Alice should have guessed that something fishy was going on when Lilly asked her to come along and visit a patient. She should have been able to see it with her behind.

Alice had followed Lilly and ended up in a park, where they now were sitting on a bench. “That woman” had forced her into a hug, a tight and unwelcome hug.

“May I ask why you are hugging me?” Alice tried to sound angry, which turned out to be harder then she had thought at first.

“You have been sleeping bad, haven’t you doctor Morfine?”

“I think you are sleeping badly because you are thirsty for some love?”

Sure she has been sleeping bad, but she hasn’t been thirsting for love. Alice did know that much herself. What could even make “that woman” to think something like that? And Alice had honestly tried her best to hide the fact that she had been sleeping really bad lately, could it be that Lapin had told her? It didn’t sound like something that girl would do against Alice.

“There have been some small problems to sleep, but it is not much. And it really hasn’t been because I have been thirsty for love.”

Alice tried to pull out of Lilly’s hug while explaining the situation. Which she didn’t like at all. Why did Lilly have to give her a hug because of something like that? She could as well just talked normally with Alice about it.

“How can we be sure that it isn’t like that when you even try to hide the fact that something is bothering you enough to disturb your sleep?” Lilly pulled her into the hug again. But this time it felt more like a caring and motherly hug.

And what did she meant with “we”? Did “that woman” included Lapin, or had even Taija notice it? Didn’t that mean that all Alice’s try to act like that she was fine had been in vain?

“Do you want to tell me what is bothering you, and hopefully ease your heart?”

Alice didn’t like “that woman’s” idea. But she could maybe have a point. Alice had after all thought about it the last day without actually doing it, she had a little too low thoughts about Lilly. But since Lilly tried to "help her" so could she maybe give it a try. She didn’t understand anything about the dream herself, so if she was lucky so could Lilly maybe give her some well-deserved answers or giving her a new perspective on it.

Alice gave a rough summary of the dream that still was haunting her. Of course without pointing out anyone’s role in it. Lilly only needed to know that it was people that made those points, not who had done or said what.

“By the dream itself, I would like to think that you are afraid of what others will think about you. And that you are afraid that you will use others without knowing it.”

It had been a mistake to even think that “that woman” could help her, after all. Alice wasn’t afraid of anything like that, she didn’t care what others did think about her as long she could help those that were important to her.

“And those that stood up for you, they can be a wish that there will be some standing up for you when things get tough.”

Why would Alice want others to stand up for her when she did her very best to do it herself and her beloved sister always was there for her? There would be no need for anyone else to stand up for her, no one.

Lilly was plain stupid to even think about it like that. Why had she even thought about talking with a stupid person like Lilly to begin with?

All it showed was that Alice still wasn’t as smart as her beloved sister, that never would do stupid mistakes like this. It all also showed that Alice had to get even better at hiding the signs of that things was going through her mind. Much better at hiding it so no one else ever would find out about it.

Ellen couldn’t let go if the disturbing thought that the idiot in the reception was offering Jack another girl. It was Ellen that would keep him company, her and no one else. It was after all only some simple company that had been offered, right? Nothing else, right?

The uncomfortable worry didn’t want to calm down during the time it took walking to the room. But it was simply worrying, wasn’t it?

“Welcome our temporary paradise!” They had just arrived in the room when Jack shouted it out, turning to her with a big smile. Ellen got a really bad feeling about it and took a step back, only to cover it up her mistake by closing the door behind them, as if it was what she was meant to do from the beginning.

The rooms looked surprisingly good, which only made her worry even more. She might only overreact, but by a strange reason so was her whole body screaming at her to run from her beloved one. Which she couldn’t understand since she wanted to spend more time with him.

Jack laid his hands on her from behind, starting to caress her body.

“This is our temporary paradise, a paradise for only you and me.”

She took a small distance from him and faced him, only for him to follow her and pull her into a hug. “You don’t have to be afraid my beloved. You are an adult, so there is nothing to be afraid of.”

