Masked

Chapter Fourteen

        A twenty-nine year old Cassie was celebrating her birthday alongside her harsh father, caring mother, and monkey butler. Mom had made a cake just for her. It was confetti flavored, two layers, covered in purple frosting, and had the number twenty-nine written out in sprinkles. The girl had no idea how this life-threatening concoction of sugar had been given an 'okay' by her dad, but as her mother sang out 'Happy Birthday' she smiled.

        "Thanks, Mom," She said, kissing her mother on the cheek.

        The man at the other end of the dining table cleared his throat. "Cassie," Reginald said. "You have shown time after time your excellence in your art. In honor of your success, I have given you this mission free night to celebrate your twenty-ninth birthday. Congratulations."

        His tone was flat and his voice monotone. Cassie frowned internally while putting on her best grin. He could say things that were so sweet, but at the same time proved his disinterest. As she ate her cake, however, her face lit up. It was perfect. The night was everything she could have asked for: no mission, no training, not even Herr Carlson, just cake. There was no party, but there also were no siblings she had to share this special day with. They had all left, even Luther.

        It was towards the end of their mini 'celebration' when things took a serious turn. Without warning, both Pogo and Mom left the room, leaving Cassie alone with her father. She looked him in the eye, asking what was up.

        "There will be a time," he started. "When you will have to meet your siblings. No one can say when this day will come, but you must be prepared for it, Cassie. I need you to be the mediator I know you are. Over these many years, I have watched you struggle, yearning to be with the others. Unfortunately, for your own good, this was something I could not let you do. However, you need to know, that in the end, it will bring you closer together."

        She shook her head sadly at her dad's words not wanting to hear whatever it was he had to say. It didn't matter how many excuses he gave. It would never fill the loneliness in her heart. Cassie had always been alone; his attempts at having typical family dinners after the other five followed their own path had changed nothing. She had known no one. The one person she was allowed to talk to thought she was dead, and even that relationship didn't last long. Without being excused, she stood up and went to her room. If only she had listened.

•~•

        My eyes were closed as I lay in the passenger seat of Diego's car. He had managed to stop the bleeding, and using a first aid kit he kept in the trunk, was currently working on stitching me up. I clenched my teeth as the needle and thread dug through my skin. His hands had been shaking when he began, but luckily, his nerves had subsided slightly. Once the hole on the front side of my chest was closed up, he started on the back. I leaned forward for him, wincing slightly.

        The lights in the car didn't do much, and I was amazed that Diego hadn't managed to mess up yet. A few more minutes and he was completely done. As if I had known that I'd do something stupid, my briefcase I brought with me the first night was still in the car, change of clothes and all. He exited the vehicle as I dressed in something that wasn't covered in blood. A cobalt blue dress paired with grey leggings clung to my skin, and one of my sneaker's laces were untied. I leaned down to fix it but whimpered in pain.

        The better option it seemed was to lift my leg to onto the dashboard and tie it that way. As soon as I was ready, I opened the car door and slowly got out, leaning on the metal frame for support. Not prepared for the sudden exertion, my body started to slide down towards the ground, but two arms wrapped themselves around my waist, keeping me up.