Flesh (completed)

Chapter Thirty

~Now~

A knock sounded on the door and Lizzie closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening it.

Alice grinned widely at her. "Hey."

"Hi," replied Lizzie quietly, before stepping out of the way.

She told her that she could leave her shoes and coat in the hall closet and then they entered the living room.

Amelia joined them with a plate of cookies in her hand and Alice took one with a thankful smile.

Lizzie cleared her throat and gestured to her mother awkwardly. "Mom, this is Alice. Alice, this is my mom."

The two shook hands and Alice's grin grew wider. "You've got a beautiful house, Mrs. Lester. It's nothing like what the neighborhood kids say it is."

Amelia's brows rose, shooting her daughter a sideways glance. "Thank you. What exactly do they say?"

Alice took another bite of her cookie and shrugged. "That this house is the site of a mishap from years ago. You know, like the stereotypical haunted house."

Lizzie couldn't help the bubble of laughter that exploded from her throat.

Her mother nervously laughed as well, then left the two girls to talk as she prepared dinner.

~

Alice thanked Amelia when she placed the plate of spaghetti down in front of her and shoveled a fork full into her mouth.

Mrs. Lester nodded and placed a plate in front of Lizzie.

It looked somewhat like hamburger.

At Alice's quizzical expression, she explained, "Elizabeth doesn't like spaghetti."

Lizzie got to work cutting off chunks of the meat, then filled her mouth with it so she wouldn't have to talk.

"So- Alice, is it?"

The girl nodded.

"I've never heard my daughter mention you before yesterday evening. Are you new here?"

"I've been here for a few months now. My father is... an author of sorts." A faint smile accompanied her comment.

"Oh, how lovely. Maybe I can read one of his books some time."

Alice nodded emptily at the suggestion and lifted another fork full of spaghetti into her mouth.

Amelia chewed her spaghetti for a moment before asking another question. "What does your mother do?"

"My mother was never really in the picture." The carefree vibe fell away suddenly, leaving a heavy silence in the air. Finally, Alice broke it by adding, "It's rather hard to imagine my mother even exists."

"Oh, I'm sorry-"

She shook her head, offering a reassuring smile. "Oh, don't worry, Mrs. Lester. I'm not offended. It was an honest question."

The rest of dinner seemed to drag on and on.

Amelia would ask questions about Alice's life that were borderline too far and Alice would reply vaguely with that hint of a smile that only she knew the meaning of.

By the time Lizzie had finished her food, the sky had turned dark and Amelia gathered the plates and placed them in the sink.

Alice was slipping her shoes and coat of and smiled widely at Amelia and Lizzie. "Thank you for inviting me over for dinner."

Amelia returned the smile. "It was our pleasure, right Lizzie?"

Lizzie nodded, praying Alice would leave already. She suddenly felt a cold presence and turned to see Zara standing beside her.

"You've overstayed your welcome."

Alice noticed her too and her eyes seemed to flash with annoyance. "Really, it was very lovely of you to have taken me into your home and fed me dinner. We had such a nice chat. And you're so hospitable," she said as she shot Zara a glance.

Zara hissed before dissolving.

Alice smirked at her victory and waved goodbye to Amelia and Lizzie before disappearing down the dark driveway.

Amelia closed the door and smiled at Lizzie. "What a sweet girl."

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I just wanted to thank you guys for reading and voting. It's not over yet, but I'd really love it if I got some feedback from you.

Do you like it?

What are your theories of future events?

Why do you think Lizzie's so strange?

Please leave a comment or two and enjoy!

--bluebug99