ALICE & NIGHT: THEIR HOME {FINISHED}

[Ellie]

Alice glided ever so slowly through the streets, meandering like a river with a pace that contained no hurry whatsoever. This was strange as, at the moment, rain was falling from the heavens as if all the angels were weeping. It was that hot, humid, and invasive kind of rain. The kind that you could stand outside in for hours and just forget about everything. The streets were abandoned, and Alice let her head roll back to catch the raindrops as the slid down her face. She would turn her head from side to side, smiling at people that weren't there. But she didn't know. Either way, Alice was feeling too blissful to even care. The effects of the acid she had consumed not an hour ago still lingered with intense dedication, and Alice was most certainly not in her right mind. This is when she was her happiest. When she could remember nothing,

It was for that reason that Alice was so caught off guard when a person approached her most abruptly. Alice stopped, teetering back and forth. With red, hazy eyes, she studied the man intently. She was positive she ought to know him. But, for the life of her, she just couldn't decide who the hell he was. He was short, possible even more so than Alice, but it was hard to decipher since his height was fluctuating. "I need to stop this..." Alice murmured to herself, forgetting she was with people. His eyes were unreadable at the moment, as they had morphed in to large, gaping black holes.

Alice leaned forward precariously, then steadied herself using the man's shoulder. This elicited a growl of sorts, which then prompted him to speak.

"Alice, I have a favor I need from you."

Alice. Who was that? Was that her? It must be. The man was looking straight at her, blatantly unhappy to be out in such unfortunate weather. "Oh, oh, um, sure..." Alice trailed off, not sure if this was a situation that she really ought to be in at the moment. But the effects of her high were wearing off, and she was bit by bit coming back down to earth.

The man settled his weight on to a different foot. Oh my, what was his name!? No matter how much she wracked her brain, it simply wouldn't come to her. Goddamnit. "The boy. I want him to work for us," he urged. The boy. The boy. Who the hell was this boy he was talking about. Wait. Night. Could that be the answer? Before Alice could even sputter out an answer, the man (who must've been working for the mafia) shoved her against a wall, and put his face uncomfortable close to her own.

"Listen, you don't have a say in the matter, Alice."

Why was he being so familiar with her? Alice could only manage an impudent face.

The man curled his lips up in to what appeared to be a cross between a grimace and a sinister smile. "He knows the lay of the land. And we need 'im. Convince him. I'll be back," he sneered. Alice felt herself release her clenched muscles as the stocky man retreated, fading once more into the intense rain. How odd.

Oh. George. That was it. Damned George. Why'd he have to go getting her in trouble like this?

Alice pulled her purse close to her face, trying her hardest to make her vision to focus. She fumbled through the contents of miscellaneous pills before Alice was able to steadily grasp her keys. She pressed herself to the door, trying to stay out of the rain as she unlocked her door, despite already being soaked. At the moment, though, Alice's entire brain was devoted to the desire food. She stumbled up the stairs, somehow managing not to fall, and looked around, eyes wide. "Night!?"

[Rad]

The apartment was immaculate, in fact the whole interior exuded a sparkling clean feel to it; the concave disc which functioned as Alice’s ash tray had been effectively washed and polished, every surface had been sanitized (even in the bathroom), the peeling edges of wallpaper had been pasted back on to the walls and the bits and pieces of useless junk previously dominating the floor had been placed in a small cardboard box that was now situated inconspicuously in one of the corners. As things were, the only thing out of place in the entire room was a rather scruffy character standing in the center of it.

Running a hand through his hair, Night smiled in satisfaction at his work. He always made it his obligation to tidy things up at the conclusion of the day after he returned from his duties as a delivery boy. It pleased him when he was given sufficient time to accomplish his maintenance work before Alice returned from her day’s misadventures. Nonetheless, he had hastened home earlier than usual today in order to prepare a special surprise. Reaching a hand into his tattered canvas bag, Night withdrew an entire loaf of freshly baked bread and retreated to the kitchen with it. This was the product of his entire day’s worth of earnings so hopefully it would procure the desired effect.

Carefully placing the loaf beside the gas stove, Night raised a hand to his forehead in an attempt to recall his conversation with a colleague earlier that day at work.

“Suppose I wanted to actually make an attempt at cooking tonight,” Night had said during interval, “what type of food would you recommend that a mediocre chef like me would have the capability of preparing…successfully? Hopefully something that women like to eat…something delicious yet simple. Something that doesn’t require any culinary knowledge...”

