Heart & Sincerity

2/ A Child's Empathy

Betty waited in the Blue and Gold room with Jughead as they waited for her mother. They didn't speak to each other much, so it felt a little awkward waiting together.

The second Alice walked in she looked at her. She looked as if she hadn't gotten into an argument with her father not too long ago. She had so many questions, but she didn't know how to approach her about what she heard.

"Hello, I'm Alice." She walked in and put her purse down on the first table she saw. "I'm here to give you a brief introduction to a wonderful writing internship down at The Register."

"Mom, this is Jughead." Betty introduced the teenage boy.

"Hi," Jughead nervously greeted her. "So this is your mom, Betty?"

"Yes, I told her you would be interested in the internship. He's a great writer, mom."

"I would love to read your work. Do you have anything on you?" Alice asked. She wanted to see his writing abilities before considering him for the position.

"I can forward you a draft I'm working on. Would that be okay?"

"Of course. I'll write down my work email for you." Alice scribbled down her email and passed it to him.

"Thank you. I'll do that." Jughead pocketed the contact information. "I've got to head back to class, but I look forward to a follow-up soon." He smiled and waved goodbye.

With him gone, Betty contemplated asking her mother about this morning, but couldn't figure out how. She thought it was easiest to just rip off the bandaid. "Mom, were you and dad arguing about Polly after I left?"

"What did you hear?"

"Mom, where's Polly?"

"Please not right now, Elizabeth."

"Okay," Betty nodded. It wasn't a good time for that question. She had another question. "Have you and dad been fighting like that recently?"

Alice decided to be honest with her daughter. She needed someone to talk to and she was going to listen. "Yes."

"Has he treated you like this before? Is it true that you're a Serpent?" Betty never thought she would have to ask her that.

"That's something I try to keep to myself. I'd appreciate keeping it that way."

"I understand, but can you at least tell me how or why it is that you aren't one now?"

"At that point in my life, I already had a record, a reputation even, attached to my name. I was trapped in this world I grew up in." Alice began to look back on her days. She avoided her curious eyes. It would make it harder for her to explain. "But one day your father walked into the Whyte Wyrm with a couple of the Bulldogs. I suppose he was looking for a cheap thrill or something of that sort, but at that moment I knew, I knew he was my ticket out. A way to leave it all behind."

"But were you happy?"

"I can't say I completely was," Alice confessed. "I lost a part of me with that decision."

"Do I have a brother?" Betty cautiously asked. "I heard something about a son."

Alice nodded. She wiped her tears. "He was a beautiful baby boy." She croaked out. "Getting to hold him made me forget about everything else. When he was taken away...my whole world fell apart."