by Crane, M. L.
That was where Dr. Pelletier’s notes ended. He picked up a pencil and began to write.
EXPERIMENT DAY 7
I have discovered that Alice has a fifth alter. This alter refers to herself as the Queen. She appears to be the Alfa and controls the others. The Queen manipulated the other alters into doing these heinous acts for her own pleasure. The Queen killed Alice’s father.
End of experiment.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FIVE
Dr. Pelletier tossed his glasses onto his desk and closed his eyes, rubbing at his temples. His experiment was a success. He had pulled Alice out of her delusions, he made her see the truth, and he received the answer he was looking for. But at what cost?
Alice warned Dr. Pelletier to stop, not to let the Queen out, but he had refused to listen to her. It was clear to him now that he had been more concerned about his experiment than he was of her well-being. And now, because of him, Alice was lost.
There was a knock at the door, and Dr. Pelletier looked up to see Nurse Noble peeking in.
“Good morning, Nurse Noble. Can I help you?”
“Good morning, Dr. Pelletier. I was hoping that I could speak to you before I headed home for the day.” Nurse Noble’s voice trembled, and her face was puffy as though she had been crying.
Dr. Pelletier stood and gestured towards the chair in front of his desk. “Yes, of course. Please, come in.”
Nurse Noble entered the room and sat down. She stared at her hands as she rung them in her lap.
“What seems to be the problem?” Dr. Pelletier asked. But he already knew the answer.
Nurse Noble looked up at Dr. Pelletier, fresh tears running down her ragged cheeks. “I have been employed here at the Institute for a very long time, Dr. Pelletier. And through my years I have seen and heard some rather unpleasant things. And yes, I have even done things that I am not proud of.”
“Nurse Noble, I…”
“Please, let me finish,” Nurse Noble said firmly. “When you became head psychiatrist at this establishment, it wasn’t hard for anyone to see that you were a great doctor. For years, I stood by everything that you did. Not once did I ever question your methods. I may not have always agreed with you, but I remained loyal and never doubted you.
“I love my job; there is no doubt about that. I may not be able to show affection very well, but I love my patients like they are my family. They’re the only reason why I’ve stayed here so damn long.
“But yesterday, what you made me do to that child, is unforgivable. I can never forgive myself. And I most certainly will never forgive you. I’m sorry Dr. Pelletier, but I can no longer, in good conscience, continue working for you. I resign.” Nurse Noble stood to leave.
“Nurse Noble, wait. Please don’t leave. I know that what I did was wrong and selfish. But please don’t leave because of my mistake. Alice is a strong girl, and I know she’ll bounce back. Just wait and see. She’ll be fine.”
Nurse Noble glared at Dr. Pelletier. “Fine?” She pointed towards the door. “That little girl out there is not fine! We almost killed her! Jesus Christ, she almost killed you! Or have you forgotten that bit? If I hadn’t gone in to see what was going on in there, you…
“What is wrong with you? Sir, you go in there, and you take a good look at her. And then you can tell me if you think she’s going to be fine.” She dropped her arm, and her shoulders slumped. “I’m tired Dr. Pelletier, and I’ve got no business working here anymore. And if I may be honest with you? I don’t believe you belong here anymore either. Goodbye, Lewis.”
Nurse Noble left Dr. Pelletier’s office, closing the door behind her.
Dr. Pelletier closed his eyes and bowed his head. What had he done? He had put a young girl’s life at risk for the sake of, what? His career? Bragging rights? Not to mention that he had caused a dear friend and colleague to lose her trust in him. And he caused another colleague, who had dedicated most of her life to taking care of people, to leave in fear and disgrace. He couldn’t allow something like this to happen again. It was time for him to do what he had set out to do.
Dr. Pelletier unlocked the top drawer of his desk and slowly slid it open. There, sitting on top of a pile of papers and legal pads, was a revolver. He had bought the gun several years ago for protection. But at that moment, he found himself wondering if perhaps it had been the patients that had needed protection from him all along.
Dr. Pelletier sat there and stared at the gun, caressing it, feeling the cold metal on his fingertips. How easy it would be. He wouldn’t have to face the consequences of his actions. He wouldn’t have to see the damage he’d done. And he wouldn’t be able to hurt any else, ever again. Just simply one…two…three…and BANG!
Just then, Dr. Pelletier’s door flew open, and Nurse Allen rushed in. He slammed the desk drawer shut.
“Lewis, we need to talk,” Nurse Allen exclaimed, looking distraught.
“Lorina, please. Now is not a good time. I know you’re angry at me, and you have every right to be. But I can’t do this right now.”
Nurse Allen stood her ground. “Look, you can sit around here all day and wallow in your self-pity, pissing and moaning about your shitty actions. Or, you can suck it up and fix your mistake. Alice still needs you! I know she’s in there and I know you can get her back!”
Dr. Pelletier shook his head. “I can’t.”
“But it’s important! You have to try!” Nurse Allen insisted.
“No. I am very sorry Lorina, but it’s over.”
“But Lewis, you don’t understand! She’s…”
“ I said, no!” Dr. Pelletier shouted. “What I have done to that child is not only unforgivable, but it also goes against everything I have ever stood for as a doctor! I have no business treating patients any longer. I’m sure the board will find a better-suited doctor to take over Alice’s care. Now, please leave.”
Tears welled up in Nurse Allen’s eyes and her cheeks flushed as anger filled her. “You know what? She’s not the monster. You are,” she growled through her teeth and slammed the door behind her.
“I know,” Dr. Pelletier whispered to himself.
