My Name Is Evie

Cassandra

TW: talk of self harm and self harm scars.

*Evie's P.O.V*

Lord Moreau quickly became my closest friend and confidant outside of the Dimitrescu castle. I only told him things that he would agree with so he never heard of my hatred for Mother Miranda. He worshiped the ground that she walked on, only referring to her as Mother in our lengthy conversations. It was quite obvious that he viewed her as his mother and as a savior.

I visited him twice a week to see what he was up to, learning more and more each time I visited. Lord Moreau had opened up quite a bit about the experiments and what Mother Miranda was hoping to achieve. I thought the woman was selfish for doing so, why should she decide who lives or dies? Mother Miranda had no right to play God. Those were the thoughts I had left his home with.

I returned home to Castle Dimitrescu, not completely surprised to see a dead maid laying in the center of the main room. I inspected the body and even felt for a pulse, simply moving past it when I felt none. Daniela greeted me at the top of the stairs, a small frown on her lips.

"What's wrong Daniela?" I asked as I tucked a loose strand of her red hair behind her ear. I knew that when she was upset she would often seek someone out for physical affection like she had done now.

"It's Cassandra," Daniela said softly while looking over the balcony at the dead maid. "One of the maids upset her and now she won't leave the basement, she even attacked Mother when she entered," she stated which made my eyes widen. It was a known thing that the girls were very close to their mother so the fact Cassandra had gone as far as to harm her meant she was in a terrible mood.

"Is that why you are so upset?" I questioned, earning a small nod as she seemed to debate internally before looking at me.

"You are good at calming people down, what can I do to make Cass happy again?" she asked as her golden eyes seemed to pierce my soul. It was clear that Cassandra being so upset had thrown her for a loop.

"You can't force her to calm down, that's just not going to happen," I said hesitantly after a moment. "However perhaps you could offer to do her favorite thing when she's feeling a little calmer? Or maybe have her favorite meal?" I offered as a suggestion which made Daniela nod, her nose scrunching up as she smiled softly.

"I hope it works," Daniela said as she gave me a quick hug before disappearing into a swarm, heading over the balcony. Sometimes I wondered why they never walked and then remembered that I often used shadow travel just because I could.

I melted into the shadows, heading up to my room. I ended up passing Lady Dimitrescu and paused for a moment to observe her. Her once pristine white dress was stained red and I noticed that she had looked distraught. I shook my head and continued to my room, settling in for the night once I arrived.

I ended up falling asleep and it was well into the night when I woke up. My throat burned with how thirsty I was and the smell of blood was in the air. I leapt out of bed, disappearing into the shadows as I followed the smell of blood. It took me down a bunch of hallways, down the stairs and then into another maze of hallways.

I ended up heading down another flight of steps, ending up in a dimly lit room. I practically purred when I ended up finding a dead maiden laying on a table. I appeared from the shadows, staring at the dead body with intrigue. She was fresh, her body was still warm which meant she couldn't have died long ago.

"What are you doing here?" Cassandra's words were hissed and I looked up to see her standing next to a cell. Her golden eyes were dark with rage and I barely managed to move away before she lunged directly at me. I morphed into the shadows and appeared behind her which made her spin around. I pinned her against the table, relishing the surprise and slight fear in her eyes.

"What is your problem?" I hissed out as I shook her, no real malice in my words. "This is the fourth time you have tried to attack me," I said.

"It's what monsters do," Cassandra said as she shoved me off of her, sending me sliding back until my back hit the wall. She pinned me against the wall by the throat, her chest heaving as she stared at me. Her eyes were unfocused and I could tell she wasn't completely present. "That's what that bitch called me! She said I was a monster for liking to hurt people but I can't help it, I just do," she said.

"Cassandra," I whispered, watching as she tried to focus on me. "You cared for that maid didn't you? The one who called you a monster," I said simply, my words merely a statement of the truth. She reeled back as if I had hit her and for the first time I saw the mask she wore fall away.

"I never hurt her, I loved her," Cassandra said softly as she turned her back to me. "Why did she say such a thing? I thought she loved me," her voice was choked with heavy emotion.

"Some people only want to hurt you," I said softly as I moved closer to her. "I think that's what she wanted Cassandra, to get close and to hurt you. Someone who loved you would never call you a monster," I whispered in her ear, feeling her body shiver.

"Am I a monster though?" she asked after a moment as she turned to look at me, her eyes searching my face for any hint of a lie.

"No more of a monster than I am for liking to hurt myself," I said simply as I pulled up my sleeve. She watched me with confusion until I grabbed her hand and gently rested it on my wrist. Her fingers gently ran over the scars as she stared at my wrist.

"Why do you like to hurt yourself?" Cassandra asked as she looked up at me, still searching for a hint of a lie.

"Because it makes me feel something," I said simply as she pulled her hand away. "Just like you hurt people to know that you can still feel pity and guilt like a human," I whispered which made her eyes widen. She lunged at me again and I was surprised when she hugged me tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered before she dissolved into a swarm of flies, leaving me in the basement. I blinked in surprise as I looked after her, wondering if I had perhaps made an ally out of her.