Even if his words were very, VERY, gently so couldn’t Ellen help feel anything except uncomfortable and afraid. She knows what he had in mind, there was no longer any doubt about it. Ellen wasn’t ready for something like that and told him without a second thought.

“You will soon be ready.”

Forcing a kiss upon her, just like that noble pig had done. Letting his hands wander down her back. She didn’t want this. She wanted to do everything together with him, but this didn’t feel right at all.

“You know I always have loved you the most?” He looked her in the eyes. His once lovely eyes, that now was almost only black and white. The only beautiful and caring eyes were far gone, replaced with frightening and empty eyes.

There was something wrong. This wasn’t how her beloved ever would act. NO, he would seriously never act like this on his own. Not for anything in the world. He had to be replaced with a horrible monster like a doppelganger or something. It really wasn’t her Jack she was sharing the room with.

“You do know that you are really beautiful Ellen, the most beautiful angel in the world.”

It tried to flatter her as it grabbed her behind and massaged it. Disgusting, whatever it could be that was going on so it was simply disgusting. She hates this, she didn’t want it. She was afraid, she was disgusted about it.

This couldn’t be her beloved Jack, right? He would never act like this, right?

Sure so had Jack acted strangely during their first date, and back then it had been enough for her to tell him about it. Would this be the same, would he stop if Ellen told him to stop. Could that really help? If it even was Jack that was there with her?

“Please. I beg you Jack, please stop this.”

She found herself sound pathetic and pleading. Almost that she hated herself for sound like that.

The evening had arrived.

Alice sat in their living room, small talking and drinking some wine with Lapin while thinking.

Ellen had come back late for only have visited her now former workplace. Locking herself up in her workshop, just like the day before. But in differences from last time so hadn’t she even come out to eat dinner together with them, instead so had she asked to be allowed to eat it in there.

If it should be that she wanted to finish the “Angel”, so wasn’t that to take it a little to far? Alice had said the day before that she had been without a second “Angel” for so long, so it really didn’t matter if it would take a few days or weeks.

“Worried ‘bout sister again?”

Of course Lapin had seen through Alice again. Which made her suspect more that it had to be that girl that had told “that woman” Alice had some problem sleeping.

“Want me to go and talk with her?”

“If she still locks herself in tomorrow, I will talk with her myself. But thank you for the offer.”

The girl was really to kind. So all of sudden it got harder to believe that she would have told “that woman” about that Alice has the problem with her sleeping. Which really meant that there was a risk Lilly had seeing through her.

“Are you sure, you are lookin’ kinda frustrated. As if you want to drag sister out from the workshop and get some talkin’ with her, right now.”

Alice was looking frustrated? Just how much could Lapin see through her? Was Alice even frustrated? She couldn’t tell herself if she even felt frustrated.

“How can you tell?”

If Lapin could spell those things out for Alice, then she could be better at hiding it. If she really showed off what she couldn’t feel, that was.

Lapin explained how she could tell. All the small things that no one probably ever would notice, and even less being able to control. She seemed to take pride in her ability to read it out, she even seemed to find it enjoyable to explain it for Alice. At least Alice thought so after noticing how Lapin’s tail started to swing playfully from side to side.

“So you notice small things like that?”

“Yes. It did help me much durin’ the time I begged for money so I could buy those shines. It helped me to know what I should be sayin’.”

Of course. No matter what kind of person that Lapin would ask, if she could hit the right spots while asking for money so would they most probably give her more than if she didn’t aim for those spots.

“But if I will be honest, so am I gettin’ worse at it. There are many times I find it hard to see how you are feelin’.”

Was that a try to tell Alice that the girl tried to keep an eye at her? As if she cared, which of course wasn’t surprising when Alice thought of how worried she had been about how Alice would see her after finding out about those “secrets”.

“Sometimes it’s almost as if you are empty.”

Lapin quickly apologised when she noticed that she had been spoken out her thought aloud. She hadn’t meant to be rude or anything, it had just happened by mistake.

