Alice
written 2018, last edit 2021
Alice ran through the crowd, weaving between the people. Her pockets heavy with stolen trinkets, everyone looked her way as she passed. So much for staying off radar. She dared to look behind her, discovering that the so called "officers" were still on her tail. She turned back to focus on getting away. Stay calm, it's not like you haven't done this before. She kept pushing past people, almost tripping over a child only a few years younger than herself. The child's mother shouted at her. But she kept weaving between the people, just as her mother had taught her. Just like sewing. She pushed the thought from her head, getting ready to make a sharp turn and hopefully lose the so called offeciers. She lowered to the ground, steadied herself with her fingertips, and made the turn. But just as she was standing again, she found she had run straight into the "commander" of the Guard. Nope, not today. She put her hands up and looked behind her. The officers were smirking, they finally caught her. The usual crowd gathered around, surprised by nothing but the fact that the commander was finally put her in cuffs. There were a few scattered claps, but the men in uniform around her were standing as if they had just saved 1,000 lives, instead of chancing a young theif around town. Even the commander took his eyes off of her, to enjoy the rare praise. Idiots. She pulled a small pin from her pocket and easily picked the lock around her wrists. Thinking they can catch me. They can barely remember to tie their shoes. The cuffs fell to the floor as she began to grin. To easy. The attention was back on her. An audience, perfect. Now she could show everyone just how incompetent these protectors really were.
"Better, but you took your eyes off the prize. Next time don't stop for applause and take me straight to the jail." She rolled her eyes. Although she had just did what most people in the crowd considered impossible, not many were surprised. Some even walked away. Although she was the only ne'er do good in the enclosed village, she was always active, and to the people knowledge, alway public. She even knew most of the children's names. Parents had given up on trying to protect their kids from her. And why wouldn't they? Adult in these parts had so much work to do and were always tired. Plus, it wasn't like she was going to hurt them. Just maybe rob them of some junk or something.
"Oh," she thought of the boy she had run into earlier. "Tell Tommy that I'm sorry for running into him earlier, during the chase. I know he's kind of sensitive and stuff and I don't want to deal with crying tonight." She gave a small salute to the men and women around her and began to turn to run off.
"H-hey! Wait! You can't do that. Get back here! We are trying to keep order you know!" The commander shouted, more annoyed than angry. What order?
"Don't worry! I know. You tell me every time we meet. Honestly, you should try telling a joke or something instead. It's not like one day I am going to magically decide to listen to you and quit thieving. I got the best life in this junkyard. I'm not ever going to stop!" And with that a soft laugh escaped not only her own lips, but also those of the few people left in the near vicinity. The commander shook his head, knowing she was right and told his officers to not even bother to start the chance again. They couldn't stop her, and they knew that. She ran off, disappearing into the lifting fog. She ran until she reached a lightly colored blue building, then turned right. She ran and then made another right, then left and left again. One long alley and a last right. She reached the Wall, the huge brick barrier circling the small town in which she lived. She walked up to it and laid her hand on top of the marks she made every night. She pulled a small knife from her pocket and lifted it to the last mark she had made. She moved the tip just a bit to the right and pushed it into the wall. She pulled it down until there was a small crooked line, representing another successful day. If it could even be called that. All she wanted was out of this place, out into the world she had heard to many stories about. There were tales of fields of green grass, and beautifully clear blue skies. She heard that there were people who lived in castles and people how lived in small cottages in the dense woods. She looked back behind her, to the black sky deprived of stars and the dirty, broken roads leading to buildings that were falling apart. She heard the Guard's Wall patrol coming and ran over to an abandoned shack, her home. She walked in and walked to the window facing the Wall and ducked her head just below it, then pressed her ear to try to hear the Guard patrol's conversation.
"So, there's one more line. Just like last night, and the night before that." he sounded tired. No, that wasn't it. It was something more than tired. It wasn't something that a nap or a snack could fix, it was something deep in his soul. Something everyone who was trapped in this place shared. It was a numbness to life, almost as if they weren't living anymore, as if they were just being forced to play a small part in a small play. Perhaps that's really all life was. Just a small boring play. Nothing out of the really ordinary ever happened, and it seemed as if everyone was just playing a part in this play, dying of boredom, waiting for it to be over. The bare room around her began to blur and she realized she had begun to cry. She blinked and twin tears slid down her rosy cheeks. She pulled her legs to her chest and moved her body so that her back could lean against the worn sideding. Tears fell onto her knees, washing away small spots of dirt that had gathered over time. She felt herself feeling the stitching patterns her mother had sewn to patch her holed pants. She had mimicked the same stitch many times over, so that now there was more small pieces of fabric than fabric from the original pair. Her mother always said to use the pants for as long as possible, if it was fixable than fix it. That's how we live, and we will find joy in this. Her mother. Tears began to flow, to the point even some of her hair was wet. Her mother, her father. He had always worked so hard, fixing the house and trying his best to learn and teach as much as he could. He was always helping people when they couldn't help themselves. Being there when they had no one else to turn to. And every other week, leaving the town. He was allowed to go outside and bring news about what was going on. He was the only one ever allowed to leave. Even more tears came, at this point she was sobbing. She laying on the ground trying to calm herself, but there was no use. Her mother, her father. All she ever had in her life were gone, forever. No, they weren't gone, they were killed, murdered, in front of the people who cared for them. There life was given to serve a lesson; don't try to make life any better than what it is. Don't try to change your role or fix your lives. She was weeping, her parents, the only ones who cared for her were gone. She was alone, all alone in a broken shack in a broken town full of broken people. Her parents could fix everything, if only they were here. They could show the people that life wasn't just some boring play, they could fix every one's heart. But they were gone, and everything was broken. Everything was messed up and ruined and nothing was going to change. Her mother always said the only glue you needed to fix things was hope. But she never explained what to do if that was gone too. If it was taken along with her mother's and her father's life. So Alice curled up into a ball and cried. She didn't try to stop it, and it didn't stop. She cried until she fell asleep, her body begging for rest.
