Katherine stood at the centre of it all; the catalyst for everything that had changed Alice's life for the worse. All of it had been a result of the blood within her veins; the blood that had been passed down to her. She had never been given a choice; her destiny having already been dictated years before she even took her first breath. As unfair as that was, it was the hand that Alice had been dealt and she had done all that she could to fight against it. Sure, that may have not been enough to give her the happy ending that she had always wanted, but at least she had tried her best. She had given it her all.
More recent memories were still fresh in Alice's mind as they too spiralled on by. They were pictures of Sam's scars and the burns that he had gained in his own painful journey of self-discovery. She was grateful that they had found each other again, but was also so full of regret for all the issues that she had been unable to help him through. And then there was her own recent crusade to fight Katherine and the damage that she herself had wrought along the way. What right did she have to claim the power of the ancients for herself? Did the end really justify the means?
Alice had already paid the price for her mistakes, but she had yet to forgive herself for the atrocities that she had committed in the name of freedom. She still needed time to work through it all, but that was time that she simply didn't have. As difficult as it had been to cope with Matty's death, it made it harder to know that it had all been for nothing. The storm still raged on around her and the Blood Queen was far beyond anything that she had ever faced before.
The reflection of Alice's feral self gave her a knowing glance as it continued to battle against the beast, its darkened eyes only just visible through matted hair and a dirt covered face. It was a single look that triggered yet more glimpses into her past, but this time they revealed secrets that had been blank spaces in her mind until now. Tearing apart a live chicken with her teeth to feast upon its innards; an act born of sheer desperation and survival instincts. An involuntary growl at her pet dog, Buster.
Before Sam, Buster had been Alice's best and only friend, but in his confusion he had mistaken her for a wild animal and turned on her without hesitation. It was her fault that he had been put down; no one else had been to blame. Then there was the day in the woods where it was so sweltering hot that she had lost herself to the heat and lashed out at Sam. It was due to her actions that he had ended up in the hospital with serious cuts and bruises. Even back then, he hadn't blamed her for what happened, but the look of fear in his eyes brought with it an overwhelming sense of guilt that had lasted a lifetime.
There had been one other time that Alice had lost control, long before the beast was in the picture. It was within the bathroom in the diner where she had worked; the place where she had almost beaten the mayor's son to death. She still remembered it with dreadful clarity, the sheer savagery and ferocity of her attack as she clawed at him with unbridled rage. It had been an act of self-defence, but she felt as though she had gone too far, the result of which was that she was driven out of town and set along a dark path from which she had never returned.
That feral girl was a side of Alice that had always been there, and yet she had tried to deny its existence instead of accepting it as a part of herself. She had never been a whole person; merely broken fragments that were never put together quite right. It was something that she had spent her entire life fighting against, and bringing the beast into the fold had only made things worse.
Both the feral girl and the savage beast suddenly ceased their vicious battle, turning to stare at Alice in unison. The ferocious little girl, with her unkempt appearance and filthy clothes, raised a dirty hand up to the snarling monster who took it gently within its claws; both of them smiling with an unusual warmth that made Alice feel oddly welcome. There was no need for them to fight, not anymore; each of them a single piece of a puzzle that needed to work together now more than ever. Even trapped within the cage of her own making, Alice wasn't alone. Her feral instincts, her beast, the innocent child. They were three parts of the same person; she had never been on her own, and she now realised for the first time that she didn't have to face Katherine alone either.
"You're never alone, Alice." another voice spoke from somewhere nearby. It was one that she knew to belong to Martha Delaney; not her birth mother, but the one who had raised her when it mattered.
The words of encouragement were joined by those of yet another. Alice's adopted father; a man who had always been her rock. "We're with you."
She could sense that Jolee was there too; the selfless cousin who she had barely gotten to know before his life was cruelly snuffed out. Without him, Alice would have never escaped from the McKay compound and would have travelled a far murkier path. His compassion was unparalleled, and she wished that she could have spent more time with him before he died; although she was thankful for those precious few moments that they had been together.
A sudden burst of vigor let Alice know that Matty was lending her his strength as well; his silent and mighty presence wrapping around her like a warm blanket, safe and secure. She felt stronger by the second; the support that she was given bolstering her mind with the overwhelming love and affection of those whom she thought she had lost. It seemed that they were never fully gone, not really. Alice's family and friends were always with her, watching over her from their places of rest. Like her survival instincts and the beast that stalked its prey, they were all a part of her and she would carry them with her wherever she went. Alice would never be alone again.
Crack!
Alice punched the glass wall, a spiderweb of hairline fractures appearing at the point of impact.
Crack!
She rose to her feet and hammered at it again with a closed fist, the lines spreading out in every direction as the structure weakened around her.
"What do you think you're doing?" Katherine gasped in surprise, reaching out as if she was trying to fix the damage.
Without a word, the feral girl moved to stand next to Alice, their hands striking the hard surface in tandem.
Crack!
