Alice sat at the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee in her hands. She really didn't care for coffee, but since the new owners had moved in, she didn't want to move anything they may notice. Unlike the rest of the house, she tried not to disrupt their lives just because she was a ghost. The Harmon's would scare the new family away; they really didn't need help from her. As she took a sip of her coffee, she heard the familiar firecracker sound from the twins' noise makers, signalling that they were somewhere nearby. She took a long sip of her coffee as the noise got closer.
"Hey Alice"
"We were hoping to find you here."
The two red headed boys stood by the stool she was sitting on, looking at her with their usual smirks. Alice just put her cup down on the counter, tugging her sleeves over her hands. "Wow, Troy, Bryan, I haven't seen you two in a while. What are you two up to?"
"Scaring the shit out of the new family," Troy said. Alice just sighed, shaking her head.
"Have you met them yet?" Bryan's tone could hardly contain his curiosity.
"There's a boy around your age." Alice just smiled as the two young boys started laughing. She picked up her cup again, taking a final sip of the cooling coffee.
"I don't think he's my type." She said softly, hopping down from her stool and moving around the island to the sink. She heard one of the boys snicker something about Tate but decided to ignore it. "Was there something you needed me more?"
"Nora was looking for you. She's in the attic."

Alice followed Tate down the stairs to the basement, wondering if his mom was going to get angry at them. Tate didn't seem to care, carrying his yellow truck without a care in the world. She followed hesitantly, her arms wrapped around her teddy bear that she brought everywhere. Tate had gone on and on about this woman in the basement that had saved his life that the little girl had to believe him eventually, and he was determined to prove the woman's existence. Even now he rambled on about the blonde woman. They had made it to the basement and were wandering through but Alice froze when she saw a pair of eyes staring at her from the shadows. She latched onto Tate's arms and almost instinctively he told whatever it was to "Go away".
"Oh, dear, what on earth are you doing down here again?" A blonde woman had appeared, strolling into the room with a concerned look drawn on her features. The recognition in Tate's own eyes told Alice that this was the one he had spent so long speaking of.
"You have to meet Alice! She's my best friend." The little boy grinned at the woman and Alice hid slightly behind him, nervous about the sudden meeting with someone who didn't seem like they should be there. She raised a hand, waving slightly before holding onto her teddy bear tightly. The woman moved closer, kneeling down in front of Tate.
"There's no need to be afraid, darling." The woman was clearly addressing Alice now, "Thaddeus won't bother you because I'm going to protect you. Both of you."
Alice blinked, surprised that the eyes she had seen had a name. She was also wary of this woman's kindness, but surely she wasn't a terrible person. Only a nice person would have saved Tate from being eaten, or whatever was going to happen. She smiled at the woman but didn't move from her spot behind Tate.
"You both should go back upstairs. I'm sure your mother must be worried about where you are."

Alice made her way up the stairs, shivering at the memory of her first encounter of Thaddeus. It was almost needless to say that she wasn't afraid of him any longer, but the basement was still eerie and remembering how frightened she had been as a child still gave her chills.

"You're the woman from the basement." Alice's voice came out much more confident than she felt. In all honesty, seeing the woman after so many years frightened her. Seeing the woman wandering through the house without caring of the people living in it seemed strange, but she had known all along that this mystery woman was a ghost.
"You can see me?" The woman stopped in her tracks, staring at the teenager with shock. "I don't see how that's possible."
"Am I not supposed to be able to?" Alice bit her lower lip nervously, feeling like there really was something wrong with her. Perhaps the kids at school were right, but if Tate ever knew she thought so, he would freak. She blinked, tugging the sleeves of her cardigan over her hands. "I'm sorry. I've been able to see you for a while…"
"How strange." The woman seemed to muse over the idea for a moment, wringing a handkerchief between her hands in what seemed to be either a habit or nervousness. "Don't apologize, child. It's hardly your fault. I'm Nora Montgomery."
As the woman held out her hand, Alice took it hesitantly, surprised at the name. She knew who Nora Montgomery was, everyone who knew about the house did. Was she really meeting the wife of the creator of the house?
"I – I'm Alice Fairbain."
"Yes, I remember you. The little girl that Tate could hide nothing from."

A voice interrupted her thoughts and the blonde realized she had made it to the attic. Nora was looking up with a teddy bear in her hands. "I believe this is yours, dear."
Alice walked over, sitting on the floor next to Nora and taking the toy, looking at it with affection before turning her attention back to the woman.
"I was wondering about Tate. Is he any better?" Nora finally asked hesitantly. It was obvious that the boy was still keeping distance from everyone else in the house, but she never would have expected him to push even Nora away.
"He's… I suppose." Alice sighed, biting her lower lip. "He actually smiles every now and then, but not much else has changed." She shared a look with Nora, almost like an unspoken agreement that they both disliked Violet equally as much for how badly she had hurt Tate. She wrapped her arms around the teddy bear in her lap, something she hadn't done since she was a child. She was actually scared that her friend would never get over this, that he would never be able to be truly happy again all because of one teenage girl.
"He's lucky to have you, darling," Nora said softly after a moment, brushing her hand against Alice's cheek with an equal gentleness, "You've never given up on him and I don't think you ever will. That's what that boy needs more than anything; someone to be there for him no matter what."