Her Name Is Alice
II
“Curiouser and curiouser” —Alice
♤ ♧ ♡ ♢
It was an hour before the show. We could hear the screams of our fans from the inside, and Niall was bouncing as he stood, a grin exploding into his face every time he heard another scream. I was glad that he was so happy, because Harry was a wreck.
“Hazza, are you going to be sick?” Louis asked with a concerned look on his face.
“I… don’t know…” he breathed in and out, his face between his knees. “Water, please?”
“Right away.” I nodded, walking to the first table with water that I saw.
I was about to pick the water bottle when a hand snatched it away. I looked up to see an old man sneering at me as if I was dirt, and I rolled my eyes. Seriously? Right now? I had a crisis with one of my band mates, couldn’t we all just get along before the show?
“Sir, I thought that was mean.” A dreamy voice came.
I closed my eyes and cursed inside, trying not to let it show. Not her, not her…
“So what? He can get his own wa—Alice. Ah, eh…” he looked at the girl with a frightened face, and I cocked an eyebrow at this. Why was he acting like it?
She had her lips pursed and an eyebrow raised, her right hand on her waist and the other one extended to him, her fingers beckoning him to hand her the bottle. The man did so quickly and rushed out of the way. She sighed as she watched him go and handed me the bottle with a friendly smile. I took the item carefully and nodded at her.
“Thank you.” Eh, I had manners, alright?
“It’s nothing. People these days seem to be so rude. I’m glad I could help.”
I nodded once more before turning on my heel and rushing inside the dressing room, where Harry looked about to turn from green to blue. I handed him the water bottle and he chugged it down anxiously, a pale colour returning to his face as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the refreshed feeling. He sighed and let his head fall against the couch, his arm going to block his eyes.
“Thanks, Zayn.” He groaned.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Liam asked skeptically.
“Of course I am, I just have stage fright.” He stood, wobbling slightly.
Louis was by his side immediately, but Harry smiled and shook his head, saying he was perfectly capable. I watched him, though, just in case he fainted or felt uncapable. The door opened and we all turned to see Michelle Kingsley with Alice. Niall waved happily at her and she waved back with a giggle. Michelle caressed her head adoringly before turning back to us.
“Well!” she clapped her hands happily. “Let’s get started on makeup, shall we? Louis, Harry and Liam, you two with me. Zayn and Niall with Alice.”
I tried not to groan as I made my way to the makeup artist. Why did I always have to end up with her? I didn’t… well, it’s not that I didn’t like her. It was that I felt uncomfortable around her. She was—and I’m being polite here—strange. Very strange. She had this demented look into her eyes that you could only see past the dreamy look.
“Hey, Alice,” Niall greeted. “You look nice today.”
“Well, thank you, Niall,” she patted his cheek. “You look nice too, but you always do, so I shouldn’t be saying that because you already know, and probably everyone knows.”
She frowned, looking at her shoes before pouting.
“Which means I just wasted precious seconds of my life. Oh, what a dilemma.”
I looked weird at her as Niall laughed, shaking his head.
“You didn’t. Nothing wastes time, Alice.”
“Then we should stop trying to wrong that statement and get on with the makeup. Look at me now; I need you not to move otherwise I might cause a disaster upon your face.”
She spoke as if… she really was from the Alice time. I thought about the story, but it was foggy. I hadn’t seen that movie in a long time, and the last time I saw it, it had been when I was very little. I didn’t even see the Tim Burton one back in 2010. Too busy freaking out on The X Factor.
I thought hard about it. I knew the story, I just didn’t know the meaning nor the quotes behind it. She could be reciting the book the whole time and I wouldn’t know. I wanted to. I needed to. I had to. I looked as the girl worked quickly with the brush. She knew how to, it was obvious. She had a quick hand and long fingers. Her look was the usual British; pale skin, blue eyes, and platinum blond hair. She was pretty, I had to admit.
“Alright, Niall, we’re done.” She stepped back and smiled at him.
“Aw, but I wanted more time with you!” he grabbed her hands and started swinging them.
She giggled and shoved him delicately. That was another thing; she looked like a porcelain doll, about to break into pieces if she fell. I realized just how pretty she really was. She was beautiful.
“Maybe later,” she raised her eyebrows and puckered her lips. “You’d like to come around and let me show you everything before we have to go.”
“That’d be great. You in, Zayn?” he turned to me. “You wanted to see the place, didn’t you?”
I shrugged and nodded, and as Niall smiled and hugged Alice I noticed that she forced hers. She didn’t like hugs, she didn’t like much contact, I had noticed. Curious. Very, very curious. Or should I saw ‘Curiouser and curiouser’?
“Well then,” she turned to me, holding up her brush. “Your turn, Zayn.”
I stood in front of her as her delicate fingers turned my face around. Her fingers were cold, ice cold, and her touch was similar to a feather’s one. I felt oddly comfortable with her hands on my face, but I tried not to show it. I simply let her turn me around. I opened my eyes and saw her inspecting me with wondering eyes.
“You have the perfect structure,” she said in her dreamy voice. “It’s as if the Gods of ancient Greece had made you with their own hands. You really are a beautiful being, Zayn.”
I think I blushed, and surely that was the reason she giggled. A giggle like those tiny bells from Christmas. I closed my eyes again, trying not to think about how pink those lips looked. What the hell was wrong with me? She was just a girl, like any—ah, that’s where I was wrong.
