Alice's POV:
A few weeks have passed since the kidnapping incident. Of course, we couldn't tell everyone the Russian mafia kidnapped me, and then the Italian mafia rescued me. So, we made up a lie that a few guys who wanted money captured me.
We kept the story short and simple.
They kidnapped me.
The police rescued me.
Neilson told me not to worry about it since he will plant false evidence, and he got people working inside the police district.
That's pretty scary, knowing that the mafia is working inside the government.
Not surprising, but still scary.
When I was well enough to go back to school, despite Neilson's plead to stay in the hospital, sympathetic looks from my classmate was the last of my worries.
It was very annoying, though, people asking how it was or how I felt about the whole incident.
Rumor spread like wildfire about my kidnapping incident throughout the school.
"I heard they demanded a million for Alice."
"I heard Alice got gangbang by like 20 people."
"I heard they kidnapped her because she knew something she shouldn't."
"I heard it's because she works for the CIA, undercover as a high school student. She is actually 48 years old."
Some rumors aren't far off from the truth. Others are unbelievable, making me wonder how far off their imaginations are.
I tried contacting Marvin a few times, but it failed. I tried asking Neilson what happened inside the warehouse, but he refused to tell me anything.
More weeks passed, and things fell back into place, returning to an average pace.
Sitting in Neilson's car, we drove to Tyler's birthday/congratulations; she said yes to your proposal party.
Neilson was wearing dark jeans with a blue button-up top. I was in a simple light blue dress with a small bow at the back and white heels.
When we arrived at Nina's house, he held my hand. We walked through the opened yard fence, and instantly everyone hollered at us. Neilson laid a kiss on my temple and headed towards the guy while I went to the girls.
"Are you sure you want to marry my brother? You said yes, but it's not too late to run," Amanda said.
My eyes went towards Neilson to see him laughing and joking around with all the guys, warming my heart. I'm not sure what is going on, but recently things seem to be tough for him.
"Yeah, I can help you escape right now," Nina whispers.
"I'll be the distraction," I said.
"And I'll drive the getaway car," Lizzie input with a wink.
We all laughed.
Tyler walks over, throwing an arm around Sally. "Hey! What do you all think you're doing to my girl?"
We stifled our laughs.
"It's too late. You already said yes," Tyler said in a severe tone.
Sarah shrugs, "But, I haven't said I do."
Tyler held her hand, grazing his thumb across her left finger, then kissed it. "You've been chained down," he whispers, causing Sarah's face to turn red.
We all let out a gaggle.
"Get a room!" Ben, Nina's second older brother, shouted, then turned to Lizzie, "Why are you here ugly?"
Lizzie gasps then stands up with her plate. "Excuse me, but the air around here suddenly became insufferable."
Ben chuckles, "Insufferable," he said mockingly. He followed Lizzie. "Don't think you're all that because you went to college, you can use those big words at me!" he waves his hands around.
I snort, feeling a pair of arms hanging around my neck. I looked up, and Neilson pecked my lips. He pats my waist, and I stood up, sitting down on his lap with his arms wrapped around me, our fingers tangling. Kevin sat beside Nina, resting his arm over her shoulder, placing a kiss on her lips.
"Urg, those two should just get together already," Amanda grumbled, and we all nod.
The sources of my rumors, the women of the Lun family, told me Ben had been crushing on Lizzie ever since middle school. He doesn't know how to act around her, so he did what every elementary school boy would do, annoy her.
"Oh, I want you to meet someone, honey," Tyler said. "Yo! Barrett!"
I turn to see a golden hair and light blue eyes guy jogging over to us. He had standard blue jeans and a white shirt that fitted his muscles well. This Barrett guy and Tyler did some bro handshake, and he smiled at us, showing off his very white teeth.
Tyler laid his arm around him. "Barrett, this is Sarah, my fiance. Sarah, this is Todd Barrett. We met during our freshman year of college."
