Crap. He was up to something. And Alice had a feeling that, by the time she figured out what, it would be too late.
* * *
Out in the den, Alice finished stretching a sheet over the air mattress that now occupied the middle of the space, the tables pushed to the side. She threw a couple blankets in place and was tossing in some pillows when Mom emerged from the kitchen, a plate in hand.
“Do superheroes eat brownies?” Mom set the plate on a nearby table.
A chocolaty, buttery scent filled the air, and Alice groaned as she reached to take one.
“This one does.” She bit into the warm gooeyness, and her eyes crossed. “So good.”
“Figured this slumber party needed proper snacks.”
After Mom balked at the idea of staying upstairs tonight, Alice suggested they both sleep together in the living room. That way Mom could keep an eye on her while she kept an eye out for the Black Knight. Once it was decided, Alice pulled out the air mattress and Mom whipped up a batch of her should-be-world-famous butternut fudge brownies.
“And now that things have calmed down, we need to have a proper conversation.” Mom settled onto the couch and kicked her feet up on the mattress. “About this whole situation.”
Alice figured this was coming. Their earlier talk was just to get everything out in the open, but now that Mom had a chance to process while baking, it was no doubt time to get into the nitty-gritty, as Nana K said. Alice took another brownie and waited.
“I said I am not okay with this, Alison, and I meant it. I’m not sure in what world you ever thought I might be, but this surely ain’t it.” Mom drew a slow breath as she picked at a brownie herself.
“I know.” Alice came around to sit beside her and was instantly wrapped in soft arms and the smell of vanilla jasmine something or other. It was Mom’s favorite.
“I’m not.” Mom’s voice cracked before she sniffed a little.
Silence stretched between them, and Mom’s hold seemed to tighten with each passing second.
Finally, Alice shifted to draw back but not completely free. “I wasn’t either. Not at first, but … I don’t know. I was so … angry after Dad died. And you…” The familiar irritation started bubbling up.
Mom, her trembling lips pursed, gazed steadily at Alice, her eyes glassy with tears.
The anger fizzled.
“You were dealing with it, your way. This turned into my way. I don’t know what I was doing, just I could do it. And, like I said, you seen how good. And it’s more than that, I’m doing something important.” Alice let a little bit of space open up between them. “I … I couldn’t stop what happened to Daddy.”
“Oh, baby, that wasn’t your fault.”
“I—I know. I still couldn’t stop it. But I’m stopping a lot of other bad stuff from happening. At least, for a little while.” She smiled faintly. “I told you I was actually planning on quitting last week. But this mess hit the fan, and … I gotta finish this, now. I can’t just let it go, or people could get hurt real bad.”
“What about you?” Mom stressed. “What about you getting hurt?”
“That … happens. But! But I came back from all that, and I’ll come back from this.”
Mom puffed her cheeks and blew out a slow breath. “Can’t nobody else do this?”
“It would take months for Hatta to find someone else and train them. Besides, it’s not just me in this. I have a lot of friends who’re just as good as me, better even, and they got my back.” Alice reached to take her mother’s hands, squeezing them. “I gotta see this through with them. I can’t make them handle it all alone. Afterward, I’ll be done.”
Mom shifted in her corner of the couch. “Completely finished? No more sneaking out to kill monsters?” She blinked. “Lord, I sound like one of you and your daddy’s wild Japanese cartoons.”
Alice laughed and nodded. “Anime, Mom, and no more of any of it. The fighting, that is—there’ll still be lots of anime.”
Mom shut her eyes, resigned. “It’s just that, I’m your mother, and it’s a mother’s job to protect her baby.” She set trembling fingers against her lips. “I can’t do that if you’re out there without me.”
“Nooooo, Moooom. Don’t cry.” Alice scooted toward her mother, feeling the burn of her own tears. Damn, she was crying a lot lately. She tucked herself against her mom’s side, head on her shoulder. “You have protected me. You showed me what it means to look out for someone you love, no matter what. It’s because of you I’m able to do this, even though I lied to you about it.”
