AnOther Alice: A Novel (Undergoing Editing)

Chapter 19

Woodbury's body was covered and carried out to the ambulance. Detective Kimura spoke with the other witnesses to the crime and the shell-shocked librarian. His partner, Penelope, wore latex gloves, as she directed the team now taking photos of the scene. In the back of the room, among the world history and philosophy books, Alice sat on the floor, legs drawn up to her chest. Leighton Albright had noticed when she departed secretly from the group and he followed her to make sure she was okay.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He sat down next to her on the navy carpet, leaning his back against the bookshelf.

"I could ask you the same." Alice wiped her eyes against her sleeve, before scooching over to make some room. "I just feel...like everything...is just spiraling." Her nose turned pink and her eyes grew watery. "The people around me are dying one by one, and there's nothing I could do to stop it."

"Hey, hey." He placed a curved finger under her chin, turning her head to look his way. "The fault isn't yours, it's the Otherling's. This is all its doing. You can't blame yourself over what's happening."

"The way I am right now, I feel like I'm a death magnet, and it's all because of a stupid name!"

He dropped his hand from her face before shifting his body to fully face her. "Your name is yours, you are the only Alice Gordon, and whatever this thing is, it can't beat you nor can it be you."

"Leigh..." Her voice was breaking now as she stared at him sadly. "Maybe it's best that we go our separate ways for now."

It took a moment for him to process what she'd said. He wanted to believe she meant going different ways after the police got all their statements and sent them on their way home, but it was the way she stared at him, and the finality of it, that unsettled him.

Leighton blinked at her. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, you should stop being around me ..." Alice sniffed again, tears welling up and spilling out, more and more. She blinked a few times, forcing a smile. "Until everything is over with. I don't want you to die, too."

He looked away for a moment, completely stumped at what she was asking of him. After a few minutes, he glanced her way again, shaking his head defiantly. "I'm not going anywhere where you aren't from now on."

"What?"

"I said I'm not leaving you and that's that."

"You could die," she said, aghast. "I'm telling you to stop being around me for your own good. Don't you get it?"

"And I'm telling you I'm not leaving. What kind of guy abandons the girl they like?" He covered his mouth, realizing what he'd said.

The last part of his words completely went over her head at first, as she was too absorbed with the fact that he wasn't listening to her, that her words weren't getting through to him. "You still don't understand, I want you to live because I—"

Alice suddenly paused, the weight of his last words now sinking in, playing over in her head. What kind of guy abandons the girl they like?

Leighton's cheeks pinked by the minute. "Wait a minute. Did you just same you like me?"

"More than anything." More color entered his cheeks, making the flush even more noticeable. He lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry, I'm sure now's not the right time for this."

"You know." She placed her hand on top of his on the carpet. "I don't think there will ever be a good time from this point forward. It's hard enough telling someone you like them on a normal day, much less the situation we're in."