MOON ☆ RICHIE TOZIER

THIRTEEN

❝THAT WAS YOUR BEST?❞

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

LOOKING AT THE HOUSE IN FRONT OF HER, CASSIOPEIA'S STOMACH TURNED. When she left her childhood home for college she never thought she'd come back to it. But to be fair she never thought she'd come back to Derry as a whole. Which made her wonder why she could remember more than the other losers. Of course, there were still bits and pieces that seemed a blur but she still could recall a lot of it. Maybe it was because while she lived in her college dorms Cheryl would send her daughter letters and objects from here. Or possibly because Cassiopeia never lost contact with Beverly, which would also explain why a lot of the memories they had together seemed so clear. It could be either of those reasons or a different one. There'd never really be a straight answer. Besides she wasn't looking for one, there's no point. She's already here.

With that, she walked towards the front door and knocked. What were a few seconds felt like a lifetime. Cassiopeia even thought about walking away and finding her token someplace else. But just as she turned her back to walk away the door opened and she could hear, "hello?" Cassiopeia inhaled a sharp breath, holding it in, and turned around letting it release. She stared blankly at her mom. Her age certainly caught up to her, Cassiopeia couldn't even recognize the women in front of her. But then again, she never truly knew her mom in the first place. "Cassiopeia?"

"Hi mom," Cassiopeia said with a sigh, rubbing her left arm awkwardly. Even with all these years gone by it feels weird calling Cheryl Wylie mom. Especially now that Cassiopeia is a mom herself. The word mom should be used with such grace and love, and be filled with happiness. Being a mom doesn't mean being perfect, but it does mean wanting the best for your child. The difference between Cheryl Wylie as a mom and Cassiopeia Rowe as a mom is one of them wants the best for their child's life, and the other wanted to live through their child. "Can I come in?"

Cheryl opened the door wider and moved to the side, "always." Cassiopeia awkwardly walked into the house, avoiding any eye contact with her mom. When Cassiopeia fully entered, Cheryl closed the door and looked at the back of her daughter who examined the house. It looked the same as when she left for college. Cassiopeia walked into her own house of horrors, so many memories hit her that she had forgotten; memories she wishes she hadn't remembered. As she looked around her eyes settled on something new. A photograph on the coffee table — it was her father. In shock, she took another sharp breath and quickly looked away. The audacity her mom had to even put a picture of him up.

"Uh," Mrs.Wylie began, "can I get you tea, water, anything?"

Cassiopeia didn't get the game her mother was playing; why was she being kind? She thought it was physically impossible for the lady to be anything but manipulative. Maybe it felt just as uncomfortable for her as it did Cassiopeia? "Oh, no. I won't be here long. I just need to grab something from my old room, then I'll be out of here."