Saving Cassilia

by Liz Thomas

  Cassilia closed her eyes tightly and did her best not to cry. “This is our house. You exist to serve us.” Trina spat. She finally lifted her foot off of Cassilia’s chest and stepped back. “Now go fold our clothes. If I have to stay in these rags another minute I may vomit.”

  Ramona chuckled, and the four exited.

  Annalise stayed behind.

  After ensuring that Roger and her sisters were out of sight, Annalise dashed over to Cassilia, picking up her fallen glasses as she did so.

  She placed her hands under Cassilia’s arms and began helping her to her feet, much to the latter’s surprise. “Put these on.” Annalise whispered as she helped Cassilia steady herself.

  Footsteps in the adjacent room caused Annalise to freeze, and then look to confirm that no one was coming. That was the benefit of being the silent one; she could often fly under the radar.

  When she was certain that no one would see them, Annalise took Cassilia by the face and studied the small cut at the corner of her mouth. “You’re lucky.” Annalise smiled, “Trina used to do way worse to me and Ramona.”

  Cassilia scowled, overwhelmed by all that was happening. “…what?”

  “Hydrogen peroxide.” Annalise told her, “Put some on that as soon as you can. If you can hold off till tonight I’ll help you do the dishes.”

  Cassilia shook her head. Annalise was the only one of the three who’d never been overtly mean to her, but her behavior now was still drastically out of character.

  Before Cassilia could ask the obvious question, Annalise spoke. “There’s a lot you don’t know. But you don’t deserve this. No one does.”

  Cassilia was speechless. Annalise stepped forward and made one final cursory check to ensure that they were alone. “I’m tired of watching you go through this. Your mom was a beautiful woman and she was the closest thing to a mom I ever had.” Annalise reached up and put her hands on Cassilia’s shoulders. “Keep your head down for a little bit longer and weather this. I’ll look out for you as best I can.”

  With that, Annalise turned and walked away.

  “…thank you…” A bewildered Cassilia said. Annalise kept walking, but gave her a thumbs-up behind her back.

  Stunned and dazed from the slap Trina had delivered, Cassilia carefully made her way towards the laundry room, where the clothes awaited.

  Cody was debating whether or not to share his findings with Matt when Alyssa walked into the room. Her smile felt like it took all the light out of the room, and Cody suddenly felt horrified. Looking at her now, realizing that she may have tried to kill him, he felt helpless. “Hey, lover.” Alyssa greeted, subtly moving her hips as she approached the bed. Her demeanor changed entirely when she noticed Matt, and shooed him away like a fly. “Matt, don’t you have a weight watchers meeting to attend or something?”

  “Actually I need to check with the Director’s Board at the asylum, warn them to get tested for whatever STD’s you may have given them so they could let you out.”

  Cody fought off an involuntary laugh. Matt and Alyssa exchanged dark looks, and then the former looked at Cody. “Want me to go?”

  Cody shook his head. “No.”

  Matt looked down triumphantly at Alyssa, who was angry and bemused at being overruled. “See? Cody wants me to stay. Why don’t we all stay and have a nice little chat, Alyssa?”

  Alyssa glared at him as Matt took a seat in the recliner and laid back, getting comfortable. “That’s too bad.” Alyssa hissed, “I was hoping to get in a quickie.”

  She looked at Cody and smiled, “Unless you want him to watch.”

  “No.” Cody stated, “I don’t want him to watch.”

  “And I don’t wanna watch.” Matt added.

  Alyssa shrugged and sat on the bed beside Matt, placing a hand on his stomach. “So what happened, lover?”

  “Poison.” Matt blurted, much to Alyssa’s chagrin. “Apparently something that targets legs only. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

  “Matt…” Cody was glad that Matt was standing up for him, but subtlety was clearly not his strong point.

  Matt shrugged. “What? It’s just a question.”

  “No, Matt, I don’t know anything about it. Why would I?”

  Cody took notice. It wasn’t like Alyssa to go on the defensive.

  She looked down at Cody and at that point, looking into her hollow blue eyes and the feigned expression of concern, he knew. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, he knew it was her. “Someone poisoned you? Why?”

