Something About Alice Murphy: BOOK 1

P A R T - T W E N T Y - T W O

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Gathering - Part 2
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As Juniper hit the floor, the motion of her sudden drop caught the eyes of people standing near by. Gasps echoed silently throughout the crowd, the music still deafening as a few reached out to late to stop her hitting the floor.

A crowd closed in quickly as Juniper's lips began to turn blue, her chest barely moving as she slipped into respiratory failure. "Call 911!" Someone screamed as Magnus stared into Alice's eyes, seeing the delight behind her irises at the chaos she'd just caused even though her face was dead straight. Instinctively, Magnus grasped her upper arm to stop her slipping away as the crowd panicked around her, some pushing past to get a closer look out of pure curiosity as others stared in shock...

But Alice squeezed from his grip as two onlookers pushed past, and stepped back, disappearing amongst the crowd as more people collected at the commotion. "Alice-" Magnus hissed under his breath, glancing towards Juniper as someone lifted her head to try and hear if she was breathing. She already looked dead, she'd turned pale and blue, and looked limp and lifeless as she was tugged and talked to by people trying to help.

Magnus moved away from the wall, his gaze back on where Alice had just gone. He pushed past people carelessly, growing irritated suddenly with the volume of music since he couldn't call out for her. His calculated gaze scanned the scene around him, wondering where she'd gone when he caught a glimpse of her hair by the stairs that lead to the upper level. He moved quickly, getting to the stairs and seeing her hair swish around the corner that lead to their room. "Alice!" He snapped, even though she'd be unable to hear him, her name slipped from his mouth at his growing frustration.

Alice stormed ahead, pushing open the door to her room and walking over to her phone that was lying motionless on the bed, wanting to see what the buzz on social media was saying since she was sure it would be up there by now. The group chat lit up seconds after she'd picked up her phone, but she didn't open any of the messages.

Her heart was racing as she read the notifications, seeing glimpses of rushed texts saying Juniper had collapsed and was being taken to the hospital. Her eyes were wide with a strange eerie and childlike interest, until the door slammed shut, causing her to jump violently. "What the fuck was that!" Magnus shouted aggressively, pointing back to the door as Alice locked her phone and dropped her arms by her side.

She said nothing but stared at him, her breaths slow and steady even though her heart had just started to beat a little harder. "Are you fucking serious, Alice? In a crowd? Anyone could have seen you!"

"What?" She asked, suddenly confused as she blinked quickly.

"What did you use?" He asked, "She's being taken to the E.R, they're going to know what you did  - so if you don't tell me, you're gonna end up in a fuck load of shit. Do you understand?" He said quickly, walking over to her as he stared into her eyes.

"I-" she began, feeling unable to confess what she'd done as she looked at him. She couldn't work out if he was angry or not, and couldn't find the words to ask. "Um-"

"Alice! Now! What did you fucking use?!" He demanded loudly,

"Eye drops!" Alice gasped, suddenly realising what she'd done and cupping her mouth. Her eyes began to water instantly as her mind replayed the moment Juniper dropped to the floor after choking on the breath that wasn't entering her lungs.  "Oh my god-" she began to panic, "Oh my god, oh my god-" she continued to rush, her heart beating so hard as her head span she thought she was going to faint.