(THIS BOOK HAS BEEN PUBLISHED SO ONLY 4 CHAPTERS WILL BE POSTED HERE)
Once again, Cassandra found herself lost in thought while rubbing the little bump on her once flat abdomen. A mournful sigh escaped her lips. At least the tears had finally dried up. "Don't you worry little one. Everything's going to be alright. It just has to be."
The creaking sound from the door caused her to turn. "My child, you must stop this worrying and eat something. It's not good for you or the baby." Cassandra tried to give her grandmother a reassuring smile but was sure it fell short of her intention. "This is all my fault." Her words came as no surprise. The lovely gray-haired old woman was always taking on the blame for everyone else's shortcomings.
"There's so much you need to know my child. So much I should have told you years ago." Cassandra frowned in confusion as the old lady sat in the wicker chair. "Do you remember when you were a child Casey? Do you remember the day my daughter took you away from your home? From me?" Cassandra closed her eyes as her mind traveled to the day her life had changed.
Flashback
Cassandra Michaels had cried herself to sleep for the umpteenth time in her short life that night. All she had asked for was one night. Did she not deserve one night of her mother's undivided attention? The sound of screaming had woken her from sleep. Now here she laid, quiet as could be. It would be the last night her mother and grandmother would fight.
It took several minutes for Cassandra's eyes to adjust after the light was suddenly flicked on. There stood her mother with a large suitcase in tow. Yet Cassandra knew better than to utter a word. She looked on quietly as her mother pulled out one drawer at a time and emptied their contents into the suitcase.
When she finally turned her way, Cassandra lowered her eyes. "You have five minutes to add whatever else you want in here. "Her mothers' hands moved over the suitcase. "We are leaving and never coming back."
Her little heart squeezed at the thought of never seeing her grandmother again. Why had the fight been different this time? Her mother was always getting yelled at by her grandmother. Yet one or the other would cave and all would be normal again. Well, at least until the next fight.
Cassandra flittered around the room looking for all her prized treasures. She collected the first prize ribbon she and her best friend Lucy had won in the science fair. The second thing was under the mattress. After pulling the mattress back, the book was exposed. The cover held only one word, "Diary."
Just as Cassandra was packing her treasures away, a picture fell out of one of the books. A smile spread on her face. There they were. The same two women smiling back at her. It was the only picture she had of her mother smiling. There stood Avery Michaels next to her best friend. Both women looked happy and carefree. "Are you ready?" The scream startled her into moving again.
After tucking the picture back into the book, Cassandra made her way downstairs. "Why are you doing this?" Her grandmother asked in anguish. "You will live to regret what you're about to do. Please think about what you're doing to this poor child." Her mother said nothing as she ran upstairs to grab the suitcase.
"My little Cassandra, I'm so sorry. Just know that I love you. Please take care of her for me." Cassandra tried not to cry as she was engulfed in her grandmother's arms. The embrace didn't last long for she was harshly snatched from her grandmother's embrace.
Cassandras' little heart beat frantically as she entered the car. She was unsure what was happening, but the movement of the car finally lulled her into a restless sleep. Hours later, she was startled awake when a bag of chips hit her chest. Luckily, quick reflexes caught the can of soda that followed. "Where are we going?" Cassandra finally asked.
"We're heading to our new life in Texas." Avery Michaels answered with a glare as if daring her to start something. Cassandra knew better and just opened the bag of chips as tears silently rolled down her cheeks. What would Lucy think? What will happen to her grandmother? So many questions for an eleven-year-old to deal with.
Seventeen hours later, they finally arrived at their destination. Cassandra looked on as the car drove by a sign that read, Welcome to Longview. A frown marred her features as she looked around and realized there really wasn't much to see. A sigh escaped when her mother pulled up to what looked like an apartment complex.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As if her life hadn't been turned around already. The next day brought with it the one person who would be the catalyst to the problem she was facing now. At the time, she had no idea what horror the man would bring.
Cassandra remembered the day the man came to her house for the first time. He was tall and looked very big to a girl her size. The intense look in his eyes when he spotted her, had frightened Cassandra. The look on his face had not been one of happiness. He had been talking. No, he had been yelling at her mom. She had been standing by the doorway of the kitchen and they were in the small living room. The raised voices had been what brought her downstairs to investigate.
They had only been in the house for one day. Her mother had moved them from Chicago to a small town in Texas. So little Casandra wondered how her mom had already made a friend. Yet the words they spoke made her stand still. Her mother was telling him that if he wanted her to keep things quiet, he was going to have to pay through the nose. That only made the man growl in anger and raise his hand as if to hit her. Without thinking, she found herself running to her mother's rescue.