  “I don’t know.” Cody replied, uncomfortable with her hand on him, “That’s what the doctor said.”

  Alyssa made no attempt to hide her satisfaction as she continued speaking, “I guess that means your big game is off, huh?”

  “No, not really.” Cody spoke before Matt could, and quick glance at his friend revealed that the wind had been taken out of his sails, “Apparently, their quarterback is having issues too, so the game’s been pushed back by three weeks.”

  Alyssa frowned and finally took her hand away, “But you won’t be ready to play by then, will you?”

  “Damn right I will.” Cody declared, looking her dead in the eye, “If they have to wheel me onto that field, I’m playing. And I’m gonna beat them.”

  Matt smiled.

  Cody could see the mind of his girlfriend racing as she rose. “Well, maybe we can find other ways to occupy your time.”

  “I really doubt it.”

  Alyssa looked at Matt, who smiled victoriously at her.

  She patted Cody on the stomach and again and forced a smile. “Well, give me a call when your pet pit bull goes home. We can make use of this hospital bed.”

  Cody nodded. “Sure.” Like hell.

  Without looking at Matt, she stood up and exited the room.

  “Jesus.” Matt sighed once she was gone.

  “What?” Cody asked.

  “That woman is as cold as the grave, man.” He replied, visibly shuddering. He looked at Cody and hesitated, unsure that he wanted an answer to the question. “She did it, didn’t she?”

  After a second, Matt nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure she did. We hooked up this morning and right after I left, my leg started to jam up.”

  “Good God.” Matt sighed, “All of this over a stupid football game. What’re we gonna do?”

  Cody was surprised, “We?”

  Matt raised his hands as if surrendering and leaned back. “Hey, how you handle Alyssa is up to you, bro. Just keep her the hell away from me.”

  He leaned in and spoke seriously, “But if the bitch tried to take you out, we have to do something about it.”

  Cody smiled, but shook his head. “Matt…I appreciate it, but you don’t know these people—“

  Matt waved him off as if brushing off a fly. “Dude, my dad’s an oil magnate. He wants a new toy, he blows up a refinery and sends gas prices through the roof. I know exactly who these people are.”

  His eyes were ablaze as a devilish smile crept across his face. “Which is why I know how to come at them, Cody. You’re gonna heal up, you’re gonna play the game of your life against Allan, and then you’re gonna go pro and never think about this place again.”

  His confidence was inspiring. “What about you?”

  “Me?” Cody snickered, “Man, I’m a big dude from a secluded upper class with anger management issues. They made reality TV for people like me.”

  Cody snorted, and then was immediately drowsy. Whatever was in his IV drip was kicking in. Matt noticed and snatched the remote control from Cody’s bed before laying back in his recliner. “Get some sleep, man.” He muttered as he got comfortable, turning on cartoons. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  Not having much choice and grateful for both the on and off-field protection of his best friend, Cody was lulled off to sleep by the painkillers in his drip.

  Ashlynn took several deep breaths, heaving. Braced on the toilet, she dared lift her head as her breathing returned to nor
mal. With a quivering right hand, she reached up and flushed the toilet.

  With nothing left to vomit, Ashlynn fell back against the stone floor of the bathroom and sobbed. The look on Cassilia’s face had said it all. Ashlynn had known that she had been Cassie’s only real friend. Cassie’s mother had even asked Ashlynn to take care of her daughter a few weeks before she died. Ashlynn had held her hand and given her word to a woman who’d been far better to her than her own had been.

  She had just thrown that all away. And for what? To be cool? To get in with the girls everyone liked?

  Ashlynn had been caught up in a whirlwind of events that she could not admit were out of her control. After she’d recovered from surgery…this damn, stupid plastic surgery that made her feel more like a Barbie doll than anything else…in accordance with her aunt’s wishes, she’d updated all of her social networking profiles. To be fair, her aunt had been right. Once the world knew that Ashlynn was a striking (albeit artificial) blonde, the friend requests came pouring in. For her, it was a bittersweet victory. She knew every single of the men who suddenly wanted to be her friend, and found their attempts at politeness and humor funny when that previous year, they’d made life hell for her and Cassilia.

