the fall of red

Cleaning up

By 2 AM, under the moonlit sky, Chloe and Red had nearly completed the meticulous task of cleaning the courtyard. Despite the shared silence, the air crackled with unspoken tension between them. Finally, breaking the stillness, Red softly murmured, "Hey, blue." The quietness amplified her words, making them resonate in the night.

Chloe felt as though time stood still, her heart ceasing its rhythmic beat for a fleeting moment. In the present, her Rd would refer to her as 'blue,' contrasting their distinct personalities. Their classmates often whispered these color-coded nicknames. Chloe felt uncomfortable being called 'blue' by this Red.

"Yeah?" Chloe managed to whisper, struggling to contain her emotions and swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat.

"I hate it here. I don't want to be in Wonderland...or anywhere really," Red's voice trembled as she uttered these words, carrying an unexpected weight. It was as if she had allowed a significant secret to escape, yet her tone remained casual, as if engaging in everyday conversation. Chloe was taken aback by Red's confession, feeling a mixture of hurt and a tidal wave of swirling thoughts about the current situation.

Chloe carefully traced her finger over the rough surface of the courtyard, painstakingly scrubbing off the letter K. "I'm sorry, Red. You don't deserve to be here. You did nothing wrong to live like this," she whispered, her words heavy with empathy.

"Why did you want to do it..."
Chloe immediately regretted asking the question as soon as it came out of her mouth. However, she was also filled with a gnawing curiosity about the reason Red wanted to end it all. She hoped that understanding why Red did it in the future would provide her with some closure.

"I'm so tired of everything. Every day is the same; every night is the same. It's the same, and none of it's happy. I know a boy named Chester, he's 11, only a year older than me, but he loves his life, his family is so sweet and treats him right, and I hate him for it. I hate him so much because why can't I have that? I mean, I'm rich in royalty, and yet I still want more. I want a family. But I just have my mother...and the guards who stand outside my door every night. I just want to be loved...when I leave this place. Suppose I leave this place, and I never want to look back. If I have to return here, I don't think anyone could stop me from killing myself, not even if I found someone to love. But I'd only kill my body. I think I died when I was younger, but now I'm just nothing."The manner in which Red spoke caused Chloe to halt her task abruptly. The young girl carried a profound understanding of herself, yet it all felt overwhelmingly disheartening.

"Say if you were going to do it...and you had found someone to love. What would you say to them or write to them? Before you do it, what do you do?" Chloe's heart raced with anticipation as she yearned for the truth. Even though the words didn't belong to her, Red, she was anxious to uncover what a version of Red would have expressed in that situation.

"Well, I'd definitely write a note. I couldn't leave them asking questions. I'd say...im sorry that you found me and fell in love with me. I wasn't supposed to stay. I never prayed to live, but I did pray to love, and you gave me that, so thank you. Maybe in another life where someone saved me from my life, you wouldn't be reading this. Maybe if someone found me before my life began to spread and spiral, maybe then we'd be living together with children. But things happen for a reason, and everyone has a purpose. Mine was to hurt and cry to die. I'm sorry. I love you...I don't want to die." Red had also stopped working by this point. As she uttered the words that she didn't want to die, her eyes shot up to meet Chloes.

Red spoke with a newfound sense of hope, her voice filled with longing and determination. "I don't want to... I want to love someone. I know you'll be here if I hurt too much. I know that there's more for me... there has to be, right?" This was the first time Red's voice had carried such optimism since Chloe had known her in this life. Her eyes sparkled with a vitality that Chloe had never seen in Red as if a new chapter of life had just unfolded before her. As if she had changed something big.

Chloe's eyes glistened with tears as she nodded. "Yes, there is," she said softly. A small smile played on her lips as she stood up, the sleeve of her jacket brushing away the tears. She reached for a cloth and meticulously wiped off the last letter.

Red stood up and walked over to Chloe, her voice tinged with concern. "Are you leaving again?" she asked. Chloe smiled at her and replied.

"No, not yet, I don't think." The two friends exchanged smiles as they slowly made their way back to the alley.

"Why did you want to know what I would say, blue?" Red asked Chloe; it was odd and worrying that she wanted to know those things. The girl was only young, but she knew that when people asked a lot of questions about something, it usually meant they were thinking the same thing.

"I had a friend who meant the world to me. Her presence was like a breath of fresh air—vibrant, intelligent, and effortlessly funny. She embodied everything I have ever asked for in life. She made everything else pale in comparison. To me, she was nothing short of a diamond... with the biggest heart." As Chloe reminisced, a melancholic smile crossed her lips, and she attempted to avert her gaze from the young girl, masking her sorrow behind a facade of strength.

Red sat on a weathered wooden bench, her eyes fixed on the tranquil pond below, its surface shimmering in the moonlight. As she gazed into the distance, lost in thought, Chloe quietly approached and settled beside her. "Did she die?" Red inquired, her words hanging in the still air.

Chloe observed the young girl sitting across from her, gently swinging her legs as she gazed out at the tranquil pond. "Yes, she did. She took her own life a few weeks ago," Chloe shared quietly. "I can't help but wish that she had left a note or some kind of explanation. I thought talking to you about it might bring me some comfort in some way."

"This place is beautiful. It is full of mystery and wonder." Chloe said, trying to divert the conversation.

"It is...if you don't count the laws and punishments that the queen hands out," Red replied, pulling her dangling legs up to her chest.

Chloe observed a significant shift in the way Red addressed the queen. Initially, as a young child of four, she affectionately called her "mom" and "mommy," reflecting her genuine love and admiration for her. However, as time passed, her address became more formal, using "mother" and "the queen." These words seemed to carry a sense of coldness and severity. When Chloe met Red in the present, the term "mother" felt devoid of any real maternal connection, spoken with bitterness and disappointment. It was evident that Red's feelings had transformed into resentment and disdain. It was easy to foresee that in the coming years, she would utter the queen's name devoid of emotion and heart.

"How did you remember me for all this time?" Chloe asked again, looking over at the girl.

"The tree told me. And the Cheshire cat, both of them would tell me that you'll be back. My guardian." the girl smiled as she played with her hand. Neither of them knows why Chloe is still at this point in time. Red didn't want to die, and she was safe from punishment, so why was Chloe not being pulled to another point in time? Red didn't want to know. Something about Chloe made her feel safe. It was almost as if Chloe cared about her before...or after. Chloe needed to know because if she wasn't leaving, that meant something was coming, and she would have to spend more time with a girl she knew everything but nothing about.

"You're here. I'm still not safe." Redpointed out, standing up and walking away from Chloe, who quickly stood up and rushed after the girl.

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HEYYYYY i hope you enjoy this chapter guys!
i wonder why chloe's still in the past and not moving forward hmmmmm!!
sorry if this chapter doesn't make sense i'm ill right now and didn't proof read!
<3