Squad 6 | COMPLETED

Chapter 54- Cassandra

Cassandra

Snow covered the grass and the stream had dried. Cassie sat leaning onto the same tree Bill and she sat under when she told him his brother had died by taking a bullet for her. The one wish Bill had was for his brother not to die in battle.

And like his brother, he had died to save her. Once again, she got a second chance.

She let the tears freeze on her cheeks, gripping Bill's flip phone. She had not gotten a charger for it yet, afraid of what she might find if she looked.

Snakehead had gotten away. It had taken most of the past month for Cassie to come to terms with the fact that Scott, Majesty, and herself had all survived. The worst people truly did find a way to avoid every punishment.

Shoes squeaked in the snow as Majesty approached.

"Andrew's looking for you," she said.

"He knows where he can find me."

"Here," she said, tossing her a jacket. Cassie hadn't realized she could no longer feel her arms in her sweater before she tugged the fluffy jacket on and zipped it up to her chin.

"We're almost done with placing them all in foster care. They should be gone after Christmas," Majesty said, hovering over Cassie, her red hair braided and falling over her shoulder.

They weren't much closer than they were on their first day working together, but now they shared a common goal. That was enough to keep Cassie focused. She couldn't take personal conversations right now.

"Have you got the envelope?" she asked.

When she didn't reply, Majesty turned around and continued back towards the dorms, as another pair of footsteps replaced hers.

"What?" she asked before he could call her name.

"We'll be late to meet up."

She looked back to the stream one last time, before rising and following Andrew across campus. All traces of the fight were gone and the training room had been sealed shut. The dormitory emitted nothing but sounds of Christmas carols in the past week.

As they headed for the road behind the main building, the faint smell of ashes followed them. Phi was no more.

Cassie climbed behind Andrew on the bike and wrapped her hands around his torso, no longer paying attention to the speed they were going at.

Phi was now an orphanage and soon would stop working once all the children were processed into legal foster care. Then, nobody will ever know the names of people who had given their lives on these grounds.

#

Chloe and Diana sat inside a corner café, a cup of tea in front of each. A few tissues were still scattered around the table surface in case any of them needed them. They had told them they had news. Cassie's stomach somersaulted as soon as she met their gaze.

Andrew and she took a seat across from them, ordering. He squeezed her hand under the table, but she didn't squeeze it back. When the waitress was gone, silence ensued.

A few months ago, she never would've thought that Chloe would be the first to speak. "We're leaving."

Cassie nodded.

She was glad they would get away from this life, but there was also a heavy weight pressing on her chest. She shouldn't want them to stay here. They had all done more than enough.

"I'm going to apply for a university," Chloe said, a small blush creeping onto her pale cheeks. "To study chemistry."

"We thought about going traveling across Europe for a bit, seeing what else is out there," Diana added.

Cassie gave the best smile she could muster. "That's amazing."

It had been a month since Snakehead escaped. A month since Bill died. It was time to move on. For everyone but her.

"We just wanted to tell you away from," Diana paused. It wasn't called Phi anymore, but what else should they call it? "Everything."

"I'm happy for you," Cassie said.

"Really?" Chloe asked, her eyes scanning Cassie's face for signs of disapproval.

"Really," she nodded.

"Thank you."

She cracked a slightly more genuine smile and looked to Andrew, her heart speeding up. "And you?"

He stiffened a little. "I'll stay for now, but," he hesitated. "Scott's been helping me track down my family with the records Majesty gave him."

She knew that already, of course. Sliding a hand into her jacket pocket, she placed the envelope in front of him.

He frowned, pulling out a one-way ticket to Paris. Booked for that afternoon.

"Your mom's address is in there. And information on your siblings. I hear Nicole got into a good college."

Diana let out a muffled squeal, as Chloe gripped her forearm to silence her.

Andrew read over the information, biting his lip.

"Come with me," he said finally, looking up at her.

She shook her head, rising to leave. "That life's not for me. There are still kids with no families to take care of." She nodded at Chloe and Diana. "I'll see you before you leave, I've got something to do."

"And then what?" Andrew challenged, getting up as well, closing the distance between them.

Cassie turned back around. "Then, I'll take my psycho sister and we'll hunt down our father for a family reunion."

"Cassie," he choked out as if he'd never said her name before. Her heart danced. "You can't hold onto those thoughts."

"I know. But, I am."

He cupped her face in his hands. "Come with me. Leave the pain behind."

The lump grew in Cassie's throat, her heart aching. She wanted to kiss him, but if she did, it would keep him here. She knew he was in love with her. Maybe she was too but denying it was easier than admitting it. Their moment was over.

She pressed her lips together. "The flight's tonight. You might want to go back and pack."

"Cassie." He shook his head. She had already predicted every possible outcome of this conversation. Nothing he said could surprise her. "I love you."

Not even that.

She blinked back the tears. "You know I do. But it doesn't change anything."

She grabbed the doorknob.

"But it can," he said, taking her wrist.

"No, it can't. I don't want it to."

She walked into the rain, hoping her tears would become one with it.

She hadn't come here to be a friend to any of them, but along the way she had become more.

There were a lot of things one could say about love, Cassie realized, as she strode across sidewalks, further from the people she loved. But in the end, in its own weird way, it really does conquer all.

Except, you know, death. 

_________

There it is. The last full chapter of Squad 6. Now you know everything.

Leave your thoughts below. All comments are welcome. What did you think of Cassie's decision not to go with Andrew? What about her decision to go after Snakehead? What do you think will happen to Chloe and Diana on their trip?

Let me know.

I will be posting a short epilogue tomorrow as well a final author's note with some information you might like, so keep an eye out for it.

Happy writing,

Sara