When she woke up, her knees were stained from tears along with a few patches along her lower legs. The sun was shining, showing Alice the dust flying in the air around her. She dusted herself off and began to scavenge for food. She looked in the cracked, wooden cabinets and found a bit of stale bread and some old jam. Yep, I really am living like a king. She ate enough to be able to function until she was able to find some more food, hopefully better than her breakfast. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, walking around the shack she called a home looking for some water. Walked past the kitchen, knowing she had drained the water from those pipes long ago. She found a small cup still sitting on what used to be the dining table and swiped it, sweeping it up into her hands. She walked to the bathroom, hoping that there was just a few drops left. She placed the cup just under the faucet and tried the cold handle. At first no water came, but she could hear the trickling sound coming up the faucet, louder than she had expected. Jackpot. Water burst out and into the cup. She reacted quickly and turned the water off, she would need it later. The cup was filled, more than she could have hoped for. She wet her fingers and managed to clean her face. She drank more than half of it, her throat thanking her. With the last few drops still in the cup, she attempted to even out the tear stains on her pants. The memories from last night were still vivid in her mind. She shook her head and tried to put those thoughts as far away as possible. She was never going to make it through the day if she couldn't focus. She sighed, ready to get to the days work. Well, its now or never. She walked over to the door knowing that once she opened it she would have to start running. No one could know that where she sleep, because if anyone did she would get caught. That would mean it really would be game over. She glued her eyes to the ground and pushed the door open, and then she ran, she ran towards the wall, because everyone was scared of the Wall, especially after…. No! She was not going to think about that. She had to survive, and hopefully score a few sellable things too. She rounded the corner and was able to start walking again. If she had kept running she would already have more attention drawn to her then she wanted. She walked passed the normal houses, said hi the the kids she knew and copied their frowns for the adults. She turned right, wanting to get away from the Wall. nothing drew suspicion quite like voluntarily walking near the Wall. She waved to more people as she kept walking, her destination nearing. Tommy will be happy when I say sorry, and then maybe I will convince his mom that I'm not a bad guy too. She stepped up to the fencing that surrounded the small house. She looked around the house, hoping that they were still there. She caught a tiny tommy running past a window, glad that they were home.
"Hello! I would like to talk to tommy, please." she said in the nicest voice possible. She hoped the mother would not come out and start yelling at her, she was already tired as it was. She heard muffled voices and then the door swung open. Tommy skipped out, excited for the visitor.
"Hi Alice! What's up?" he smiled as if he had just received a gift.
"I just came by to say hi, and sorry for running into you earlier. I had 3 of them my back that time." She smiled, adding in the last detail to add to the little boy's wonder.
"3!? But usually it's only 2! And i heard you got caught, how did you get away?" His eyes sparkled, filled with astonishment. She smiled back at him, ready to tell the story.
"Well, see, here's what happened. I stole a bit of stuff like usual, it's all still in my pockets, and started running. But the Guard saw me running, and heard the objects bounce around. They started chasing me, 3 of them!" she paused dramatically adding to the boy's anticipation.
"Really!? What happened next? You got caught, right? But then how did you get away?" Tommy's words floated from his lips, into the air. They were soft and light and the sentences they formed were so smooth. Alice smiled, she was the reason for the excitement in this boys life. He was one of the few in this town that were always happy to see her, every time he saw her he yelled after her and asked her to tell another story.
"And then, i accidently ran into you, sorry. Or were you trying to help catch me?" she said, pretending to be offended. Tommy, startled with the accusation, raised his hands and shook his head.
"NO! No, of course not! If I could I would help you! I-I would have gotten out of your way if I knew you were coming.. I could be your partner! I could run with you, I would practice everyday and i will listen to every word you said and,"
"You know I can't let you, first because you mother wouldn't let you do it, and second because it's dangerous. I couldn't live with myself if you got caught with me, what do you think I would do if you got hurt?" She didn't sound angry, more protective. I have to keep him out of this. He was the little boy who admired her, who loved hearing her stories. No, he couldn't be pulled into this. His faced sagged, disappointed with the answer. Although she had to say what she did, she felt bad.
"No, you can't come to steal with me, but you can still practice everyday. And maybe, when you get good at running, I will teach you how to steal. But promise me that you won't steal anything. Please. I don't want you to get hurt." Her eyes held the question, willing him to answer and be happy again.
"Ok.. fine. I won't steal anything, yet. And i will practice running everyday and once I get good I will show you," She could hear the excitement returning to his voice, growing by the second. "And then you will teach me how to steal. Then, only once you tell me that I can, I will steal with you. But you have to promise to, ok?" She was relieved. Thank god, I wouldn't be able to stand myself if he hated me.
