The IV League [EDITING]

Chapter 15

Cassandra fiddled with the new addition to her wrist. The purple band next to her white one stood out against her pale skin. The colour was a little too bright for her liking, but she couldn't help it; it was hospital policy. Besides, complaining about a colour wasn't on her mind.

She got out of bed and walked towards her window. She looked down at all the kids playing in the park. She'd never had the opportunity to visit the park, let alone play with other kids her age. She could only watch them from her room, feeling lonely and envious. Until now.

Ever since her mother signed the papers, Cassandra was free to leave her enclosure. She  was allowed to do whatever she wanted, even though the document only meant that they won't bring her back to life. The document was almost like her release papers, because she didn't feel locked up anymore. She felt like she could do whatever she wanted without interference.

Despite all of this, Cassandra hadn't left her room. It had been almost a week since she'd been given the purple band, but she hadn't walked through her door even once.

She was scared.

Her whole life, all Cassandra had ever wanted was to be with others. She didn't want to be alone, no matter how much she pushed people away. Deep down, she wanted to be one of them. She wanted to feel like she was a part of something. But now that she had that opportunity, she didn't know if that was worth anything. She knew that she had only one shot at it, and she was afraid. Not of death, but of disappointment. She was afraid that she held world in high regard, and it wouldn't reach her expectations. And each time she was ready to leave, that fear held her back. She didn't know why she felt this way; she knew she was being irrational. But then again, after being secluded for more than 12 years, she knew that even the simplest thing like the smell of wet mud would enchant her, which is why she wanted to leave so badly. She was confused, and it was really making her impatient.

"Cassandra."

She spun around to see Joey looking at her through the glass. "You're out of bed."

She rolled her eyes. "I need to stretch my legs too, you know."

"Is that a DNR band on your wrist?"

"Yeah. You know what that is?"

"Of course I know what that is. Do you know how many times I've considered signing that form?"

"Do I want to know?"

He ignored her question. "Zero. I'm in no rush to die. But it looks like you are. What happened?"

Cassandra walked towards her bed and sat down. "I'm sick of living like this, you know? I want to go out there. I want to hear the wind. I want to feel sand beneath my feet. I want to smell the stench of mediocrity in the air. I don't want to stay closed off anymore."

"You know, you could have left earlier as well. You just chose not to."

She scowled. "Yes, but if something happened to me then, they'd have to worry so much about keeping me alive. At least now I can spare them that."

"So," said Joey, "if you're so keen on leaving, why haven't you done that yet?"

She sighed. "I'm scared."

"Of?"

"Disappointment."

"Here's the thing, Cass." Joey stepped a little closer to the glass wall separating them. "The world maybe fascinating, terrifying, magnificent, dangerous, beautiful, gruesome. But you know what it isn't? Disappointing. The world will always find a way to surprise us in the most unimaginable ways. So, take a chance. I promise you, it's nothing like you've ever imagined."