“To be honest so isn’t I feeling any emotions anymore, but I would like you to keep it a secret.”

Since Lapin almost had seen through everything already, so could Alice as well tell her the whole truth. While thinking about how she would answer all the questions the girl could have.

“That’s explainin’ a lot.” Lapin didn’t question Alice at all about it. Accepting it right off the bat, as if she didn’t care much about it at all. After Alice questioned why Lapin accepted it so fast so did Lapin only say that it was how Alice was, so there was really no reason to ask Alice more about it. And only accepting Alice as she were, just like Alice accepted Lapin as she were.

———————————————

Ellen let out a heavy sigh.

The start of the day had been so good. She had been so happy that Jack both were satisfied with her work and that he did take her out for a date. He couldn’t be a bad person, he really couldn’t. Sure he had acted a little strange, but he still couldn’t be a bad person.

Being at a date with someone like Ellen, as he even saw like an adult. Trying to treat her like an adult and did his best to help her feel more comfortable.

Ellen looked at the machine she was building to Alice. She wanted to build on it after the incident with her beloved one, only to organise her thoughts so she could get a clear view of what she had done wrong. But it wasn’t possible for the moment, she really couldn’t find any answers or even get the rest to build at it.

A pain, it was all a great pain in her rear. A pain that she clearly couldn’t ignore.

Only to bring some calm to her body so was Ellen deciding to take a bath.

First when she sat in the water so could she calm down. All the thought from earlier slowly faded away. The feelings of disgust and worry slowly got washed off. The only feeling that didn’t leave her was the bittersweet feeling from kissing Jack and the feeling of how pathetic and weak she was. Which of course she could live with, only because they showed what kind of person she was. Even if she should have wanted to deny it with her whole heart so wasn’t it possible anymore.

“Is there a place for one more person in the bath, or do I have to wait till you are done?” Lapin came into the bathroom, sounding surprised when she had noticed Ellen and asked the stupid question.

She could understand that the cat was surprised since Ellen had gone straight to the workshop after coming home, so she probably didn’t expect to see Ellen in the bath.

“There is enough place for one more.”

Ellen would have loved to spend all the time alone in the bath and had no thoughts about getting out of the bath yet. But since Lapin also would need to work the next day, so did Ellen have no other choice then to let the cat join the bath so she could go to bed afterwards.

Lapin unembarrassed start to undress in front of Ellen.

It was hard to believe that the cat had lived with them for quite a while now, especially when seeing her body. It was skinny as if she hadn’t been eating for a couple of days, which got really easy to see thanks to her pearl white skin.

“Do you like what you are seein’?”

She had noticed Ellen looking at her small body. Ellen quickly turned away her head from Lapin, hearing a small giggle as a response to how she acted.

“Do I need to tell you, sister, that you are lookin’ beautiful.” Lapin had taken her place in front of Ellen in the bathtub, staring at Ellen with a gentle smile.

Ellen didn’t answer the cat and looked away in a different direction. What was up with that cat, did she always act like that in the bath? If that was the case it was no wonder that she and Alice took baths together from time to time. And why did the cat called Ellen for “sister”?

“Ain`t you curious why I am flirtin’ with you?”

Lapin leaned towards Ellen and talked in a playful tone. What was up with the cat? Why did she act strangely, just like Jack had? Why wasn’t Ellen hated it as much like she hated Jack acting like that?

“Yes. I am curious why you acting like that.”

Lapin leaned against Ellen’s chest and looked innocent at her.

“I’m a lil' tipsy.”

That could maybe explain a little, but it wasn’t much. There had to be more to why Lapin acted like that.

“Get used to that you live here and act like you are livin’ in the house, you have been thinkin’ like that. Ain’t that right?.”

“You have been lookin’ at me as if I wouldn’t have the debt.”

“You have accepted me bein’ curious.”

“You are lookin’ at me now, like why is this idiot actin’ as she doin’.”

“You act like an elder sister and don’t look at me any different than anyone else. And I do love that you are like that.”

