Chapter Two: Pebbles
A/N: I hope you enjoy! And a big thank-you to the reviewers who took their time to leave me a comment, I really loved reading them.
Bella knew she needed to get out of here.
But how?
She watched as Alice twirled about in her puffy pink dress, whistling merrily as she dried the bowl. She looked a little too happy for her tastes, and she suddenly had a very plausible thought that everything could just be a lie she made up to kidnap her. For ransom.
- No, that wasn't possible. Her family wasn't rich. Never. If it had been, her mother would certainly have stayed. Gladly. So what would have driven Alice to kidnap her if her deductions were true?
"Unless she's a lunatic in secret," she mumbled under her breath.
Alice turned, then, and tilted her head to the side, "Excuse me?"
"Nothing," she said, forcing a smile. Her stomach then gave a rumble, and her face reddened in embarrassment. The female host glanced at her thoughtfully.
"You're hungry."
She shook her head, waving her hands frantically, "No, I'm not - I've troubled you enough."
Alice smirked then, sliding onto the chair opposite her, and even looked smug, "Well, we aren't humans, and there're perks, Bella."
She stared, not comprehending her statement.
She closed her eyes for a moment, then waved her hand over the table.
A pot of fragrant mushroom soup, a plate of turkey and chicken wings and another bowl of mashed potatoes appeared on the table. She gaped, completely surprised. This just established the fact that she was in fact in another world. A magical world, it seemed to her, and added a big problem of being able to return back to her world. But still, what in the world -
"Oh, right, I forgot about the rice," Alice muttered absentmindedly, then snapped her finger once. After waiting for a moment and sensing the other's shock not wearing off yet, she pushed the bowl forward, "Well, go on, dig in!" Bella stoned there for another moment, still looking very stunned.
"Relax, honey," Alice laughed, "it's just food."
Bella gestured widely, "But this - this is lots of them! I can hardly afford some of them in my world!"
She chuckled again. "Don't worry, you can have you fill here then! Tell me your favourite food next time, all right? I can prepare much more. I'm an amazing person!" She did a ridiculous and exaggerated movement of wiggling her brows.
Bella burst into giggles and dug in.
"Not having any?" She asked after swallowing a mouthful of rice, "I mean, after all, you did this yourself."
Alice smiled widely, and started scooping some rice for herself as well.
"I'm having some as well!"
Bella felt her lips stretch again in response; darn, this girl was infectious with her smiles.
"I wonder if there are any shops in here," Bella wondered out loud suddenly as she flipped to the next page of Pride and Prejudice - a book she had brought along for her trip. She broke into chuckles as she read Darcy's dramatic declaration of love for Elizabeth. It never grew old for her.
"Of course there is!" Alice leaped up from opposite her, startling her slightly as she leaned closer to Bella, her eyes sparkling excitedly, "there are many, many kinds of shops! Even sorcery ones, you know! It's just like the Human World, but it obviously has more varieties."
Bella placed her book down carefully on the kitchen table, getting very intrigued, "It sounds really interesting."
Alice's spark was gone almost immediately and her lips pushed to a little pout, "But I doubt I can bring you there. It's near impossible. There are many others of... my kind out, and I don't think it'll be very favorable for you to venture out there with, or without a companion." She shot Bella an apologetic look as she drew circles on the glossy cover of a magazine look-alike she had been reading just now, "Sorry, Bella."
Bella tried to veil her disappointment and picked her book up again, returning to her page. "Don't worry, Alice," she replied as cheerily as she could, "I understand. Thanks."
She heard a little thoughtful hum from her new friend in response.
Bella let out a soft sigh as she tried to focus her attention on the black words in her view, but she couldn't. She gnawed on her bottom lip worriedly; if she couldn't get out of this house and look around, it would really not be possible for her to find her way back home. She had to investigate this place, if only once, briefly.
At least she would be able to gather some information of where she currently was residing in and perhaps even be able to meet people to tell her how to get back. Though it might be hard with what Alice had supplied her helpfully previously...
She released her bottom lip from between her teeth. She had to stop thinking. Returning her thoughts back to the book, she tried to amuse herself by how harsh Elizabeth response towards Darcy's confession was - something that normally worked - but instead, she felt the icy fingers clenching her gut even more and making her feel sicker by the minute.
How the hell was she going to get back?
She laid there on the bed, eyes wide open and with no intention of sleep.
She watched the pale yellow moonlight filter through the window at the end of her bed, admiring the moon for it was the first time it seemed so close to her. Sitting straight up on her bed, her blankets pooled at her waist and she pushed them aside carelessly.
