Status: Work In Progress
In a World Where Only Madness Matters
Alice
The humidity in the air was relevant as Alice lifted her head from the sticky brown coffee table that sat in the middle of Rebecca’s living room. Moisture still clinging to her chaw from sleep. She wondered how long she could’ve been sleeping there.
With Matt gone from her side, and now resting quietly on the floor behind her, it was clear she had been sleeping there for some time. The two young teens still laid silently, sleeping on the couch together across the other side of the table.
The raindrops no longer pounded on the windows, but softly tapped now. With the very distant sounds of thunder, as the storm began to leave the city, and let a very bright, yet fading sunset, enter Gotham’s horizons.
Small voices came from the still on television, and Alice found that an old favorite of hers was now playing, [instead of the annoying Clone Wars] Totally Spies. Alice smiled. She hadn’t seen that show in so long, she didn’t even think they still aired it.
Before Matt had gone Alice dedicated every living second to him. Doing anything and everything to please Matt. [He was her life.] When he left, Alice lost everything. She’d rarely get out of bed, and almost never wake up. She’d go weeks on end, taking sleeping pill after sleeping pill, never wanting to face the reality of her love being gone.
Alice knew that he had been taken away by the police, but from there she did not know what had happened to him. The only two choices being Blackgate and Arkham. Since she did not know which one, she never went looking for him. Not only that, but she was just not intelligent enough to find him on her own. When Alice was with Matt she could be viewed as a college scholar. [To some people that is.] She could see and remember things other people would not. She could calculate multiple numbers all at the same time, and give you the answer to each different problem in less then 5 seconds. Alice had a great mind, that only seemed to work with support. [Matt.]
After the first year of Matt being gone, Alice had finally started getting out of bed. Though she would not leave her apartment, she found she was able to work for hours sewing or cooking. Even if no one was going to eat the food. Alice made beautiful dresses and hats. She was an amazing crafts-women. And that just happened to be one of the many reasons Matt loved her.
Though, she had many flaws, that sometimes out-weighed her abilities, no matter how great they were. Like how she can only seem to function to her full potential with Matt around. How she has tendencies to over-react and talk extremely too fast when she’s excited. That when she’s put under the slightest of pressures, she cracks. She also had problems with becoming really annoying, really fast. [Matt’s words.] Thankfully, when he told her to be quiet, she was quiet.
Alice did not notice she had been starring at Rebecca while she was asleep. Having dazed off into her own thoughts to realize it. But once she became aware of what she was starring at, she quickly comprehended what was in front of her, and saw that the young boy, Jax, was no longer laying behind Rebecca.
Her heart raced with fear. Quickly she looked around. Where could he have gone?! Why didn’t she notice this before!? Should she wake Matt up!?
Alice did not trust Jax one bit. From the moment she saw him she knew there was something different. [Something wrong.] Something just quite not right about him. The way his jaw arched up his chin. The golden brown hate that lit up inside his eyes. The way his smile seemed to curve up the side of his face in an unnatural smirk.
From the moment Alice had laid eyes on Jax, she was horrified. Whether she was just over-reacting again, or not, there was no doubt in her mind. Jax looked exactly like the man who had killed her parents. [Slaughtered could be a better word.] The horrific images filling her mind with every glance she had taken at Jax. She hated that man. And she couldn’t help but feel angered at the sight of someone who looked like them.
Hearing a slight noise from the kitchen, Alice’s head quickly turned in the direction of it. With surprise and fear, Alice had found Jax. He was standing in the kitchen, standing stiff like stone, glaring intensely into Alice’s eyes.
Alice, without thinking, scooted back further. Even though she was already a good distance away from the kitchen. She had to get away. Far away from him.
Jax only stood there, amused, at why Alice was looking at him so strangely. It was kind of… funny. It was almost as if she was… scared of him. Jax couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, before going back to making his sandwich.
It had been years since Jax had held a knife. He loved the power it seemed to hold as he twirled it through his fingers. [Though he was practically traumatizing the girl across the room.] He didn’t notice, nor care. He was having too much fun. Where he had learned to move a knife so elegantly, yet deadly, he wasn’t sure. From who he had been taught how to cut things with expert precision, he just couldn’t seem to remember. But he could still do it, and he loved it.
Having not held a knife in so long, he wasn’t sure what to feel. A plethora of emotions streamed through all of him at once, following with it, the feeling of confusion and agitation. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with it. He had finished cutting his sandwich but now, he didn’t want to put it down. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do more. Cut himself or someone else.