“I’m not okay with that, either.” Mom sniffed and wiped at her face before curling her arms around Alice again.
The two of them sat there wrapped in each other and the quiet of the house for a bit. Alice closed her eyes while her mother stroked her fingers along her baby hairs. It felt … good to have everything out in the open. Amazing, really. Funny, if it wasn’t for the Black Knight showing up like that, she’d still be trying to figure out how to sneak out tomorrow. The next time she saw him, she’d thank him, right after kicking his nuts up into his chest cavity.
“You know,” Mom started. “I’m pissed, but I’m also proud.”
Alice blinked up at her. “You are?”
“Oh yeah. I may not be happy about how it’s happening, but my baby out here saving the world, apparently. And tearing up my house in the process.” Mom’s tone shifted to mock irritation.
Alice grinned wide. “Speaking of, we still have to figure out what you’re gonna say to the insurance company.”
“I’ll say we came home to find it like this.” Mom grunted. “Now you got me lying.”
“Sorry.”
“No, you ain’t.” Chuckling, Mom pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Your daddy would be proud, too.”
The burn from before returned, and Alice’s throat tightened. “Y-yeah?”
“Oh yeah. And also angry ’bout the lyin’ and sneakin’. But oh so proud.”
Pillowed in her mother’s arms, Alice’s thoughts strayed over all the things she’d ever imagined her daddy would say if he knew about everything. She’d hoped he’d be proud of her, and hearing her mom say it was the next best thing to hearing him.
You doing good, Baby Moon, but more importantly, you doing right, like I always knew you would.
With exhaustion pulling at her—she hadn’t slept in nearly two days now—and nestled between sweet memories of her father and the loving embrace of her mother, Alice eventually drifted off to sleep.
Eight
TEST
Alice weaved through the throngs of students and made a beeline straight for Courtney’s locker. Court waved when they caught sight of each other—which was easy thanks to how tall she was in her usual: a pair of pumps—then hurried to meet her.
“Oh my god.” Court threw her arms around Alice and squeezed. “You’re okay!”
“Until you choke me out,” Alice grunted, wriggling slightly.
“Sorry!” Court eased up, but didn’t let go. “Sorry. I’m just … I don’t think I could lose two best friends in the same week.”
“I know what you mean.” Alice glanced up and down the hall. No one seemed to be paying them any attention particularly. “Were you able to give Hatta my message?”
“Mmhm. He said to call him as soon as you get the chance.” Courtney held out her phone, which was wrapped in a pink-camo case with an angry cartoon bunny face on the back. That was new.
Alice didn’t say anything, merely arched her eyebrow before hitting the pub’s number. She had about eight minutes before they had to get to class.
“Looking Glass,” Hatta droned.
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Are you all right?” His tone sharpened. “Courtney told me about the Imposter showing up at your place again.”
“I’m fine, just tired, really. He got the worst of it.” Alice chanced another glance down the hall. Courtney shifted to hide her somewhat from the crowd.
&nbs
p; “And your mother?”
“She’s fine. Pissed, but fine. Lissen, I don’t have alotta time, but I saw Chess. I don’t think he recognized me at first, but then he seemed to come out of a trance of some kind? He said some lady—literally called her ‘my lady’—had rescued him from the dark. Then he showed me h-his wound, the one he definitely should’ve died from. It was filled with that Slithe stuff.”
The line went silent for a few seconds, and then, “When you say filled…”
“I mean like someone had packed it in there like … I don’t know, where there should’ve been muscle and blood, there was that shit.”
“Curiouser…”
Irritation spiked at the base of her skull. “This isn’t a curiosity, Addison, this is my friend.”
“… Sorry, milady, I wasn’t trying to make light of the situation.”
Alice sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I know. I’m sorry, just … do you know what’s happening to him?”
“It sounds like a morfasil. Remember when Madeline tended your wounds and covered the one on your side with a thick substance that then shifted to match your skin tone?”
