Chapter Three: Doubt

St. Briston was the perfect little city, with a local everything and two sides to everyone. They had the hospital Edith Carlone was offered a job at, as a psychiatrist the offer was quickly placed, the school Cassidy was supposed to go to, and the tourist attractions.

Ranging from abandoned hospitals and tribal tales to the famous Angel's Bakery across the school, its food claimed to be as heavenly as the name. The city seemed to have everything you would want from it. But, St Briston's latest attraction was a lot smaller and younger than the others.

It came in a five-foot-seven package with tufts of chocolate brown hair sticking out of the top. It had neither a doll-like appearance nor a brain to battle Einstein. It didn't possess any ulterior powers and wasn't talented at any performing arts.

Although it did read stories in a way that could make Shakespeare quake in his pantaloons and skated good enough to compete in quite a few tournaments, that wasn't what made it so famous, or rather infamous.

No, it was the tragic past, the heartbreaking trauma and the attempt at a new beginning that drew people to it.

Or rather her.

The secrets of Cassidy's past weren't kept under lock and key. She didn't think everyone would ignore it and knew some would care enough to find out what happened over the past year. So she didn't bother trying to hide it, neither did she go around screaming it in the open, but people still seemed to find a way to spread her past like wildfire.

Cassidy had expected quite a few things coming to St. Briston. She had expected people to gossip and push her away screaming 'freak'. She had expected her elderly neighbours to turn up their nose at her appearance and blame her for her damned past, and the hospital staff who worked alongside her mother to hate her.

However, the people of St. Briston were a peculiar lot and nothing like she had expected them to be.

They didn't cover away or yell nasty slurs, they remained nonchalant save for the different bursts of emotions swirling in their eyes. Some would be blatantly obvious with their pity, going as far as to place a hand on her shoulder or try and cheer her up somehow. Others would have this weird rage flitting in their eyes.

The fire blazing in their sockets as they looked upon her had confused Cassidy at first, but Alexandra had reassured her the anger wasn't targeted at Cassidy, but at her assailant.

When they looked at her, they saw yet another teenage girl who was wrongly abused, a girl who had faced horrors a grown man shouldn't have to face. They felt they should've done something to prevent it, thus the anger. The other people felt similarly, except they expressed their thoughts with pity.

It is said eyes are the windows to the soul, but Cassidy felt that for her the phrase wasn't quite what it was supposed to mean.

The emotions or feelings displayed in her eyes weren't similar to her soul, their colour was. The oceanic hues that coloured her irises reminded her of the forever changing sea waves. They were sometimes harsh waves taller than mountains, willing to disrupt everything in their path. But, most of the time, they were calm bursts of water rising as high as a toddler.

Some would take those as a warning or reminder of the harsher waves, while others, the more dimwitted ones, would think of it as the wave's most powerful burst.

Such thoughts were put into practice as she ascended the steps to her neighbour's front gate.

A light ring of the doorbell echoed around their street as Cassidy faced an inner turmoil on whether or not it was too late to turn back. She decided to shun her cowardice just as her neighbour pulled open the black double door, a kind smile plastered across the woman's face.

"Yes?"

For a brief moment, Cassidy simply paused and analyzed the older woman's gaze, searching for any prominent hidden emotions. When she came up empty-handed, the brunette simply smiled and extended her hands.

"I'm Cassidy Carlone, my mother, sister and I moved into the house across the street. We baked a few cookies and decided to send some over."

A genuine smile lit up the woman's face as she ushered Cassidy into the house, making her sit on a stray armchair.

"Why, these are great!"

Cassidy laughed at the woman's sudden exclamation, a smile overcoming her face as the older lady set down the plate of cookies on the table and turned back to the teen.

It was then that the older woman noticed the roller-skates and helmet hanging from the brunette's belt loop.

"Are you a skater?"

Her question made Cassidy smile as she waited for the lady to take a seat, only replying when the older woman's hazel eyes met hers again.

"Yes, but not professionally."

"My husband used to ice skate when we were younger, every time he was angry or sad, he would go out to the rink and spend hours over there. But he always came back to me in the end, said that I helped him more than the ice ever could."

