SOUR CANDY | P. MAXIMOFF [ DISCONTINUED ]

09 | SPECIAL CHAPTER TWO

09 | SPECIAL CHAPTER TWO

It took them a god awful amount of hours before they finally arrived at the county, which according to the letter, is where Cassie's father lives. Throughout the journey, albeit accompanied by music, there was palpable tension that hung in the atmosphere between the two and none of them dared to address the issue. Which slightly made Cascade feel better, she has too much shit to take in to even worry herself about it. What matters right now is she's about to meet her biological father whom she hasn't seen or heard off for years.

There's a part of her that says that she shouldn't have done this. That she shouldn't make any efforts into meeting a man who, not only never called her for years or even bothered to look for her, but also treated her as nothing but subhuman. A monster, an abomination — a creature that isn't supposed to exist.

And yet, despite all of those, she still found herself inside a car being driven by Peter, making their way to the address written in the letter and wasting someone's time by making him accompany her in a journey she knows will only end up breaking her heart. Because that is where fathers excel the most, breaking their children's heart as though it was some object they can patch up later on.

She should hate him — she does — because that is the most logical thing she could do to someone who tore her apart until she was nothing but everything she hated about herself. But somewhere in her mind, where a being so fragile is confined, she hopes that maybe, just a little bit, a part of the father she knew — before the tragedy shot them, before the mirage of perfection fades revealing the cracks — perhaps she could still find the father she used to love. Despite all of her high grades and praises she gets from her teachers, that one single thought was enough to make her feel stupid. After all, she is nothing but the catalyst of her own misery.

The sudden halt of the car made her snap from her thoughts. She heard a noise, as though a sharp object was piercing through the air, then when she looked at her side, Peter was gone on his seat. She turns her head to the other and sees the door open with Peter standing there holding the door for her, with a grin on his face. "What are you still doin' there, milady? We finally arrived in front of your father's home."

She immediately gets out of the car.

For a brief moment, she wanted to back out. She wanted to go back inside the car and just stay there and tell Peter to drive back to Washington. She would've done that, she could easily do that. With her ability to influence people's emotions, she could bend people to her will. But there will be no reality in which she manipulates Peter in doing things he doesn't want. Besides, she can't let his efforts go to waste. She's not a piece of shit to do that.

Taking a deep breath, she calms herself. If she managed to defeat a bunch of robots and not commit a felony while trying to put up with Charles, she could do this easily. She turns her head to the boy standing beside her, she could feel the restlessness he's in. He looks back at her, he smiles — despite all her knowledge in astronomy, she mistaken it for the sun — then he nods his head and they walk towards the house.

They stood in the doorway unspeaking, the chirping of birds, the ruffling of leaves, and the beating of her heart served as the noise between them. It took her quite a while before she managed to knock on the door. After a few seconds, she hears a creaking and the door opens. Revealing blonde woman probably in her late 30s looking at them as though they're here to arrest them.

Maybe we got the wrong house? She asks herself. She shot a sidelong glance at Peter, who's also equally confused as she is. She fixes her gaze back at the woman.