Crawling over to the open window as quietly as she could, she pushed forward carefully, then wincing when she heard a soft creak. She froze, then turned slowly to peer down at the bed below her.
Alice was still bundled up tightly in that blanket, looking almost like a tranquil child having a good night's sleep as she smiled dreamily and smacked her lips. Bella resisted a giggle and reached the window.
The night breeze rush past her cheeks, caressing it gently, lovingly, as if it knew she needed comfort. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, catching a whiff of saltiness.
Her eyes shot wide open in surprise.
An ocean? Here, in this world?
Then she berated herself; it was obvious that it could be here since it already consisted of so little inconsistencies with the human world. Why would the Ocean be an exception?
She wanted desperately to see it. Feel it. Take in the peaceful, calm lapping waters of the ocean. Feel the little pebbles digging into her toes and the fresh saltwater cleansing them away. She just wanted something more normal, more like her home - something like... hope, for her to cling on to.
That made her decision. She was hell bent on it, even if it meant facing hateful creatures.
"I mean, Alice is so nice and sweet... It wouldn't be possible for the others to be that bad, right?" She muttered absentmindedly to herself as she untangled herself successfully from the blanket and crossed over Alice's sleeping form as quietly as she could. She dug into her backpack for her torchlight and gripped it firmly in her hand despite her sweating palms.
She mumbled a soft apology to the girl in deep slumber, and wore her sneakers before she turned the knob of the door.
Gosh, she felt like a teenager creeping out to meet her boyfriend after her curfew.
She heard it click as it closed after her and sat on the doorstep to put on her boots, and looked up.
Everything looked normal... if that meant no neighboring houses in sight, at all. She gulped nervously, and bunched the hem of her shirt in an attempt to release her tension and looked around.
It contrasted the snowy landscape she was used to for the past few days when she was hiking in the forest.
Upon further inspection, she realized there were really no neighboring houses. Trees were lined up uniformly along a straight path right from the doorstep. Pebbles littered the path and yellow dried leaves drifted down from the trees as another gust of strong wind rustled them noisily. The chirping of crickets seemed to be the only company. Curiosity was peaked and Adventurous Bella had officially made her appearance. She took a deep breath and folded her arms as she scrutinized the surroundings to ensure that there were no unwanted presence.
"Here we go," she murmured to herself as she started walking along the path, gathering stray pebbles she passed, shoving them into her pockets. She learned this trick from Hansel and Gretel, a famous fairytale, and it proved very useful in situations like this. It definitely wasn't the first time she was sneaking out. However, the silence of the trees towering her and the occasional gust of wind were beginning to freak her out despite the little pep talk she had along the way.
It was some time before she stopped abruptly - she had reached the end of the path. There were no arrows or directions to clue her where she should head for. Going by her instincts, she headed left, and threw a pebble around every ten steps or so. She had already lost count after around five pebbles thrown as she had no idea which direction she was heading for.
Damn, she should have remembered to bring the compass! What idiocy and utter mistake that was supposed to be only made by an amateur explorer. She mentally kicked herself for being careless and took another whiff. The saltiness did seem to get closer, but the thumping of her heart was getting louder as well.
"Relax, Bella, relax," she muttered, a little irritated herself at the lack of bravery. The darkness seemed to be swallowing her and getting to her and she shone the torch around desperately, looking for a decent path to walk. The grass seemed to be getting increasingly unkempt and uncared for as she walked on, the sharp tips grazing her exposed legs due to the shorts she was wearing.
She scratched the spot where the grass had cut her, a little annoyed, and kicked it, huffing like a petulant child. It bounced back with a little spring. Bella shone her torch at it and glared hard for a second before continuing her way, dropping another pebble.
The little incident failed to keep her entertained for more than a minute and made her return to her worrying thoughts.
Shit, her journey seemed to be getting more and more ridiculous by the minute. She took a full turn to completely take in her surroundings. She was being towered over by umbrella-shaped canopy trees, the undergrowth layer of the forest littered with rotting wood and withered leaves and - was that a bird's nest fern she spot there? She coiled in disgust; she hated those spore bags she observed during biology lesson. It was a really disturbing image to look back, even now. The tall grasses were also beginning to cluster and grow in numbers as she made her way deeper into the forest. If this went on, pebbles would be of no use.
She stood still for a moment and contemplated her choices. She had already made it this far - it seemed far to her, anyway. It felt like an hour since she had departed from Alice's house but...
A crash of water against water.
She froze - she was nearing!
Excited, she dropped another pebble and followed the source of the sound, pushing past the tall grasses carelessly and stepped out onto soft sand.
