Alice felt tears well up in her ears. Isobel had had love. The real kind. The soft kind. Her habd fluttered to her stomach. She wrapped the letters back up and set them on top of the bookshelf. She stumbled back to the living in a pained daze. She thought back to the Jack she'd seen outside. She'd come so close…
(aw, Alice, imma cry)
(do you want Isobel to wake up, or shift, or dream?)
(idrm)
Isobel's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up groggily, blinking her eyes and checking the time. It had been almost forty-five minutes since she'd last fallen asleep. Letting out the tiniest exclamation of pain when her raw hands brushed up against the scratchy fabric of the blanket, she relaxed back into the pillow, wanting to forget about everything
Alice jumped at the sound of Isobel waking. She'd read all the letters. She couldn't help it.
She rushed back to Isobel's side and knelt down. "You okay?"
Isobel sat up again, inhaling. “You’re wasting your time on me.”
"No one is a waste of time," Alice said firmly.
Isobel exhaled very slowly. “Why are you here, Alice?”
Alice went silent. It took her a while to answer. "I don't know."
Isobel lay back down, staring at the ceiling. “Oh.”
Alice bit her lip. "That's it? Oh?"
“I don’t know anymore, Alice. I don’t know either.” was all she could reply, shutting her eyes again. “As long as you’re not going to stab me in my sleep, I think we’re good.”
Alice burst out laughing. She laughed so hard she fell off the couch and only straightened when the tears were streaming.
Isobel made no outward sign to show that she had heard or seen anything. She just… she had no idea what to do. She didn’t know anymore.
Alice finally managed to calm down. "Isobel. Schizos aren't violent unless set off."
"Wait– you're schizophrenic?" Isobel's eyes opened. "I meant- I meant the comment as- a general ground rule… or something. I don't know."
Alice waved it away. "I've gotten worse insults, don't worry your pretty little head."
Pretty? Isobel closed her eyes once more. "How much did you hear?" she asked after a moment, voice resigned.
Alice shook her head. "Barely anything. I got here when you started yelling."
Isobel rubbed at her bloodshot eyes. “Oh. Meaning that you got in here at that time or you saw me through the window at that time?”
"Meaning, I got in here at that that time," she clarified bashfully.
Isobel stared up at the ceiling. “How much did you see before that?”
"Most of it? Sort of… everything?" Alice said quietly.
Isobel squeezed her eyes shut. Fantastic. I’ve got a stalker.
“Oh,” she replied simply.
Alice laughed nervously, dread settling in her heart. She couldn't tell what Isobel was thinking and it was triggering her. She started pulling on the apron string that hung loose in the back, attempting to steady her breathing. Wasn't Isobel going to say something? Call someone? At the very least, call her out and make her leave? A dull headache throbbed in her temple.
Isobel stayed silent for a full twenty seconds before whispering a response. “Alice? I’d like to be alone.”
Alice nodded vigorously. "Of course!" She started to back away into the hallway, head down.
Isobel relaxed as soon as Alice was gone, her head spinning. She’d fallen back into numbness, and although her thoughts were whirling, she didn’t particularly care or register them. She just wanted it all to stop. There was too much going on.
Alice listened to the sound of her breathing, trying hard to clear her head. It was a complete less— she didn't know what to think or do, but didn't want to leave Isobel in a state. She knew from first-hand experience it was an absolutely terrible idea.
After what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes, Isobel finally drifted off. She dreamed of screams and gunfire and blood in the night, of three tiny coffins and one large one.
She dreamed of death.