You see that picture up there? Well in that picture, instead of those doors I want you to imagine a wide window that covers the upper part of a white wall. And there's a window seat on it. Now keep imagining the window and the seat because that's where Alice is slouching.

Enjoy the light, action free chapter that gives you more information about some characters and their past.
•••

The light pitter-patter of rain echoed throughout our, otherwise, silent living room.

Today was not for fighting and stuff. Today we were supposed to sit at home and plan our next move.

You see, when we escaped we came to Jax's old house where we still live. This place was perfect for us because it was two hours drive away from the city, on top of a cliff. The best part, the whole cliff and it's surrounding five miles area was covered with huge trees.

Trees that hid the house so that no one can know about it's existence. Also, the pathway or roads leading to this house were not in plain sight. You had to drive into the forest, on the grass, dodge a few trees before finally getting back on track. So no one can even think of going up that way to the house.

This place was like our own personal lair.

Jax's parents had this house made when they found out what goes inside the ICE facilities. His parents were loaded because his mother was a lawyer and his father was a well known detective of our city who was working on a missing boy's case. He later found out the boy was parkour champion and was taken by ICE so that they can 'enhance' his abilities.

When Mayor Rolland found out that Jax's father knows about what goes on in ICE and that his son is a karate kid, he got his parents killed and him taken away. Max was the only one left behind because he was out partying that night.

Anyway, now that we were all back, we decided to live here because our own places were in the city. It would be too dangerous to live there. So we sent Max to Zen's apartment because we did not want him getting involved in something so dangerous, especially when he is not a part of it. He did not need to live like a criminal.

But he still helped us out in his own way. He was the background guy. He was there for planning and building. He also got us whatever we needed from the stores since none of us could go out shopping so freely now.

Money was no problem either. I mean it was at first but then we robbed the bank that was funding ICE facilities.

And after bank robbing and random killing around I finally decided to do something big. That's when we spent six months of planning and brought down our first target.

But that was it. That was all I had planned. We never thought about the other facilities. And we obviously can not wait another six months for our next attack. So here we are. In our living room since ten in the morning. It was two in afternoon by now.

Everyone, including Max, was sitting on the couches, trying to think of something. The only thing someone ever came up with was Max. He came up with names like "intellidumbs" and "smidiots" for us. Says it's a mix of intelligent and dumb, and smart and idiot. And apparently, according to him we deserve these names for not planning everything first, and then attacking.

Anyway, I could not sit with them after Max started an argument with the others because of these names, so I moved over to the window seat that overlooked the forest down the cliff.

"Why is she sitting by the window like that? She has been slouched there since last whole hour." Zen's sudden question startled me out of my thoughts. Judging from the way everyone else's heads snapped over to Zen, I wasn't the only one.

"Because it's her favourite weather outside. Sunshine mixed with a little rain." Rosa explained fondly.

"This weather reminds me of my cloak and myself. I am the city, blanketed by the cloak. Cloak would be outer black part as rain and inner red part as sun." I mumbled out still somewhat lost in my thoughts, not really knowing what I was saying.

"Woah there, Shakespeare. Now we don't need you getting all deep with us. We just want you to come up with a plan for our next move." Jax barked out.

"Why me?"

"Because you are the mastermind." Britt grumbled that out.

"Forget that. I want to know why were you even taken as the first one? Why not someone else?" This time Max decided to speak up.

"Because she's the mastermind." Britt grumbled out again.

"Yes. I know that." Max exasperated then continued curiously. "I know she is smart. But so is Carly and many other kids in that place. There are other kind of talented kids as well. Why her before everyone else?"

"Seriously, Max?" Jax asked incredulously. "Did you live under a rock or something? Oh wait. You did. You spent your whole life getting wasted in the basement. That is why you don't know about the girl who used to be all over the news for being best at every fucking thing. Who was known for her intelligence, who used to date Rolland's son, who used be our boring little city's own personal entertainment."

For a moment there was silence as Max sat there with a gaping mouth. Then came a low 'holy shit' from him, followed by a 'holy shit, indeed' from Jax.

"Hey, Alice? Another question." Zen looked at me with the same curiosity as Max. "Why does Rolland want you so bad? I mean they only know your name. It's always "Phoenix and her wildfire", it's never us. Even when they target, attack or try to catch they go after you first. I mean I am not complaining, I just want to know why?"

"Because she's the mastermind." You can guess who said that and how.

"Okay I think she is broken." Max announced then turned to Carly. "Hey technology expert! I think our friend is stuck on replay. Can you fix her?"

While everyone laughed lightly, Britt just glared at him.

Deciding to put Britt out of her misery, I finally opened my mouth to talk but before I could, Carly spoke up instead.

"Back on topic. Since we are discussing Allie, I have something to say too." She then turned to me and continued, "Why do we know so little about you? You never talk. The only time you say something it's always something related to ICE. Only Jax, Rosa and Britt know a few things about you because they joined two years before Zen and I did."

Sitting up properly, I directed my gaze at Carly. She shrunk down in the couch, maybe because I had a resting bitchface. Relaxing my expressions, I started talking to them about myself, for the first time.

"Since you all are so interested, I will start from the beginning. I wasn't always like this. I was once a happy girl living a peaceful life until Hunter betrayed me. You must have seen on the news that Hunter and I broke up to pursue our careers. That he went to LA for acting and I joined ICE. Well it was nothing like that. Hunter lied to me, he tricked me into becoming their prisoner and left me suffering. That's how I was the first. Then other children followed willingly because many of them used to look up to me. That's why I want them all out. And Rolland wants me dead because he knows I am a threat to him, his son, and his facilities. He knows me personally because of his son. He is scared. And he should be."

After I finished, everyone remained silent not knowing what to say so I decided to add a few more things.

"Sometimes I wish I had a shadow. To throw everyone off my scent while I burn down ICE happily." I grumbled out birttly.

Don't ask. Max came up with that word since Britt is always grumbling.

"A shadow... a shadow to throw them off..." Carly mumbled, lost in her thoughts. Everyone turned to her, waiting in anticipation that she might come up with something.

"I got it! I got an idea!" She finally shouted while pushing her chair back. But instead of sliding backwards, it lifted up and took Carly down on her back.

"Damn. That idea hit her harder than the bus hit Regina George." Zen laughed.

"Woah. Instead of Allie, it's our little Carly who comes up with something. How come?" Rosa amused while helping Carly up.

"Because she's another mastermind." Britt britted.

And then everyone snapped. Jax stood up from beside Britt, walking away, while Zen and Max turned to each other throwing their hands up. Everyone doing something while saying their own shit all at once.

"Oh come on! Not this shit again!"

"Is she serious? Or is she crazy? You can't even tell!"

"Someone search how to fix a broken friend."

"Are you okay, Britt?"

Having enough of them, I went towards the bookshelf, picked up the thickest book and slammed is down on the shelf.

The loud booming voice shut everyone up instantly. They all froze in whatever positions they were in then turned to me with wide scared eyes while I just glared back.

"Let's not waste our time on Britt's brittness and listen to Carly, shall we?" I asked them in the same dead voice, I sometimes use to scare people.

They nodded their heads hurriedly and went back to their places.

After that, at seeing my expectant gaze, Carly started explaining her idea.

"Okay so it's not really a full plan. It's just my part in it. If I tell you this then maybe Allie can plan the rest. Now here's what I can do..."

And so she continued to explain her idea and I started forming a plan for the rest of the evening.