𝐀 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝

chapter 17: Winning Over Alice (Lily)

      I changed into a blue t-shirt and black leggings, it feels so weird compared to the dresses I am used to wearing. Honestly I feel really comfortable but weird at the same time. When I look in the mirror I actually look really cute.
      I sit on the fluffy bed and think for a bit. Can there really be another family that is from the Enchanted lands? This family must know at least something. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Amy said, “have faith and believe that they're out there.” Maybe I just do just have to have faith and believe, I so do want to find them.
      I look around for my brown bag that I brought with me. I almost forgot about it but I brought my wand with me, maybe magic worked here. I could barely do any spells but it was worth the try. I finally found my bag hidden in the corner of the closet, almost like it was hiding from me. I pulled out my brown wand with delicate carved leaves wrapping around it, about 8 inches. I took a deep breath, if this actually works it changes everything. I pointed it at a book on the self and almost whispered to myself Levolevis. And and and nothing happened. I waited and waited and waited. Nothing happened.
       I sank back onto the bed. I guess magic doesn’t work here. Or maybe it’s just me, I can barely do magic in the Enchanted Lands so here it would be worse. I sigh, I shouldn’t have got my hopes up.
       “Lily,” Amy called from the hallway.
       I picked up my bag and shoved the wand in it. I don’t know why but I don’t want Amy to know about the wand and that I failed to do magic.
       She knocks on the door, “Lily, Emmet and Alice are here. Are you ready?”
       I take a deep breath. Am I ready? Ready to find out who my parents are, ready to find out where I belong? Yes I am ready.
       I look at the door, behind it Amy, one of my most trusted friends right now,
       “Yes, I am ready.” I answer back.
       I think that’s all I need. My brown bag, that clothes on me, and my friends.
       I move to the door to open it and find Amy waiting for me. She is wearing a brown jacket, jeans, and tall brown boots with her hair in a tight braid.
       “You look nice,” she says with a smile on her face.
       “Thanks,” should I say more? Maybe thanks for the clothes or I really like them. But before I can say any of those things Amy moves down the stairs and I follow.
        The stairs were on the side of the house by the front door. Around the corner is the living room with a comfy couch and fireplace and a T.V above the fireplace. With a little coffee table in front of the couch. The living room then connects to the kitchen, with white cabinets and a sink, stove and fridge around the sides of the room. In the middle of the kitchen was an island they told me even though it looks nothing like an island. It was basically a table in the middle of the kitchen which they use to eat their really weird but delicious food. It was really small compared to all of the Enchanted Lands houses, but what makes up for space was comfiness. My house was comfy but somehow when the space is smaller it seems much more comfier.
        When I walk down the stairs I see Emmet and Alice. With all of the commotion I forgot that I would have to see Emmet again. My cheeks heat up remembering last night. He looked at me right in my eyes with a smile, seeing all of the embarrassment and shyness in them. All I saw was confidence, not at all seeming embarrassed one bit. I turned away looking at Alice instead. I Immediately regretted that choice, gone was the girl that was always smiling. Gone was the girl that gave me a hug when I got here. Gone was the girl that was always talking. She was looking at me with a stare that sent shivers down my spine. She was crossing her arms making it clear that she wasn’t coming any closer.  I shriveled back, could I go back up stairs? No, I couldn’t. I needed to stand my ground and do whatever it takes to find my parents. Even if it means working with the person that hates me most.
        Emmet elbowed Alice. She looked at him with a what? Stare. Emmet gave her a stare back that meant knock it off. She sighed and her stare lightined and uncrossed her arms. Emmet looked back at me at shrugged. Amy cleared her throat loudly for everyone to hear and said,
         “Sooo let’s go to the living room to discuss plan.”
          We all moved to the living room. But I could feel how tense it was. I could almost taste it in the air. Alice never stopped staring at me. I tried to sit as far away from Alice as I could, on the other side of the room by the fireplace. I couldn’t look at Alice or Emmet so I looked at Amy. But I could still feel Alice staring right into my soul.
          “So you called us over.” Said Emmet.
          “I did call you over. I have something to tell you that is very important but first we need to clear up the air. Alice, do you want to go first?” Said Amy. I don’t think this is going to work. This is just going to make her more mad. But Amy is right, If we want to go on we need to clear the air to work together.
         “What do you mean?” Asked Alice.
         “Well, why are you so mad at Lily?”
         “Why am I so mad at Lily?” Alice practically yelled, standing up now. “Did you stop to think that maybe she is lying and leading us on a wild goose chase.”
