Trust Me, She Isn't Mad!

Chapter-1 Curiouser and curiouser!

Trust Me, She isn't Mad!!

CHAPTER-1 Curiouser and curiouser!

JACE's POV 

"I'm home Mom," I shouted as I entered the house, taking off my shoes. I headed straight for the stairs to avoid the questions that I knew were going to come my way. I swear my Mom treats me like I am eleven years old instead of eighteen... well almost eighteen.

I was halfway up the stairs when I realized that nobody had yet replied me and it was strangely quiet today. I moved downstairs slowly and headed towards the living room, all the lights were on but there was not  a single sound. As I entered the living room three faces turned towards me and I stood frozen in place.

"Oh look Jace is here, come in Jace and meet Arthur, " my mom said breaking the silence which was filling the room. I slowly turned from my mother and sister towards the old man who was looking at me. 

"Umm... Hello Mr. Arthur," he just smiled at me and did a little nod.

Sitting next to Arthur on the couch was a girl, she hadn't looked up once since I entered the room. She had this sling style shoulder bag hanging from her and lying by her side and she was gripping it so tight it was as if her life depended on the thing. I cleared my throat, waiting for her to look up, but she didn't. I turned towards my mom and raised an eyebrow giving her my best 'what the heck' look. 

"Umm... this is Alice Anderson and uhh..." my mom said hesitatingly.

"And?" I prompted -totally confused about who these people were and what exactly they are doing at our place at 10 at night.

"Jace, why don't you take a seat. I'm sure you must be tired," my mom said nervously, is she worried about me being tired? There is definitely something fishy going on here and I have a feeling I'm not going to like it. I moved towards the recliner and looked at my sister who was scowling in the direction of the weird girl who was still looking down in her lap.

"Mom, cut to the chase. Who are these people and what are they doing here?"

Mom took a deep breath and started, "Arthur over here is my God Father, his daughter Kristine and I were best friends in high school. Kristine married right after graduation to some college guy and disappeared from our lives -like smoke without any whereabouts."

"And? Why are you telling this to me now? What has this got to do with their visit here?" I asked glancing from mom to Arthur.

"Son, Alice is Kristine's daughter," Arthur said looking at me, "Kristine and Bob-" suddenly Alice gripped Arthur's shirt and for the first time looked up towards him, giving him some sort of pleading look, shaking her head repeatedly from left to right, "No Alice, they need to know and now is the right time.... please honey." Arthur took a deep breath looking at me then my sister and finally my mother, "Kristine is dead," 

Beside me I heard my mother's gasp and me and my sister flinched, death wasn't something which we were good at dealing with. I stared at Arthur waiting for him to continue, he flashed Alice a concerned look but she was once again looking down -this time in her hands were two marbles that she kept rotating about each other.

"She died 10 years ago... Bob ,Kristine's husband, took care of Alice alone since then, I didn't even know about my daughter's death. I found out 3 years ago -when Bob called me and asked me to take Alice into my care. That was the first and last time I ever heard from my daughter's husband. When I reached the address he gave me, I found Alice alone, he was already gone by the time I reached...  For last three years, I have been trying very hard to trace Bob's location, but I was never successful, well at least until now."