Beyond Good and Evil

Chapter 3: Dungeon Master

Jody's frosty gaze cut through Alicia like a sharpened butcher's knife. She sat at the head of the wooden dining room table set up with sauces and two jugs of different cordial, giving Alicia her almighty death stare. Frank ate in silence, looking anywhere but at the two of them. From the living room, Alicia could hear laughter from Family Feud. She caught a glimpse every now and then, idly twirling her fork through her fingers.

Jody had prepared straight cut chips, hamburgers, bacon and eggs. It was one of Alicia's favourite meals that Jody had cooked ever since she had been a young, mindless child. She gazed down at her food, suddenly feeling no longer hungry.

"You were meant to come straight home today," Jody said, refilling her glass of raspberry cordial. "Where were you Alicia? I was worried! You could have at least contacted me, or your father!"

Alicia mentally struggled to string a sequence of words together. A lump had formed in her throat, tightening now, under Jody's watchful eyes. She knew that whatever she answered with would only exasperate Jody more. But what could she say? If Jody knew that she had been with Robert, she would either dismiss it as a joke, or never let her see him again.

"Elsa needed some extra help with her dress," Alicia lied, clenching and unclenching her fists beneath the table. She knew she was liable to let her nerves get the best of her, and that she might falter. "I stayed back to help her pick out a trimming."

From the expression on Jody's taut pale face, Alicia knew that she wasn't convincing her mother. Her jaw set, and her face hardened, studying Alicia as if she were a complete stranger.

Jody sighed, massaging her right temple. "Look," she bretathed. "Next time just call or text us where you are, and what you're doing. You had us worried sick."

"I will, mum." Alicia managed a feeble smile. And the matter was left at that.

She collected all three empty plates up into the crook of her elbow, avoiding Jody's eyes as she passed over to the sink. After filling it almost all the way, she turned, heading straight for her bedroom.

It was quarter past seven. Alicia urged time to move faster. She found herself contemplating the next time she would see Robert, a list of disorganised questions and thoughts clouding her mind. She was itching to know more about him as a person, rather than as the frontman for the band.

As if reading her mind, her phone vibrated in her skirt pocket. Alicia hastily fished it out, pressing answer when she recognised Robert's number.

"Hey," she breathed into the speaker, her cheeks flaming in anticipation.

"Hey Alicia," his deep, rough sexy voice answered. She shrivelled like a tomato in heat, sliding against the back of her smooth wooden door until she was sitting on the carpet. "I apologise for my earlier indiscretion. It occurred to me that if either of your parents had caught us, it would reflect badly on us both."

Alicia wanted to shout no! at the phone, but decided against it. "Let's just mark that as a border line."

"A border what?" His tone changed to questioning.

Alicia stifled a giggle. Hearing Robert confused had a bizarre affect on her. "A border line. It basically means a hard limit; the no-go zone. I don't want you kissing me, touching me, or having sex with me at the front, or anywhere near my house."

There was a pause. Robert exhaled coolly. "I agree with that, Ms Stellar."

Alicia secretly smiled to herself, bringing her knees up against her chest. "When will I see you again?"

"Right now, if you want to," Robert replied. Alicia could tell that he was smirking. "I'm outside your window."

Immediately, she dropped her phone and raced to draw the curtains from her window. And there he was, kneeling on her windowsill, the cool night breeze blowing his dark hair across his forehead.