~
They pulled into Cassie’s driveway and just sat in silence. Cassie made no move to get out of the car. She just needed a moment. She needed to gather her thoughts and prepare herself to be alone with Trik. He was just too much at times. His confident, devil may care attitude was alluring, and the way he looked at her was disarming.
“How’s your brother Elora?” Cassie’s voice shook, though her question was simple and totally unrelated to the mess she was in.
Elora shook her head with a small laugh. “He’s good. He’s actually enjoying the whole college experience.”
Cassie nodded with a small smile. “That’s good.” She paused. “How do you think you did on the English paper?”
Elora tilted her head at her friend and empathy filled her purple contact colored eyes. “You’re stalling.”
“Pretty much.”
“You don’t have to go up there.”
“Yes, yes I do.” Cassie grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open.
“Cassie.” The worry in Elora’s voice made Cassie pause as she placed both feet on the pavement. She looked back over her shoulder.
“They will protect you, Syndra and Tamsin. You will be safe.”
Cassie’s face softened as she let out a weary sigh. “Yeah, but who will protect Trik?” She climbed out of the car and shut the door behind her. Taking a page from Elora’s book she didn’t say goodbye, but simply headed for the front door of her house.
“Mom, I’m home,” Cassie announced.
“Okay, I’m in the dining room.”
Cassie found her mom sitting at their dining room table, stacks of paper surrounded her. She had a pencil tucked behind her ear and her shoulder length hair had been pulled up haphazardly in a ponytail. Her mom was a lawyer and a good one. She practiced family law and she worked nonstop for her clients, oftentimes it seemed she was more a therapist than a lawyer.
“I’m going to head up to my room to work on some homework,” Cassie told her mom as way of an excuse for her to spend a Saturday in her room.
Her mom nodded at her, waving her understanding, never taking her eyes from her work.