“Toast,” had been the response “Me wife likes ‘er toast so I think that ya friend gonna love it too. Ya should all ‘ave toast for dinner. Me thinks it’s easy an’ simple enough for ya.”

“Hmm, sounds like a plan. What’s toast? Sir, please do explain the method of preparation for Toast.” Night had pleaded, eyes shining with childish enthusiasm.

“Well…um…I suppose ya could call it a slice of burnt bread…” came the hesitant reply. It was almost as if Night’s colleague could predict that Night’s innocent cooking experiment would go horribly wrong.

Returning to the present, Night repeated the old timer’s words, “ah, burnt slices of bread! That means that the first step of the preparation of toast is to cut it into miniature slices!” Fetching a knife from the utensils drawer, Night diced the loaf into a number of small cubes and proceeded to place them into a pan. Igniting a match, Night lighted the ancient gas stove and moved the pan over the flames. “Now that’s done, time to wait the moment of my masterpiece’s completion.”

Smiling to himself, Night waltzed out the kitchen to pre-occupy himself with setting the table. Shortly, the stench of something burning drifted in via the open door of the kitchen. “Oh, the toast is done!” Night exclaimed with pleasure as he practically charged into the kitchen, “wow! It’s so fancy that it’s literally burning like those foods they serve in extravagant high-class restaurants. Alice is going to love this!” Ignoring the unappetizing scorched smell, Night somehow managed to extinguish the flames and empty the charcoal-black contents of the pan into a bowl.

"Night!?"

Today was brilliant, wasn’t he fortunate that Alice had returned just in time to enjoy tonight’s meal? Rushing towards the sound of her voice, Night proudly presented her with the bowl of what looked like coal and soot. “Welcome home, Alice, you’re just in time to sample my first attempt at ‘Toast’!”

[Ellie]

The instant Alice stepped foot upstairs, the smell of burnt food hit her like a ton of bricks. Alice, still not functioning as well as she ought to, paused in the middle of the room, wavering back and forth like a blade of grass in the wind. Alice looked around, her eyes widened, making her seem like a deer in the headlights. She felt confused, and was still somehow unsure as to what was going on around her. Alice began to make her way over to the ratty red couch shoved up against the wall to sit. It was missing a leg on the right side, and teetered as she plopped down on it's overstuffed cushion.

The boy... Night, was it? Yes, of course, Night. He was excited, enthusiastic. Why? Alice found herself staring at the wood floor beneath her for what must've been moments, contemplating what she had walked in on. Alice turned to face Night, her perception of time slowed down entirely. "T-thank you for dinner, Night. It smells... wonderful." Gracing Night with a lazy smile, Alice flopped onto her back without warning, mumbling something about the rain. "Night, would you ever fix me a plate?"

Minutes passed, and Alice moved away from the couch to sit at the dining table with Night.

"...first attempt at toast!" Night had spoken these words at least ten minutes ago, now, but their meaning had only just now caught up to her. Oh, the dear boy. He must not have the slightest idea of how to prepare a meal. Alice pushed her soaking wet hair out of her eyes and took a gander at the meal Night had made. There is was. He had taken a perfectly innocent loaf of bread and burnt it to a crisp in a well-meant attempt at dinner. "So good, in fact," Alice approached the topic carefully, taking all precautions not to offend. "In fact, I'd love to help out with the next dinner!"

[Rad]

“I’m glad you like it, Alice!” Night exclaimed with childish glee, smiling at his accomplishment, “By the way my colleague only begrudgingly disclosed the preparation of Toast I trust it to have probably been something of utmost secrecy. Maybe the recipe was even a precious family heirloom carried down from a noble generation!” Oh he was really excited now, practically squirming in delight as he spoke.

Finally, picking up a spoon, Night endeavored to have a taste of this delectable cuisine. Bringing one of the larger blackened lumps to his mouth, he bit down on the entire spoonful, his expression rapidly contorting into one of confusion then dismay. It sure had a peculiar taste…yet maybe it was simply due to his lack of connoisseurship in refined culture. If such a flavor was fashionable amongst the wealthy…well who was he to judge?

Attempting to chew the chunk, Night could clearly distinguish each crunch before abruptly and without warning the whole mass disintegrated into some abhorrent powder. Choking and coughing, Night managed to wheeze a quick “excuse me” (simultaneously emitting a plume of what appeared to be soot from his open mouth) before retreating to the bathroom to empty the contents of his mouth into the toilet. During this time, a series of rather marked coughing and choking sounds governed the room.

