The Otherside: Alice: Tough Decisions (Book 6)

I didn’t know how long I was sitting there, but Trey came and found me.

“There you are. What happened? One minute, you pulled Duncan away and like 30 minutes later Duncan returns without you and began to makeout with a lot of different girls.”

I pulled my head out of my lap and dried my tears. “Please hold onto your I-told-you-so’s until later. I rather get yours and Ace’s out of the way at the same time tomorrow.” I started getting up off the floor.

“That is not why I am here.” I pulled a mirror out of my purse and fixed my running mascara. “I came to check on you.” I put my mirror away.

“Why? So you can send Ace in to pick up the pieces and I can magically start dating him next?”

“No, please calm down.” his hands went to my shoulders. “He didn’t come because the last few times you two have talked about Duncan you have blasted him. He loves and cares for you.”

I broke from his grip and pulled away. “If he really did, he would have came.” I began walking away.

Trey followed me. “Where are you going?” he asked as we passed the doors to re-enter the dance.

“Home. Leave me alone.”

“No, last time I let you walk home alone, I got in trouble.” he continued to follow. I tried to remain a few feet ahead until we hit the field on school grounds. He grabbed my arm and pulled me into his chest. I immediately started crying. “Just let it out.”

I don’t know how long we stood there like that, but it was too long. When we pulled away, he wiped my tears.

“Things will work out.”

At that moment four guys jumped over the nearby fence and were running at us. I was not emotionally suited at that moment to fight. I think Trey noticed, he pushed me behind him. He first pulled up a barrier around us and the four guys rapidly approaching. He then opened a portal (you can open portals in your own barrier, but when you fully leave a dimension the barrier drops behind you), and pulled out a grenade. He took the pin out and threw it at them. After it exploded two were left. One was an ogre and the other was a psychic. I only know one was a psychic because she failed at getting into my mind. They both had swords so he pulled two swords out of a portal and began fighting them. He took the psychic out first, but the ogre was more durable. He eventually levitated himself up, pulled a stick of dynamite out of a portal, lit it and threw it down at him. I think he was tired of fighting. He set himself back down on the ground and headed my direction. Trey knocked me to the ground and shielded me from the blast.

He peered over his shoulder after the blast to make sure they were all dead. They of course were.

“Did you have to kill them? And with explosives?”

He turned his head back to me. “Yes, I had to protect you.”

“You don’t have to kill to protect. Do you have to be so destructive?”

“Honey, that is my style.”

I sighed. “You are so frustrating.”

“But you love it.” he said as his face grew closer. There was an inch space between our lips and he was still on top of me.

“Do I really or is it all in your head?” Next thing I knew I felt his soft forceful lips on mine. My eyes slowly shut on their own and my brain left. My arms began to wrap around him. After he pulled away there was a silence and I think I might have been grinning stupidly. It took me a minute to pull my head back and realized what had just happened. I had to figure out why he loves me.

“It’s funny that about a year ago you were trying to kill me and now all you want to do is makeout with me. It doesn’t make sense.”

Trey rolled off of me and onto his back and sighed. “And it’s a funny story too. I don’t think I could have really killed you.”

“Maybe not the last time you tried, but the first day we met you probably could have.”

“Yeah probably, but I had no reason then.”

“But...” I tried to state my confusion, but he rolled onto his side to face me and put a finger to my lips.

“No, that was not the first time we met. You don’t remember the first time, or anytime until you remember we met.” his hand moved to my cheek.

“I think I would remember something like that.”

“That is where the funny business starts.” he moved his head towards me and kissed me. I felt him inside my mind. He was in my head and like a closet stuffed to the brim he unlocked the door and the memories of him came flooding back. “I remembered your first words to me. ‘Ace? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be outside with daddy?’ You were so adorable. I had to explain to you that I was Trey, Ace’s brother. You wouldn’t believe me at first.” He shook his head and grinned. “I was there that day to ask your mom if she would take me in. My mother told me to do so right before she died. Your mom of course turned me down. Your dad tried to convince her otherwise, but she just wouldn’t do it.”

“But you were still around...”

“Slow down turbo. Aunt Nikki and Uncle Alex took me in. Remember, I was visiting you in secret not even Ace knew. You kept telling me I needed to introduce myself to him, but I was afraid he would tell your mother that I had been sneaking into the castle to see you. I was afraid to loose my time with you playing around and talking about life and books.”

“This doesn’t make sense. Why did you hide my memories of you? And why would you try to kill me?”

“I lied to you on my first attempt to kill you. I wasn’t just trying so Ace and I could be a family together. The last day I saw you was the day after your father died. I tried to comfort you. Do you remember what you told me when I showed up, and tired to be the shoulder you could cry on. ‘Go away Trey, I need Ace. He is better at this. He knows what I am going through.’ Little did you want to hear, I knew what it was like. I lost both right in front of me, but you chose Ace. I was your first kiss; I-I loved you. I...”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know how you felt or your past. I thought the kiss was part of our game.” I said touching his cheek. “We were just kids...”

“No, I should be sorry. I over reacted. I was jealous of Ace, mad at your mom and upset with you. I thought the easiest way to get back at all three of you was to get rid of you. I took away your memories of me because I thought it would make it easier for me, but the truth is, even if Ace didn’t interfere the first time, I could never be able to kill you. I hesitated and remembered all the fun we had together that I can never make myself forget. I am a selfish man and it would be too hard for me to give it up. I couldn’t give you up even if you wanted someone else. ”

“Then why push me towards Ace?”

“Because I am a selfish man. I want your smiles not your tears. You would be happier with him.”

“That’s silly.”

“Is it? I am a reckless man and you are a soft woman. You deserve a man that has a softer touch than I do because all I will do is break you.” he got up and held a hand out to me. “Let’s go back home.”

I took his hand and got up. “Wait one moment.” I magically fixed all the damage from the explosions made. “Will you do me the honor and get rid of the bodies?”

“Gladly.” he opened a portal and threw them in. He then turned to me and stared at me for a moment. “I am sorry, I ruined your hair.”

That is when I noticed some of my hair that had been in the bun touching my neck. “It’s fine.” I tapped his cheek with my hand a couple times. “I am not as fragile as you think.”

I started walking off and he followed behind. We were quiet the rest of the way home. We were the last ones home and we explained what happened to everyone else, well, everything, but our talk; just about the attack.