Disclaimer: This work is only a rough draft of a novel I might write soon. I had only wrote this to fill in my NaNo application. I will work on it as time goes on but I cannot promise a finished product in under one month only. Do not take things I wrote here quite literally nor try to replicate it irl as this is only a figment of my imagination.

Total Word Count : 3 272

Epilogue.

Hey there lovelies! Welcome! Hope you're having a great day, and thank you for reading this thread! I'm not sure if I've already finished writing the story yet, but hopefully I did so your eyes can read this and hopefully critic it (kindly) and I can work on some things that need shaping. But otherwise, happy reading !

Chapter One

“Again,” her mother's cold voice pierced the room. Alice stood up once again, dusting off her sleeves after having to lose against her mother for the twelfth time that night. They'd been practicing fencing non-stop and Alice's body was throbbing, she needed to rest.

“Can we please not do it this night, mother?”, she begged, “Forchester's gave us a lot of work to do, and my body's exhausted,” her mother sighed. For she knew how much their name would be damaged if her daughter had failed her academics, Alice saw her mind working the gears. She sighed, a small light of hope in Alice's heart beamed.

“Fine.”

Her mother swept past her, making her way to the windows, pulling the curtains before waving off her daughter. As Alice raced her way up the staircase, she made sure to stop on the second landing, to check up on her brother before continuing on. “Luis?”, she knocked against her brother's cold, hard wooden door.

A grunt.

Alice stepped back towards the staircase, resuming her steps to her room. She supposed that her brother was busy this night again, meaning he couldn't come to her room to play a song before they went to sleep. Oh how she missed those days, and now she would give anything to go back again, back when the world wasn't so cruel yet.

She threw her workbooks on her desk, scattering them organized before preparing to attack them overnight. She doubted she get a wink of sleep with everything that went on, Mr. Forchester really liked having to put his student's in torture. She could still remember the times Luis would complain to her about him when they still shared a room, but with a new child coming, Alice knew that those days were long gone. Now they had to prepare for another one.

The news came as a rather shock to the both of them as they were used to being by themselves most of the time, but as their parents are naturally busy, a sudden underwhelming need to grow up swept the siblings both off their feet. Alice had just graduated elementary school, she was only just nine years old, and her brother was no better. But unfortunately, they had to let go of their youth way too early.

The birth had not even been planned at all, her mother had called it “the miracle baby”. She was not ashamed to call the thing “it” for “it” would be nothing more than a burden for the siblings to carry alongside what they're suffering with now. It's such a shame that Alice and her brother would have to give up all the time they had in a world to watch a child that was not theirs grow up in a world they built. Happy and care-free, not having to trouble with taking care of itself. She doubted that it could distinguish the difference between it's older sister, who spent all her life trying to bring up something that she had hoped to be all those years ago, and their very own mother, who couldn't be attentive enough to let her children live their lives freely.

Alice scribbled her answer furiously until nothing but a dark, shining scribble covered her incorrect answer. She sighed. The lamp flickered, the light revealed countless equations that she worked on for hours, yet the worksheet was only a quarter filled, she glanced at the older clock above her canopy bed, it was 9:30, she stopped practice at 8 o'clock, she now spent a total of one and a half hour working on something that her teacher will probably forget to grade.

She sighed, looked away to the night sky. The stars were unusually bright, Alice could make out three stars lying vertically flat from her bedroom window. Orion had come out tonight. She stood up, stretched her arms and legs before walking towards the open window, letting the breeze swallow her whole before climbing out and landing on a small concrete ledger she'd usually used when going out into the rooftop for a quick escape.

She climbed the rooftop carefully, she knew this place for she had visited it ever since she was six. She knew which tiles were wobbly, which tiles had already fallen and which ones she would cling onto after a run on another. When she arrived at the center, she paused, not to rest, but to intake what she missed sorely the most.

Luis would often accompany her with this journey, laughing alongside with her, always following closely behind and reassuring her that he would catch when she fell, oh how she missed those days. She sat down against the hard clay, the roof now had a few holes, she ought to tell her mother about these soon.

