Alice looked up, suddenly serious.
"No." She said, and not in a soft tone at all. "No, you can`t be around me when I`m like that. It`s not safe, and I`m not going to put you in danger." She took his hand and squeezed it softly. "I`m sorry I`m being so difficult about all of this, but I can`t help it. I can`t stand to think that you might get hurt, and if you`re around me when I`m like that...." She just trailed off, unable to put it into words.