(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Cassandra shuts her bedroom door and then swipes with her hand, a burst of red energy wraps around her dresser and yanks it in front of the door. She doesn't care about getting out. She doesn't care about anything except for hiding. She stumbles back and collapses to her knees on the floor, curling around herself. It takes her a moment to catch her breath. To settle her heart before she pushes herself up to her feet. She yanks shut the curtains, covering the windows, and descending the room into darkness before she crawls into her bed. Hiding. She is hiding. She is going to hide. From everyone and everything. She pulls the blankets over her head and then finally, lets herself cry. It all just catching up with her. She doesn't understand what is going on. There is no logical explanation for anything that she has seen.

............

It seems like no time when the sun rises, a tiny sliver of light shining through a crack in the curtains the only thing that alerts Cassandra to the changing hours. That and a soft knocking on her door.

"Cas?" Elena asks. "You awake?" Cassandra lays in her bed, awake. She hasn't slept at all. Because she came to the realisation that if she went to sleep, there would be a chance Damon would appear in her dreams and she doesn't want to face him. She can't bring herself to do so, no matter how many questions she has. She wants to know what is happening. "I'm going to the Grill, meeting Stefan...I just...wanted you to know" Cassandra sets her pillow over her head and blocks out her sister. She just wants to keep herself locked away. She can't bring herself to get up yet. She will have to, she needs to use the bathroom and to eat. But she'll wait until the house is empty. She just wants to spend the day alone. "I'll bring you back some lunch..." Elena adds and then walks away. Cassandra locking herself away isn't a new occurrence. She just thought her sister was passed this. That she was starting to get better. Cassandra sits up and runs her fingers through her hair. She needs a shower too. She needs to wash off yesterday. Just scrub it all off of her. Scrub and scrub and scrub. Maybe do some crying. Lots of crying. She really just wants to cry forever. It's that sinking feeling inside of her. A fear and confusion. Bathroom first. That's a good start.

.......

Tidy room. Tidy body. Tidy mind. Cassandra's hoping. Her headphones blast some classic rock to block out her thoughts, loud enough to just lose herself in as she tidies her bedroom. She's showered, she's clean. Now time for everything else to be just as tidy. She throws some boots into her wardrobe before moving onto the dresser, when she moved it back from the door her box sets went all skew-whiff. It's like her alter. Every DVD box set has its place. A very specific order. By mood. She knows which tv shows make her happy. Which make her laugh. Which ones are there for a good cry. It is her alter to sitcoms and her childhood and teenage years. Everything has its place in her room. Everything. It's too small for her not to be organised.

.......

Lunch comes and go and there is nothing from Elena so Cassandra assumes that she is not getting her lunch. Instead, she just goes and gets it herself. But now she is here, in a booth, with her food, she's not all that hungry. She just feels lonely. She would have spent the day with Elena, but Stefan is around now. She's not with Tyler so she's not spending time with him. Caroline is busy. Bonnie is spending time with her grandmother. She glances at her phone as it beeps with a new message. She lets out a sigh and picks it up to read it. It's from Damon. But she doesn't want to talk to him. She doesn't want anything to do with him. She doesn't understand what happened. That face. She gets flashes of it. The feel of sharpened teeth at her throat. That fear she felt. She's never felt anything like that. But he let her go. He could have hurt her and he didn't. She sighs and picks up a fry to chew on. Why would he do that? He's utterly confusing.

..........

Matt, Jeremy, and Elena are talking in the kitchen when Cassandra returns home, but nothing about them look happy. Cassandra frowns watching them, trying to figure out what happening. Because it is clear that something has. There is an air. Worry. It is radiating from them.

"Why the long faces?" She asks as she shrugs out of her jacket, setting it on the back of the couch. Matt glances at her.

"Vicki's run off," He tells her.

"Oh no...what a shame" Cassandra states, not at all interested or bothered by Vicki's current status. Elena gives her a look as Cassandra drops onto the couch and turns on the tv, settling on a comedy show.

"Cas" Elena scolds. "Can't you watch that upstairs?"

"Can't you take this outside?" Cassandra counters and motions to the door.

"Matt, I'm sorry about her..." Elena starts.

"It's fine," Matt tells Elena. "I get why she hates Vicki....but she's my sister, no matter what...." He sighs. "I'm going to look..." He offers and then leaves, Elena moves to stand in front of Cassandra who raises an eyebrow at her.

"What?" Cassandra asks her.

"Matt's really worried" Elena points out. Cassandra shrugs and then stands again.

"The fact that everyone is so desperate to help Vicki says more about this town than it probably wants. Look...I already made a report to the sheriff, she's going to come out and talk to Jeremy tomorrow" She admits. "Hopefully this is all over...and we don't have to worry any more" Elena looks at her sadly, knowing that that is not entirely true. "I'm going to crash for a nap, I ate way too much" She goes to leave but Elena stops her.

"When this is dealt with" She starts. "Can we watch some TV and talk about some things?" Elena is not going to keep the newest reveal from her twin sister. She doesn't want to lie to her. She can't bear the thought of doing that to her.