The Oracle

Chapter 8

Justin couldn't wait till school. "Mum?" He ran to the lounge room, Cassandra's poetry book in hand.

"Why such a hurry?" Riley asked, looking up from her laptop.

"I need to talk to Cassie."

"I believe that's what the phone is used for."

"No." Justin shook his head, trying to clear his mind. This has happened all too quickly. "It's serious."

Riley looked at her soon, the realisation that his situation was dire, dawning on her. "Okay. But bring your phone." Justin gestured to his pocket, his phone swaying slightly as his body moved to the front door.

*

"Justin?" Cassie asked, as she opened her door, leading him to her room. "Are all your visits going to be surprises?" Justin clenched his jaw in anxiety. He had no idea how to deal with the situation at hand. Cassie looked at him with confusion. "Is everything alright?" She moved his hair away from his face, looking into his grey eyes. Justin breathed easy as she looked at him. Calm down, Justin. Cassie's fine. See? She's even moving my hair; like she always does. But his nerves came back when Cassie's touch stiffened. "Is that my poetry book?" She stepped back, examining his hand. Her eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "Why... how did you find it?" She took it back, placing it on her mess of a bed.

"Mr Snyder gave it to me to give to you. You left it in history class." Justin finally found the will to speak.

"Oh."

"But that's not why I came." Justin's tone was firm. He was under so much pressure. He felt like he had to savour every moment with her because at any moment she would be gone. But he also felt like he had to give her some grand speech to talk her out of it. He owed her that much.

"Then why did you come?" Cassie pushed a hair behind her ear, bracing herself. "Because if it's about our last conversation-"

"You don't need to resort to this, Cassie" Justin broke her off. Every second he didn't speak, the harder it was to keep silent.

"Resort to what? Justin, you're not making sense."

"Suicide." He finally said it.

Cassie's eyes widened. She looked as though she was going to be sick. She would have spoken, if it weren't for the feeling of dry retching.

"I can't begin to imagine how you're feeling or what you're going through." Justin began, trying to be the friend that she deserves. "But I care about you. And I can't... I won't." He corrected himself. "Watch you... do this yourself. You-"

"Stop." Cassandra was fighting back tears, but it was impossible once the first one dropped. Justin hated himself in that moment. He made the girl with the purple streaks in her hair cry. And he would never forgive himself. "I don't want to commit suicide!" She said, her voice dry.

Justin could feel himself trembling. "...Cassie, I'm sorry.." He stepped closer to her but stopped himself.

Cassie wiped her tears away and promised herself she wouldn't cry again tonight. "I'm not going to commit suicide." She repeated, more slowly.

"But... it makes sense. Even the Slaughterhouse-five references tie in with you." Justin tried to piece everything together, confused as ever.

"I'm glad you worked it out. But suicide.." She shook her head. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

Cassie swallowed, still dehydrated. "You know how I can predict things before they happen? Well... my death is one of them."

Justin shook his head, forcing himself not to believe her. "But, we can stop it from happening."

"I don't know how or why it happens.But it will and soon." Cassie forced herself not to look at him.

"No. I'm not going to let that happen to you." Justin took Cassie's hand and took it in his. To feel her and to know that she was there with him in that moment was comforting. Cassie focused on him and brought her head to his chest. For awhile they just stood in her room. soaking in the comfort of each other.

Cassie eventually pulled away. "It will happen. Just like I knew you would fall and how I knew you would get a C on your paper and the many other things I've predicted."

"Thank you for trying, but I probably shouldn't have told you anything." Cassie looked up from the ground, hugging herself. "We're making such a big thing over it, when I just want it to go away." For awhile, there was just silence. The unnerving kind. "Of course I don't want to kill myself."

"Then find another way. Try."

"I told you, there's no point."

"This doesn't sound like someone who really wants to live."

Cassie blinked to keep the tears from coming. "You think I want this? You think I don't care? Believe me, I want to..." Don't cry. "I want to be here, do things. I want to graduate from high school. I even want to go to the stupid winter formal with you."

Justin's throat clenched. He couldn't speak, even if he wanted to.

"I want to go with you!" The tears started coming again. "To just dance, and to hear lame music. To wear a silly dress and laugh and stuff." She wiped her tears and avoided eye contact with Justin. She knew she couldn't meet his eyes. "I'd like to go. There's a lot of stuff and I'd like to do. I'd love to ice skate at Rockefeller Center. And I'd love to watch my cousins grow up, see who they become - cause they're really mean and I think they're gonna be fat. And I've never been to the Louvre. I'd love to see the Mona Lisa. Or meet Peter Falk. Or backpack across the country. Or, I don't know... fall in love."

She finally met his eyes. She noticed that they were glistening.

"But I won't. I just... never will."

"You will. Cassie, you will. You just have to tell me what you know. We can work it out together. Please."

"I can't!" She said with as much frustration as sadness. "I just know it's going to happen. I don't know why or how, but something out there is going to kill me." Cassie swallowed. "I can't believe I'm saying this..But I think we...should stop." She didn't have to finish her sentence. Justin understood perfectly. "I've hurt you enough." He looked down, more tears forming in his eyes. He wanted more than anything to stop her pain. And in doing so, he just hurt himself. He gave her one final look; her face glistening from tears. And with that, he was out the door. Cassis wanted to go after him. She just fell onto her bed, giving in to the pain.