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chapter one! Este's a friend of mine ☆
Cassandra always adored how the breeze blew through her hair while driving in the morning, savouring how lavender and honey painted the sky when she glanced out the window, eyes closing for brief moments to appreciate the peacefulness that could only be experienced for the short few minutes between her home and school.
It was why she thought Little Kilton sometimes had a charm to it, why she didn't hate the idea of being glued to the same place forever. She could find moments of serenity that were impossible to find elsewhere.
Though it seems that positives are always accompanied by negatives. She held an equal amount of hatred for the town as she did love and admiration. Everyone knew everyone, meaning everyone knew everything. It was inevitable.
There was a point in time when it would have provided Cassandra with a sense of security and comfort. She believed it meant she could trust everyone with confidence, being so sure that not one resident of Little Kilton had a monstrous bone in their body.
The youngest Bell wished so badly to feel that carefree again, to go back and not take that childhood innocence for granted. She wanted to be able to look at her town, the place she was raised and felt so unquestionably safe in, with the same admiration as always but she couldn't.
Everywhere she went was a reminder of what she lost, who she lost.
Andie followed her everywhere. She brushed past her in school hallways, waited in line with her in grocery stores, sat opposite her in cafes while Cassie was completing her schoolwork, giving her that famous Andie Bell grin. Except she wasn't, they were just fragments of her imagination that Cassie held onto with a grip so tight it only caused her more pain. How could she feel content again somewhere that reminded her so much of everything that had happened? More importantly, how could she feel safe somewhere where she's now convinced the police can't do their jobs?
Of course, twelve-year-old Cassandra didn't ask questions when Sal Singh was deemed guilty. She was about as clueless as everyone else and being under the strict rules and control of Jason Bell deterred her from even the concept of being curious. Ever.
Seventeen-year-old Cassie however did have questions, over the past five years her mind became consumed with thoughts and ideas, theories that she thought would never be heard as she was simply forbidden to speak of anything to do with the night Andie disappeared. Yet sometimes, when the sun retreated and twilight took over, encasing everything in a glistening darkness, Cassie wondered what would happen if she voiced everything she had to say because maybe just maybe someone would actually agree with her.
Pippa Fitz-Amobi would be that person. It was just a matter of how and when.
☆
"Truthfully, I think you should approach her before she gets to you first. She's bound to at some point, right?"
A frustrated groan left Cassandra's lips, the faintest shade of red remaining on them from the lip gloss she applied earlier, as she processed Este's advice.
She threw herself onto her best friend's bed, instantly surrounded by the dozen pillows Este kept on it, the familiarity of it blanketing the blonde in a comforting warmth.
It wasn't news to anyone that Pippa Fitz-Amobi decided to do her EPQ on the Andie Bell case, news in Little Kilton travelled quickly and unfortunately for her, Cassie was one of the first to hear about it. Someone sticking their nose into her family's business, digging deep into Andie's life and her family history was an idea she initially hated. Maybe it was still too soon, the death of her sister still haunted her dreams and embedded itself into the back of her mind. Or maybe it was exactly the opportunity she had been waiting for.
"You make it sound like she wants to ambush me or something." Cassandra's mouth twitched into a small smile.
The brunette sat down on the corner of her bed, a pillow placed onto her lap, setting a hand on Cassie's knee in attempt to provide her with a slight amount of reassurance and hoping the blonde wasn't overthinking the decision too much. It was a trait she watched her best friend develop over the last few years. One she hated but understood, nonetheless. "Look, I know Pip and once she sets her mind on something she can't be stopped. She's almost like you in that way."
"What, Pushy?" Cassie joked.
"Determined." Este gave her friend a pointed look, a certain seriousness behind her kind eyes. Este knew that Cassandra wasn't a stranger to compliments, having Jason Bell as a father contributed to that. She also knew that living under the same roof as Jason Bell meant that the Bell sisters weren't strangers to criticism either, making the brunette reserve all the rage she had for him because she hated how he was able to make the people she cared about feel so small and unimportant.
So, whenever Cassie needed a home instead of just a house, the Madden family provided her with that.
"Besides if you befriend Pip, you could actually get some closure and maybe talk to someone that isn't me." Este shrugged, a knowing grin taking over the light smile she held a moment ago and winced the moment a pillow softly collided with the side of her head. She glanced at Cassandra and tilted her head as if to say justsaying.
Sighing, Cassandra pulled herself into a seated position, contemplating and mentally creating a pros and cons list. "You know my dad would actually hate me, right? I mean, there was a point in time when I couldn't even mutter Andie's name in the same room as him."
Este nodded and the blonde looked at her.
"I'll talk to Pippa on Monday."
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A/N
Hi! honestly not sure how to feel about this chapter, I mean it's the first time i've published or written anything in so long. I hope it's okay and i'm excited to get into the actual plot.