Dr. Pelletier opened the desk drawer and eyed the gun longingly. He pushed it aside and pulled out a new legal pad. He picked up a pen and began to write his letter of resignation to the board of directors.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX
Alice was restrained in a wheelchair, staring blankly at the magazine ad taped to the wall. Her eyes were glassy, and her mouth hung open, drool dangling from her bottom lip.
The door to Alice’s room opened, and Nurse Allen cautiously stepped inside. “Alice?”
Alice remained still.
“Alice, I brought you something.” Tucked under Nurse Allen’s arm was a rolled up poster, and in her hands was a roll of tape and an artificial rose.
Nurse Allen walked over to the windowsill and frowned. The once beautiful and vibrant rose had completely dried up and crumbled. She pulled the dead flower from the vase and put the artificial one in its place. “I know it’s not as pretty as a real one, but this one will never die. And look? I got you this, too. I thought that maybe you’d like something different than the same old beach house.” She took down the magazine ad and taped the poster to the wall. She stood by Alice’s side, placing a hand on her sister’s shoulder, and admired the poster.
The poster was an incredibly vibrant print of Alice in Wonderland by the artist, Tom Masse. It was a breath-taking scenery filled with fanciful characters and bursting with colors. Nurse Allen pointed to the young Alice in the poster and said, “See, that’s you. And these are all of your friends. You won’t be lonely anymore.” She said the last few words with difficulty, her throat aching as she choked up.
Nurse Allen knelt in front of her sister and looked into her vacant eyes. They were cold and empty, making Nurse Allen’s heart break. “Alice, I know you’re still in there. I’ll find a way to get you back, I promise.” Then she placed a
hand on Alice’s stomach and whispered, “Don’t worry little one. I’ll take good care of you.”
Nurse Allen stood and placed a kiss on Alice’s forehead. She walked to the door and turned to look at her sister one last time before leaving. “I love you, little sis,” she said and closed the door behind her.
A single tear ran down Alice’s cheek.
~~~~~
Alice was standing at the end of a pebbled path. She was in awe of the beauty that surrounded her. Lush green grass blanketed the land for miles. Toadstools as large as houses, and whimsical trees unlike any she had ever seen before, decorated this fantastic world. A light breeze blew by, tickling the flowers and making them giggle. Birds walked about, conversing with one another as though they were human. In the distance, she spotted a tiny, fairytale cottage. Alice had sought after this place her whole life, and now she was finally here. She was home.
Alice heard the faint echo of Lorina’s voice, and a single tear ran down her cheek. She knew that she might never see her sister again.
Alice felt a small tap on her back and turned around to find Whitney standing behind her. She was smiling, and there was a flush of pink tinting her pale cheeks. She looked so alive.
“Whitney, is it over?” Alice asked, wiping away the tear.
Whitney took Alice’s hand into her own tiny hand as she led her towards the cottage. “Yes. For now.”
Alice frowned and asked, “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
Whitney sighed, and her face became somber. “ You can’t stay here.”
“Why not?” Alice asked. She released Whitney’s hand and backed away from her. “I don’t want to go back! I can’t go back! I belong here, with all of you.”
“But the Queen is out there, and you can’t let her hurt any more people. You’re the only one that can stop her. The medicine is keeping her quiet right now, but she’s very strong. It won’t hold her forever.”
Alice looked around, her heart aching with the knowledge that Whitney was right. She couldn’t stay here. She needed to put an end to the demon who called herself the Queen and prevent her from hurting anyone else, including Lorina.
Alice bowed her head and said, “I understand.”
Whitney held out her hand for Alice to take and said, “Plus, someone else is going to need you.”
“Who?” Alice asked.
Whitney smiled. “I think you know.”
Alice placed a hand on her stomach. Yes, she knew.
“But for now,” Whitney said, “we wait.”
“Wait for what?”
“The Queen is too strong for you. You need to rest and find your strength. Fighting the Queen is going to be the hardest thing you’ve ever done.”
“But how can I…hey, wait a minute. Did you just call me, Alice?”
Whitney giggled and tugged at Alice’s hand and exclaimed, “Come on! Everyone is waiting, and we’re late for tea!”
They ran up the pebbled path towards the little cottage. When they reached the house, Alice was overcome with joy when she saw all of her friends waiting for her.
Maddock threw his hands into the air dramatically and exclaimed, “Ah, Alice! We’ve been waiting for you!”
Marsha clapped her hands excitedly and said, “Okay, okay, okay! You’re a little late, but it’s fine. What took you so long?”
Chelsea was grinning from ear to ear and said, “Hello, Alice.” Something had changed about her. For the first time, there was true happiness in her smile and peace in her eyes.
Alice felt something brush up against her leg and looked down to see a very content Dinah.
“Hey, baby.”
Alice’s heart skipped a beat. She knew that voice. She turned around to face her. Standing with her arms open wide, was Rose.
Rose cupped Alice’s face in her hands and stared at her lovingly. She kissed Alice gently and said, “Welcome home, Alice.”
So she sat on, with closed eyes, and half believed herself in Wonderland, though she knew she had but to open them again, and all would change to dull reality---
~Lewis Carroll~
Through
the Shattered
Looking Glass
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this book, be sure to show your support by leaving a review on Amazon.com.
For information on part 2 of Through the Shattered Looking Glass, get connected with M. L. Crane
www.mlcrane.com
www.facebook.com/mlcraneauthor/
www.instagram.com/mlcraneauthor/
www.twitter.com/MLCraneAuthor
www.goodreads.com/MLCrane
