A Cassarian Story
Varian always knew that he cared for Cassandra. But he didn't realize how much until she was gone.
Six long years after Cassandra leaves Corona, she finally returns. Varian is overjoyed, but she comes bearing terrible news. A stran...
"I meant it. And I still do," Varian says, reaching for Cassandra's hand and gently kissing it in the same manor he did that day. She rolls her eyes, but cannot hide the smile that has spread across her face.
"Ooh, you two are still the cutest!" Rapunzel squeals.
"I can't wait to see what's in the hatch! Whatever that is," Opal says.
"It's an opening that allows passage from one area to another," Varian explains. "We were basically going down into a basement."
"Oh," Opal says with realization. "But basements are so scary!"
"This basement wasn't scary, kiddo," Cassandra says. "In fact, it led to our first real discovery..."
"I'll wait indefinitely for you, Cassie. You are the moon and the stars to me."
As Varian ducks down into the hatch, Cassandra remains motionless, too stunned to speak or move. She figures she shouldn't have expected anything less from him, but she wasn't aware of how deeply he cares for her. She isn't used to the attention, and she feels that she doesn't deserve it at all.
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And he called her Cassie, for the first time since her return. When Abhu calls her that, it makes her blood boil. But hearing Varian say it, it feels so natural. Almost... comforting.
But what really stands out the most to her is, how is he aware of her fear? Again she wonders if he may have used his Truth Ray on her somehow, but she knows that this is not something he would do to her. Does he really just understand her that well?
No, that's crazy. No one could ever understand her that completely.
Right?
Frustrated with the direction of her thoughts, she blows a stray hair out of her face and follows the others into the hatch. A few feet down the concrete hallway, she discovers that the guys have already run into a dead-end.
"This is great," Abhu grumbles. "We've hit a wall!"
"I don't think it's just a wall," Varian observes, moving his light source to the center of the barrier. "Look!"
The light reveals a small box attached to the wall, that seems to be a locking mechanism. There are four dials, with letters instead of the expected numbers.
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