“Yeah?” Alice pressed a hand over that injury, or what was left of it. Dreamwalkers healed quickly, especially when Maddi looked after them. The “bandage” had shrunk as the wound did, and was nearly gone.
“That’s a morfasil. Or a type of one—they have many uses.”
“So the Slithe is a bandage for the wound?”
“That’s what it sounds like. I’d have to see it to be certain, but that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.”
“So … so he’s really not dead, then?” She lowered her voice.
Courtney cleared her throat, loudly, and waved at a couple white girls who glanced their way.
“Alice, I assure you, Slithe cannot bring people back from the dead. When an attempt is made, the results are … grotesque.”
Alice nodded, relief pouring through it. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe Hatta the first time, just … she’d seen the light go off in Chess’s eyes. He looked, he felt dead. “O-okay.”
“But this revelation of the Slithe-based morfasil concerns me. And you said it was inside the wound?”
“Mmhm.”
“Mmm.” Another pause before Alice heard someone speaking to Hatta on the other end. His voice was muffled, and she couldn’t make out what either of them was saying.
Brrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnng!!!
Alice jumped as the shriek of the three-minute-warning bell filled the hall, and kids started to move with purpose toward their homerooms. Locker doors banged shut in a percussive sound-off.
“Hatta,” Alice called into the phone. “Hatta, I have to get ready to go.”
“Sorry,” he said more clearly now. “I was talking to Anastasia. She suggested that this might be the result of him being stabbed by the Imposter’s sword.”
Alice winced at the memory of Chess’s body jerking as the blade plunged into it. The Black Knight had said there wouldn’t be any problems so long as they brought him the Eye. Another lie. She bit down the sudden swell of anger.
“Or,” Hatta continued. “Another likely source is a Poet, and a powerful one. Powerful enough to enchant the sword with a latent verse. That’s what happened when the Imposter gave you that ‘message’ for me.”
Alice remember that night clearly as well. The Black Knight had cut open her palm and filled it with some black sludge from her hand. Likely Slithe, but she hadn’t known at the time, and she hadn’t said anything until it was too late and the verse took hold, poisoning Hatta.
“Wait,” Alice murmured, blinking out of her rising anger. “If it’s the same thing as what happened to you then … can we use the Heart to help Chess?” Now hope sparked to life in her chest. They were already going after the Heart to help Odabeth’s mother—the White Queen—and Hatta. If this helped Chess as well …
“Maybe. It could be the same Verse, it could be a similar Verse with a different remedy. Either way we—”
“Alice.” Court tugged at her shoulder. “We need to go, or we’re gonna be late.”
“O-okay.” Alice fell into step behind Court as they hurried down the now mostly empty hall. She didn’t want to cut the conversation short, but detention would throw a massive monkey wrench in getting to the pub on time. “Hatta? I have to go. I’ll be there later today.”
“All right, luv. See you, soon.”
Warmth slid through her at that. “Bye.” She hung up just as she and Courtney all but stampeded through the door to their homeroom, right as the final bell sounded.
* * *
“Waitwaitwait. Back up.” Court glanced around the lunchroom, then scooted her chair closer to Alice’s. “So he just kisses you and vanishes?”
“Mmhm. Now I know what the twins meant when they said poof.” Not that there were a ton of ways to disappear, but she hadn’t imagined they meant literally.
The sound Courtney made reminded Alice of a wounded animal. Her face had gone bright red, and she blinked rapidly, no doubt fighting back tears. With a sniff she refocused on her meal. “I’m really glad he’s okay.”
Alice reached across the table to squeeze her friend’s hand. “Me too. Even if he is acting shifty as hell.”
“And that your mom didn’t end your short but beautiful life.”
Alice snorted. “Yeah. She even said she was proud. Hella pissed, but proud.”
“That still could’ve gone way worse.”