"Alright, ok." lifted her her hand in surrender. "I promise." her eyes held sincerity, and he knew it.
"Ok than. I promise, too." after that he smiled, all the happiness returning to his face. "Actually, I don't have anything to do yet, I could start running now!" he turned and ran into the house, shouting for his mother to whole way. Alice couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the boy and his mother. He's still so happy. She waited for him to come back out, by the gate. He flew from the door, finishing his conversation, smiling ear to ear. He ran to the gate, his hands still flying to undo the latch.
"Come on, let's race! To the end of this road. I know you're faster but I want to try." How can he talk still smiling like that?
"Ok, ok we can race. But after that i have stuff to do." She debated whether or not to boost his confidence on his first day, or show off.
"Stuff? Like stealing? Than this will be your warm-up." Tommy convinced her. Of course I'm going to show off.
"Alright let's do this. Nothing I like more than a little competition." She got ready to start running, and waited as she saw he was copying her position. "Ready to lose?" I almost feel bad.
"I am running with you. It doesn't matter if I get there first or not, I already won." He was beaming.
"Ok, 3, 2, 1, GO!" she announced, people around them looked their way, curious. She was alway to lone wolf, but here she was, racing the youngest in town. But it didn't matter. She was happy. Off she went, surprised at the boy's speed. He was faster than she thought. First she was next to him, then slightly in front. Almost there. Suddenly the commander was in front of her, forcing her heels into the ground to stop herself. Tommy flew past her and made it to the end of the road.
"Haha, I won!" still beaming her turned around. Although he was more than winded, he gasped when he saw what was keeping her. The commander was standing in front of her, and two officers were walking up behind her. Tommy dashed back to where she stood, almost tripping.
"A-Alice!" He stopped to catch his breath, her arms already around him. Today was his first day running, and he had already pushed his physical limit. No, no Tommy you can't get pulled into this.
"Tommy, breath. Breath, calm down. What's wrong? Did you get hurt?" She didn't take her eyes off of him, putting a hand up to stop the commander from giving orders.
"Commander, you can't lock her up, she was just running with me. We can run, right? That's ok, it's not stealing, we didn't steal anything, we were just running!" he sounded desperate. Really, his voice carried more emotion that she had heard from a person in a long time.
"You can't lock her up, please!" louder this time. She could even see tears forming. No, no this can't be happening. Oh Tommy. He push her away, standing straight on his own, still panting. "Please, please don't lock her up!" he had everyone's attention at this point, surprising not only the Guard, but also Alice and everyone else who could hear. More crowded around, people watching from every angle. And so the tears began to fall. one , than another, than another. They were spilling from his eyes, falling unto the ground, leaving little circles of water.
"Oh Tommy." she hugged him, the Guard even more surprised than she was. But he wiggled out of her arms, almost pouncing onto the commander.
"You can't locker her up! We were running! Were were racing from my house to the end of the road. She promised she was going to teach me to run! She promised and I promised I wasn't going to steal anything. You can't locker her up, she's a good guy!" The tears were streaming down his face, and she noted that they were pooling in her eyes too. Tommy I will protect you from anything. The commander was stammering, trying to get away from the boy. The offierces began to walking towards the two, but Alice's stopped them. She turned to face them, the tears had disappeared. Her worry for the boy gone, replaced by anger. He can handle the commander, these goons are mine.
"Don't you dare touch him." She said loud enough to make sure that everyone heard, especially Tommy. Now he knows that I am here for him. She looked around, the size of the crowd more than doubled. Everything was silent. "Don't you dare even think about it." At this the offierces stepped back, obviously scared of her. When she was satisfied that they were far away enough, she turned to face the commander, who was still trying to fend off the boy.
"Tommy. Come here." Her voice strong, and her arms outstretched for him. "And you, don't move." Tommy walked to her looking back at the man he had been attacking, and gave a death glare, she could have swore he stepped back. Tommy walked into her arms, and she squatted down to reach his level. She brought her hands up to his face wiping away the tears. He had stood up for her, up against the commander. His face, his action, his tears, all almost bringing back her own tears. Tommy.
"Tommy, do you remember what I told you earlier, that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you got hurt?" He nodded. But he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at the people around them. She looked around the crowd, curious to see what he found interesting, and what she saw astonished her. The group around them were all crying. Every single one of them. What?
"They're crying because they don't want you do be locked up either." his voice was soft, but full of victory. He moved everyone to tears, because he stood up for her. A the sight, she felt her eyes blurring too. No, don't cry not here, not now. One of the younger adults stepped forward. Only a few tears running down her face.
"Hey Alice. You may not remember me, but we used to race when we were little." the girl smiled, recalling the memory. Alice didn't remember. Much of the last year was a blur. She took a deep breath and began to talk again.
"It's ok if you don't. Just thought that I would put that out there." she smiled a bit wider, a little familiarity creeping into Alice's mind. Another stepped forward. This one's whole face was wet.
"I know that you guys aren't siblings or anything, but you could be. I have a little brother," he grabbed the boy's hand who had been standing next to him and pulled him forwards. "Sometimes they can be annoying, yes, but I love him with my whole heart. There is nothing I wouldn't do for him. I don't know you personally, but I can imagine what you are feeling." He breathed in sharply, clearly holding back more tears. Another stepped forwards, this one a bit older.
