CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
A LITTLE CHILDHOOD HEALING

"YOU wouldn't happen to know what's up with Rose and Emmett, right?" Thea asked her wife from the passenger's seat of the car.

Alice frowns, shrugging her shoulders, "No, something's wrong?"

Thea sighs, "They just seemed a little weird, I don't know. Maybe an argument...Emmett has always known how to irritate his mate."

Alice responded with a nod of her head and a chuckle, her hand tightening around the steering wheel.

Thea checks the time on her phone, seeing Alice only had a thirty-minute drive left ahead of her. She smiles, "This is exciting...I'm...excited?"

Alice frowns at her tone, "why do you seem unsure?"

Thea shrugs, her expression soft, "...well I've had a rough few weeks. Excitement hasn't been an emotion I've felt, quite the opposite if I'm being truthful."

Alice smiles, her eyes glistening, "well we're going to have a great time...I've already seen it."

Thea scoffs, "That's not fair. You've already got to experience the joy of the moment." Alice wanted to laugh at how Thea was basically frowning like a baby. "It'll no longer be exciting for you."

"If I had to repeat the same events a thousand times over with you. I will gladly do so with just as much excitement as the first." Alice laces their fingers. Thea couldn't help but smile harder, tightening their hold.

✸

     Thea had no childhood.

She was a doll the minute she was born. Shaped into everything she was not. She was told what her fate was at the age of five years old.

Marry a man. Have his children. Know her place as a woman...a wife, and know she shall not compete against a man, but rather pleasure his needs and wants.

Clearly, Ethel Quarts was incorrect.

Because here she was, strolling through heaven itself. Colorful Ferris wheels spun, and children holler in excitement, their tongues are every color in the rainbow from all of the sugar they've consumed.

Thea gazed down at her feet, wishing she'd had that at their age. But what's the saying? "Better late than never."

Alice skipped as she pulled Thea along, "So what first?"

"Those!" Thea points to the carousel, "I've always wanted to go on one." Thea and Alice jump into the line, hand in hand.

"Question." Thea breaks the silence between them. Alice hums, her eyes moving towards Thea. "Why is always horses? Why can't it be like, I don't know—a dragon or something? And why do these horses look so terrified, look at them." She points.

Alice examines the horse as they move further up. They did, in fact, look terrified. Their eyes were wide in terror, along with their mouths. She chuckles, shrugging at her mate's intriguing questions. "No idea."

When it was finally their turn, Thea and Alice climbed onto the carousel horses. They were both probably more excited than they should be but they couldn't help it.

The music that began to play reminded Thea of an aged tune. Slowly the horses began to move and spin up and down in a smooth motion and suddenly Thea felt like a kid. Her smile is wide and her laughter is unrestrained.

Thea knew this feeling, it was the same feeling she'd get when her father read her stories before bed.

If it weren't for the fact vampires couldn't sleep, Thea would've believed this was all a dream. Maybe even too good to be true. This wasn't just a carousel ride, but a little childhood healing.

✸

     "Wait, it's this way." Thea points to one end of the maze while Alice points to the other. Their reflections stared back at them in what seemed to be a million different directions

"No, it's definitely this one."

This mirror maze was quite literally turning the two mates against each other.

Alice frowns, "Thea, I'm sure it's this way."

Thea crosses her arms, "And I'm sure it's this way." She points in the opposite direction.

Alice waves her off, "When you're in this maze for an extra fifteen minutes, don't ask for my help."

Thea scoffs playfully, "Fine."

Alice turns her back, "fine."

They both walk in the directions they believe to be correct. Unexpectedly, both of their faces bang against a mirror neither one of them saw. "Ah!"

They both walk back towards each other, rubbing their foreheads. "This way?" Alice points in a new direction.

Thea sighs in defeat, "yeah." She drags her words and her feet.

✸

     When the two finally found their way out of the mirror maze, they both were nearly unable to walk from the laughter. "You ran into a mirror-like six times." Alice chuckles.

"It was three but whatever." Thea rolls her eyes, "Here, let's get on the swing ride."

"Aren't you terrified of heights?" Alice questions.

"No," Thea frowns, "I just enjoy the ground." Alice smiled softly at her mate, kissing her cheek.

"Did you just kiss her?" A small innocent voice questions.

The two vampires turn around, spotting two young girls staring at them with wide eyes. They seemed to at least be in middle school. Alice answered for both of them. "Uh...yes, I did."

One of the girls who held a cotton candy in her hand, frowns. "You can't do that. You're only supposed to do that with boys...I think?"

Thea shifts on her feet. She didn't know exactly how to react to the child.

Alice smiled softly, "you can do it with whoever you like."

"So, a girl can kiss another girl?" She wonders.

"Yup." Alice nods.

Her friend spoke up next, she was licking ice cream, "And can a boy kiss a boy?"

Alice chuckles, "Yes."

"Oh..." the kid with the cotton candy becomes quiet.

"...love is love. Doesn't matter the gender." Alice informs her.

The child sighs, turning to her friend with the ice cream and placing a quick innocent peck on her cheek. When her friend laughs, she shrugs, "Love is love." She repeats Alice's words.