Maybe there was a certain method of eating Toast that he was unaware of? Certainly such cuisine required a specific way of eating that he had foolishly ignored? Otherwise why had such food, which he had no doubt heralded from refined culture, almost killed him? Maybe Toast was even utilized by society to differentiate the rich from the poor. Well, whatever the case, Night considered it evident that he didn’t belong to the same step of the social ladder as Alice.

“Sorry Alice, I don’t think I can eat this with you today…” As he returned to the room he took a towel with him. Halting beside Alice’s chair he proceeded to ruffle through her hair with it in an attempt to absorb the water that was still dripping from her soaked locks. “You know, Alice, you should really take better care of yourself. You might catch cold at this rate…not that I would mind taking care of you, in fact I’ll love to…but…I don’t want to intrude but…what kept you outside in this weather anyway?”

[Ellie]

As Night spoke, Alice could only look at him and nod. Her tongue was too coated in the bread-soot to muster forth any sort of speech. Either way, Alice didn't quite have it in her to inform Night that he had butchered the most simple, and furthest from secret recipe on earth. He was so incredibly excited about his "accomplishment" today, what sense was there, really, in taking him down a notch?

Alice watched Night eat. It was fascinating the way his expression changed with such speed. Mere moments ago, he was bursting with delight, eager to try the toast. What? Had the boy never had toast before. As silly as that seemed, it did appear to be the case as he sputtered, shooting the ashes of the bread from his mouth. This was nearly a hard sight to watch, but the discomfort was soon relieved as Night rushed to the bathroom. While he was no easy ask to manage all the time, Alice really, truly grateful she had someone to watch out for her. Sure, her poor habits didn't cease, and she made no changes overnight, but at least there was a soul out there wanted her alive.

The silence of her thoughts were interrupted by an abrupt noise in the bathroom. No doubt, Night. Quickly and quietly, before Night could return, Alice leaned forward, placing her crisp pieces of bread (if you could really even call it that anymore) back in to the bowl. Leaning over her shoulder, Alice called to Night, "I'm, uh, just going to put this away for leftovers." Alice's face contained a twinge of disgust as she wrapped up the fowl smelling food and put it in the cupboard. She'd get rid of it later....

"No no, Night, it's really no problem at all," Alice cooed, offering an assuring grin. Alice's shoulders fell limp and she reclined her head, letting Night ruffle it with a towel. Really, her hair was the least of her concerns. Alice, however, had very few concerns, none concerning her general health in any way. "You know, I'll be okay. I mean, I've survived this far in, haven't I?" Alice asked this rhetorically, dawning a silly smile on her face. Secretly, Alice hoped he wouldn't answer. She knew all too well that she was wrong.

"Night..." Alice started, edging forward from her seat. Even though Alice had dropped the acid an hour ago, she could feel the relaxation leave her body as she contemplated how to tell Night the circumstance. "I was... talking to a friend..."

[Rad]

“Yes, you have survived this far but…but…Alice I worry about you…and I assure you it’s not for selfish reasons.” Night answered, failing to realize the rhetorical nature of Alice’s inquiry, “furthermore, although I approve of you socializing with your friends, was it entirely necessary for him or her to disregard your health by retaining you in such weather?” Did he sound too patronizing? Hopefully not, especially since Night was the junior here. It would appear utterly impertinent if he was giving Alice the impression that he, of all people, was lecturing her.

Nonetheless…nonetheless if her friends were a negative influence on Alice’s life, in particular her wellbeing, well…well then Night had the responsibility of at least attempting to help her. To be completely honest, Night had never really been partial to the dubious company Alice kept, in particular that rather muscular Mafioso named Allen who had practically scared the living daylights out of Night on their first meeting. In fact, that fellow was precisely the reason why Night now had a well established fear of Canal Street.

Shuddering at the memory, Night asked, “so…if I may ask, what were you and your friend discussing for so long?” The inquiry was more voiced as an effort to instigate some light chatter than anything else yet once those words were out of his mouth Night couldn’t help but reflect that his utterance had sounded too…too much like what a meddlesome guardian would say. Frankly, well…well…he hadn’t intended to pry but…but…nonetheless it was rather too infringing a question to voice wasn’t it? What if the matter were private? Well then it was really none of his business!