"Alice. Look, you may think that everyone here hates you, but we don't. We care for you. Even Mark." she pointed to the commander and then to the Guard officers. "Jack and philip too. We are here for you, we are. You're not alone. My name is Sarah. I seen most of your heists. You're really good." She smiled, and looked tired. But it wasn't the tired of the two Guard members from last night, it was a hopeful tired.
"I'm Alice." She could barely speak, the tears building up, blurring her vision. "I-I mean, you knew that. Sorry, uh, thanks." great start. She felt a small hand wrap around her own. She looked down, and saw that it was Tommy. Another small hand wrapped around her other hand, and she saw it was the little boy who was the second speaker's brother. The lady in front of her laughed softly, and then continued.
"I think that we all know that you pick pocket, and have an amazing talent for running." she looked from Alice to the people around them, everyone nodding. Alice tried to speak, to say something funny, but no voice came. "So we decided to have a meeting. Last night, mark went around the town and ask everyone if they could join us in a meeting. He isn't here to arrest you, he came to tell you the conclusion we can to at that meeting." Alice almost fainted with relief.
"Oh, ok. Ok. thank you." did I just thank her. I can't believe I just thanked her.
"Whoops." Tommy looked embarrassed. He looked over to Mark, "Sorry, I thought you were going to take her away." Mark waved it off and walked closer to the group.
"Ok, so what was the meeting about then? It sounds important." Alice looked back to Sarah, hoping for an answer. The young woman's face changed completely.
"We don't know how you are going to react to this, but we are not trying to offend you or anger you. So please don't get mad." She obviously didn't want to say whatever it was. Alice prepared herself for something terrible. Were they going to execute her? No, that's crazy. But that what it is?
"Look, I've been to hell and back, and then hell again." She got a few laughs from the crowd at that. "So I don't think that this will shake me to much. Go ahead and say it. I promise I won't get mad." Finally her voice was back, but she was on her toes. What could be so bad that she didn't want to even say it? Sarah took a deep breath and began to respond.
"Well, the meeting was about leaving the…" Alice didn't even let her finish.
"Yes." Everything was silent again after that. Everyone was shocked.
"Look you can sleep on this. I mean, what we are asking you is crazy. You don't have to respond now. And it's ok to say no, especially…" Alice interrupted again.
"Yeah, I know. It's crazy. But I have been wanting to leave these walls since it happened. I'm not scared. I want to go, really. It's been the only thing I have been working towards. I want to go out there. To s ee the world. And I know that it is dangerous and there is a high chance that I will get killed, but I still want to go. I want to face it all." She stood up a little straighter. She was proud that she could finally voice her true thoughts. Sarah just stood there, everyone did. They all though she was crazy. And maybe she was. But these people wanted her to explore the world outside the Wall, and she wanted that to.
"But, why? I would think that you would like to stay here. I mean, what you said yesterday was true. You have the best life in this junkyard, and I guess I just can't understand why you would want to throw that all away." Sarah could not believe what she was hearing. No one could.
"I want to go. Not because I want to throw all this away, but because I want that more. I have always wanted that, even more so after…" the thoughts from last night crept into her mind, but this time she didn't push them away. She used them to fuel her speech, convince the people around her that she meant what she was saying. "After my parents were killed. Yeah, I know. I know. But I'm ok now. I know how it feels to barely survive. I know the hurt and the numbness. And I have survived. I can survive the pain and the mask of the world out there." her voice was dripping with a want for revenge. No, it was dripping with venom. Every villain has a story like mine, and maybe I will become the villain. But I won't let these people get hurt, and I will always do what is right. If that means I will become known as the villain, so be it. And with that, Alice smiled cruelly, her grin mirroring the venom from her words. Yes, she could survive it all, but she was looking forward to the mask.
"The mask?" Sarah's eyes were filled with curiosity, both at why she had agreed and the words Alice had just said. She watched as the girl in front of her turned, a confident smirk drawn across her lips.
"Of course, the mask. It's hard to survive when you act as someone else. And from what I hear, out there, they don't want a broken girl," She laughed, though it seemed so out of place. "They want a perfect little lady. And that's what I am going to give them. I'll leave tonight, if that ok?" Still smirking, she held onto Tommy's hand and walked away. She didn't run, she didn't hurry, she just walked with all the patient in the world. Today a new girl was born, one who had the misfits, the ones on the inside, on her side. You can't throw me to the wolves now, they're on my side. And she continued walking, hand in hand with a wounderus little boy.
"We're undefeatable, don't you think? The first time we team up, you get to see what the other side of the wall looks like. Can't be a coincidence." The wounderus little boy smiled, so pure, so innocent.
"Yes, I think so. Things like this are not a coincidence." The girl's voice dripped with a poison, one even she was a bit scared of. Her voice held anger and hatred, a deep sadness, but above all this, was an overwhelming sense of protection for the wounderus little boy and the people of a closed off town, who didn't know what the rest of the world was like. Yeah, I might become the villain of this story, but the heroes are the ones who will be begging for mercy after this. They lock us all up here, and once there is someone who tries to make life a bit more bearable, who's ever in charge kills them and their wife. Well, they should have thought about who they were pissing off.
"So, you're leaving today, huh." Tommy said. Although he was happy for her, he wished she wasn't going.
"Yeah, I guess so." She looked down at the boy, and he looked up at her. "I would bring you along, but.."
