Lessons for Alice

Author's Note: This one is slow. 20,000 words before first kiss, slow.

Trigger Warning: This one touches on cults and faith, and brings a healthy dose of experience with it. If either are sensitive, run the other way.

---

"Luc speaking." He picked up the phone.

"Hi, um... You probably don't remember me, but I'm Alice. We met maybe ten years ago? Um... I'm your Uncle Todd's kid." A nervous voice came down the line.

Luca frowned and sat on the arm of his couch, thinking, "Huh. Okay. How can I help, Alice?"

"So... Do you remember my dad being... Different?"

He winced, not wanting to insult her. "The church."

"Cult. You can call it a cult." Alice said with relief, "Even I thought it was weird and I was a kid when mum and dad got sucked into it. Anyways... Um... Cult is gone, now. The police sort of... Rounded people up. People got arrested."

"Oh." Luca had no idea where this was going or why she'd chosen to call him about it.

Alice swallowed nervously, "Mum and Dad got arrested, too. They weren't exactly... Um... Happy. To see the police. But... Um... I'm technically an adult, what with being nineteen so..."

"You're on your own. Screwed over, twice." He realised, "If you want a place to stay, then sure. You can crash at mine until you sort things out. Need me to come pick you up?"

She burst into tears, "Really? You don't even know me. You're the fifth person I've tried to call. And you're just... Okay with this?"

"Scratch that. I'm coming to pick you up, now." Luc replied, "Give me an address?"

He remembered exactly nothing about Alice. They'd both been kids when they met, and he couldn't even remember it. He knew her name, vaguely, and he certainly remembered the grand speech her dad had given about being enlightened and so the rest of the family could go suck a dick.

The cult... Luca couldn't imagine growing up in it.

So far as he remembered, there was no electricity, which also meant no Internet, no social media, and a complete lack of awareness of what was going on in the outside world. He was pretty sure newspapers were banned, too.

The cult did use tractors to grow their own food, so some power was apparently okay. Most of them worked on a self-sustaining farm, which didn't sound like the worst thing in the world, but Luc had to wonder how manual everything they did was.

There were no outside visitors. None. He had to assume that was because they might bring different ideas, which was always a no-no when you were busy trying to brainwash everyone into thinking that you were a god among men.

Which brought him around to the central figure of the cult.

Some backwards ass hipster who claimed to have died, ascended to Heaven and then returned of his own free will. He had said cutting your hair was sinful because your soul lived in your DNA and DNA was in your hair.

Not someone with an extensive scientific education.

Luc didn't really remember much apart from that, he hadn't paid any attention back then. He wondered about how messed up Alice was going to be, as he stopped at a drivethrough to get them both a coffee.

He did have second thoughts, as he waited at the pickup window. She might never have tasted coffee. Might even think he'd tried to poison her, in that case. Probably not the best drink to get someone recently freed from a psychotic cult, but he was way out of his depth.

He didn't even know what she was going to look like. Most of the family were blondes, and he thought he could remember her being a blonde... But that was a damned generic description.

She'd sounded scared, and alone.

The pickup address was a police station according to the GPS, which made sense. It did make it feel less likely to turn out to be a scam, which Luc unfortunately had to maybe consider was a possibility.

However, if it was at a police station, and she really had been raised by someone telling her how evil the outside world was, then the station was probably going to freak her out. They freaked out normal people who had to hang around in them.

Last time Luc had stepped foot in a police station was after some asshole had punched his little sister, and he was making certain that she tried to get some help, instead of forgiving the bastard.

Hadn't been that helpful. They'd basically been told to either get over it or move her out, no one was going to help. Going straight to LegalAide was a better option. They had a intervention order by the end of day. Lesson learnt... One he hoped he'd never need to know, again.

He parked the car across the road from the station, and as he got out, he saw Alice.

She had the distinct family look to her, even if she wasn't someone he knew by sight. She was blonde, like he'd expected. However, even sitting on the steps with her head in her hands, he could tell her braided ponytail was practically ankle length.

She was balling her eyes out, and shivering. A female police officer was standing beside her, looking both gruff and bored. Sending strong do-not-approach vibes.

Luc crossed the street, holding both coffees. He smiled nervously as he approached, "Alice?"

