The Prophecy of a Girl Called Cassiopeia

Chapter One

"What if I got the money to you next month?" My grip on the phone wedged between my shoulder and my ear loosened as I readjusted the folders in my hands. The frigid winter air produced goosebumps on my legs as I stepped onto the crowded sidewalk. I seemed to have forgotten to acknowledge the fact that it was winter when choosing an outfit for the day. The pencil skirt and thin button-up blouse had proven itself unsuitable for New York winters. Even with the coat I had remembered to grab just before leaving my apartment, I was absolutely frozen.

It was my fifth winter on the east coast and I still hadn't adjusted to the intense winters. Five years ago, when I became an adult, I moved to New York City. They said it was the city of dreams. They said that one could do anything they could dream of in the city.

The truth was that I was abandoned at birth. Ms. Cooper, the lady in charge of the children's home, said she found me on the doorstep in a car seat. So, I was stuck in the foster care system for my whole child hood. It wasn't all bad, the movies exaggerate. I stayed with a few different sets of foster parents, but I always went back to the children's home. It's not that I had a lot of bad memories, I was just lonely. I became used to being alone. Being alone all of my life made me yearn for change.

Change seemed to be the only constant in my life.

At first the plan was to attend a college in the city. The scholarships I received hadn't been enough, I still couldn't afford tuition. I couldn't seem to get anywhere in life. I was living in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn and the only job I could get was working as a secretary for an almost criminally demanding devil in Manhattan. On top of that, I hadn't been able to pay my rent, and I was in danger of being evicted. This was the city of dreams?

"I'm sorry, Cassie. If you don't get the money to me by the end of the week, you will need to find a new place to stay," his scratchy voice rang through my head.

"Greg, please, I only need another month, please," I pleaded with him.

"I'm sorry, darling, you've got 'til the end of the week." The disconnect tone seemed to foreshadow my impending eviction.

As I approached the modern building, my phone fell from my shoulder causing my reflexes to kick in and drop the load of papers and folders that I had been carrying. Everything, including me, came crashing down on the dirty city sidewalk. The papers that my boss needed thirty minutes ago were currently under the feet of other busy New York residents. Before I could even begin wallowing in the pain from the fall, I noticed my phone getting kicked all over like a soccer ball.

"You have got to be kidding me!" I yelled to no one in particular.

The people surrounding me didn't even glance in my direction. No native New Yorker would. They continued walking past me, kicking my boss's papers in all directions.

I sighed and began to pick up the less damaged folders, deciding to collect the muddy and torn papers from the sidewalk when it was less busy. My fingers were suddenly caught under a fancy looking mens shoe. I yelped and help my throbbing finger, letting the papers fall back to the dirty concrete. Im sure I looked extremely pitiful, sitting in the middle of the sidewalk, getting stepped over. I sighed, deciding to give up.

I stood up and found a man reaching for my papers. He was dressed in an expensive-looking navy blue suit, expressing his importance. His hands skillfully avoided the moving feet as he picked up each paper, one by one.

"Sir, I swear I was just about to pick them up, I'm not littering I just-" I trailed off as the most beautiful hazel eyes I've ever seen peered into my own, waving away the sentence I had formed in my head. I had completely lost the ability to speak.