While she was certain the lady was simply reminiscing on her past, Cassidy couldn't help but wonder whether or not she was subtly hinting at the teen's current situation. The old lady seemed to be a sweet, kind-hearted woman, yet her words held a hint of the bitter truth Cassidy was unwilling to admit.

Getting called out for her behaviour wasn't something she had excepted, but the brunette replied nicely nonetheless.

"That's sweet of him."

The older lady seemed disappointed at the reply as if she was expecting more from Cassidy. Regardless of her opinion, the woman simply nodded along and got up from her seat, leading Cassidy back to the front door.

She kept quiet for a long time, simply holding the door open until the teenager skated out of the threshold. It wasn't until the brunette turned back to say goodbye that the older woman spoke again, her voice carrying a hint of empathy.

"You think of what I said, darling. Skates can't give you what a human can."

With that the lady simply nodded at Cassidy, ignoring her slack jaw as she closed the gate.

Cassidy continued standing there for a moment, absorbing the lady's words. How was it that someone she just met could read her so easily?

Perhaps it was true what people said, the older you are, the wiser you get.

When Cassidy realized she had been standing there for longer than necessary she simply shook her head and muttered a light 'goodbye' to the closed doors before heading away from her neighbour's house, ready to start skating.

The streets would take some getting used to, their sudden bumps and ridges feeling awkward against her blue roller-skates as Cassidy continued down the main road, keeping a steady pace along the sidewalk. Usually, she would have preferred to stay at home for the afternoon and curl up with a good book, but the moving company's appearance disrupted her comfort, thus she couldn't help but turn to her other hobby.

It was peculiar being the only person on the streets, her company being an occasional passing car. Cassidy was unsure if she felt tranquillity or hesitance, but regardless of whether her heart's sudden pace was due to adrenaline, fear, or sudden exercise she continued on her way.

For a moment the blue-eyed brunette simply sighed and paused in the middle of the sidewalk, fishing out her headphones and phone.

While she had promised herself to keep her senses sharp and alert throughout the day, Cassidy couldn't pass up the chance to have a bit of her old self back. It felt like her fingers didn't need any guidance as they automatically clicked on the Spotify icon, scrolling to the 'skating' playlist and clicking on a random song.

This time the sigh that passed her lips was one of content as the steady thrum of a guitar filled up her head. Like always she leisurely strolled down the sidewalk through the start of the song, only speeding up when the up-beat chorus began.

The pattern continued as she took a left turn onto the main street, occasionally pausing for passing pedestrians.

Cassidy didn't bother reducing her volume to tune into her surroundings, her attention completely divided between the music and her pace. After a turn to the right, the brunette decided to briefly pause and take a breath, cornflower blue eyes scanning her surroundings as she tried to calm her racing heart.

She hadn't taken the time to notice it, but Cassidy had stopped right in front of Briston High.

The blue and white building drew bittersweet emotions as she glanced at the students leaving the premises, each of them wearing navy blue and white uniforms.

St Briston was very different from Lonam City, but the most prominent change was how put-together everything was.

The buildings were made of pristine glass and metal, their sharpness being reflected onto the general public. Everyone seemed to be living the fast life as if they were too busy to pause and take a breath. It felt like people were more bothered about their suits wrinkling than a person falling over, and that was concerning, to say the least.

Lonam always felt like a homely housewife's kitchen, warm and full of love. The city was big enough that people didn't know everyone, but its brick houses and constant 'sweater weather' had the citizens feeling quaint and comfortable.

Perhaps that was why her story blew up so much.

Being tormented, facing two loved ones' deaths, and being kidnapped was quite the chain of events; especially in a city where the biggest criminal scandal was when two brothers killed their abusive father. The Carlones had made the front page throughout and after her kidnapping, and while the publicity helped pressure the police to take the case seriously, it also ensured everyone pitied Cassidy after her return.

Some people didn't seem to realize she wasn't a sympathy project they could post about for a week and then forget; the brunette was still unsure whether the posts were worse, or the lack therefore of.

