SILENCE

Uncertain Loyalties.

My name is Alice.

My name is Alice.

My name is Alice.

My name is...

"I do know your name is Alice but do you really think it healthy to doodle it all over the place?"

A gasp escaped from her lips as Alice's head jerked up and she looked at the boy who stood in front of her with a cocky smile while holding his enormous lunch.

"May I? " the creature said.

And all she could do was stare with pinched brows as he seated himself without waiting for her permission. He immediately began diminishing the food.

After getting over her initial surprise, she stared and stared at this new... disturbance. She wondered which tormentor from hell had sent him here but she was very sure he was like the rest of them, ceaselessly plagued by the mocking hands of curiosity so she waited.  And waited... and waited.

Twenty minutes later...

He finished the food with laudable speed, got up, ruffled his brown hair, gave her a smile similar to the first, said

"Thanks Alice. "

And promptly disappeared. And like a fool, she watched him leave till he was completely out of the noisy cafeteria.

To the casual observer, she looked like her normal self— blank face and deep eyes staring at nothing in particular while absentmindedly stroking her teddy bears. Yet, in the deep places of her which no one knew of— not even Catty and Cody— a vicious tempest brewed, stoked by the oars of disconcert.

She hated being ruffled or flustered but that was exactly her current state of mind.
And she hated it.

Who was he, anyway?

Where did he come from? Did he not know about her? How dare he smile at her? Twice.

She suddenly felt like a big cat was rubbing itself against her and she knew that was Catty's way of telling her not to let the beast show.

She never almost let the beast show, ever. And it amazed her that one anonymous twelve-year-old could cause that.

He had even thanked her.

She really hoped that whoever he was, he would stay far away and not let the tricky play of morbid curiosity lead him to his doom.

After another completely unnecessary day at the school, Alice Brown began the long walk home. The autumn winds ruffled her hair with playful hands as the sun whistled in tune to their melody. The clear sky winked at her and whispered promises of beauty yet all she did was sneer at it.

So much beauty everywhere made her sick. Nothing had any right to be beautiful. She clutched the teddy bears tighter and was reassured by the hum of life in them. They at least understood her sentiments.

Her thoughts drifted once more to the strange boy.
The beast had even almost come out because of him. Even the old lady at home had never succeeded in making her lose control yet, he had.

Nothing could have prepared her for that and she shivered as she imagined what might have happened if it had.

Everything would have been over. The beast must never be in the position to control her, she would do the controlling instead.

She suddenly noticed that she had reached her house and proceeded to hide the bears. As much as she hated the old hag, she did need her money if she had any hope of leaving this town.

Her face became hard as she looked at the two teddy bears standing between the flowers where she had placed them, then she said,

" Mi picaro la duche!"

They only smiled.

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Do you think she knows?

Cody asked Catty as they journeyed through the underground tunnel.

Know what?

Oh don't play smart with me!

Catty briefly stopped to glare at the other one but it had little effect since Cody just leaned on the wall and looked at him.

Well?

Cody asked as he became impatient under the unending scrutiny.

Arrgh!

Catty exclaimed before finally moving, cursing his body for its shortcomings. The tunnel which they currently treaded was laden with ghastly designs of cobwebs and filled with holes and cracks in the walls which made reflections like the Halloween ghost with the lights streaming in. The tunnel ran underground yet it had light streaming into it at all times— both day and night. Although that was a mystery not yet solved, it was certainly convenient.

Does she know?

Catty gave something that could be likened to a scoff as he looked at his companion

She is too busy being angry to do so. Her thirst for revenge has blinded her to a lot of things.

He stopped to let Cody into a hole at the dead end of the tunnel which led to another tunnel. The whole place was an intricately interwoven mass of tunnels that could easily swallow anyone who didn't know its tricks. Besides, no one used it anymore.

Still, I feel uneasy.

Why? Do you want to remain locked in this place forever?

Catty viciously replied. Stopping his walk and approaching Cody, he continued,

I am sick of being a pawn for humans to use as they wish. I am sick of being confined. We are not genies! Why should we always be subjected to masters? We have something they don't and that is immortality. I am sure they would snuff that out of us if they could.

He finally finished his bitter rant and resumed his journey. He could see the daylight at the end of the tunnel which meant they were almost at their destination.

So you want to rule them instead.

Don't you?

Catty replied with a smile similar to the ones on the carved Halloween pumpkins and was rewarded by another one from his sibling.

Do you trust him?

Catty laughed, his laugh ricocheting round the tunnel before finally breaking free to sow its seeds through the wonderful invention called echo.  Then he replied,

You should never trust the beast.

Then he composed himself and cleared all human expressions from his face before exiting the tunnel.

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You should never trust the beast.

This also goes to you, my reader,  never trust the beast in your life, whoever or whatever that might be. I am sure you have a beast in your life, everyone does.

I have introduced the other character. The mystery boy.

What do you think is his motive for approaching Alice? He surely knew her reputation, right?
So why would he meet her despite that?

Kindly vote and comment.

With love and shivers,
Esther.