"Alice, what have you done?" Was all Knave could manage to say.
"She's not dead!" Alice replied, not meeting his eyes.
"She is right!" Mendaline said. She bent down and pulled the dagger free from Cora's chest. A look of disgust passed over her face as she took in the blood on the dagger, as well as on her hands. She shook her hands, and suddenly all the blood vanished from her hands and the dagger. No sign remained that showed the dagger was used just a few minutes ago.
Mendaline stood up. She gave Alice an impressed look. "I think you should keep this!" She said, handing over the dagger to Alice, who silently took it, pocketing it.
Mendaline looked around. Her eyes widened with horror, as she took in the pieces of broken glass. "You broke my crystal?" She demanded, looking at Alice.
"That's a glass," Alice replied in a shaky voice. "I broke it to signal Knave to call you."
"Your damn crystal just bounced and glowed!" Knave said in an accusatory tone. He remembered the panic he had felt when for just a moment, he had thought Mendaline had mistakenly given the wrong ball. He had almost suffered a panic attack when he realized the witch might not show up at all.
Mendaline looked at him for the first time since she had arrived, and Knave watched her mouth drop open. "You're free!" She realized.
"Like a bird!" He grinned.
"Huh!" Mendaline huffed. "Well, make sure no one puts you in a cage or shoots you out of the sky!"
"Ray of sunshine, aren't you Mendy?" Knave retorted.
Mendaline turned, as if listening to someone. Knave guessed it were the twins. He turned to look at Alice, but she still wouldn't meet his eyes. Instead, she was looking at Tristan, who in turn was staring at Cora's body. He looked as if he were going to faint. For the first time since he had met the guy, Knave felt sorry for him.
"I guess, you can no longer see the twins?" Mendaline asked.
Knave nodded. He did not trust himself to reply. He was so used to living with the twins, that now he had no idea how to spend the rest of his life without arguing with Charlie, or hearing Mike's soothing voice.
Tristan cleared his throat. "What about the matter at our feet?" He asked, indicating Cora on the floor.
Knave felt impressed. In the brief time he had spent with Tristan, Knave was sure of one thing. The guy could handle anything thrown at him. Even now, he was trying to joke and Knave knew it was to cheer Alice. He couldn't hate him for that.
Mendaline looked Tristan up and down. She had the expression of someone who had plucked a weed instead of a flower. "Your name again?"
"Tristan, beautiful lady!" He said, flashing a bright smile. Knave died to see how Charlie would react to this. He guessed he was fuming in anger. Knave smiled at the thought.
"Name's Mendaline!" The witch said, glaring at Tristan with so much anger, that Knave was surprised to still see Tristan in one piece.
"That is an amazingly unique name!" Tristan replied, his smile wavering.
"And yours is a terrible unique name!" Mendaline snapped. Tristan's smile finally disappeared. He mumbled something under his breath.
"What?" Mendaline asked.
"I said, what do we do now?" He asked, indicating Cora with a hand. She was now beginning to stir, which was not a good sign.
"How would I know?" Mendaline demanded. "I don't bury witches for a living!"
Knave glared at her. "Mendaline, now is really not the time."
She chuckled. "Well, we still cannot kill her! At least, not without destroying her power source."
"So, basically like Voldemort and his Horcrux." Said Tristan.
"Like Volde who and what?" Mendaline said, looking at Tristan as if were an alien.
"It's a Harry Potter reference." He explained.
"Harry who now?" Mendaline asked, looking annoyed. Tristan began to explain, but she cut him off, "Don't answer that!" She warned. "Unless this Harry guy can help us defeat Cora, I have no interest to learn about him, whatsoever." She shook her head. "For now, we can rest assured since she would take days to heal." She said, returning her attention to Cora. "Till then, we find a way to figure out her power source," She looked at Alice. "And I think we might have a shot now!"
Ignoring everyone's stunned faces, Mendaline clapped her hands. "Alright horses, giddy up!" She shouted, making her way towards the door, but not before kicking Cora on the leg.
Knave had no idea why Tristan had decided to stay the night with them. Knave knew he had a house, and a mother who would be worried. Still, Tristan had been adamant to spend the night in Mendaline's cave, much to the witch's horror. She had grumpily produced two extra mattresses and had watched in dismay, as they had taken up more space of her vast cave.
