The Grasp of Nighttide

by Sadaf Zulfikar

  “I need a break,” he announced and parked the car. “We’ll have a drink.”

  Derek could see hesitation in Alice’s eyes as she turned from the book she was reading, towards him. ‘Hanged until another life.’ He had got a book signed from Ritchie Maxer whose books were supposedly a hit. It was an important factor that let him chose ‘Splendor’ to meet Steph yesterday. His intention had been to make Alice happy, but the awkwardness of the morning didn’t offer either Derek or Alice the mood to talk.

  Derek led Alice to the bar counter. Alice pointed to a warning on the wall- do not drink and drive.

  “Just one drink,” Derek said

  “Then one for me too,” she said.

  But Alice didn’t stop at one. She chugged down a few more, crashing her senses.

  “Hey, Derry boy,” she pointed a finger at him, slightly swaying on the barstool. “You know what the only thing I remember from my life is?”

  “What?” Derek asked seriously.

  “You were, you are, you shall always be,” Alice ended the line in a shrill pitch. “My love for eternity,” she showed all her teeth.

  Derek covered his mouth with amazement. He was enjoying this.

  “Moments with you I cherish the most oooooh. I can’t imagine myself without you. Without you I can’t possibly do. We’ll stay together like the sea and coast,” she swayed and lost her balance, but Derek caught her. She couldn’t stop giggling. Derek was laughing as well.

  “That’s all I remember and even Google doesn’t know what it is.”

  “You’ll know soon enough.”

  “Promise?” she tipped her head to the side.

  “Promise,” Derek tugged her. “Come along now.”

  “No,” Alice protested. “I want to dance.”

  The music had turned up a notch. Alice escaped from his grip and went towards the open door beyond which people were dancing.

  Derek stepped aside to answer the phone. “Yeah Steph.”

  He frowned as couldn’t hear her. “A little louder.” He said, covering his other ear. However, the voice was totally inaudible. He could only hear the irritating buzzing sound on the line. “I’ll call you in a bit.” he said, ending the call. He sent her a text just in case. Derek wouldn’t want her to accuse him of killing the call on purpose.

  Just then, his eyes caught a sight of Alice in the crowd. She was looking around with a confused expression. Her eyes were as big as saucers when she spotted Derek walking towards her. Placing both of her hands on her waist, she waited for Derek with a scowl. Derek grinned and waved his hand up as apology.

  Suddenly, a voice stopped him. “Hey Lance, where are you heading?” shouted a mysterious lady who was standing next to him. Derek stiffened up and spun towards her, his eyebrows raised. He eyed at her from top to toe and wondered who she was. Before he was able to respond, another mysterious man replied to her.

  “Home,” the man said nonchalantly. He gave the woman a bored look and shrugged at her further advances as he waded through the crowd towards the exit. The woman bit her lips, pissed off by his rejection.

  Derek stared at Alice who seemed as if she had just seen a ghost. The woman had said Lance and he knew that had gotten to her. She stood there, frozen with her mouth wide opened. “Err…Alice?” Derek tried to shake her out from her frozen state.

  Phew, Derek thought. I thought she’d chase him.

  It happened a moment later. As he took another step, she slapped his wrist away and sprinted. She knocked some chairs and fell down but quickly scrambled up. Alice forced her way through the crowd, ignoring the stares, leaving.

  “Damn! What’s gonna happen now?” Derek mumbled and followed her out. But cutting through the crowd slowed him down.

  When Derek finally made his way out, he was too late. Alice had gotten to the man before he could stop her.

  “Lance! Lance!” She shouted. Her shouts managed to prevent the man from entering his car. He stopped and stared at her with a puzzled look. Alice ran towards him, almost ramming into him. “Hey,” she called while gasping for breath.

  The man hesitated. He eyed deep at her face, trying to get hold of her identity. “I am Lance but…sorry, do I know you?” he asked.

  Upon hearing that, Alice’s face fell. However, she was still hopeful. She knew he must be the man she used to love and would always. She leapt towards him, hugging him as tight as she could. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “Lance…Don’t you remember me?” Her tears began to dampen his clothes.