"Yeah, I know. You don't want me to get hurt, and I know that my mom would never let me. But you are going to come back sometimes, right? Like to get food and rest." He was worried for her. He was so young, but still he was scared that she wasn't going to come back.
"How about this. I will come back every once in a while, but you have to keep practicing running. And no stealing. Then maybe , when I come back, I will teach you how to be a thief. But.." She waited for the boy to complete her sentence, knowing he would.
"No stealing until then, yeah I know. You don't want me caught or anything. But, I want you to be safe too. I don't want you do get hurt and I want you to come back." He hugged her as tightly as he could, tears just begging to form. "I love you, Alice. I wish you didn't have to go."
"Better, but you took your eyes off the prize. Next time don't stop for applause and take me straight to the jail." She rolled her eyes. Although she had just did what most people in the crowd considered impossible, not many were surprised. Some even walked away. Although she was the only ne'er do good in the enclosed village, she was always active, and to the people knowledge, alway public. She even knew most of the children's names. Parents had given up on trying to protect their kids from her. And why wouldn't they? Adult in these parts had so much work to do and were always tired. Plus, it wasn't like she was going to hurt them. Just maybe rob them of some junk or something.
"Oh," she thought of the boy she had run into earlier. "Tell Tommy that I'm sorry for running into him earlier, during the chase. I know he's kind of sensitive and stuff and I don't want to deal with crying tonight." She gave a small salute to the men and women around her and began to turn to run off.
"H-hey! Wait! You can't do that. Get back here! We are trying to keep order you know!" The commander shouted, more annoyed than angry. What order?
"Don't worry! I know. You tell me every time we meet. Honestly, you should try telling a joke or something instead. It's not like one day I am going to magically decide to listen to you and quit thieving. I got the best life in this junkyard. I'm not ever going to stop!" And with that a soft laugh escaped not only her own lips, but also those of the few people left in the near vicinity. The commander shook his head, knowing she was right and told his officers to not even bother to start the chance again. They couldn't stop her, and they knew that. She ran off, disappearing into the lifting fog. She ran until she reached a lightly colored blue building, then turned right. She ran and then made another right, then left and left again. One long alley and a last right. She reached the Wall, the huge brick barrier circling the small town in which she lived. She walked up to it and laid her hand on top of the marks she made every night. She pulled a small knife from her pocket and lifted it to the last mark she had made. She moved the tip just a bit to the right and pushed it into the wall. She pulled it down until there was a small crooked line, representing another successful day. If it could even be called that. All she wanted was out of this place, out into the world she had heard to many stories about. There were tales of fields of green grass, and beautifully clear blue skies. She heard that there were people who lived in castles and people how lived in small cottages in the dense woods. She looked back behind her, to the black sky deprived of stars and the dirty, broken roads leading to buildings that were falling apart. She heard the Guard's Wall patrol coming and ran over to an abandoned shack, her home. She walked in and walked to the window facing the Wall and ducked her head just below it, then pressed her ear to try to hear the Guard patrol's conversation.
"So, there's one more line. Just like last night, and the night before that." he sounded tired. No, that wasn't it. It was something more than tired. It wasn't something that a nap or a snack could fix, it was something deep in his soul. Something everyone who was trapped in this place shared. It was a numbness to life, almost as if they weren't living anymore, as if they were just being forced to play a small part in a small play. Perhaps that's really all life was. Just a small boring play. Nothing out of the really ordinary ever happened, and it seemed as if everyone was just playing a part in this play, dying of boredom, waiting for it to be over. The bare room around her began to blur and she realized she had begun to cry. She blinked and twin tears slid down her rosy cheeks. She pulled her legs to her chest and moved her body so that her back could lean against the worn sideding. Tears fell onto her knees, washing away small spots of dirt that had gathered over time. She felt herself feeling the stitching patterns her mother had sewn to patch her holed pants. She had mimicked the same stitch many times over, so that now there was more small pieces of fabric than fabric from the original pair. Her mother always said to use the pants for as long as possible, if it was fixable than fix it. That's how we live, and we will find joy in this. Her mother. Tears began to flow, to the point even some of her hair was wet. Her mother, her father. He had always worked so hard, fixing the house and trying his best to learn and teach as much as he could. He was always helping people when they couldn't help themselves. Being there when they had no one else to turn to. And every other week, leaving the town. He was allowed to go outside and bring news about what was going on. He was the only one ever allowed to leave. Even more tears came, at this point she was sobbing. She laying on the ground trying to calm herself, but there was no use. Her mother, her father. All she ever had in her life were gone, forever. No, they weren't gone, they were killed, murdered, in front of the people who cared for them. There life was given to serve a lesson; don't try to make life any better than what it is. Don't try to change your role or fix your lives. She was weeping, her parents, the only ones who cared for her were gone. She was alone, all alone in a broken shack in a broken town full of broken people. Her parents could fix everything, if only they were here. They could show the people that life wasn't just some boring play, they could fix every one's heart. But they were gone, and everything was broken. Everything was messed up and ruined and nothing was going to change. Her mother always said the only glue you needed to fix things was hope. But she never explained what to do if that was gone too. If it was taken along with her mother's and her father's life. So Alice curled up into a ball and cried. She didn't try to stop it, and it didn't stop. She cried until she fell asleep, her body begging for rest.
