Arachnia #Featured

Chapter Eighteen - Part 1

Chapter  Eighteen            

Part 1

by sloanranger

Neither of the women had brought up the subject of Cass's change of her identity since the Mays hasty return from vacation, because of the problem with Billy. A week after school had started Elaine stopped by and they were out on Cassie's patio again. The weather had turned cooler and they were having coffee this time. Elaine made a mental note that her friend's ability to make coffee seemed to worsen over time.

"I have to tell you Cass, this stuff's worse than the iced tea. One of these days I'm going to show you how to make a good pot of coffee."

Cassie didn't smile however, she was evidently distracted by something; staring far off in the distance. Abruptly she turned to Elaine.   

"Can you understand? I just wanted to get out of that place and never think about it again; never have anything to remind myself of the first fifteen years of my life."

"So you changed your name?" Elaine said, glad her friend was finally able to talk about it.

 Cassie nodded. "I just wanted to be someone brand new, someone who'd never lived the life I had."

"Gee, Cass. Was it that bad?"

"Yes, especially after Mom died."

"You poor, kid."

"I had an aunt, my mother's sister, she took me in for a while. It lasted about a month, until her boyfriend started coming after me."

Elaine was shaking her head. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

"No way that you could. I don't know everything that happened to you, when you were seventeen."

"Seventeen; I thought you just said fifteen?"

"Did I?" I meant seventeen." She sounded abstracted.

"You were seventeen then, when your Mom died and you went to live with her sister?"

"Yeah, around then, I guess."

"Is that when you left town, after you left your aunt's house?"

"Are you writing a book or something, Elaine?"

"I'm sorry," Elaine said, rubbing her temple. "I've got this headache; I guess I didn't get enough sleep last night."

Cassie said: "Do you need an aspirin? Or I've got Ibuprofen."

"Yeah, that. Aspirin upsets my stomach."

"You should drink lots of water with it," Cassie said. "Aspirin's usually the safest thing to take." She took Elaine's cup and went inside the house.

(To be continued).