Knave could bear all of this, but what he could not stand was the fact that Alice had been avoiding him. She would not even meet his eyes. Even now, she sat at a great distance from him talking to Tristan, which only made Knave feel more worthless. It did not help matters that he could no longer see the twins, or even Maria. At least he could've joined her in sitting glumly, staring into the distance.
The only person he could talk to was Mendaline who as usual, was sitting by her fire, staring at it as if it were the most interesting thing on earth. He wondered if she were alone, or if Charlie was with her. Whatever the case, he made his way towards her and sat beside her.
"Juliet is busy with her new Romeo, I see!" Mendaline said, making Knave wonder if coming by her was a wise choice after all.
"Can we talk about anything but that?" He pleaded.
Mendaline sighed. "Okay!" She was silent for a while, before she finally said, "I suppose you want to run to your parents."
Knave shrugged as if he was not at all dying to meet them. The truth was that the first thought he had when Tristan had seen him, was to run to his parents. The only thing holding him back was the fact that they would not recognize him. Or maybe.....
"Do you think they would remember me?" He asked desperately.
Mendaline shook her head, which crushed Knave's tiny hope. "Their part of the curse is not yet lifted." She informed him. "If it had, your parents would be standing outside my cave, begging for help." She shrugged. "I suppose their curse would end with Cora," Mendaline glanced sideways at him. "You will be with them soon enough, Wentworth!" She assured.
Knave felt a little odd hearing someone call him by his last name after so long. He had almost forgotten he had a last name. He looked at her. "Earlier on when you said we now have something we did not have before, did you mean Alice?" He asked.
"What is it that you humans say?" She asked. "Right," She said, clicking her fingers as she remembered. "Duh!" She completed, looking pleased with herself.
Knave ignored her smug look. "But Alice was with us from the beginning."
Mendaline stared at him as if he had uttered the most ridiculous statement. She put a hand to his forehead, as if checking for a fever. "I guess having your curse broken messed with your brains." She gave a sly smile. "Or perhaps you were dumb from the start, and it was with the help of your ghostly powers that you were smart."
"Ghosts don't have that type of power!" He snapped. He tried to ignore the part in him that wanted to believe the witch. Or perhaps she was using her powers to compel him to believe her. Mendaline was like a cat, ready to pounce at times like this.
Mendaline looked at Alice, who seemed oblivious as she talked to Tristan. "Your girl there has changed." The witch explained. "She has reached her full potential powers!" She chuckled. "I wish I was there to see Cora's face once she realizes that!" She almost sounded wistful.
"So we stand a chance against Cora, now that Alice is powerful?" Knave asked.
Mendaline nodded. "However, I am worried about something else." Knave waited. After a while, the witch continued, "Powers usually free your inner demons, and we have already witnessed a glimpse of that when Alice stabbed her mother." She sighed. "I wonder if I would ever be able to see that innocent and naive Alice again, the one who had come with a torchlight in my cave." She looked at Alice sadly. "That Alice had been afraid of the dark, and this girl sitting in front of me seems to carry darkness with her."
Knave remained quiet. Mostly because what the witch had said was true. He looked at Alice. "Alice might not be that naive now, but she still has a good heart." He looked at the witch. "The reason she is avoiding talking to me, is because she thinks I will see her differently now!" He said, finally realizing the truth as he said the words.
"Well, you have to talk to her then," Mendaline looked at him. "Make her certain that your legs are well trapped in the quicksand, and you won't ever leave her!"
Knave narrowed his eyes. "I admire how beautifully you define love!" He remarked. Mendaline smiled, as if he had praised her. He hoped the witch knew he was being sarcastic. "Do you even know what's love?" He asked, unable to help it.
Mendaline gave a dry laugh. "Oh, I know what love is!"
"What is it?" Knave asked, waiting for her to give a sarcastic answer, or snap at him. Maybe even punch him.
Instead, Mendaline answered the question with full honesty. "It's the force that makes your mind become a slave of your heart."
"It's quite the opposite of that," Knave said. "Love sets you free!"
