Lousy Little Pest! | Sequel to Gothel's Greatest Gift

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Happy birthday, Cassandra!" Gothel lovingly whispered to her one-year-old daughter.

"I can't believe you're one!" she added to the seemingly sweet moment.

"It's gone by so slow," Gothel hissed at the toddler, who continued to look up at her mother with her adoring emerald eyes.

"But, since you're one, I think it's time you learned how to help out around here," Gothel thought out loud to herself. Little did Cassandra know, she'd soon be the only one tending to the house, and the only person who'd "help out around here" would be Gothel when she went out to run errands. Eventually, Cassandra would take on the errands too, and Mother Gothel would only do the chores she wanted or needed to do.

"You love playing with your toy broom, don't you? Because I have a very special birthday gift for you. I'll be right back!"

Gothel hurried out of Cassandra's nursery, which was actually just a little corner in the hall closet, and fetched the birthday girl's birthday gift.

"Look at this, Cassandra! Your very own broom!"

As Gothel gave her daughter the broom, Cassandra began to chew on it happily, as babies tend to do when you give them anything. She continued to stare at her mother, wondering what she did to deserve her mother's mean-spirited glare.

"Stop that, Cassandra! Can't you do anything right?" Gothel yanked the broom out of Cassandra's mouth and whacked her across the head with it. It's a miracle she didn't have any serious injuries.

Cassandra began to sob. Not just because she had been hit in the head with a wooden broom, but also because her mother had just yelled at her before storming out of the corner. What did she do wrong? All she knew was to chew on things. Cassandra was so confused, but more than anything, she hoped her mother still loved her.

–

"So... blondie".

"Yes, Eugene?"

"Remind me again what we're looking for?"

"You can't tell him!" Cassandra hissed at her younger sister.

"Why not?" Rapunzel asked, confused as to why they couldn't share what they were doing with a key contributor.

"Because I don't trust him," Cassandra admitted.

"Hey! I'll have you know I won the "Most Trustworthy Thief" award three years in a row!"

"My point exactly".

"But Eugene's our friend!" Rapunzel protested.

"No, he's your friend. Rapunzel, I know that you trust Eugene, and I trust that you trust Eugene, but I don't trust Eugene, and you're just going to have to trust me!"

Rapunzel and Eugene looked at Cassandra as if she'd been talking in gibberish, which, quite frankly, she might as well have been.

"Trust me, that logic tracks," Cassandra added.

"Rapunzel! Cassandra! Have you found the first clue?"

Cassandra facepalmed at the king's idiocy.

"First clue? Is this some kind of treasure hunt?" Eugene was excited to be out looking for treasure again.

"Not yet, dad!" Rapunzel called back to her father.

"Because Lance and I were the best treasure hunters back in our day. You do remember that we were the kingdom's most feared thieves, don't you, CassAndra?" Eugene bragged as he tripped over a turned up corner of the rug.