The question wrecks her nerves.
For a brief moment, she recollect something valuable.
Zayn said all of them were adopted from one or the other orphanages. Zayn also did some research on all the orphanages from which the Johnsons were made siblings. The last one was Cassandra, the youngest and the only girl from… what orphanage?
Her mid experiences a stupor wherein she wasn’t able to recollect the orphanage name.
“Gillotome orphanage…” she says, looking down at her sandwich.
“Yeah…” he says softly.
A wild guess!
She bites into her sandwich while Framton softly talked about their past. Cassandra adds in her own made up stories about the orphanage, praying the previous Cassandra didn’t talk much about these with her father.
“Really? I thought Thomas was your rival.” Cassandra looks at Framton, it was as if he was testing her.
“T- Thomas? There was someone with that name?” She pretends to question herself.
“Ah. There must not be one. I’m getting old, you see.”
“Oldie.” She says softly to which he pats her head, chuckling with her.
FRAMTON’S POV
As soon as she got home last week, I knew something was wrong. She hasn’t been acting herself. That made me realize that plastic surgeries exist, mimicry exists and voice modulation tools as well. Maybe I’m thinking too much, but it’s the possibility that scares me about the cruel world we live in. Anything might have happened to my little girl.
I watch my little girl chewing on her sandwich happily. I’ve never seen her shift her mood so quickly nor did she bark up a lot about her past like she always does. There’s this one girl she hates from the orphanage- her warden. She loathes that young lady, well she is now a mother of two I heard.
As we finish two more slices, she places the loaf back in the basket and proceeds to sweep off the crumbs that rolled down when she got up.
“Papa, I’ll sweep yours too. Scoot over.” She says.
“Yeah…” groaning, I put my old limbs to movement and scoot to my left as she says.
I keep watching her. She catches me staring at her twice but smiles with her eyebrow lifted funnily.
“There’s something on my face, papa?” She asks.
“Just cuteness, my darling. I’ll go to sleep. Good night.” Announcing, I get to my feet and walk towards my room. I guess there was nothing to be suspicious, but my Cassandra never cleaned anything besides her own mess.
Does a broken promise by someone affect a girl’s personality by that much? I’m so curious…
BACK TO AUTHOR’S POV
The next day morning, all the siblings head back to their own house. Cassandra slept like a chicken last night, even a breeze could wake her up from slumber.
As soon as she got home, she closed her bedroom, removed all her clothes and jumped on the bed to catch some quality sleep. She wanted to forget about everything that’s happened with her. As if it wasn’t nerve wracking just to stay in someone else’s body and act like them, now this.
She chose to never forgive the people behind this. Her peace was snatched away from her so unwillingly.
As she woke up from her hours long nap, she quickly heads over to check out what scrumptious meal was ready on the table for her. Ms. Zee was leaving just then, Cassandra notices the woman and rushes to hug the older woman.
“Oh! Don’t surprise me like that!”
“Hmm! I feel so happy just smelling your food after a long nap, Ms. Zee! Thank you!” Affectionately, Cassandra nuzzles her face into the woman’s arm as she pats her head with the other.
“Enjoy your meal, Cassandra. Because of your rise in appetite, your brothers always complain of less food. So from now, I’ll increase the supply!”
“Yay!” Sending her off, Cassandra skips her way inside to serve herself Arrabiata pasta and some durian. She eats the smelling yet sweet fruit first and enjoys the pasta until her heart was contented.
Burping, Alex laughs and shakes his head while he plays with his food.
“Wait, you want mine? I don’t feel like throwing it away.”
“Yup! Lemme be the dustbin!” Alex gladly passes his half finished plate over to her.
After he leaves, Dan holds a secret discussion between the siblings.
“Hey. I don’t know what’s wrong with him but I think he’s going through a sickness worse than cancer.” He says.
Cassandra drops her fork in shock when she hears Dan. Her mouth mid chewing opens to speak.
“He what…?”
“Ew! Don’t talk with your mouth full!! Anyway, we know how him and Ravine have been awfully active in their ahem… that.” Cassandra looks at Zayn who was equally clueless. It felt as if only Dan and Nick were able to converse properly.
“What about them?” Zayn asks.
“Well… I think they both are gonna break up. They’re toxic for each other.”
“Why would you say that?” Cassandra says, gulping some water after.
“Because Cassie, they’re literally just fuck buddies but we all know what’s Ravine’s family like! They’re absurd, more than delusional and want their daughter to date someone like Alex for fucking reputation. They’d go to lengths.”
“Yeah, but isn’t he making sure he is always pushing her away and getting her to leave him? He’s tugged too, by the way. I know he likes her.”
“Likes her?” Zayn says. From what he saw the other day, he says about Alex liking Ravine.
“He’s in goddamned love with her!”