The Afterlife of Alice Watkins 2

by Matilda Scotney

  “You’re so lovely and so delicate, Alice, I was afraid I might hurt you,” he said gently. “It’s been a long time, and I wanted you so much.”

  “You didn’t hurt me, Noah,” she tilted her head to look at him. “Besides,” she grinned, “it’s been longer for me. Centuries.”

  “Of course, I didn’t give it a thought,” he grinned. “As soon as I held you, I didn’t give much of anything a thought. Alice, I can’t believe we’re here together, the last few weeks have been torture.”

  “I’ve never done anything like this, Noah.”

  “Never?”

  “Well, apart from what I told you before. I don’t know what Alexis Langley did.”

  “I was worried you might think me a clumsy oaf.”

  “And I was worried you would think me a hussy.”

  “A hussy?” he shifted his weight and propped on his elbow. “A hussy?”

  “Do you know what a hussy is?”

  “Yes, I do. I liked you being a hussy.”

  “My mother wouldn’t agree.”

  “Well, she’s not here,” he grinned, sliding his arms over her back and tucking her legs in between his. “But you are.”

  Much later, they rode back to the house on Bay. Fleet had already left for home, a habit she had if left to her own devices. Alice’s arms were around Noah’s waist as they rode, her face nuzzled against his back. That night, in her bed, after losing themselves in each other, she lay nestled against Noah’s chest, his arms around her, keeping her close. Alice was incredibly happy, too happy to sleep, to let these special moments pass by without her being fully in them. In this world, events developed over such a short time—only 24 hours ago she came to this bed, alone, convinced he only wanted friendship. Now, she lay in his arms, close to him, free to love him. The hairs on his chest were soft against her face, and she smiled, listening to the soft rhythm of his breathing as he slept beside her. Once more she wondered at the magic which brought her here, to this.

  The next morning, Alice and Noah explored the countryside on horseback. Noah, in his best tour guide voice, pointed out landmarks and places of interest that were, as Alice liked to say, in his backyard. Late in the afternoon, they approached the house from the direction of the city. A second shuttle with city markings was just leaving.

  “My parents must have come home early,” Noah said, as it flew over their heads.

  “Are you sure they won’t mind me being here?” Alice suddenly felt out of place.

  “Not at all. Mother will be overjoyed, even though I hoped to have you all to myself.”

  Noah steered them around through the trees at the side of the house, to avoid being seen.

  “Alice,” Noah held onto Fleet’s bridle to stop her walking away. “I have to introduce you formally, as Dr Langley, to my parents. My mother will ask all sorts of questions—trying to throw her off the scent by telling her you had a brain injury and have been on Saturn Station for ten years won’t be enough. She will want to know what happened before. She’ll tie you in knots, Alice. Tell me what you want me to do, shall I be honest and tell them you are Alexis Langley or wait to see if she makes the connection? It has to be your decision.”

  But Alice had no doubt the course of action they must take.

  “I assume your parents would know about me—about Alexis Langley?”

  He nodded.

  “Yes, almost certainly.”

  “Then we’ll tell them who I am and about the amnesia, because that’s all we know ourselves—there’s little else of anything else factual to tell.”

  Noah’s parents were sitting in the room with the big window. They looked up as Noah and Alice entered. His mother, a facsimile of Principal Katya, sent a surprised and welcoming smile towards Alice as she hurried to greet her son with an embrace that saw her lifted off the ground as he caught her.

  “Noah, why did you not tell us you were coming,” she spoke with Principal Katya’s accent and inflexion. “We would not have gone away. When did you arrive?”

  “The day before yesterday. Mother, this is Dr Langley. Alice, my mother, Dr Selina Ryan and,” he introduced the older version of himself, “my father, Dr Benjamin Ryan.”

  Ben Ryan bowed to Alice. His hair was grey and slightly thinning, but he was possessed of the same vivid blue eyes as his son, and built every bit as powerfully, despite his recent illness.

  Selina Ryan took Alice’s hands and drew her to one of the antiquated sofas. Alice glanced at Noah, who smiled to reassure her he was there, close by, if his mother, like her sister Katya, became overwhelming.

