Mama.... Don't Leave Me! ~ .. Die For Me -Private-

[Alice]

..........
......

Alice was asleep. Safely, peacefully, calmly. The wind blows softly through the slightly cracked hotel window. The estranged sister, out for the night. Clubs, party, the in - crowd. Loveless was wide awake.

"... Where is it....."

A whisper, fumbling of fingers. The mind's eye, calm and centered. Agitation would wake all residing. She pulls a book off of the shelf slowly, pages fluttering. She stops.

"... The Tree....."

Her fingertips grace the page, dragging down softly. The depicted image, meaning to billions around the planet. Such deception behind it's meaning. Her eyes scan over text, formulating sentences with her pursed lips, silent.

.... Mmmm..
......

She stops, her eyes twitch slowly. Breathing shallow, increasing quickly.

.. Lov... less.. ?
..... Hi there Alice.. why don't you go back to-
.. What're you doing up.... ?
.. Light reading.

The book closes quickly, a snap of her wrist. She lets it drop to the ground below, her knees tightly closed atop it's worn and torn cover.

.. What ya reading so late.... we need sleep you know..
I know, I'm sorry. Go back to sleep Alice.
.... Mmmm.. you too....
.........
.....
Alice... ?
............

She takes in a deep breath slowly. Shaking her head from side to side slowly. Her fingers tap the spine of the book, pulling it up slowly. She opens it once more...

===========
Several Hours Later
===========

"....... I see... so then it was... that doesn't make any sense...... there's supposed to be twenty two... but this..."

The soft scratching of a pencil kisses at the paper. Her wrist sore and tired, she continues on. Her eyes scan back and forth, the pages, the paper, the pages, the paper.

".. If there's actually thirty three.... no.. then there'd be another room.... that's not possible.."

Her mumblings, nonsensical to the ordinary ear, the humbled eye. She continues on. The night growing deeper.

".... !!... Then The Tree-"

.. The Tree of Life?....
... !.... Alice.. why are you up-
What... are you doing Loveless... what is that..

She slams the book shut, cracking the pencil in half. The halves fall from her fingers, she closes the binder swiftly. Leaning back in the chair, her eyes closed tightly with her head tilted back.

... Loveless.... what were you writing.. what are you doing..... what's that book.. ?
Alice. You should be sleeping. It's very late you know... you'll end up being tired later on-
Hey... you can't hide things from me. I'm in here too... I can find out the hard way if I have too-
Alice!...
... ? I- I was just kidding.....
... Let it go. Get some sleep.

You've been a busy little bee~

.... ! That voice again..
... T - chhh..... L..
.. L?

You shouldn't be looking down that road dollface~~ You know what's at the end of that alley... and you're just to pathetic aren't you?

... Ugh.. Loveless.... it hurts..
!!... Leave her alone L!

"... S- stop it.... stop it... stop it..." She clutches her temples, her fingers arched high and tenting inward. Her teeth bare down on her bottom lip, her body bending down. Her breathing shallow, pacing faster, faster... "... Stop it.. stop it.... stop it.. stop.... stop..... s- stop...."

L!!! LEAVE HER ALONE!
.... It hurts.. it hurts.... stop... stop..

I don't know what the hell you're talking about... I'm not even touching her mind... ~~

... What.. ?
.. S- stop it... al... all of you... stop...
... All of us?....

Hmmmmm.... isn't that something.. guess you have your hands full without me.. don't you?

... Alice.. Alice?... You need to calm-
S-... STOP IT!!.. ALL OF YOU... S-S... I...

"... I don't want to die.... I don't want to die.. I don't want to die..... I don't want to die.. I ...." Her mumbling frantic and panicked. She falls out of the chair, her fingers clawing at the carpet. She crawls forward slowly... her eyes shut, wincing in pain. ".. I don't want to die.... s- stop it.. stop.... s-... STOP IT!!!!!"

... Die... Alice?! C - calm down! You're not in any danger! Alice!! ALICE!!!
..... STOP IT!!!!!!!!

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!!!!!!" Her body arches upward, she screams out. A bloody primal yell in the night. Her fingers dig against the side of her head, shouting at the top of her lungs. The fear and rage growing. "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!! STOP IT ALL!!!!"

_Then I won't let you_
.. Huh... ? Who the fuck..
......
_I won't let you_

"......." The voice resonates within her mind. Alice slowly opens her eyes... her fingers still shaking, her body drenched in a cold sweat. The voice... new.. alluring...

... Lo-... Loveless... is that...
..... No.. it's not me...
_I won't let you_
.. Wh...
What the fuck... is going on.....

[Alice]

"...." Her eyes open slowly, confusing memories of the last hour.. or was it two?... She didn't know anymore.. ".... Unnn.. Loveless...."

... Loveless.... you awake..
..... Yeah.
What.. happened earlier... who was that..
I don't know... I'm quite confused myself. I've never heard that kind of a voice before. It definitely wasn't a L.O.V.E.L.E.S.S.
Then... but.. who else could it have been.... ?
... I don't know.

Alice slowly lifts her head, distorted and damaged. Her hair hangs down over her eyes, messy and frazzled. She felt like she'd been hit by a mac truck. Or two, maybe three and a half. "... I think I'm gonna throw up....." Alice pulls on the edge of the bed, slowly lifting herself up from the floor. Her feet are shaky under her own weight, she falters in her steps to the bathroom. Leaning against the frame of the doorway. ".. Ugh... Loveless.... make it stop hurting..."

I can't.
.. What do you mean.... just.. just do the... shifty thing...

Alice waves her arms from side to side slowly, her head resting heavily against the doorway. She winces in pain. "... God... it's like worse than a hangover....." She squints... slowly dragging her body down, her knees clack against the bathroom tiles.

... I can't.
W-.. what? What do you mean... I'm even giving you permission....
.. Alice. I can't.
.. I don't... what.. ?

She drags her nails against the tiles.. her breathing frantic. Whatever happened earlier, it was still causing internal pain. She slowly crawls across the bathroom floor, grasping at the top of the sink, her arm arched up.

Alice.. I can't take over. Your mind.. isn't letting me.
.. B- but... I'm giving you permission.... how come it isn't.. working....
..... I don't know. This has never happened before.

"... It doesn't.. make sense....." Her head hangs low, her arm dropping from the edge of the porcelain glazed sink above. Her arms fall, shoulders hanging at her side. Her breathing slows down, a crawling pace. "........."

.... Alice? You alright?
.. Hey.
Yeah.. ?
I don't... like you.
... Huh? Alice, what's going-
_I don't, like you. You aren't, welcome_
!.. The voic- UN!.... A - Alice... your.. mi - nd....
_Sleep, filth_
!!!... .........

She slowly rises from the floor. Her footing firm, placed, precise. She stares at her arm, the faded lettering of flesh and displaced skin. She purses her lips in a snarl.

_Another Alice. The Loveless Lover_

She clenches her jaw tightly. Making her way quickly from the bathroom. The closet as her target. She was going to need a change of clothing.

_She doesn't like, that one either_

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To Be Continued
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