Mendaline smiled sadly. "That's not what I learned." The pain in her voice was so raw and evident, that it took every bit of self-control Knave had to not pull her into her hug, and beg her to tell him what had happened to her. What stopped him was the knowledge that Mendaline would not appreciate it. Also, he loved his face.
"May I ask where Mike and Charlie are?" Knave asked instead, desperately wanting to change the topic.
"They said they needed a walk, but I think they are mourning the loss of the old Alice after seeing the killer version of her," She paused. "To sum it up, they need time to process everything." When Knave said nothing, she asked, "Don't you want to know where Maria is?"
Knave supposed he did not, but curiosity got the better of him. "Where is she?"
"I don't know!" She admitted.
Knave shot her a murderous look. "So why the hell did you ask?"
"I was curious to know how you feel about the traitor in our group!" She looked thoughtful. "I bet she is probably with Luna at the moment, discussing Alice's new behaviour too."
They were both quiet for a while, staring at the fire. "I miss the twins!" Knave suddenly admitted. He had no idea why he had even told the witch this, but it had been a long day and he was tired.
Mendaline stared at him in surprise. "The Knave I knew would never admit that!"
Knave smiled. "People change!"
Mendaline's expression turned guarded. "Yet another human trait!" She said with distaste. Knave gave her a confused look, but Mendaline cut him off before he even opened his mouth. "You might want to go see your heroine," She began."The villain is off to bed!"
"Looks like someone finally slept!" Knave said, as he sat next to Alice.
She sat hugging her knees, watching Tristan as he slept. "He did!" Was all she said.
Knave couldn't stand it any longer. "Why are you not talking to me, Alice?" He demanded. "If I did something wrong, just say so at least we can....,"
"You did something wrong?" She looked at him disbelievingly. "Knave, I am the one who messed everything up!" She began. "Because of me, you have lost your ghostly powers!"
"But you broke my curse, that's what matters!" He protested.
"What's the point?" Tears were now rolling down her cheeks. "Your parents still don't remember you."
Knave realized that at some point she had the conversation with Mendaline long before he had. It only made him love her more. He reached out and wiped her tears. "Alice, all you ever meant was to help me." He said.
Alice shook her head and gently drew his hands away from her face. "It is not just that!" She looked at him. Really looked at him from the time they had arrived. "I saw the way you had looked at me when I stabbed my mother," She began. "And I do not blame you because I don't recognize myself either!"
Knave knew he had to carefully thread ahead. One wrong word from him could ruin everything, and there would be no turning back. "When you stabbed your..," He stopped himself. "Cora!" He corrected. "When you stabbed Cora, you knew it would not kill her, is that right?" He asked. Alice gave a small nod.
Knave smiled. "Then what you did was just to protect us all!" He explained. When Alice did not reply he said, "You have changed!" Alice looked down as he took her hand in his. "But Alice, is it still possible to be yourself after everything you've been through?" She did not meet his eyes. "Alice, look at me!" He said. He gently raised her chin, making her look at him. There was an emptiness in her eyes that Knave had never seen before. "You have a good heart!" He assured.
When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. "What makes you so sure?"
"Because I know that somewhere deep down, the fact that you stabbed your mother is killing you!" He replied. "That is evidence enough."
"Let's hope you're right then." She said, still sounding unsure.
Knave waved her worry away. "I always am!" Alice broke into a small smile. It wasn't her usual smile, but it was enough for now. Knave looked at Tristan. "Doesn't he have to go home?" He asked, trying not to sound pathetic.
Alice shook her head. "His grandmother fell seriously ill, so Aunt Ela is at her house." She shrugged. "Tristan was supposed to stay at my house anyways." Knave silently thanked his luck. He nodded his head as if he understood.
"I am guessing you're missing the twins?" Asked Alice. Knave felt a smile tug at his lips. She knew him too well.
"In the past few months, we had all developed quite a bond." He replied.
"The twins are known to mingle well with anyone." She said.
Knave eyed her. "Come on lady, I deserve most of the credit!" Alice smiled, and Knave felt all of his tiredness disappear.
"I guess, we should go to bed!" Alice announced.
Much to his disappointment, she chose the mattress next to Tristan's. Knave offered a smile, hoping he did not look as if his guts were punched, and went to sleep in his usual spot.
