Alice

13. Promises

13. Promises

"My son," Jack's father breathed. "Look at you!" he laughed. "All grown up." Jack blushed. Conrad sighed. "Oh, where has the time gone?" He had a wistful look in his eyes. Then he seemed to realize something. "How did you get in here? Getting down here must be hard enough, but getting in the castle itself...."

Oh God, I thought, He doesn't know anything.

"I, um, live here," Jack said.

"In... In the castle?" Conrad looked appalled. "What about your mother? Is she here, too?"

Jack looked down, averting his father's gaze. Jack looked at me, willing me to answer for him. I shook my head. I didn't know any more than him. It was his father we were speaking to, and his mother we were talking about. Nevertheless, Jack wouldn't open his mouth.

I took a deep breath. "Sir, your wife.... Esrella...... She.... She's dead."

I had learned to read those same blue eyes from staring at Jack's. And I could tell what Conrad was feeling as the truth of the matter sunk in. I could see shock, then disbelief, then anger, and finally overwhelming sadness. He looked at his son. "Jack, is this true?"

Jack nodded. Tears filled Conrad's eyes. I turned to see tears already running down Jack's cheeks. I sat there, feeling like an intruder on a private family moment. I had no idea what it must feel like to lose someone that special. So, I sat there, awkwardly watching the two of them.

Finally, Conrad blinked away his tears. He turned to me. "So, um, Alice. Are you friends with Jack?"

Jack and I exchanged glances. I felt like I was confessing to a murder. Did I really need to add something else to this poor man's mind? The last thing I wanted him to do was worry about whether his son's girlfriend was right for him.

Jack wrapped his arm around me. "Do you remember how you told me that when you first met Mother that you knew that she was the most perfect girl in Wonderland?"

Conrad smiled. "I do recall saying that, yes."

"Well, Alice is my perfect girl." He smiled at me. I felt bad, because this was supposed to be a sentimental father-son meeting, but instead, it's become about how Jack is completely delusional about how I'm perfect. Great.

Conrad looked at us fondly. "Jack, you have exceptional taste. And you're very lucky."

"Oh, I'm the lucky one." I corrected him.

"So," he looked at Jack. "I want to hear everything. Bring me up to speed on everything since the day I left."

It took a while, but Jack told him everything, from how he ended up in the castle down to our plan to overthrow the Queen. (That part we whispered, afraid the guards would hear.) They both made me tell my story, which I did reluctantly, since it all seemed so ordinary now.

When it seemed like it was getting late, I had to force Jack to leave. I hated myself for doing it. They hadn't seen each other in eight years, and now I was pulling them away again. There's another way that you're like the Queen, a voice in my head said. I tried to push those words out of my head.

"Will you come again?" Conrad asked, a smile on his lips, his eyes begging. Jack looked like he wanted to promise that he'd come every day.

"We'll try," I said. Both father and son seemed to content himself with that.

I breathed a sigh of relief when we came up out of the trap door into the bright corridor.