Cassandra

8: Gone*

* - third person point of view

"She's gone!" Alex told Lisie and the others. "She ran away to the forest." Everyone looked at her in disbelief. No one believed at first because everyone is afraid to go to the forest, especially during the night. She's Cassandra, Lisie thought. She won't last long, Jessie can't avoid thinking. They tried to read her and track her from a far and yet just like a phone call, no one answered. "She'll come back tomorrow." Lisie tried to stay positive but a day has passed and no one had ever seen her. Every free period they would try to track her but failed to do so. "Maybe it's the Legacy blood." Chloe said worriedly. Everyone is hoping that she's safe but knowing that she went straight to the forest made them feel nauseous. "Hey, have you seen Cass?" Daniel suddenly approached them at lunch. Alex wasn't there; he is sitting with the Neridas today. "Uhmmm, she went to visit her family." Lisie lied. Everyone except Daniel looked at her in disbelief. Daniel nodded and decided to go back to their table. "Ohh come on Lisie! Daniel!" Jessie called him back. "She's gone for 2 days now and the last time we saw her is she went through the forest. We need your help." Jessie said. "Why would she go there?" Daniel asked worriedly. "We just go into a fight and it didn't turn out great." Lisie said. "I could see that." Daniel replied. "Please help us." Chloe begged.

Since that day, Daniel helped them track Cass and because he's a Lost, his powers are more effective and during that day, Cassandra's blood become weaker and she can be directly affected by their magic. Alex did not know this. No one told because they knew he wouldn't approve it. Cassandra has become a blood bank of the Lobos and they don't have any idea that she would die soon enough because of blood lost. Sometimes he would be able to track her but usually it disappears after a few seconds.

One day, during dinner in Nerida residences, Jill came in looking very stressed and worried. "What's the problem, sis?" Sarah asked worriedly. "Murders everyday! This has got to stop!" Jill said angrily. "No one, I mean NO ONE messes with my academy!" Daniel looked at her in disbelief. Murders inside the Academy and no one knows about it inside. "Dante, I need to use our guards." She ordered. Dante did not answer but everyone knew he approved. "Jill, who's killing people?" Daniel asked. "Lobos! Lobos disguised in human forms. Daniel, please help me dispose them but never tell anyone about this. We have to maintain a good reputation." Jill said and that's how Daniel knows that Cassandra's 100% in danger.

The next day, he didn't attend any of his classes. He just watched every corner of the school and roamed around as if he was a security guard. Not a single teacher scolded him for skipping classes. To track Cassandra, he knew he'll have to find a Lobo and have a smell of her blood or maybe he could torture the Lobo from getting answers. After waiting for hours, he finally heard a scream coming from the third floor. He immediately went there and saw a student being devoured by another student. When the killer saw him, he finally turned back into a Lobo. He knew he was a threat. The lobo attacked him immediately but Daniel was ready. He dominated in an instant. "Where is she?!" He asked angrily. Alex who was passing by saw them. He did not come to help him but he watched from afar instead. "You'll never find her!" The lobo coughed blood and as Daniel smells his blood, a weak Cassandra appeared in his head. Suddenly, Daniel's blood lust turned on and Alex witnessed Daniel's rage as he removes every organ of the lobo one by one with his bare hands. Alex forced Daniel away from the dead lobo and immediately, Daniel felt weak from the rage and his blood lust was immediately turned off. "Are you OK?" Alex asked. He can't believe he was actually concern with him. "Cassandra," he said weakly, "they have her." Daniel passed out.

Daniel was standing in an abandon basement of a place he doesn't know. He saw Cassandra being held as Lobos came in to drink her blood. Cassandra wasn't recognizable; her skin is almost white; her lip is pale and her eyes are totally shut. There wasn't any life left in her, he knew. Daniel woke up and saw Jill right next to him. "Alex told me everything. You can't just let your blood lust control you around school! You're a Nerida and we are the best controllers of blood lust yet you failed today, just because of a lobo?!" Jill said angrily. "They have her! Cassandra!" Daniel answered back. "So what?! You're just going to put our school and family's reputation in jeopardy in order to save that petty little girl?! Daniel grow up!" Jill said angrily.

Alex went to his friends as soon as he brought Daniel to the clinic. "You told him! Why did you tell him!?" Alex said angrily. Everyone was staring at him, scared. "We need help Alex! You can't do it all alone, okay?!" Jessie had the guts to answer him back. All eyes turned to Jessie. Alex sat down, looking almost like he lost something special. "You're right. I'm sorry." Alex finally calmed down. Jessie asked him to walk with him. "What's happening to you Alex? This is not the Alex we know. He's not selfish—" "I know. I know." Alex answered. Jessie didn't respond. He waited for a clearer answer. "Seeing all these—seeing that he's more capable of taking care of her – saving her – makes me feel weak, like I don't stand a chance at all, like I'm fighting a war that I know I don't have a chance to win." Alex confessed. Jessie didn't know what to say. When he asked Jessie to make her fall in love with him, he told him that there is a huge chance that he may love her and knowing that he has the Curse of Salazar makes it more difficult; she will die, he knows it. He lied when he told Cassandra about the Curse of Salazar. When a Salazar loves someone, the person that they love will die and nothing would prevent it. The dark magic makes it all possible that's why he hated the division. He hated everything in this world. He doesn't love Sarah. He used to but when Sarah started turning on her blood lust – the one that killed his parents, all he feels was disgust but the promise of having children with a Nerida-Salazar blood is still intact. Cassandra doesn't have a blood lust; he couldn't find anything unlikeable about her. She's perfect she thought. "I love—NO! I can't... I just can't..." Alex was already feeling the dark magic around him. He hoped Cassandra doesn't feel it. He kept his best to avoid admitting in his heart and mind that he loves her. Jessie wanted to hug him. "I asked you to make her fall in love so I know he'll be safe, forever. But knowing that he loves Daniel and that Daniel loves her the way I do and can give her a life that she deserves – something that I couldn't give... makes me accept that I will never be that guy." Alex suddenly felt a teardrop coming out from his eye. "She has a better future with him..." Alex never thought he would say this. "And I actually thought we had a connection." "Maybe you have." Jessie answered back. "When she read me during our Mind Class, it was different. He was in my point of view. He felt everything that I felt during that time and no one ever experienced that. I thought... that's a sign." He said.

"When did you know you have these feelings for her?"

"We went here together; her first day."

Jessie couldn't believe he kept his feelings for this long. Alex didn't know why; maybe it was the way she stole glances at him; maybe it was the way she smiled when she saw something amusing; maybe it was the way she watched the sunset that time; he never knew why.

Daniel told them everything he saw in his dream the moment he saw them at lunch the next day and they used the scent of blood that the Lobo left on his shirt when they fought so they were able to save her that afternoon.