  Receiving Michelle’s friend request really was a dream-come-true, though. Everything came so easy for Michelle. The good grades, the spot on the cheerleading team, the boys who flocked to her and the others who masturbated thinking about her. She had her dark, delicious rumors, too, like she was fucking everyone on the football team.

  Ashlynn had never really wanted to be popular, she knew that now. She was just tired of everyone not liking her. She loved Cassilia, she really did.

  She was sobbing so hard that her chest hurt. She’d made the mistake of her life and she just wanted to make it right. She wanted her best friend back.

  She coughed and retrieved her phone from the case on her hip. She hadn’t missed any calls, texts, or anything. Typical.

  Her mind raced. Cassilia would be neck-deep in chores right now. Maybe tomorrow, she could try talking to her.

  “Hey, Asshat!” Michelle laughed, slapping the bathroom door with the palm of her hand.

  That was her new nickname. Asshat.

  Now, Ashlynn had no problems drowning Michelle. She entertained the notion darkly as she rose on unsteady legs to her feet. “Come on, asshat! You in there? We need to talk!”

  To hell with being cool. Ashlynn thought as she opened the stall door.

  She caught a reflection of herself in the row of mirrors to her right. Upon seeing herself, her bile rose in her throat, and yet she couldn’t look away. Her hair, once straight and lustrious brown, was now so blonde that it was almost white. She was caked in makeup where once she eschewed the practice, and her face matched her hair. Her glasses, a family heirloom, were also gone, replaced by crystal contacts that gave her eyes an awkward, eerie impression. Her lips had been thin once, now they were horribly ballooned by botox and the butt of too many dirty jokes. They’d also affected her taste buds somehow, and when she complained about it, her aunt told her that it was a price to pay for beauty. Of course, nothing on her ‘beloved’ aunt was real anymore.

  I wanna go back to normal…

  “Hey, asshat! Don’t make me come in there!”

  Ashlynn felt a little of her old fire return when she glowered at the door and stormed towards it with the intention of putting Michelle through it. She re-thought the idea when Michelle spoke again, “I wanna talk to you about your old rat buddy, Cassilia!”

  Horror flashed through Ashlynn, and she froze. What else could they possibly do to her?

  She hit upon an idea, one that would keep her from committing a felony and maybe, just maybe, make things right again.

  “Yeah, I’m in here! Hold on!” Ashlynn spoke with a new growl in her voice, meant to convey dominance. It was a tone everyone who was anyone spoke with around here. She quickly returned to the sink and splashed water on her face to compose herself. She ignored the sickening twinge when the water had no effect on her makeup. She then turned the mechanical dryer upwards and hit it, letting the air hit her face.

  Convinced she was (relatively) presentable, she headed towards the door, determined to make things right.

  Trina was heading to bed when the voice of her father, coming from the master bedroom at her right, sent chills up her spine. “Trina.” He spoke in a deep, hungry voice. As Trina felt the blood rush from her face, she turned slowly, and her mouth fell open in horror.

  Roger had a fire going; she could hear it crackling on the far side of the room. He was dressed in a long, crimson silk robe and nothing else. He leaned back in the large chair, legs crossed, head braced against a finger as his eyes burrowed into her. She saw more of him than she wanted, and she looked away. No. Not again.

  “Trina.” Roger repeated, “Come in, join me.”

  Trina looked at her father and nearly broke down. She shakily pointed down the hall. “I’m tired…” She tried to sound strong when in fact she was horrified, “Let’s do this tomorrow…” Her voice cracked at the last word.

  Roger smiled and chuckled as if enjoying her uncomfortability. “Relax, Trina. I only want to talk.” He waited a moment and then said, “You know I don’t like it twice in one day.”

  Trina was visibly relieved, despite being sickened by his words. She entered the room as she felt her confidence slowly return. “Oh. Okay.” She quickly hardened up again and raised her head, looking down at her father. “What do you want?”

  Roger sighed and slowly leaned forward, folding his hands. “We need to take care of Cassilia.”

  Trina blanched. “What do you mean, ‘take care of’?”