"Stop! You have no right to hit my mother." Cassandra screamed as she tried to cover her mother with her little body. His face made a very weird expression and they just stood there. Both stared at each other for what seemed like hours. As he approached, Cassandra tried very hard to keep still and not show weakness. Sadly, it was something she had practiced well. Her mother delighted in making her cry whenever she showed weakness, of any kind. Every fiber of her being was telling her not to show this man fear.
The man reached out his hand and cupped her chin. Then ever so slowly turned her face to the right, then to the left. The look in his eyes was far too critical. When he finally turned to her mother she shivered. "Yes, there is no question about it. I will pay what you ask." The words held a tone that was unfamiliar. It could have been that his words just seemed to instill a fear so deep, it was hard for her to breathe. Yet the look her mother gave her assured it was something bad, very bad.
"You are to have no contact with her until I say it's ok. If you do, I will leave and take her with me." Her mother informed the man. He looked once more at Cassandra before nodding his agreement. Then he turned and stomped away.
As he reached the door, he turned once more. "Only until she is old enough for me to collect. Then, she will be mine and you will stay the hell away from us." With those last words, he was gone.
Cassandra looked at her mother's face, searching for an explanation. She looked down at her and smiled. "I'm glad I decided to keep you. Soon, I'll have all the money I can spend." The look she wore was not a good one. Not at all. "Do you remember where the store is? The one at the end of the street?"
Cassandra nodded her head. Her eyes widened as her mother pulled out the stack of money the man had given her. "Go get me a coke," came the harsh order as a fifty dollar bill was shoved into her palm. She flinched when her mother slammed the door to her room.
There was no choice. So she sighed and made her way to the store. "I guess it's time to explore." Once outside, Cassandra couldn't help but notice the difference between Texas and Chicago. She already missed all the noise of the cars and the people. This place was just too quiet.
While taking in the surroundings on the way to the store. Her mind started wondering what her best friend Lucy was doing back home. One minute Cassandra had been on the way to the store. The next minute her body was on its way to the floor. The air was knocked out of her lungs and there was a cloud of dust all around.
When the dust cleared, three boys on their bikes were looking down at her. Anger simmered as they started to laugh. "I'm going to sue you for attempted murder!" She screamed but that only made the boys laugh harder. That only served to make her angrier. The oldest boy got off his bike and extended his hand.
"Sorry, I'm Mike. Didn't you hear me screaming for you to get out of the way?" She continued to give him the evil eye. Well, she was trying to look at him the way her mother looked when she was angry. Cassandra smacked his hand away.
One of the other boys spoke next. "Hey there, I'm Leo and this is my brother Luis." Once on her feet, Cassandra dusted herself off and checked to make sure the money was still in her pocket.
Mike smiled again and pointed at the two boys. "Those two goofs are my younger brothers. Are you new in town? Don't think I've seen you around before." Cassandra was still not sure if she should be talking to them or not, but figured it would be ok since they were kids.
"Yes I am, but that wasn't a friendly welcome to the neighborhood." She frowned at them. People back home were tuff, but getting rundown here was unexpected.
Mike put his hands up as if in surrender. "You were the one not watching where you were going." The smile on his face grew. "So what's your name?" Unbelievable, was he trying to blame her for getting run over? Cassandras' anger started dying down when she realized that he really did think it was her fault.
"Cassandra Michaels. That's my name." She responded still wearing an unfriendly scowl. Mike was still looking amused.
"Casey, I like that." Then they rode away as her eyes followed them. When his words registered she screamed after them. "My name is Cassandra not Casey, you idiot."
Cassandra stomped all the way to the store while thinking about the boys. Mike must be around fourteen and Leo seemed to be around her age and so did Luis. Well. they would have to be the same age, seeing as they were twins. Then it hit her. She stopped before the store door and smiled. "I think I just made some new friends."
Wearing the smile, she continued the task and her scuffed up little legs took her into the store. After selecting the coke, a loaf of bread was next on the list. She decided to get a shopping cart and picked up a couple of other things. Her mother went out on a regular basis in Chicago. Why would it be any different here?
Once home, Cassandra took her mother the coke and then returned to the kitchen to put the other things away. After thinking for a while, she made her mother a sandwich and added a bag of chips to the plate. She walked to the bedroom door and knocked lightly. The door opened to reveal her mother getting ready for a night out.
Cassandra was going to be left alone in a strange house. Her mother looked up and smiled at the food. "Well look at that. We just found another reason I should be happy I kept you. Now bring it here and get out."