Her head jerked up, showing wide green eyes, and she stood up. She had her arms crossed, rubbing at one of her elbows. She was wearing something nobody from this century would normally, a plain brown dress with a hood on it, like some kind of... Monk's outfit.

The officer stepped between them, "And who are you?"

"Eh... Luc?" He said nervously.

"Got any I.D?"

"Sure..." He said nervously, looking around before giving up and putting the drinks on the ground so he could pull out his wallet, and then his driver's license.

The officer checked it over and then relaxed, "Sorry about that, Luca. We've had people from the church trying to pick up the members."

"Geeze." He shook his head, "Can't just let it go, can they?"

He picked up the drinks again and smiled nervously, "Hey, Alice. So... Not really sure what to say... Um... Coping?"

"Nope." She laughed, tears running down her cheeks. She stepped towards him, taking his arm and smiling at the officer. "I'll go with him, now."

"Only if that's what you want." The officer said cautiously.

Alice shrugged, "He's family. The only family that responded. So... Yeah."

"Call us. If anything happens. Or if you get too uncomfortable. Call." The officer said firmly, and then produced a business card and handed it to Luc. "You, as well."

Alice nodded, and held his arm tighter, "Um..."

"This is for you." He passed her a drink, "I don't know if you even like coffee, but it's a cappuccino and... Do you know what that is?"

"Mmm." She nodded, taking it gratefully, "Father Thomas used to have one of his wives make him one, every Sunday. One of them let me taste some, once."

Luc processed that slowly, and then waved, "Um... My car? I guess we need to get you a few things before we head home, if you're up to it. Toothbrush, hairbrush, that kind of thing."

"Toiletries? Sure." She nodded, as they crossed the road, waving to the officer as she did, "Also... Um... I don't have a clue what things cost... But... Could we... Get me something else to wear?"

He nodded casually, "Yeah, sure. We can grab you a few outfits."

They got into the car, and Alice belted in awkwardly, looking distinctly uncomfortable with the sash going across her chest. She kept touching it, tugging at it.

Luc drove in silence for a little bit, before speaking, "So... It'll take some time to adjust. For both of us. If I do something that makes you uncomfortable, or you don't understand something, tell me. We can talk things through. I'll try my best not to get annoyed or whatever. Always. About anything."

"Father Thomas said that it was a woman's role to be silent and do what her husband wants." Alice whispered, turning her head to look out the window, "I... I know that's wrong... But it's a habit at this point. I don't know if I can speak up. So... You might have to try and guess, until I get used to this... I know that's asking too much! But it's just -"

"Okay. I'll try and watch for it."

She turned her head and stared at him, "Really? You're just okay with this?"

"I'm okay with none of this. I want to turn the car around, find your Father Thomas, and knock his teeth out of his skull for fucking with you." Luc shook his head, "But... You? Like you said. We're family. And family is supposed to take care of each other."

Alice smiled sadly, "Wow. I think I love you."

"So... I think the things you might maybe want... Correct me if I get it wrong or anything seems too hard to do, are..." Luc thought for a moment, "Toiletries, wardrobe, um... A haircut? Food for dinner. Oh. Sensitive topic... Do you have spare underwear? I can give you some cash for that and go hide somewhere else whilst you get some."

She laughed nervously, "Okay. Um... Sounds good? Mostly? I've never had a haircut. Well, not that I can remember. And getting one is going to... Feel icky. So..."

"Only suggested it because it might help you feel more free. Yourself. Not controlled by any of the old rules. I can be nearby whilst it happens." Luc shrugged casually, "I wouldn't suggest anything but a trim to start with. If you cut it off, it takes a while to grow back, and a lot of girls would actually be jealous of your hair. "

"Really?" She said brightly, "What about... Um... Boys?"

Luc shrugged, "Uh... Probably not jealous. I want to say a lot of guys would find it attractive. That's a compliment. But... Does it feel like one?"

"Yes." Alice said shyly, "Um... Like I kinda said before... A woman is supposed to make her husband happy. I know that's wrong, but I don't know what's right... So it makes me feel happy that a boy would like my hair."

"I think most girls are happy to be told that they're sexy, if they're told the right way. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Cute. Those things are pretty universal, even in weird cults." Luc said slowly, "I don't think it implies marriage, or even that someone is into someone else. You can acknowledge beauty without being a creep, but it can be harder, depending on the context."

"Beautiful." Alice whispered, "I... I like that. Not sexy. That word makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong."