Alice turns back to her mate, both of them smiling.

When they finally made it onto the swing ride, Thea looked down, everything looking like ants from up here.

"Aw, are you scared?" Alice teases.

"No." Thea unlaces their hands.

The swing turns quickly, causing Thea to grip onto the handle and Alice's hand. "...shut up."

"I didn't say anything." Alice shrugs innocently. She looks away to laugh.

✸

"Times like this, I wish I was human." Alice chuckles, "ice cream would be great right now." They were finishing up their not and walking towards the exit.

Thea agrees, "Well, I still had a great time. I enjoyed this... a lot."

Alice smiles faintly, "I'm glad you did." Her words were soft.

They were suddenly stopped in their tracks by an older lady. Her eyes were emerald, her face was beginning to become wrinkles, and her hair was a mix of grey and white. She wore a robe and a scarf around her neck. When she smiled, some of her teeth were rotten. She wouldn't stop pulling on Thea's wrist. "Come—let me tell your fortune."

Thea was at a loss for words, "ma'am," she sighed at the lady who continued to pull her and Alice towards her large purple tent, gold silk worked its way around the tent for design. Weirdly, there were no people in line.

"I don't really...believe in this stuff," Thea informs her as she looks around the inside of the tent.

She seemed like a cliche fortune teller, "where's your crystal ball?" The question asked by Thea seemed to come off more sarcastic than anything.

Thea turns to her mate, who shrugs. "She's old and hasn't gotten any business, let's just give her this one..."

Thea turns back around, sitting across from the lady. The fortune teller smiles, "hands."

Thea bites her tongue, placing her hands in hers.

"Cold." The fortune teller tilts her head. Thea doesn't respond. The fortune teller closes her eyes, her expression shifting now and then as her grip tightens.

A phone ringing breaks the silence, it is Alice's. Alice looks down, "one second, it's Esme." Alice walks out of the tent while Thea sends her a "Don't leave me in here!" Look.

Thea slowly turns back to the fortune teller. Nearly jumping when she sees her staring blankly at her. "Let me guess, didn't work." Thea wore a tight smile.

"Quite the opposite." The fortune teller answers to which Thea's smile slowly fades. "Beware, for those you trust most may weave a web of deceit. A shadow of betrayal looms, hidden beneath the guise of protection. Remember, your emotions are your compass. Trust in your feelings, confront your fears, and seek clarity through honest conversation."

Thea pulls her hands away rather quickly and stands up, "Yeah—um, thanks..." she stands up, feeling an odd pit in her stomach as she leaves the tent to find Alice.

Alice had her back turned, still on the phone. Thea used her enhanced hearing to listen to what was so important.

"Hopefully I didn't interrupt the fun. Just wanted you to know that Bella is gone, Edward took her home. So whenever you're ready to come back, it's okay to do so..." Esme spoke.

Thea scrunched up her face.

"We were just leaving," Alice responds with her arms crossed. Her face didn't seem pleased. "We'll be there soon...bye." She hangs up the phone.

"Bella was at the house?" Thea doesn't spare a minute to think of a response that sounds less agitated.

Alice turns on her feet, and her mouth parts but words aren't on her side.

Thea steps closer, "Why wasn't I aware of that?"

Alice seemed guilty, "I..."

Thea's thoughts were spinning.

It all made sense. Why Rosalie and Emmett were acting so weird, why Alice lied about knowing why they seemed so upset.

"Alice," Thea calls her name, "Did everyone know this except me?"

Alice slowly nods, "Edward wanted to introduce Bella to everyone...properly and...they knew you'd be upset so..."

Thea tilts her head, "That's the only reason we're here, right?" she signals to the fair around them, "to keep me...tamed." Her voice seemed disgusted with the last word.

Alice shakes her head, "No, I did want to bring you here, I knew it would be fun." She claims.

Thea squints, shaking her head, "That happened to be on the same day Bella was coming over?"

Alice got quiet. "They just wanted to keep the peace. They didn't want you to..."

"To what?" Thea urges her to finish.

"Have another accident." Alice sighs, "like what happened in the woods with Bella."

Thea's mouth twitched into a grin, "so you guys decided to keep me isolated from the truth?"

Alice saw the hurt on her face, she could feel it, "Thea, I'm—"

"Let's go home." Thea starts pacing towards the exit.

Alice tries to catch up without using her enhanced speed for people to see, "Slow down, sweetheart."

They made it all the way to the parking lot before Thea turned sharply. She felt everything, angry, sad, betrayed. "...I knew it..."

"Knew what?" Alice stops in front of her.

"I knew this was too good to be true." Thea gazes at the glowing fair behind her. "Just take us home." She gets into the car.

The passenger door slammed hard behind her, surprisingly not falling off the hinges.

ragerwrites, UPDATE after over two months!

Not gonna lie, I've been enjoying summer and haven't been having the inspiration to write but I've been missing my Thea, so I had to give y'all an update.

That being said, I came back with a very fun yet not so fun chapter. What are y'all's thoughts on Thea being upset? And thoughts on Alice in the situation?

wordcount, 1903