“You ain’t lying.” Alice covered a yawn and rubbed at her face. The pain setting in behind her eyes said this was gonna be a long day, especially after the most sound but brief sleep she’d had in a week. Passing out after nearly being killed before Courtney’s party didn’t count.
“So does that mean you’re in the clear to get things handled?” Court stole another glance at Chess’s empty chair. They’d both been doing it since they sat down.
“Sort of. She wants to talk more after school, about just what I’ll be doing, how long I’ll be gone, how safe it’ll be.” Alice pilfered a sprout of Courtney’s untouched broccoli.
“Man. I did not think I’d see the day when your mom would find out you were secretly an ass-kicking monster killer and be okay with it.”
“For the record, she’s not okay with it, but she understands what’s happening is important. That I don’t want the world, her, my grandma, or my friends to end up caught in the middle of an interdimensional war.”
“Legit.” Courtney took a moment to reapply sky blue lipstick. It was the only makeup she had on today, which was still something to get used to. Their homeroom teacher had even asked if Court was all right after she came in with a naked face. “What time did you want to go to the pub?”
Alice was all packed up and ready to go. She just had to stop by home long enough to grab her stuff and reassure her mom everything would be all right. Hopefully. “ASAP. Though I need a favor after you drop me off.”
“What’s that?” Court clicked her compact closed.
“Check on my mom while I’m gone. I don’t want her to be by herself.” Normally Alice wouldn’t be too concerned about that, especially since she was never gone for more than a handful of hours in the past. But this time she could be gone for days. Even if Mom knew what was up, she was likely to worry herself into a catatonic state. It would help to have Courtney around to engage.
“Of course. I mean, long as she doesn’t murder me. I lied to her for a whole year, too.”
* * *
The rest of the day dragged by, as it tended to whenever Alice had something she wanted to do after school. She told Court she would meet her in the parking lot after a run to the bathroom. It took longer than she would’ve liked—why was there always a line?—and she eventually pressed her way toward her locker.
She nearly stumbled over her own feet when she caught that violet gaze staring from the end of the hall. She hadn’t expected to see him so soon, if ever again, t
o be honest, but there he was, and there he went.
He turned and moved on, heading for the back of the school. And, like before, Alice hurried after him. She pushed through the waning throng of kids, tossing sorrys and excuse mes over her shoulder as she went. Pushing through the door, she surveyed the back lot from the top of the stairs. Students filed past and swept between the remaining rows of cars. Her eyes ping-ponged over each head of brown hair.
There. He was already at the end of the lot, and still going.
“Chess!” Alice shouted. A few kids glanced at her, then across the lot at him.
He didn’t look back.
“Dammit.” Leaping down the stairs, she took off at a run, dodging around a pickup truck and nearly getting hit by a little Toyota, the tires squealing as she danced out of the way.
The girl driving shouted something, but Alice wasn’t paying attention.
“Chess, wait!” She hit the edge of the parking lot where she had to duck around a line of trees.
Chess had somehow already made it halfway down the block. He’d stopped, though, and turned to face her. Waiting.
She slowed, panting, her head buzzing from the lack of oxygen and the rush of blood. As she approached him, something was … off. She couldn’t put her finger on it, though.
She stopped several feet away, chest heaving, tongue thick in her mouth. “Chess, please. I don’t know what’s happening, but I can help you. Let me help you.”
“You think I need your help?”
“Yes! This, whatever’s happening to you, it isn’t right. I don’t know what this lady is doing to you, but I know it’s not good.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” He tilted his head back, the sunlight flickering in his eyes. That’s when Alice noticed the color. They were black, not violet.
She drew back a step, fingers twitched toward her bag, her daggers hidden inside.
Chess extended his hand, the tips of his fingers blackened.
Alice’s eyes widened as inky gunk shot from his hand. She threw herself back with a shout, twisting as he turned to follow. Dodging around another deluge, she turned to run for the school, only to nearly tumble forward when her foot snagged against—she didn’t know. And when she turned to see, she found that sludge covering her shoe and wrapped around her ankle.
A Dream So Dark Page 8