  “Come and sit down, Dr Langley, I am so excited to meet you. Noah never brings friends home,” she shot an accusing but affectionate glance to her son, who smiled in return. Selina kept hold of Alice’s hands, exactly as Principal Katya did when seated together.

  “Where did you meet Noah, Dr Langley?”

  “We met on Saturn Station, mother,” Noah cut in before Alice had a chance to respond. “Dr Langley was recuperating.”

  “Oh, nothing too serious we hope?” Selina Ryan considered Alice’s face as if there, she might find a clue to whatever ailed her.

  Alice looked at Noah. Perhaps now might be the time. Sooner rather than later. She could always leave if it made anyone uncomfortable. Alice thought of Sarah, who received the news well and in her stride. If these people were anything at all like their son, they would too.

  Alice looked down to where Selina held her hands, then back up to Noah. Her courage failed her. Perhaps some help? Noah understood.

  “Mother, Dr Langley is Dr Alexis Langley. She was on Saturn Station for ten years.” It felt odd to say, to announce the presence of history, to open up an age-old mystery and present her in this way. Alice is a miracle, he thought it as he spoke, strange that he was destined to be part of her story, a story that continued here, now, in the privacy of his family home.

  Selina Ryan smiled in puzzlement at her son, not comprehending why the use of this name might constitute an explanation. It was his father who made the connection, putting a hand to his head and making a small gesture, like pointing, as if the truth were too staggering to consider, or as if his son was playing a joke, an event he didn’t believe he’d live to see.

  “Alexis Langley? Bell Institute Alexis Langley?

  He stepped forward, then stopped, finding a seat opposite, plainly bewildered, but Noah’s mother still didn’t grasp the situation.

  “I do not understand any of this,” she said, looking from Noah to her husband.

  “We saw you,” Ben Ryan said to Alice, his voice faltering, “About 40 years ago, when Jim Grossmith first joined the team. He and I had a semester at university. Selina,” he drew his wife’s attention, “Dr Alexis Langley. Sleeping Beauty.”

  Selina Ryan turned her puzzled gaze to Alice.

  “It is not possible.”

  Alice remained quiet, now they knew. Selina’s hands still held hers.

  “Alexis Langley?” she studied Alice’s face. “Alexis Langley?”

  In the silence that followed, Alice felt perhaps she should probably leave, but then Selina’s face broke into a smile of delight and amazement, mingled perhaps with a touch of incredulity.

  “Ben! Alexis Langley! Did you hear that? Oh, my dear,” Selina Ryan was quite overcome. “Grossmith believed with all his heart you would wake up. And you have, and you are…” she made a sweeping gesture with her hand and caught Alice by the shoulders “…real!” She practically shouted the last word in her excitement. So like Principal Katya.

  This must be what it would be like to be a famous actor when confronted by a fan, Alice thought. Not an entirely comfortable experience. She was so glad Noah was here.

  “Dr Grossmith continued to care for me after I woke, Dr Ryan. He has been very kind.”

  “Selina,” Noah’s mother said absently, still marvelling at the news, and still holding Alice’s shoulders.

  Ben Ryan couldn’t stand. He’d been overt
aken by a sense of disbelief. Where he had a brief fascination—those who saw the Sleeping Beauty often did—Jim Grossmith was preoccupied with her. He recalled joking with Jim about his so-called sixth sense where she was concerned, but it appeared he’d been prophetic. Jim’s dedication, devotion and sacrifice paid off, she was here, living, breathing, speaking, and what’s more, in the company of his son.

  “When we saw you, all those years ago,” he said, his voice low and deeply respectful, “not for a moment did we believe you could be revived. You’ve been part of our history, our folklore, for so long. It seems impossible you’re here, and you are a lovely, normal young girl. A girl like any other.”

  “Forgive us, Dr Langley. We are at a loss,” Selina felt the same awe.

  “Please call me Alice.”

  “Alice?”

  “Her name is pronounced ‘Alice’, mother,” Noah explained, “Alexis, without sounding the ‘x’.”

