The Otherside: Alice: Tough Decisions (Book 6)

After we got back home we had a little time to spare before band camp started up again. Both twins started a campaign trying to get Grandpa Harrison to get me to train with them. After seeing my last fight, they thought I needed more work on my fighting tactics. Which I thought I did pretty well without using my magic. I couldn’t risk Azura thinking I wasn’t Jay. They talked Grandpa Harrison into it by the time school started only because most likely I will have to be the one to take my mother down. Which it is still hard for me to believe she would want to kill me, but the longer I have experienced the Golden Eyes, the more I realize it isn’t impossible.

“Alice, are you ready?” I heard come from behind my door after three loud knocks; it was Ace.

I groggily got up from bed as I heard a second voice, Trey. “Why are you rushing her? It’s 7AM on a Sunday.”

“Danget, your up.” Ace said upset.

“You were trying to leave without me?! Without my help convincing Harrison she wouldn’t be training with us.” Trey replied equally upset.

“So what? Grandpa Harrison would have caved eventually. Alice and I are just going to do some friendly sparring. I was going to save training for another day.”

I began getting ready while they were arguing outside my door.

“Friendly sparring? Friendly sparring won’t cut it if we are preparing her for war. We need to push her to the limit. And let’s be honest, you cannot drive her to her anger limit like I can.”

“I don’t think that is something to brag about.” Ace responded as I opened the door with a sigh.

“Shut up you two. Let’s go.” I said with a grumpy tone.

Ace opened the portal and we went to train by the pond in Otherside. We did a lot of sparring. Ace took me on first and basically they took turns sparring with me until lunch. We ate lunch back home and took a break for a couple hours. I wasn’t doing bad but I wasn’t doing all that great either. I do not know if it was the lack of energy from waking up early and continued movement with no rest or if I really needed to step up my game. After my couple hours to rest were up, we went back to the pond to continue sparing.

Ace and I started off sparing until Trey broke us up.

“There is no energy in this! It’s like you aren’t really trying!” Trey yelled at me.

“But there is no reason to.” I responded almost with instinct. I had a flashback to back on Jay’s ship when she called me out on my lack of trying. “I’m sorry. I just...”

“Does your mom have a reason? Because that is who you are up against. You have to train hard! If you can’t beat us, you don’t stand a chance against her.”

“Who said I wanted to fight her?”

“Trey back off. Let’s just drop this.” Ace said trying to stop the fight.

“No, you stay out of this if you do not agree.” Trey said holding up a hand towards Ace who was trying to get in the middle of us. He then pointed to my chest. “Either you run, hide and constantly fight for you life, or you face your mother.”

I whacked his arm away from me. “No one has shown me proof.”

“What proof do we need? How about we go into the farming district and look at the poor harvest... Oh! Better yet let’s look at the starving manufacturing district! The world does not just revolve around your problems! Let’s not forget she covered up your father’s death and framed it on the rebellion.”

I slapped him across the face. “You can’t prove that last statement.” I was getting furious.

“You need to get your head out of your ass. The world doesn’t revolve around you!” Trey yelled. I was hearing my demon. She was wanting to kill him... then again what else is new. She was filling my head with ideas of his potential demise. I kept trying to push her out. “What’s wrong? Not motivated enough to fight yet? Don’t believe me that your mother deserves to die? She never really loved you!”

I started digging through my memories to find proof otherwise. I couldn’t find one. No words towards just me, no real hugs, even the approving facial expressions were never towards me. I shook my head. “No, she loved me.” I said trying to push the painful idea out of my mind.

“Just let me kill him already. He is traitorous scum! Burn him!” My demon yelled as my hands went up to my head.

“Trey stop it, you are pushing her too far!” Ace yelled.

“No! She needs to hear the truth. If you are afraid, go home!” Trey yelled back.

“He wants your family dead. But he loves me. Does he really? Yes, he does. He wants me to be prepared for war. No, he just wants an excuse to take you down. ‘Oh, it was a simple sparing accident.’” I was arguing with my demon. I was so close to giving in.

“Alice, control it, you are better than this!” Trey yelled.

“How can I when you are being such an infuriating asshole!” I yelled back, trying to not give in.

“Be angry but don’t let her take over. Don’t lose to the demon, or you will be just like your mother. Remember who you are, not who she is!

My body was shaking and I fell to my knees. “Burn. Bring fire like an explosion to this destructive asshole.” I brought my hands down from my face and stared at them. They were burning. “Damn it!” I cried out.

I looked up and saw Ace was gone. It was just Trey and I. I looked back down. “Stop hesitating!” “No more!” I yelled.

“Alice, the demon does not control you. You should control her!”

“I can’t!” I said as with a cry. I looked behind me and saw the pond. I quickly pulled up a wave of water and crashed it over me and it pulled me into the pond. It twirled me around and I couldn’t get air. It saved Trey and me from the demon, but I was fading in a body of water, and could not get to the top fast enough.

The next thing that I remember was waking up to Trey’s wet half naked body over me, trying to get me to breath. And with a cough, water was coming out of my lungs I was back. He swiftly pulled me into a hug.

“I’m so glad you are okay.”

“Am I really? I was about to kill you.” I said while propping myself up.

“But you didn’t.” he rustled my soaking wet hair. “You need to put your demon on a leash.” he got up and held a hand out towards me.

I shook my head. “It’s not as easy as you think. I know everyone has demons, but not quite like mine.” I took his hand and he pulled me into his chest. His bare chest was very warm.

“It might not be easy, but you are stronger than you think.”

“Or do you think I am stronger than I actually am?”

“You have stopped it from killing me on three occasions now. I think you are stronger than you think.”

“That would be hard... if I didn’t like you, but...” I paused in mid-sentence when he pulled away and turned his back towards me. I noticed a tattoo on his right shoulder. It was a black and white tattoo of a nighthawk flying up, with a moon behind it.

“I didn’t know you had a tattoo.” I said trying to change the subject to something he would not be so cold towards.

He grabbed his shirt off the ground. “Yes, all first born Nighthawk sons have this. It is family tradition.”

“Oh, I see.” I said as he put his shirt on.

“It’s not that big of a deal....Uh.. let’s go home and let Ace know we are okay. He is most likely worried about you.”

“But if he was worried, why didn’t he stay.”

“If your demon took over, you would have killed both of us, not just me. I made him leave.”

“I didn’t hear you convince him.”

“We are psychics, not everything has to be said out loud.”

I sighed and shook my head. “Let’s go home.”

“Alice, he loves you. He really does.” He said, but it felt like he was trying to sell him to me.

“If he really does, that is something he needs to tell me himself.” I said as I opened a portal. “Now, come on.”

Ace was relieved and waiting in the living room when we got back. We explained what happened. Trey and I dried off and changed clothes. Outside of dinner I kept to myself and my books for the rest of the night. I mentally prepared myself for the first day of Senior year tomorrow. The beginning of my last year to decide what I am going to do with my life.