The glass was close to breaking now, the entire wall of the prison a mass of jagged shards that were barely holding together.
The lack of response seemed to unnerve Katherine even further as Alice's beast joined them in their escape. She took a step backwards, a look of increasing terror spreading across her blood red face. "Stop that! Stop it now!"
The Blood Queen's yell went completely ignored as Alice, her feral instincts, and the beast beside it worked together to smash the glass cage that had held them captive for far too long.
Crack!
The walls finally shattered, causing the prison to explode into a thousand tiny fragments that flew out in every direction.
"Stay back!" Katherine shouted again to no avail. "You need me!"
It was no use. The woman's frightened screams were unable to achieve their desired effect as she was assaulted from all sides by an army of angry spirits who had been unleashed upon her. Alice was standing front and centre; no longer three separate entities, but one whole being who had accepted her nature. She had finally come to terms with who she was and what she had become.
Alice had once been told that she had the stench of destiny about her, but she didn't believe in destiny, not anymore. Alice Delaney was a savage monster who clung to her humanity with both hands; an immortal creature with a soul. The Blood Queen didn't stand a chance. The finality of her death was certain.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: In the Wake of the Storm
The night sky was a celestial masterpiece of silver stars against a sweeping backdrop of painted black, blues and various shades of purple. Among the divine brush strokes of deep colours, a single white streak split the heavens in two. Even though the shooting star came and went in the blink of an eye, the sight of it alone was so beautiful that any who witnessed it in that single fleeting moment would remember it for a lifetime. Far beneath the otherworldly spectacle, a pair of immortal beings
perched themselves upon a cliff edge, high above the snow-covered valley below. They both looked up with wonder in their eyes, taking the time to enjoy the occasion for what it was; their own little slice of freedom.
There wasn't a cloud in sight, the storm finally passing as it was carried off by the breeze. An unpleasant chill remained, the remnants of a violent tempest that had brought the world around it to a grinding halt. Whether the blizzard had been an ill omen or simply nature hard at work, it had finally left the land in peace, at least for the time being. There was no telling when the wind would change and the harsh weather would make its return, leaving behind little more than a certainty that winter was far from over and more was yet to come.
Alice and Sam took in their surroundings, their legs dangling over the edge of the cliff as they relaxed for the first time since they had left Miami. They were both content to simply exist in the moment; neither wanting to move on from their safe haven quite yet. Fortunately, they had been afforded the time that they needed, as the cold didn't seem to affect them anymore; the frigid temperatures letting up just enough that it no longer numbed their dead flesh.
The pair of them had already cleaned themselves up as soon as they were given the opportunity, donning new clothes that they had stolen from a laundromat at some point in the early hours. Thankfully, the smell of dried blood and death had finally left their nostrils, instead replaced by the aroma of generic motel soap and cheap deodorant; an improvement to say the least. It was a pleasant feeling to simply be themselves as they were right in that moment; purging their minds of any past or future worries as they concentrated on existing in the present.
Alice closed her eyes tightly and made a wish, silently praying for it to come true. She could feel Sam's gaze upon her as his curiosity got the better of him, his inquisitive words following soon after. "Well? What did you wish for?"
"I can't tell you, can I?" Alice smirked as she opened her eyes to peer back at him. "Otherwise it won't come true."
Sam chuckled lightly. "Okay, have it your way. You always were the superstitious one." He seemed to study her for a few seconds before continuing. "Are you feeling any better?"
"I think so…" Alice replied with a single nod, turning her attention back out towards the scenic view before them.
"And Katherine?" Sam continued to pry, refusing to hold back any longer.
The very mention of the name made Alice shudder; the horrific memories that it dredged up causing her mind to feel as though it had been violated all over again. As awful as that felt, she somehow managed to pull herself together and collected her thoughts long enough to form a response. "She's gone... I can't sense her at all anymore."
Alice wasn't lying to him. There was no sign of Katherine's passing, her mind now completely clear of the woman's dark influence. What she was experiencing was closer to an aftershock than anything else; a final tremor to signify the end. There were no shared memories and no voices whispering to her from the shadows.
But while the Blood Queen may have been gone, that didn't mean that she hadn't left a mark. Alice's psyche would likely remain damaged forever; the trauma that she had barely survived making her feel as though she would never truly be free of her eternal torment. All that mattered now was how she dealt with the emotional scars and how she viewed herself as a person. She knew that she faced an uphill struggle and that it would be one of the most difficult things that she had ever done in her life, but she had no choice but to move on. She didn't want to linger on the past any longer than she already had and wouldn't let the memory of Katherine Louviere continue to dictate her future, not anymore.
"I'm glad you're okay." Sam smiled softly, still looking at Alice with some concern. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't woken up."
Sam had no idea just how close Alice had come to losing herself. He would never know how Katherine's spirit had almost awoken wearing her skin as if it were her own. It was better that he didn't know the full details, as she didn't want him to worry. Besides, with his support and the help of all those who watched over her from the other side, Alice believed that she might just make it through in one piece. At least she felt as though she was a whole person now; no longer separate entities pulling her mind in multiple different directions.
