Hey guys! Sorry, we disappeared for like four days...lol...got a surprise invitation to spend New Year's eve with some friends. So we did! It was fun, anyway here is the next chapter! Jaidie is working on her chapter, we've been busy. Um, and the Leo fanfic is back in business! So I will be posting one chapter from each fanfic a week...if this confuses you let me know. ;)

Rissy

Alice tried to control herself, but she couldn’t, it hurt so much. She had trusted Digory, and he had lied to her. Her family had forgiven him, Pearl had forgiven him, but she hadn’t, and she never would. It was Digory’s fault that Dan was dead. She had told Digory to look after him, and Digory had promised that he would. But Digory had failed, and now Dan was gone.

She looked at Aaron; he seemed confused and torn. But she didn’t care. She looked back at Digory, hatred in her eyes, and angry tears rolling down her face. Tears now rolled down Digory’s face as he said, his voice weak and cracking as he spoke, “I’m sorry Alice, it wasn’t my fault. I tried, I tried to protect him, but I couldn’t. I’m sorry that I broke my promise, but please, forgive me! I want you to trust me, so, please. You’re not the only one who’s hurting, he was my best friend, and I miss him ev…”

Alice cut Digory off; she was sick and tired of hearing him speak. “You lie! It is your fault, and no, I won’t forgive you. I will never forgive you for as long as I live! You made a promise to me, you promised to take care of him, and you broke that promise!” Tears rolled down Alice’s face, and she felt like she could collapse; her anger and grief were that deep. Seeing Digory had brought back all the memories of Dan that she had tried to push aside. Now they bubbled up and flowed into tears. She would have done anything to take Dan’s place to have died; instead of him. But he was dead, and it was all because of Digory.

Alice turned to Aaron then and said, “You can forget the dance because I’m not going.” She saw the hurt in Aaron's eyes at her words, and she felt the sting of them herself.

She turned away and ran inside before Aaron could say anything. It all hurt too much, and she couldn’t take it. She slammed the front door shut behind her and her parents looked at her. She ran up the stairs to her room, not waiting for them to ask what the matter was.

Once in her room, she threw herself on the bed, trying to beat back the emotions which raged inside her. The tears flowed like a storm that would never end. Her whole body shook as she cried; she just wanted him back. Dan would have known what to do, Dan always knew how to help her, but he was gone forever.

She heard someone come into the room, but she didn’t look to see who it was, she didn’t want to know. But then she heard a voice, Pearl’s voice, “Alice, I thought you were supposed to be at the dance?”

Alice looked up and said, tears rolling down her soaked cheeks, “I decided I didn’t want to go.”

Pearl walked over to her and embraced her in a warm, gentle hug, but Alice pushed her away. “I don’t need you or your kind words. You’re trying to make everything perfect because you're perfect. That’s just it Pearl, why do you get to be everyone’s favorite? Why do you get to be the pretty one? The perfect one. The angel, the favorite, you get to be everything! You get everything you want! Why do I have to be stuck in your shadow?!”

Pearl looked at her, tears rolling down her face. “Now, Ali, I’m not perfect. But you wouldn’t know that because you’re always thinking about yourself! You want everyone to fix your problems for you. I know what this is about. I saw Digory out there. I know you miss Dan, but so do I, and Digory, and so do Mama and Papa. So, stop feeling sorry for yourself.” Pearl wiped tears from her eyes, and Alice looked at her.

“See, you are perfect! You are trying to preach at me to fix my ways! You always think you know what’s best! Well, guess what, you don’t!” Alice screamed at Pearl before burying her head in the pillows. Pearl was so infuriating, little miss perfect. No one knew the hole losing Dan had left; no one understood her pain. The only person who would have understood was the one who had died.

“You know what, Alice; I think you should be left alone. You don’t care about me or anyone else. You never ask how I am. You never ask how I feel, and you know what, Alice, I cry myself to sleep every night! I don’t remember a night since Dan died that I haven’t cried or have slept well. But you wouldn’t know that, Alice. No, because you don’t even know me! The only person you know is yourself, and sometimes I wish it was you who had died instead of Dan!” Pearl then left the room, slamming the door so hard it shook the wall.

Alice stood on the bed, staring at the door. Anger boiled inside her so, she yelled at the door, “You know what, Pearl, maybe I will die, would that make you happy! Huh, cause it’s all about making the pretty one happy!” Alice kicked the pillows off the bed, and they hit the door with dull thuds.

She then looked down at the necklace Pearl had given her earlier. She ripped it off and threw it to the ground. The gem shattered into a million pieces as it hit the floor. She then ran over to the window and climbed out, running off into the setting sun.

Her heart was broken into more pieces than she could count. It ached in her chest but trying to piece it back together felt like a puzzle with a missing piece, and she couldn’t find that one piece that kept it all together.

She ran till she reached the field she had been in yesterday, where all this had started. She fell to her knees as she put her hands over her face. Why was she like this? What did she do to herself? What was wrong with her? Why was she so mean? She looked up at the sky; it was beautiful with clouds that glowed with the setting sun.

“Help me,” She whispered, longing to be fixed. “Help me, Dan.”