolem laughs. "Silly girl." he says, ruffling her hair.
The next week, Absolem is gone.
Alice bounds down the stairs, ready for her lesson, only to find the parlour quite empty.
"Caterpillar?" she calls out.
No response.
She dashes down the halls, calling "caterpillar, caterpillar!" over and over again, with no response every time.
Helen stops her just before she makes to go outside. "He's not here, Alice." she says quietly.
Alice frowns. "Why?"
"I don't know."
And so the public schooling began.
Alice gapes at him, incredulous. "You were my tutor!"
"Took you long enough. You were staring at my hand for a good long time."
"Why did you leave?"
"Your aunt threatened me with something I couldn't ignore. Leave it at that." he adds firmly when she makes to ask more about it. "I want you to take this, and always remember who you are. No one can alter your memories unless you allow them to."
Alice takes the tiny, silver caterpillar pin and pockets it. It feels heavier in her hand than it should.
"I'll write you a pass for your History class. Think about what you're going to do, not what Delphi will do."
Alice leaves the room, pass now in hand, weighed down by the sudden revelations of Professor Alden. For once, she starts to think about her choices, and what she's going to do to make things better.
For everyone.