The Blue Queen

Alice – one who rules the Neither worlds.   “… Three kids, now teens, found alive after missing in almost five years. The teens were found in the woods, far from their homes, frightened and dazed but unharmed and were unable to remember anything but their names. Detective Warden said these teens, whose parents didn’t want to be identified, went missing from different states and was found on the other side of the world. Authorities are now trying to determine if child trafficking was involved with the children’s cases but no leads and evidences are still found. The missing teens are now at home with their family starting a fresh new life.”   What really happened in that five years? I kept asking myself again and again as I read the old article.   It’s been three years since I’ve been found. Yes, I was one of those teens that went missing but have been found. What about the other kids that I was with?   I really don’t remember.   I don’t remember anything or what I did in that span of five years that I went missing. Though, I do know my name and my memories still intact before that happened. As far as I know, my name was Alliah Lindh, but now changed to Alliah Grey. I got adopted by a family friend.   My family searched for me when I went missing that lead them to their death. The reasons, also unknown, when they almost found me, they got killed and my older brother went missing. The police assumed he was the one who killed them and went on hiding. He was the last person to be with them and now, police are searching for him.   “Are you sure about this, Ally?” My adopted mother worriedly asked. Her eyes followed me around as“Nothing will come good from it. For all we know, what happened to you back then was so horrible that you unconsciously forgot about it.” She added.   “Yes, mom, I’m sure of this. Five years was lost to me, I should at least know what happened to me or what I did within that five years.” I assured her as I pack my things for my travel to the last place where I was last seen, my late Grammy’s mansion near the Wuthering Woods.   “You know what, I’m going with her, to ease your worrying, mum,” My adopted brother, Eli, stepped in my room as he brushed off his auburn hair away from covering his eyes. He leaned on the doorframe and crossed his arms looking overly confident to make mother agree. His emerald eyes twinkled hope to mom.   “No!” mom and I shot back at him.   “And besides, it’s the last summer before Ally and I go to university. Take it as our bro-sis bonding time annnddddd if something goes wrong, we’ll leave and go home,” he added. Sometimes I kinda feel that this is his lousy excuse to annoy me in the trip. He’s been annoying and teasing me since I got into their household. Sometimes I feel that he has this crush on me or, he got new to having a sibling since he’s an only child…   I’ll go with the latter. Tsk! Only child problems.   “No, Eli. You’re just gonna end up as a liability to me” I disapprovingly said. I looked at mother and it seems that she’s thinking of considering letting Eli tag along with me. Too late. I think she already made a decision.   “I think you’d be much safer if Eli tags along with you.” Mother decided. “And it would make me less worried if I know he comes with you,” she added with her motherly smile that I couldn’t say no to.   Eli fist pumped into the air quietly behind mom. I couldn’t help but worry. Our lives are at risk here and I don’t know if we we’ll able to come back alive. I know for sure that something is going on back there at late Grammy’s yard and I know it wasn’t good.   “Fine! But if Eli gets a scratch from this expedition of mine, he’s gonna have to go home without me,” I said as a condition. I looked over Eli worriedly. I can’t just let him go through danger because of me. Aside from being annoying, he was sweet and it kinda grew on me.   “I also am worried about you, Ally and that is why I am coming with you. I’m curious to what happened to your brother, Alec. He’s one of my best buds and my gut says that the case you were involved with got him tangled.” Eli seriously said.   Like what Eli said, he’s been good friends with Alec. He was one of the people that helped me brought back up when I found out the news about my parents and about myself. To them it might have been a long time but to me, five years felt like yesterday. It felt as if I was woken up in a deep slumber and when I woke up, everyone was gone.   “Thanks, Eli.” I replied as I smile sadly at him. “You should pack too, we have a very long trip tomorrow.” I added.   The next day, Eli and I ventured on a very long trip to my Grammy’s old mansion. When we arrived at the gated mansion, it was like what I’ve remembered. Big and majestic but now, due to time, it has become old. Vines has been crawling on the walls, the grass hasn’t been cut and the weather seems to be darker and cloudier than before. The maintenance has been stopped when my parents died due to insufficient funds. Most of my family’s money has been used for searching me. What’s left are the savings just in case I re appear again.   When we entered the place, it was dark and cold when we entered but everything was well kept.  There aren’t much dust and the all the furnitures are covered in fabric.   “This place gives me the creeps,” Eli’s voice echoed through the whole room.   “It isn’t how I remembered it to be,” I told him as I removed the fabric covering the couch and place my bag on the floor. “I remember that it was always bright and sunny here. Alec and I would run around the whole estate playing hide and seek…” I trailed off.   I suddenly remembered, I love playing hide and seek. That was the last memory I have and then I woke up with people whose names I don’t know in the woods and a flashlight’s light on my face. “Eli, you set up where we gonna stay in this big house. There won’t be water and electricity for now, but I’ve already sent notice and it would take a date or two for it to be back. I’ll be at the garden. I have to check on something.” I hurriedly took my jacket and hurriedly went to the garden without looking back.   “Wait for me, Ally!” Eli grabbed my hand, pulling me back. “For Christ’s sake, Ally! Don’t do things by yourself! It’s just the two of us here and if something happens to one of us, what will I do? What will you do? Have you thought about me or mum at least if something happened?!” he exclaimed.   I see clearly Eli’s pretty face etched with anxiety. Even on twilight, he glowers like the summer’s sun. So bright that you can’t even look straight at it. I admit, Eli is one of the handsome guys I know in my life; he would have been my first love if it weren’t for that incident before when we first met.   Took the number two, clogging the toilet up. I had to get the plunger in the storage but when I got back to the toilet, he was there dying and suffocating the s**t out of him. I cringe whenever I remember that embarrassing memory.   “Sorry to make you worry, Eli.” I looked down, apologizing to him. He lifted my chin up making me look directly at him. Geez, looking at him like this makes me all shy and nervous. I’m not good with handling guys, okay?   “Tell me what’s happening to you. You used to tell me everything. What happened? And don’t tell me that it’s nothing. I hear you talking late at night to someone whenever I pass by your room to get water.” Eli said. Now talking to someone late at night, that I didn’t know.   “What do you mean? Me talking? Since when? What did I talked about?” I hurriedly asked. I wasn’t aware what I’ve been doing when asleep.   “You’ve been talking about plans and solutions but I don’t even understand majority you’ve been talking about. It’s like you’ve been running an empire. And all of the things you’ve said all leads to getting rid of the next Alice.” Eli answered. “What is an Alice, Ally?” he asked.   “The one who rules the Neither worlds,” I answered absentmindedly. I was surprised that I was able to answer quickly. There it goes again, that knowledge I didn’t know I had. It’s been useful when I went back to school. It is as if I never missed any classes and to my surprise, this knowledge helped me advance in my grade and subjects.   I looked around the manor and saw the familiar gazebo where I usually hang out. Not far from it is the Wuthering Woods that my Grammy told me not to go because I’d end up lost not knowing that I’d be swept up in a dream.   “I thought it was a dream, Eli, but it’s not,” I say as I grabbed Eli’s hand walking towards the gazebo. I looked around and saw my old vandals when I was young. It was a drawing of a girl holding a knife, a boy singing, a pretty girl and a boy and girl holding hands walking to a path that lead to the woods.   “What are you talking about?” Eli looked at me as if I’d gone crazy. I looked at the foggy forest ahead of me. Cold winds have been blowing and it seems like it’s showing a path behind that foggy façade. In an instant, I felt a strong force trying to pull me towards the path. It is as if it’s pulling my soul to run towards it and it’s telling me to hurry.   “I’m not sure, Eli. I need to go there to make sure.” I told him as I head towards the path.   “No, Ally!” he opposed stopping me. “That’s where your parents were found dead. We don’t know what’s inside that place” Eli added.   “We’ll just follow that path up there, look, and then well go back after an hour of exploring” I pointed the path that’s starting to be clear to me.   “What path? I don’t see any.” Eli say. I slowly drag him towards the start of the path.   “If you don’t want to go with me, that’s fine. I’ll just leave some marks so that I’ll be able to go back,” I say not answering his question back. I have some answers I could give to him but I’m still not sure if they are true or not. I let go of the hand that I was holding and marched inside the forest following the path.   “Wait up, Ally!” I hear Eli not far behind. I looked back and saw him struggling to go towards me while carrying his backpack. I waited for him to reach towards me. When he got near, I reached my hand out to help him and he happily accepted it.   “You said there was a path! I see nothing! And how did you got here so quick?” he huffed. I looked pass behind him and the path that was once there is gone. I swear, I’ve left some identification marks when I was on my way. I didn’t have the guts to tell Eli and just have to keep moving forward for the path still remains forward.   “There is!” I defended. “Just hold my hand and don’t let go. I’m gonna lead the way.” I added as I held to his hand tightly. It was pretty dark now so I took out my phone and used it’s flash light to help me see the path.   “You’re really cute when you act so tough,” Eli looked at me and smiled. I stared at Eli trying to decipher if he’s teasing or complementing me.   “I know, that’s why you love me.” I teased back and gave him a beaming smile. After that, he suddenly went silent we continued to walk to that path that I’m leading. As we go in deeper into the woods, slowly, fireflies appear and it seems that they are helping me, leading me on the right path.   The path lead us to an open field where rare blue flowers glower and bloom. In the middle of it is a giant oak tree in the middle that has an arched entryway. Fireflies were everywhere. Majority of the fireflies are going inside the tree’s entryway.   “You see what I’m seeing, Eli?” Asked as I gripped his hand and looked at him. He his Adam’s apple bobbed and he nodded in astonishment. The night sky was clear and the moon is at its full course.   “I don’t think it’s a good idea to go in there. It doesn’t seem real.” He replied. “Pinch me,” he commanded and I followed, pinching him hard.   “Ouch!” he exclaimed and I stopped. “So it is real.” He says. “God, this seems like we’re in a fantasy game or something.” He added. We walked and admired the view in front of us. Looking at the flowers felt like déjà vu. Where have I seen these flowers? I looked closely to the flowers and then it hit me. I saw these babies in my dream!   “Not a dream!” I concluded. “Not a dream!” I said it again. “I thought it was a dream, Eli. It’s not. All of this, I dreamt of my memories.” I say to him. He looked at me as if I had grown another head.   “This is why I didn’t want to talk to you. You’re looking at me as if I have gone crazy.” I tell him indifferently. I let go of his warm hand which was holding mine. I ran to the field towards the tree. The cold wind hit my face but I didn’t care. All I could care about was go back to that wonderful place I’ve dreamt of leave the ugly world behind me.   All I have felt after I have been found was hurt and neglect. Hurt that my family was gone and it’s all my fault. They died searching for me and I know I would find missing brother and all of my missing memory on the other side. The world has drastically changed when I came back. I tried my best to fit into this world.   I reached towards the tree but Eli stopped me from getting close to it.   “Ally! Stop!” Eli caught up to me and hugged me from behind. I didn’t realize that I was crying up until now. My knees gave up making me kneel toward the ground. The impact wasn’t as strong as I’ve expected since Eli caught me.   “We don’t know what’s in there, Ally.” He said still hugging me from behind. “Tell me what’s happening to you. You can trust me. Please. Open up to me so that I’ll understand what’s going on with you.” Eli pleaded. I dried up my tears and faced him.   “I think I know what’s in there.” I sniffed. I grabbed his face and directly looked at his emerald eyes. “I don’t know what’s happening right now. This may look like a dream, Eli, but this, I believe is real. It’s your own choice whether you want to go with me or not but I believe the answers as to what happened to me lies in there and I just have to know which one of my dreams are real or not.” I explained.   “I can’t risk for your safety and I’m gonna bet on mine,” I warned him. He held my face gently and caress it.   “I won’t leave your side, Ally. You know that I’m always on your side whatever happens to us.” Eli gently replied.   “I don’t want to take you away from your family. I’m a pretty selfish person right now and I don’t want you to go with me just to look for answers about myself and I’m afraid that if something bad happens to you too, I won’t be able to forgive myself for letting you come with me,” I tried my best to persuade Eli not to go with me. He gave out a determined look and smiled. The look on his face seemed like he already made a decision. He helped me up and there we stood. He lead the way towards the tree's entryway. The fireflies light up around us. The scene made my heart flutter. It is as if Eli's gonna propose or something and we're not even dating.   “I’m going with you, Ally. Even if it is in the depths of hell, or in the middle of the storm. I’ll follow you...” Eli sweetly said as he held my hand. He kissed the back of my palm and looked at me with eyes sparkling, “… because you got me charmed.”   A memory flashed in my mind.   A memory of that distant place. Inside that tree leads to a happy place. A place so beautiful no one could ever describe or compare to it. It’s like utopia, the realm smelt like flowers and it’s always spring there, my favorite season of the year. Where the flowers bloom, the weather isn’t too hot for summer or too cold like winter and the animals and insects come out to play under the spring day.   The people where so kind and lovely. They would all come to every beck and call I made. The food that I’ve requested always tasted delicious. The clothes that I ordered were all so gorgeous. All of my hopes and dreams for this realm, not only the people but also other creatures followed me.   They love me here.   Because in here, I rule.