"ALICE!" Tristan shouted.
Alice turned away from her bedroom window, to find her friend smiling at her broadly. "Let me guess," She began. "You have finally gotten your dream job!"
Tristan chuckled. "You got it, Ali!"
Alice scrunched her nose. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me Ali? It sounds as if I am a boy!"
Tristan eyed her. "And how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me Tristy? It sounds as if I am a girl, with ribbons on two ponytails!"
Alice gave a smirk. "Well, looks like neither of us is changing then!" She observed.
Tristan grinned. The morning sun made his blond hair almost look golden.
Alice looked at him thoughtfully. "I am still trying to figure out, why on earth is being a driver your dream job?"
Tristan looked hurt. "A driver?" He faked surprise. "More like a young prince, who gets to drive expensive cars on a daily basis." He whistled. "Man, those guys own a king's fortune!"
Alice perked up. "Think you could show me where you work?" She asked hopefully.
Tristan's brown eyes shone with excitement. "Well then Vincent, be ready to see a whole new world!" He paused. "Do you think your mother would allow you to come?"
Alice gave him a steady look. Sophie Vincent was a little possessive over Alice, but she never seemed to mind Tristan, which was perhaps why he was Alice's only friend.
"If it's you I'm going with," Alice began. "She would even agree to send me to hell!"
Tristan shook his head. "I would never take you to hell, Vincent! Trust your childhood friend." He said, suddenly all serious.
Alice could not help but smile. "Of course, I trust you!" She said, ruffling his hair. It felt so soft in her hands. Tristan smiled. Alice slowly drew back her hand, and gazed at him lovingly.
If it were any other boy, Alice supposed he would've been furious that she spoiled his hair. Tristan though, hardly got furious or offended. He was as calm as the sea, but sometimes, even a sea had tides which could destroy everything. Maybe if pushed too much, Tristan was also capable of ruining things. Alice shivered with the thought. She liked Tristan calm, she decided.
Despite being the same age as her, Tristan was really mature and understanding. After all, it was why Alice loved him. Tristan was so easy to talk to. He always seemed to sense her moods, without her having to say anything. He could always make her laugh, whenever she was upset with the fact that her mother pretended like she did not exist.
After Alice's father had died in that tragic car accident, her mother had transformed into a completely different person. The warm, caring, and loving Sophie, had been replaced with a cold, careless, and lost mother. Alice sometimes felt as if she had lost both her parents that day.
Alice had been very small when her father had died, only six. All she remembered was that one day she had woken up to the news that her father had died, and everything had changed since then. Sophie fought the grief by spending the whole day, sometimes even nights, at their local flower shop.
Alice had almost gone mad with all the sorrow and loneliness she felt, and that was exactly when Tristan had entered her life. He had always been there whenever she needed him.
Alice had met him at school, but she could not remember exactly how. When she had asked Tristan if he remembered, he had shrugged and said they were too small to. Still, it sometimes did unnerve Alice that she could not remember how she had met her best friend.
Tristan was snapping his fingers in front of her face. "Alice Vincent, come back!" He shouted.
"What?" Snapped Alice.
Tristan gave her an exasperated look. "You've got to stop disappearing off to wonderland!"
Alice blinked. An image of a woman with red hair, suddenly appeared in her mind. She tried to hold on to it, but it had disappeared just as fast as it had come.
Tristan looked thoughtful. "If you are Alice, then who am I?" He mused. Alice gave him a sly smile. "Stop giving me that, 'I know the answer' smile!" He said, with an eyebrow raised.
"Well, I do know the answer!" Said Alice.
"And I do not want to hear it!" Said Tristan, covering his ears. "I am very well aware that the answer is something I would not like!"
Alice laughed and grabbed his hands, lowering them at his sides. As she did, she realized he had really strong and hard muscles.
'How had I not noticed that?' She thought with some surprise. Surely she had touched him before, hadn't she?
Alice let go of his hands and looked at him. He was quite handsome, she realized with a jolt. He had delicate and soft features, but his muscled body suggested that he was not as soft as he looked. He wore a random dark blue t-shirt with jeans, but still managed to look charming.
