ALICE

CHAPTER 24- SAVIOUR

Knave turned to fully look at her. "Was that why you did not like talking about him?"

Alice nodded. "I did not trust my father enough!" Knave grabbed hold of Alice's hand. "I did not trust my father enough to believe that he would never leave me!" She paused. "And now, I will never have the chance to apologize for hating him. I will never get to see him, hug him, hear his voice." She took a shaky breath. "I even forgot how he smiled! I forgot the sound of his voice!" She looked at Knave, teary-eyed. "What kind of a daughter does that make me, Knave?"

Knave grabbed her by the shoulders, and gently turned her towards him. "A good one!" He replied. "Alice, did you not hear what Cora had said?" He continued, "She had been messing with your mind! Removing memories, replacing them with new ones. She is the one who made you hate your father. It is not your fault!"

Alice remembered how she had certain images, which she had always dismissed as dreams or her imagination. She realized now with a sharp pain, that those had been real memories. Her father had really loved her. He had cared for her. He had never wanted to leave her.

"Do you think my father knew about Cora?" Alice asked.

Knave looked thoughtful. "Perhaps he did not at first, but when...,"

"But when he did, Cora killed him!" Said Alice, completing his sentence. Knave gave a small nod. "She has ruined so many lives!" Alice said, trying to ignore the fact that she was talking about her own mother.

Alice turned to look at Knave, who seemed lost in thoughts. "Why do you think that ghost could not see me?" He asked, sounding confused.

"The ghost I had set free at that hospital?" Asked Alice, a little surprised at what Knave had asked. He nodded.

Alice shrugged. "Maybe Cora only allows certain people to see you?" She suggested. Alice looked at him thoughtfully. "You knew who Cora was from the start, so why did you not warn me the first time you saw her?" She asked.

Knave sucked his dry lips. "That is something that I do not understand myself!" He replied. "It was like I remembered, and then forgot everything the next second." Alice thought about how lost Knave had seemed after he had met her mother. "But I always did feel uneasy around her." He said.

'Just like the twins!' Thought Alice.

"Perhaps Cora has the power to control everything about you." Alice said. "Which was why even that ghost could not see you."

"I still wonder how she controls all that!" Said Knave.

Alice's eyes fell on the black locket fastened on Knave's neck. "Maybe, because of this!" She said, reaching to touch the locket. She tried to pull it free, but it was as if it were stuck to his skin.

Alice suddenly had an image of a shadow tugging at her gold locket. She let go of Knave's locket, and put her hands on her head, trying to hold on to the image. 

Alice remembered now. What she had thought of as a dream, had actually been real. Someone had been trying to take her locket. Had that also been Cora?

"Alice?" Knave called out. "Are you okay?"

Alice nodded. "I am fine!" She assured.

Knave put a hand on his locket. "I had tried removing this damn thing ever since I was cursed, but the thing is like a part of my skin. No matter how hard I try, it would not come out!"

Alice glanced down at her wrist, where the black and silver bracelet clung. She tried to remove the black one, but as she had expected, it remained stuck.

Knave was looking in front of him, as if listening to something. Alice supposed it was the twins. "The twins are saying that they have a lot of disrupted memories too." Said Knave.

Alice followed his gaze. "Is that the reason you felt uneasy around my mot...," She broke off. "Around Cora?" She finished.

"Yes!" Replied Knave.

Alice buried her face in her hands. Everything had been happening right in front of her. It was all so obvious, and yet what a fool she had been to ignore it.

She felt Knave grab her shoulders. "Alice, look at me!" He said gently.

Alice lowered her hands and looked at him. "It is all over, Knave!" She said.

She had been holding herself together for a long time, willing herself not to break down, but now as she finally accepted her fate, she could not bear to stay strong any longer. Alice hugged Knave tightly, and allowed herself to cry.

Knave held on to her. "It is not the end, Alice. I swear we will get through this together!" He assured.

Alice broke the hug. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. One good thing that had happened in all of this, was that her feelings were finally clear.

"Knave, there is something I have to tell you, before it is too late!" Alice said, as she took hold of his hand.

Knave looked at her curiously. "Go on!" He prompted.

Alice steeled herself. She knew the twins were in the room, and were probably wondering what she was doing, but she had to tell Knave what she could not before.

Alice looked into his sea-blue eyes. "Knave, I wanted to say that I lov....,"

Suddenly her bedroom door opened, and Mendaline entered the room.