Alice looked up at the shimmering orb of the moon left hanging in the sky, its shape surrounded by stars, but still so very alone. It was in that very moment that she knew they were no longer kindred spirits; they were no longer one and the same. For she had her best friend by her side and the support of all those who had ever loved her in both life and death, and with that knowledge she knew that she would shine far brighter than she ever had before. She would burn brighter than the sun.
The ancient blood was gone from Alice's veins, but that didn't bother her one bit, as it was more of a comfort than anything else. She was finally free to be her own person; to do what she wanted to do. There was nothing left to hold her back but herself, and with that thought she couldn't help but smile. The same couldn't be said for Sam however, as he stared off at a nearby tree with a nervous expression that soon replaced Alice's feeling of serenity with a rising sense of apprehension.
"What is it, Sam?" Alice asked as she followed his gaze, her worry increasing with every passing second.
Sam didn't acknowledge her question at first, seeming to be fixated on a large black bird that had perched itself upon a gnarled tree limb. It watched them from a distance with keen interest, craning its head to one side as its beady eyes stared blankly. There was a curious intelligence behind its actions, with no telling how long it had been observing them from its vantage point upon high. Before Alice could open her mouth again, the bird took flight; dislodging a scattering of snow from the branch as it spread its wings and disappeared off into the valley.
"Oh nothing…" Sam finally replied once the inquisitive creature was completely out of sight, absentmindedly scratching the flaking skin off the back of his neck. He acted as if no time had passed at all; seemingly unaware that there had been a long pause between the question and his answer.
Alice wondered if the bird held some significance, either to something that had happened to Sam when they were separated or something else that had occurred while she was unconscious. It was almost as if he recognised the bird from a previous encounter, or maybe he was just hungry and saw it as potential prey for a quick bite to eat. She was about to enquire further when he snapped back to attention and turned to face her once more.
"Where should we go next?" Sam asked with a rekindled fire in his eyes; a sight that was strange to see, yet welcome nonetheless. In fact, he seemed to have a renewed sense of vigor that took Alice completely by surprise. It may have just been a tactic to distract her from what had just happened, but his positive and upbeat attitude was highly contagious.
Alice eyed up her friend, unsure as to whether or not he was hiding something from her. It took a few seconds before she managed to reply, his unusual mood swing causing suspicion. "Somewhere quiet, I guess... Somewhere far away from here. Wasn't that the plan?"
"Sure. Any ideas?" Sam said quickly, raising his eyebrows as he eagerly awaited a response.
Alice shrugged her shoulders, still watching her friend carefully as she spoke. "I'm not too sure… How does Kansas sound? It really would be nice to return home."
"You read my mind!" Sam beamed at her happily, his smile growing so wide that it almost reached from ear to ear.
Alice couldn't help but wonder what her friend was keeping from her. Had Sam done something to help her when she was battling against Katherine for control of her mind? Was there more to her recovery than she had first realised? These were the questions that burned inside her, yet she didn't want to spoil the moment by bringing them up just yet. She still suspected that there was more to the story than she had been led to believe, but maybe some secrets were best left undiscovered. Or perhaps she was being paranoid and reading too much into things, a habit that she had devel
oped during the past year or so of dealing with the countless pitfalls and betrayals of immortal society.
Whatever had happened while she slept, Alice had to trust that everything Sam had done had been done with her best interests at heart. After all, they were the only friends that either of them had and that still counted for something. It had to.
"What about Calgary?" Sam enquired as he changed the subject again. "We left it in a hell of a mess."
Alice pondered for a little while, thinking about the aftermath of yet another secret war. She thought about the vampires that still resided within the city and the chaos that had been left in the wake of the Blood Queen's demise. Katherine's death had created a void in the vampire hierarchy, with the throne sitting empty and open for whoever was strong enough to claim it. The old queen, Renita Marquette, could reclaim her city if she wanted; or perhaps the scheming Morgana would finally seize what she had previously failed to take for herself.
Whoever wore the crown in the end, Alice decided that she didn't actually care. All she wanted now was to be far away from that place, out of reach of any who might believe that the continued existence of Katherine Louviere's bloodline was a threat to them. Whatever happened, she vowed that she would never return to Calgary, a once shining city that now harboured too many dangers to count.
Alice forced a sigh, looking off into the distance as she continued to contemplate her answer. "Let someone else worry about that. I'm too tired to be concerned about it any longer, and nothing good will ever come from going back."
Sam kept his focus on her as he furrowed his brow. "Yeah, I guess you're right... I just wanted some closure."
Looking across the frozen valley below, Alice replied in a tone that was almost as cold as their surroundings. "Katherine's gone. That's all the closure that I need."
Sam simply nodded and turned his own attention back out towards the horizon, the peeling skin of his face looking uncomfortably itchy as he shifted to sit on his hands.
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