The Cannibal Bride *WattyAwards2024

11)History of Cannibals

A/N Anyone still reading this...? What do we think about the rewritten chapters so far?!
Happy Reading!
-Alycat

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Alyssa cursed her own resolve. She had intended to stay in town until she laid eyes on Cassi herself, but that resolve crumbled in just two days. Roman Donovan's warning fell on deaf ears. The mere sound of Cassi's voice over the phone shattered Alyssa mentally. Cory's father's suspicions about Tom Stern meant little without concrete evidence. The blood on Cassi's necklace remained untested by the crime lab. Perhaps it was all in her head, Alyssa reasoned. Maybe, for once, Madison was right. Perhaps Alyssa's distrust of the Sterns had clouded her judgment, making her see problems where none existed. Maybe she was grasping at straws, desperate for something to be wrong, just to validate her feelings.

The things Cassi said weren't all that bizarre when Alyssa thought about it. Maybe the time had come that her little sister grew tired of the drama constantly surrounding Alyssa. Maybe Cassi left town in a bid to get herself a better life. She could be somewhere where she didn't have parents stepping on eggshells around their emotionally messed up eldest child. Cassi wouldn't have to play second fiddle to the big-bad-bitch...

Upon going back home to Texas, Alyssa decided to wallow in the comforting arms of self-pity and despair. For three whole days, she was a zombie. She ate little, went to class, went to work, then came home to sleep. She didn't bother conversing much. Friends called or text, asking her to hang out or attend a party, but Alyssa blew them off. She wasn't feeling like conversing with anyone. All she did was mope wherever she went.

Cory didn't try scolding Alyssa's behavior, either. Mostly, because Alyssa stopped replying to his minor questions.

Admitting her sister was right would have been too much to bear aloud. Alyssa couldn't deny her own selfishness. She had stopped coming home for Cassi and often took jabs at her mother whenever she did return. At twenty-two, she deliberately provoked her parents just to get a reaction. It was a harsh reality, and there was no escaping it. Cassi was the one constant in Alyssa's life who loved her unconditionally despite her flaws. No matter what Alyssa did, Cassi's love remained steadfast. Alyssa's sadness felt selfish in itself. Perhaps she should be grateful that Cassi had escaped from Alyssa's turmoil. No longer would Cassi endure the quiet, strained Thanksgivings or Christmas Eves where Alyssa would callously question their mother's fidelity in front of family.

One afternoon a few days after returning to Texas, sitting through a lecture about cinematography wasn't a distraction for Alyssa. It was mental torture. Instead of listening to the voice of some C-rated Hollywood script writer that came to give a guest lecture, all Alyssa could only focus on the phone call with Cassi. That was what was haunting her; causing her to become lost in her own thoughts. Getting home from work, she -to no surprise- found Cory buzzing around his computer. But it was noticing the bright display of dark red roses on the counter that brought her out of mindless zombie mode. "Did you and Brad get back together?"

Cory raised his head, surprise on his face. He hadn't really heard much from his usually vocal friend in nearly two weeks. His eyes widened. "Holy crow! Did you return to the land of speech?!" His voice was pungent with sarcasm.

Raising up her middle finger, Alyssa sat herself at the breakfast bar before laying her head against Cory's shoulder. "I've never had Cassi say stuff like that to me...I miss her."

Giving a sympathetic side hug, Cory grimaced. "I gotcha. But to answer your question, Brad and I didn't get back together...Besides that, it would be weird if he got me flowers, they're for chicks. Those are for you."

Lifting her head up to stare at him, Alyssa shook her head. The beautiful roses couldn't possibly be for her. The last date she went on was possibly four months ago with some film major who seemed to love himself a little too much. They didn't even make it to second base.