When she woke up, her knees were stained from tears along with a few patches along her lower legs. The sun was shining, showing Alice the dust flying in the air around her. She dusted herself off and began to scavenge for food. She looked in the cracked, wooden cabinets and found a bit of stale bread and some old jam. Yep, I really am living like a king. She ate enough to be able to function until she was able to find some more food, hopefully better than her breakfast. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, walking around the shack she called a home looking for some water. Walked past the kitchen, knowing she had drained the water from those pipes long ago. She found a small cup still sitting on what used to be the dining table and swiped it, sweeping it up into her hands. She walked to the bathroom, hoping that there was just a few drops left. She placed the cup just under the faucet and tried the cold handle. At first no water came, but she could hear the trickling sound coming up the faucet, louder than she had expected. Jackpot. Water burst out and into the cup. She reacted quickly and turned the water off, she would need it later. The cup was filled, more than she could have hoped for. She wet her fingers and managed to clean her face. She drank more than half of it, her throat thanking her. With the last few drops still in the cup, she attempted to even out the tear stains on her pants. The memories from last night were still vivid in her mind. She shook her head and tried to put those thoughts as far away as possible. She was never going to make it through the day if she couldn't focus. She sighed, ready to get to the days work. Well, its now or never. She walked over to the door knowing that once she opened it she would have to start running. No one could know that where she sleep, because if anyone did she would get caught. That would mean it really would be game over. She glued her eyes to the ground and pushed the door open, and then she ran, she ran towards the wall, because everyone was scared of the Wall, especially after…. No! She was not going to think about that. She had to survive, and hopefully score a few sellable things too. She rounded the corner and was able to start walking again. If she had kept running she would already have more attention drawn to her then she wanted. She walked passed the normal houses, said hi the the kids she knew and copied their frowns for the adults. She turned right, wanting to get away from the Wall. nothing drew suspicion quite like voluntarily walking near the Wall. She waved to more people as she kept walking, her destination nearing. Tommy will be happy when I say sorry, and then maybe I will convince his mom that I'm not a bad guy too. She stepped up to the fencing that surrounded the small house. She looked around the house, hoping that they were still there. She caught a tiny tommy running past a window, glad that they were home.
"Hello! I would like to talk to tommy, please." she said in the nicest voice possible. She hoped the mother would not come out and start yelling at her, she was already tired as it was. She heard muffled voices and then the door swung open. Tommy skipped out, excited for the visitor.
"Hi Alice! What's up?" he smiled as if he had just received a gift.
"I just came by to say hi, and sorry for running into you earlier. I had 3 of them my back that time." She smiled, adding in the last detail to add to the little boy's wonder.
"3!? But usually it's only 2! And i heard you got caught, how did you get away?" His eyes sparkled, filled with astonishment. She smiled back at him, ready to tell the story.
"Well, see, here's what happened. I stole a bit of stuff like usual, it's all still in my pockets, and started running. But the Guard saw me running, and heard the objects bounce around. They started chasing me, 3 of them!" she paused dramatically adding to the boy's anticipation.
"Really!? What happened next? You got caught, right? But then how did you get away?" Tommy's words floated from his lips, into the air. They were soft and light and the sentences they formed were so smooth. Alice smiled, she was the reason for the excitement in this boys life. He was one of the few in this town that were always happy to see her, every time he saw her he yelled after her and asked her to tell another story.
"And then, i accidently ran into you, sorry. Or were you trying to help catch me?" she said, pretending to be offended. Tommy, startled with the accusation, raised his hands and shook his head.
"NO! No, of course not! If I could I would help you! I-I would have gotten out of your way if I knew you were coming.. I could be your partner! I could run with you, I would practice everyday and i will listen to every word you said and,"
"You know I can't let you, first because you mother wouldn't let you do it, and second because it's dangerous. I couldn't live with myself if you got caught with me, what do you think I would do if you got hurt?" She didn't sound angry, more protective. I have to keep him out of this. He was the little boy who admired her, who loved hearing her stories. No, he couldn't be pulled into this. His faced sagged, disappointed with the answer. Although she had to say what she did, she felt bad.
"No, you can't come to steal with me, but you can still practice everyday. And maybe, when you get good at running, I will teach you how to steal. But promise me that you won't steal anything. Please. I don't want you to get hurt." Her eyes held the question, willing him to answer and be happy again.
"Ok.. fine. I won't steal anything, yet. And i will practice running everyday and once I get good I will show you," She could hear the excitement returning to his voice, growing by the second. "And then you will teach me how to steal. Then, only once you tell me that I can, I will steal with you. But you have to promise to, ok?" She was relieved. Thank god, I wouldn't be able to stand myself if he hated me.
"Alright, ok." lifted her her hand in surrender. "I promise." her eyes held sincerity, and he knew it.
"Ok than. I promise, too." after that he smiled, all the happiness returning to his face. "Actually, I don't have anything to do yet, I could start running now!" he turned and ran into the house, shouting for his mother to whole way. Alice couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the boy and his mother. He's still so happy. She waited for him to come back out, by the gate. He flew from the door, finishing his conversation, smiling ear to ear. He ran to the gate, his hands still flying to undo the latch.
"Come on, let's race! To the end of this road. I know you're faster but I want to try." How can he talk still smiling like that?
"Ok, ok we can race. But after that i have stuff to do." She debated whether or not to boost his confidence on his first day, or show off.