Taking a shot at redressing his mistake, Night hurriedly apologized, “Oh Alice, of course you don’t have to tell me…you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. I merely asked for the sake of conversation. We can just as easily talk about something else that’s more to your liking.”

[Ellie]

Alice nodded her head along with Night's words, processing his statement with a slow, trailing pace. Pursing her lips, Alice tried to ponder what weather there had been. Despite the her dripping wet state, Alice looked up at Night with large, wide eyes, confused as ever. "What was wrong with the weather?" Alice leaned back appearing like a deer in the headlights, thrown off track by the simple question. "I'm perfectly healthy, Night," Alice assured, a ridiculously vacant look occupying her face.

Provided Night's inquisitive and concerned nature, deep down Alice new that she'd have to mention the Mafia's interest in Night soon. While she wasn't entirely cognizant at the moment, Alice knew this would not sit well with him. Oh! How to handle it!

“So…if I may ask, what were you and your friend discussing for so long?”

And speaking of the devil, there it was. The question Alice dreaded had been posed, and she was able to reason through her haze that the information had to be passed along now or never. Considering the parties involved, never would be a bad option for both Night and Alice.

Well, fuck.

Despite Night's assurances that Alice was more than welcome to talk of other topics, Alice decided through her fogginess that she should let him in on it. Sucking in a deep breath, Alice began to reveal to Night what she heard, her words slurred and tired.

"You see, Night," Alice began, hiccups interrupting her words, "I have a friend who would like to... hire you..."

Her voice faltered, and Alice desperately wished Night would just catch on, if only to spare her the cruel job of delivering the unfortunate news. The boy's significant fear of the mafia had already been enhanced on her account, and now here she was, trying to drag him down with her. Damn. Alice really was a wretched person, and she knew it. Night was far too good for her, and he seemed oblivious to the peril his life was in while he was spending time with Alice. Oh well, he'd come to his senses soon...

[Rad]

“Hire me?” Night inquired, unable to believe his ears. Jobs were difficult to come by in this time of financial adversity and the fact that someone had apparently picked him out from the crowd was a prospect that greatly excited him. He just couldn’t conceal his growing sense of elation. “Really, Alice! That’s fantastic! What sort of job is it? I can do pretty much anything! I’ll even work those late night shifts! Oh, Alice, this is cause for celebration, isn’t it?”

Laughing, Night practically danced around the apartment in his childish joy. Finally calming down enough to talk at a regular pace, Night asked “Well, who exactly is it who has asked for my services? I’ll quite gladly take them up on their offer!” Oh there was that classic teenage ignorance. Asking questions without waiting for an answer! He really had no idea what he was agreeing to.

“How much does it pay? No, don’t answer that! I’ll work no matter how minimal the payment! I’ll be my pleasure to scrape up more each day! Oh Alice we might even be able to afford a proper meal more often!” At this, Night glanced shamefacedly down at his feet. If only he were a master chef who could turn even the plainest of ingredients into a taste sensation! “I’m sorry I never learnt to cook…when I was a homeless vagrant…um…well…let’s just say that living off other peoples’ scraps means that there a certain culinary skills one has no use for…”

[Ellie]

Alice faltered, suddenly made unsure of what Night's reaction be. 'What are the odds that the desire for a job will outweigh his fear of the mafia?' Alice thought to herself in a most hopeful manner, desperate to ease the guilt of thrusting such knowledge upon him. Alice was not a motherly person. She wasn't particularly concerned with people most of the time, but there were instances of empathy that entered Alice's life sporadically. She had been hurt before, and badly, too. The mere thought of her crushing someone, somehow, made Alice feel sick to her stomach.

"Well Night, it might actually have a lot of night shifts." And there she went, attempting to ease the impact of the news with some weakass silver lining. It would have to do. "However, I don't know if I'd celebrate yet..." Alice put her cold, quivering hand out, beckoning Night closer to her. "You see, it's well, you know..." She lingered for a moment, dancing around the word as if it was poison. In a way, it was! Night was the first person in a while that stuck around. Finding him was a lot like finding water in the desert, or land in the middle of the ocean. Night was a dependable and welcome addition to Alice's troubled life. She was afraid to loose him.

