Mr. Hollingsworth.

Ch. 30 Closet Graveyard.

Alexander's P.O.V.
It was April 5th. Her parents' death anniversary. When I woke up, Alice wasn't asleep. At first I thought she left, but then I heard her walking around. Sitting up, I remembered last night. "Alice!?" I called, she materialized in the doorway. She wore a black dress that hugged her body, with black gloves, and black flats. Clothes for mourning. "Yes?" She asked, "Just wondering where you were." I answered, she gave me a small smile. "I'll make breakfast." She responded, walking off. She was reserved lately. Her own closed off way of mourning. When she left, closing the door softly behind her, I hesitantly opened the journal, and started reading the second entry.

Dad was crying. I never even knew my dad could cry. But he was. My dad was the strongest person in my life, the one I always counted on, and seeing him cry, I felt selfish. I'd cried so much in front of him, thinking he didn't feel the same pain. But he had it worse. He didn't see me as I watched him cry in the kitchen. His hiccuping sobs shattered my heart, and the shrapnels bloodied my broken soul. The strongest person I knew, was broken. That was also the first time I ever saw my dad drink himself black-out drunk. Sure, I'd seen him drink a beer or two, but never that much. So much tears, so much pain. My mom was dying, but I had no idea that it was killing my dad too. The next morning, he was passed out on the kitchen counter. I cleaned up the empty beer bottles before he woke, and walked to the hospital.

That was my second mistake.

I've never seen mom in worse shape. The doctors told me she was in pain, and there was nothing I could do. All I could do was hold her hands, and watch the pain contort in her face. I couldn't talk because I'd cry, and my mom always hated it when I cried. So I just stared, and held her weak, bony hands.

My mom wasn't the only one dying.

My whole family was dying.

I finished the entry as I heard Alice walking up the stairs. Quickly I shut the journal, changed, and when I looked in the mirror, tears had slid down my face. I wiped them away and then Alice opened the door. She looked up at me, "Food is ready." I walked over to her, and lowered my face to her's. I wanted to hold her, kiss her. So I did. I cupped the sides of her face, "I'm sorry Alice, I'm sorry. You're the most kind hearted person I know, and I'm the worst person I know, but this happened to you and not me. I'm sorry." I whispered, then I pressed my lips against her's. She didn't kiss me at first, but then she held my wrists lightly and kissed me back.

I love you Alice.

My thoughts surprised me, but I didn't suppress them. Slowly I pulled back, and she stared up at me. "Let's go eat." I said, "Emilia is down stairs." Alice said, I nodded. Emilia had a strong personality, chocolate brown eyes, defined features, rust colored hair, and a sharp tongue.

Alice surprised me when we reached the staircase. She stopped me, and got on her tippy toes. She pressed her lips against my cheeks, "Thank you." She whispered, and then she started down the stairs, leaving me speechless. When we reached the kitchen, Emilia rolled her eyes.

"For a few seconds I thought you two would stay up there snogging all morning." She complained, I laughed as Alice went red. "Oh shut up Emilia. I walked in on you and your husband snogging more than just a couple times." Alice emphasized the word, snogging, and it was Emilia's turn to go red. She handed me a plate of food, I ate quickly, and as we walked out of the house Emilia caught my wrist.

"Look Boyfriend, I know you probably want to be there for Alice when she's at her parents' graves, but when we get there, on my signal we need to walk off. She needs alone time with her parents' she doesn't get it often. Trust me, if we stay there she won't shed a tear, and she needs to cry it out or else all that bitter sadness with explode out of her." Emilia whispered in a low tone so Alice wouldn't hear. Then I recalled Alice's tear stained journal, filled with blotchy, jagged handwriting. Emilia was right. Alice thought crying would burden the people around her, she built her walls to thick only the best could break through it.

Alice took me to a flower shop, Emilia popped in the occasional joke and Alice greeted old friends on the street, but she was more focused on the flowers. "My mother loves roses, and my father loved lilies." She explained, as she got a dozen roses, and a dozen lilies. Emilia did as well, I just got one of both, I didn't know her parents well enough, getting that many felt wrong. When we reached the graveyard, Alice knelt down, and cleaned off their graves. Carefully, I put down the flowers, I silently thanked her parents, for raising her well. Emilia put her flowers down. Alice had a small pause.
Then she carefully placed her flowers down. I heard a snapping sound, and looked over at Emilia, she jerked her head to the side. this was our cue to go. Giving Alice one last lingering look, I saw she wasn't looking back, she was just staring down at the graves. So I walked off.

As I walked off, I heard the most ear piercing scream I'd ever heard before, and Emilia and I exchanged a look.

Alice's P.O.V.

When they left, I collapsed to my knees, and started crying. "Why?" Was the question I kept whispering to myself, "Why did you two have to leave? Why?" My tears made my questions come out as violent, ragged, whispers. Then suddenly rage boiled up inside of me. I screamed, that scream held every sad moment, every angry moment, like when my uncle made fun of my mother at her funeral. It pierced the air easily, slicing through it like how a sharp dagger slices through skin. My neck veins bulged from the effort, and my eyes throbbed. Everything in me was throbbing, like needles were stabbing my skin.

I hung my head.

The tears fell faster and faster, gravity was yanking them out and stealing them from me. It made me breathless, and soon I was on all fours, because I was lightheaded. After ten minutes off that, I stood up and ran. To where, I'd have to find out.

Alexander's P.O.V.

Emilia and I walked back the grave, that piercing scream replayed in my head. It was a scream of pure agony. In that one scream, Alice conveyed all the pain she'd ever felt.

We gave her twenty minutes, and when we reached it, she wasn't there. Worry stabbed through me. "Where is she?" I asked Emilia, who was staring down. "I don't know, this never happens. Usually she finds me when she's done. She's never ran off before." She admitted, then I paused. "The closet." I murmured. The only place Alice went to when she was truly in pain. Adrenaline started pumping through me.

Emilia gave me a peculiar look, then her expression cleared. "Go, find her. You'll probably help her more than I can." Emilia said, and at that I ran off. Faster than I'd ever ran before. I ran to her house, into the house, barely closing the front door behind me. I leaped up the stairs three at a time, and then opened her bedroom door. Panting, I opened the closet door, and there she was.

She had her head tilted back, and before she could say anything, I pulled her out.

"You're not alone." My voice was jagged with sharp breaths. Alice sobbed. "You're not alone anymore Alice." I ran my hands through her hair as I held her close. "You don't have to cry alone. I'm here, I'll always be here." I said, kissing her forehead, and holding her close again. Alice pulled me closer. "Alexander," She breathed through her tears, and I wiped them away, and stared down at her.

"Alexander, I'm sorry for -" I cut her off by kissing her. I'm not letting her apologize again, she can't apologize for feeling. That's like apologizing for being human. Crushing my body against her's, she kissed me back and I lifted her off of her feet, pressed her against the wall. Pulling back for a breath before kissing her again. "Never ever think you're on you're alone." I whispered, when I pulled back. Alice stared back at me, with wide eyes. "Alexander, you," she cupped the side of my face, I had my forearm pressed against the wall above her, and I was looming over her. I was so tired. "Thank you." she let out a shaky smile.

I leaned closer, and said the words I'd never said to any girl, ever.

"I love you."