Nothing Less than Extraordinary

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Minutes later, we were back in the Villa suite. Only this time, we didn't have to break in and we had the trio from downstairs watching us like a hawk despite Alice ordering them that we were fine—even in the company of "untrustworthy Chevy". By now, we had ordered an excessive amount of food and used the elaborately long dining table to eat and chat. The table sat eight people, but only three chairs would be occupied considering Alice's associates were opting out of sharing pleasantries with Tyler, and Alice and Cheshire might as well have shared a seat considering how close they sat and gravitated to each other.

"I saw you die," Cheshire was the first to say to Alice during dinner. I had to catch Tyler up on Alice and Cheshire's story, but I didn't have much to tell him other than that they had been together, ran away together, got captured, and they've been separated since Chess thought Alice was killed. Anything said tonight would fill in the blanks because Cheshire didn't have a clue as to what had happened within the last three years either.

"No," Alice said.

"Yes," Cheshire insisted. Even though I knew it had taken him a long time to accept and get over Alice's death, he wanted to believe she was gone just like I had with Zaine. It was easier that way, than to mourn and recur. "By the time I was done downstairs, I saw them walking you out of the building and even after I followed them by the time I rounded the corner in the lobby, you were already dead."

"How many movies did we watch where you always commented on how the bad guy's never dead until you see the body?" she asked him.

"Stop it," Cheshire snapped and I was surprised to see him so serious. "I did see a body—yours—laying so lifeless that one of those Agency idiots had to carry you to their car," he defended. "And that theory's only for bad guys and sh!tty movies with cliff hangers," he pouted for a second before frowning once more. "And are you a bad guy?—"

"No!"

"—maybe you are," Cheshire said despite her answer. He over at her with a soft expression, even while accusing her of being a villain.

"I'll say," Tyler whispered and I nudged him while he ate his food.

"You," Cheshire pointed at him with a fork. "Shut up."

Alice looked at Tyler before exchanging a glance at me that caused me to look away, even in innocence.

"So I think you better start talking," Cheshire told her. "Why I saw you die—because I did see you die. Why the Agency wanted you in the first place. Why you're orchestrating—"

"Okay," she interrupted. Then her brown eyes flashed to Tyler, who was looking down at his plate. "But I want him out."

"What?" I asked.

"I was already here. I think I understand enough of you, okay—" Tyler said with a mouth full of food and I elbowed him in the rib cage once more. He grabbed my arm though. "Stop doing that."

"I don't trust him," Alice admitted.

"Well neither do I," Cheshire replied and I rolled my eyes, assuming he was going to send Tyler away. "...but unfortunately the assh0le is involved in this in ways that I don't even think you understand so—"

"Oh I know she doesn't understand!" Tyler said. "I tried to explain it but no, she got her goons to beat me up instead!"

"Can you blame me?" Alice asked of him. "You massacred a school!"

"I—"

"Yes, and we know more than others that he's an idiot douchebag who has repented and regretted his poor life choices day in and day out to us, even when we want to strangle him for completely separate reasons," Cheshire tried to humor to a degree. "But we'll explain that later. Now, start explaining what you're doing here."