  The man forcefully pushed her away. Alice fell back. He pulled a scowl at her and seemed to be furious. “Who the hell are you? I don’t even know you! Look what you have done to my shirt! It’s…it’s full of your tears! Urghh...” He grumbled and jumped straight into his car. Derek was ready to punch him in the face for pushing Alice but he was a moment late as the engine roared loudly and he sped away.

  Alice’s face fell. “He…isn’t Lance? But…” she muttered. The truth slapped her with a painful smack.

  Derek quickly pulled her up. “Come on, Alice.”

  She heaved a loud sigh and shut her eyes. “Derek” she paused and looked up at him. “When will I meet Lance?”

  Derek grew silent.

  “Derek?” She said pouting.

  He cupped her chin. “Very soon, I cross my heart,” he assured with a half-hearted smile. Derek wiped the tears at the side of her eyes. “You trust me. Don’t you?” he said softly.

  Alice smiled and nodded. She leaned towards him, her head on his shoulder. “That will be two promises you made today. I will remember that.” she yawned. Her eyes grew tired and soon she fell asleep on Derek.

  Derek drove, taking glances at her sleeping soundly. Her chest fell up and down rhythmically with alternate heavy breathing. Derek smiled. The sight of Alice sleeping peacefully was enough to let his wide smile last for a hundred miles.

  “I swear I will do anything for you,” he whispered. Alice shifted and gave a soft grunt as if she heard what he said. “You have no idea how much I love you.” He said it louder in a purpose. Derek wanted Alice to hear that. He glanced at Alice while waiting if she’d react.

  When Alice stirred, he quickly turned towards the road and pretended to be busy driving. Derek waited and gulped, fearing that Alice might freak out at his confession. Lady luck was on him. Alice didn’t wake up at all. She was still sound asleep with trickles of saliva drooling out from her mouth and a grin plastered across her face. “Sweet dreams huh?” Derek laughed.

  He continued driving for another four long hours. Normally, he would be moaning over the boredom in that long period but this time he didn’t. Instead, he prayed that God would allow him to drive forever with Alice by his side. He didn’t feel tired at all, instead he savored the moment well. Every single second of having Alice by his side felt like heaven.

  There was a special bond between him and Alice. From the very first day they met, Derek felt something fluttering in his heart. Only Alice was able to give him the peculiar feeling. As time passed, he realized he had finally succumbed to her. Derek was willing to sacrifice everything for her. He felt a special bond with her like his parents never had, the one his dad had with Rosalie.

  Realizing that he was running out of fuel, Derek turned into the gas station. He needed not only to pump more fuel but also to ease himself and get some hot drinks. The night was cold and Alice will definitely need something to warm herself up. However, upon stepping down from the car, his inner voice screamed.

  I shouldn’t leave her, should I? He thought. For a few minutes, he debated on the same question.

  A long sigh ended the debate. It was unlikely she would even stir after the drinks and besides he could keep watch on her. He kissed her cheek “I will be back.” Derek got down from the car and shut the door softly

  He walked backwards, his eyes kept on Alice. Twenty feet away from the counter, Derek faced forward and rushed to get some drinks. Fifteen seconds later, he tu
rned his gaze at Alice but she wasn’t there anymore! Derek instantly dropped the drinks and rushed out to the car.

  The door was wide opened with no signs of scuffle. Everything was still in place and nothing was broken. He touched on the seat. It was still warm. It had to because she must have left a few seconds ago. He looked around and dashed towards the road. However, there was no one in sight.

  Alice was gone. Gone with the wind.

  CHAPTER 29

  “Alice!” A loud shout cut through her. She was standing aimlessly on the pavement.

  “Get away Alice!” Derek continued, shouting from the road.

  Alice involuntarily stepped forward, scared that Derek was in danger. That was until she saw a car coming right at her. She took rapid steps backwards, just enough for the tires to miss her toes, as she fell back.

