Allice in Mysterious Land (ON HOLD)

27: Clamorous

Once Roy sets off, I fish out an old phone from my pocket, tracing its dusty screen after being unused for so long.

Roy insisted on taking care of all his guests alone, giving me some time to rest. Yet, it's wrong to be resting when my thoughts are so awake. Moreover, when both my friends are dealing with their matters.

Leaning against the cave's uneven surface, I let my thoughts wander like a child in an expedition, though my senses are fixed on the nightly quirks of the rainforest, like the bristling leaves and the faint echoes of an elephant's trumpet.

This worn-out, touch-screen-less phone once belonged to Uncle Oregon, before he forgot to take this to his latest task at Okauri Country. After years of staying hidden in a drawer, Auntie Morgan gave it to me, in case she needs to call me up.

I didn't have anyone else to call besides my parents and Auntie Morgan, and I always met them every day. But I don't have the chance to meet them now, and it's been weeks since my escape from the prison...

Should I give them a call? But what if my number gets tracked by the police, like those in the movies? It might endanger this cave and everyone within, along with Argus and his crew...

I let out a heavy sigh, my shoulders slumping down as well. The chilly wind chews through my outfit, pricking me with little stings. My eyes are beginning to flutter, yet what should I do to silence down my thoughts? They're raging more than ever since the idea's appearance.

The sound of rustling leaves jolts me awake, leading my gaze to the cave's entrance. A hunched figure shambles out, her movements shaky as she uses a hand on the rocky walls to steady herself. "Why are you all alone?" Grand-Mad asks, her curt smile reflecting the moonlight.

"Uh..." I scratch my head; now, where should I start explaining? "Roy left to take care of his visitors... Argus and... anyway, do you know him, Grand-Mad?"

As she lowers herself next to me, I support one of her arms to help her down. "He's a good man that works for the wrong side. Though, who doesn't want money nowadays? Even if we have to get all dirty for it... why not?" She chuckles bitterly, oddly twisting my stomach. "Don't you think so, young Worke?"

For a while, my tongue is stuck inside my mouth. "I don't think so," I say, stuttering some of the words. "I'd rather work as a newspaper courier for the rest of my life."

Grand-Mad's booming cackles are similar to Mr. Julian's, and it makes my heart ache. Did Mr. Jules laugh in the same way? I haven't had any chance to know him well enough, though he had worked with me for several years, and often defended me from the bullies...

"Do you know Argus was once a Lowlife too?" Once her chuckles die down, she looks at me with a gentle smile. "His family chose to be Highlifes, which got him closer to Roy's family and other Dogson officials. Are you sure you won't choose the same path one day?"

I slowly shake my head; the questions within are surely lagging it down.

Smoothing the wrinkled edges of her polka-dot dress, she throws her gaze to the distance, where only trees greet her back. "You're wise enough to do so. Correct me if this old hag is wrong, but you don't seem like the kind to be after these... worldly objects." I raise a brow at her statement, and another cackle rocks her chapped lips. "You know, like money, power..."

"I just want to live better." My answer comes crisply, maybe because I've been waiting for this question for so long. "I just want to make everyone proud."

Grand-Mad clicks her tongue as she shakes her head persistently, her trembling fingers clasped together. "Really? From all the inventions ever made, or all the fine women ever created... you chose that. Sounds too wise, if you ask me. But it confirms my suspicion: how you always live to please others."