5 Chapter Four: It's Just a Game.

Cassidy had always been the type of person who adored school.

Most people liked it due to the friends they made and the skills they attained, yet Cassidy was different. She liked it for the education she received, being one of the few students who were genuinely interested in the topics taught. Everyone had subjects they despised, yet unlike the others, she found those subjects bearable.

Which was why it was peculiar how the tables were turned.

A lot had changed in the past year, but the brunette skater had never thought her likes and dislikes would be affected. Evidently, she thought wrong. Cassidy had never been one to run from her problems, yet her current predicament had the blue-eyed teen yearning to escape.

"Are you going to go in or just stand there?"

Cassidy shrugged at the question.

"Am I allowed to stand longer?"

Alexandra wasn't amused by her sister's sarcasm; thus she chose to simply hum and roll up the windows.

"Have a nice day."

The skater replied in kind just as her sister sped out of the parking lot, leaving Cassidy alone in front of the school's gate.

Briston High looked different up close.

The navy blue and white paint glistened in the sunlight as various students filed into the building, each of them conversing about the day's events. No one seemed to notice her as Cassidy followed the mob, keeping her head down and eyes trailed on the concrete.

Her subtleness, however, didn't last for long as she finally entered the school.

Several pairs of eyes turned to her at once, each analyzing the blue-eyed brunette. It wasn't as dramatic as her entrance in Lonam High, people didn't stop all conversation and stare, they just glanced at her before looking away again. Some gossiped while others, the kinder ones, asked if she needed help.

Cassidy appreciated the change in pace and hoped the day would carry on with the same pattern. There would certainly be a few people who steered clear from her, and others who asked her about her past, but the brunette could finally reveal her history on her terms. The thought made her smile as Cassidy moved away from the gate, ready to face her first day at Briston High.

Everything seemed to be alright as Cassidy walked down the main hallway, pausing in front of her designated locker to fetch her school books.

"Skater girl!"

The sudden call made Cassidy smile as she turned towards her left, facing Valerie's familiar form.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, I told the group all about you!"

Cassidy was unsure what to think of that statement, thus chose to ignore it as she closed her locker.

"Are you in the same grade as me?"

Valerie hummed for a moment, snatching Cassidy schedule before replying.

"Yup, we're in the same class."

The warning bell for form time rung as soon as Valerie answered, making the blonde huff as she looped her arm through Cassidy's.

"Come on, we're going to be late."

The people at Briston High had gotten over their intrigue for Cassidy and simply chose to ignore her as the brunette went about her day. While a small part of her felt confused at the lack of attention, the brunette appreciated it nonetheless as she continued to each lesson.

However, things seemed to change during lunchtime as her classmates murmured yet again, this time their curiosity was for where Cassidy would spend the free period.

Around ten long blue tables were placed vertically around the vast room, nearly all of them full of students save for a few spots here and there.

Cassidy hadn't bothered trying to make friends the entire day, but Valerie was kind enough to have the skater sit with her group. It included two boys and another girl, yet all of them were too engrossed in their conversation to pay attention to the new brunette addition.

Cassidy didn't mind, she preferred talking to Valerie rather than a group of strangers.

A light smile graced her lips as the blonde muttered on about the wardrobe malfunction their chemistry teacher had, the pink fumes and feathers causing him to look like a flamingo.

"Do you think he'll get reprimanded by the principal?"

Valerie giggled at the question, leaning back as she replied.

"I hope so, he's always so fussy about the rules, he should be yelled at if he breaks them."

Cassidy laughed at the reply, smiling at the irony of the situation. So far school wasn't as bad as the blue-eyed brunette presumed it would be. Her past hadn't tainted her present as she thought it would, and Cassidy had even made a friend who genuinely seemed nice.

Are you sure you aren't confusing pity for kindness?

It was peculiar how the voice chose to make an appearance in public, especially in such a crowded room. Over the past two weeks, Cassidy had learned a bit about the voice and knew it well enough to figure out a pattern in its visits.

The voice wasn't one to taunt her for a simple scare, it liked pulling on her nerves as she shivered in her bed and evaded the shadows curling around her.

Making an appearance in a crowded room wasn't something she saw coming, which was why Cassidy couldn't help but nervously glance around the room, wondering if her peers could somehow sense her inner turmoil as the voice continued.

Think about it, why would a girl like that befriend a freak like you?

This time its words hit home as if the voice could sense her insecurities and decided to use them against her.

Valerie was very different from Cassidy in more than one way.

While the bubbly blonde was captain of the netball team and a prominent member of the school's annual plays, Cassidy was an introverted hermit who preferred the company of her skates over a group of friends.