A kiss at the cheek, the cat kissed her? Why? Sure she had been true in everything she said, but that wasn’t enough to give Ellen a kiss. It wasn’t even something that Lapin would love that Ellen did.

“I would love to treat you like we treated each other in the inner circle while I was addicted.”

They were eye to eye when Lapin declared it with a mischievous smile.

“And how did you treated each other?” Tipsy or not, Lapin gave her a bad feeling. Nothing as bad as when she was with Jack, but it was still a bad feeling.

“Do you know how “playful” a person can get durin’ the shiny’s rush?”

By the way that Lapin Expressed the word “playful”, Ellen understood what the cat was trying to say. And Ellen had already been in contact with it once this day, so it didn’t need to be a second time the very same day.

“I don’t want to get anywhere close to that.”

Lapin looked surprised at her before shining up like the sun and giving her a kiss on the mouth, taking her place on the other side of the tub.

“Then we can shake it off like a joke if you don’t want it. But the offer will remain if you would change your mind, I would like to have a lil' play with you as thanks.”

“That cat”, “that cat” was really acting badly. Shake it off as a joke? Just what was wrong with her? This couldn’t be a joke, there was no way that it could be a joke.

Ellen was both confused and irritated when she decided that she had got enough of it. Walking out of the bath, getting dressed and heading to her room.

Ellen laid at her bed in her room, without even turning the light giving gears on.

The day had been a mess, so much pain and things to think about. Not only had Lapin asked her if she would hate “that cat” after what happened, apologising and still trying to pull it off like a bitter tasting joke. Ellen hadn’t been answering her, but found it hard to not forgive her. Sure she really didn’t like the cat’s behaviour, but she still didn’t feel there was anything bad meant with the way she had behaved.

Ellen let out a heavy sigh. She could forgive her, but it would be a pain to face her from now on.

Just like it would be really hard to face Jack.

She had asked him to stop what he was doing to her at the hotel, which he had done. They had ordered some food and talked for a very short while before he started with the same behaviour again. Hugging her, stroking her body. Kissing her and even nibbled at her neck. Ellen tried to endurance it for his sake, for her love to him. But it turned out to be impossible after he started to touch her body, in under her clothes.

She asked him to stop, she begged him. She screamed at him, nothing helped. It all ended when her only way out was to punch him in the side of his waist.

He had sunk to the floor and looked both disappointed and sad at her, showing her that she had done wrong. Ellen had fled the hotel after that and found a train so she could come back to this city and then walking the straight way home. Locking herself up in the workshop.

The whole time after punching him, so couldn’t she think of anything else than that she had done something horrible to Jack. Jack can’t have meant anything bad with how he had acted, he maybe only wanted their love to blossom. Yet it felt so horribly wrong for Ellen. He called her an adult, she did clearly prove that she wasn’t an adult. He was ready to support her the whole way through it, and she punched him as thanks for everything he did to support her. There was no chance that he could accept her after that.

Ellen rolled over and buried her face in the pillow. It shouldn’t be more than right if she had died at the spot in the bed. After what she had put her beloved one through. He only wanted to deepen their love, he only wanted THEIR love to blossom.

“So what is going on between you two?”

They were all sitting around the table to eat breakfast as Alice asked.

Ellen had started to think more about Lapins flirting in the bath during the night, which could have resulted in that they could have ended up in a very embarrassing situation the day before if Ellen wouldn’t have chosen to back off. With that in mind so did Ellen find it embarrassing to face Lapin the next day as they all ate breakfast together.

Lapin must have been ashamed for trying forcing herself upon Ellen, and also had a problem facing her. Which of course “the princess” had noticed.

Lapin did the only right thing and told Alice what she did, still trying to pull it off as a bad joke while she was tipsy. All in vain, Alice didn’t buy it either. Taking a very serious talk, almost scolding her until Lapin promised to don’t do that again and apologised once more to Ellen.

“Are you done with the work at that place?”

