Bella... Shocked and Confused

"Alice, where – are , where…" I was hyperventilating again.

Alice grabbed my hand and dragged me back towards her room.

Once we were there, she gently nudged me down onto the bed. I was freaking out.

Could there really be a place on earth or where ever I was, where there were NO MEN. NO BOYS.

Alice sat next to me silent, letting me freak out.

Where did all the younger girls come from? Some of them looked as young as five. I mean Alice was born here, right? Esme made it seem like she was 900 years old. Had she left to conceive Alice who was the same age as I was?

What was going on?

"Isabella, I –"

"Please, stop calling me that," I snapped. I was being rude again, but I just –

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset," she said softly. The tone of Alice's voice instantly drew my attention to her face. I'd really hurt her feelings.

"Oh Alice. I didn't mean it like that. It's just that at home everyone calls me Bella. All my friends, my dad. So call me Bella, okay?" I tried to use my most apologetic tone. I felt really bad.

She seemed to get that. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"I like Bella better. It's pretty," she said. I smiled back at her.

"Alice, please can you tell me what's going on? Where are all the men?"

She looked down at her hands, a pained expression on her face.

"Alice, please."

"Bella. I can't. I really want to. I like you so much. I want to tell you, but I can't."

I liked her a lot too and I hated that it was bothering her to keep things from me.

"Why not? Why can't you tell me?" I asked quietly.

"Cause—well, you might not stay and there's certain things about our home here that only people who stay can know."

"Oh," I relented. I could see where that would be a problem. Themyscira was beautiful and really I didn't want to leave, but I had to get back to Charlie. He'd be worried sick in the three short days we'd be cut off from each other. I couldn't handle making him wonder if I was really okay any longer than that.

Suddenly Alice huffed a deep frustrated sigh and stood up, crossing her arms around her chest. She looked like a toddler about to throw a wicked tantrum. It was actually really cute.

"Alice, what's wrong?"

"I want to tell you. I want you to know everything, but for all the wrong reasons," she said, pacing next to the bed.

"What do you mean by everything? There's more?"

"Yes."

"And what are these wrong reasons?"

"I know if I tell you everything, you'll want to stay. I know you will. But - I want you to stay on your own, not because you know the whole truth."

WHAT THE HELL?

I knew Alice was being honest, but what more could there be? What was really going? What secrets could she possibly tell me that would make me want to stay? What could she possibly tell me that would make me think I would never want to see my father again?

I took a deep breath.

Alice was really sensitive, I could tell. And I could also tell by the nervous way she wouldn't stop moving that she really wanted to tell me. I could see that telling me would be something like Christmas and the best birthday ever rolled into one for her. But if I was patient and kind, I knew I could get her to tell me.

"Alice, I understand what your are trying to say." I said keeping my voice low and gentle. I patted the bed and she sat down cross legged facing me.

"You do?"

"Yes. There something really special about this island and you want me to stay because I want to be your friend, because I want to stay here with you and Esme, not because I'm in on the best secret. The others didn't know did they?" I just assumed that most of the other women were brought here like me and kept in the dark until it was certain the secrets of the island would remain on its shores.

"No. The day after you decide to stay, Queen Hippolyta opens the scrolls to you, and you know everything, our whole history, every magical secret that makes our home so special."

I could feel my mouth hanging open a little. I was entranced by the passion behind her words. Maybe she shouldn't tell me. I didn't want to risk it.

But then again…

"Is there anything you can tell me? Anything at all?" I pleaded gently.

Alice bit her lip. "Well I guess I can tell you something – about the men."

There we go. That was something.

"Okay," I kept my voice calm and soft.

"There are men on the island." I tried to hide my shock. I don't think I did a very good job. "I – I didn't show you the whole Island."

"Really?" I asked. We'd clearly walked in a circle and you could see the tops of the highest building from every side of the beach. Were the men out in the woods somewhere, hiding?

"We – keep a few of them for – reproductive purposes and, "she giggled a little "they do the welding." That actually was kind of funny. But the first part was a little hard to understand. My father had been my rock, my sole provider, not some sperm donor. It strange to be in a place where men were mere objects, servants even. My mother had abandoned Charlie and I a few days after I was born. I didn't even know what she looked like. In my world, a man was the most important person to me.

"How does it work? Well I know how it works, but I mean is your father one of those men? You were born here right?"

Alice bit her lip again looking away. I could tell my line of question was leading somewhere she wasn't comfortable with.

"Um, no. My father isn't one of the men here now. I can't say anything else about that."

"Okay," she'd been pretty forth coming so far. I didn't want to push her too much and then force her to clam up all together. "Can you at least tell me where there are?"

She smiled brightly then. "Yes. The men we have now aren't really a huge secret because we don't view them the way humans do. They are more like pets to us," she finished cautiously.

"Oh okay," I said shocked once again.

"I can show you if you want." Her mood brightened again.

"Okay," I said brightly. I sounded a little too excited, but I was getting somewhere with Alice. I had a feeling I was getting to something good.

"Here, let's—" Alice stopped mid-sentence looking towards the window. I followed her gaze and watched as a tiny bright blue bird flew into her room, landing on a small chair in the corner.

