Պ∆яƙ oʄ Ðҽ∆ҭƕ Journey Back Home

Chapter Four - Alice's Discovery

Alice's POV

Today I tripped. Two times. In ten seconds. The Chase family and I were out having some family time, walking through town in the cracked street.

"Can we take a trip into the woods?" I asked excitedly as we neared the area. "Why would you do that?" Mrs. Chase said. Bethany looked at me, then back at her mom. "I guess we could take a trip there." said Bethany. "After all, the mod hasn't come for how many days? Six? I think we'll be fine." She turned her head forward again. Her parents didn't look too thrilled about the idea. "Mom, Dad, why do you seem so freaked out? It's just the forest." Bethany said. We were now at the foot of the woods. "We usually had a whole entire community to take care of us...I mean we always had the safety of a safe neighborhood. We haven't spent much time in a dangerous place like this." Mr. Chase said. Me and Bethany looked at each other. "Okay, I guess me and Alice will go by ourselves. But stay here." She took my hand and we walked into the woods together. That's when it happened. I tripped over a tree root and fell flat on my face. I could tell Bethany was trying to hold back laughter. I sat up and smiled at her, stood up, and fell again. This time neither of us smiled. Bethany helped me up and we walked and sat down on a dry log. "What were your parents talking about? About a community?" I asked Bethany. She didn't answer. "I don't know." she said. "They've never told me anything about it." I stared hard at my fake feet then said, "I also want to know about the Hazard. What do you think it is?" I asked, wanting an answer right away. "Well...it's probably something dangerous. The Hazard isn't the mod, but it must have something to do with it. Maybe it's what causes the mod." Bethany said staring into the trees around us. I looked at my prosthetic legs, then at Bethany. "If so, then I hate the Hazard." Bethany nodded her head. All I remembered from the latest mod, six days ago was the flying fire shooting and the smoke surrounding me. Usually it was fog. This time it was smoke, like something or someone really wanted a person to be sacrificed. Then Bethany and her parents found me, and I blacked out. I started freaking out when I was awake again because I didn't know that I got prosthetic legs. I screamed and Bethany ran to me, and asked what was wrong. She told me my legs were burned off--a terrible loss--and that I needed prosthetic ones. Then I hugged her. Hard.

"Alice? Alice!" I turned my focus back onto Bethany. "WHAT!" I yelled and nearly fell backwards off the log into the leaves. "Come on, we should go. My parents are probably wondering where we are." I didn't realize we've been gone that long. I didn't know daydreaming took that long, either.

When we exited the woods, Mr. And Mrs. Chase looked very happy to see us. "Come on, it's getting cold out here. Let's go back inside," Mrs. Chase said. "And maybe eat some dinner."

I was glad to hear it.

•••

Way after dinner, when everyone was asleep--at least I thought--I creeped downstairs for a drink of water. My throat was very dry. It yelled for water. When I got downstairs, I heard Bethany's parents arguing. What were they arguing about? I asked myself. I peeked around the corner into the kitchen when I saw them. "No, we can't!" Mr. Chase said. "We need to! It may be our only choice left!" Mrs. Chase said. "What do you mean, our last choice? We're perfectly safe here!" Mr. Chase said. "I don't think so. I know that both of us were too scared to go into the woods. That's the reason we left here anyway!" Mrs. Chase said. "Oh my gosh." I whispered. "I know, right?" said a voice behind me. I almost screamed, but didn't. "Bethany, you almost blew our cover." I said. Bethany mouthed sorry and we returned to listening. "It wasn't my idea though. You said we had to leave all three of them here." Mr. Chase said. Mrs. Chase scowled. "And what happened when we came back to visit? Nobody was home!" Mr. Chase said. "We don't know that. They may have been home, just not answering the door!" Mrs. Chase snapped back. I looked at Bethany, and she looked at me. We were both worried and scared. "What are they talking about?" I whispered to Bethany. Bethany's eyes flashed. "Alice...let's go upstairs. I need to explain something to you." I obeyed, and we tiptoed upstairs, abandoning the argument happening behind us. "Bethany, tell me everything! I want to know!" I said. How could she have not told me earlier?! "Why didn't you tell me any of this stuff earlier? Why are you telling me only now?" I said, mirroring my thoughts. "I didn't remember until just now. When my parents left...when we --Austin and I--thought they were going to die...they told us to stay home. Y-you were there." she struggled to say that last part. "What do you mean I was there? I thought I just met you recently!" I said, a bit angrily. "Actually no. You were...a part of...the family, Alice. You are a Chase. Your name is Alice Chase." She said matter-of-factly. Most of it came out of her mouth so fast as if she wanted to get this over with. I didn't understand. How could I be a Chase? I remembered having my own family, everything! "That's impossible, Bethany! I had an entire family of my own!" I told her. "No. Alice. We were your family. I am your sister and Austin was your brother." She looked and talked to me calmly. "That's....familiar. But how?" I asked. It looked as though Bethany's mind just clicked. "Alice! The Hazard! It must be something that erases your memory! This is way too weird." Bethany said. When she tried to uncover the mysteries of the Hazard and the secret community, a smile spread across her face. That made me smile. "I-I think I remember now." I said. "Wait," I said, putting out my hand to show Bethany that I wanted to talk. "let me guess: when you thought our parents were going to die, we all stayed inside. I must have been very very little. A toddler, probably." Bethany nodded. Then began talking: "You must have ran off while Austin and I were sleeping. Babies usually stay awake at night, sleeping all day. Mom told me that." I giggled a bit. That must have been annoying to hear babies crawling around and yelling at night. "And then I went off into the woods?" I asked, laughing. "How the heck did I survive?" I asked, weirded-out. "Destiny, probably." She replied. Me and Bethany got into our own sleeping bags and we fell asleep.