The Vanish Pact / 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 (𝘊𝘙𝘔)

II: Sea Foam & Stowaways

[ Cass's POV ]

The blue swirls of watercolor on the paper hanging on the wall catch my attention, immersing me in its faded depths. I stare at the brushstrokes on the thin paper, noticing how the watercolor ripples the paper, similar to the waves of the ocean depicted in the painting.

My heart aches, knowing exactly why of all things Soph chose to paint the ocean, especially with the slightly teal-ish water and scattered driftwood on the white beach. It was the best part of the only community we had been a part of - even if it was only for a little while.

As I wait with a tinge of impatience, my gaze lingers on the delicate strokes, wondering if she's doing okay here. It's already been a couple of days, and she's been painting.

Which either means she's doing great or falling apart.

I don't have to wait much longer to answer my questions as the door to the small dorm room clicks open, and in walks the seventeen-year-old girl, her eyes downcast, ginger hair pulled back into a loose braid. Closing the door behind her with a click, she turns around, flinching as her brown eyes flit to mine, seeing me perched on her desk chair with a nervous smile.

I know I must look like a wreck, having not had a second to breathe let alone shower. Apparently, it's been a while since the CRM hospital has had a new doctor and they sure are using their new resource as much as possible. This is the first time I've gotten a break and I obviously chose to see my girl before anything else.

"Cass? Oh my god!" Sophia exclaims breathlessly, her shoulder bag forgotten on the carpet with a thud as she rushes towards me, throwing her arms around me desperately before I can even get up from the chair.

Grinning fondly, I return her embrace, a sense of relief washing over me being able to hug her after two days. I don't have to worry about her being bothered by my stale scrubs or knotted hair messily pulled back from my face, she's seen me look much worse.

"Hey, Freckles," I murmur affectionately, my grin widening as I pull her closer, tightening my arms around her back. It's like oxygen can flow into my lungs once again just feeling her with me, knowing that she's alright.

Reluctantly pulling away from our embrace, Sophia leans against the desk, her wide eyes scanning over me, now wearing new scrubs, unlike the faded cat-pattern ones I wore in consignment. They only had old vet scrubs for us to use there.

"What happened? You told me to stay with Rosa but t-they just took me! They didn't-" Her words spill out in a frantic stream, her hands gesturing animatedly as she struggles to find coherence amidst her turmoil.