Margaret had blurted the words out as bluntly as she could. She’d asked Jack to kill Alice. And Jack said yes, so spontaneously that Margaret had to investigate.
“Just like that?” she wondered. “You’re ready to kill the girl whom you know loves you so much?”
“She doesn’t love me,” Jack said. “She used to stalk me.”
“You’re used to killing anyone who stalks you?”
“Not really, but Lorina, my girlfriend, really hates her guts.”
“Oh.” Margaret was about to slap him on the face, but figured she didn’t want to upset the Queen to get what she wanted. “Do you know how to shoot a gun?”
“Lorina and Edith taught me. They’ve asked me to kill Alice as well.”
“Some family,” Margaret mumbled. “So, I guess my work is done here.”
“All in the name of the Queen,” Jack said. The boy sounded as if brainwashed, but Margaret didn’t want to ask. “All in the name of Black Chess.”
“You know about Black Chess?”
“The Queen told me I should work for them. She promised they will pay my college fees and help me marry Lorina.”
“I see. Can I ask what you really like about Lorina?” Margaret refrained from saying more about the bratty girl with no empathy whatsoever.
“She likes me, so I like her back.”
“You sound so dumb,” Margaret said under her breath.
“What did you say?”
“I said you sound like my first boyfriend when I was in college.” She flashed a fake smile. Who was so dumb, she added in her mind. “So.” She clapped her hands. “I guess we wait here until the right moment comes so you can shoot Alice.”
“I thought I was going to enter the asylum to kill her.”
“No, darling,” Margaret said. “You will have to wait for the Queen’s orders. I’m not sure what exact plan she has in mind, but you will get your shot.”
Chapter 24
The Radcliffe Asylum
Waking up the Pillar is a daunting task.
At one point he opens his eyes and pulls me closer and starts to dance a Caucus Race dance, one I know he is fond of. But when I talk to him, I realize he is kind of sleep walking. I push him away, suddenly conflicted about being so close to him.
It’s hard to even think about him right now. Is he evil? Is he good? Is he my father, or is he my number one nightmare in life? All I know is that he knows how to escape the asylum. A glance at the timer on BBC News shows me we have only ten hours left before the police barge in — or before we have to shut ourselves inside.
“I’m worried he is playing games.” Tom points at the Pillar. “What if he is faking his sleep?”
“I don’t see the point of that,” I tell him. “We’ve already concluded he isn’t the one who’s invited us here.”
“It doesn’t prove he is on our side, though.”
“I know. Stop reminding me. If I search my soul, I may hate him more than you can imagine. Right now, he is our only hope escaping this place.”
Tom takes my words and leaves the cell. A minute later he arrives with his guards carrying buckets of ice cold water. “Time to give the professor a wakeup call.”
The guards repeatedly splash the Pillar with water. None of it wakes him up. The best result we get is the Pillar sneezing, a thin, frail, and cute sneeze, then he goes back to sleep.
“He is faking it,” Tom says. “Who doesn’t wake up from ice cold water?”
“I found something!” The March Hare arrives panting, interrupting our attempts to wake up the Pillar.
“On the walls?” I ask.
“Indeed,” the March says. “First of all, the scribbling is evident in almost every cell in the asylum. Same words, same gibberish, but it all tells the story about her, presumably you, Alice, and Him, and how you joined him to find his weakness.”
“We already know that, March,” I say. “Tell me something new.”
“All the writing was done by the same person,” the March says.
“That’s impossible,” Tom says. “I don’t know of a single patient who’s been to
“Just like that?” she wondered. “You’re ready to kill the girl whom you know loves you so much?”
“She doesn’t love me,” Jack said. “She used to stalk me.”
“You’re used to killing anyone who stalks you?”
“Not really, but Lorina, my girlfriend, really hates her guts.”
“Oh.” Margaret was about to slap him on the face, but figured she didn’t want to upset the Queen to get what she wanted. “Do you know how to shoot a gun?”
“Lorina and Edith taught me. They’ve asked me to kill Alice as well.”
“Some family,” Margaret mumbled. “So, I guess my work is done here.”
“All in the name of the Queen,” Jack said. The boy sounded as if brainwashed, but Margaret didn’t want to ask. “All in the name of Black Chess.”
“You know about Black Chess?”
“The Queen told me I should work for them. She promised they will pay my college fees and help me marry Lorina.”
“I see. Can I ask what you really like about Lorina?” Margaret refrained from saying more about the bratty girl with no empathy whatsoever.
“She likes me, so I like her back.”
“You sound so dumb,” Margaret said under her breath.
“What did you say?”
“I said you sound like my first boyfriend when I was in college.” She flashed a fake smile. Who was so dumb, she added in her mind. “So.” She clapped her hands. “I guess we wait here until the right moment comes so you can shoot Alice.”
“I thought I was going to enter the asylum to kill her.”
“No, darling,” Margaret said. “You will have to wait for the Queen’s orders. I’m not sure what exact plan she has in mind, but you will get your shot.”
Chapter 24
The Radcliffe Asylum
Waking up the Pillar is a daunting task.
At one point he opens his eyes and pulls me closer and starts to dance a Caucus Race dance, one I know he is fond of. But when I talk to him, I realize he is kind of sleep walking. I push him away, suddenly conflicted about being so close to him.
It’s hard to even think about him right now. Is he evil? Is he good? Is he my father, or is he my number one nightmare in life? All I know is that he knows how to escape the asylum. A glance at the timer on BBC News shows me we have only ten hours left before the police barge in — or before we have to shut ourselves inside.
“I’m worried he is playing games.” Tom points at the Pillar. “What if he is faking his sleep?”
“I don’t see the point of that,” I tell him. “We’ve already concluded he isn’t the one who’s invited us here.”
“It doesn’t prove he is on our side, though.”
“I know. Stop reminding me. If I search my soul, I may hate him more than you can imagine. Right now, he is our only hope escaping this place.”
Tom takes my words and leaves the cell. A minute later he arrives with his guards carrying buckets of ice cold water. “Time to give the professor a wakeup call.”
The guards repeatedly splash the Pillar with water. None of it wakes him up. The best result we get is the Pillar sneezing, a thin, frail, and cute sneeze, then he goes back to sleep.
“He is faking it,” Tom says. “Who doesn’t wake up from ice cold water?”
“I found something!” The March Hare arrives panting, interrupting our attempts to wake up the Pillar.
“On the walls?” I ask.
“Indeed,” the March says. “First of all, the scribbling is evident in almost every cell in the asylum. Same words, same gibberish, but it all tells the story about her, presumably you, Alice, and Him, and how you joined him to find his weakness.”
“We already know that, March,” I say. “Tell me something new.”
“All the writing was done by the same person,” the March says.
“That’s impossible,” Tom says. “I don’t know of a single patient who’s been to
Similar Books
