ALICE

CHAPTER 11- GOOD WITCH

 "Where does this, 'good witch' of yours, live anyway?" Asked Alice, rushing to keep up with Knave.

She had changed into jeans and a green fleece jacket, to keep her safe from the winds. Maria had helped her in getting hold of the clothes, since thanks to her mother, the only clothes she had were dresses.

Alice had spent almost her whole life wearing dresses. She had thought wearing any other attire would be uncomfortable for her. Surprisingly, she was feeling the exact opposite. In fact, she was beginning to look for ways to convince her mother to allow her to dress in jeans the whole time, and not like some sort of damsel in a cute dress.

"Far out of town, of course! Somewhere up the hills, in some sort of dark cave." Replied Knave.

Alice squinted up to look at him, trying to see if he was joking. At some point, he had conjured up a white cap, and was now wearing it over his head. It only made him look more unbothered by everything than ever.

They were at the side of the road now, waiting to cross to the other side. London traffic was crazier than ever. Dozens of cars were passing by, none of them stopping for Knave, who was already halfway across the road.

Alice stood where she was, hesitating. She had hardly been on the road without her mother. Knave stopped abruptly, looking back at her. A red car passed right through him. He remained still, as if he had not noticed.

 "Please do not tell me that you have never crossed a road on your own before!" Knave called out.

Though he was standing far away, Alice could hear him clearly. She wondered if this was another advantage that came with being a ghost.

 "I have!" Alice shouted back. 'Here goes another lie!' She thought. "But never with this much traffic!" She finished.

The few pedestrians standing next to her, shot her odd looks. She gave them a shrug. "Just voicing my thoughts!" She said to them, hoping to sound casual, as if people did this every day. They nodded and looked away, and Alice knew they still thought she was crazy.

A small boy approached her. He looked around ten or eleven. He looked at her with curious eyes. "Should I help you?" The boy asked in a small voice.

Alice heard Knave laugh. It seemed like music amidst the honking of cars. "You should take the kid's help!" He suggested. "Because I really am not coming all the way back for you!" He shouted, still laughing.

That was enough embarrassment for Alice to take. She took a deep breath. "I DO NOT NEED HELP!" She shouted as loud as she could, making sure she was very clear.

The little boy flinched. "Okay, sorry!" He said, stepping back.

Feeling awful, Alice went next to him and knelt down, levelling their heads. "I am so sorry! I was not talking to you."

He looked at her with those curious wide eyes. "Then who were you talking to?" He asked.

Luckily for her, a woman, most likely the kid's mother, appeared next to the boy and took his tiny hand, and Alice was saved from the torment of answering the question. 

"Peter, let's go!" Said the woman, completely ignoring Alice.

"I am sorry, and thank you!" Whispered Alice.

 The boy Peter, smiled and a minute later, he was steered away by the woman, far away from Alice.

'Great! this was all I needed!' Alice thought bitterly. She got up and turned, bumping directly into Knave. He held her by the arms to steady her. "You did not need to come back, I was doing just fine!" She said.

He smirked. "Yeah, I could see that!" He replied. Alice crossed her arms. He gave a sigh. "Look, I would've loved to see you cross the road on your own, but I am afraid we do not have the whole day." He held out a hand. "Come on, let's go!"

After a moment, she took it. "Don't you think you are doing a favour on me by coming back!" Alice said, as Knave began to cross the road again, this time with her.

Knave chuckled. "Actually, I am doing myself one!" was all he said in response.

It felt like they were walking for hours. They were quite far away from the town now. The area here was so deserted, that Alice felt as if she were no longer in London. There was grass all over, high enough to reach her knees.

"So how do you know about this witch anyway?" Demanded Alice, sounding breathless.

"My dad was a witch hunter, remember?" Replied Knave. As if this answered the question. He hardly seemed tired. Alice envied him. 

"And?" She prompted.

His gaze was fixed far ahead. "And you cannot hunt witches without the help of one!" He replied. "She is a good friend of my dad, and they both share the same views. Erase witches who do bad!" He finished.

Alice stopped walking, grabbing some rest. Knave, already a few feet in front of her, stopped. He turned back to look at her. "Come on, Miss Alice!" He said impatiently.

"In case you are forgetting Mr Knave, I am still human and I need rest!" She reminded.

He came to stand next to her. "Well, I am trying to hurry up for you. Your Lisa excuse seems like a pathetic idea to me!"

Alice crossed her arms. "Do you have a way to reach our destination faster then?" She demanded.

Knave gave her a cunning smile. "Actually, I do!" He replied.

"And you could not tell me this earlier?" She asked, trying to keep her calm.

Knave chuckled. "I have never tried it before." He calmly replied.

Alice looked at him disbelievingly. "And what makes you want to try it now?" She asked, trying to keep her worry out of her voice.

Knave shrugged. "Your tiredness!" He replied.

Before she could protest, he carried her in his arms, and suddenly the world spun all around her. Alice felt as if someone was spinning her hard. She grabbed hold of Knave tightly, and closed her eyes.

Finally everything stilled. Alice opened her eyes, and found Knave smiling, looking down at her. He was still carrying her. One arm under her thighs, and the other on her back.

"We are here!" Knave announced, putting her down gently.

Feeling nauseous, Alice looked around. Her legs felt wobbly. She realized that her whole body was shaking. 

Alice looked at Knave angrily. "Don't you dare do that again!" She tried to sound threatening, but instead, her voice came out in a plea.

Alice looked around, taking in the surroundings. They were standing on top of a hill, and right in front of them was a cave entrance. It seemed really vast and dark inside. Alice swallowed hard. The place definitely did not look like the cave of a 'good witch.'

Knave stretched like a lazy cat. "Shall we?" He asked. Then entered the cave, without waiting for a reply.

Alice stood for a moment considering if she should turn back. She shook aside her fear and doubts, and followed Knave inside.