         I spoke to stand up for myself. “I would never do that.” I looked at them with the kindest eyes I could muster. “You guys are the only people that have treated me with kindness. Everyone else had ignored me or didn’t care about me. You were nothing but kind to me, why would I lie to you?”
         Alice was still staring at me, not looking at all convinced.
         “Alice, we had this conversation earlier.” Amy said.
         “I tried to reason with her on the car ride over but she was just as stubborn as ever.” Emmet said, looking at Alice.
          I sighed trying to find a solution to making friends with Alice. A light bulb went up in my mind. I just had to say it right, a quality that I don’t have especially when it’s under pressure.
         “You want proof, right?” I say quietly. I slowly look at her. I see the venom in her eyes that I am now thinking will never leave her eyes when she’s looking at me. She slowing sits down never taking her eyes off me.
         “Yes,” she says a little more calmly.
         “Then come with us, we are going to Amy’s friends house that may have lived in the Enchanted Lands like me.”
         “Might have? What if they are not and they just wasted my time.”
         “But imagine if they did live in the Enchanted Lands. They could probably help us get a lead on her parents.” Amy said hopeful of winning her over.
         “Ooook, so what’s in it for me?”
          What would she like?
          “I could get you to the Enchanted Lands.” I say, barely anyone could hear me. But still everyone turned to face me, it was so silent that you could hear a pin drop.
          Why didn’t I think of it before? Of course. I could just take her to the Enchanted Lands as proof that they were real. But part of me didn’t want to go back to the place that I worked so hard to escape.
           “What? You could do that the whole time.” Asks Alice.
           “Ya, I have this portal Ray I mentioned earlier that can take you anywhere, including the Enchanted Lands.”
           “But, Lily, that could get you caught. Anywhere you go people are probably looking for you. They could bring you back to where you worked so hard to escape. I think it is too risky.” Said Emmet, turning to me with concerned eyes. Was it just me or did Alice actually look like she was concerned about me. Maybe they were right. I know when they are looking for someone they take it pretty seriously.
          “You're right. I don’t know how you guys take it when your trying to find someone but for us they have eyes everywhere, and I mean everywhere. There will be no safe place for me.” I say in defeat.
          “Ya, that never happens, usually they just put up some signs about what the person looks like and that doesn’t really do anything.” Says Amy.
          Alice huffs, “I guess you are right. I would be pretty cruel if I made you go back to the place you worked so hard to escape.” Alice said, looking at the ground.
          Wow, she said a decent thing to me after she found out I was from the Enchanted Lands.
            “And I guess I can come with you to see if this is all real.”
            Really? We all were like “YAY!” I was overjoyed, if I was going to find my parents the more the merrier. We finally won over Alice.
            “But,” That one “but” froze everyone in place. “If this turns out to be a bust I will not help you guys and you can call our friendship over.”
             That threat was not as bad as I thought it was going to be but the last part, about our friendship being over, I was already ruining a friendship I made here. But she would be an awful friend. Definitely.
            “All right,” Alice says, rubbing her hands together, “Now let's make a plan.” 
            “Well, how long does it take to get up there?” Asks Emmet.
            “Ten hours, give or take. Oh, and that’s by car.”
            My mouth falls open. TEN HOURS?!
            “What? They live down in Tennessee.”
            “Road trip.” Alice yells, it nice seeing her a bit lighter now that we had the air clearer.
            “What are we going to tell our parents?” Asks Emmet.
            Everyone was shouting out ideas, quality time with friends, a bounding exercise for a sports team that they were on, that I wanted to go down there to visit my “friends” since I’m from there, but none of them sounded like it was going to convince their parents.
            “I got it! We can tell that our school is taking a field trip to Tennessee.” Amy says excitedly.
            “Are they going to believe that that school is going to drive down ten hours just to go to Tennessee?” Asks Emmet.
            “Yes, There are these really cool caves down there and it’s a once in a lifetime sight. We can say that it’s what we're learning about. And you are good with tech right?” Amy looks at Emmet.
            “Ummm, ya, that’s what people say.” Emmet says nervously, reaching up to rub his neck.
            “Great! You could send a fake email from the school saying stuff about the field trip and that we say for like let’s say… a week.”
            I could see that this plan had potential.
            “I think that might work.” I say. “If we do everything the right way it will work.”
            “Ya, I think I could send a fake email. And it’s a school trip. How can our parents say no to that?” Says Emmet.
            Alice sighs, looking like this is the most exhausting thing ever. “This actually might work.”

A/N: sorry this was so long. I had a lot of time to write during winter break!