They seemed akin to two sides of a spectrum; one was a boisterous social butterfly while the other was a reserved antisocial recluse. One preferred large groups and constant days outside while the other hadn't been to a populated public location for the past year. If both of them were so different, what really drew Valerie to her?

As I said, mock pity.

No, it was impossible for the blonde to know about her past. Valerie Henson was an open book and would have showcased some sort of recognition or sympathy if she knew about Cassidy's past. Moreover, the blonde athlete wasn't one who catered to rumours and gossip; thus, Valerie couldn't possibly befriend her out of mock pity.

"Go away."

This wasn't the first time Cassidy attempted to command the voice, however, much like every other time the voice ignored her wishes and carried on with its taunts.

You're so pathetic you can't even make real friends.

She knew what it was playing at, and was certain the voice was simply attempting to steal her happiness. Then why was Cassidy feeding into its lies?

The brunette neither wanted nor needed any friends to have a good day, yet she appreciated Valerie's company over the usual silence. Having someone genuine to talk to without them knowing of her past was a heavenly change of pace. So why was she second-guessing Valerie's intentions?

Because you know I'm right.

This time she didn't bother concealing her groan of annoyance, unaware of the attention she was drawing to herself.

"Cass, are you alright?"

The concerned yet confused look sent her way made the brunette frown as she nodded towards Valerie, gulping down a negative reply.

As I said, freakshow, you're never going to fit in.

She launched out of her seat at those words, weirdly affected by the term 'freakshow'.

"I'll be back in a minute."

Cassidy didn't wait for a reply as she turned away from the blue table, speed walking outside of the cafeteria and towards the lockers. While she knew the voice wouldn't comply with her wishes, the brunette couldn't help but take a rough turn away from the main hallway as she addressed the voice.

"You and I have got a lot to go over."

Cassidy was quite concerned as she glanced over at her only friend, her blue eyes zeroing in on the wounds afflicted on the Hawaiian's hand.

After the little episode during lunchtime, the skater had chosen to hide near the emergency stairs as she attempted to calm down and get rid of the voice. It had taken a while, but eventually, Cassidy had recovered from the episode and left for her next class.

She hadn't expected to sit by Valerie again, but that wasn't what made the brunette gasp and worriedly mutter questions.

Apparently, a lot had happened after her sudden exit.

Valerie had not only gotten into a fistfight with someone but also earned detention and several split knuckles, all because some random boy decided to mutter a few crude statements about the blonde. Cassidy was unsure what to think of this new side to her friend, thus chose to ignore it and instead focus on Valerie's injuries and her refusal to tend to them.

Even though her hand was bleeding and probably hurt a lot, the stubborn blonde refused to go to the nurse, persistently muttering that she was alright. That rebellious streak kept up throughout most of the lesson, until the pain became even worse during their English essay, forcing Valerie to seek medical attention.

And of course, she decided to drag Cassidy into the nurse's office with her, apparently, it was a splendid idea.

"You have a mean punch, how did you learn to fight?"

Cassidy glanced up at Valerie, waiting as the blonde got her knuckles wrapped up by a fussy nurse who huffed about her long blonde strands of hair continuously getting stuck into the bandage.

"Oh, I have three older brothers, they're the reason I'm this good."

For some reason, Cassidy felt that statement wasn't what it seemed, which was why she waited for the feisty athlete to emphasize.

"Well, Miles is great at baking but regardless of all the fights he gets into, he still doesn't know how to throw a punch and has sworn off of swearing. Drake has a huge mouth, and an even bigger ego, but when the fight starts he's the first to run. Nico, well he apologized to the first person he punched, even though they were the ones who did the most damage."

Valerie turned towards Cassidy, holding her successfully bandaged hand as she continued.

"When you have three older brothers who can't defend themselves and have a tendency to mess with the wrong people, you have to learn how to fix their problems."

Cassidy nodded as a response as they walked out of the office. While her story wasn't what she expected it to be, Cassidy believed Valerie due to the day's incidents.

With only a few minutes left of their last lesson, the duo decided to skip the class and head to their lockers instead. Valerie lazily smiled as she slung an arm across Cassidy's shoulder, recalling an example of her brothers' timid personalities. It surprised the brunette how comfortable Valerie was around her, but Cassidy relaxed into the blonde's hold and allowed her to lead the way.

Cassidy liked how easy it was to become close to Valerie. While the voice had attempted to make her second-guess Valerie's intentions, Cassidy couldn't help but feel happy to have her as a friend.

Valerie was a bubbly extrovert who usually rambled off by herself, and that reminded Cassidy of Tanya. That wasn't the only similarity between her two friends, they were also easy to talk to and shared an interest in the performing arts. Thus she was quickly comfortable around Valerie.

