Every Step of the Way

Chapter Sixteen

{I have decided that I am officially going with the plot that I had in mind during the first draft of this story. I don't know how many of you would be into the plot, but... I just hope at least some of you stay... this is a big move on my part, one that I didn't truly think out, not even during the rough draft... one that might lose me some readers. But, hey, a plot's a plot, and I know that this one will appeal to at least a few of you.}

PLEASE READ
Don't give me crap for this, okay? If you don't like this, continue and say nothing OR just leave it be. Okay?

~-~

Holding Cassandra close to him was quite possibly one of the greatest accomplishments in Varian's young life.

Normally, a fact like that would've made anyone sad, but now, it made him overjoyed.

He loved Cassandra, and she had just admitted that she loved him back.

He smiled to himself as she sank even farther into his embrace.

She seemed very happy, very content.

Of course, he was, too, but... it was still somewhat weird to see Cassandra, rough-and-tough seeming Cassandra, happy. Full of emotion.

Yes, even Varian was guilty of judging people by their looks from time to time.

But he did know the real Cassandra. And that Cassandra was the girl that he loved.

~-~

It had all started three years before, back when Varian had first met Rapunzel, Cassandra, and Eugene.

Cassandra and Rapunzel had entered first. Even at fifteen, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful Cass was.

Sure, she came off as a little harsh and tough, but even then, he knew that there was so much more to her.

Of course, his faulty invention had gotten him in trouble and put him and his new friends and his fellow villagers into terrible danger. He was right in the line of fire when Cass swooped in and saved him.

He knew better than to read into things like that, but he still couldn't help but feel things for her.

(When he told his father of these thoughts and feelings, Quirin dismissed them with a wave of the hand, simply saying, "those are just teenage hormones and emotions. In a little while, you'll probably find that you're over this girl." But with each passing day, Varian found that this was untrue.)

~-~

Later that year, when he had joined the science expo in Corona, one of the first people he had found there was Cass.

He was glad to see a friendly face there, even if it was a friendly face that often scowled and rolled its eyes at him.

He had even offered to help her do her job- and, boy, did he hate cleaning things up!

He had everything planned out and arranged- get up on that stage and introduce his assistant, who would be none other than Cassandra, then introduce his invention, a machine that pressed fifty pounds of sand into a brand-new element called Cassandrium- until Cassandra found that she couldn't be his assistant.

But he went on anyways, hiring the closest guy he could find to be his new assistant.

Later on, the judge was toying around with the elemental compressor and worked it the wrong way, causing a crazy vortex to open up, threatening to suck up anything and everything.