Faele sat on the edge of her bed, the weight of the world pressing down on her shoulders. The silence in Cassandra's house felt suffocating, amplifying her loneliness. She had tried to reach out to her half-sister, but every conversation felt like a dance around unspoken truths. With each passing day, the tension between them grew thicker, and Faele couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
After school, as she wandered through the dimly lit living room, she noticed Cassandra sitting at the dining table, poring over documents with a furrowed brow. The sight was familiar yet unsettling; it reminded Faele of how their parents used to work late into the night, their faces illuminated by the soft glow of desk lamps.
“Hey,” Faele said tentatively, breaking the silence.
Cassandra looked up, her expression shifting from concentration to annoyance. “What do you want?” she asked, her tone sharper than usual.
“I just thought we could talk,” Faele replied, trying to keep her voice steady. “You’ve been so busy lately.”
“I have things to do,” Cassandra snapped, turning back to her papers.
Faele felt a pang of hurt but pressed on. “I know you’re dealing with a lot. I am too. Maybe we can help each other?”
Cassandra sighed heavily, pushing her papers aside. “You wouldn’t understand,” she said dismissively.
“Try me,” Faele challenged, crossing her arms defiantly.
For a moment, Cassandra hesitated, and Faele thought she might finally open up. But instead, she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms defensively. “You think it’s easy for me? I’m trying to keep everything together here.”
“What do you mean?” Faele asked, genuinely confused.
Cassandra’s eyes narrowed as if weighing whether or not to reveal what was hidden beneath the surface. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose everything overnight,” she said bitterly.
“I lost Mom and Dad too!” Faele shot back, anger bubbling beneath her skin.
“Did you?” Cassandra retorted sharply. “Or did you just lose your little bubble of happiness? You still have your friends; you still have your life.”
Faele felt the sting of those words like a slap across the face. “That’s not fair! Just because I’m trying to cope doesn’t mean I’m not hurting!”
Cassandra stood up abruptly and began pacing the room. “You think you’re the only one who’s struggling? I’m trying to figure out how to pay bills and keep this house from falling apart! You’re just… in my way!”
The revelation hit Faele like a cold wave crashing over her. She had been so focused on her own grief that she hadn’t considered what Cassandra was going through—how losing their parents had thrust her into a role she never asked for.
“I didn’t realize…” Faele began softly.
“Of course you didn’t!” Cassandra interrupted, frustration evident in her voice. “You’ve been wrapped up in your own little world while I’ve been left holding everything together!”
Faele felt a mix of sympathy and resentment swirling within her. “I’m not trying to be selfish! I just thought we could lean on each other.”
Cassandra paused mid-pace and looked at Faele with an expression that was hard to read—was it anger or something deeper? “Leaning on each other? You think that’s what this is about? You think I want to share my burden with you?”
“What do you mean?” Faele asked again, sensing there was more beneath the surface.
Cassandra hesitated before speaking again, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I have plans… things I need to take care of that don’t involve you.”
“What kind of plans?” Faele pressed, curiosity piqued despite herself.
Cassandra’s gaze hardened as if she were guarding a secret too precious to share. “It’s none of your business,” she snapped before turning away.
Frustrated but determined not to give up so easily, Faele took a step closer. “If we’re family, it is my business! You can’t just shut me out like this!”
Cassandra whirled around, eyes blazing with anger. “Family? You think that means anything now? Everything has changed! I’m not your sister; I’m just someone who has to clean up this mess!”
The words hung in the air like an accusation—sharp and cutting. For a moment, they both stood there in silence, emotions swirling around them like a storm waiting to break.
Faele took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. “I want us to be close again,” she said softly, vulnerability creeping into her voice.
Cassandra’s expression softened for just a moment before hardening again. “You don’t understand what’s at stake here,” she said quietly.
“What do you mean?” Faele pressed again, desperate for clarity.
But Cassandra shook her head dismissively and returned to her papers as if shutting down any further discussion. The door slammed shut between them once more—a barrier that felt insurmountable.
As Faele walked away from the table feeling defeated, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that there were secrets lurking just beneath the surface—hidden motives that Cassandra wasn’t ready to unveil. The weight of those unspoken truths hung heavily in the air between them as they both grappled with their new reality—each lost in their own shadows while desperately searching for light.
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Broken Promise
Teen FictionHaving been fooled by someone to keep holding on to the broken promise. Can sometimes makes you think as an unvaluable being.