Alice held out a hand, angling the row of stars with her thumb. Orion had certainly come out to play tonight, and he was unusually bright. She felt motion beside her, Luis had silently followed her, he had kept his promise to follow her close behind, and she felt touched by that. “You busy?”, she asked her brother, who had sat down beside her and watched the stars too, “Eh, not much,” he replied.

Luis was quiet, observing the movements of the stars, Alice edged closer, hoping to perhaps spike up a conversation with her seemingly long unrequited brother. She knew that her brother was quite the astronomy freak, the both of them had been ever since they were born. Luis room was plastered with different issues of newspapers talking about the world ending and how the stars explained it, that had always been his focus about the stars. The terror, its purpose, all thag stuff that never quite really sparked the attention of his sister, who's focus was the beauty of it. It was true that Alice was the more optimistic one among them, she had always been the one doing the talking, and Luis was ...just there.

“Orion's unusually bright,” Luis said, before the darkness swallowed the pair eventually.

1 012 words.

Chapter 2

TThe night before was short—brief even. Alice couldn't sleep. She'd just talked to her brother after so long, it was only a short conversation, but it meant a lot for her. She'd always wondered how Luis had been ever since news of their younger sibling had broke out. She wondered if even once she had crossed that brilliant mind of his.

They'd talked, sure, but it was ever such a short conversation before they had to depart. Alice spent the night sprawled across her bed, her mind buzzing with a million thoughts—her brother, her younger sibling, school, her grades, and them. Ever since she could remember, Alice had always been bullied even if her family was known across town and she held mich more power than those girls ever could. But, unfortunately, she chose empathy over violence.

Despite their ruthless teasing, beatings and mockeries, never had once Alice stood up against them. They weren't even that rich, smart, nor pretty to beging with—they were just vain. Her school called them “those three”, and they'd sashay the halls as though they owned it, mercilessly teasing the one that might've owned it with a snap of her fingers. And speaking of snap, Alice had only ever once snapped out against the public's eyes—and that memory still haunts her forevermore.

The sun shone brightly against Alice's pale face. The morning was cold, Alice shivered from the sudden drop of the temperature as winter was closing in. She got up and made her way to the window, watching as the leaves of the maple tree infront of their houses turned crisp and orange, ready to fall and make a big mess in their front yard. Alice sighed, looked at her electric clock and found that it was only 6:03 AM, she had more than an hour to get ready for school. Still, she chose not to.

Instead, she went back on her bed and lay eagle-spread, her eyes locked on the blank wall beside her bed. If it wasn't for her brother rustling and getting up below her, she herself wouldn't start to get ready.

Stepping out of her bedroom shower, her hair still damp, buttoning her blouse, she noticed that there was a letter tucked in the creases of her door. It looked stuffed, but not recent, it seemed that she had a messenger that couldn't wait enough for the sun to rise. Before Alice could extract the letter, her mother's pale hand suddenly opened the door and she shot a look at Alice before commanding her to hurry up as breakfast was starting to become cold and she hadn't paid their chef to make food only to have it fed to the dogs.

As her mother closed the door, Alice's hands immediately reached for the letter that had fallen when she opened the door. Alice opened it with cold hands, the writing was shaky, almost as if the writer was both nervousness and hurried at the same time. Yet she could still read their writings:

meet me at the park by 5
- L

Alice scratched her head; who in the world would be so desperate enough to stuff a letter in her doorframe just to ask her for a date in the park? Why couldn't they have told her this in person? And who on earth is “L”?

Before throwing the letter, however, Alice spotted a last-minute scribble in all caps behind the paper, it read: BE ALONE. A chill ran down her spine, her eyes widening in fear as she sat in silence, trying to decipher what the sender was trying to say. Yet the silence was broken by none other than her mother yelling at Alice to hurry up.

She jostled her way down the staircase only to find her mother telling her to just buy a granola bar on her way to school because she had already thrown away her breakfast as she had taken too long and the driver has now left her. God, this woman was so frustrating. But Alice didn't have time to argue anymore as she glanced at her clock and found that it was already 6:54 in the morning.