  “Oh, of course, we will. Alice, we are thrilled, honoured, to have you here. Do you have memories of your previous life? How were you awakened?”

  Alice shook her head. Selina meant Alexis’s memories, so Alice could answer truthfully.

  “No memories at all, and I woke naturally.”

  “Alice has amnesia, mother,” Noah added, “so she has taken to learning as much of our world as she can. She is quite the student of history.”

  A little face peeped out of a pouch suspended around Ben’s chest, and Alice seized the opportunity to divert attention away from her.

  “Who is this?”

  Benjamin lifted a small puppy from the pouch.

  “This is Puppy,” he said. “He’s been abandoned by his mother. See his leg?”

  He brought the puppy over and crouched beside Alice to show her, taking a moment to study her face as he got closer, as if expecting her to show some sign of great age or effects of her preservation. Alice understood he hadn’t quite got over his surprise. She examined the puppy’s leg, which appeared to be twisted.

  “Poor thing. Can it be fixed?”

  “It can, and we will, but he is too little and weak.” Ben stood. “Noah, Puppy needs a feed, would you grab a feeder?”

  “Is there one prepared?”

  “Yes, it’s in the case.”

  Noah got the feeder, took the puppy and settled it against the crook of his knee to give it the formula. Alice could see he’d performed this same task many, many times before.

  Ben went back to his seat, leaving the puppy in Noah’s care. He and his wife looked at each other often, and Selina seemed unwilling to let go of Alice, though thankfully she’d moved from her shoulders to her hands. Alice decided she needed to prove how ordinary and unremarkable she had become since re-entering the world.

  “Your son has been kind enough to show me a few historical sites. He’s been very generous with his time.”

  “Well, that makes sense, Noah likes history,” his father said. “How long will you be staying, son?”

  “I have briefings in a couple of days; then I’m due back on the Significator. We have tomorrow, all day and tomorrow night here, then I promised Alice I’d show her a few other places.”

  “Oh, how wonderful!” Selina exclaimed. “There is plenty of history around here. So—” lifting a finger, his mother counted off the hours she needed to occupy, “—we have tonight, all day tomorrow and tomorrow night? Well, what I propose is…”

  And precisely as Noah predicted, his mother organised their entire day for them.

  How could she not help but warm to Noah’s parents? His mother, bubbly, witty and cheerful, was just like Principal Katya. His father, quieter and more serious; like Noah. And they accepted her.

  Still seated beside Selina Ryan and listening to her plans, Alice allowed herself a small glance at Noah. He saw her and winked. Father and son were seated alike—left ankle resting on right knee, right elbow on chair arm and cheek resting on the back of the hand, the little puppy asleep on Noah’s knee, both men listening to Selina and not offering any input, knowing to do so would be a futile exercise anyway.

  “Alice, has Noah taken you to Stonehenge?” Selina asked as she decided on her schedule.

  “Yes, and Tibet and Machu Picchu. Principal Katya asked him to show me some of these places. I know he only has limited opportunity to visit Earth, but we’ve done a lot of exploring.”

  Alice avoided Noah’s gaze, but in her peripheral vision, she saw his mouth twitch. She bit her lip against a grin; he saw it and wondered when they would get another opportunity to explore. They would have to make opportunity.

  Chapter 25

  The knowledge that her sister had, in part, orchestrated her son’s friendship disappointed Selina. When she saw he’d brought a woman to the house—a first for him—she hoped this might be a romance, even after the astonishing revelation and the fact Alexis Langley was a person of note. Noah hated the spotlight, but Alexis, or rather Alice, turned out to be sweet and pleasant, not to mention gorgeous, so maybe? Something? She allowed herself a glimmer of resurrected hope, a hope she’d abandoned years ago—the possibility of Noah ever marrying.

  “Noah should take you to the Top of the World, Alice. It is an amazing experience!” Selina’s enthusiasm for life rivalled her sister’s.

  “I hear it’s not an historical site, Selina, like Stonehenge, but a place for couples.”

  “Who told you that?” Selina said.

