Cassie

Untitled Part 4

Cassie waves goodbye to Basha, a water woman who regularly came by to talk to her and browse the shelves, wondering how long she would be staying with no sign of remembrance or what would happen if she did. She twists the Rubik's cube, letting the colors take her mind off of her thoughts.

The bell rings, the girl looking up, to find a familiar face, eyes changing to onyx "Hello, Ky. You have a bit of paint."

Ky scrapes a splotch of paint off her nose (Ky often has paint on her face no matter what), she could be mistaken for Cassie's twin, add freckles, acne and paint, "how are you Cassie? You look tired"

Cassie shrugs "I've been better. You have anything today?"

Ky holds up a mask, causing Cassie to blink, it was really familiar "just found this earlier, thought you might be able to sell it." She hands it to the unfocused girl "You okay?"

Cassie nods "Just trying to remember where I've seen that mask, but it's like hitting a brick wall."

Ky nods, stuffing her hands in her paint splattered hoodie "Maybe you should keep it then. I have a few figures that I'll bring in tomorrow."

They exchange a hug, Cassie noticing the paint in Ky's hair and the smell of clay and wood mixing together. Ky always smelled like her latest project. She stands at the door waving goodbye to the artist. The petite girl glances at a clock, the time is close to closing. She flips the sign from opened to closed, letting her hand graze the delicate wooden words. Where did Owl go?

Trudging up the stairs, into the living space and then entering the hallway, Cassie stops beside Owl's door. It's intricately carved, made of an ancient wood with a name that escapes her. The girl shifts, gripping the mask in her hand tighter, her other hand hesitantly raising to knock on the door. She takes a breath, rapping on the door sharply, the hardwood sturdy under her fist.

Silence.

Cassie sighs, not really sure what she was expecting. Owl had been gone a few days and the automatons were busy finding things for Naria.

Cassie is alone and it scares her.

The girl can feel the Fear looming over her, like a separate entity trying to crush her. She takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves as the silence of the house fills her lungs and mind.

A crash reverberates through the building, making the teen fall on her rear. Cassie isn't sure what's worse, being alone or the prospect of an intruder. The crash had come from her room, just down the hall. She grabs the handle of the door beside her, a relieved sigh escaping her lips as the ancient door swings open, the girl stepping into Owl's room.

Cass looks around, not even a sliver of moonlight to show her anything within, all the better for hiding. She listens, faint footsteps in the hallway seem to slam in her ears along with her heartbeat. She takes a few steps forward, stopping when her foot hits something hard. She reaches down, touching a flat surface, a trunk or box, it's too short to be a shelf. She steps around it, her hand outstretched toward it as she continues forward, concluding Owl's bed must be on the other side. She's proven right when her fingers graze comforter or blanket. The teen kneels down cursing when she smacks her head on the bed frame. She slides under the bed just as the door creaks open, the intruder entering.

She holds her breath as they walk around, Madness coiling tightly around them and spilling like tar across the floor, somehow darker than the dark room. Invisible feet walk around the bed, behind Cassie.

Before she can turn to try to see them a screech escapes her lips as a hand pulls her by the hair from under the bed. The figure is silent as they get a hold on the squirming woman, making her freeze by placing a blade to her throat. She can't hear their threat past her heartbeat and the whispering of the Madness surrounding them.