ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: The Rabbit's Watch
I shivered as I slept, alone, in the meadow. The butterflies had long since drifted out of the air and into their warmer places reserved for sleep. I felt like I was a block of ice. Briefly, I wished that they would've taken me too when they retreated. If only I was the size of a butterfly…then I could hide where nobody would find me until we were rescued. That is, if we were ever rescued; if I was ever rescued. If that ship didn't come in a few days, they would be loading me on in a black bag.
That made me think about things. Particularly, the situation of my death. Who would be the one to kill me? Also, whatever happened to Jack?! Didn't he have some twisted infatuation with me? Didn't he want to you-know-what? Why'd he stop? Not that I mattered…I actually was quite thankful. However, it still perplexed me to no end. I thought about things for quite a while, about all my friends that I'd made here. Maurice was nice, and under different circumstances, I was sure I could be the person he wanted me to be. Piggy was also kind, and kind of similar to me. Both his parents died, and he lived with his aunt, in a candy shop, in southern England. It never had occurred to me before, but I had been to that shop before, the little one with all the colorful lollies. It was on a nice summer day, and my own aunt had decided to take me to go see the ocean. It'd been so pretty then, all glistening. I'd looked in the shop window for only a second before my aunt tore me away, and I was certain now that I'd caught just a glimpse of Piggy, sitting by the counter with a book in his hands. I'd bought a postcard from a cart a few blocks down, and I'd tacked it to my wall when we got back to the house. My walls had been covered in little trinkets like that: pictures I'd drawn and postcards sent from friends back in America, and photos my aunt had taken of different things. She'd always loved photography.
There was a pain in my chest that told me I missed her. I sat up and nibbled on the edge of a bright orange flower petal absent-mindedly. Emotions welled up from all my suppressed orifices and threatened to rip me right opened. I began to cry, sobbing to no one, still with the flower in my mouth. I drew my limbs closer to me and clutched them tightly. I didn't want to die here…I was scared.
"Alice?" A voice whispered, dismayed, "What's wrong?"
Instead of answering, I cried louder. The breaths tore at my chest, heaved out of my throat. I tried to clench my teeth and just bear it, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't do this anymore.
"Alice, it's me." A hand touched my shoulder gently. I looked up, the tears making my vision blurry, then screamed and reeled back.
"Alice?!" I blinked once, and the picture changed. It wasn't a decomposed Simon, the blood dripping down his face and the skin falling off his bones. It was just Maurice, painted, but still Maurice. I didn't know why he was here, or how he managed to get away. I didn't ask. I didn't even care. I went back to crying, more heavily than before, and let him hold me. He wrapped his fingers in my hair, stroked my back in comfort. It felt strange, but safe; like a parent trying to put you back to sleep when you woke with a terrible nightmare. Except, I could only wish that this was all a nightmare.
"Spit that garbage out of your mouth." He teased, tugging on the petals sticking from my lips, "You'll make yourself sick."
I grimaced through the tears and stuck out my tongue, lapping at the air in a feeble attempt to shake loose the dappled orange pulp. In my choked sobs, I accidently inhaled a few. I coughed and spluttered, disgusted with myself for sinking so low. Maurice put his arms around my neck and let me rest against his shoulder. Normally, I would've pulled away. But I didn't bother. I was too tired.
"Can I ask you a question?" He sighed.
"Mm-hmm…" I whimpered. I figured I owed him one anyway.
"How do you feel?" Maurice asked, "about…me."
"…You're-my best-est frie-nd." I managed to get out through the after-tantrum hiccups, "Th-e onl-y one I've g-ot."
"Oh." He breathed, then, the main event, the one I'd been expecting: "But, more than that…I mean…"
"Not here, Maur-ice." I squeaked, "An-ywhere but he-re. Please, jus-t resp-ect that about me."
"No problem." He laughed. It felt strange when I was leaning against him, to feel his laugh instead of hear it. It also felt strangely comforting, in an odd, unexplainable way. "I just thought I'd ask. It's good to know you wouldn't reject me outright…even if you kind of friend zoned me to the max."
"Oh, sorr-y."
"Don't be." He smiled. I waited for my hiccups to cease before I began questioning him about anything. When they did, I pulled away from his shoulder and sat upright, my hands in my lap. My face felt very red from the rough of the tears. They'd been like sandpaper on my face. Still, it had felt very good to cry.
I breathed in deep. "Why'd you come here?" I asked curiously, weakly. I'd spent a lot of my energy on weeping.
"Roger told me I would find you here." Maurice grinned nervously, "He said you wanted to talk to me."
"He told me you couldn't get away because of your rank." I muttered angrily. So, Roger had been lying to me again. What a big surprise.
"That's actually true." Maurice admitted. I took back everything I'd just thought about Roger. Maybe I should give him more credit. "He sneaked me out while Jack wasn't looking. I probably owe him like a million favors by now."
"Yeah, my tab's running pretty high too." I huffed. Okay, I needed to give Roger A LOT more credit, apparently. He was really watching out for me here. "Sometimes he's such a mean person that it doesn't count though."
"You got that right." Maurice chuckled, "He'd the douchiest of douches. I wonder if he shits diamonds sometimes."
"That's gross." I stuck out my tongue through a smile and dried tears, "I'm gonna tell him you said that."
"Sorry…" He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled with me. We both laughed in unison, not at Roger, but probably at ourselves. We were so pitiful, really. At least, I was. Maurice stopped suddenly and looked up at the moon, coated with a thin blanket of clouds. It reminded me of how cold I had been. "I have to be going. I promised Roger I'd be back by midnight...I'm already late."
"Oh…okay."
"Why don't you go back to the beach to the others?" Maurice suggested as he stood up and started to leave. He held out his hand to me and pulled me up. "I get worried about you out here."
"I'm fine, Maurice." I rolled my eyes a little. "Try not to be over-doting…"
"Sorry." He said again, "I just don't want anything to hurt you. It's happened enough for me to be legitimately concerned about your well-being."
"I…feel safer here." I whispered. Truthfully, I only stayed here because it reminded me of Simon. But, I didn't tell him that. I didn't think he'd understand.
"Fine, just try to be careful, okay?"
"I'll try." I scoffed quietly. Trying is what I'd been doing all along. Look where that had gotten me.
"Well…see you." And Maurice was off again. The whole meeting had been rejuvenating for my spirits, actually. I didn't know why, or how, but it made me feel stronger. At least one person was looking out for me, maybe two if Roger was as reliable as I now thought him to be. I lay back down in the scraggly grass and tried to settle in once more. The flowers sung a silent song, and unlike before I had my heart to keep me warm.
I knew what I was going to do now, and it made me eerily, terribly calm.
There was someone I had to pay a visit to.
….
Hey guys, I don't really have time for a long AN, that will come later. I know there's been some weird stuff goin' on lately with my account…if you've noticed. If not, good on you. It hasn't been hacked or anything, it's just, I'm making some big decisions about some stories and I'm kind of scatter-brained right now. I bigger explanation will come later, I promise! ALONG WITH A NEW EPT, I KNOW I'M BEHIND….D:
Alright, so it's nine thirty now and I'm going to bed XD
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!
WRITE YA LATER!