"Knave?"
Knave opened his eyes and nearly died with shock. Beaming at him, were the twins.
"Charlie? Mike?" Knave called out unbelievably. Without thinking, he grabbed Charlie in a tight hug.
"Seems like someone missed me!" Charlie said, sounding surprised. Knave found that he was so overwhelmed seeing the twins again, that he could not find any words.
He hugged Mike next, who patted his back saying, "Glad you can see us, Knave!"
Knave broke the hug, shaking his head. He was sure he was dreaming. He voiced his fear. "I am dreaming!"
A sharp pain in his arm made him jump. "Hey!" He shouted, as he realized Mendaline had pinched him. "What the hell was that for?"
Mendaline smiled. "To let you know that dreams do come true!" He must've looked confused, because she rolled her eyes. "I mean you're not dreaming, idiot!"
"It's real Knave!" Said Alice. Knave looked at her. She was smiling at him. Tristan stood at her side, looking extremely uncomfortable.
Knave shook his head. "H...., how?"
Mendaline blew out an air of exasperation. "Since you were crying your eyes out last night because of the twins, I had a brilliant idea of lending you some of my powers!"
Knave shot her a look. "You're exaggerating!"
Mendaline pouted. "I am...," She began, but Knave grabbed her in a tight hug.
"Um..., you're welcome?" She said, sounding surprised.
Knave broke the hug. He had shown enough emotions for one day. It was time to bring the train back on track. "I did not say thank you." He pointed out.
Mendaline's eyes grew wide. She looked around as if to make sure she had heard right. Alice had her head in her hand.
Mendaline shot him a look that made Knave wish he could take back his words. "GO TO HELL, WENTWORTH!" She shouted.
Knave held up his hands. "I was just kidding!" He quickly assured, before she had a change of heart and took back her powers. Could she? Knave decided he did not want to find out.
Alice looked up. "Could you give Tristan the power to see the twins too, Mendaline?" She asked hopefully. Tristan looked at her in horror. He started shaking his head violently. Alice ignored him. Mendaline looked awfully sick.
"Mendaline?" Alice called out.
"Ye... yeah, what?" the witch answered.
"I asked, if you could also lend Tristan the power to see the twins?" Alice repeated, determined to not let go.
Mendaline cleared her throat. "Knave had been able to bear the powers, but I am not sure if it would work on normal human beings," She explained. "Besides, lending Knave my powers has already drained me and if I would have to give Tristan my powers too, I would be dead by the next morning!" Knave could not tell if she was lying. Mendaline was a champion at poker face.
Alice seemed to have realized this too. She looked like she was about to burst out, but Tristan quickly said, "That is okay!" He began. "I am better off without powers."
Mendaline shrugged. "Exactly!"
Alice opened her mouth in disbelief. "What prob...,"
"Alice, can we talk?" Tristan chimed in. Reluctantly, she followed him out of the cave.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Knave asked the question he was sure Alice had been trying to ask the witch. "What problem do you have with Tristan?"
Mendaline narrowed her eyes. "Why are you so worried about him?" She asked. "You are supposed to support me!"
"It is not in me to be so mean! And just so you know, I don't hate Tristan." He said, trying to make himself believe that too.
Mendaline was not fooled, but she did not push. Instead, she said, "He just reminds me of someone I hate."
"Who?" Asked Charlie.
"Does it matter?" She asked.
"Why did you help me?" Knave asked. Mendaline did not offer her help that easily.
"Because it was the first time you showed your real feelings." She sounded honest. "Well, to me at least!" She smiled at him. "See, sometimes it's good to share things with people."
Charlie snorted. Knave resisted the urge to do the same. "I think you should practice what you preach, Mendy." He said.
Mendaline shook her head. "That is not my motto," She began. "I prefer preach, and then do whatever you want!" She looked around, as if searching for someone, before turning to Mike. "Do you have any idea where your girlf..," She stopped herself. "I mean, where Maria is?"
Mike reddened. He shook his head. Knave wondered if he had missed something while he had been asleep. Charlie also looked clueless.
Knave looked outside the cave, trying to find Alice. Perhaps she knew? Whatever the case, he had to talk to her.