Yes, she was done with the work at that place. Yet she both wanted to get over there again and at the same time never see that place again. She had been able to calm her mind a little during the night and sorted out some thoughts. But she would still want to meet Jack and apologise for her behaviour the earlier day. She didn’t want him to hate her for the horrible thing that she did to him.

“By the way Ellen, you don’t have to work in two days? Right?”

Ellen had forgotten that it was time for the winter tree blossom again. If Alice wouldn’t tell her, she would probably not noticed until the very end.

“I have invited those at the clinic, will you invite your friend too? Of course as long “they” can behave themselves after drinking.”

It was no hesitation on which two people that Alice was thinking about, but of course she did right to think twice about them. “They” were after the reason behind the fight last time they all celebrated something together.

Ellen locked the door behind her as she left the house. Both Alice and Lapin had already left for the clinic.

She wondered if “that cat” had acted that strange toward Alice too. On second thought so was it hard to believe since Alice didn’t felt any emotions, not to mention that Lapin seemed to have a higher respect for Alice than for anyone else. Which of course could be because that Lapin maybe had tried but got put on place.

Ellen shook her head before she headed toward Thom’s place. It wasn’t even worth thinking about. The first thing she needed to think about was to do the errand that she would have done the last day. The day she spent with Jack and proved herself to be an idiot. NO, it wasn’t time to think about that either. She could think about that while she was working at the machine. Doing like that so it would not only be easier to think, but she would also reduce the risk to get interrupted. And there would be fewer people that would see her. Her own paradise, her own home where she set all the rules herself.

“We were waiting for you yesterday Miss.” Angela was standing behind the counter again in Sour’s shop.

“Sorry, I got a little busy yesterday.”

She gave the same apologise that she had given both Chris and Thom. Both could understand how easily that happened as a cog technician and accepted it. Only seconds before they were demanding their payment.

“Busy? You weren’t on a date, were you?”

Angela shined up like the sun and starred curious at her.

“You are blushing, tell me how it went. I won’t tell anyone. And dad is out but will come back in a while.” Angela gave Ellen no chance to recover after the first question.

She couldn’t tell how, but somehow she had talked Agnes into that she hadn’t been at a date. Ellen had to make sure that she was careful around Agnes, otherwise she might find out everything about Ellen. All those connected questions she had asked, they could probably end up with the answer to which colour Ellen's underwear had. If Angela would have wanted to find that out.

“Only a simple work then, that’s boring.” She was clearly not pleased how the “truth” had turned out.

“If it isn’t the missing girl we waited for yesterday.”

Sour finally came back. Which meant Ellen was safer in the shop than when she was alone with Angela.

Ellen quickly apologised again before they started to talk about the specially made gear.

“Another machine of the same kind?”

“Yes, it can be to good use at the clinic.”

Sour was impressed by Ellen’s will to help her sister.

”By the way. As we know, it’s the winter tree blossom in two days. I have invited both Chris and Thom, you two are also welcome to join if you want.” Ellen was just about to leave when it struck her that she hadn’t invited them yet.

“We would love to join, and I promise to bring a crowbar if dad tries to start a mess again.”

Angela was the one that answered Ellen, giving a brute promise.

Sour only cracked a smile. Almost if he had been hesitating about joining, in that case so was it most possible because of the mess that he and Chris had made the last time.

“In that case, I would appreciate if you don’t kill him. There is still a chance I need his help with custom-made gears.” If Angela could make bad jokes, so could Ellen. At least now that it was jokes and not Lapin’s so-called “jokes”

———————————-

Alice stood in the kitchen and packed the snacks she and Lapin had done the last evening.

It was a beautiful day and promised an even more beautiful evening, that they all should be spending together. For the first time as a really happy household, even if they had been a kind of happy household even in Taija’s house. But it was the first time for this household with Alice and Ellen’s “family”.

The snacks and a couple of bottles burnwine. That was more or less everything they needed for enjoying the celebration.

Alice took the basked she had packed everything in and carried it to the living room where the other two was waiting.

“Can you please carry the basket Ellen?”

