Her Name Is Alice
I
“Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.” —The door.
♤ ♧ ♡ ♢
It was a late afternoon.
We had arrived to the first stage of the first show of our first Tour. We were very nervous, yes, but for some strange reason, I found myself very calm. And for that, I took upon myself to calm the rest, especially Harry, who was known to get sick a lot because of the nerves.
“There’s still a lot of time before the show,” I sat by Harry, placing a hand over his shoulder. “Don’t worry.”
“I know, I know, I just…” he rubbed his face. “It’s… so… I don’t know! I’m confused, I’m nervous, I’m scared!”
“Don’t be scared,” Liam sat on his other side. “We’ll be there by your side.”
“All of us!” Louis threw himself into our laps and Niall sat carefully, trying not to spill his cake.
“Hey! Where did you get the cake?” Louis asked the Irishman.
“While you morons were here, moping around, I went to meet the crew. They’re really nice, and there was this girl who gave me cake.”
“So a girl was just giving out cake?” I asked skeptically.
“Yup,” he nodded, eating. “and it tastes like heaven.”
“I think I’ll go meet that girl,” Louis scrambled out of our laps. “Anyone coming?”
“I’ll go.” I stood, brushing my pants.
It’s not like I have something else to do…
As Louis blabbered half his life to me I looked around the place, letting the details sink in my brain. We had done so much just to be here, and from now on we’d only go further or, at least, I hoped so. I let myself smile as I began to see the real stage, imagining what tonight would be like. Then I started hearing voices and I directed my gaze to the front.
There were a lot of people. Some carrying props, another ones with cables, and some just sitting by a table full of desserts. In the middle there was a massive cake, heavily decorated with flowers and other sugary things like that. There was only one teenager, probably the girl Niall met. She had soft blonde hair and a pair of blue eyes that set on us. Her smile was very light, and I instantly liked her. She seemed very laid-back.
“Hey,” Louis made everyone turn to him. “Sorry to interrupt, we just wanted to get to know the crew and all that.”
“It’s very nice to meet you,” A blonde like the teenager—and I mean the exact same colour—came up to us and shook both our hands vigorously. “I’m Michelle, makeup artist. These are Mariah, Jacob, Jasmine, Minna, Chrysta, and my daughter, Alice.”
“Nice to meet you,” Louis nodded. “I’m Louis and this is Zayn.”
I waved at them and Alice cut two pieces of cake, swiping them on plates and walking up to us. I was a bit thrown off by her particular outfit, seeing as she was named Alice. She had a lacy tanktop which was kind of loose on her and blue pants that went high, tucking her shirt under. Her striped socks went to her knees and she was wearing black converses. And a pocket watch around her neck.
What a weird sight.
“Here, have some.” She smiled.
Her tone had been so soft that I hadn’t really caught on to what she was saying until I made myself process it. She had whispered it, but it had been a loud whisper. Her voice was a high one, and I wondered just why this girl was so… particular.
“Thanks!” Louis grinned at her, taking it.
“Thank you,” I nodded at her. “Are you a makeup artist too?”
“Indeed I am,” she nodded. “I’m kind of an apprentice.”
“Then you know your way around here?” Louis looked back. “Because I think we got lost.”
“I’m not very good at giving out directions, but I may as well try.”
Her tone was too… dreamy? Yes, that was the word. Dreamy. Her eyes were somewhere else as she pointed to the hallways.
“Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction,” She looked at us. “Which could only be One Direction.”
I frowned at her as Louis scrunched his face, trying to understand what she just said. I was too busy trying to think. Just where had I heard that before? I know I heard it somewhere else, but… where?
“Eh… thank you.” Louis nodded, looking weird at her.
“You’re very welcome if it was of any use.” She nodded, turning to go back to the table and place herself near her mother.
As we walked forward, Louis snickered.
“Just what was that?” he laughed.
“She quoted someone or something,” I frowned. “Because I know I heard that somewhere else, I just don’t know where…”
“You’re hallucinating,” Louis rolled his eyes. “That girl was just plain mad. Though a pretty hot bird, I must admit.”
“She was strange.” I nodded.
We got lost and had to ask for directions twice, fortunately getting a normal response, and went inside the room where the rest of the boys were gathered. Harry seemed much better, but Niall was fidgeting around with the empty cake plate. I realized then that the plate had intricate flower details. Just what was all this about?
“Hey, lads.” Louis flopped down beside Liam.
“What took you so long?” Harry whined.
“We got lost,” I sat on the armrest. “Twice.”
“And we also talked to the looney bird who gave us cake.” Louis laughed.
“I don’t think she was weird,” Niall defended. “Just a bit different.”
“We asked for directions and she told us this confusing thing.” Lou rolled his eyes.
“What did she tell you?” Liam asked, surely bored out of his mind, because he was turning his phone around without using it. Something strange in him.
“A direction in which direction… eh… Zayn! You tell them!”
“Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction,” I rolled my eyes. “It wasn’t that hard, Louis.”
“For me it was.” he pouted.
“What?” I asked as Liam snickered.
“Well, turns out you guys talked to the door to Wonderland, because she just quoted it right on the spot.”
Louis and I looked at each other with a weird look as Niall bounced up and down.
“That’s so funny, because her name is Alice!” he laughed.
“Yeah, so funny.” I said dryly.
Just what kind of crew had Simon gotten us?