That night, Cassandra turned on all the lights in the house. One by one, each room was inspected. Each closet and under every bed too. Once she was happy with the fact that no one was hiding there, all the doors were locked. All night was spent listening to the sounds the house made. Each sound created images of someone breaking in. At some point, sleep finally came.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day, Cassandra felt exhausted and cranky. Yet she resolved to have a good day while tiptoeing to her mother's door. A peek inside showed her sprawled on the bed, still wearing her clothes and shoes. Cassandra had always removed her shoes and tried to make her more comfortable. Yet today, that wasn't going to happen.
After having cereal, she went outside to play. There really wasn't much to do. So Cassandra climbed the tree and broke off a branch. There was a patch of dirt where grass should be and it served as an easel. With the pointy part of the stick, she drew a house with a family in front of it. She drew a mommy and a daddy. There was also a daughter and a son.
She had been working on drawing a dog when a sound made her look up. "Hey, new girl. Is this where you live?" Luis asked, or was it Leo? They looked so much alike it was impossible to tell.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Well, don't you see me here? Do you think I just go to strange houses and play in front of them? Idiot." Yes, little Cassandra had an attitude.
"Man, our mom would never let us talk to anyone that way." Leo said as he looked at his older brother Mike for backup.
Cassandra smiled at his words. "Well, my mom could care less what I say or do. She doesn't even care about me." It was the truth.
"Ask your mom if you can go on a ride with us. We still have an hour before we have to go home. We can show you around the area." Mike gestured to their surroundings. Cassandra looked at him and frowned. Her mother had left once more about 20 minutes ago. God only knew where she went.
"I don't have a bike." Her cheeks burned in shame. Mike smiled and pointed to the tubes sticking out of the center of his back tires. "Mom's not home, but I'll leave her a note in case she gets back before I do." Cassandra flew up the stairs and scribbled a quick note.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That day marked the start of their friendship. They were even enrolled in the same schools. Their parents had a farm about fifteen minutes away from where she lived. They were cattle ranchers and had so much land. That she found out one day when they took her horseback riding. Her friends were so attentive.
That would prove to be a problem a year later when they figured out that her mom left her home alone when she went out at night. "I'm from Chicago, we don't get scared." Cassandra told them when Mike tried to scold her. It was the truth. It had taken a couple of months, but she wasn't scared anymore.
"Maybe so, but you've lived in Texas for a year. Now, you're one of us." The slight drawl Luis had always made her smile. "You're a girl and there are crazy people everywhere."
Her smile faltered as thoughts of the man that still came to drop off money to her mother popped in her head. She realized that the frequency of his visits corresponded with how hard she partied. Cassandra would hide so he wouldn't see her.
He really gave her the creeps. The older she got, the creepier he seemed. Especially when he would look at her in that strange way on the occasion their paths crossed. Cassandra heard him tell her mom that she was to be kept inside with the exception of school. He must not know her mother was almost never home. So there was nobody there to do as he demanded.
Cassandra didn't have too many friends with the exception of Mike, Leo and Luis. Girls didn't like her because she was more of a tomboy. That was more than ok for her. They had so much fun together as they snuck around. Until now, she had yet to meet their parents and they had yet to meet her mom. She figured they might be embarrassed that she was poor and they had money. If their parents were snobs, she didn't want to meet them. They had not met her mother, for obvious reasons.
Cassandra never mentioned the man that came to her house to them. How would you even go about telling someone you think your mother sold you to a guy when you were eleven years old? Not to mention that he was waiting until you're old enough to collect? It's what he wants to collect that scared the hell out of her.
On one particular night. She found herself walking home after having had a hotdog with the boys. A car pulled up alongside her. Cassandra turned when she heard the window lower. There he was, looking as mad as ever.
"What the hell are you doing out this late?" She didn't utter a word. "Get in the car." She turned her head to face the road and kept walking. The man was crazy and followed alongside her. "If you don't get in this minute. I'm calling your mother."
That made her stop to smile at him. "Really? Good luck finding her." The tires squealed as he stepped on the breaks. Before Cassandra had a chance to run, he was on her. He bodily picked her up and placed her in the car. She was surprised at how gentle he had been. The drive home was done in silence.
Up until now, the man had stayed away. It worried her to think he might try something next time. So she called the only person who could keep the secret, her best friend Lucy. Cassandra opened the floodgates and cried as the story was finally told. Lucy insisted she call Mike and ask for help. Yet Cassandra wasn't ready, to tell them everything.
When she called him all she disclosed was the information about getting left alone often. To her surprise, they spoke to their mom about it. They were given permission to have her stay in the little shack on the land closest to their home. They called it a shack but it was beautiful to her.
They even gave the place a name and christened it, the clubhouse. The boys would sneak out on the occasion she would stay there. Those had been the times of her life. As the years went on, they grew closer. Everything was great. Until she turned 18.