Do You Believe In Destiny?

Chapter Three

Cinder let out a sigh. "Yes, witchcraft. Now, are you going to take a bath or are you going to sit there in pain?"

She looked at Cassandra as an awkward silence fell over them.

"The bathroom is down this hallway, the first room you see when you turn to the right." And with that, Cinder walked off.

Cassandra knew there was no use in trying to get more information at that point. It was incredibly late and Cinder had already left the room, plus her back was horribly aching. Brushing herself off, she got up and followed the instructions given.

"Down the hall, first room to my right," She muttered under her breath. She was now facing a large, circular wooden door. Placing the vials in her pocket, Cassandra reached for the golden doorknob. It made an audible click as the door slowly swung open. Greeted with the warmth of a running tub, she closed the door behind her, making sure it was locked. The rooms walls were painted a light mint colour, the cupboards a creamy white. Cassandra ran her fingertips across the seashell shaped sink delicately and admired the craftsmanship that went into carving the intricate designs on the mirror's frame. She saw carvings of seashells, ocean waves and mermaids. She then walked over to the tub, which was now almost completely full, and turned the handle, the running water coming to a stop. Around the clawfoot tub were tall, white candlesticks on candelabras. They emitted a lavender scent, their flames flickering gracefully.

She heaved a sighed, placed the vials on the counter and began to undress, slipping her clothes off gently. Turning around she looked at the mirror only to see a large, purple bruise on her back. She winced at the sight and looked over to the purple vial. Carefully pouring it into the bath water, she watched as the deep, royal purple liquid swirled around the water. As it spread, the colour died down to a muted, milky mauve, the water glittering in the candlelight. Taking a deep breathe, she stepped into the tub. As her whole body submerged in the liquid, she felt a rush of warmth come over her, the aches in her back soothing almost immediately.

"This magic stuff does wonders!" Cassandra exclaimed to herself in glee. The water lapped onto her chest as she settled into the bath. She looked at her bare hand. She wasn't used to looking at it without her gloves on. Her hand was burned black, a permanent stain from the time she had touched Rapunzel whilst doing the decaying incantation. Cassandra sighed and continued to bathe herself. When she was finished, she stepped out of the tub and let it drain. Grabbing the blue vial, she poured some into the palm of her hand and slowly began to rub it onto the bruise on her back gently. Almost instantly, the bruise had disappeared.

"What...?" She marvelled. Then, and idea came to mind. Grinning, she poured it onto her burnt hand. Soon enough, the colour of her ivory skin reappeared in splotches, until her hand and forearm were completely back to normal.

'This stuff is incredible!'

Cassandra began to dry herself with a nearby towel and proceeded to get dressed. When she had finished, she opened the bathroom door to leave, only to find Cinder outside waiting for her.

"How'd it go?" The witch asked with a smile on her face.

Cassandra shifted her feet awkwardly. "Well, actually. Thank you again."

Cinder nodded. "Follow me to your room."

Cassandra willingly followed Cinder down the hallway. The silence between them now heavy and deafening. There were so many questions Cassandra wanted to ask: Who were these people, what are they doing here, why can they kill demons, how do they know witchcraft. She shook her head. She had just met these people, she can't expect them to trust and give her answers right away. Besides, it's not like she trusted the, either. Cinder cleared her voice, breaking Cassandra's train of thought and the silence surrounding them.

"Look, I know you want answers, and I'll give them to you over time, but it's past midnight and you really need some sleep. Here's your room." She motioned to another circular door.

Cassandra did nothing but nod as she opened the door, looking behind her to watch Cinder walk off.

Cassandra entered her room. She looked around. There was a large king sized mattress covered in maroon throw pillows, her sheets a deep red velvet. The walls were painted a dark grey and a fuzzy rug greeted her bare feet (she had taken off her shoes upon entering the house.)

She saw a long-sleeved nightgown placed on the bed meant for her to change into. Cassandra closed the door behind her and changed into the white, billowing nightgown.

"Goodnight." She whispered to herself, crawling into her sheets and falling asleep.

———
Man, do I love describing rooms lolol. These first couple chapters are going to be quite slow and I apologize but I really want to set a background story for the plot before jumping into the action! Thanks for understanding, until next time!

- tangledtangents <3