Alice wouldn't speak to me for a while; I glanced briefly back towards the living room where she was sitting. I pushed open the door and walked into my room before closing it behind me; I glanced towards the desk and there sat a girl in a chair—she looked just like Alice.
"You're back," I said, and walked over to sit on my bed. "What do you actually want from me?"
The figure turned its head unnaturally, grinning from ear to ear—its gaze was vacant, and just looking at it made me feel uneasy and filled me with a murderous urge. "Sorry I got angry with you, Green."
It was trying so hard to act like Alice, and that was what really sickened me—I quickly pulled out my shotgun and aimed it at its head. "I'll ask you one more time—what do you want, monster?"
As I blinked—it was suddenly standing right in front of me, with the muzzle of my shotgun pointed at its heart. "What?" it asked.
I tried hard not to blink, but it was true that its could move instantly—it was already sitting beside me. "What?" It asked again.
Before I could react, it moved again, up onto the closet, swinging its legs, "What?" it asked once more, though I had no idea what it was actually asking.
"What exactly are you hoping to achieve?"
The question finally reached me; I didn't answer and had no intention of doing so. Without warning, it moved forward and its hand reached into my chest—its hand could pass right through, its hand grasped my heart and began to stroke it.
I leapt backwards and almost pulled the trigger—I realised I couldn't touch this creature and that its touch could pass through anything; it was truly like the ghosts people often describe. "If you don't answer, I'll consider crushing your heart to pieces." Its threat didn't sound like a bluff at all.
I took a slow breath before speaking, "I'm looking for the person who killed my grandmother—and I won't die until I've killed him with my own hands." Hearing that made the creature chuckle, though I couldn't tell what was so funny about my words.
"I have answered your question; now it's your turn to answer."
"Of course, ask me any question.
"Who are you, really?"
Hearing that, the creature smiled; it suddenly vanished and, without warning, arms wrapped around me from behind. When I turned my head, my eyes widened as I saw the figure, which had now transformed into Rapunzel. "This is our second meeting, so you're in the right to know."
A sense of danger filled me; I leapt off the bed—BANG—my bullet flew as I pulled the trigger, but just like before, it passed straight through and shattered the wall. "Red?!" Alice's shout from the living room rang out immediately.
"Oh? We've caused quite a scene, haven't we?" the creature asked. It stepped down from the bed and transformed into an exact replica of myself. "You can call me Neverkin… and I'll give you one thing, Red."
"The person you're looking for is closer than you think," it walked past me before disappearing completely; I turned around and found myself alone in the room again—KNOCK, KNOCK—the sound of a knock on the door startled me, and I immediately turned my head towards the door.
I opened the door and saw a girl in a white dress with a worried expression. "What's happened?!" she asked, and I turned towards the hole in the wall; if I told her, she'd surely never believe me.
"Nothing… but perhaps we should call the repairman again to patch up the wall." There was still so much on my mind, and I slowly tried to close the door. "Okay, I'm going to—" Before I had a chance to close the door, Alice held it open with full determination.
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, she whispered almost inaudibly, ''Tell me about this creature that can mimic my form'' she didn't dare to make eye contact with me, a long silence filled the room.
In the end, I retold the story, starting from when I was seriously injured back then and the second encounter just now; I could see the look on Alice's face as she tried to make sense of it all. After I'd finished, she fell silent for a moment to process everything I'd just told her. "So… Neverkin, is it? I've never heard that name before."
I was taken aback that she no longer found this absurd, "Do you actually believe me?"
She glanced at me briefly before turning her face away, twirling a strand of hair. "Well… come to think of it, you've got no reason to make something like this up… besides, I should trust you because…" A word caught in her throat; she seemed hesitant and unwilling to say it out loud.
With a blush on her cheeks, she whispered, "We're partners, after all."