Of fears and consequences
chapter 2
Sun leaks just outside my eyelids as my body is jolted forward with small force. I realise that this is not a normal procedure to be going under. After about 30 seconds of processing this information I groggily open my eyes to see a black boot nudging me rhythmically.
"Ha! It's dead," cries a morbid girl.
Oh dear lord, it's her. It wasn't a dream. Great.
"I don't mean to disappoint, but..."I mumble, I must have blacked out during my very surreal fall.
I receive a sharp kick to my spine, sending me spluttering into a stand.
"Before we embark on this adventure-,"
"What adventure?" she cuts me off.
Startled by the question, I start to make out the sentence "The one where you rescue me from my-," she cuts my off again.
"fate? Nah, got bored with that idea."
I'm stunned into silence how could she get bored? That's the whole reason I'm here... Where exactly is here? It then occurs to me that I don't know anything about her. "Who are you?" I ask, "What is your name?"
"Alice?" the questioning tone in her voice puts me off slightly.
"Is that your real name?" I'm really confused now.
"Urrrrrr... Yes."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry, Alice. But I don't really believe you..." this has to be the strangest girl I have ever met.
"YES!"
I can't even respond to this, I don't know the social protocol.
"You said, Alice. Therefore, you names me," she says it as if it is the most normal thing in the world.
"I'm just going to lie down here..." I mumble into the ground. I've had it. I'd much rather die a horrible death than deal with this madness.
"You know, your strange," Alice says matter-of-factly.
This is when I lose my temper. Big time.
"I'm strange! Me! You think I'm the one that's weird," I practically scream. As I do her eyes grow sad and for once she's silent, but this doesn't stop me from yelling, "I've had it! I've known you less than a day and I have to trust you with my life! And... and... and then you decide it's not worth it!" I'm practically foaming at the mouth now.
I'm watching her intently again, but this time with a extreme dislike buzzing through my head. Her face turns from chastised to a slow but distinct frown, then a smirk that drains all my anger.
"I'm the only way you can get out of here," her smirk turns into a full on grin that reflects the light from the noon sun
"Where is here?" it's one of those questions you think would be obvious, considering ones surroundings, however, this place had something wrong in the air, the wind, even the buildings, which were all high skyscrapers, seemed as if they'd rather be someplace else. It was too quiet.
We were tucked safely away from the public eye inside a rather thin alley way.
"This," she said pausing, "is Thear."
Well that made a heap of sense. The look of confusion on my face gave her the need to elaborate,
"It's an anagram for Earth, Dofus."
"So this is a parallel universe?" I question, feeling quite confident that that would impress her, not that I need to. But that confidence is squashed with the look of utter condescending sarcasm, Alice gave me.
"No, this universe is completely different to yours, however similar. This universe is being orbited by your universe. The only way I can go back and forth is the hole we fell through earlier. Unfortunately, it's not supposed to be there. It's not safe here..." she drifts off, looking from left to right with nerves bunched up within her green eyes.
"Why did your eyes turn red?"
"What?"
I repeat myself, "Why. Did. Your. Eyes. Turn. Red?"
"The amount of energy surging through my body," she stops to think more about her deductions, "That must have caused the colour change. It's not easy accessing a hole in the universe."
She starts to walk cautiously out of the thin alley we're in. I proceed in following her, but I have to stop abruptly as she's turned around to face me.
"We have to get to the Library of the Tazulian Prince, " she whispers with fear in her eyes.
Alice seems a lot less... murderous since our first encounter. I'm thankful for it and all, but I can't stop wondering if was all an act and, if so, why? At least she no longer scares the pants off me.