Fall Down (Stray Kids Seo Changbin)

Two

Paris, France
House 245, L'Anglais Street

21 January 2025
12:30

She just lay there.

Eyes open and silent as she listened to the neighbours' dog barking and cars occasionally driving past the block of apartments.
She was tired but it seemed like sleep once again refused her the luxury of rest. He just watched as she stared up at the caving ceiling, imagining it was the night sky and all the cracks were shooting stars.

Her mind spun and her own thoughts just wouldn't let her be. Every time she tried to answer a question and figure everything out, another question would come up or worse, she would realise she would never be able to sort out her life again.

Finally allowing the sound of a long, exhausted sigh slip out of her mouth, she climbed out of her bed and dragged herself to the kitchen.
The wooden floorbeds creaked under her heavy feet and Cassidy could help but since at the sound, not wanting to wake her fiancée up.

Grabbing a glass of cold water, she gulped it down quickly before refilling the glass and repeating the process. She glanced around the kitchen, wondering what to eat.

Opening cupboards after cupboards, she couldn't find anything she considered remotely satisfying at the time. That was until her eyes landed on the bag of lightly salted tortilla chips.

"This should do," she muttered to herself before grabbing her car keys and heading out.

It was three in the morning and outside was awfully cold but, even wearing a tank top and shorts, Cassidy could barely feel the snowflakes landing on her exposed skin.

Inside her car wasn't much better in terms of temperature but it provided shelter from the snow so she was content.

Switching on the music, Cassidy allowed her eyes to fall closed as she felt consumed by the singing, relating to the songs of losing someone more than she would have ever wanted to. Or in her case, losing two people.

She sighed when a particular song came on. It wasn't that it was a sad song or anything. It was just that it held so many memories of her and the team. They called themselves the Trilogy because one, there were three of them and two, they just seemed to complete each other.

The song playing was slow and Cassidy paired it with a hum, like she used to do. But now the sing felt empty and she felt more lonely. She tried to imagine Janey's off-key singing or Kyla's comments about how unrealistic the lyrics were. She tried to remember how Janey and her would shout at the latter saying 'just enjoy it, you overpriced troll'.

Cassidy chuckled before remembering it was all over now. She lost both of them.

And suddenly, she wasn't hungry anymore. A sour taste invaded her mouth and she felt herself frown when the song ended. Or should I say, their song. The sounds of her friends who used to sit beside and behind her soon faded along with the song. She tried reaching out to hold onto them, only for her hand to fall flat on the passenger's seat. She turned back, and Kyla wasn't there either. She remembered how she used to always have a laptop sitting comfortably on her lap as she typed away at whatever project she needed to finish. Janey just stared out of the window, mesmerised by the terrain despite seeing it countless times before. And Cassidy drove.

She was pulled out of her daze when her phone rang. She would be lying if she said it hadn't frightened her at first. Sighing, she gazed down at the seat and floor which were now covered in tortilla chips. Great.

Instantly recognising the number, she heaved another long sigh. All she wanted was a break from her past life and forget everything that happened but clearly he didn't want her to.

"Hello?" She tried not to sound bitter but it was evident with her cold tone.

There was a soft chuckle on the other end before she finally heard his voice and the sour taste intensified.

"Miss Thompson, what a pleasure it is to hear your lovely voice."

His deep Scottish accent was as thick as she remembered. She recalled how she used to listen to him go on and on about his troubles and how she would just sit there, listening to his gorgeous accent.

They used to be close friends. Now just the thought of him made her shiver.

"Who is this?" She asked although she knew perfectly well. Just the thought of him thinking she forgot him satisfied her.

"Quit the acting, Tommy. I know you remember me."

"Whatever, Lincoln. What do you want? I'm retired."

"You're twenty-seven. Retirement age is fifty."

"I went through a traumatic experience. I cannot do this anymore. I just can't. And what about Lauren? What on Earth will she say when I die? Our wedding is in a few months."

He was quiet and Cassidy was sure he was thinking of how to structure his words. Things weren't as easy as they used to be. Persuading her to work for the Society again wasn't as easy as it used to be.

She listened to his breath. Still as loud as it used to be. And it still had a two-second spacing between each one. But something was different. If only she could put her finger on it.

"We all did, Tommy. But we have to move on. We need to put the past behind us and keep moving forward. The Society's work isn't complete yet and we can't stop until then."

"Then do it without me."

"We need all the help we can get. This isn't some easy mission anyone can do in their sleep. It's Harrison. He has the papers."

Cassidy froze.

"As in, Benjamin Harrison?"

"Yes. And I need you to be on my side more than anyone else. Please, Tommy. Just consider it. Without one member of the team we can't defeat him."

And with that, Lincoln hang up leaving her lonely in her car as her thoughts flew around the area.

Harrison was back.