“Sure she can, she’s strong and has the muscles for it.”

Lapin answered for Ellen. Alice didn’t think the basket was far too heavy for herself to carry, but had asked Ellen since her beloved sister had once again locked herself up in her workshop while Alice and Lapin made the snacks. So it was simply a small payback for Ellen since she avoided to help them.

They would all meet up outside their home before going to the park. All so they wouldn’t miss each other. Ellen had invited both Chris and Sour, together with two others. Alice knows Sour’s daughter and believed that she could behave. But she still was uncertain about the three other guys. Not to mention that she was a little worried about Lapin.

She had without any hesitation started to flirt with Ellen when she had got tipsy. So both Alice and Ellen had decided to keep an eye at Lapin during the celebration so she wouldn’t do any stupid mistakes. Especially since she both was younger than them both, and she had been very excited since the morning. Which of the reason have to be that she had more of a real family to celebrate with, most probably it was the first time she celebrated it without being addicted and together with a “family”.

Lilly and Taija were the last people to arrive.

Taija looked very uncomfortable and Alice could guess why. Taija was according to Lilly not interested to join. Yet Lilly had said that Taija should join, no matter if she needed to drag her along in the ears. So Alice could only guess which dirty tricks “that woman” could have used against poor Taija.

“CHEERS!”

Lapin had picked a good place for them under one of the trees in the park.

Eating, drinking and some small talk. Just like it should be during these celebrations.

“So I heard that I missed a small fight during the last celebration.”

Of course the fat man with a beard needed to drag up something they didn’t need that wonderful evening.

“You should have seen it, Ellen was awesome.”

It seemed like Alice would need to tell Lapin to not following up on things that could destroy others dignity.

“I have heard, brother Horn got beaten in the end.” He couldn’t shut it, could he?

He picked up two bottles and handed to Chris and Sour.

“I heard about you to brother Wings, for broken guys alliance.”

The three idiotic guys cheered before the fat man asked if there would be a reply.

“Doesn`t that depend on if Ellen will protect Alice again.”

Lilly, why did “that woman” had to follow up at their stupid conversation?

Ellen murmured something before she picked out the snack out if her mouth. “Who knows?”

“Will sister protect me too?”

Lapin followed up at Ellen’s answer with a shy and wondering smile. Which the girl didn’t even need to ask. Of course so should Ellen have protected her if it was necessary.

“What kind of girl would you like miss Alice?”

The moon had already taken its place in the sky. Everyone was more or less intoxicated, but could still be considered being a good company.

“Would you like a girl that is pushy and wants to “play”, or would you like a shy and innocent girl?”

Lapin had come up to her, while Alice looked at the beautiful sky, hugging Taija’s arm. As if she was worried that Taija would flee.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you like a pushy girl that likes to “play”, or a shy and innocent girl most? What personality do you like the most?”

It had to be a stupid idea that Lilly had forced upon Taija, and of course so had Lapin followed up at it.

“I like shy and innocent girls the most.”

Lapin pushed down Taija beside Alice and told her to stay before running back to Lilly’s company.

Poor Taija had looked very uncomfortable while Lapin held on to her, but she seemed to have calmed down a little after Lapin left her there.

Alice picked a wooden glass and pour some burnwine in it before handing it to Taija. “I apologise for Lapin’s behaviour. I will take a talk with her tomorrow about it.”

“It`s no need, I can talk with her myself. But thanks for helping me.” Taija accepted the glass and gave Alice a small smile.

“How does it comes that you help me after I have avoided you for so long?”

Taija’s voice was filled with shame and together with her shy body language so was Taija really cute. Just like Ellen and Lapin was from time to time.

"You might have your reasons, just like Lilly had her reasons to not trust Lapin before. But I believe that your reasons are much, MUCH better than Lilly’s.”

Taija couldn’t be a bad person after how much she had helped her and Ellen. And she had proven herself many times that she was thousands of times better than Lilly. Which of course Alice maybe needed to thanks later on if she could solve the problems with Taija.