Allice in Mysterious Land (ON HOLD)

20: Pursued

All is silent. The air is still stiff with the rain's scent, and spears of sunlight shine through the entrance. My head is still throbbing at the fever, yet I'm no longer shivering. It's like the morning washes away half of my sickness.

Rising from the sweat-stained mattress, I hiss as Sandra presses a cloth around my wounded ankle. How long has she been there?

"I'm afraid there might be some infections. We'll visit a doctor later." Her movements are sloppy and she can barely contain her yawns. Her red-rimmed eyes glint with determination, though slightly dimmed by unshed tears.

I wince at the pain, but keeps the screams in my throat. I'm also gurgling with questions, yet before I utter some out, she interferes, "Did you know what happened?"

Shaking my head subtly, I glance around the silent cave. The twins and their families, also Grand-Mad, are huddled on several mattresses across mine, dozing without a care. Next to me is Roy, his mouth sealed shut, yet his eyelids flutter occasionally. The bandages on his arms and stomach are the silent witnesses of the battle. On my other side are Xin-Yo and Miro, curling together like a pair of newborns, unbothered by the clatters from the filled-with-shrimps backpack.

She gestures at me to lie down again, which I obey since the pain evolves the longer I sit. The dizziness, as the fever's outcome, also grows as time goes by. "We had some sort of... um, disagreement." Fiddling with her ruffled sweater, she continues, "I couldn't just sit down while he took care of everything. Moreover, he was in such a bad emotional state after his dad showed up..."

"He's just worried about you." I let out a sigh. Roy must be pretending to fall asleep; his eyelids twitch more often now. "Anyway, did the dogs manage to break the treehouse's barrier?"

She bites her lips for a few moments and looks away. "Well, almost. You see, I took Miro and Xin-Yo and we dashed together. Those three were still sparring, after all. Then the dogs caught up with us, and I stripped a branch off a tree and..." Her voice breaks as her whitening lips tremble. "I didn't know where I got the courage from..."

Well, that was a heroic stunt. Maybe she got it in the spur of the moment. Yet, it was still dangerous. The feral dogs could've attacked while they were running without any defense.

"I'd be like him too if I saw that, Sandra. Well, you see—"

"Is it because I'm a girl? Or is it because neither of you think I'm capable of such things?" A veil of tears begin to form within her eyes. "I was so worried that the dogs would break into the treehouse... and all you two—"

"I wouldn't spite you for it though," I quickly add. But regret soon follows at how it's like I'm blaming Roy for channeling his frustration. "It was reckless, but like you said... in the end, everything's fine. You showed us how you were capable instead. I understand why Roy was so upset about it, but it shows how much he cares for you." I place a meaningful pause as she rapidly blinks, pushing back her tears.

Later, she puts up half a smile. "If you weren't so oblivious, you might've seen another reason besides that. But let it be"—she hoists herself up, fixing her gaze at me—"you'll know more soon."

🐾

"You don't even know what you're doing. Who else knows what they're doing?"

I jolt up at the high-pitched remark. Did I fall asleep again?

Before long, Miro scrambles to my side, fussing over a glass of water.

"How are you feeling?" Miro eyes my bloody ankle, then my electrified elbow, and the remaining scars from the shrimps. I hunch my body forward to cover the overly-gruesome details. "You slept like a polar bear for twelve hours. Your fever is gone, though, so that's good. For mammoth's sake, Allice, stop overworking yourself from now on." His brown eyes mimic Auntie Morgan's whenever an insect bothered her. "You really like having others worry for you, huh?"