Voodoo [H.S.]

Eight

"Where are they now?" she asks cautiously as if she's unsure of the topic. To anyone else, that would be a casual question, but to her it's almost like she doesn't want to assume anything.

Even so, my heartbeat quickens at her question, definitely not wanting to go down that path. My family is something absolutely off limits, and it takes everything in me not to snap at her question.

You can't exactly tell someone the first time you hang out with them that your mom and sister are dead.

"It looks like it's going to rain soon. I still want to walk a bit further through the garden before we leave," I change the subject and avoid her eye contact.

My mood shifts almost completely from the light air I felt earlier, but I try to bottle it up and shove it away until I can be away from Cassie. Deep down, I know she had good intentions. The whole point of this was to get Cassie out of her funk and there is no point in ruining it.

Family is such a sensitive subject for me. My life was good back home, great even. My childhood was one of dreams until my mum died and I was sent to the States to live with my horrid aunt who was so terrible my sister thought she had to kill herself to get away. My twelve year old mind couldn't handle all of the stress, so therefore my aunt could no longer handle me.

That's when I decided I was better off alone. Nothing was permanent, no one would ever be in my life long enough, so what was the point.

We stand up and start walking down one of the rows of flowers. Cassie seems to notice my sudden shift in demeanor, but thankfully doesn't say anything about it. She walks gracefully a few steps ahead of me, smelling flowers as she walks even though this whole area smells the same and nothing changes from flower to flower. I chuckle to myself quietly watching her, almost feeling jealous of the way she's looking at her surroundings. I can see a change in her attitude from earlier today when I demanded she let me in her apartment to now and if anything I at least feel a sense of accomplishment.

Cassie turns around and walks backwards grinning at me and throwing her arms up as she speaks. "Cheer up. We didn't fight today."

I shrug my shoulders. "I can change that, if you'd like."

"Hey, none of that," she scolds me trying to sound playful. "Stop walking for a second."

I look at her in confusion, but still do what she says. I see her reaching for my hand and I freeze up immediately. "What are you doing?"

"Just shut up for a second and let me do something." She grabs my hand and turns to face to her left and motions for me to do the same. We stand side by side and she takes a deep breath, looking straight ahead. "Close your eyes."

"Cassie, why—" I start but she cuts me off before I can finish.

"Shut up. Close your eyes, and take a deep breath."

I roll my eyes but again do what she says, feeling like an idiot.

"I don't understa—"

"God, now who's the one who stop talking," she huffs, but squeezes my hand to show she's still being playful. "Tell me one thing you hear."

"One thing I hear? Uh, fuck I don't know," I stop for a second to find something I can hear to humor her. "I hear... the trees blowing in the wind."

"Good," she praises with a smile in her voice. "Now tell me one thing you smell."

"Easy, the flowers."

She giggles at that and then starts again, "Great, now tell me one thing you taste."