赤裸裸的滑稽故事

“Unfortunately, no,” Alice sighed. “I wounded him, and he will be in pain for a few days, but I just needed him to stop following us. My focus was on our escape.”

Caleb nodded. He had more questions about Holden, but they could wait until they had her settled into a hospital room.

“What about before last night,” Caleb said. “What can you tell me about Autumn and their plans?”

“I’m not sure,” she said. “Tomas hasn’t been in control of Autumn for a long time. The wolves have been on edge for a long time. Roman was… he was….” Alice paused.

She had been following a thought, but it was gone. She couldn’t remember what she had wanted to say anymore.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, feeling a sharp pain in her head.

“It’s all right,” Caleb said. “From what I understand, your memories aren’t all clear to you yet.”

Alice nodded.

“Sorry,” she said again.

He looked at her carefully. This is where Ashleigh was concerned, and the truth was he had his own concerns. It would have catastrophic results if she were actually faking her affection for Axel or her memory loss.

He had noticed one part of her story that she had glossed over. He was curious as to the reason.

“Why did you save the children?” Caleb asked.

“They were on the way to the car,” she stated coolly.

“That’s not what Stefan said,” Caleb replied.

Alice scoffed with a laugh.

“Kids see what they want to see.”

“I met another kid that saw you in the same light.”

“They were probably talking about someone else.”

“Her name is Sofia,” Caleb said, tilting his head and watching her reaction.

Alice swallowed and took a deep breath.

“Sorry, not ringing any bells.”

“You met her twelve years ago when she was ten years old, so you were still a teenager yourself.”

Alice didn’t respond.

“For twelve years, you comforted her, helped her to hold on to a piece of herself.”

Alice turned away.

“And then you gave her a knife,” Caleb whispered.

Alice closed her eyes as a memory slowly unfurled itself in her mind.

Sofia sat in front of a mirror. She was staring at herself, looking deep inside herself, trying to get lost within.

“Not today, sugar,” Alice whispered from the window.

Sofia turned with a bright smile.

“Alice!”

Sofia jumped up from the small vanity and ran to the window, pulling Alice into a warm hug. Alice hugged her back, and Sofia pulled away, looking at Alice in confusion.

“You remember me?” she asked.

Alice nodded.

Sofia’s smile grew even brighter, and she hugged her once more. Then, after a moment, Sofia sniffled, and her body shook against Alice’s shoulder.

“You remember me just as I’m about to leave….” Sofia whispered.

“I’m sorry, sweet girl,” Alice whispered back.

Sofia pulled back, wiping the tears from her eyes. She straightened her back.

“Did you know?” she asked. “Is that why you came?”

“I heard,” Alice said, touching Sofia’s cheek tenderly. “So, I brought you a parting gift.”

Alice reached behind her.

“I am going away soon as well,” she said. “I know where I am going, but not where I will end up.”

“I don’t know anything about what’s happening to me,” Sofia sighed.

“I do,” Alice whispered.

Sofia’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

Alice nodded, bringing out the small gift behind her back and setting it down on the windowsill.

“You’re going back,” Alice said. “You’re going home.”

Sofia felt a chill run down her spine.

“Alpha Dillon has made a deal with Autumn. He has sold the wolves in his charge to Alpha Tomas to use as he pleases. All in exchange for one or two young, obedient women,” Alice smiled. She reached her hand up and tapped Sofia’s chin gently. “Like you.”

Sofia took a slow breath and clenched her jaw. The old hatred grew in her belly, a heavy intensity that made her sick.

“Sweet girl,” Alice said, pulling Sofia’s eyes to her. “Open your gift.”

Sofia turned to the small bag. She reached inside, feeling a cold metal on her fingertips. She pulled it out carefully.

It was a small push knife that could be held in the palm of her hand.

Sofia swallowed and then looked up at Alice.

“You and I have had few opportunities to make choices in our lives,” Alice whispered. “Tonight, what you do with that… is your choice to make.”

Sofia stared at the small knife in her hand.

“You could throw it away, or wait until you have cleared the border, try and use it on the guards and make your escape… or bring it home with you.”

Alice smiled.

“What do you think?” she asked. “What choice will you make?”

Sofia touched the cold steel of the small blade, and she smiled.

“I think,” Sofia whispered. “I will give my greetings to Alpha Dillon.”

Alice nodded.

“Be well, sweet girl.”

“You too, Alice.”

The memory faded away, leaving Alice thinking about Sofia, the sweet girl from the brothel. She could still see the empty look in her eyes in the early days of her time in Autumn. From the beginning, no matter how many times she forgot her, Alice always found herself drawn to Sofia.

She was like a sister to her. But being someone special to Alice was a dangerous thing to be.

“I’ve given lots of pretty girls pretty knives,” she whispered.

“You told her not to tell me that you suggested we become allies. That I would misunderstand your intention.”

“This Sofia seems to say a lot of unnecessary things,” Alice sighed.

“She’s the reason I am willing to trust you now.”

Alice turned her head slowly to look at Caleb.

“You trust me?” she asked.

“I willing to,” he said. “Even though you keep lying.”

“Not about anything important.”

“Why not tell me you went for the kids? Why act like you didn’t go out of your way?”

Alice looked carefully at Caleb.

“If I told you from the start of this conversation that I went out of my way to save them, would you have believed me?”

He looked back at her, considering her words.

‘Did she know Wyatt was there? Is that why she saved the children? As witnesses to her good deed?’ he wondered. ‘Or was it really a coincidence?’

“Just now,” Alice smiled, “did you wonder, but why did she go out of her way? Did she know that Wyatt was there? Was her plan to have Wyatt witness her saving the children as a way to get on everyone’s good side?”

Caleb furrowed his brows and licked his lips.

“No,” he shook his head.

“Now who’s lying?” Alice sighed.