1 Sincerely, Alice.

- Location: Romania, at a certain orphanage.

[POV. Third-person]

Inside the orphanage, a girl with a calm expression is looking through a window. Outside, a child is getting into a car, and as the child waves to the girl looking through the window, the girl lifts her hand and slowly waves back. The child gets into the car and leaves.

"Don't worry, Alice. I'm sure Luca will be okay," an elderly woman says as she closes the door behind her. Alice simply nods, and the elderly woman replies with a smile. "I'm going to make some hot chocolate. Would you like to have some?" the elderly woman asks as she opens the door.

Alice smiles and makes hand signs, saying "I'll be down in a minute." The elderly woman smiles and heads downstairs.

Some time passes, and Alice seems to be in deep thought.

BANG!

The sound of a loud gunshot can be heard downstairs, and the sounds of children screaming spread throughout the entire building.

Alice is alarmed and immediately runs to the door, swiftly running down the stairs, her steps masked by the screams.

"WHERE IS THE BOY?!" a man with bloodshot eyes yells at the elderly woman lying on the floor, her leg shot and bleeding. "You... are not supposed to be here, Andrei," the elderly woman weakly says as she puts pressure on her wound.

"LUCA IS MY SON!! NOW WHERE IS HE?!" the man yells again, waving his gun around at the scared children. "H-how... did you get out of jail?" the elderly woman asks, trying to buy time as the police will be here soon due to the gunshot.

"SHUT THE F*CK UP!! TELL ME WHERE MY SON IS!" the man yells, pointing the gun right at the elderly woman's head. "They took him... they have already taken a plane... you are too late! Just leave us!" The elderly woman pleads with the man, hoping he will leave them alone.

"YOU LET THEM TAKE MY BOY!" the man screams, putting the gun's barrel to her forehead. The elderly woman sweats, and every second feels like an eternity.

Alice hears all this, her breaths heavy. Hiding behind the stairwell wall, she is paralyzed as she tries to think of something. She looks down at her white pajamas and checks her pockets for anything.

She feels something in her left pocket—a pen she used earlier while writing in her diary. With a frightful yet determined expression, she peeks through the wall, trying to find an opening.

The man's bloodshot eyes bulge with anger as he kneels and pulls the elderly woman's hair. "Where are they headed?" the man says in a calm yet more threatening tone.

With the man's back turned, Alice thinks this is her chance. She starts sneaking towards the man, clutching her black pen. The other children see her and she signals them to be quiet.

The elderly woman sees Alice sneaking towards their direction, her eyes opening with a fearful expression. Realizing that Alice might be discovered if the man turns around, the elderly woman starts talking.

"They took the plane early this morning..." the woman starts talking until Alice is close. As soon as she sees that Alice is about to attack, the elderly woman grits her teeth and pulls the man's gun hand upwards.

"Bit-" the man exclaims, but before he can finish his words, he feels a stabbing sensation on his neck. "ARGH!" the man yells in pain, dropping his gun, which the elderly woman then throws away.

The stab isn't deep enough, and the man flings Alice to the side, making her hit the ground. "Alice!" the elderly woman exclaims, trying to reach out, but the man kicks her in the stomach, causing her to pass out.

Alice tries to get up as the man removes the pen from his neck; the wound isn't deep, but he's bleeding. "YOU BRAT!" the man yells as he sprints toward Alice with the pen in his hand.

As Alice stands up, the man is about to stab her with the pen. She tries to stop the man's hands, but he just stabs through her hand, making her wince in pain. The man then pulls the pen and immediately stabs Alice in the guts.

Alice's face is shocked as she falls to the ground, her strength leaving her. Seeing this, the children who were already crying and screaming become even louder. "SHUT UP! OR YOU'LL BE NEXT!" the man yells, pointing at them with his bloody pen and hand.

Hearing the man threaten the children, Alice grits her teeth and lunges at the man's back, biting his neck. "F*CK!" the man exclaims in pain, trying to shake Alice off, but she doesn't let go. Shaking her only makes the pain in his neck worse.

As Alice bites into the man's wound, making it bleed even more, her eyes no longer hold fear; instead, they are filled with determination. The man panics, gripping the pen and trying to stab her sides. With each stab, her bite becomes even harder.

...

After being stabbed multiple times, Alice's eyes roll back as she falls to the floor, bleeding. Her clothes turn blood-red as she lies on the floor.

The man swings side to side as he puts pressure on his neck. His bloodshot eyes fill with rage as he looks back at Alice. "You're dead..." the man says, getting on top of her and starting to stab her again. Although his strength is weak because of his injury, he keeps stabbing her.

But then, police sirens blare outside. "F*ck!... hugh!" the man winces in pain as he stands up and looks toward the backdoor. But as he starts to take his steps, he feels resistance. Looking down, he sees Alice clutching his leg.

"L-let go!" the man exclaims, stomping on her forearms. But even as her bones crack, she does not let go. The man panics, but suddenly he sees that he is now near where his pistol was thrown. He forcefully pulls Alice and grabs his gun.

BANG!

Another bang is heard, and smoke flows out of the barrel. The man falls to the floor. The cop sweats as he sees the situation in front of him. The cop who shot him then runs toward Alice, who is still clutching the man's leg.

"Kid!" the cop yells, but there is no response. "Call an ambulance!" the cop yells to his partner, immediately using his radio. The cop then checks her pulse, but there is no longer a beat.

Realizing he is too late, the cop sits down and takes off his hat. "If only I had gotten here sooner," the cop says, looking toward the paralyzed children. "S-sister Alice!" a child says as they shakily walk toward Alice.

....

[POV. MC]

"I died, didn't I?" I said as I tried to feel my body, but I could not sense anything. I couldn't see or hear; it felt like an empty abyss.

Even though what I did cost me my life, I don't regret anything. Granny and the others were my whole world, and I could never live with myself if I just let them get hurt like that.

Suddenly, I had an odd feeling, like I was being pulled away. "What's happening?!" I said, feeling like I was disappearing.

"Is this it? Well, I have no regrets. Well, if I did have one, it would be that I couldn't say goodbye. Oh well, I'm sure everyone will be fine. I did my best."

But as I was thinking those words, I suddenly felt sad. "I want to live..." I said softly, as the pulling suddenly felt stronger.

"Before I go, I just want to say to everyone at the orphanage... I will always love you all. Please do not grieve for me. Don't be sad; instead, enjoy your lives to the fullest. I hope you find families that will love you the same way I did. Sincerely, Alice," I said, feeling the void consume me and my consciousness disappearing.