"As much as we're family, so I probably shouldn't notice it," Luc took a deep breath, "You are beautiful, Alice. A real stunner."

Alice swallowed, "How old are you, Luc? Um... A couple years older than me, right?"

"You're nineteen, right?" He frowned, "I'm twenty three. Four years."

She nodded, "How many wives do you have?"

"Heh. Uh... Polygamy is technically illegal in Australia. Happens unofficially sometimes, despite it. But... I'm single." He shrugged, "So it'll just be you and me at the house, sorry. No girls to give you any womanly advice, though I should be able to convince my sister to talk to you if you want."

Alice shook her head, and fiddled with her braid, "No, that wasn't... Wasn't what I was thinking. It's... You're nice. You deserve a good wife."

"Um... Thanks?" Luc said in surprise.

She leaned back into the car seat, sighing tiredly, "I was always in trouble. I was the bad girl. Father Thomas took to giving me private lessons because I just wasn't meshing with the community."

"I want to hit that prick."

Alice sighed, "Yeah. I did. He touched me... Just the once. Pinched my butt, so I slapped him. That's how I got into the Black Book. And once you're written in there, there is no getting out of it. I was labelled as bad wife material."

"Sonuvabitch."

"You swore!" Alice said in shock, causing Luc to burst out laughing at her naivety.

She cringed and pulled in on herself, "I said something weird, didn't I?"

"People swear on TV. Movies." He shrugged, "Uh... You're probably going to hear a bunch of swearing once we get to the store. Other customers and stuff. Everyone kinda swears. Even kids."

"Oh. I forgot that... I used to swear."

He smiled weakly, "I'll try and keep it to a minimum, for you, okay?"

"Cr... Crap." She said hesitantly, and then giggled, "I feel so stupid. Like I should know things like this. They shouldn't surprise me."

"It ain't your fault."

Alice sighed, "I know. I do know that one. Like I said, I was the bad girl. Never doing what I was told."

This innocent thing was considered the bad girl of the community? Alice was in for a rude awakening when he introduced her to the wider world.

"What's... What's the worst thing you ever did, Alice?" Luc asked her hesitantly, "I'll tell you mine, too."

"Ooh. Confession game. That feels familiar." She said casually, "So... This one time, I found out that one of Father Thomas' wives kept a journal. Not just a journal. She wrote down... Things they do together. Detailed stories. Step by step."

"A sex journal?" He asked, in surprise.

"Aha." Alice said nervously, "So... Um... I snuck in and found the... The... Sex journal? And I stole it. I kept it for myself at first, but some of the other girls liked reading it, so I started copying pages and handing them out... Well, you can imagine what Father Thomas was like after finding out that not only were a bunch of us... Um... Doing stuff... But doing stuff whilst thinking about... Him."

"Sex journals are a little weird, a bit... Outdated? Most people use porn instead. Or actual erotica." Luca said slowly, "And I really can't imagine. My expectation of the bastard is that he'd enjoy it. Use it to pick another wife."

She laughed bitterly, "He did. But he also made me harvest an entire cabbage field on my own. Just about did my back in."

"Ouch." Luca cringed, "I've done a little bit of farm work. I never did cabbages, but I did do zucchini which is meant to be ten times less effort, and that hurt. And I did that in a team."

Alice frowned, "Oh. Yeah... What um... What kind of work do you do, Luca?"

"You can call me Luc. Everyone does." He shrugged, "I'm a financial auditor. Very boring job to talk about. Basically, I make sure a business is doing everything they're supposed to be doing with their money. That it's legal."

"Right." She said, clearly not getting it.

"Government has a lot of laws. Some let you pay fewer taxes, some make you pay more. Some mean you have to have certain kinds of insurance, protections for yourself and your customers." He shrugged, "That about as clear as mud?"

"You help people. With money and the government." Alice nodded, "But... Yeah, mud. Sorry."

"That's pretty much it." He shrugged. "You uh... Deal much with money?"

She shook her head, "I remember having pocket money before we were in the cult. But not since. The nice officer at the police station gave me a hundred dollars to help me, but said it wasn't much. I kinda remember a dollar buying me a bag of lollies?"

