Crimson Angels: Prequel to Cassie (Teen Fiction)

1. The day they met

The sky was tinted in an explosion of colors. "Don't linger too far," she heard her mother cry. But that meant nothing to Cassandra because she never heeded her mother's words. She saw the woman as nothing more but a bane. A leech. A slimy, foul, spineless excuse of an existence.

If anyone were to ask why she felt that way. The answer was simple. Her mother left her in the care of her aunt, a woman who turned her life into an everyday nightmare. A woman who barraged her with words of loath and regret.

I never should have allowed my sister to leave you in my care. Those were the words that stung the most. Nobody wanted her. She could call her existence a taunting, a joke, or perhaps a mistake.

As her mother's voice faded in the distance, she fought her way against a crowd of smiling people with their heads tilted towards the sky to watch the fireworks that didn't seem to appeal to her. She must have mused too deeply at that moment that she accidentally bumped into someone which caused her to stumble and fall to the ground.

In a normal circumstance, she would have yelled at the person, and demanded that they watch where they were going. But that night was different for her. Her normal self was lost in the anger that bloomed from the return of a mother who had abandoned her without care. So, instead of growling words that would perhaps result in a messy situation, she pulled herself up from the ground, dusted her jeans, and wiped the pad of her hand—which was unfortunately smeared with the mud from a puddle she fell into—on the hem of her shirt. She was about to make her way towards nowhere in particular, when the stranger asked, "Where you spaced out on purpose?"

She scowled but didn't throw that look toward the owner of the voice. It wasn't a night that one would want to argue with or tease her. It wasn't a time when she would be lenient or manage self-control. So she ignored the question and continued to walk forward, uncaring of the numerous bodies that blocked her wake.

Soon, she arrived at a place far from the crowd. It was a ridge facing a river that seemed deep, possessed an obsidian hue, and was void of any ripple. The basin's tranquil and calm disposition brought a euphoric feeling inside her, so she decided to spend her hours there.

Choosing a spot near the river bank, she sat on a tuft of grass that perhaps thrived there without worry, then tilted her head towards the sky. When the dark blanket peeked back at her with all its grace, she couldn't help but smile. The stars looked so much better than the colorful fireworks that claimed the horizon a few meters away. She still saw the display of lights in the corner of her eyes but at least from where she sat, she managed to find an area above where the stars twinkled brighter, shadowing the foreign lights that she believed did not deserve to paint the horizon. Only the stars and the moon was allowed to dominate the night. Nothing that was out of place should ever dare to claim the stillness of the dark expanse she loved so much.

"I believe I asked you a question."

The voice startled her. She froze in place and a frown marred her forehead. But whatever emotion she felt at that moment wasn't enough to make her want to turn and see who it was that spoke to her.

"Are you mute? Perhaps you are, you seemed to have had a problem with balance,” the speaker added.

That did it. She stood from her spot, turned on her heel, and glared at the person who was behind her. His face finally clear before her eyes, she yelled, "Did you follow me just for taunting? If you're bored, go away and leave me alone. Find someone else to talk to."

"I didn't follow you. I was on my way here when you bumped into me.” The person replied, as he shifted his weight from on leg to the other, looking as though he had been standing for hours and needed reprieve.