Her eyes shone as she saw the full night sky in view; the dark blue stretched on for miles, millions of glittering stars spread all over the sky and a huge, full moon hid behind a cluster of clouds as if it was a shy child. She took in a deep breath, and took another step towards the ocean. She would have to appreciate the rare sight of such clear sky later. She moved towards the ocean, watching as the waves crash down onto the shore before it was pulled back and the sound of water trickling filled her ears.
She took off her boots and pressed into the moistened sand, watching her footprint get imprinted onto the seabed and feeling the tiny sand dig between her toes. She marveled at how each crash of the wave on her feet seemed to take away her tension, and how it melted away with the lapping waters...
"Who the fuck are you?"
She shrieked, startled and lost her balance when she turned to look and fell on her bum ungracefully. She rubbed it instinctively and looked up to see who the intruder was, angry that he had disrupted her possibly, only night of calmness.
He had his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie and pulled off tight jeans better than the hot male models she saw on magazine covers. He looked boyish, and about her age, though he had a rugged feeling to it, and looked handsome with messy bronze hair.
"Who are you?" She shot back, not at all intimidated by his looks.
He took his time to stroll towards her and took an unsubtle sniff.
She cringed back, a little disgusted, "What the hell - were you about to sniff me?" Her voice sounded incredulous even to her, and she gaped at him openly.
"Well, little human lady," he gave her a lazy smirk and he stopped, standing inches away from her, his brilliant emerald eyes scanning her from top to bottom without any intent of veiling his assessment, "I just had to make sure you really aren't from here."
Holy mother of shit.
She totally forgotten about Alice's warning about the others living here in the midst of her new discovery.
He didn't look very intrigued by her, though, rather he seemed bored. He moved to stand beside her and did not make any obvious move to strike up a conversation. Not that she would take him for one, from her first impression. In fact, he seemed to be the kind of guy to be overwhelmed with people trying to be close to him.
A pregnant silence.
She fidgeted uncomfortably, feeling bad, but wishing for him to go. He really wasn't making her feel at ease, though he was very laid-back and seemed to have forgotten her presence.
"You smell good," he suddenly said, shattering the silence and she froze, "though I wouldn't have you, of course." He chuckled as if he had said something funny.
She frowned, appalled by his audacity towards a stranger.
"Well, I'm certainly glad," she replied, voice dripping with sarcasm, "I guess I better get going."
She turned and trudged back to the forest, sitting on the edge and putting her boots back on with more force than necessary. She was pissed that he disrupted her alone time, and even with such laid-back attitude! The nerve of him!
She took one step into the forest, then froze. The pebble was gone. She took another few steps and peered for her pebbles - yes! They were all gone!
She felt utterly dismayed. Then realization hit her.
Fuming, she stomped back to the ocean, retracing her steps easily. She spotted his lone figure as before, and cupped her mouth before yelling, "You there!" He spun around sharply, looking tense for a moment before the look of intensity was gone when he saw her. He then glanced around to seemingly check for other presences, as if he wasn't sure she was calling for him. She gritted her teeth - "Yes, you!"
"What can I help you with?" He replied, his voice carrying easily over the wind, and had a hint of amusement to it.
"The pebbles - you - " she started stuttering, her fury and annoyance and stupidity overwhelming her.
He leaned forward a little, not bothering to hide his interest, "Oh, it was you?"
Bella clenched her fist. "No, it was my pet dog."
"You have a dog?"
Oh, he was so infuriating! "No! Obviously not!"
"Relax, woman, it's just pebbles." He didn't even bother to hide his amusement.
"It wasn't just pebbles!" Her voice was reaching an annoying screech, "it was my only way back to the lodging!"
He chuckled, and started moving towards her, "I didn't know anyone liked Hansel and Gretel that much."
"It helped in my other excursions." She shot him a withering glare. "Stop your underlying insult."
"I didn't mean it as one," he shrugged as he reached her, his eyes leveling with hers. The side of his lips tugged up to a smirk. "In fact, it's interesting."
She felt heat flood her face as he stared at her, unabashed, and hurriedly looked away. "How do I get back now, huh?"
"I can help you," he drawled easily, eyes still on her.
"And how do I know if you really can?" She eyed him suspiciously, though she knew he was her only hope - it was impossible to get back without any guidance. And though she hated to admit it, the presence of another would probably calm her raging thoughts.
"Well," he turned to face the forest, "firstly, you'd have to trust me."
She bit her bottom lip.
He nodded towards the forest and did an exaggerated motion. "Ladies first."
A/N: Finally! A new chapter after God knows how long. I apologize for my slowness in updating - I've been often told to be a snail..
Putting that aside, do drop a review to tell me your thoughts! I'd love to hear them!
-C.A