I Refuse to Live a Dull Life This Time! Wattys 2019

Extra

      "Hey..". Collette looked at Cassandra with a blank stare. Cassandra turned her head to her, with a smile. "Hm?"

       "Did you...did you know that my parents didn't actually abandon me. I ran away." Collette said, looking down onto her lap. She held her hands tighter. She wasn't sure what Cassandra would think of her now. She had lied to Cassandra on the first day they met. Collette has been feeling horrible about it for years, even as they accepted her into their family. Even as Collette gradually let go of her previous family and saw Cassandra as her true grandmother.
     
         She felt guilty. She felt guilty for taking Cassandra's kindness that day, and never really telling her that it was a lie. She clenched her hands, and her mouth quivered. She didn't want to see what Cassandra's face looked like. Maybe she'd be mad, and retract everything she had said before about family. Maybe she'd be disappointed and never look at her again. Either way, Collette couldn't bare to see it. Her insides curled up.

       She didn't want Cassandra to hate her. She didn't...want it. Her eyes started to warm up. "No, I don't want her to hate me!" Collette thought, tears swelling up in her eyes.

      "I knew." Casssandra said nonchalantly as if it was a trivial matter. She had said it rather optimistically. Collette's eyes widened. "Wha-," Collette started.
 
       Cassandra quickly cut her off with a bright laugh, "Did you really think I was being serious back then? I was literally yelling sarcastically as an excuse to take you in! I mean my magic could easily see that you had run away, so I wanted to offer some kind of support to you. That's all." Collette felt a sudden release of something. Like her shoulders got lighter. The tears that welled up inside her eyes, started to fall slowly down her cheek. She wiped them off slowly, and smiled at Cassandra. "Grandmother. I love you." Collette said to her, as her tears kept falling and she kept wiping them with her arms.

      Cassandra smiled sweetly. "I love you too, Collette. You know why I named my daughter that?" She asked. "Why?" Collette questioned. "It's meaning is necklace. My grandmother's last memento was a little sapphire necklace, that she gifted me. It's color was very similar to your eyes actually! Ahah.... too bad the necklace got burnt a while ago, before you were born..." -she sighed-" in memory of that necklace I named my first daughter that, hehe." She touched Collete's cheek and smiled. "I hope you live a wonderful life." She said sweetly closing her eyes. Collette narrowed her eyes.
        
      She smiled very faintly and closed her eyes. "Yes...thank you." Collette whispered as Cassandra disappeared.

"Did you have fun?" Kami's voice called. Collette sighed. "It wasn't fun! It was sEnTiMeNTaL!!!!" She yelled. Kami laughed loudly.