"A lot more than nothing, and a lot less than you need to start a new life. Things cost more than when we were kids." Luc sighed heavily, "A hundred? Uh... Ten cheap meals, or one really nice one. Or one decent new dress. Five second hand ones? One night in the shi... The crappiest hotel ever. With mould and dirty sheets. Not enough for a computer. Just enough for a cheap phone. The bag of lollies probably would cost you five, or even ten, today."

"Oh wow. I am so confused." She laughed weakly, "None of those prices make sense to me... Uhm... How much does a wedding cost?"

"A wedding?" He said in surprise, "Uh... Thousands. A small thing for family can still end up costing four or five thousand. A big wedding? That can easily run to twenty or more. Celebrities have multi-million dollar ones."

"Eek." She said and cringed, "That... Yeah. I'm going to take a while before I understand how much anything costs... Wait! We're buying me stuff! I can't make that up to you!"

"It's fine. I didn't expect you to be able to." Luc shook his head, "I won't suggest something I'm not okay with paying for, okay?"

"Not really." Alice held her hands to her head, "I feel like I'm sinning against you. I'm a woman. I shouldn't be... Hurting you. But... Is it okay to... I'm so... Confused."

"How about this?" Luc said quickly, "When we get there, which we're about to, I'll get some money out of the machine and give it to you. It'll be yours. We'll check prices of the things you want, and you decide what you're willing to spend. Anything left over is yours. Do whatever you want with it."

She lowered her hands and reached over to squeeze his hand on the wheel, "I'm convinced, now. I love you."

"Family take care of each other."

---

Luc helped Alice to use the ATM, getting out five hundred, bringing her purse total to six hundred dollars. For starting your life over, it was a pittance, but it was all he could afford until payday. He wouldn't have much to spare.

Their first stop was a cheap junk store, for a pencil and paper. As he was buying them for her, he saw Alice snooping around. Staring wide-eyed at crystal figures, and looking at the inevitable display of tie-dyed scarves near the door. He kept seeing her mouth one word, over and over. "Wow."

"Wife is very cute." The man behind the counter smiled, "She... Come very far?"

Luc smiled, looking at the way she was dressed, "Cousin, actually. And not far... She just grew up somewhere they don't have... Shops."

The man passed him his shopping, and Luc gave a nod, "Thanks."

He walked over to Alice, "Something you want?"

"No, sir." She shook her head, putting her hands behind her back and smiling brightly at him. "So... Um... What next?"

Luc shook off his mild confusion at the way she'd addressed him, and handed her the bag. "This is for you. To write down costs of things, so you can compare. I can help with the math, if it's an issue."

Alice grinned happily, "Thankyou."

"So... Did you want that haircut?" Luc asked cautiously, and pointed at the hairdresser across from them. "We can probably sort out getting you a health care card later, but for now straight adult prices."

She walked over to the glass walls of the store, and rubbed nervously at her elbow as she stared through. He strode up beside her, "Feels... Wrong?"

Alice gave a small nod.

"We can try again, another day. Only if you want." He smiled at her, and turned to leave, "Like I said, lots of girls would be jealous of hair like yours."

"I... I think... You were right. I need this."

He turned back to her, "That... That's courage. Okay. Lets gets you a little trim. Just enough to give the cult the rude finger."

She smiled nervously, "Rude finger. I like that."

The haircut went about as well as could be expected. The staff were respectful, and kind. However, it only took a few moments until Alice was sitting stock still, with tears streaming down her face. Hands gripping the chair so tightly that Luc was surprised that the plastic was intact.

He didn't really know how to reassure her, so he tried the best he could. Standing by her as the hairdresser untangled her hair and tried to tell Alice how amazing her hair was.

"This... Confession game? Something you used to play a lot?"

Alice gave a tiny terrified nod, but was otherwise unchanged. Still terrified, still crying.

Luc frowned, "You told me the worst thing you ever did. I said I'd do the same, but I guess we got sidetracked. You took a journal? You might not look at me the same once I tell you mine."

She gave a furtive smile, head unmoving, and whispered, "Impossible."

"I might not have a wife, but I have had a few girlfriends." Luc began tentatively, "And to the utter horror of your Father Thomas, we did things. The worst thing I ever did, Alice, was one of those things, with someone who wasn't my girlfriend, even though I had one. I cheated on them."

Alice stopped crying, focusing in on him. Her eyes flicked back and forth at him and the woman removing her split ends. "You... Slept with a girl... And... Chose another?"