"And he finally just introduced me to his girl, about time," Todd said playfully, nudging at Tyler.
Tyler chuckled, then shrugs, "Who told you to live so far away?"
"Hi," Sarah places out a hand.
Todd shook it. "Well, I can see why Tyler is hiding you from the guys," he winks.
Sarah giggles.
"Hey! That's my girl," Tyler said playfully, and they laugh. "All right, here is the rest of the crew. This is Alice and her boyfriend, Neilson. They aren't related to me, but they are like family."
We greeted and shook Todd's hand. I can see Todd checking me out, not averted his eyes when Neilson glared at him. I pat Neilson's hands twice indirectly, telling him to loosen up.
My eyes scurried over, noticing Amanda sliding down her seat, seemingly covering her white, pale face with her hair.
"Over there is my younger sister Nina and her boyfriend Kevin."
"Hello," they shook Todd's hand.
"And last but not least, around this table is my other younger sister, the thorn to my side, Amanda," Tyler pat Amanda's shoulder.
My eyes furrowed, seeing Amanda scooting lower on her chair. Todd walked towards her with a smile that seemed to fall flat. "Do I know you?" He asks.
Amanda shook her head, eyes looking elsewhere. "No," she squeaked, chewing on her upper lips.
Todd's eyes narrowed, moving closer to her face as she backed away. We all stared at them, waiting for the show to unroll. "I do know you!" Todd shouts.
She shook her head a lot more rigorously and chuckled awkwardly, covering her face with her hair. "I think you're mistaken."
"No! You're the girl who threw up on me last weekend!"
"I don't know you!" Amanda screams defensively, "Excuse me, but I'm needed elsewhere." She rushes away from the table to the other side of the yard
"You know, my sister?" Tyler asks.
"Yeah! Remember when I told you there was this crazy drunk chick at the club who kept holding onto me?"
Tyler nods.
"Then, when I tried to be nice and helped her hold up her hair when she was throwing up in the back alley, she fucking punched me yelling how I was going to rape her and ran away!"
My eyes narrow, seeing a small cut on Todd's lips.
"Amanda was the girl who threw up on you then punched you?" Tyler asks.
"Yes!" Todd replies, then turns towards Amanda, who was dodging his glares.
For the rest of the party, we hang out and eat some BBQ food. It was nice, calming, something we need in this rollercoaster life.
The sunsets and everyone disbanded.
"Want to walk home?" Neilson asks.
I look at the car.
"We can come pick it up tomorrow," he said.
The complex Neilson picked out isn't that far away from our houses. He wants a place for us, but he wants to stay close to our families and friends.
Laying the red scarf on my neck, he wrapped it around me. I looked at him, hearing the thump-thump inside my chest as he pushed the cloth up to cover half of my face, ensuring I'm kept warm.
He held my cold fingers with his warm one. "You're cold," he said.
I chuckled, "And you still want us to walk home."
He smiles, placing my cold fingers on his red cheeks. "If you get sick, I'll take care of you."
I wrap our hands and head back to our home. "With warm milk?"
"And freshly baked cookies."
I rest my head on his biceps. "I don't want your homemade baked cookies. I saw how you baked before."
Our paces were slow, steady, taking our sweet moment.
His chest shook, "Good because I don't think you're supposed to be eating cookies while you're sick."
The conversation we made was meaningless, but it meant everything.
We took a shortcut through the park, feeling the chilly air, our eyes watching the trees set on fire with orange, red, and yellow. I smile at the inferno above my head. Scarlet and gold were merging with the blue sky; dark rain clouds slowly fading away. The walk down the street is more vibrant than usual, calming. The leaves crunched below my heels while others danced around us.
Halfway down to the complex, my feet started aching. Neilson stopped walking and squatted, patting his back. I giggled, looking around to see no one, and hopped on his back. His arms rested below my knees, keeping me steady while my arms wrapped firmly around his neck.
