He waved his hands over the fire. “That’s when the Kingdom of Dreams came into existence. The King and Queen have ruled prosperously since the fall of the Red and White Kingdom. Then one day, a nightmarish circus came into the kingdom. No one suspected a thing, just a new district, a new place to venture to. But then bad things started happening—the dreams started becoming dark. Their faces clouded and some had even disappeared. The King and Queen found out but it was too late. They were also shrouded in the darkness.”
I shook my head. “But what does this have to do with me?”
He turned to face me. “I had a vision in this fire of a girl from the other side that could help us. A girl that also goes by Alice.”
“That’s not my real name, my name is Meredith. You have the wrong person.”
He placed his hand on my shoulder and looked at me straight in the eyes. “The name isn’t the important part. Besides, you survived the transition, which means you are meant to be here. You have a true heart Alice, and that is the only way you can defeat this being.”
“A true heart? There is no way. I’m just a teenager trying to find her way through this world. I’m not the girl you are looking for.”
“The fire wouldn’t lie Alice, you are the one that is supposed to be here. And it is up to you to accept that.”
I brushed off his hand and walked to the window. “There must be some mistake, I’m not a fighter, I’m not someone who can do this. I’m just an artist. There is no way I can fulfill the same shoes as that Alice did.”
“You are a girl with an artist’s imagination. With imagination you can do anything in this world. Don’t forget that.”
I shook my head. “But how am I supposed to defeat this power? I have no idea what is going on, let alone how to defeat it.”
“The original Alice left something in case she never returned. Something for her predecessor, which is you.”
“What did she leave?” I questioned.
He let out a sigh. “We aren’t sure, she never said and she hid it long ago. None of us have ever found it.”
“Well, that makes sense,” I whispered. I couldn’t believe after all that, she would hide it and not tell anyone. How was I supposed to find it when I didn’t even know this world? Everything was new, how would I know something was left for me.
“Just have faith Alice, the answer will come to you and you alone. We will be here to help in any way you need us.”
I felt a chilly wisp of air go through the room, as if the door opened. I glanced over but it was still closed. I went back towards the fireplace.
“I also wanted to know what you thought of my boys,” Howard said as he stepped up next to me.
I glanced up at him. “What about them?”
He shrugged. “Have they been nice? Protective? I know in the past that some of them have had some arguments with Alice. I just want to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself.”
I shook my head. “No, they have been very kind and generous to me. If they have any arguments, I would say it was with each other…” I realized I probably said too much.
Howard raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“I mean, Chase and Davis don’t get along, like a cat and mouse. That isn’t surprising. But it seems like Malcolm and Chase have some other conflict going on, something that goes deeper than their roles. I don’t know what it is.”
Howard sighed. “I had hoped they had gotten past their difference, but I guess not. Don’t mind them, they just have had a bitter rivalry for a very long time. It won’t change, apparently.”
I looked back into the fire, watching it crackle and pop. “It’s strange though, they seemed like just normal teens at school. I would never have guessed that they had a life like this, I would never have guessed Malcolm…” I blushed, realizing I had pointed him out of all the rest. It was probably obvious I had a crush on him. God, I was so stupid.
Howard chuckled. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”
I smiled and at that moment, I felt a chill go through the air again. I glanced around but there was still nothing that could have caused it.
“This is a lot to take in all at once, though,” I said. “I’m not sure if my mind even comprehends it.”
“I understand. If you need some alone time, I have a room prepared for you. You can use it to freshen up for dinner. There are some clothes that the original Alice left that I kept from when she visited the second time. They should fit you. I will have Chase show you the way. I have a feeling he is waiting for you outside.”
I nodded and blushed at the thought of Chase worrying about me. “Yeah, that would be nice.”
Just as he guessed, Chase was sitting cross-legged outside the door. Howard chuckled. “See that you’re guarding her closely.”
Chase quickly stood up. “Yeah, well you ordered me to.”
Howard nodded towards me. “Please, show her to her room so she can freshen up before dinner.”
Chase held out his hand. “Come on, Alice.”
CHAPTER 11
Chase took me to my room where I was able to find some clothes that did indeed fit me. I pulled out a more medieval-looking blue dress, something simple compared to Victorian-style clothing that would take a bit of time to put on. Although it was