Running out the door as fast as she can and unchaining her bicycle from the garage, she concluded that the ride to school would take 20 minutes, and a trip to the convenience store would take at least 10 minutes or less, meaning that she had 6 minutes before the bell rang to reach the gates in time.

As she sped through the streets, unable to mutter quick apologies to the people she bumped into, she managed to get an energy drink and granola bar before 7:15, she thought to herself that she could probably eat this as literature was starting and hopefully not get caught by Mrs. Brandews, but maybe she could still eat as the woman would be so kind enough to understand her situation no matter what.

Chaining her bike in the parking lot, she managed to get to her locker by 7:20, with so much as 10 more minutes to spare. But a she had the worst luck ever and managed to land herself a spot beside Chanel Rocke, one of her bullies and her high school's resident “it girl”, a title she entirely owned by herself because of how self-absorbed she was, this ought to be the worst 10 minutes Alice had to suffer.

905 words

Chapter Three

Alice was quite the believer even when she was young. And for one, she believed that silence was better than conflict, but standing beside Chanel Rocke's locker, it made her realize that silence was often the very blade that was used by people to cut you with.

Her perfume was the first assault, hitting Alice like a wall of artificial roses that reflected how plastic she was, and burnt sugar. A fragrance strong enough to sting eyes that passed. The second assault was her stare, slow, deliberate, and full of assessment that predators often used whenever prey wandered too close. Chanel was leaning against her locker, the bored, half-mouthed smirk she often wore hanging in her face, flipping her glossy hair as though cameras were rolling. Two friends ,or rather followers, of hers were standing close, whispering behind their recently manicured hands. Alice didn't bother looking at the lot, she didn't need to—she could already feel their stares like needles pricking on the back of her neck.

She opened her locker quietly, cautious enough to not brush air molecules the wrong way. Possibly, if she could stay small, invisible—

“Well, if it isn’t little Alice Loxley,”

Chanel sang in a stupid voice that dripped with honey and venom.“Didn’t hear you come in. Overslept? Or did the servants forget to wake you?” Alice didn't say anything, instead, she swallowed her pride, swallowed back the first dozen replies that leapt into her throat. Her body reacted instinctively, stuff shoulders, dry mouth, heart thudding too fast—she hated it.

“Just running late,” she murmured, grabbing her literature book. “Oh?”, Chanel asked playfully, her eyebrows arching as sharp as daggers. “And here I thought rich girls never ran. Daddy’s money usually handles that for you.”

Alice closed her locker gently, suppressing the tenor in her hands as she tried not to act out. She didn't need to look at Chanel to know that the girl was already stepping closer, too close, because she could smell her rose-perfume mixed with stale peppermint so much that she felt her lungs being contaminated. “You know,” Chanel continued, her sickly voice lowering, “you’ve been… quiet lately. Quieter than usual.” She tapped a nail against her locker, the metallic sound echoing in Alice's ears, “Makes us wonder. Something wrong at home? Trouble in paradise?”

She could feel her own pulse stumble.

How did she know anything? Did she know about the letter? About “L”? About the park?

No.

No she couldn't, she wasn't smart enough to be subtle. The girl only knew how to pry open secrets with brute force and an unexplainable amount of glitter. “Nothing's wrong. Just school,” Alice said, forcing her voice to be steady.

“School,” Chanel repeated with laugh even though what Alice said wasn't at all humourous.“Right. Because the girl who gets perfect grades is suddenly struggling for no reason.” Alice flinched, barely, but Chanel saw, of course she did, that girl could see anything. Her smile stretched wider.

Bitch. Alice thought, the word blooming in her mind like smoke, but she didn't dare let it escape her lips. Contradicting with her meant attention, attention meant rumors, and rumors would mean her mother finding out. And her mother—well—she was not forgiving. Chanel leaned forward, supposedly trying to whisper, even if the whole hallway could hear.

