Cassandra

my name is cass. i'm seventeen years old and the daughter of persephone. this had caused some... problems in my family. i've made mistakes, but i hope i get the chance to fix them when a new season comes. life always comes back, no matter how cold the winter.

[cfselkies]

Andrzej shook his head. “He’s not here right now. He’s probably back in my cabin. If you can see him…you don’t want to. Trust me, it’s not a very nice sight.” He’d spare her that much, if he could. He couldn’t help but smile a little. “I never really thought you’d mind. Or, for a while I didn’t. After…everything…I didn’t know what to think. About anything, really.” He shrugged. “Some rumors die with the people they involve.”

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

“He probably wouldn’t want to see me either.” She understood what ANdrzej was implying, but if she could, she wanted to see her friend again. Would he still be young or did he grow like them? Would he be how she last saw him? Only... not? “Of course I wouldn’t. You’re my friends.” She looked away. “I didn’t know either. I’m sorry. I fucked it up. If I could change it...” Cass looked back at him again. “I wish we’d talked.”

[elisefujioka-deactivated2015072]

“Oh, that’s exciting! Who’s your parent?”

[hxddenaway-blog]

“Persephone. Goddess of spring.”

[snvtlout-blog]

“Ah–she’s supposed to be cheery and stuff, right?”

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

“Well, yes, but she’s also the Queen of the dead. And she brings about seasons.”

[babskim-deactivated20150521]

“That’s good, with all the extra cabins around here, I almost got lost just coming back after a few months. Who’s your godly parent?”

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

“How many cabins are there? They seem to go on forever. Persephone. And you?”

[cfselkies]

“There’s a difference between being dead and being gone. He’s very dead. He just…lingers. I can still see and hear him. I don’t know if you’d be able to. Thanatos said he let him stay to keep an eye on me.” He knew it was a lot to drop on her, but it was a lot to live with. Even if they weren’t as close as they were before, she was listening now. And he had a lot to say. “Yeah. Nobody knows that. My mom knows I’m gay, but that’s it. It wasn’t like people don’t talk, though.”

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

How did you react to that? The lump in Cass’s throat seemed to grow, and she tried not to cry. Even breathing felt difficult as she tried to process it all. It was dizzying. “Is he here now?” she managed to choke out. It was as if four years of moving on hadn’t happened. She managed a small smile. “I don’t care, you know. I mean, I care, but... there’s no issue with it.” She shook her head. “That wasn’t one of the rumours I ever heard.”

[snvtlout-blog]

“It…definitely shows, yeah. Who’s your godly parent?”

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

“Persephone. Goddess of spring and the underworld.”

[babskim-deactivated20150521]

“Welcome, Cass. I’m Barbara. You finding your way easy ‘round here?”

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

“Nice to meet you. Easy enough. Found my cabin already.”

[cfselkies]

“Charlie’s not…he’s not gone.” he said quietly, “Not completely. Otherwise I wouldn’t have failed the second time. I can still see him. So can my siblings. Or they can at least feel he’s there. Thanatos said that he won’t move on until I do. I can’t do that. I can’t…I loved him, Cass. I can’t just let go of that.” There. There was no taking it back now. He’d finally said it to someone. 

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

“What do you mean he’s not gone?” She’s survived four years, grieving the loss of her friend. It had taken a while, but she’d eventually come to terms with him being gone. And now Andrzej said he wasn’t. That he could still see him? It sounded crazy, but so did this whole camp. She was the daughter of the Queen of Hell, and Andrzej could see dead people? “Jędrzej...” He loved him? How could she not have seen that? Looking back, she felt so blind. She shook her head. It was all so much to take in.

[elisefujioka-deactivated2015072]

“Interesting doesn’t cover half of this camp. You’re new?”

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

“Very. I just found my cabin.”

[snvtlout-blog]

“You’re just a drop of sunshine, aren’cha?”

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

“I like to look on the bright side.”

[babskim-deactivated20150521]

“After you get past all the dirt and mud, it totally has its own appeal.”

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

“Certainly seems like it. I’m Cass.”

[cfselkies]

“You weren’t supposed to hang around me and Charlie in the first place but you did. And as soon as I needed someone to be there for me you were gone. You know it’s really sad when my dead friend was there for me more than my living one.” He’d never told her about that ability he had. He’d only told Charlie. He knew Cass had already been told not to hang around them and he didn’t need to affirm that she should stay away by dropping that little bombshell on her. But now, he didn’t care if he sounded out of his mind.

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

“I know, I know. But they were furious. And you both tried to leave. I thought you didn’t wa... I didn’t know, Jędrzej. I was scared.” She didn’t understand what he meant. Did he mean that she’d been so absent that Charlie might as well have been there? “Charlie’s gone. And I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry.”

[malxwashington-deactivated20150]

“Seems like you’ll fit in just fine.”  Mallory said, looking over her shoulder.

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

“Why’s that?”

[cfselkies]

“Just like you cared after Charlie died. And after I got sent away the next year. Yeah, how nice of you.” He didn’t raise his voice, but he didn’t need to. His words were harsh and biting, everything he’d bottled up for three years starting to come out now. He wanted his friend back. He wanted things to be somewhat like they were before everything fell apart. But she made the choice to change. Not him. 

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

“I did care. I just... didn’t know how to deal with it. I wasn’t allowed to talk to you...” How weak her excuses sounded, even to her. For years, Andrzej and Charlie had helped her ignore her parents when they were unreasonable, but suddenly, she listened? A lump caught in her throat, making it hard to speak. “I’m sorry,” she added, quieter than ever.

[cfselkies]

“People don’t care when the weird kid obsessed with death and dying goes missing.” he said flatly, “They probably think I ran away or finally did myself in. It’s not like my mom could say where I was. Who’d believe her? They’d lock her up too.” He’d never expected to see Cass again. Definitely not here. Of course now that they weren’t back home she was actually talking to him. Of course.

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

“I cared.” Her voice was quiet and filled with guilt. She wanted to hug him, wanted to go back to being 14, but how could she explain everything? Not to mention, if she was completely honest, she had been hurt and scared afterwards. She’d never really understood why.

[malxwashington-deactivated20150]

“Mallory,”  She replied and began leading the way towards the cabins.  “Or Mal, for short.”

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

Cass began to follow Mallory, smiling. “Nice to meet you Mal.”

[elisefujioka-deactivated2015072]

“That was…deep. But, yeah, no seasons. It’s some sort of magic thing.”

[sprxngsdaughter-blog]

Cass shrugged. It was how she got through difficulties. “Right. Well that’s... interesting.”