♤ ♧ ♡ ♢
It was a late afternoon.
We had arrived to the first stage of the first show of our first Tour. We were very nervous, yes, but for some strange reason, I found myself very calm. And for that, I took upon myself to calm the rest, especially Harry, who was known to get sick a lot because of the nerves.
“There’s still a lot of time before the show,” I sat by Harry, placing a hand over his shoulder. “Don’t worry.”
“I know, I know, I just…” he rubbed his face. “It’s… so… I don’t know! I’m confused, I’m nervous, I’m scared!”
“Don’t be scared,” Liam sat on his other side. “We’ll be there by your side.”
“All of us!” Louis threw himself into our laps and Niall sat carefully, trying not to spill his cake.
“Hey! Where did you get the cake?” Louis asked the Irishman.
“While you morons were here, moping around, I went to meet the crew. They’re really nice, and there was this girl who gave me cake.”
“So a girl was just giving out cake?” I asked skeptically.
“Yup,” he nodded, eating. “and it tastes like heaven.”
“I think I’ll go meet that girl,” Louis scrambled out of our laps. “Anyone coming?”
“I’ll go.” I stood, brushing my pants.
It’s not like I have something else to do…
As Louis blabbered half his life to me I looked around the place, letting the details sink in my brain. We had done so much just to be here, and from now on we’d only go further or, at least, I hoped so. I let myself smile as I began to see the real stage, imagining what tonight would be like. Then I started hearing voices and I directed my gaze to the front.
There were a lot of people. Some carrying props, another ones with cables, and some just sitting by a table full of desserts. In the middle there was a massive cake, heavily decorated with flowers and other sugary things like that. There was only one teenager, probably the girl Niall met. She had soft blonde hair and a pair of blue eyes that set on us. Her smile was very light, and I instantly liked her. She seemed very laid-back.
“Hey,” Louis made everyone turn to him. “Sorry to interrupt, we just wanted to get to know the crew and all that.”
“It’s very nice to meet you,” A blonde like the teenager—and I mean the exact same colour—came up to us and shook both our hands vigorously. “I’m Michelle, makeup artist. These are Mariah, Jacob, Jasmine, Minna, Chrysta, and my daughter, Alice.”
“Nice to meet you,” Louis nodded. “I’m Louis and this is Zayn.”
I waved at them and Alice cut two pieces of cake, swiping them on plates and walking up to us. I was a bit thrown off by her particular outfit, seeing as she was named Alice. She had a lacy tanktop which was kind of loose on her and blue pants that went high, tucking her shirt under. Her striped socks went to her knees and she was wearing black converses. And a pocket watch around her neck.
What a weird sight.
“Here, have some.” She smiled.
Her tone had been so soft that I hadn’t really caught on to what she was saying until I made myself process it. She had whispered it, but it had been a loud whisper. Her voice was a high one, and I wondered just why this girl was so… particular.
“Thanks!” Louis grinned at her, taking it.
“Thank you,” I nodded at her. “Are you a makeup artist too?”
“Indeed I am,” she nodded. “I’m kind of an apprentice.”
“Then you know your way around here?” Louis looked back. “Because I think we got lost.”
“I’m not very good at giving out directions, but I may as well try.”
Her tone was too… dreamy? Yes, that was the word. Dreamy. Her eyes were somewhere else as she pointed to the hallways.
“Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction,” She looked at us. “Which could only be One Direction.”
I frowned at her as Louis scrunched his face, trying to understand what she just said. I was too busy trying to think. Just where had I heard that before? I know I heard it somewhere else, but… where?
“Eh… thank you.” Louis nodded, looking weird at her.
“You’re very welcome if it was of any use.” She nodded, turning to go back to the table and place herself near her mother.
As we walked forward, Louis snickered.
“Just what was that?” he laughed.
“She quoted someone or something,” I frowned. “Because I know I heard that somewhere else, I just don’t know where…”
“You’re hallucinating,” Louis rolled his eyes. “That girl was just plain mad. Though a pretty hot bird, I must admit.”
“She was strange.” I nodded.
We got lost and had to ask for directions twice, fortunately getting a normal response, and went inside the room where the rest of the boys were gathered. Harry seemed much better, but Niall was fidgeting around with the empty cake plate. I realized then that the plate had intricate flower details. Just what was all this about?
“Hey, lads.” Louis flopped down beside Liam.
“What took you so long?” Harry whined.
“We got lost,” I sat on the armrest. “Twice.”
“And we also talked to the looney bird who gave us cake.” Louis laughed.
“I don’t think she was weird,” Niall defended. “Just a bit different.”
“We asked for directions and she told us this confusing thing.” Lou rolled his eyes.
“What did she tell you?” Liam asked, surely bored out of his mind, because he was turning his phone around without using it. Something strange in him.
“A direction in which direction… eh… Zayn! You tell them!”
“Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction,” I rolled my eyes. “It wasn’t that hard, Louis.”
“For me it was.” he pouted.
“What?” I asked as Liam snickered.
“Well, turns out you guys talked to the door to Wonderland, because she just quoted it right on the spot.”
Louis and I looked at each other with a weird look as Niall bounced up and down.
“That’s so funny, because her name is Alice!” he laughed.
“Yeah, so funny.” I said dryly.
Just what kind of crew had Simon gotten us?
3/26/13