"I feel like Cinderella," I said.
He chuckles, "Would that make me your Prince?"
I pucker my lips, "I change my mind. I don't want to be Cinderella."
"Why?"
"Because you're no prince."
He frowns, "That's true. I'm definitely not Prince Charming."
"You're not Prince Charming. You're my dark knight, strong and resilient. I don't want a pussy Prince; a dark knight is a lot cooler."
He laughs, "And what are you?"
I laid my chin on his shoulder. "I'm your Angel, watching over you to ensure you're safe with whatever it is knights do."
I nuzzled my head closer to him. "And whatever it is that you do, there must be a reason for it, and I believe in you even when the world doesn't. I believe in you even when you don't believe in yourself."
The thumping inside my heart only increased with each step, "And I'll always watch over you, my dark knight."
His eyes crinkled, biting on his lower lips, and he smiled, a genuine smile that I haven't seen in a while. "I like that, being your dark knight."
Monday arrived, and I was exhausted. I wanted to sleep longer, but Neilson practically pushed me out of bed. I threw my backpack into the locker, getting ready to go to lunch with Nina.
I laugh, "I can't believe Amanda punched Tyler's friend."
"I can't believe Todd is into Amanda," she grumbles.
I lifted a brow, "Are you serious?"
She nodded, while we waited in line for lunch. "Yeah, the whole weekend, he kept bothering and teasing her about what happened at the club. He totally got a thing for her."
We got our lunches and sat down at our usual table. "Hey Carla, where is Randy?"
She shrugs, glancing over at the empty seat beside her. "I've been trying to get a hold of him, but he hasn't been picking up."
I munch on my fries, wondering where Randy went. For the past few days, he hasn't been to school. I called his phone and house a few times, but no one picked up. It isn't unusual, though, sometimes Randy disappeared for a few days, but he always popped back up.
So, why do I have a bad feeling?
More days passed, and Randy was still a no-show.
I wrapped myself around the blanket, flipping through the TV. Grabbing a handful of butter popcorn, I shoved it into my mouth.
Neilson says he will be working late tonight.
Laying on the couch, the unsettling feeling inside my stomach only intensified. Covering my mouth, I stumbled towards the toilet. Bending over, I vomited out the dinner repeatedly.
After it settled, I flush the dark green and brown color, laying my head against the counter.
I placed my hand over my sweaty forehead. "Am I getting sick?"
I groaned, planting my palm on the counter, aiding me to stand up as I clutched my stomach. Turning on the sink water, I rinsed my mouth with mouthwash and cleaned my face. The freshwater rushed down my cheeks, and I released a breath of relief. Wiping off the water, I went back to the living room.
Wrapping myself back into the fluffy blanket, I made a mental note to go to the doctor. Winter is around the corner, so it's not unusual for me to get sick, especially with everything going on.
There was a light vibration on the table. I grab my cell phone; my eyes hook on the TV. "Hello?"
There was some crying sound on the other side. "A-A-A-Alice."
I sat up straighter, the blanket falling off of me, and I lowered the volume. "Carla, what's wrong?"
"It's RaeRae. I went to his house, and his mom said she hadn't seen him. There is something wrong, Alice! I can feel it!"
"Hey, calm down, Carla. It's okay. Randy is probably just fucking somewhere. He will come bac-"
"No! Alice! I can feel it! There is something really wrong! Even when RaeRae disappears, he always messages his mom to tell her; he is okay! When he was working a night shift, and was too tired to go to school. He always messages me! There is something wrong, Alice! I-I-I ca-"
There's a ringing in the background, and Carla stops talking. I pressed my ear against the phone, hearing a muffled conversation.
I can't hear what they are saying, but I can pick up the anxiety.
Then, there were cries.
"Carla. Carla. Carla! What's wrong?"
"A-A-Alice..."
"Carla. What's wrong?" My voice was steadily attempting to calm her down.
