"How can you lose when you never stop fighting?"
Cassiopeia Walker-Simmons looked at her star from a tiny window in space her whole life. She never imagined that it'd be even more beautiful from the ground. Yet every time she gazed upon the dazzlin...
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NO LONGER INVISIBLE
She was six when it happened. It was a rather mundane day, full of the usual same shit she had to deal with on a daily basis. She'd go to class, sit huddled in a corner far away from the other children, and let her eyes linger on friends giggling together. Cassie yearned for that, to be able to have someone she could call her best friend. She wanted to be able to share inside jokes and share toys and have sleepovers. She wanted to have someone she could smile at.
The only source of her happiness came from home. Her two loving parents who always suffocated her with hugs and kisses. They saw her struggle, witnessed her withdraw from society. They understood the divide between her and the other children - she was quiet, mature for her age. She didn't enjoy spending her time revelling in childish traditions. What she did instead was learn the constellations in the sky off by heart. She could happily point out Orion's Belt and the Cassiopeia - the very star she was named after. Mention the stars to her and instantly her face would light up and she would launch into an endless string of astronomy that none of the other children understood. So, they just gave up trying.
They were her rock in a world that was trying to drag her down.
Cassie knew that the scent of cinnamon meant that she was safe, and that a throaty chuckle meant that she was surrounded by the people she loved. Her parents were her friends, and as content as she was with that she wanted something more. Something special.
That something special came in the form of an invitation to a classmates birthday. Cassie stared at the girl in shock, blinking at her slowly. It took her a while to process the words, the young blonde girl waiting for her to respond.
Dumbly, Cassie pointed to herself. "Me?"
The blonde girl laughed. Clarke, Cassie believed her name to be. It was a high pitched noise that irritated Cassie's ear drums; at this point she was deaf to this. All she could hear from this girl is that she was wanted. "Is there another Cassie in our class?"
There wasn't.
That was all it took for her heart to soar. Maybe this was the start of something new, maybe it was finally the thing she had been waiting for. Maybe the two of them would become inseparable, and she would grow to learn every single detail of this girls life. She wondered how long it would take for Cassie to adopt the girls mannerisms, how quickly she'd be able to recognise if something was wrong with the other without a single word.
Eagerly Cassie nodded, accepting the invitation happily. She held the paper in her hand as if it was glass, eyes only moving between the girl and the piece of paper that labelled her as a part of something.
The girl smiled at her excitement, giving her a quick wave before skipping off to join a boy their age. Cassie found her gaze glued to her, following her every movement. She watched eagerly as her and the boy laughed - finally, an opportunity to be a part of it.