  Derek now came running. ”Are you alright?” he was looking at the disappearing car.

  Alice looked at his face; he was holding his head, trying to make sense of something. “Are you hurt?” he asked again.

  “What happened?” She was dazed. She thought she was talking through a cloud.

  “You disappeared all of a sudden!” He was waving his hands to the now-empty street.

  “Disappeared?”

  “You are bleeding!” He gently took her arm.

  “It’s just a cut,” Alice looked over where her elbow was scraped. “It will be alright.”

  "There's a first-aid box in Cloud. Come on."

  *****

  “I had parked to refuel. I left you in the car to get something to drink. Then I saw you weren’t there,” He pressed his lips together in a tight seam. “I shouldn’t have left you.”

  "Are we far from the address?" She looked around but when Derek didn't answer, she looked at him. "What happened?"

  When she saw a tear emerging she grew alarmed. "Are you alright? What happened?"

  He pulled Alice to himself in a sudden jerk and hugged her.

  Alice rubbed his back. "You are okay, Derek."

  "What if anything happened to you? What if you didn't move in time? I was so helpless!"

  Derek felt Alice heave a sigh of relief. "Calm down. I'm right here. And before I realized she was attacking me, I thought your life was in danger. You were standing like that on the road and I was terrified that you were stuck. But I don’t know… who would want to kill me?”

  “I’ll have to get some answers,” Derek put a Band-Aid on her elbow.

  “From whom?”

  “I mean uh...” he said confused. “You’ll have to get some answers... from your mom. Yes, she might know something. We are almost at her address. I’ll drop you off and then I’ve got some work to do.”

  Derek's gaze left Alice uncomfortable. "I'll bring some chips and a Sprite. You'll take one?"

  "Okay," Derek smiled as she got off.

  He could see her counting the little bills from her pocket near the store, but Derek decided not to move. It felt his world was ending. On one hand knowing that Alice was alright was a relief but on the other hand seeing Stephanie behind the murder attempt was heart breaking. Derek wanted to believe it wasn't Steph, but he caught her face from the car's mirror as she missed Alice. His mind flashed back to the times she was curious about Alice.

  He dialed Steph's number, keeping an eye on Alice as she scanned the aisles. Silence picked up from the other side.

  "Steph. Why are you doing this?"

  She didn't answer.

  "Steph please listen to me. Don't do this. Rosalie wouldn't want you to."

  "I am doing this for mom."

  "What? How?"

  "I love you DL. But it doesn't mean I'm gonna spare her. I'll get to her sooner or later."

  "Tell me where you are. I need to meet you."

  "I can't go back on my decision. I am sorry for that. You have been a terrific brother. You were always there for me, like real family."

  "We are real family. I promise we can solve everything."

  "No. Just listen, you'll know the reason for this later on. I'll be gone- far away from here- by then. But I need you to know you were the best thing that ever happened to me bro. Just forget Alice. Leave her alone. You will know the reason later."

  "No," Derek said as he saw Alice paying at the counter. "I need both of you."

  "But you might not have either of us," Steph muttered under her breath.

  "Meet me once please." Derek waved at Alice as she smiled, walking over.

  "Okay, same gas station. In exactly one hour."

  "I'll be there Steph. I'll be there."

  "Who were you talking to?" Alice asked, handing over a can of Sprite.

  "Steph." he said, forcing a smile.

  He couldn't lose the people he loved the most. He would convince Steph, whatever in the world that would cost didn't matter. He could ask her for help, he could make things alright.

  *****

  The house was just as isolated as the one back in Colorado. Only a few cottage-like structures lit up the dark area. Woods lined the place on both sides. Derek stopped a clear distance away from the door.

  “Hey! Aren’t you coming?” She stared at Derek in disbelief.

  “Carry on; I got something else to do.” He fetched Alice’s bag from the back seat.

  "At this hour?" she sounded unconvinced.

  "Yes."

  "Please come with me." Alice hesitated before continuing. "I'm scared."

