The one I lost.
The one I gained.
Red starts to cry. “You don’t mean that. It’s the game. Wealwaysplay this game.”
And in this moment, she looks nothing like the woman who ran Wonder for so long. She looks weak, and scared.
And I’m glad.
I walk up to her. “I promised you what I would do if I found out the truth.”
She blanches as I nod at the twins. I catch her weight over the railing, pulling her back toward me. Red’s fingers raise, shakily gripping my shirt. “Thank you. Oh, thank you.”
I press my lips against her ear. My hand runs over her shorn head. “Myra? She was worth a thousand of you. And Erin… there are not enough words to express how much more her life was worth than yours. I hope you spend every moment in Hell reliving the pain you put them through.”
Her words cut off. “Hatter—,”
“I’m throwing you off now.” I pull back, her eyes widening. “Goodbye, Red.”
I push her backwards. Her arms stretch out for me, but I reach for Alyss instead. And I make sure that the sight of us together is the last thing she sees as she topples, her gown billowing around her.
Her head meets the concrete with a crack.
And I sink to my knees.
Erin.
Myra.
Alyss kneels beside me, her own face wet as I bury my face in her neck and she holds onto me as if she can keep me together by sheer force of will. “Thank you. God –Alyss.”
You came. You didn’t leave me.
“Always,” she whispers. “I’ll always come for you.”
My tears soak into her skin, and she takes them all, every single one.
Finally.
Finally, I can breathe.
44 – Alyss – six months later
Buck plays with the token as he sips his soda.
I prod his foot with mine, asking with my eyes if he’s okay.
We’re sitting in the bar where Hatter and I first met, eighteen months ago. He nods before he glances around, grimacing. “This is a terrible bar, though.”
The bartender shoots him a filthy look.
“It is,” Hatter agrees. “But I wanted to see it again.”
Kayden places a round on the table. “The beer here is flat.”
Buck wiggles his soda. “I highly recommend the lemonade.”
Beside me, Chess presses his lips against my shoulder before he looks over to Hatter. “You doing okay?”
