CHAPTER 8
Cassie was humming cheerfully under her breath as she breezed into the kitchen and grabbed an apple from a bowl on the center island. Her grandmother froze in the act of beating some scrambled eggs. Her delicate eyebrows drew together as her azure eyes tracked Cassie's every movement. Reaching over, her grandma turned down the country song drifting from the radio.
"You seem much happier today," her grandmother said.
Cassie stopped to drop a kiss on her grandmother's smooth cheek. Though she was in her late fifties, she barely looked a day over thirty. Only soft laugh lines marred the corners of her eyes and mouth. Her shoulder length, strawberry blond hair, was pulled into a loose ponytail that bounced against her neck.
"A little," Cassie agreed.
"Did you finally get some sleep?"
Cassie nodded, a sly smile flitted over her mouth as she recalled the night of sleep she'd had. Last night had only been a dream, and could only ever be a dream, but it had still left her feeling warm, alive and strangely loved this morning. Her gaze shot to the window where she could see Chris just walking out of his house.
"Yes," Cassie answered absently.
She’d woken up strangely revived and optimistic, the sight of Chris's slumped shoulders reminded her their life wasn't some oddly realistic dream. This was her life, and in her life, there was no room for hope and optimism. There was no room to have feelings for someone, because in the end she would have to give them up. She reminded herself of these things, but she couldn't stop the excitement filling her at the thought of seeing Devon today. She was playing with fire, and bound to get burned, but at this moment she couldn't put the matches down.
"Luther is working you all too hard," her grandmother muttered before returning to her eggs.
"We're fine, grandma."
She glanced sharply back up at Cassie. "You haven't been fine for the past week."
Cassie shrugged as she shoved the apple into her bag. She couldn't meet her grandmother's eyes; she knew how observant she was. "I was just a little stressed over school."
"Hmm," she grunted. "You're too young for such responsibilities."
Cassie heaved her backpack onto her shoulder. Chris was already parked on the street, waiting for her. He usually came inside in the morning, either to say hi to her grandma, or to steal some food. The fact he wasn't coming in led Cassie to believe he'd had a rough night.
"You were younger than me when you learned what you were," Cassie reminded her. "And you had the same responsibilities."
Her grandmother turned toward her. "I always knew what I was Cassie. It wasn't staggering to me, and at the time we never could have imagined such a thing as The Slaughter would occur. You shouldn't have had to know either."
"Grandma…"
She waved her hand impatiently. "I know Luther had to find you. It was part of your destiny after all. It just would have been nice to have been able to keep you sheltered from it."
Cassie hurried to her side and hugged her tenderly. "I know grandma, but there are things in life we can't predict or avoid."
Cassie thought over her words and was startled to realize they could apply to her situation with Devon. She couldn't have predicted his arrival, and she was beginning to feel it would be easier to stop a locomotive than to continue to fight her strong attraction to him. She trembled with anticipation at the same time her mouth went dry with dread. If she did this, there would be no turning back, and she found she almost welcomed the change.
"When did you get so smart dear?"
Cassie blinked as she was brought back to the present. "A wise person raised me."
Her grandmother's face lit up with her smile. "And don't you forget it. Now hurry up, get going, Chris had a rough night."
"Yeah, he did."
Cassie kissed her cheek again, squeezed her hand, and hurried out of the house. The day was bright and warm, the chill of fall hadn't settled in completely, but the leaves were beginning to change. Cassie glanced up at the clear sky and eagerly inhaled the fresh air as she tried to steady her tingling nerves and pounding heart. She was convinced there would be no turning back after today.