She wasn’t like any other girl.
♤ ♧ ♡ ♢
It was an hour before the show. We could hear the screams of our fans from the inside, and Niall was bouncing as he stood, a grin exploding into his face every time he heard another scream. I was glad that he was so happy, because Harry was a wreck.
“Hazza, are you going to be sick?” Louis asked with a concerned look on his face.
“I… don’t know…” he breathed in and out, his face between his knees. “Water, please?”
“Right away.” I nodded, walking to the first table with water that I saw.
I was about to pick the water bottle when a hand snatched it away. I looked up to see an old man sneering at me as if I was dirt, and I rolled my eyes. Seriously? Right now? I had a crisis with one of my band mates, couldn’t we all just get along before the show?
“Sir, I thought that was mean.” A dreamy voice came.
I closed my eyes and cursed inside, trying not to let it show. Not her, not her…
“So what? He can get his own wa—Alice. Ah, eh…” he looked at the girl with a frightened face, and I cocked an eyebrow at this. Why was he acting like it?
She had her lips pursed and an eyebrow raised, her right hand on her waist and the other one extended to him, her fingers beckoning him to hand her the bottle. The man did so quickly and rushed out of the way. She sighed as she watched him go and handed me the bottle with a friendly smile. I took the item carefully and nodded at her.
“Thank you.” Eh, I had manners, alright?
“It’s nothing. People these days seem to be so rude. I’m glad I could help.”
I nodded once more before turning on my heel and rushing inside the dressing room, where Harry looked about to turn from green to blue. I handed him the water bottle and he chugged it down anxiously, a pale colour returning to his face as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the refreshed feeling. He sighed and let his head fall against the couch, his arm going to block his eyes.
“Thanks, Zayn.” He groaned.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Liam asked skeptically.
“Of course I am, I just have stage fright.” He stood, wobbling slightly.
Louis was by his side immediately, but Harry smiled and shook his head, saying he was perfectly capable. I watched him, though, just in case he fainted or felt uncapable. The door opened and we all turned to see Michelle Kingsley with Alice. Niall waved happily at her and she waved back with a giggle. Michelle caressed her head adoringly before turning back to us.
“Well!” she clapped her hands happily. “Let’s get started on makeup, shall we? Louis, Harry and Liam, you two with me. Zayn and Niall with Alice.”
I tried not to groan as I made my way to the makeup artist. Why did I always have to end up with her? I didn’t… well, it’s not that I didn’t like her. It was that I felt uncomfortable around her. She was—and I’m being polite here—strange. Very strange. She had this demented look into her eyes that you could only see past the dreamy look.
“Hey, Alice,” Niall greeted. “You look nice today.”
“Well, thank you, Niall,” she patted his cheek. “You look nice too, but you always do, so I shouldn’t be saying that because you already know, and probably everyone knows.”
She frowned, looking at her shoes before pouting.
“Which means I just wasted precious seconds of my life. Oh, what a dilemma.”
I looked weird at her as Niall laughed, shaking his head.
“You didn’t. Nothing wastes time, Alice.”
“Then we should stop trying to wrong that statement and get on with the makeup. Look at me now; I need you not to move otherwise I might cause a disaster upon your face.”
She spoke as if… she really was from the Alice time. I thought about the story, but it was foggy. I hadn’t seen that movie in a long time, and the last time I saw it, it had been when I was very little. I didn’t even see the Tim Burton one back in 2010. Too busy freaking out on The X Factor.
I thought hard about it. I knew the story, I just didn’t know the meaning nor the quotes behind it. She could be reciting the book the whole time and I wouldn’t know. I wanted to. I needed to. I had to. I looked as the girl worked quickly with the brush. She knew how to, it was obvious. She had a quick hand and long fingers. Her look was the usual British; pale skin, blue eyes, and platinum blond hair. She was pretty, I had to admit.
“Alright, Niall, we’re done.” She stepped back and smiled at him.
“Aw, but I wanted more time with you!” he grabbed her hands and started swinging them.
She giggled and shoved him delicately. That was another thing; she looked like a porcelain doll, about to break into pieces if she fell. I realized just how pretty she really was. She was beautiful.
“Maybe later,” she raised her eyebrows and puckered her lips. “You’d like to come around and let me show you everything before we have to go.”
“That’d be great. You in, Zayn?” he turned to me. “You wanted to see the place, didn’t you?”
I shrugged and nodded, and as Niall smiled and hugged Alice I noticed that she forced hers. She didn’t like hugs, she didn’t like much contact, I had noticed. Curious. Very, very curious. Or should I saw ‘Curiouser and curiouser’?
“Well then,” she turned to me, holding up her brush. “Your turn, Zayn.”
I stood in front of her as her delicate fingers turned my face around. Her fingers were cold, ice cold, and her touch was similar to a feather’s one. I felt oddly comfortable with her hands on my face, but I tried not to show it. I simply let her turn me around. I opened my eyes and saw her inspecting me with wondering eyes.
“You have the perfect structure,” she said in her dreamy voice. “It’s as if the Gods of ancient Greece had made you with their own hands. You really are a beautiful being, Zayn.”
I think I blushed, and surely that was the reason she giggled. A giggle like those tiny bells from Christmas. I closed my eyes again, trying not to think about how pink those lips looked. What the hell was wrong with me? She was just a girl, like any—ah, that’s where I was wrong.
She wasn’t like any other girl.
3/26/13