ALICE

CHAPTER 22- LOSS

Knave secretly watched as Alice entered her house. He stood there, staring at the door for a long time after she left. He willed his legs to start moving. To take the next step forward, into a new and lonely life. He had to go to where he truly belonged. He had to leave. For the first time in his life, his brain did not listen. It seemed to listen to his heart, which now belonged to Alice.

'But she does not want you!' Reminded an annoying voice, in the back of his mind.

The reminder of it stung him, but at least it got him moving. Knave started walking, feeling too tired to use his powers to teleport himself again. He laughed bitterly. Who was he kidding? he was not tired. He was just not ready to leave Alice.

When Knave had asked her if he should leave, he had badly wished for Alice to tell him to stay back. It was the first time, he realized, that he had wished for something so desperately. Her answer had been clear, slicing Knave's heart. She wanted him to leave. He did not blame her. After all, ever since he had arrived in her life, he had brought her nothing but problems. He had decided then, that he would live however long he had to, without causing her any more trouble.

He would return to his parents and live with them, even though the experience would be close to living in hell. Knave would have to prepare himself, and see his parents live a completely different life. A life where he did not exist. He would have to watch them pass right through him. He would have to live every day with the reminder that his parents would not hear him, even if he would scream on the top of his voice.

He had already gotten a glimpse of the life he was going to live now, when he had visited his parents with Alice. He had wanted to run and wrap his arms around them. He wanted to cry in their lap, he wanted to hold them again, talk to them. He wanted his mother to lovingly caress his hair, and his father to gently thump him on the shoulder. Knave wanted to do all those things which were once so usual, that he had barely given a second thought to it, much less appreciate it. He only realized its value once he had lost everything. Such was the rule of life, he supposed.

Just when Knave had learned to live with his new and rotten ghostly life, Alice had walked into it, bringing with her a whole prospect of a better life. A life that promised happiness. However now....,

Knave stopped abruptly. An uneasy feeling started creeping into his bones. It definitely had nothing to do with his grief. This feeling was as if something very wrong was about to happen.

He hadn't realized when his legs had started to make their way back towards Alice's house. It was as if they were now operating against his own will. He tried to stop, but then a memory tugged at him, and he walked faster, trying to hold on to the memory.

Knave was standing in Alice's kitchen, on her birthday morning. He had seen a woman, Maria's anxious face, and then the memory vanished just as fast as it had come.

Knave was now in the house. He crossed the lounge in two strides. Outside Alice's door, Knave stopped. Even though it was already morning, Alice was probably sleeping. What explanation would he give her if he suddenly appeared just like that?

"You stupid, stupid idiot!" Whispered Knave, turning away from the door, feeling like a complete idiot. 

'Why would Alice be in any type of danger? ' He thought.

Still, Knave felt uneasy. Besides, he could always say that he did not have the heart to leave without saying goodbye to Charlie.

Making up his mind, Knave passed through Alice's bedroom door, and froze. Alice was in deep sleep, and hovering over her, with a dagger raised, was Maria.

"ALICE!"