Change of Plans--A Heart no Kuni no Alice FanFiction

Part 14: Spill It

I lingered on the balcony for a little longer, enjoying the quiet and solitude. Today had been full of noise, chaos, and generally heightened volumes. Glancing up at the sky, I saw that it had changed again (it had thrown me for a loop when it changed when we'd been exploring the town earlier). The sky was showing a vibrant sunset instead of the clear blue it had been proudly flaunting earlier. I found myself silently admiring the richness of the colors, the deep purples and rich golden-orange streaks coloring the clouds. There was something rather odd about this sunset though. Of course, what wouldn't be odd about something normal in this place?

What I had noticed was an overabundance of red in the sky. It was lovely, don't get me wrong, but I'd never seen so much of the color in one place. It reminded me a lot of fresh blood, slowly spilling across cobblestones or bleeding through a porous fabric. My fight with Peter came back to the forefront of my mind. After the beating I'd given him, he was going to want revenge. Whether that meant my life or just torturing me in general I wasn't sure. But I knew for certain that he'd try to come after me again, possibly taking Alice with him. I'd have to warn her about that, and soon. I didn't want that homicidal maniac of a rabbit coming after her again.

...Well that took a turn for the morbid and dark, I thought to myself dryly. I just can't stay happy for long, can I? I looked down bitterly, clenching my hands into tight fists. The colors of the sky suddenly didn't seem all that appealing to me. A cold shiver settled on my shoulders and traveled down my spine. It was a familiar sensation, one that warned me that I was being watched. I slowly uncurled my fists, turned on my heel to face whoever was watching me, and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Elliot standing there. "Don't scare me like that!" I huffed, putting a hand to my heart in not-quite-fake terror.

"Sorry," Elliot said sheepishly, stepping out onto the balcony with me. "Alice said it'd probably be safe by now to come check on you." Realizing that he had probably tried to go after me before Alice stopped him made my cheeks grow a little warm. I looked out at the view to distract myself. Didn't I just say I shouldn't bother letting myself feel like this? "Did you see the sky change again?" he asked, walking over next to me and leaning on the rail. I nodded, switching my gaze from the land to the colorful sky above us. "Not as freaky this time, was it?" he teased lightly.

I dared to send a glare his way and found him looking over at me, eyes twinkling. "No, it wasn't," I replied. "I almost didn't notice it. Guess I'm getting used to it." Elliot hummed in response, and we both stared up at the sky for a little longer. During our comfortable silence, I finally decided I might as well share with my good friend what I had told Alice. "I met Nightmare while I was unconscious," I told him, still looking out at the sky. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Elliot's ears twitch, but he didn't react otherwise. "I'm not entirely sure I like him. He's a little too mystical and theatrically creepy for my tastes."

The hare barked a short laugh. "I'd have to agree with you there," he said. Comfortable silence settled over us once more. Elliot shifted a little, and when I glanced over at him I saw that he was trying to form words. "Ron," he finally murmured, his eyes full of concern, "I know I probably should have asked this earlier, but...who was it that shot you?" I stared at him, uncomprehending, before finally realizing that I hadn't told him or Alice about what had actually happened. Alice had just seen the shape of the figure in the alley, not his face. After that, she and Elliot had been too busy making sure I was going to be alright to worry about who'd shot at me.

I gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of my neck. "Forgot you and Alice still don't know yet," I told him sheepishly. Elliot's expression didn't change much. I heaved a deep sigh before sharing a very brief version of what had happened. At first I had wanted to boast about how awesome I was during the whole thing. The look on Elliot's face when I mentioned that it had been Peter, however, stopped me from doing so. All the blood had drained from his face, and his shaking hands had balled themselves into fists as I continued my shortened tale. By the time I had finished, the shaking had spread across his entire body. He had gone completely white with rage, a description I had only been able to apply to Don until just now.