Luckily Jax held back all his urges to grab it by the point, and fling it directly into Alice’s eye, [which he could do if he wanted] and set it down in the sink.
Jax growled quietly to himself before tearing a piece from his sandwich off with his teeth, and chomping down into the bread. He couldn’t stand this inner agitation anymore. It was driving him crazy, and Alice was just adding to it. He wanted to smash something. To break things. It came natural to him that he express his anger this way. [It ran in his blood.] But now that he had promised Rebecca he wouldn’t hurt himself or anyone else, he couldn’t express anything. At least not the way he wanted to.
It was only when Jax had shoved the final bits of his Cinnamon Toast Crunch, peanut-butter, and ketchup sandwich into his mouth he had realized Alice was still starring at him.
“What?” he yelled, his voice muffled by the thick amounts of bread and peanut-butter still stuffed in his mouth. Alice only shook her head, and replied with nothing.
He watched as Alice approached Rebecca on the couch, and gently shook her to wake her up. This only angered him further. It took him a whole ten minutes to get off that couch without waking her up. [Arg.]
Alice softly shook Rebecca’s shoulder to wake her up. It was going to be night soon and she wanted to know where her and Matt could sleep. Rebecca woke up and yawned.
“Um, second door on the left.” Rebecca answered before turning onto her other side, and falling back asleep. Alice thanked her and went to turn back to Matt to wake him up.
But as she turned she was startled with Jax no longer in the kitchen and now all the sudden standing directly behind her. His chaw clenched and fist shaking. [How he could’ve moved so quickly, and silently, she wasn’t sure. But it scared the hell out of her.]
“Don’t. Wake. Her. up.” Jax whispered, his rage being clearly heard through his soft voice.
“I’m sorry.” Alice said still shaking with fear at how fast, yet quietly he had seemed to cross the room, and end up behind her, without her seeing. But not wanting her fear to show, she quickly walked around him and woke Matt up. “Come on Matt.” Alice whispered. And in his still half asleep state, stood, and stumbled his way to the hallway with Alice.
Jax listened as they disappeared down the hall and heard as a door shut, the apartment falling silent with it. He breathed out and closed his eyes. He needed to get out this frustration. It was killing him. He didn’t mean to take it out on Alice, but she was the closest, and easiest thing to release it on.
Jax needed to find a way to get out all this built up aggravation. He needed to find something soon. Otherwise, someone was going to end up dead.
With Matt gone from her side, and now resting quietly on the floor behind her, it was clear she had been sleeping there for some time. The two young teens still laid silently, sleeping on the couch together across the other side of the table.
The raindrops no longer pounded on the windows, but softly tapped now. With the very distant sounds of thunder, as the storm began to leave the city, and let a very bright, yet fading sunset, enter Gotham’s horizons.
Small voices came from the still on television, and Alice found that an old favorite of hers was now playing, [instead of the annoying Clone Wars] Totally Spies. Alice smiled. She hadn’t seen that show in so long, she didn’t even think they still aired it.
Before Matt had gone Alice dedicated every living second to him. Doing anything and everything to please Matt. [He was her life.] When he left, Alice lost everything. She’d rarely get out of bed, and almost never wake up. She’d go weeks on end, taking sleeping pill after sleeping pill, never wanting to face the reality of her love being gone.
Alice knew that he had been taken away by the police, but from there she did not know what had happened to him. The only two choices being Blackgate and Arkham. Since she did not know which one, she never went looking for him. Not only that, but she was just not intelligent enough to find him on her own. When Alice was with Matt she could be viewed as a college scholar. [To some people that is.] She could see and remember things other people would not. She could calculate multiple numbers all at the same time, and give you the answer to each different problem in less then 5 seconds. Alice had a great mind, that only seemed to work with support. [Matt.]
After the first year of Matt being gone, Alice had finally started getting out of bed. Though she would not leave her apartment, she found she was able to work for hours sewing or cooking. Even if no one was going to eat the food. Alice made beautiful dresses and hats. She was an amazing crafts-women. And that just happened to be one of the many reasons Matt loved her.
Though, she had many flaws, that sometimes out-weighed her abilities, no matter how great they were. Like how she can only seem to function to her full potential with Matt around. How she has tendencies to over-react and talk extremely too fast when she’s excited. That when she’s put under the slightest of pressures, she cracks. She also had problems with becoming really annoying, really fast. [Matt’s words.] Thankfully, when he told her to be quiet, she was quiet.