  “Statesman Patrick.”

  “I doubt there’s a single romantic destination Statesman Patrick hasn’t visited,” Ben laughed. “And it has romance. The Top of the World is a natural habitat for native animals and plants. From there, it’s possible to access a phenomenon in the exosphere, discovered after the A’khet gave certain of us Knowledge to enhance our speed capabilities in space. This phenomenon exists on other worlds, harmless, fascinating, but the effect can only be experienced at near light speed.”

  That was intriguing, and Alice wished to learn more, but Selina had other ideas.

  “Of course, there is romance to be found wherever you go,” she added, focusing on the romance and not the phenomenon, “there is a wonderful lodge, built behind the waterfall— a beautiful structure. And the rainforest is stunning. Perfect for long walks together, and the wildlife is varied and mostly quite tame. Have you ever been behind a waterfall, Alice?”

  “Yes, I have,” Alice said, remembering the day she spent with Patrick at the Tabernacle, it seemed so long ago.

  “I’ll take you there Alice,” Noah smiled, deciding it might be wise to steer his mother away from concentrating on romance. “Mother, Alice can cook.”

  This second revelation about Alice drew more admiring looks from both his parents.

  “Really?” Selina appeared not to believe her ears.

  Alice nodded.

  “She invented a dish called hamburgers,” Noah continued, dragging a silent groan from Alice, “so popular, they serve them now at one of the Tabernacle city eateries.”

  “I didn’t invent hamburgers,” she protested in a small voice, which as usual, went unheard.

  “Alice, would it be an imposition?” Selina asked. Faced with such earnest expectancy from both Selina and Ben, she couldn’t refuse. Besides, Noah was already ordering from the Providore.

  They spent the evening on the terrace. The night was clear and mild, and Noah sat beside Alice, his arm draped casually over the back of the seat; now and then, she felt his fingertips brush her arm. Selina, as eagle-eyed as Principal Katya, saw it, saw the momentary flutter of Alice’s eyelashes, and it only increased her speculation about what this young woman meant to her son.

  Selina and Ben made polite enquiries about Alice’s past and her time on Saturn Station. Noah reminded them about Alice’s amnesia, but she was happy to share with them everything she knew and how difficult it was to say goodbye to Dr Grossmith when she left. She told them of Principal Hardy’s belief that she’d studied the history of the 20th and 21st centuries and
was able to carry on an interesting discussion with them about life and society in that time. Selina and Ben were eager to hear the stories, and Alice took care not to place herself in any of the accounts. Even Noah had questions for her, which she answered with confidence. On Saturn Station in a moment of sadness, she’d asked Kelly to search the registry for images, desperate to see something familiar, a place or landmark she could recognise to soothe her homesickness. Instead, she learned many hard and shocking facts about the society she thought she knew. The truth was, she’d been in total ignorance, but she found she could now speak of those times with a sense of detachment.

  Later, Selina picked up the puppy.

  “I am going to bed, Alice, Noah,” she hugged them both. “I am so looking forward to tomorrow, Alice. Meeting you…is astonishing! I am still in shock! Ben, I will pop Puppy in between us, so I will know when to feed him.”

  The puppy got wrapped in a blanket and carted away in Selina’s arms. A poorly little dog in bed didn’t even cause a ripple with Noah and Ben, and though she hated leaving him, Alice thought it might be good for Noah to have time with his father, so Alice suggested that she too, might bid them goodnight.

  Noah saw Alice to her room, with a glance behind to make sure they were alone, pulled her close, kissing her deeply and fiercely. Alice’s body responded urgently, sparks of desire flashing up her spine.

  “Oh, Noah,” she could scarcely breathe.

  “I won’t be too long…”

  She shushed him.

  “I’m not sure I would be comfortable, not with your parents at home.”

  “They would be more surprised if I stayed in my own room,” he carried on kissing her neck and mouth so she couldn’t speak.

  “I love those panties,” he murmured, his voice low and husky against her throat.

  She stifled a giggle and stroked the front of his shirt. “You still haven’t told me why all this is so secret,” she whispered.