Snippet #2463325

Alice's face went from concerned, to curious, to worried, and back to concerned again. Why had he been keeping this to himself for so long? And why was he telling her, of all people in this horrid place? She held up a hand to her forehead and paced on the balcony. For a moment she forgot that she was ever cold. Her internal advice to breathe wasn't exactly working at the moment. She had stopped breathing but moved back and forth. It was hard enough to deal with her own secrets, her own darkness. But what Isamu was saying was completely triggering older emotions. She felt enclosed somehow.

Her hands gripped the railing and she finally took in an icy breath. "Well," she whispered. "Isamu..I.." She shook her head, not sure exactly what to say. This place..it scared her even more. Isamu, her dear friend; even he had struggled and held such horrible truths. What did that mean for her, then? Could she not at least have some joy and comfort in anyone here?

Alice's eyes suddenly went glossy and wet. Salty droplets skidded down her face like snow itself. There wasn't a real reason for it, only perhaps she felt lonelier than ever after hearing what Isamu had to say.

"And the mother?" she managed to ask after clearing her throat. The cold was hitting her again and her gaze drifted back inside towards the guests. She saw Airi, and sighed. The poor girl. And Isamu. Her eyes caught Jordyn among the crowd. At least he wasn't missing and in trouble, as Alice assumed about everyone else. He may not have been safe--just as no one here was--but at least he was there. Her hands rubbed her pale cheek and she returned her attention to Isamu, seeing him differently. Not as the playful creature who awed her with his sculptures, but as a combination of unwanted creations. It was all...a mask. Just as she had thought.