☂︎︎ HOUSE OF SHADOWS ☂︎︎ - five hargreeves

* 𝙲𝚒𝚛𝚌𝚞𝚜 𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚜 *

[018]
- ☾ '☂︎︎' ☽ -

Music was never something that voluntarily filled the gaps of free time in Cassidy's adult life. It had been forced upon her since her earliest memory, whether it be Luther's 80's records he always played at maximum volume, or her own piano lessons, where her fingers would hit the ivory until the white keys were stained with red. The same notes . . . again . . . and again . . . and again. While the cold eyes of Reginald Hargreeves watched, unblinking, unsympathetic as he beheld his child bleed herself dry.

The last time she'd physically played any type of song was the day she arrived back at the mansion. Although the action was out of spite for the man who raised her rather than personal enjoyment. Reginald despised anything that wasn't a classical composition.

It was no surprise that she harbored a certain distaste for music in general.

Cassidy turned up the volume of the song filling her headphones.

You hypocrite.

The low voice in her brain was barely audible over the gentle guitar strumming.

When Cassidy did listen to music it was rare, and typically to block out every other sound in an attempt to focus. That was only one reason.

'Poison in your food' —— ha. We both know the real poison can't be spit out.

The second reason being so that the voice hissing at her from her subconscious was drowned out by something other than her siblings constant arguments.

Cassidy liked Cavetown. The music was mellow, and gentle . . . tolerable. She'd be lying if she said she didn't like it a little bit. The song "Poison" was by far the most enjoyable and she'd listened to it five times already.

It was dark, and unusually quiet outside of her musical little world. Unusual in the fact that the six other people currently staying in the building weren't fighting over something. Even the most miniscule of problems could set off the ticking time bomb inside nearly every one of her siblings. Which is why the abnormal silence was becoming more and more suspicious.

I sincerely hope the human embodiment of "too much protein powder in the morning" is no longer here.

"That's a new one," Cassidy muttered idly.

His perpetual prattling is systematically dismantling my composure. The contributions of his siblings are no less beneficial.

"Small words please. I don't have the brainpower for translating Old English right now."

The voice in her brain scoffed. The sound was very loud and scratched against the inside of her skull like nails on a chalkboard; she cringed away from it.

When will 'other you' be returning? I'd like to know when my moment of partial tranquility will be interrupted.

"If you don't like her just ignore her."

If I recall correctly, you don't exactly adore her either. Or have you reconsidered your hypothesis about the vastly complex spectrum of morality?

Cassidy ignored the smug little huff that blew through the space in her subconscious as a response to her silence. Instead she drew in a breath and adjusted her position on her bed.

Upon first arriving at the manor, she had been surprised to find that her bedroom door was unable to be opened. She assumed that Reginald had locked her room the second he realized she'd run away. The key wasn't hard to find, the problem was that it didn't work at all.