Why should anyone care?

The voice's words while cynical weren't far from her thoughts, thus didn't affect Cassidy too much. They did, however, prompt her to snap out of her staring fest.

Cassidy chose to ignore the voice as she turned towards the building across from her new school, noticing the crowd filing in and out of it, migrating to the bakery beside the school.

Angel Bakery had been the talk of the Carlone household for the past day after Edith bought a few cookies and muffins from the squat building. The baked goods had been better than anything Cassidy had ever tasted in Lonam, and thus spurred various conversations and promises of Edith returning to the bakery with her daughters.

She paused for a moment, wondering whether or not it would be wrong to visit the bakery a day before her mother's promised trip.

In the end, the sweet scents wafting across the street and colourful discounts were enough to prompt Cassidy to skate towards the bakery, her cornflower blue eyes zeroed in on the menu. Several emotions flickered through her eyes as Cassidy stepped into the bakery, the smell of freshly baked products and brewed coffee making her mouth water.

The homely beige wallpaper and cute artistic designs made her grin as Cassidy slowly skated across the bakery, pausing her music just as the cashier turned towards her.

"What would you like?"

It took her a moment to scan the menu and mull over the various options, finally deciding to settle on a doughnut box and cold beverage. After all, the only thing worse than visiting the bakery without her family would be returning without something for them.

The service was faster than Cassidy anticipated, and her order was handed to her within a few minutes. The teen was glad for the swift service and quickly thanked the cashier before skating out of the bakery.

While she had healed enough to go around town by herself, the blue-eyed brunette didn't do well in crowded spaces, and constantly fed her anxiety various scenarios.

"Skater girl!"

If she hadn't been the only skater in the bakery, Cassidy would have never paused at the awful nickname, but she still found herself curiously turning on the sidewalk regardless of her hesitance.

Cassidy had expected a lot of different things when she turned around.

For a few seconds, she wondered if it was a creepy stranger trying to initiate conversation or one of those girls who would chaste her for using a plastic straw. She presumed the bubbly blonde girl in front of her wasn't far from both of those options, but something made the blue-eyed brunette hesitantly smile.

Perhaps it was because of the blonde's school uniform, the Briston High logo making Cassidy automatically try to be nice and avoid any rumours or conflict even before her first day, or maybe she was just too tired to put up a guarded mask.

Nevertheless, her smile was returned as the girl held out a familiar wallet, waving it in front of Cassidy's line of sight.

"You forgot your wallet on the counter."

Cassidy paused, unsure of how to react. She had never in her sixteen years of life forgotten her wallet, so how did such a thing happen today?

"Thank you."

The blonde simply nodded towards her, turning back towards the street as she too waited for the traffic to thin out.

"By the way, my name's Valerie Henson, you are?"

For a brief moment, the blue-eyed brunette contemplated being rude and replying sarcastically, but she held her tongue and replied in kind.

"Cassidy Carlone."

Valerie nodded at the reply, glancing at the brunette from her peripheral vision.

"Are you new here?"

Yet again Cassidy wondered if a sarcastic answer would make the girl go away, but something in the back of her mind made the skater polite towards the strange blonde.

"Yeah, we moved here yesterday."

Valerie clicked her fingers at the brunette's words, quickly turning to face Cassidy as she excitedly replied.

"You're the new family in compound sixteen, aren't you?"

It was relieving how people recognised her family for their new address rather than her cruel past. This time her smile was genuine as Cassidy chuckled and nodded at Valerie.

"How did you know?"

"My tuition teacher used to live there before. She moved to Paris last month."

Cassidy hummed at the reply, turning away from the blonde as the light finally turned red. Valerie too turned back towards the street, walking across it with her before turning towards the right. The blonde briefly paused for a moment, turning back towards Cassidy with a light smile.

"It was nice meeting you, skater girl, I'll see you at school tomorrow."

The nickname made her laugh again as Cassidy continued down the sidewalk, this time slowing down her pace to a stroll, coming to a realization she hadn't previously considered.

"I guess Saint Briston isn't that bad."