“You’re hiding something, Loxley.”

Alice froze.

L.

Her breath hitched. Her hands tightened around her books. The letter, the signature—the warning.

The way Chanel's eyes had sparked told Alice that she had noticed every microsecond of her panic. But instead of pressing furthermore, she merely smirked and flipped her hair again as she stepped back. “I’ll figure it out eventually,” she said sweetly. “Secrets don’t stay buried long around here.”

Then, the bell rang.

Before she knew it, the hallway exploded into noises left an right as students were swarming towards their classes. Chanel and her entourage melted into the crowd effortlessly, leaving Alice standing alone, clearly shaken as she gripped her books so tightly that the edges had cut into her palms. She stayed frozen there for a moment, breathing through the buzzing in her ears. She hated the fact that Chanel had so much power over her, not because she was at all brilliant or fearsome, but because Alice had never learned the art of fighting back. Empathy only had teeth when other felt it, but with Chanel, empathy was just an invitation to bite harder.

Alice exhaled slowly, then forced her feet to move. Literature was next. She had a granola bar, she had exactly zero emotional stability left, but she still functioned. She always did. Even when her mother's words stung, even when the letter burned a hole in her pocket like she was carrying a firing coal, even when Luis' sudden affection-from-a-distance had left her stomach in knots.

She had to function.

The door to Mrs. Brandews' classroom was already open when she arrived, the smell of chalk and warm paper hanging in the walls. Her students filed in lazily, chattering, laughing, existing in a world where no people were stuffing cryptic notes into their door hinges at the break of dawn. Alice picked a seat near the window, as always, but not for the view, but for the illusion of escape. She pulled out her textbook, setting it neatly on her desk, her hands still shaking faintly.

The letter was still in her pocket, the paper warm from her body heat. She felt its edges pressing against her thigh, sharp and urgent.

Meet me at the park by 5.

L.

Her mind spiraled through possibilities. Luis wouldn’t sign his name with just an initial. And besides, Luis would have come to her room. Luis would have said something last night. Luis was quiet, yes, but never secretive. Someone else. Someone who knew her schedule. Someone who wanted her alone.

She bit her lip.

Someone who knew where she lived.

The teacher entered, calling for silence. Alice forced her breathing to slow, steadying herself as best she could. Her granola bar remained untouched. Her energy drink sat unopened on the corner of her desk. Halfway through the lesson, she found herself lost in thought again.

Luis had followed her to the rooftop last night. That comforted her more than she expected. It meant he cared, or at least still saw her. It meant she wasn’t invisible in her own home — something her mother often made her feel. But the letter…

Her stomach dropped again.

When the bell finally rang, Alice packed her things quickly, slipping out before Chanel or anyone else could corner her. She moved through the hall like a shadow, avoiding stares, avoiding questions, avoiding pretty much everything. The day had blurred into a haze of half-heard lectures and scribbled notes, her mind tugged constantly between dread and curiosity.

By 4:45, she was standing outside the school gates, her bike resting against the fence. Her heart pounded. Her palms were sweaty enough to slip on the handlebars. She stared at the road leading toward the park. She could go home instead. Ignore the letter. Pretend she never saw it.

Safety screamed one part of her.
Curiosity whispered another.

And beneath both, something darker murmured: You already know too much. If you don’t go… something worse might happen. Alice swallowed hard, gripping the strap of her backpack until her knuckles whitened.

At 4:57, she climbed onto her bike. At 4:59, she reached the edge of the park. At 5:00 exactly, she set her foot onto the gravel path, breath caught in her throat.

The park was quiet, almost unnervingly so. Wind slid through the trees softly, brushing dried leaves across the ground. The sky was dimming, colors bleeding into muted gold and gray. Alice scanned the area. Empty benches. Silent swings. Shadows painted across the grass.

Then, just to the left, under the skeletal remains of a maple tree—A figure. Still. Waiting. And as Alice’s heart clenched, she realized with icy certainty:

That wasn’t Luis.

Not even close.

1 355 words