Memories of Time

Chapter 17

Alice awoke in the evening, she shook leaves from her hair in disbelief that she slept through the whole day.

"If Ace's Alter found me I would have been a goner" she said standing up. She heard a sound that seemed to be carried on the wind. A laugh? Alice readied herself for battle, her wounds panged and throbbed. Within a few seconds she was back on the ground with a feeling of unease, Alice still felt like she was being followed. Almost like the thing from the night before had never left, it had only been forgotten. Alice let out a huff and sat in solitude until night fell.

Alice immediately pulled out the bell as soon as it became hard for her to see her hand in front of her face. The bell made a small sound when she rang it.

"You're not going to hear this!" she yelled ringing the bell as hard as she could before throwing it at the nearest tree.

"Jerk he probably knew he wasn't coming back." She buried her head in her hands.

"What am I going to do?" she questioned, the forest silence began to fill with the sound of crickets. She even heard an owl hoot.

Alice pulled some beef jerky out of her bag and chewed on it viciously. She waited and waited until she couldn't bear it any longer.

"I'm leaving" she announced,

"I didn't realize you're so impatient" Ace said stepping out from behind a tree. He gracefully picked up the bell and slandered over to her. Alice felt her body relax, Ace seemed cool and refreshed as if he just had a long nap. He offered her a hand and she refused,

"It's too painful" she explained. He nodded and pulled out the cream from his house out of his bag.

"Which one hurts more?" he asked, Alice pointed to her leg. He handed her the cream and turned around while she stripped off her pants and applied the cream. Alice winced every time she touched it and bit her lip every time she realised there was only enough cream for one more night. She rose and quickly packed up her temporary bed into Ace's bag. Ace flung the bag over his shoulder, Alice scrambled to his side. He intertwined his fingers with hers before heading for the Mountains once again.

Alice bared her teeth

"Oh my god how is this possible" she shielded her face from the blinding snow. Once the two had stepped into Silver Mountain territory the weather had changed completely almost as if they had walked into another dimension. The trees were completely dead, the wind became deadly cold and the amounts of snow raining down seemed endless. Ace glanced at Alice, she seemed like a goddess in his eyes. Her hair was beginning to curl from the moisture of the snow. Her cheeks and nose were rosy pink which gave her an aura of innocence. Ace's gaze moved to her lips, they were pursed and prepared for kissing. Ace shook his head and tried to focus on the fading path ahead of them.

Alice sneezed and Ace felt pure sympathy for her, he pulled his scarf off and wrapped it around her. Alice smiled and pulled the scarf up over her nose, Ace smiled back before walking slightly ahead. The path they had been following had completely disappeared under the snow.

"Um Ace" Alice said. He turned around and she didn't say anything so he continued to walk, she grabbed his coat tightly "Ace!" she repeated. Before he could answer he fell. Ace desperately grabbed for something, Alice shrieked when the thing Ace grabbed was her leg. She began to scream as they slid down a slope that the snow gave way to.

Alice screamed again when Ace flew off the side of the cliff. The only thing separating him and death was Alice. He hung tightly to her leg,

"You don't have to bring me down with you" she complained as she reached for his hands. She braced her feet in a indent in the earth. Ace grabbed her arm with his free hand. Alice clenched her teeth as she felt her wound reopen. She outstretched her other hand and grabbed it. Alice pulled and immediately wanted to let go. The muscles in her back felt like they were being torn,

"YOU'RE HEAVY!" she cried out digging her feet deeper.

"Please hold" she told the ground, tears filled Alice's eyes, she blinked them back. Ace was halfway up, her muscles shook and burned from the immense pain they were in. "Oh!" she yelled using the last of her strength to pull him the rest of the way up. Ace let out a big sigh of relief. Alice laid on the ground gasping for air, he cupped her face and showered her with kisses. Alice couldn't help but smile.

"My saviour" he said in between kisses. Alice felt joy with each kiss and hoped he could plant one on her lips. Ace cuddled with her on the ground for a few moments. Alice squeezed him tightly and wished the moment would last forever. He kissed her forehead

"I'll carry you." He knelt and showed his back to her. Alice gladly climbed on and took the ride.

Alice tried her best to fight sleep during the walk, Ace's rhythmic movement reminded her of a rocking chair which led her mind to the memory of her sleeping in her mothers' arms as she told her countless stories of ancient history. Alice's lids felt heavy, she wasn't sure if Ace asked her a question. Even if he did she never replied.

Alice awoke to a hard fall on her butt.

"Ace what the hell!" she yelled rubbing her bum. Ace stood silently his back to her, his arms started to twitch and his voice became chocked.

"Alice!" he coughed "Run! Hide! It's morning!" he squeaked out. Alice resisted the urge to scream and ran aimlessly. She sprinted 30 feet away before collapsing, her leg burned and pulsated more than ever. She gripped her leg

"Of all the times!" she cried. She looked around frantically. She could still hear Ace's change. She spotted a fallen tree with a hollow middle that was just big enough for her to fit in. She scrambled and slid herself in the trunk digging her nails in hard. She ignored the pain and put her head down once she was fully inside. She tried not to breathe, Alice strained to listen to the forest over her racing heart. Alice felt helpless and scared, two of the worst feelings. The forest was hauntingly silent. Even the falling snow seemed to give more of a presence than Ace's Alter. Maybe he's moved on she thought with a sigh of relief.

A hand grabbed her leg tightly and pulled her with incredible force, Alice tried to hold herself in place. Her numb fingers couldn't hold out against it. She was instantly flipped around once she was fully pulled out. She gasped, it was Alter Ace, his eyes were vacant of its vibrance and was replaced by a dull hard darkness. He stood like he had an itch and seemed like he wanted to jump out of his own skin.

"Alice" he said in a harsh voice, Alice wanted to run. His touch, his unblinking stare, his aura, it all made her compelled to run and never look back. Red flags went off in her brain left right and centre, she had to get away.

"Why are you here?" he asked making the question sound more of a threat. Alice's brain scrambled for an answer that would please him. She remembered Ace telling her that the alter is obsessed with her.

"I came to see you" Alice answered with a fake smile. Alter Ace smirked which sent chills down her spine. He leaned closer and she unconsciously tried to lean further back into the ground.

"Is that so Alice?" he said twirling a lock of her hair around his finger. Tight lipped Alice nodded.

She felt like a mouse being tormented by a cat. He sniffed her hair and gave her a crooked grin then chuckled. His eyes seemed to soften before he closed them

"You're a bad liar" he said opening his eyes, they were cold and filled with rage. He pulled her hair until she was forced to stand with him. He gripped her throat, she struggled. "Want to know how I know you're lying?" he didn't wait for an answer. "I learned it from Ace" he said giving her a devilish smile. Alice flashed him a look of confusion before he squeezed her throat. Alice gave him a panicked look and tried to claw his hand off. He pulled her close, "I told you NO ONE CAN HAVE YOU!" He squeezed harder, Alice's vision blackened then returned multiple times. She was going to die. "Especially Ace!" He squeezed with all his might, Alice wasn't sure if she had hallucinated the blinding yellow light that came forth once she was losing the last of her conscious. The light caused Alter Ace to release her immediately, she collapsed in a heap gasping for air. A booming voice came from behind the light

"Back you dammed spirit back!" There was a grunting sound followed by a coughing sound. She tried to blink away the darkness from her eyes. A little brown hand reached through the light to her. She grabbed the hand and coughed out

"Don't kill him." Her vision went black.