♘ Be Brave ♘

LXII

I want to run back to the dorm, but stop by the chasm. Leaning back, I force myself to slow down. I'm so angry I can barely breathe. I sink down to the ground, my head in my hands. How could he leave us? How could he just sentence us to a life of beatings and hatred?

He should have fought to stop the wedding. To keep us safe. No. No, I wouldn't forgive him. Not now, not ever. I'm so lost in thought that I don't even notice Cassandra sit beside me. "Matt?" I glare at her. "It's Four." She frowns. "Okay, first of all, I have no idea what you mean." I wince.

"I'm sorry, Cassandra. I just... I've had a very bad day, that's all." Cassandra crosses her arms. "And you think I haven't? I had to go through that... that..." She stutters, and starts crying. I put my arm around her and kiss her cheek. "It's okay. It's okay. You're going to be alright."

She calms down after a few minutes, and I wipe her tears away. "Do you want to talk about it?" She closes her eyes, breathing heavily. "It's that landscape thing. It scared the living daylights out of me." I know the feeling, I think.

"What were your fears? Maybe telling me will make them go away." Cassandra shakes her head. "They're.... they're nothing, really." Chuckling, I brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. "Do I have to make you tell me?" She frowns. "What do you-" I silenced her with a kiss. "Tell." I moved down to her jaw. "Me."

Cassandra laughs. "Okay, okay." Sighing, she relents. "I had about thirty, and, well, the first few were kind of stupid. Bugs and things, you know? But then... then I got to the last one." She winces, as if still haunted by the vision.

"Eric was there. I was tied to a chair, and he made me watch you get shot over and over again. I'm so... so afraid I'll lose you." I smile. "You will never, ever lose me. I promise."

Cassandra takes my hand and looks up at me. "I love you."

"I love you, too." For a moment, we stay quiet, content with listening to the sound of the rushing water below us. Cassandra breaks the silence all too soon though, and starts to question me.

"What were your fears, Matt?" I flinch at the sound of my old name, but she doesn't seem to notice. "Well..."