"Night, don't you fret about the food." Alice shrugged. She never really ate much anyhow, a fact that was evident in the shape of her body. It was evident in her tired eyes. It was evident in her slow, tedious movements. It was evident in her brain, which everyday, disappears a little more. Food was just one bullet mark on the extensive list of things that made Alice feel shittier than she usually did. "I'm not particularly concerned with food..." Alice paused and looked at Night, wondering how long she could keep him on the food tangent, the daunting job topic lingering right around the corner. //shot.

[Rad]

“Hm…a lot of night shifts…” Night mused, finally making an effort to guess what sort of occupation was on offer. “Something that I wouldn’t know if I should celebrate about yet…something I see…something I know…” Echoing Alice’s words, Night took them literally and promptly scooted over to one of the windows which provided a view of the streets. Analyzing the few individuals still meandering about at this hour and in this weather, Night gave a contemplative sigh.

Spotting an old lady crossing a nearby intersection, Night thought aloud, “Hm…an old lady walking her dog at night…hm…could this potentially be a new career? Am I to be a by-night dog walker… quite befitting, heehee. It might not be something I could celebrate depending on the personality of the canines I have to tend to since I might have to take an exceedingly ferocious and disobedient beast for a stroll. It’s something I can see hence the old lady walking her dog there and it’s something I know…probably does not actually exist as a job…”

Sighing, Night diverted his attention to a gentleman hurrying along the sidewalk, brief-case in hand and looking rather lost. Giving words to his thoughts, Night said “Hm…a businessman, eh? It potentially has a lot of night shifts due to having to make business deals at odd times. Something I may not want to celebrate since despite being literate I have no knowledge of the economy and would probably make more losses than profits. Evidently, it’s something that I can see and it’s also something I know since I see business everywhere. However, who would want to employ a slummer for an occupation as respectable as that?”

Moving on to the sole remaining individual, a rather shifty character wearing dark clothing and carrying was appeared to be a gun in his hand, Night jokingly voiced, “Ah look, a Mafioso! A profession that indubitably has a lot of night shifts! Definitely not something to celebrate since I’ll be petrified for…most likely 100% of the time… It’s something I’ve seen with my own eyes when I accompanied you onto Canal Street and something I know since I got to experience it first hand on that occasion. Still, we all know how unlikely it is that such organizations would even want to employ a coward like me.”

Turning away from the window, Night fixed Alice with an intensely eager and inquisitive stare as he asked, “so, Alice, what on earth is it? I cannot guess! Just tell me already, please?”

[Ellie]

Alice shifted in her seat as time slowed down. She could feel the acid leaving her body, and the intense unpleasantry of reality seep into her skin little by little, bit by bit. It was uncomfortable and irritating. It was as if Alice was perched upon an ant hill, waiting for the masses to consume her. Ugh. That happiness and bubbly attitude that Alice was clinging to not ten minutes ago was flushed out of her system. Damn the world!

Her eyes followed Night to the window as he perched on the sill, gazing out at the world beneath them. As Night chattered on about his potential job, Alice could feel the guilt begin to consume her. Alice had known Night for an incredibly minimal amount of time, but she had acquired a feeling of responsibility for him. Alice felt as if it was her job to keep him happy. To keep him safe. Thrusting him into such a position of employment could only prove detrimental to his well-being. In addition, Alice was a selfish person. The drugs had made her so. And if Night didn't cooperate, she could really take a hit for this, and that was something she couldn't afford.

Night's ramblings were floating through Alice's ears, with very few of them even registering with her. They seemed to drone on in a bizarre, nonsensical way, lulling her in to a trance. With each and every moment, she could feel herself drifting in and out, but was quickly snapped back to attention when she heard Night mention the Mafioso. Oh, it was painful how ironic his words were. Alice reminded herself that she had to get it over with. Had to!

"You see Night, you just guessed it!" Alice coughed uncomfortably, then offered her brightest smile, as if that would ease the chaos that was about to ensue. She faltered for a moment. "I need some Rouge."

[Rad]

“I guessed it?” Night inquired, confusion clouding his face as he stared at her blankly. Gradually, the situation dawned on him and with an expression of terror he gazed at her, trembling noticeably as if it was the disfigured Mafioso instead of Alice who currently faced him. “Eh? Why would they need me? My cowardice is practically useless to them… isn’t it? You didn’t sell my organs to the Black Market, did you Alice? You wouldn’t do that, would you, Alice?”

