Alice was not worried of the unknown. She was worried of what she already knew. She was worried of the promises that the new people were making to her-the ones bringing the people of a fallen Woodbury into their own settlement. The girl felt sorry t...
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A L I C E
ALICE DUNLAP DIDN'T KNOW what perplexed her more: celery soup casserole, or the woman who concocted it. The girl watched as Carol carefully placed her dish in the oven. The woman was wearing a collared shirt and a floral cardigan, moving with purpose as she finally stepped away from the kitchen.
The woman had delved deeper into her charade, intertwining herself deeper within the sheltered housewives. She acted clueless and delicate, while Alice Dunlap knew that Carol Pelitier was anything but. She was calculated, and this facade was just another step to her equation.
Alice anxiously fiddled with the baby monitor, repeatedly flicking the plastic edge of the screen as she watched Judith sleep soundly. The girl was to tend to the resting toddler who was ready for a nap after her morning stroll with Carl.
She sat on the barstool, resting her elbows on marble countertop, watching Judith as if she was a movie. A scoff of a smile flushed along Alice's lips, only for a moment, as she studied Judith's face.
She had features very similar to Carl's. They both had the same delicately upturned nose, dusted with a scarce layer of freckles. Their cupid's bows had the same level of definition, coming to distinct peaks and divots along their upper lips. Both of the Grimes siblings seemed to tug on Alice's heartstrings, although only one of them was within her sights.
Carl was somewhere upstairs, reading a comic or taking a shower, or both. Alice didn't know. The girl didn't seem to know a lot of things when it came to the boy.
A few mere weeks ago, the ice was re-broken and the two became one, for just a moment. Alice Dunlap yearned for that moment, over and over again. She never stopped thinking about it, really. The girl would rather dwell on the comforting embrace than harp on the past that could never be undone.
The weight lifted from her heart granted a relief that almost outweighed her rampant stewing on what happened to her father.
It was as if Alice's racing heart had caught up enough to her mind, finally being able to see the finish line on the horizon. Although it would finish in last, the two were headed for the same place, hopefully ending their journey of forgiveness very soon.
She was finally allowing herself to think about what her father would've thought of Carl, or what Elliot might've thought of him if he'd known the truth. No matter the bitter instinct, Alice Dunlap could almost feel her loved ones pushing her in Carl's direction. No matter what preceded their meeting, Carl was nothing but good for her and good to her.
