“I’m late!” Alice gasped.
She sat bolt upright as a sudden jolt of panic shook her from sleep. The warm orange glow of morning had long since faded into the harsh brightness of midday, and she was sooo going to get chewed out by her boss.
“Fuck!” She hissed as she threw off the covers and launched to her feet. A chill ran up her spine as her bare feet came into contact with rough wood flooring. Her apartment had carpeted floors.
Two realities warred in her mind as she stood frozen in the middle of an unfamiliar room.
She glanced around, but the room itself held few clues about her situation: a hard bed, a wardrobe, a sink and desk, as well as a table and chairs.
Wait.
Her denim jacket hung on the back of one of the chairs, and that visual allowed her feet to finally move forward.
Her fingers curled around the jacket sleeve, and feeling its sturdy fabric in her hand grounded her spinning mind.
“It’s been washed,” she mumbled as she rubbed the fabric. The unfamiliar soap tickled her nose pleasantly. Beside the jacket were her underwear and her purse. She leaned across the table and stuck her hand into the bag, pulling out her phone. Despite vigorously tapping on the power button and the screen, the phone remained bricked.
She cursed again and looked around the room. The confusion refused to fade until she looked out the window. The streets of Root Hollow stared back at her, a fantasy village come to life before her eyes. Her breath quickened as she stepped back, as her memories of the previous two days flooded back.
As-
Alice looked down at the clothes that weren’t her own and back at the phone in her hands that no longer worked. She turned it over in her hands, when the phone’s black screen caught the light of the sun streaming in and flashed it in her eyes.
Alice screamed and threw herself away from the phone. The blaring sound of a train horn shattered all thoughts in her mind.
I died. I fuckin… I fell in front of a train. Oh god. Oh my fuckin god… I- I- I need to call for help!
Phone! Her phone! She reached for it again, unable to think. Unable to breathe.
“What’s going on in here?”
A strange language. She knew. She knew it. How did she know it? How did it make sense?
“H-help-” She croaked in English.
Hands gripped Alice’s shoulders, pulling her upright. Pulling her body off the tracks.
“Hey,” the voice. Friend. Pretty. Safe. “You need to focus!”
The hands shook Alice and unfocused eyes found a face. Two amethysts speckled with silver stared back at her. Long dark eyelashes. Dark eyebrows twisted with worry. Tears. The amethysts were crying? No. Her eyes burned. Alice was crying.
She gripped something. A person?
“I’m scared,” she croaked. She couldn’t manage more.
Eve hesitated. Alice clung to her desperately, struggling to breathe, with eyes wild and filled with tears and terror. Comforting people had never been a talent she possessed. But seeing Alice in such a state hurt Eve’s heart. She bit her lip and pulled Alice into a tight embrace.
“Shhh.” She cooed, rubbing the back of Alice’s head. The giant woman’s hair was still faintly pink from the previous night.
A body that could engulf her… That could easily overpower her… Sobbed violently in her arms.
“It’s ok, Alice. You’re ok…”
“You’re never on a first name basis with people…” Another voice chuckled from the doorway. Lineah leaned against the door frame, watching with a mix of worry and amusement on her face.
“Now’s not the time to tease me,” Eve snapped and the door slammed closed on its own.
“Ow! That was rude, you know!” Lineah banged on the door once then left for the reception hall.
Eve sighed and turned back to Alice. “You’re going to be okay,” She whispered softly in the language Alice spoke in her panic. She wasn’t sure how she knew it, but the words came as if she’d spoken them her entire life.
Alice stilled hearing her own language, but Eve didn’t let her go.
“You’re alive. You’re safe. I-” She chewed on her lip. “I’m gonna take care of you. I promised. Remember? You asked me to help you.”
A heavy silence fell over the room for a long time. Alice’s grip loosened.
“You said over and over again that it was a bad idea to ask for your help,” she croaked.
A soft sound. Almost like a chuckle, reverberated in Eve’s chest. If Alice’s ear wasn’t pressed tight against her chest she wouldn’t have heard it. She closed her eyes and let the sound wash over her.
“I still think it’s a bad idea,” Eve said, smoothing Alice’s hair and rubbing her back. “I have to look out for myself. Looking out for other people complicates things. Right now that doesn't matter.”
“Mm.” Alice nodded slowly that she understood.
They sat on the floor for a long time. Eve dared not let go and Alice seemed reluctant.
Eventually, she sat up and wiped her eyes.
“I’m better now,” She said in Eve’s language. “Thank you. And…I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Eve replied. She crossed her legs and stared at Alice. “What happened?”
Alice looked around the room, Eve’s room, and her eyes landed on her phone as it still reflected light on the floor.
“I…think I had a panic attack,” she said. Her whole body felt exhausted. Sweat covered her skin and pooled in uncomfortable places. She could even smell the scent of fear on her skin. “I remembered how I died. I…fell in front of a train.”
Eve gasped slightly. Alice rubbed her eyes and shook her head.
“I’m okay. Really,” she said. “Like you said, I’m alive. Now anyway.” She tried to chuckled and ease the tension but Eve only stared back. Alice looked around the room again to avoid Eve’s gaze when she remembered something else.
There was no cot in the room.
“You didn’t come back last night after all, huh?” She said. Eve sat up straighter.
“Oh. Yeah,” she replied and rubbed the back of her neck. “I actually only got back a little while ago. I napped at my desk before going to work.” She gestured over her shoulder.
On her desk the bundle of books from the previous day had been unpacked. A few were scattered open across the desks' surface. Alice recalled them being covered in refuse, but the books on the desk were in pristine condition.
They both got to their feet.
“So how was your… walk?” Alice asked as she picked up her phone from the wood floor and fiddled with it in her hands.
“Productive,” Eve replied. She turned and straightened up her desk. “Although, I will be staying within the Guild’s complex for a few days. So we can’t pay the Curate a visit today.”
“The Curate?” Alice echoed, then shook her head. An explanation didn’t really matter.
“Then…what about uniforms? Am I really joining this place?”
“If you want to,” Eve replied. “Realistically, it’s the best option. You can earn money and learn about the world. And the Guild looks out for its members. I’m here too, so it’s easier for me to look after you.”
Alice nodded in agreement, and Eve patted her back.
“I can’t go with you to order uniforms, so I’ll send you along with Patty.” A concerned expression passed over her face. “Just be careful what you say to her.”
“I’ll try my best,” Alice replied as they stepped out of Eve’s room into the Guild proper.