Chapter 5, Where's Alice?

"Alice, you okay?" I asked, coming forward, almost touching her hand. She just blinked, her eyes blank. "Don't!" She shrieked, pushing me away, onto the softness of my rug. Somehow I knew she wasn't referring to me. But the thing was, her fingers were ice-cold, stiff and rigid. It chilled me to my bones.

Then she slid her back against the wall into a crouching position. There she sat, sobbing like crazy. After which was a knock on my door. "Amber, open up!" My mother said impatiently. "Coming!" I said, after handing Alice a blanket to cover herself with. "Amber, can we talk?" my mum asked. The television was switched on downstairs, and I could hear my dad and his friends shouting, 'GOAL!' "Sure mum," I said, and closed my door behind me. We sat at the table and chairs outside my room, near the staircase." "Now Amber,..." My mother said, trailing off.

"I want to talk about you. Before we'd moved into this house, you'd always be around the house, finding something to do. But for these few days, after your visit to the beach where Alice died in," She cringed at the word 'died'. "You'll rush straight into your room after dinner," she said, her eyes straying away. We talked, but not for long, as I made an excuse to go back into my room, as I knew that Alice was waiting for me. I opened my door, and closed it quickly behind me, before mum changes her mind and come after me.

My eyes skimmed the room for Alice, but apparently, there wasn't any sign of her, while the blanket I handed to her lay crumpled in a corner of my room. I walked to the back of my bed, searching for Alice. Still, she was no where to be found. "Alice..?" I called out into the emptiness, my voice echoing through the walls of my room to my ears. I waited for a response, but there wasn't one, either. Suspicious much? I thought to myself. Maybe she had something to attend to. I hope Alice is okay, I thought, as I shuffled my feet, heading for bed.

Alice appeared in my dream that night. "Amber, I'm leaving, I can rest in peace now, knowing that you're fine, especially after meeting Joel. Remember, I'll always be with you, in your heart, no matter what." She said, flashing a smile in my direction, drifting away, fading into the hollowness. "Don't forget me, Amber.." I heard, before she disappeared completely. "Alice, Don't leave me!" I screamed, my voice echoing around, reaching my hand into the air. After a few moments, Joel walked in, with the most sweetest smile on his face. "Stay with me, forever," Was the last thing I heard before waking up, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Why are you so quiet today?" Mum asked, as I slowly ate my breakfast. "I dreamt of Alice," I said, trying to keep my facial expression neutral. "Aww honey, It's okay," my mum said, hugging me. I tried my best not to cry. Many days passed, and I hadn't seen or heard of her. Where's Alice? I thought. She promised me she'd stay.. After class, I got my things packed in a hurry, and dashed out of class when I was done. But as I made my way through the classroom corridors, Joel caught up with me and grabbed me by the arm. "Amber!" He said. "What gives?" I said, spinning around by my heels, until I was face-to-face with him. "Amber,..." He said, his expression softening.

He pulled me into his arms, and held me tight. "Amber, Alice is dead," he murmured, in a dead serious tone. I clasped my mouth, swallowing the truth, letting my feelings get the best out of me. By now, many people were staring. Somehow it felt right, to be together with Joel. But those words that he said, echoed in my hollow mind.