Alice did not notice she had been starring at Rebecca while she was asleep. Having dazed off into her own thoughts to realize it. But once she became aware of what she was starring at, she quickly comprehended what was in front of her, and saw that the young boy, Jax, was no longer laying behind Rebecca.
Her heart raced with fear. Quickly she looked around. Where could he have gone?! Why didn’t she notice this before!? Should she wake Matt up!?
Alice did not trust Jax one bit. From the moment she saw him she knew there was something different. [Something wrong.] Something just quite not right about him. The way his jaw arched up his chin. The golden brown hate that lit up inside his eyes. The way his smile seemed to curve up the side of his face in an unnatural smirk.
From the moment Alice had laid eyes on Jax, she was horrified. Whether she was just over-reacting again, or not, there was no doubt in her mind. Jax looked exactly like the man who had killed her parents. [Slaughtered could be a better word.] The horrific images filling her mind with every glance she had taken at Jax. She hated that man. And she couldn’t help but feel angered at the sight of someone who looked like them.
Hearing a slight noise from the kitchen, Alice’s head quickly turned in the direction of it. With surprise and fear, Alice had found Jax. He was standing in the kitchen, standing stiff like stone, glaring intensely into Alice’s eyes.
Alice, without thinking, scooted back further. Even though she was already a good distance away from the kitchen. She had to get away. Far away from him.
Jax only stood there, amused, at why Alice was looking at him so strangely. It was kind of… funny. It was almost as if she was… scared of him. Jax couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, before going back to making his sandwich.
It had been years since Jax had held a knife. He loved the power it seemed to hold as he twirled it through his fingers. [Though he was practically traumatizing the girl across the room.] He didn’t notice, nor care. He was having too much fun. Where he had learned to move a knife so elegantly, yet deadly, he wasn’t sure. From who he had been taught how to cut things with expert precision, he just couldn’t seem to remember. But he could still do it, and he loved it.
Having not held a knife in so long, he wasn’t sure what to feel. A plethora of emotions streamed through all of him at once, following with it, the feeling of confusion and agitation. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with it. He had finished cutting his sandwich but now, he didn’t want to put it down. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do more. Cut himself or someone else.
Luckily Jax held back all his urges to grab it by the point, and fling it directly into Alice’s eye, [which he could do if he wanted] and set it down in the sink.
Jax growled quietly to himself before tearing a piece from his sandwich off with his teeth, and chomping down into the bread. He couldn’t stand this inner agitation anymore. It was driving him crazy, and Alice was just adding to it. He wanted to smash something. To break things. It came natural to him that he express his anger this way. [It ran in his blood.] But now that he had promised Rebecca he wouldn’t hurt himself or anyone else, he couldn’t express anything. At least not the way he wanted to.
It was only when Jax had shoved the final bits of his Cinnamon Toast Crunch, peanut-butter, and ketchup sandwich into his mouth he had realized Alice was still starring at him.
“What?” he yelled, his voice muffled by the thick amounts of bread and peanut-butter still stuffed in his mouth. Alice only shook her head, and replied with nothing.
He watched as Alice approached Rebecca on the couch, and gently shook her to wake her up. This only angered him further. It took him a whole ten minutes to get off that couch without waking her up. [Arg.]
Alice softly shook Rebecca’s shoulder to wake her up. It was going to be night soon and she wanted to know where her and Matt could sleep. Rebecca woke up and yawned.
“Um, second door on the left.” Rebecca answered before turning onto her other side, and falling back asleep. Alice thanked her and went to turn back to Matt to wake him up.
But as she turned she was startled with Jax no longer in the kitchen and now all the sudden standing directly behind her. His chaw clenched and fist shaking. [How he could’ve moved so quickly, and silently, she wasn’t sure. But it scared the hell out of her.]
“Don’t. Wake. Her. up.” Jax whispered, his rage being clearly heard through his soft voice.
“I’m sorry.” Alice said still shaking with fear at how fast, yet quietly he had seemed to cross the room, and end up behind her, without her seeing. But not wanting her fear to show, she quickly walked around him and woke Matt up. “Come on Matt.” Alice whispered. And in his still half asleep state, stood, and stumbled his way to the hallway with Alice.
Jax listened as they disappeared down the hall and heard as a door shut, the apartment falling silent with it. He breathed out and closed his eyes. He needed to get out this frustration. It was killing him. He didn’t mean to take it out on Alice, but she was the closest, and easiest thing to release it on.
Jax needed to find a way to get out all this built up aggravation. He needed to find something soon. Otherwise, someone was going to end up dead.