"Stuff? Like stealing? Than this will be your warm-up." Tommy convinced her. Of course I'm going to show off.
"Alright let's do this. Nothing I like more than a little competition." She got ready to start running, and waited as she saw he was copying her position. "Ready to lose?" I almost feel bad.
"I am running with you. It doesn't matter if I get there first or not, I already won." He was beaming.
"Ok, 3, 2, 1, GO!" she announced, people around them looked their way, curious. She was alway to lone wolf, but here she was, racing the youngest in town. But it didn't matter. She was happy. Off she went, surprised at the boy's speed. He was faster than she thought. First she was next to him, then slightly in front. Almost there. Suddenly the commander was in front of her, forcing her heels into the ground to stop herself. Tommy flew past her and made it to the end of the road.
"Haha, I won!" still beaming her turned around. Although he was more than winded, he gasped when he saw what was keeping her. The commander was standing in front of her, and two officers were walking up behind her. Tommy dashed back to where she stood, almost tripping.
"A-Alice!" He stopped to catch his breath, her arms already around him. Today was his first day running, and he had already pushed his physical limit. No, no Tommy you can't get pulled into this.
"Tommy, breath. Breath, calm down. What's wrong? Did you get hurt?" She didn't take her eyes off of him, putting a hand up to stop the commander from giving orders.
"Commander, you can't lock her up, she was just running with me. We can run, right? That's ok, it's not stealing, we didn't steal anything, we were just running!" he sounded desperate. Really, his voice carried more emotion that she had heard from a person in a long time.
"You can't lock her up, please!" louder this time. She could even see tears forming. No, no this can't be happening. Oh Tommy. He push her away, standing straight on his own, still panting. "Please, please don't lock her up!" he had everyone's attention at this point, surprising not only the Guard, but also Alice and everyone else who could hear. More crowded around, people watching from every angle. And so the tears began to fall. one , than another, than another. They were spilling from his eyes, falling unto the ground, leaving little circles of water.
"Oh Tommy." she hugged him, the Guard even more surprised than she was. But he wiggled out of her arms, almost pouncing onto the commander.
"You can't locker her up! We were running! Were were racing from my house to the end of the road. She promised she was going to teach me to run! She promised and I promised I wasn't going to steal anything. You can't locker her up, she's a good guy!" The tears were streaming down his face, and she noted that they were pooling in her eyes too. Tommy I will protect you from anything. The commander was stammering, trying to get away from the boy. The offierces began to walking towards the two, but Alice's stopped them. She turned to face them, the tears had disappeared. Her worry for the boy gone, replaced by anger. He can handle the commander, these goons are mine.
"Don't you dare touch him." She said loud enough to make sure that everyone heard, especially Tommy. Now he knows that I am here for him. She looked around, the size of the crowd more than doubled. Everything was silent. "Don't you dare even think about it." At this the offierces stepped back, obviously scared of her. When she was satisfied that they were far away enough, she turned to face the commander, who was still trying to fend off the boy.
"Tommy. Come here." Her voice strong, and her arms outstretched for him. "And you, don't move." Tommy walked to her looking back at the man he had been attacking, and gave a death glare, she could have swore he stepped back. Tommy walked into her arms, and she squatted down to reach his level. She brought her hands up to his face wiping away the tears. He had stood up for her, up against the commander. His face, his action, his tears, all almost bringing back her own tears. Tommy.
"Tommy, do you remember what I told you earlier, that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you got hurt?" He nodded. But he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at the people around them. She looked around the crowd, curious to see what he found interesting, and what she saw astonished her. The group around them were all crying. Every single one of them. What?
"They're crying because they don't want you do be locked up either." his voice was soft, but full of victory. He moved everyone to tears, because he stood up for her. A the sight, she felt her eyes blurring too. No, don't cry not here, not now. One of the younger adults stepped forward. Only a few tears running down her face.
"Hey Alice. You may not remember me, but we used to race when we were little." the girl smiled, recalling the memory. Alice didn't remember. Much of the last year was a blur. She took a deep breath and began to talk again.
"It's ok if you don't. Just thought that I would put that out there." she smiled a bit wider, a little familiarity creeping into Alice's mind. Another stepped forward. This one's whole face was wet.
"I know that you guys aren't siblings or anything, but you could be. I have a little brother," he grabbed the boy's hand who had been standing next to him and pulled him forwards. "Sometimes they can be annoying, yes, but I love him with my whole heart. There is nothing I wouldn't do for him. I don't know you personally, but I can imagine what you are feeling." He breathed in sharply, clearly holding back more tears. Another stepped forwards, this one a bit older.
"Alice. Look, you may think that everyone here hates you, but we don't. We care for you. Even Mark." she pointed to the commander and then to the Guard officers. "Jack and philip too. We are here for you, we are. You're not alone. My name is Sarah. I seen most of your heists. You're really good." She smiled, and looked tired. But it wasn't the tired of the two Guard members from last night, it was a hopeful tired.
"I'm Alice." She could barely speak, the tears building up, blurring her vision. "I-I mean, you knew that. Sorry, uh, thanks." great start. She felt a small hand wrap around her own. She looked down, and saw that it was Tommy. Another small hand wrapped around her other hand, and she saw it was the little boy who was the second speaker's brother. The lady in front of her laughed softly, and then continued.