  Derek smiled faintly, brushing off a lock from her face. "It's your mother you are meeting."

  "But I don't know her." Alice argued.

  "Do you know me?" Derek laughed and then realized that it was a serious question. He was holding back on letting her know the secret he hid inside. She didn't know what he had done. "Besides Veronica knows you since you were born Alice."

  "What if the lady from the car comes back for me?"

  "Lady?" Derek asked alarmed. Did she see Steph? "Did you see the person?"

  Alice shook her head. "Maybe, I saw her outside a few nights. I wasn't sure, nor did I see the face. I must've been sleepwalking I thought, and the memories were broken and blur. But this time you were there. Weren't you?"

  "I assure you, you will be safe with Veronica." he said. I am going to talk Steph out of it. Don't worry.

  "But where will you be?"

  "Steph had called back then saying she needed help. She's nearby. Call me when you are done getting all the answers you need.”

  “Well, okay.” She squeezed his hand.

  “Do not go out, okay? Whatever it is don’t go out.”

  Alice nodded. “Please take care,” Those three words sounded like I love you to Derek. “Come when I call. Okay?”

  "Absolutely," When she was just a step away from the door, Cloud roared and Alice turned back to wave to Derek. With a wink and the signature smile of his, he drove away.

  He sped to get back to the gas station. It was a half hour drive but he'd be there in twenty minutes tops to be sure to arrive before Steph.

  He did make time. Twelve minutes early. He thought over and memorized what he had to tell Steph and when it was time, he kept watch for Steph's car. Ten minutes passed by… fifteen...

  Derek's hands trembled as he called Steph.

  "Hey." Derek said, breathing heavily- part knowing what just happened.

  "Sorry. I need to do this. Bye."

  He kicked Cloud in frustration, he couldn’t believe he’d fallen for it. He was so stupid to have left Alice. It was a set-up and Steph was successful in keeping him away and she was there- he knew it- near Veronica's place.

  *****

  As Derek left Alice, she felt sick as she parted from Derek’s fragrance, his assuring presence. She strangely felt she didn’t want to go back but instead move forward with Derek. But she could not overlook Lance’s presence in her life, no matter how much she loved the guy in front of her. The door opened as soon as she was about to knock. A lady hugged her even before she could take in her appear
ance.

  “Rave, you are here,” she cried. "You are here."

  “My name is Rave?” Alice sounded astonished. “Like in Rave parties.”

  “Like in Ray and Veronica- Rave,” finally letting go.

  Alice studied the lady–wrinkles on her dull face, years of neglect. Alice hadn’t imagined her mom to be like this, weak and sorrowful and neglected. She had a loose tank top and baggy pants on. She hadn’t even dressed well to meet her. There was an odd cheerfulness in her voice, she was excited to see her, but sleep deprived for sure and it was having an effect on her. Anyway Veronica didn't seem like she would let it get to her at the moment.

  "Mom." Alice said. "You are my mom?"

  That made Veronica hug her again, this time with sadness. "Yes Rave, I am your mom."

  Then Veronica held Rave at arm's length and observed her. "My, do you even eat? Look at you. I mean I did leave you but did you torture yourself like this?" she was crying. "I'm sorry."

  Alice wasn't angry at Veronica. She knew her mom was good- not in any way like Derek's mom. She had let go of her only for a serious reason.

  “I have so many questions to ask you… mom.” She choked on the last word and repeated it. "Mom."

  “I suppose we can sit down first,” she settled on a plastic chair and dragged the other one closer to her. “Come, sit.”

  When Alice sat, she wondered where to start her questions. She could get all the answers she wanted.

  “I wasn’t sure when you’d arrive. I mean… I had told Etsy to tell you to come today, but I still wasn’t sure. I don’t suppose you came by your Vespa.”

  “The Vespa is mine?”

  “Yeah, one of the few wishes of yours that I could fulfil dear,” she gave a sad smile.

  Alice thought of how the Vespa attracted her so much in the first place and the ‘RW’ on the seat made perfect sense- Rave Wilson.