Read Online Alice by Christina Henry - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Christina Henry
Tags: Fantasy
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contemplating where to next. Alice tried her best to keep up, to not be a burden, but despite the sleep she’d gotten, her body was worn-out. It wasn’t long before her breath came in audible pants, and her head began to spin.
For the first time she felt frustration at her weakness, and shame. All those years in the hospital Hatcher believed they would get out. He’d trained, prepared for the day that would happen, even though he’d no reason for that belief. He had no family that he knew of, no one to tell the doctors it was all right for him to come home.
Alice had a family, one she knew would be no help to her. But Hatcher was certain one day they would fly from their cage, and now he was strong and capable and she was about to fall down— again. She could almost hear Bess tutting in her ear.
Alice pushed on a little longer, but after a while she couldn’t keep up, and lagged farther and farther behind.
“Hatcher,” she said, and her voice was so reedy she was surprised he heard it.
He turned around then, as she leaned against a building, the world tilting to one side.
“Sorry, sorry,” he muttered, returning to her. “Let’s have some of that bread, then.”
They sat on the ground where they stopped, their cloaks billowing around their feet, and Hatcher broke off a large chunk of Bess’ bread, giving half to Alice.
“I was following the map and not thinking of much else,” he said by way of explanation.
“What map?” she asked around a mouthful of bread. Her tongue was dry and it made the bread hard to swallow.
Hatcher tapped his temple. “Trying to remember all the whos and wheres, all the lines drawn. I figure even if the bosses have changed, the territory is likely the same. If one goes down, another will always be there to scoop up the goods.”
“Goods?” Alice asked.
“The area and the business in it,” Hatcher said.
“Oh.” Sometimes Alice felt there was more than one person inside Hatcher, pushing to get out. She’d never noticed so much when they were in the hospital, but now he would talk one way and then another, like the street tough he used to be was nudging aside the man he was now, and both of them tangled with the madness inside.
A pair of rats the size of cats scuttled near them, sniffing the air, attracted to the smell of bread. Alice stilled in the act of chewing, hoping they would go away. She’d never liked rats, having been bitten by one as a child. A particularly large rodent had gotten into their house and bit her face in her sleep.
She’d woken screaming, and the whole household chased the creature until it was cornered. The parlormaid, whose name was also Alice, later told her “the master beat the wretched animal with a stick till there was naught left but bones and blood.”
Alice had trouble picturing her very proper father, with his starched cravat and polished spectacles, as the author of such heroics. But the other Alice assured her it was so.
Dr. Horner came to treat the bite, and he said it wasn’t unusual for rats to do what this one had done, for the face smelled of food and that’s what rats were interested in. There had been a little scar on Alice’s cheek from the teeth, but that scar was gone now, covered up by the long ridge that went from her mouth to the top of her cheekbone.
Hatcher continued eating, seemingly unconcerned about the presence of the rats. The vermin grew bolder, approaching Alice’s and Hatcher’s feet. Alice tensed, huddled in her cloak.
As the first rat drew within range of his boot, Hatcher casually kicked out his leg so hard the creature flew into the opposite wall with a sickening crunch .
The second rat scurried away as soon as Hatcher’s leg moved. The other one lay motionless in the faint circle of light emitted by the gas lamp just outside the alley. Alice released the breath she’d been holding and finished her bread, though the sight of the broken corpse left the food tasteless in her mouth.
“All
For the first time she felt frustration at her weakness, and shame. All those years in the hospital Hatcher believed they would get out. He’d trained, prepared for the day that would happen, even though he’d no reason for that belief. He had no family that he knew of, no one to tell the doctors it was all right for him to come home.
Alice had a family, one she knew would be no help to her. But Hatcher was certain one day they would fly from their cage, and now he was strong and capable and she was about to fall down— again. She could almost hear Bess tutting in her ear.
Alice pushed on a little longer, but after a while she couldn’t keep up, and lagged farther and farther behind.
“Hatcher,” she said, and her voice was so reedy she was surprised he heard it.
He turned around then, as she leaned against a building, the world tilting to one side.
“Sorry, sorry,” he muttered, returning to her. “Let’s have some of that bread, then.”
They sat on the ground where they stopped, their cloaks billowing around their feet, and Hatcher broke off a large chunk of Bess’ bread, giving half to Alice.
“I was following the map and not thinking of much else,” he said by way of explanation.
“What map?” she asked around a mouthful of bread. Her tongue was dry and it made the bread hard to swallow.
Hatcher tapped his temple. “Trying to remember all the whos and wheres, all the lines drawn. I figure even if the bosses have changed, the territory is likely the same. If one goes down, another will always be there to scoop up the goods.”
“Goods?” Alice asked.
“The area and the business in it,” Hatcher said.
“Oh.” Sometimes Alice felt there was more than one person inside Hatcher, pushing to get out. She’d never noticed so much when they were in the hospital, but now he would talk one way and then another, like the street tough he used to be was nudging aside the man he was now, and both of them tangled with the madness inside.
A pair of rats the size of cats scuttled near them, sniffing the air, attracted to the smell of bread. Alice stilled in the act of chewing, hoping they would go away. She’d never liked rats, having been bitten by one as a child. A particularly large rodent had gotten into their house and bit her face in her sleep.
She’d woken screaming, and the whole household chased the creature until it was cornered. The parlormaid, whose name was also Alice, later told her “the master beat the wretched animal with a stick till there was naught left but bones and blood.”
Alice had trouble picturing her very proper father, with his starched cravat and polished spectacles, as the author of such heroics. But the other Alice assured her it was so.
Dr. Horner came to treat the bite, and he said it wasn’t unusual for rats to do what this one had done, for the face smelled of food and that’s what rats were interested in. There had been a little scar on Alice’s cheek from the teeth, but that scar was gone now, covered up by the long ridge that went from her mouth to the top of her cheekbone.
Hatcher continued eating, seemingly unconcerned about the presence of the rats. The vermin grew bolder, approaching Alice’s and Hatcher’s feet. Alice tensed, huddled in her cloak.
As the first rat drew within range of his boot, Hatcher casually kicked out his leg so hard the creature flew into the opposite wall with a sickening crunch .
The second rat scurried away as soon as Hatcher’s leg moved. The other one lay motionless in the faint circle of light emitted by the gas lamp just outside the alley. Alice released the breath she’d been holding and finished her bread, though the sight of the broken corpse left the food tasteless in her mouth.
“All
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