BY YOUR HANDS:

When Celeste tried to approach her, Alice let out a disgruntled sound and glared, warning her to step back. The look was so intimidating that it shocked Celeste. It wasn't fear that held her back; she had just never seen Alice react this way before.

Sure, Alice was often boorish and somewhat grumpy. She was known for her dramatic flair and short temper, but this was the first time Celeste had seen her look so angry, mad, and… maniacal.

After a moment, Alice turned around, wiping her lips with her sleeve, and scolded Celeste, "Why are you acting so foolishly, Celeste? If you came near me, what if you had been splattered with blood too? What would people say then? They'd instantly suspect you and think you were involved in the case!"

As Alice spoke, the color of her eyes flickered between her natural hue and a conspicuous gold. It was so striking that anyone would question it immediately—anyone except Celeste.

"What case!? What the f*ck is going on, Alice? This… I don't get any of this! I… no, don't explain anything. Just tell me. Tell me you'll make it out alive from this… this sudden illness. You will… RIGHT!?" Celeste was so overwhelmed that she couldn't process the many mind games Alice was playing with her, let alone fully register the oddity of Alice's eyes. Her mind was a chaotic jumble of unanswered questions. She had faced enough today, and seeing Alice in such a state was so burdensome on her mental state that she almost collapsed, feeling the urge to scream.

Alice, however, looked different. There was a hint of distress in her expression at seeing Celeste so distraught, but more than anything, there was a maniacal madness and excitement that now seemed to consume her. It was as if she was almost looking forward to her own death.

Alice raised her hands and tore a small portion of the fabric over her chest, revealing a black cloth covering her collarbone and a bit below it. Oddly, there seemed to be light seeping through the fabric. Though subtle, the light was noticeable if someone looked closely. Alice slowly unwound the black cloth, which was tied in many layers, until the source of the light was exposed.

Above the junction of her bra was a conspicuous, golden symbol that appeared to be moving. Upon closer inspection, it resembled a shimmering clock-like tattoo. The intricacy of the tattoo made it difficult to determine if it was indeed a clock. The numbers were in a language Celeste had never seen before, one she was certain didn't exist in any known languages.

An hour hand pointed near a digit that Celeste guessed was the fifth, based on its position. As the minute passed, the tattoo became more translucent, as if it would disappear entirely when it reached the five o'clock mark. The minute hand had half an hour left to reach the twelfth digit.

Celeste was pulled from her daze at the sight when she heard Alice speak, "Do you know what will happen when the minute hand reaches twelve?"

Celeste felt her throat dry, but she still managed to ask in a rough, cautious tone, "What?"

"I will be killed by some powerful entities—the same ones that gave me this mark on my chest. But fear not, Celeste, for I will have the chance to become something much more than I am now. I will end everyone's suffering. I won't let Ez get hurt again, nor Maximillian… not anyone! And especially not you. I will become something that can keep you happy. Yes, I definitely will. Yes…" The look in Alice's eyes was positively crazed, as if she was not even registering anything in this world but instead looking at something beyond it.

Celeste felt a chill. Despite the madness in Alice's eyes, she had an inexplicable certainty that Alice was telling the truth. It wasn't blind trust; it was something entirely different. It was the same odd feeling she got when things went awry for her family, especially Ezra. It was the feeling she sensed from Louis when he started acting strangely around Ezra. It was the feeling she had in her dreams about the Alice look-alike.

This feeling was like a thread—a thread that controlled all these events. A myriad of threads that manipulated their fates as if they were puppets in a play. And right now, it felt like Alice was covered from head to toe in these threads. Not at the receiving end, but at the end that held the control.

Without realizing how it happened, Celeste found herself on the ground, her arms lying helplessly in her lap as tears streamed down her face. A single, unshakable thought hammered in her mind: no matter what she did, what Alice said would definitely happen. Alice would leave her as soon as the minute hand reached twelve.

Celeste looked on helplessly as Alice spoke with an increasingly odd tone, "Maybe… just maybe, I can live my fantasies too. Who knows what possibilities await me? My dream field, my unrequited feelings, my wishes… Who knows… who knows…"

Alice then glanced at Celeste and saw her in a dumbstruck and shaken state. Instantly, all her emotions boiled down to one: distress. Her words became a jumbled mess, and her thoughts disarrayed as she tried to talk to Celeste, "I— That— Celeste… Celeste… please. Please don't cry. I wouldn't know how to wipe your tears. My hands and sleeves, even my dress is dirty with blood. Celeste… Celeste?"

Celeste continued to stare with a dazed expression, her voice numb as she asked, "Why did you call me here?"

"I… well…"

"You must have called me here for a reason… Alice, you are a very selfish girl. An extremely selfish one. So I know for sure that you want something from me right now. So much so that you have me here to even witness your death." Celeste's voice was so mechanical it almost hurt to hear herself. This was not how she wanted to speak to Alice, especially not now.

Alice's expression tightened before she crouched down near Celeste and spoke softly, "You're right. I am very, very selfish. I don't want to die at the hands of those beings who have done nothing but hurt the people I love. I don't want to give them that satisfaction. No matter how I die now, it will still work in my favor. I know that much. I am sure of that much. So… I don't want them to do it. In fact, I wanted someone they have caused so much trouble for to do this job instead. It's partially out of spite and partially because… no matter how much I think about it… if I am going to die, I want to die by your hands."

Alice gently rubbed the clock tattoo, her voice tinged with discomfort. "Before the time is up, I want you to do it. Push me off the building. It would be easier that way. That's why I brought you here. Besides, this place already has an odd reputation since Micaela disappeared around here. If you push me from here, it would look like a suicide, wouldn't it?"

Reaching into a pocket in her dress, she pulled out an envelope and shook it in front of Celeste's eyes. "This is my suicide note. When they find it with my body, they will assume it was a suicide… But Celeste…"

With a deep, serious gaze boring into Celeste's increasingly red, teary eyes, Alice continued, "If you can't do it, I will. You won't be able to stop me. Even if you tried, you can feel it, right? The inevitability of what will happen at five o'clock. This is no joke. It's not. I don't know exactly how it will happen, but I might be forced to vomit out every ounce of my blood. Maybe my heart or brain will fail. Maybe I'll enter a convulsive state and go crazy before I die. It could be anything."

Her eyes took on an almost pleading look. "Everyone around me would be devastated, blaming themselves for not knowing I was suffering from a disease that killed me. How could they have been so careless and stupid? It wouldn't be their fault; this condition surfaced only a few days ago. They'd have no way of knowing. I don't want them to beat themselves up over it."

"And you'd rather have them beat themselves up over your suicide? One they'll believe they could have prevented?" Celeste's voice trembled with emotion.

Alice gave a somewhat guilty smile, a look tinged with obvious excitement. "Well, at least everyone knows I'm not in my right state of mind. So this development wouldn't come as much of a shock, you know?"

"You are a selfish and horrible person, Alice," Celeste said, her voice breaking.

Alice's smile widened. "So, will you do it, or should I jump myself?"

At that moment, Celeste bent over to the ground, breaking down in tears. Her voice was desperate and raw, a sound so painful and depressing that no one had ever heard it from her before. Alice was the first. She would likely be the last.