She might have lost a dear friend, but it seemed fate decided to replace Tanya with a bubblier person.

Everything seemed to be going nicely, and Cassidy had convinced herself that the boy caught by Lonam City's police was the culprit after all. She had craved a new beginning ever since her return, and the brunette couldn't wait to move on from her wretched past.

All she had to do was get rid of her paranoia, among other things.

However, her thoughts were thrown out of the window as Cassidy opened her locker, a horrified gasp leaving her lips as she noticed an extra object. There, at the back of the locker buried under her lunch bag, was a familiar note, one that made terrible memories resurface.

Cassidy couldn't help but start hyperventilating at its sight; as if the monochrome letter was silently taunting her.

She was vaguely aware of a hand on her elbow and a concerned voice, but all that faded to the background as the first time she saw such a letter replayed itself in her mind's eye, like a broken record unwilling to stop.

Rain pounded against the windows of the library as she raced into the open gates, a thick book clutched in her hand and her school bag hung over her shoulder. The brunette prayed that her school supplies didn't get wet as she hurried past the open hallway, sighing in annoyance as she felt her back dampen.

Usually, Cassidy wouldn't be running around in such weather, but she had to return her library book if she didn't want to be banned from her sanctuary. It wasn't the first time she had delayed a return, and admittedly wouldn't be the last if Cassidy kept it up.

Just as the rain began to pour faster, the skater lurched into the majestic building, reaching right before closing time. A light grimace was painted across her face as she approached the librarian.

"You know you shouldn't be keeping a book for longer than a month, you're lucky your mother is a huge donator to this place."

Was the greeting she received as Cassidy handed over the old tome the elderly librarian was referring to.

While the skater busied herself checking her school bag to ensure it hadn't faced any damage, the older woman flipped the book over to confirm Cassidy didn't leave behind a bookmark or any money. She wasn't one to carelessly leave anything tucked into a book's pages, thus Cassidy continued her quick check as she expected nothing to fall out.

Which was why she was genuinely surprised when the librarian cheekily cleared her throat and gestured towards something lying flat against the desk.

A peculiar note lay in the middle of the mahogany table as the older woman simply shook her head and left her seat, disappearing amongst the various bookshelves towards their right. As the rain started pouring faster than before Cassidy didn't bother to look at the monochrome note's contents, simply tucking it into her front pocket as she mockingly saluted towards the librarian's back and rushed out the main door.

This time she didn't pause along the open hallway, quickly racing through the rain as she internally cursed herself for forgetting her umbrella. When Cassidy finally made it to her father's car, she received a series of chuckles as a greeting, the sound making the teen roll her eyes as she got into the passenger seat.

Antonin Carlone took his time starting up the car, waiting for his daughter to buckle in before he began down the road.

"What is that, Cass?"

"Oh, nothing, just some note, one of my friends probably left it in the book."

He lightly nodded before turning up the radio, drowning out any potential conversations as Cassidy examined the letter. Thankfully, it remained intact save for a big water drop around the edges.

It looked weirder up close than it did on the desk, with a sophisticated pattern strewn across the edges and her name written in fancy calligraphy. The overly grand look had Cassidy wondering whether it was in fact a letter from a friend, but she figured there was only one way to find out.

Hello Cassidy, would you like to play a game?

It's thrilling and enticing yet doesn't have a name.

You need nor money, nor any possessions,

For a game is simple, a game has not many rules.

Win a round, and remain unscathed,

Dare to lose,

I shall take something from you, my muse.

I do sincerely hope to see you again through this letter.

"Cass, are you alright?"

She hadn't noticed it, but the brunette skater had fallen onto the floor and was curled up into a ball with her back leaning against the locker.

Valerie had also kneeled down beside her, worriedly placing one palm on her knee while the other shook the brunette's arm. When she finally noticed Cassidy's gaze clearing and palm clenching around the letter, the blonde sighed in relief and helped her up.

"What is that?"

As Cassidy opened her mouth to spill the beans, something stopped her. She was conflicted, and rightfully so.

She could either tell Valerie the truth and risk her only friend's safety, or once again follow his game until the right time to strike. Cassidy recalled what occurred the last time she chose to break his rules and involve someone else in the game, thus she simply sighed and glanced at her shoes.

The decision was obvious and should have been easy, but a sneaky thought formed in her head as she looked at Valerie's concerned face. In the end, she settled on something risky yet logical, choosing to calculatingly remain silent until it was safe to make others aware of the situation.

"Oh, it's nothing, just something my sister wrote."

Valerie clearly didn't buy the reply but chose to keep her thoughts to herself and change the topic as they walked away from the lockers.

"So, how do you like St Briston so far?"

Cassidy paused, genuinely considering her reply.

"It's...not what I expected."