  Roger said nothing, but the last time he’d had that cold, lifeless look in his eyes, Cassilia’s mother had died three weeks later. “Dad…” Trina reared back, “…I’m not fan of the little rat, either, but…” Her mind raced as her father studied her, and she chose her next words carefully. “I meant what I said earlier. We can’t kill her. The cops’ll be on us in minutes. Two suspicious deaths in the same family in ten years? Come on.”

  She held her breath. She knew firsthand what Roger was capable of and was terrified of incurring his wrath. She had only done so on one occasion and that event had taken months to recover from.

  She was comforted when he eventually nodded. “You’re probably right.” He said in tone that wasn’t quite plausible. “Still, it’s time for her to go.”

  “What about the bitch that came by earlier? What if we took care of her instead?”

  Roger smiled and shook his head. “Your bloodlust is inspiring, Trina, but they’d just send someone else and then we’d really be under the microscope.” He leaned back and looked away. Trina could’ve sworn she saw just a hint of remorse in his eyes before he turned back to her. “No, it’s time. Cassilia has outlived her usefulness.”

  Trina said nothing.

  Roger looked at her expectantly. “But I believe you. If Cassilia were to meet with the same fate as her mother, we’d never get off the suspect list. What do you suggest?”

  Trina thought for a moment and then shook her head, shrugging. “We’ve been trying to drive her out for years, but she refuses to go. I don’t know.”

  Roger nodded. “I know. The actions of you and your sisters are commendable, but I don’t know about Annalise. You should keep an eye on her.”

  Trina scowled and instinctively shook her head. “Annalise? Seriously, come on, dad. That girl doesn’t tie her shoes without permission.”

  “Nevertheless.” Roger spoke with cold determination, “She has a conscience that has gotten us into trouble before.” He pointed at her in a manner that left no room for interpretation. “She is your responsibility. Something goes wrong because of her and I will hold you responsible.”

  Trina nodded quickly and held her breath. “Yes, sir.”

  “As for Cassilia…” Roger mused, “We can’t kill her, and we can’t drive her o
ut.” He looked up at her. “But…if she were to end her own life?”

  Trina considered the proposition and frowned, “I dunno, dad. She’s strong. Mean as we are to her, she’s never once indicated that she was even close to suicide.”

  Roger nodded. “Trina, we have been waiting on this inheritance for years. Over a decade. Close a billion dollars within our reach and the only thing between us and it is one little rat bitch piece of trash. Are you telling me that you’re not willing what’s necessary to take what belongs to you?”

  Summoning courage she didn’t know she had, Trina stepped forward and looked her father dead in his eye. “I’m to do whatever it takes.” She replied fiercely, “But I don’t want to spend the money in legal fees trying to beat a murder rap. And I have no idea how to drive her to suicide. You think she would’ve offed herself years ago. So unless you have any ideas…”

  “Step up your efforts.” Roger counted unflinchingly, “Do whatever it takes. I can stall the lawyers for only so long, but Cassilia has to go. Do whatever it takes.”

  Trina inhaled, once again grateful that Roger had no lost his temper, and nodded. “Alright. You stall the lawyer, and I’ll deal with Cassilia.”

  Roger said nothing, but ran his eyes up and down her body. Trina noticed, shuddered, and spoke quickly, “So, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going to sleep.”

  After too many moments of silence, Roger waved her off as if dismissing a servant. “Goodnight, Trina.”

  Trina turned, sprinted from the room, and didn’t look back.

  By the time night had fallen, Cody had regained some mobility in his leg. He fought through pain and bent his leg, bringing his knee to his chest as best as he could. After so many hours, the bandages that held his leg firmly in place were beginning to stretch and tear. The nurses had come in promptly, every time, and cycled out his IV drip before the previous one could run dry. Although Dr. Moore had been adamant that he should avoid strenuous activity for at least six weeks, Cody was determined to be ready when Allan was ready to play.

  Matt, ever the loyal companion, had volunteered to stay with him throughout the night. One of the nurses had become smitten with him and given him a blanket, although he’d politely refused her phone number, disappointing her with the information that he had a girlfriend.