"There is a girl behind the fireplace?" Jack looks puzzled as I run around, looking for anything to help me bring down the brick wall blocking the fireplace.
"A big hammer will do, Alice," the Pillar decides to talk to me again. "Faster. Go get help from outside! They'll know how to break it."
And just before I run to the door, I hear the bricks falling in a series of consecutive thuds. I turn around, and see Jack bringing down the brick walls with the firedogs. He has strong arms, and he is determined as heck. He also looks like he has a thing for vandalism.
"The heck with national treasures!" he pants, as the bricks fall down.
I pass the firedogs and squeeze myself in the tight place behind them. Then I get on all fours and use the phone's light to peek into the darkness of the fireplace. I smell ashes, but can't see anything. Then I hear a girl moaning. I don't hesitate, and crawl into the dark.
It doesn’t take me long before I can see the shadow of a girl inside. She’s lying on the floor with her hands and knees tied.
Chapter 27
Oh, my God. She's only ten or so. I run to her and get on my knees. I have to crawl inside to get to her. Her mouth is tied and her dress is torn, ashes covering her legs. The look in her eyes is killing me. Those pleading eyes. I can't imagine she's been locked in this awful place for so long. This damn Cheshire Cat. I swear I will catch him.
When I reach my hand for the girl, she pulls away, still panicking. I’m assuming she is in great shock. "It's alright," I say. "I am here to help you."
The girl stops panicking, but doesn't move or allow me to untie her hands and legs. I feel like I want to scream and cry at the same time. I want to tell her that I know what it feels like, being trapped and isolated in such a small room. She reminds me of myself in the asylum. I am praying the Cheshire didn't do this on purpose, sacrificing the girl to play with my head.
Whenever I crawl closer to her, she shies away. I don’t want to force her. She’s been through enough. I need to find a way for her to trust me. I reach for the ashes and smear them on my face and hands, trying to assure her we're both alike. That I can save her, only if she’ll let me. The girl still doesn't trust me. Her mouth is duct-taped, so she can't speak. But her eyes speak. I wonder what she wants to tell me.
"Please, let me help you," I plead, tears trickling down my cheeks.
She does that thing with her eyes again, unable to speak.
“At least let’s remove the duct tape, so you can tell me what you want.”
She thinks about it, then nods. I crawl over and pull it slowly. She’s brave. She doesn’t moan anymore.
"Are you Alice?” she asks me, with her faint and weakened voice.
“I am.” There is no point is asking her how she knows now.
My answer makes her relax. She allows me to unbind her and help her crawl out of the fireplace. We get out to the middle of the hall, where she hugs me while I am on my knees. Then she finally lets go, and cries hysterically. She's been through a lot.
My whole world is falling apart. I have never felt such emotion for a long time--I don't even know how long. The sane world is too cruel, I think as I hold her tighter to me. I don't even know her, but I want to give her all the love I can provide. How can the Cheshire do something like that to this young kid? The sane world is horrible. The Pillar was right. Living among the sane is insane.
"I'm not a fan of drama," Jack says from behind me. When I tilt my head, I see him climbing out of one of those highly arched windows. Is this guy some kind of a thief, or what? "But you owe me a date!" he points a finger at me, then waves goodbye to the girl. I am surprised she waved goodbye to him. For the first time, she smiles.
When I turn to look at Jack again, he's gone.
"Well done, Alice,” the Pillar says in my ears. "Not too shabby for our first day at college," he pulls his sarcasm on me. "See you in the asylum tonight," he hangs up on me.
"Are you okay?" I ask the girl as I catch my breath.
She nods. "As soon as you told me your name was Alice, I knew I was going to be okay. Thank you."
"Really?" I check her body for any bruises. “Are you hurt in any way?”
The girl shakes her head no. I can tell she is alright. The Cheshire didn’t hurt her, which makes me wonder what all of this was about.
“What’s your name?” I run my finger through her hair.
“Constance.”
“What a lovely name,” I hug her again.
“Not as lovely as yours,” her small hands cling to my pullover from behind. “My mom was going to name me Alice first.”
“You love that name a lot, huh?” I smile, wondering why my name means so much to her.
She hit me right with the answer, "The man who kidnapped me told me a girl named Alice was coming for me."