It chirped the sweetest song. I smiled looking back to Alice as she watched the bird attentively, a smile on her face.

When the bird fell silent, Alice spoke.

"Okay," She said… to the bird. "Please tell her I will be right there."

The bird chirped once more to Alice and then to me and flew out the window.

After a moment I was able to pick my jaw up off the ground.

"You can talk to the birds?"

"Yes. That's Luna. It's just more—more of things about the island." She lowered her voice. "If you stay, you'll be able to talk to them too."

I just blinked staring back at her. She was completely serious.

She scrambled, changing the subject. "You'll be okay alone for a few hours? I need to go down to the mill for a little while. More cotton is ready for weaving."

"Ah- yeah." I was still reeling over Alice's whole doctor Doolittle act. The mention of time alone snapped me out of my internal panic. "Yeah I'll be fine."

"Walk around, explore a little. You saw how big the island is. It's completely safe. There are no steep cliffs or anything. All of the animals are our friends. If you feel like you're lost just keep walking in the circle." I remembered from our walk earlier, at each of the four corners of the island there was a sand trail that led right back into the center of the city. I knew where to find Esme and Alice had showed me where the mill was. I would be fine. I would have some time to think.

"Okay. I'll see you later?" I asked. I trusted Alice. I didn't want to be shuffled off onto someone else.

"Of course. I will come find you for supper." She leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek with a light giggle. "I'm so glad you're here." A moment later she was gone.

I sat there for a minute. And then I realized my time here would be short. I might as well look around, found out as much as I could before the Princess returned and took me home.

The Princess. Seriously. What the hell?

As I walked back across the city, every woman I saw greeted me with kind smiles and waves. At first I couldn't help but blush. I'd never been around so many friendly people.

In no time I crossed out of the city into the lush forest. It was so different from the woods behind my house. There were tons and tons of tall trees, but it was like they opened up for you letting the sunlight shine in. Even though I had been walking the better part of the day, my feet weren't tired at all. The leather sandals fit perfectly and provided the most comfortable support, almost like they were made just for me.

I could hear the birds chirping in the trees. Little birds singing little songs, the sound having a completely different meanings for me now. I was dying to know what they were saying.

There were butterflies too, gorgeous ones in all different colors flying around the plants and trees. This would not be a bad place to spend a few days.

Suddenly this HUGE bird came swooping by my head. I let out a bloodcurdling scream, scaring the bird into the high branches of a nearby tree.

After my heart climbed back in my chest, I looked up to see the bird wasn't really all that big, maybe the size of a crow.

Actually, it was a toucan.

His beak made up most of his size. It just caught me off guard and scared the crap out of me. On the Fruit Loops box he looked a little less threatening, but geez.

I stared at him. He appeared to be looking at me carefully, tilting his had from side to side. I looked at his bright yellow and black feathers. They looked so soft to the touch, even from where I was standing. Although I'd hate to reach out and pull back a nub. That beak looked incredible sharp.

He examined me some more from his perch. I felt like a fool, but I said it anyway. Maybe he could understand me, even if I couldn't understand him.

"Sorry," I mumbled. He tilted his head to the other side once more, then flew away.

I was such a fraidy-cat.

I kept walking until I came to a small cliff edge. I think I was near the middle of the forest. It couldn't have been more than 10 feet high and below there was large, deep lagoon, filled with clear blue water. I could see on the other side there was a small water fall running from a hidden spring. Next to the waterfall there was a small cluster of rocks, perfect to sit on.

I carefully made my way around the edge to the rocks. I sat and looked down into the water.

"I wonder if there's another way down there," I muttered aloud. I would love to swim in this lagoon, but I didn't really want to jump. I mean it wasn't that high, but knowing my luck I hit the one shallow part and break my ankle.

I started to wonder again how Charlie was doing, hoping he would be out of the hospital before I got back. I hoped he was just suffering from a small amount of exhaustion and not an actually injury. I really missed him.

It's one thing when you leave your parent for sleep away camp or a trip somewhere with friends. It's different, painful, when they are ripped away from you.

I let out a heavy sigh. I hoped he was okay.

I looked up for a moment, watching a few butterflies flutter past the lagoon. Maybe this wasn't the worst place to be homesick though. I had to admit, there was something about this little piece of paradise. Something did feel right. I could see why people would want to stay. The landscape was gorgeous and it was so warm. And all the people, well the women, even though I'd only really talked to Esme and Alice, they all seemed so nice, in this real, genuine way.

But beyond that, there was something else, something in the whole aura of the place. I felt really comfortable here, like if things were different, I would want to stay.

The bird, the toucan appeared again on the other side of the lagoon, hopping on the ground where I had just been standing. He had a small piece of fruit in his mouth.

He looked at me for a moment and then flew across landing beside me just on the other side of the waterfall. I wanted to reach across and touch him but I was scared.

I sat back as he hopped over the water and stopped right beside me. He titled his beak up offering the piece of fruit to me. I held out my hand cautiously. Trying to remember what Alice had told me. The animals are friendly. I was safe.

He dropped the fruit in my hand.

And then he spoke.