Mirror, Mirror {#Wattys2016}

Chapter 8- Plan

When Cassandra awoke, the lacerations on her back still burned painfully. Her robe was torn where the whip had sliced through, and dried blood crusted its grey material.

Liam called out to her from his cell. "Are you awake now?"

"Yes, but I need to know when the guards come around. I'm getting out of here."

There was a faint hesitation before he replied. "They usually come every three hours and again for meals, but you shouldn't go around causing trouble. If they catch you, there'll be a huge punishment."

Cassandra thought back to last night and the feeling of a whip slicing through tender skin.

"The worst punishment is sitting here doing nothing," Cassandra responded in a stony voice.

No more noise came from Liam after that, so Cassandra figured she was on her own. A plan had already begun to brew in her mind.

In some of the library books, heroines would sharpen a bone from their meals and use that to pick a lock. It sounded tricky but Cassandra thought she could pull it off.

When it was time for dinner, a guard that Cassandra had never seen before stepped into the dungeon. He gave them tiny portions of food and then left without saying a word.

The small piece of chicken Cassandra was served held almost no bones. One of the biggest bones was hardly the size of a toothpick and not nearly as big as she had hoped for.

Still determined, Cassandra walked to the front of her cell and awkwardly slipped her wrist through one of the bars. When angled just right, she could just barely reach the lock. After a short minute of readjustment, Cassandra inserted her chicken bone into the lock and began to jiggle it around.

Snap! The bone split in two and fell to the ground. Cassandra felt like screaming in frustration. Why couldn't anything go her way?

Cassandra turned to the wall and punched it repeatedly, letting out all of her anger. When she finished her knuckles were bruised and bloody, but she felt much better.

Starting back at square one. Again.

Cassandra waited and waited for another idea to present itself. When nothing did, she decided to pace around the cage until she thought of something. She didn't. It was as if every useful thought had left and Cassandra was stuck with nothing.

How was she ever going to see her mother again? What if she couldn't cross to the Other side? Could the Queen be persuaded to let her go?

All the emotion that had been pent up inside of her suddenly spilled out. Cassandra let the tears fall, making tracks upon her dirty face. Tear after tear rolled down Cassandra's cheek as she sobbed for everything that had gone wrong.

"Are you crying? Please don't be upset," Liam called from his cell.

Cassandra jumped guiltily and wiped at her tears. She should have kept her emotions under better control, especially when Liam was nearby.

"I'm not crying. I'm just a little frustrated, that's all," Cassandra huffed.

"Well don't be, I have a plan. I was thinking and I'm sure I've found a way to leave this dungeon once and for all."

Relief and newfound hope filled Cassandra. She didn't know what had made Liam change his mind after his reluctance, but she whispered thank you and fell asleep with a smile on her face.