Lifeline

Chapter 2 - Even more awkward situations

Chapter 2 – Even more awkward situations

Alice needed a break in the bathroom. This whole day was too much for her. She closed the cabin door silently and slid down at the back to the floor. Her head was buried in her hands trying to get all those bad thoughts out of there.
What is wrong with me?! I'm so stupid, how could I even think about getting this job? I'm so worthless and broken. I can't play this masquerade for long... But I need to. I need to pretend...ease yourself Alice do it!!!!!!
Her body was burning, she clenched her fists and dug her nails into her soft palms. Then she took out her secret tool, the only thing that made her work properly again. A razorblade. Alice raised her right sleeve of the hoodie and dragged it over her forearm. A feeling of freedom and easiness rushed through her veins as she watched the little drops of blood dripping out of the cut. After drying the blood with toilet paper, Alice shoved her special tool back into the depth of her jeans. Then she got up and fixed her hair before leaving the bathroom to go back to her work.

In the meantime, Jane was laying on the couch with his eyes closed. Cho brought Alice a pile of documents, that needed to be transferred into the system. Suddenly the phone was ringing, and Cho took the call.
"Hey Boss, yes, okay, of course, good, bye"
Cho seemed from the beginning on like a guy without a lot of words, but the girl enjoyed his silence because it reminded her of herself.
"Alice, the boss wants you to come to the crime scene to make some evidence pictures."
He placed car keys and a digicam on her table.
"Just take the black SUV it's parked on the first deck", Cho added to his speech.
Oh shit... but I can't drive!!! I don't even have a license should I just take my bike?
All of a sudden Jane began to chuckle loudly. Cho rolled with his eyes and turned towards him.
"Okay, what's so funny?"
He got up and stopped beside the two confused looking people fixed with his eyes on Alice
Jane claimed with a smirk: "Well someone here has no license, in fact she never drove before. So, I guess I'll take her to the crime scene then because I see that you just wanted to get a coffee dear Cho." Alice glimpsed at Jane with a scared and horrified gaze.
What the hell?! How did he know that? I never told him about my license... can he read minds?! What is going on here...
Before Alice could think about any words to say, Cho helped her:
"I guess nobody told you about Jane yet, well he has some kind of psychic powers even if he claims that this kind of thing doesn't exist."
With a wide grin Jane took the car keys and went to the elevator to wait for her partner for todays crime scene.
The girl was still speechless and gave Cho a questioning look.
"It's okay Alice. He is a good guy and he has a license at least. Just go with him, I would go myself, but he is right with the coffee and I still got some work to do. The boss is waiting."
Cho ended the conversation and went to the kitchen.
Fuck this. What is this all about?! I thought we were here at a normal Crime solving agency but nah suddenly there are wizards and shit?! I need to be careful around this guy and avoid him or otherwise he will find out stuff about me that I really don't want him to. Be. Cold. Be. Emotionless.
Alice sighed and entered together with Jane the elevator.

There was a deadly silence during the whole way to the car. The girl was fiddling with her hoodie sleeve that she had placed over her knuckles while Jane started the engine and drove out of the garage. Alice's happiness about the quietness ended abruptly as they drove up the highway where a huge traffic line was formed. She rubbed her eyes with the fabric.
"Of course... great", whispered she silently. The girl hoped that Jane didn't hear that, but she had bad luck.
"Not a fan of car conversations, huh?", asked the consultor now.
Alice twitched slightly and cleared her throat for some words: "Nah, nothing really to talk about." Jane studied her fiddling unobtrusively while responding: "Are you sure? I bet there is a lot of stuff we and you could talk about." Alice gulped, this conversation made her uncomfortable and her thoughts were spinning.
What if he knows? Could it be? What am I doing now oh my god... breath... YOU NEED TO BREATH, pah why even trying to breath when you are a worthless piece of shit anyway. He will find out and lock you into an asylum for the rest of your miserable life. Just kill yourself.
Her mind was racing, and it didn't go unnoticed. She was trying to breath normally, but it didn't work so she started to cough instead as a distraction. In the past of her life Alice developed a lot of methods to hide her problems.
"Is everything okay? Do you need water?", Jane stopped near the crime scene and pulled out a water bottle from the back of the car.
"Ye-Yes thank you I really needed something to drink, I guess I'm just really dehydrated right now." She drank half of the bottle and handed it back to Jane, who was still starring at her.
He sighed: "... Alice, you know you don't have to..." But he got interrupted by Rigsby who greeted the girl friendly.
"Alice come on! You need to see this before the coroner comes", declared Rigsby and took her by the hand. Before Jane could say anything else they were already behind the corner, to the luck of the girl. She didn't like when someone was touching her, especially not the hands because dragging them hurt her wounds but in this situation, it was better to go as to stay with Jane. He surely was up to something and she really didn't want to talk about anything.
After taking the pictures of the crime scene for evidence, she sat on a bench to make a small break.
He knows it. I'm fucked. I need to quit... after the first day so pathetic. I need some explanation why tho... Lisbon won't let me just go like that.
Suddenly she felt the bench cracking because someone sat down beside her. Alice glazed into a familiar face.
"I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable in the car and for when we arrived. I didn't want to scare you it's just..." He made a pause and looked Alice in the eyes.
"I know that you are lying and hiding something, but I don't know why, and it gives me a bad feeling because I don't know how to help you", explained Jane honestly.
Alice was close to crying. She didn't know what to respond, her head was on fire again and it hurt more than all the cuts she ever did to herself.
"I-I'm going to quit. I'm sorry that I got you feeling this way, but it's okay. I am okay. Everything is good. It is just that I didn't sleep last night because I was too excited for today", she lied. At the end of her sentence she put a smile on her face. The most convincing one that always worked. Deep inside Alice knew that she didn't smiled since she was a little child.
"Your smile is a really good fake my dear..."
With those words he stood up and went back to the rest of the team.