Well that was a silly question! Of course she wouldn’t! Why had he even uttered such an offensive allegation? “Oh no! Forget what I voiced earlier! The words just slipped out before I had an opportunity to even consider the implications of what I was saying. I know you wouldn’t betray me in that manner so what is it that the Mafia…” pausing, he corrected himself, “…I mean, what does your ‘friend’ want me to do?”

Just because the employer was affiliated with the Mafia didn’t necessarily mean that he wanted to recruit Night into the organization, right? It could be something entirely unrelated! He might just need an assistant to help out in a flower shop or something. Night knew these scenarios were unlikely but he was powerless to prevent a glimmer of hope from straying into his eyes.

He was a slummer and before that he was a homeless slummer but even an individual such as himself had a set of morals. For Night it was the code of being a gentleman. Would he still be a gentleman if he involved himself with a criminal group such as a Mafia? Certainly not if it was for selfish reasons but he had Alice to think about. What would happen to her if he refused or even fled? He shuddered; he would never forgive himself if she was punished as the consequence of his actions.

Besides, knowing her financial condition, maybe he was her only shot at maintaining her current lifestyle…no matter how destitute her situation may seem to others it could always be worse. He might literally be the only thing she had. This employment opportunity might the only thing that could potentially keep a roof above her head and a meal to come home. Night felt that Alice might now also need his smile to greet her whenever she walked through the door. He couldn’t simply abandon her in her time of need no matter what it was she asked of him.

Surely…surely if one joined the Mafia with the intention of helping another it would still adhere to the gentleman’s code of honor. He could see it in her eyes; she was genuinely contrite for having to convey this news to him. Could she even be hating herself? Not wanting to see her so forlorn and knowing that they had run out of the Rouge she was asking for, Night gradually made his way towards her, throwing his arms around her in a tender embrace.

“I’m sorry Alice. I’ll do anything you ask of me; I at least owe you that. I won’t run away. I won’t abandon you like your husband did. After all, I promised to never let you feel alone again. Tell me what kind of work your friend has in mind for me and I’ll do it!” He was still terrified, in fact the prospect of the whole thing brought a tremor to his voice and tears of terror to his eyes but he wouldn’t run away…not now that he had resolved to do all he could for her.

[Ellie]

Alice let her face fall heavily into her palms, knowing with all her heart that she was despicably selfish for even passing this information on to him. She knew that if she looked up, she'd be forced to gaze into his terrified eyes. She knew that if she looked up, she'd see how horrible she, herself, was. This is it. This is why Connor left her. This is why her parents won't even admit she exists. Alice was disgusted with herself. She didn't deserve to walk this earth, much less spend her time with Night. She was wasting his life, possibly ruining it for good. Damnit.

The real blow was Night's question. It didn't hurt because it was so accusatory, or because it was offensively outlandish, but that if she was put in the right position, that was a thought that likely would have occurred to her. Alice, above all, needed to have access to her medicine. They were the only things that kept her cancer at bay. Or at the very least, they drove away the depression, if only for a little while. "Night. I would never, I promise." Alice nodded, her eyes still carrying that far-away look. "You see," she began, drawing in a sharp breath, "they'd like to make use of your navigational knowledge. I'm not entirely sure on the specifics." Alice's eyes fell downcast, avoiding the innocent gaze that she was corrupting.

"Oh, God," Alice droned. "I am so dreadfully sorry to bring this news to you." Alice frowned and stood up. She was grateful for Night in so many ways, and she was also far from worthy. Night was saving her ass by cooperating. It was scary to imagine what sort of horrible punishment might befall the duo if the Mafia's demands were not met. In addition, the extra income helped Alice afford her... medicine.

Alice could only begin to imagine the ethical battle that Night was waging in his head. She knew very well the rules he played by, and from what she could tell, the Mafia didn't play the same way. Pacing back and forth, Alice began to desperately hope that nothing she did today would change Night's character. Nothing would be worse than knowing you changed someone, and for the worse.

Her panicking only ceased as Night threw his arms around her. With his sandy hair in her face, Alice only felt confused. Here she was, delivering him some of the most horrific news of his life, and he embraced her? But it had been so long since anyone tried to show her that they cared. This was a gesture that stunned Alice, something that confounded her, but something she appreciated to no end. When Night mentioned Connor, she felt the oh-so-familiar sting in her heart, but it subsided quickly in wake of Night's comforting assurances. Finally, reacting, Alice also wrapped her arms around the boy and buried her tired face into his hair. "Thank you. For everything."