Two broken souls

Chapter 1

Pale, long fingers with red nails softly caressed Cassandra's hair, as she stared straight into the mirror in front of her. 

"You are such a beautiful creation of mine, aren't you, dear?" Gothel smiled as her fingers made their way down to Cassandra's curly hair.

Cassandra was silent, she knew she was supposed to respond to her mother, but something in her throat prevented her from speaking.

 

"Why aren't you answering me, dear? Is something wrong?" The voice was calm, calm enough to unsettle Cassandra and stifle her voice more.

Suddenly Gothel grabbed the back of her hair and tilted her face backwards, so it nearly faced her. The look that Gothel had on her face was the one that Cassandra feared most, and it unnerved her to the core.

"ANSWER ME!"

Cassandra gasped sharply as she opened her eyes, panting heavily. Clutching her bedsheet, she desperately tried to hold back tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. As hard as she tried, she wasn't able to hold it anymore, and tears flowed down from her eyes as she let out choked sobs. She lay like that for a while, as she cried her heart out and slowly turned to the side, clasping herself as she pulled up her knees closer to her chest. It was the only way which calmed her after the dreadful nightmares she had of her mother.

The abrupt, loud ringing of her alarm made her access her situation and registered the reality into her. Her mother was dead years ago, and she was in her room, in a place she had learned to call her home, where she lived with the person who had lawfully registered himself as her father, but she had still not yet comprehended to call him dad. 

Coming down the stairs from her room, she witnessed the familiar sight of her father in the kitchen preparing breakfast for both of them.

"Morning." She nodded at him.

"Morning, Cassandra." His eyes drifted down to her hands, as noticed her holding a certain and very familiar piece of paper. 

"Are you still going to apply for the police academy?" He replied, his brows furrowing as he saw the application for the academy in her hand. 

Receiving the familiar guilty look on her face, he sighed deeply. "Cassandra, I think we talked about this already."

Cassandra looked down, as her hold on the paper tightened. "But that's what I want to do!"

"I don't understand why you want to get into a police academy when you are good in everything, and can effortlessly get into something that's… not dangerous." Seeing his daughter rolling her eyes, he sighed. 

"Let's wait for some more time before you apply for the academy. You sure will be able to find something safer that you are interested in."

Cassandra looked up, as she furrowed her brows. "And I don't understand why won't you ever trust me, Sir!" She muttered angrily, as she stormed out of the house. 

John sadly looked at the fading silhouette of his daughter, as he recalled that certain day when he had first met her.

She was scared, and he was broken. There was a misunderstanding in her eyes, and tears and unrequited love in his. And that very day, he vowed to protect her.

It was only Monday, and Cassandra was already tired. 

This is going to be a long week.

**************************

"Okay Rudigger, we must not, I repeat, we must not mess this one up." Putting the goggles above his head, Varian murmured to his raccoon who was staring lazily at him, with the look that could be best described as 'not again.'

He picked up a knife as he tried opening the package. "I used almost all of my savings for this new set of chemicals. And now, I cannot afford this experiment to be a failure." 

With precise movements, he tried to slash open the package, but… "OUCH!" He shrieked, as unfortunately, the knife glazed over his fingers. Putting the package down, he looked at the small wound on his fingers, as drops of blood trickled out of it. 

Oh no, not again.

A cold shiver passed down his spine as he peered out of the desk. A scream pierced his ears, and horrified, he saw a body falling on the floor. Blood was gushing out of her body and Varian was scared. Why won't anyone come? Why won't anyone take her to the hospital? Can't anyone see how much she was bleeding? If it remains like this, she will die...

The atmosphere around him turned suddenly blurry, as Varian felt his head become unusually light. He was no longer able to take into account his situation, and the last thing he remembered before he fainted was the stuffy atmosphere around him and his father's concerned shout.

Sitting beside Varian while he was still unconscious, Quirin sadly looked over to the photo of a woman, with ginger - red hair and beautiful blue eyes, as he grasped his son's hand.

"Quirin, did he faint again?" Adira's concerned voice sounded in the hallway.

"Yes, blood makes him dizzy. But don't worry, he'll wake up soon." Quirin replied, nodding to her in greeting as she entered the room and sat down on the chair beside the bed on which Varian lay.

"I am not worrying, I know he will wake up soon. I am just... concerned."

"About what?"

"About the fact that you are already sending him to Corona. You know that place doesn't hold good memories for him, Quirin. Why are you doing it?"

"You think I am doing this willingly? It was his birthday wish, Adira, he wants to go there."

"And you'll let him? Quirin, he still can't reminisce about what happened on that day."

"Well, what can I do? It's not like I have any other alternative to this which will make him happy. And all I want to see is him being happy."

Adira sighed. "And I think that he'll be anything but happy by going there."

"It'll be okay, I have talked to Edmund, and his son will take care of him."

"Who, Fishskin? Bet he needs care first." She snorted. 

"But we still have some time to spend with him." Quirin smiled as he squeezed Varian's hands tightly. "Let's make the most of it."