Carla breathing was heavy, short, "A-Alice...R-RaeR-R-R...H-He j-just-"
I stood up and paced around the room. "Carla. I need you to breathe."
She inhaled a deep breath but then stifled a cry. "RaeRae...there was a c-call from the h-hospital...RaeRae just got shot."
My feet shuffled through the hallway, with a few others behind me. Everyone was notified of the news, dropping what they were doing, and rushed toward the hospitals.
The hospital corridor was stuffy, suffocating. The walls are pale peach, scraped in places from anxious trolleys that have grazed against them. The pictures on the walls are cheap prints of uplifting scenes, fruitlessly attempting to brighten the patients and visitors.
We hovered over the receptionist, everyone speaking at once, voices merging, confusing her. Ian rushed through the double door, shouting at us to hurry. We didn't wait for them to permit us. We merely ran down the slightly dimmed hallway.
We stop when we reach a room. There was a simple blue curtained hanging on the side in the cubical room. The walls and ceilings were patterned tiled, a dulled color. There was nothing else to look at except the limped body on the bed and the soulless woman beside him.
Carla was on her knees; her painful cries were drumbeats in our ears, heard from the other room. She began hitting him, slamming her fists on his limp body. The guys rushed over, pulling her back as she screamed and cried for him to wake up.
Her eyes never once shifted as it glazed with a fresh, smooth layer of tears. She blinks, and they drip from her eyelids, mixing in with old dried up water on her cheeks. She bit her already cut lips in an attempt to hide the sound wanting to escape her heavy heart.
Her lower, overly bitten lips quivered as words slowly made their way out of her mouth. "RaeRae...RaeRae...RaeRae," She placed a hand over her stomach and dropped to her knees.
Mrs.Ricci was standing there, pale as a ghost. Before anyone said anything, her eyes rolled, and she fainted. The guys held her up, leading her to a chair while the doctor checked up on her.
Randy lay in the uncomfortable, lumpy mattress, unmoving.
The surgeon walked in; his head hung low, unable to properly face the patient's family and friends. Mrs.Ricci burst into tears, shaking her head continuously, mumbling: "No...No...No."
Carla's skin was paled, dead, no longer screaming at Randy. With a single tear dripping, she closed her eyes and fell to the floor.
After Carla was carried out of the room, with Pamela and Nina comforting her, we all stood there as the doctor announced: "Randy Ricci. Age 18. Date and time of death: November 2, 2017, 2:13 am."
I drag my feet down the hallway but stop when I see a pair of black shoes. "I'm sorry," he whispers. I bit my lower lips, feeling the tears dripping down my cheeks, landing on the cold tile floor. I grabbed him, clutching firmly on his shirt as he repeatedly apologized to me.
The funeral was all black clothes and white waxy faces, every one of them with swollen red eyes. The pitter-patter of the rain curves the black umbrella, creating a shield around me. I love the rain, I always have, until now. Silver puddles laid around us, organized by the grey sky. It's been sunny for days, and they choose now to rain.
Almost as a reminder that we should feel the pain.
Brawling to hold back the misery, tears flow silently down the immobile faces as we march behind the black coffin. Praiseworthy words from the minister, speeches delivered a fresh onslaught of tears, well-spoken words, but no one truly listened.
My eyes flickered towards her seeing the endless tears flowing unchecked down her cheeks and dripping from her chin as her hand laid on her stomach. She was too sad to cry out or wail; she just stood there as still as a statue.
Slowly, one by one, everyone left, shoes wetted by the condensed water. Water splattered by the tires, zooming off to the distance with heavy hearts carrying them.
I went on my knees, not caring if my black dress turned brown, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Carla, we should go," I whisper.
She shook her head, "RaeRae... doesn't like sleeping alone at night."
Unable to speak any further, I wrapped my arms around her as she stared at the cold, dense stone.
Gravestone:
Randy Ricci
December 1999 - November 2017
'Never fear to venture into new territories.'