Page 81 of Wonder

She jabs me in the ribs, but gently. “Don’t talk about yourself like that. Grief is… there is no clear path. No cure.”

I stare down at her, as she sighs. “I am… very glad I met you, Alyss Lidell.”

She turns her face to mine. “If I hadn’t been in the bar that night, we would never have met at all.”

I hesitate. Something flickers in her eyes, and I force a smile. “Funny how these things work out.”

Not now.

There will be time.

“We’re running out of time, Hatter.” She whispers those words as if she can read my mind. And her eyes – they search my face, as if she’s searching for something. “Tomorrow—.”

“You’re going to be fine.” My voice is non-negotiable. “I’ll make sure of it, Alyss.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I never do.”

She shifts up, then, turning to me. Alyss Lidell brushes her lips against mine in a silent question.

And in response, I draw her to me, cupping her cheek. She’s flushed when I pull away. “My teeth—.”

“Trust me,” I murmur. “I don’t care.”

I watch as she tucks her hair behind her ear. “She’ll get what she deserves one day. Red, I mean.”

I shrug. “Maybe. But the world is not a fair place.”

It’s easier to expect disappointment.

This isn’t a fairytale.

33 – Alyss

“They’ve given us steak tonight.”

I glance around. Chess is leaning against the wall of the bathroom. “A last supper, I guess.”

A final meal.

Slowly, I shift back, letting the water run over my hair. Chess holds something up. “They sent us clothes too. And these.”

I squint. “Is that a toothbrush?”

He nods, tossing it onto the counter. “Maybe they could smell your breath.”

When I glare at him, he swipes it and tosses it at me. The toothpaste follows. I immediately squirt it onto the brush and shove it into my mouth.

My eyes close.Heaven.

I’d sell Chess’s left nut sack for some floss right now. Possibly both. Frowning, I point at him with my spare hand. “Mwah bwef smeh oses.”

He starts to laugh. “What?”

I yank the toothbrush away, turning to spit. It washes away down the drain as I go in for a second go. “My breath smells like fuckingrosesnext to yours.”

I stick my tongue out at him, and he smiles as he moves to the counter, pulling out his own toothbrush. But it’s a sad smile.