Sins & Sinners

Cassiel. 2

"What's up with the umbrella, Cass?" my best friend, Marisol, asks, eyebrow raised in question as she sees me shoving it into my locker before homeroom.

"You can never be too prepared," I replied off-handedly. I don't know why I didn't mention that I'd brought it because of Orisha's warning, Weirder things had happened that rain coming at the end of an otherwise stunning day. But I knew it was the fact that it was Orisha who said it that would make them look at me strangely.

Though I was on pretty good terms with most of the people at my school — you kind of have to be when you play harp for the school orchestra and run the soccer team, Beta Club, and Photography club — Marisol, Alex, and Dana had been my best friends since eighth grade and we were by far the closest.

"Hey, are you guys coming to Del's shop later?" Alex questioned, not batting an eye when everyone jumped at how he'd scared the living daylights out of everyone. Where did he even come from?

"I kind of already signed us up for a D & D tournament," he grinned, pouting when Dana groaned and Marisol smacked his arm.

"Sounds like we don't have much of a choice, then, do we?"

"Not really," he shrugged, smirking through one of the suckers he always seemed to have jammed in his mouth. I didn't have the energy to make my usual comment about how he was one gram of sugar away from a pair of dentures and instead settled for rolling my eyes and smacking him upside the head.

Multiple people exchanged greetings to me or my friends as we walked down the hallway toward homeroom but none of them was a familiar face of brown skin and dyed golden brown hair.

"Uriah, isn't here today?" I asked curiously.

"Why? Does wittle Cassie miss her wittle boyfwiend?" Alex teased with mock puppy eyes causing me to roll my own once more, opting not to even respond.

Really I wasn't sure how I felt about Uriah. He seemed pretty cool and I'd be perfectly happy just being friends, but everyone, including him, seemed to think we'd look good together so who was I not to at least try.

Homeroom goes by quickly. Pledge of Allegiance, announcements, class business, Alex getting reprimanded by the teacher for a gross joke, and then we're sent on our way to our first class.

Mine is Advanced Photography, a class I share with a few friends who are, unfortunately, not Marisol, Dana, or Alex.

Doesn't matter though since this class focuses mostly on building a portfolio and we spend the majority of our time wandering around, trying to find the perfect photo or sitting in darkrooms or photo labs trying to perfect shots we've already taken.

After the bell rings and class starts, I end up in the greenhouse on the school's rooftop, trying to get a shot of a tiny nest of fiery-orange birds in a potted plant. The birds seem to be unusually relaxed around me, but I was used to it. They've always seemed to be particularly unbothered by my presence, unlike rabbits, cats, and snakes.

Outside, I can see multiple bird species soaring across the sky with their bright bodies, but unlike the birds in front of my lens, these seemed to be frantic, like they were scrambling for cover. Like they were scared of something the rest of us couldn't see.

Looks like Orisha was right, after all, not that I'm particularly surprised. She usually is.

Despite now being concretely aware of an imminent storm, I took my time up in the greenhouse and on the roof in general.

Heights didn't scare me, on the contrary, they were something of a safe haven for me.

Only underground, enclosed sorts of places seem to give me the heebie-jeebies.

The sky has such endless possibilities, it's so beautiful. I can always lose myself in the clouds and the rain. I love dancing in the cool drops of liquid with the endless expansion of space above my head. I can be me. Endless and unbounded. Nothing is expected of me when I'm alone. I can ignore everyone and I can think for myself.

My friends and parents are and sweet and caring but it gets tedious sometimes, having to please everyone but myself. Having to be on my best behavior so people don't write me off as a freak or a lunatic like they've done my twin.

I love her but I wish her legacy would stop shadowing mine. I wish people wouldn't automatically overreact, waiting on the edge of their seats to lock me in a straight-jacket at the slightest signs of trouble lest I have my sister's same troubled DNA.

Realizing, I'm lost in thought again, I zone back in and realize I've been staring out at the horizon for the past five minutes. And right above it, I could see a very thin strip of incoming dark grey storm clouds, already flashing with a lightning storm far, far away. Wow, that does look bad, even from here.

I should get off the roof, class is almost over anyway.

Back to the real world.