Dispute

"Hey!"

Alice knocked on the 'door' to their hideout.

"Open up, it's me, Alice! And... a little surprise!?"

Now that she was about to introduce them to each other, Alice wasn't so sure how the boys would react anymore and became a little insecure.

"Good that you are finally back! A surprise? Don't say you have Gardos with you?"

With a grating noise, the makeshift hatch of their hideout opened and Alex's head appeared in it.

"What? Gardos isn't with you? What happened?"

"I don't know, he should have been closest to your position, so maybe he got caught in the raid. So he isn't with you?"

"No, he isn't. But I warned you and all of you answered, he shouldn't have got caught that easily!"

"Well, who knows? Maybe he doesn't want to move until all the soldiers are gone. Anyway, come inside, and what was that surprise you are talking about?"

"Right, wait a moment."

Alice sat at the side of the roof and stretched her arms as far down as she could.

"Grab, my arms, I will pull you up!"

A moment later, Alice pulled Amy on top of the roof.

"Hey! What are doing bringing someone to our hideout!?"

Alice Ignored Alex complaint.

"Her name is Amy, we were together over this last week."

"Then send her away and make sure she doesn't tell anyone about our hideout!"

"What?!", his answer blew Alice mind. She didn't expect him to react like that at all.

"Take a look at how young she is! Not even talking about her telling someone, the soldiers would get her instantly! We need to help and protect her!"

"What do you expect us to do then?", Alex looked at her like she was stupid.

"I don't know! Teach her as you did for me, maybe? She got abandoned only shortly before the raid, she doesn't know anything!"

"We have enough problems at the moment! We cant deal with this as well!"

Alice got angry at him, she couldn't understand Alex at all right now. It wasn't that deep-seated, mind consuming, tar-like rage. It was a righteous and burning anger mixed with a bit of disappointment.

"Why? What's the problem? Food? she doesn't need much, she can just have some of mine then!"

"You have to eat your food yourself! You have to be at full strength if the worst case happens!"

"That won't be a problem!"

Alice was slowly reaching her end, the last week had been exhausting enough already, but after she was happy that she finally could go back, this happened! It was the first time they were fighting like this and Alice didn't like it at all!

"Hey, what's going on?", Gale's voice came from the inside.

"Alex is..!", Alice started.

"Nothing Gale, I will talk this out with her! You don't have to involve yourself with this.", Alex answered Gale and continued towards Alice: "That's not the problem in the first place!"

"Then what is the problem? Why can't we help her as you did for me?"

"She isn't like you! Your situation was different!"

"Then what's the difference?", Alice asked outraged.

"She is...", Alex hesitated for a moment before he continued: "She is useless! You said it yourself, we would have to protect her all the time!"

"What!? So you only helped me to make use of me?! And here I believed the bullshit you were spouting about us being a family! I may know her for only just a week right now, but for me, she is like a little sister!"

"Urgh... Anyway, tell her to leave and come inside or the guards will see us!"

Tears were starting to pool in the corners of her eyes, the only reason why she didn't start crying was that her anger suppressed the tears. Slowly, the rage inside her started to boil and tried to consume her.

*Slap*

Alice gave him a slap. She turned around, lifted up Amy who looked at her with big eyes and jumped down from the roof. She put Amy back down grabbed her small hand and walked away.

"Hey! Where are you going? We need you here!"

"I'm leaving! You only want to use me after all. You can make do just as well without me, but this girl needs my help!"

Alice left without looking back. She was angry, but more than that, bitter sad and disappointed.

"Urgh... Fuck!", Alex cursed behind her back.

They turned around the corner after Alice listened if there were any guards.

"Sis... okay?", Amy asked in her typical weak voice.

"Yes, everything is okay Amy.", Alice assured her.

She gave Amy a long hug. When she finally calmed down a bit, the tears started to stream down her cheeks. She continued hugging Amy and only left her out of her arms after she wiped away her tears and put the best smile on her face that she could muster right now.

"Yes, everything is okay Amy.", she repeated again, this time to assure herself.

When she had calmed down a little more, Alice realized that she had gone too far in the end, and understood Alex reason a little as well. But even if she wanted to go back and apologize, now that she had gone this far, she couldn't just turn back, especially because Alex position wouldn't change.

Right now, Alice was only wandering around without any concrete goal. She could only do her best to appear as if she knew what she was doing in front of Amy, but actually, she was completely lost.

Alice had no idea what she was supposed to do now. She only knew that she would have to leave the territory of the guardians if she didn't want this to become even more complicated.

She didn't want to meet Alex again, she knew that they would only start fighting again. But she wanted to meet the others even less, she wouldnt be able to fight with them as she would with Alex, but she also didn't know what else she should tell them.

In truth, Alice was very insecure and afraid right now, even more than the time when she got chased by the foxes, now she didn't only have herself to care about after all.

Before she could completely despair, Alice suddenly realized that there was one last person she could ask for advice. Determined, she changed directions.