Alice shook her head, pushing her thoughts aside. "Just hear me out!" She pleaded.
Tristan gave a sigh of defeat. "Fine! Who am I?"
"You're the mad hatter!" She replied, laughing.
Tristan eyed her for a long while. After some time, he let out a small laugh. "You are the one who's crazy!" He said.
Alice stopped laughing. Another boy's voice echoed in her mind, though it was not Tristan. It was the same voice she always heard in her dreams. "Find your way back to us Alice, to me!"
"Hey, are you alright?" Asked Tristan, holding her gently by the shoulders. "You're gone really pale."
Alice smiled. "I am fine!" She replied. Though she was far from fine.
He smiled. "You know on second thoughts, you should continue looking pale for the rest of the day." Alice looked at him confusingly. He continued, "It actually matches your grey dress!" He said, laughing.
Alice hit him lightly on the shoulder. "Shouldn't you be leaving?" She asked.
He stopped laughing. "Okay, I am sorry! No need to send me away!"
"I am not asking you to leave!" She protested. Tristan looked confused. Alice made an impatient noise. "Didn't Aunt Ela ask you to return early today?" She reminded.
Tristan smacked his forehead. "Damn, the guests!" He shouted in panic.
Alice looked at him with surprise. He hardly got worried, but she figured his worry was not pointless.
His mother Ela, was usually a sweet woman but when angered, she was like a volcano who would then burn you until nothing remained. Not that she had ever shouted at Alice, but she had once seen how Tristan's sweet-as-sugar mother, had suspended the teacher who had beaten her son for no valid reason. Being a principal did have its perks.
Tristan's mother was also mostly busy like Alice's, but she was not as careless as Sophie. Ela made sure her son was cared for.
Tristan's father had died due to cancer, before his son was even born. Alice could not help but envy that he did not have vague memories of his father as she had, which often made her want to bang her head to stop them from coming.
Tristan was rambling something about how he still had to buy biscuits from the store. He looked at Alice. "Be ready tomorrow by eight!" He said, bending to tie his shoelaces.
"Where are we going?" She demanded.
"To see my new kingdom, remember?" He reminded. His voice sounded strained with the effort of bending.
"You mean the kingdom you work in." She pointed out, with a lazy smile.
"I am generously going to pretend that I did not hear that!" He said trying to sound angry, though he was smiling. He straightened up. "See you tomorrow, Vincent!" He said. Before Alice could say anything, he kissed her on the cheek and ran out of the room.
Alice touched her cheek with a little surprise. He had kissed her goodbye before, since the time they were kids, but why did it still feel as if it were something she was still getting accustomed to?
Alice sat down on her bed with a sigh. There were so many things in her life that did not make sense. Most of the time, she felt as if there was someone who was always watching her. Sometimes, she thought she could even see figures in the air.
Alice wondered why she could not remember certain things that she knew she was not supposed to forget. She closed her eyes. Who was that boy she always saw in her dreams? The boy with sea blue eyes, who always pleaded her to find her way to him.
Alice opened her eyes and looked around. Her room, where she had always felt secure, seemed to make her feel uneasy. She missed Tristan, even though it had been only a few minutes since he had left.
Alice took a deep breath and stood up. She made her way towards her window and stared out at the woods. She considered going for a walk, but she felt really tired.
Suddenly her neck burned. "Ouch!" She exclaimed.
Alice grabbed her gold locket, which felt warm in her hands. It had been a gift from her mother on her eighteenth birthday, along with the black and silver bracelets that Alice always wore. How could she not? They were the only things Sophie had ever gifted her daughter.
Alice tried hard to remove the locket from her neck, but the thing hung on stubbornly. No matter how hard she tried, the locket and black bracelet seemed stuck to her skin.
Alice let go of the locket with a sigh, and leaned her head on the window, feeling frustrated. Would all these riddles in her life ever be solved?
Alice drew back and looked out again. "One day, I will figure everything out!" She promised to herself, as she watched the wind rustle the trees.