carelessly, letting the dying man slide to her feet as she stepped closer to the glass. She reached out, slamming the hilt of the dagger against the wall of ice.
The ice crumbled into a thousand shining pieces and Alice found the water carrying her toward the decorative knife, but before she knew it, the knife was gone and Brassila’s open arms were embracing her.
They were sitting on the beach together, waves lapping against them, Alice lying in Brassila’s lap. But then it wasn’t Brassila anymore, it was her grandmother. Her grandmother sat with her tail stretched out toward the sea, cradling Alice’s head in her arms. Alice could smell the deep briny salt as the waves caressed them both.
“Grandma?” She smelled her grandmothers’ smell, a smell so familiar, and yet so recent; it was also the smell of the cavern below the waves.
“My dear,” her grandmother replied, smiling at her with that vaguely sad smile Alice knew so well. “You are stronger than you know.”
“I couldn’t do anything. It was Brassila who saved you.”
“Was it?” Her grandmother raised her eyebrows. Alice looked down at her hands where she clenched the shining dagger. Her grandmother reached forward and took the dagger from Alice’s hands, sheathing it in the hairnet Alice wore in her long, unkempt blond hair. Alice reached back and felt it with astonishment, somehow knowing it would be there: the smoothness of the pearls, the taut strands of seaweed woven between them. She looked up at her grandmother, astonished. Her grandmother smiled proudly. “My little Aly.” She leaned down and kissed Alice on the forehead. “It’s time to wake up.”
Alice woke up with the sun pouring across her face, warming her cheek. Blinking, she realized David was sitting in the chair next to her bed, his DS laying on her nightstand. He was watching her with curiosity bordering on concern.
"What are you doing here?" she mumbled groggily. Her head felt heavy, like she had spent the entire night drinking. Every muscle in her body screamed with the pain of an intense workout. She put her hand to her head trying to steady the spinning sensation and focus on her brother instead of her aches and pains.
"I saw you come in last night," David said, suspiciously, as she slowly sat up. She looked at him, her green eyes cloudy as usual. Though David still wasn’t sure how it happened, he knew that the girl who came back from Grandma’s after the funeral wasn’t has sister anymore. She had gone somewhere else and no one could reach her anymore. David was the one who tried to reach her most, but even he was starting to wonder if it was hopeless. But he wouldn’t let himself give up. He hated the fact that their parents didn't seem to do anything about her. They just let her slip away from him, from her friends, from the world.
“You were on the computer,” she finally said, a statement instead of a question. He looked sheepish. She had put him on the defensive, trying to drive him away. She did it so often now, it was a habit, but David just couldn’t get used to it.
"It was a Friday night and I didn't have any homework. It's not like there's anything else to do in this podunk town."
"No." Alice responded hazily.
He stood suddenly, angrily, “At least I’m not out all night drinking, making everyone around me miserable.” He stalked away. His insult didn’t even touch her. She had grown such thick skin, like ice. She threw the covers back and stood, ever so slowly, wincing as she put her bare feet to the floor. She must have stepped on so many rocks coming home, but only now did she have realize that she had come home
The ice crumbled into a thousand shining pieces and Alice found the water carrying her toward the decorative knife, but before she knew it, the knife was gone and Brassila’s open arms were embracing her.
They were sitting on the beach together, waves lapping against them, Alice lying in Brassila’s lap. But then it wasn’t Brassila anymore, it was her grandmother. Her grandmother sat with her tail stretched out toward the sea, cradling Alice’s head in her arms. Alice could smell the deep briny salt as the waves caressed them both.
“Grandma?” She smelled her grandmothers’ smell, a smell so familiar, and yet so recent; it was also the smell of the cavern below the waves.
“My dear,” her grandmother replied, smiling at her with that vaguely sad smile Alice knew so well. “You are stronger than you know.”
“I couldn’t do anything. It was Brassila who saved you.”
“Was it?” Her grandmother raised her eyebrows. Alice looked down at her hands where she clenched the shining dagger. Her grandmother reached forward and took the dagger from Alice’s hands, sheathing it in the hairnet Alice wore in her long, unkempt blond hair. Alice reached back and felt it with astonishment, somehow knowing it would be there: the smoothness of the pearls, the taut strands of seaweed woven between them. She looked up at her grandmother, astonished. Her grandmother smiled proudly. “My little Aly.” She leaned down and kissed Alice on the forehead. “It’s time to wake up.”
Alice woke up with the sun pouring across her face, warming her cheek. Blinking, she realized David was sitting in the chair next to her bed, his DS laying on her nightstand. He was watching her with curiosity bordering on concern.
"What are you doing here?" she mumbled groggily. Her head felt heavy, like she had spent the entire night drinking. Every muscle in her body screamed with the pain of an intense workout. She put her hand to her head trying to steady the spinning sensation and focus on her brother instead of her aches and pains.
"I saw you come in last night," David said, suspiciously, as she slowly sat up. She looked at him, her green eyes cloudy as usual. Though David still wasn’t sure how it happened, he knew that the girl who came back from Grandma’s after the funeral wasn’t has sister anymore. She had gone somewhere else and no one could reach her anymore. David was the one who tried to reach her most, but even he was starting to wonder if it was hopeless. But he wouldn’t let himself give up. He hated the fact that their parents didn't seem to do anything about her. They just let her slip away from him, from her friends, from the world.
“You were on the computer,” she finally said, a statement instead of a question. He looked sheepish. She had put him on the defensive, trying to drive him away. She did it so often now, it was a habit, but David just couldn’t get used to it.
"It was a Friday night and I didn't have any homework. It's not like there's anything else to do in this podunk town."
"No." Alice responded hazily.
He stood suddenly, angrily, “At least I’m not out all night drinking, making everyone around me miserable.” He stalked away. His insult didn’t even touch her. She had grown such thick skin, like ice. She threw the covers back and stood, ever so slowly, wincing as she put her bare feet to the floor. She must have stepped on so many rocks coming home, but only now did she have realize that she had come home
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