"I think that we all know that you pick pocket, and have an amazing talent for running." she looked from Alice to the people around them, everyone nodding. Alice tried to speak, to say something funny, but no voice came. "So we decided to have a meeting. Last night, mark went around the town and ask everyone if they could join us in a meeting. He isn't here to arrest you, he came to tell you the conclusion we can to at that meeting." Alice almost fainted with relief.
"Oh, ok. Ok. thank you." did I just thank her. I can't believe I just thanked her.
"Whoops." Tommy looked embarrassed. He looked over to Mark, "Sorry, I thought you were going to take her away." Mark waved it off and walked closer to the group.
"Ok, so what was the meeting about then? It sounds important." Alice looked back to Sarah, hoping for an answer. The young woman's face changed completely.
"We don't know how you are going to react to this, but we are not trying to offend you or anger you. So please don't get mad." She obviously didn't want to say whatever it was. Alice prepared herself for something terrible. Were they going to execute her? No, that's crazy. But that what it is?
"Look, I've been to hell and back, and then hell again." She got a few laughs from the crowd at that. "So I don't think that this will shake me to much. Go ahead and say it. I promise I won't get mad." Finally her voice was back, but she was on her toes. What could be so bad that she didn't want to even say it? Sarah took a deep breath and began to respond.
"Well, the meeting was about leaving the…" Alice didn't even let her finish.
"Yes." Everything was silent again after that. Everyone was shocked.
"Look you can sleep on this. I mean, what we are asking you is crazy. You don't have to respond now. And it's ok to say no, especially…" Alice interrupted again.
"Yeah, I know. It's crazy. But I have been wanting to leave these walls since it happened. I'm not scared. I want to go, really. It's been the only thing I have been working towards. I want to go out there. To s ee the world. And I know that it is dangerous and there is a high chance that I will get killed, but I still want to go. I want to face it all." She stood up a little straighter. She was proud that she could finally voice her true thoughts. Sarah just stood there, everyone did. They all though she was crazy. And maybe she was. But these people wanted her to explore the world outside the Wall, and she wanted that to.
"But, why? I would think that you would like to stay here. I mean, what you said yesterday was true. You have the best life in this junkyard, and I guess I just can't understand why you would want to throw that all away." Sarah could not believe what she was hearing. No one could.
"I want to go. Not because I want to throw all this away, but because I want that more. I have always wanted that, even more so after…" the thoughts from last night crept into her mind, but this time she didn't push them away. She used them to fuel her speech, convince the people around her that she meant what she was saying. "After my parents were killed. Yeah, I know. I know. But I'm ok now. I know how it feels to barely survive. I know the hurt and the numbness. And I have survived. I can survive the pain and the mask of the world out there." her voice was dripping with a want for revenge. No, it was dripping with venom. Every villain has a story like mine, and maybe I will become the villain. But I won't let these people get hurt, and I will always do what is right. If that means I will become known as the villain, so be it. And with that, Alice smiled cruelly, her grin mirroring the venom from her words. Yes, she could survive it all, but she was looking forward to the mask.
"The mask?" Sarah's eyes were filled with curiosity, both at why she had agreed and the words Alice had just said. She watched as the girl in front of her turned, a confident smirk drawn across her lips.
"Of course, the mask. It's hard to survive when you act as someone else. And from what I hear, out there, they don't want a broken girl," She laughed, though it seemed so out of place. "They want a perfect little lady. And that's what I am going to give them. I'll leave tonight, if that ok?" Still smirking, she held onto Tommy's hand and walked away. She didn't run, she didn't hurry, she just walked with all the patient in the world. Today a new girl was born, one who had the misfits, the ones on the inside, on her side. You can't throw me to the wolves now, they're on my side. And she continued walking, hand in hand with a wounderus little boy.
"We're undefeatable, don't you think? The first time we team up, you get to see what the other side of the wall looks like. Can't be a coincidence." The wounderus little boy smiled, so pure, so innocent.
"Yes, I think so. Things like this are not a coincidence." The girl's voice dripped with a poison, one even she was a bit scared of. Her voice held anger and hatred, a deep sadness, but above all this, was an overwhelming sense of protection for the wounderus little boy and the people of a closed off town, who didn't know what the rest of the world was like. Yeah, I might become the villain of this story, but the heroes are the ones who will be begging for mercy after this. They lock us all up here, and once there is someone who tries to make life a bit more bearable, who's ever in charge kills them and their wife. Well, they should have thought about who they were pissing off.
"So, you're leaving today, huh." Tommy said. Although he was happy for her, he wished she wasn't going.
"Yeah, I guess so." She looked down at the boy, and he looked up at her. "I would bring you along, but.."
"Yeah, I know. You don't want me to get hurt, and I know that my mom would never let me. But you are going to come back sometimes, right? Like to get food and rest." He was worried for her. He was so young, but still he was scared that she wasn't going to come back.
"How about this. I will come back every once in a while, but you have to keep practicing running. And no stealing. Then maybe , when I come back, I will teach you how to be a thief. But.." She waited for the boy to complete her sentence, knowing he would.
"No stealing until then, yeah I know. You don't want me caught or anything. But, I want you to be safe too. I don't want you do get hurt and I want you to come back." He hugged her as tightly as he could, tears just begging to form. "I love you, Alice. I wish you didn't have to go."