Zayn and Cassandra were shocked to hear his response.
“W-what about mine?” Cassandra lifts her itching hand for him to see. Louis shakes his head.
“You must have a really bad dream. Let’s go to the church tomorrow morning. You guys wanna sleep beside me?” Louis asks gently, caressing their head. He was aware of Zayn’s odd dreams. However, it was a first for Cassandra to dream and experience the same thing as Zayn did, only a minute and a half time later.
The two look at each other and sit against the couch, wiping their tears and snot with their sweater paws.
“N-no, we’re good.”
“Cassie, you dreamed the same as him? Tell me what you remember.”
“There was something,” Cassandra looks at her palm. Strangely, she felt the itch reducing as she looks back up at Louis, “It was b-black and mighty. I saw it there when I opened my eyes.” She says, pointing to the ceiling with a small chandelier above her head.
“Black… wasn’t it the same as yours, Zayn?”
“I- I don’t know.” Zayn turns to Cassandra. She had her eyebrows crushed together as she learned from him. He communicates to her with his eyes, gesturing to not speak much in detail about it.
Cassandra realizes that if they knew about their mission, they would be sent back to their own Era, and everything would be a big fat lie to these people.
And, the original Zayn and Cassandra Johnson will be nonexistent.
“I-I’m not sure, but it was sitting on my head.”
“In any case you two, we gotta go to the church and get things checked. We don’t know what’s wrong with you two now.” Louis says, gently petting their heads.
“Louis, I’m fine. Maybe I’m stressed because I got into my final year, and it’s a stressful year.”
“I think it’s because I feel stressed with my new job as well, Louis. We’re fine.” Zayn speaks on their behalf.
Cassandra nods in confirmation. Louis looks over them and sees his siblings staring at them with concern.
“Maybe it’s that. I’ve had nightmares when I was new to the job as well. Maybe worse. I used to see my reflection in the mirror with a bloody smile.”
“Must be a Troxler effect, then.”
“Maybe. But yeah, we all go through it. I’m sorry that you feel stressed working under my manager, Zayn. Is he bothering you?” Louis asks Zayn who chuckles. He wipes the final bead of tears from his face and looks down into his lap.
“Not at all. He’s sweet and has been guiding me well for things. Anyway, I’ll just get some sleep.”
“Hmm. And you, Cassie? Wanna stay at Ravine’s place tomorrow? Take a few days off and stay at home.”
“Y-yeah. She wants to stay at home as well.” Says Cassandra as she hugs Louis.
“Aw, guinea pig.” He softly pats her back, annoying her with the new nickname as well. Zayn joins the hug, too, as they embrace his tall body.
“Okay then, Goodnight. Don’t force yourself to sleep until 7. It’s fine. It’s like… wow it’s 3:23.”
“Don’t scare us anymore!”
“Sorry about that. But are you sure you two don’t want me here?”
“Yeah, we don’t. Go! Jessica feels lonely without you.” Cassandra teasingly whispers at Louis who playfully hits her thigh.
“Goodnight.” Yawning, he and the others go to sleep again.
Nick proceeds to go to his room as well because tomorrow is a Monday, and they have to go to college.
Cassandra switches all the lights off, wimpy as she walks towards Zayn, who has his bottom lip wobbling as well.
“I’m sorry…” he mumbles to the girl who falls on his lap, curling into a ball.
It was really happening, she thought.
She was giving up on Louis Sympsons to keep Louis Johnson alive.
This was so fucked up for her.
Sobbing quietly, Cassandra moans in pain. A headache shoots up in her head, the right side of her face swelling with the pain. Zayn passes her a glass of water and a painkiller.
“Here. Are you hungry?” He asks her, caressing her head.
“No.” She replies.
“You know,” The man smiles, pulling her closer as he whispers.
“You’re the bravest person I’ve ever seen in my life. To save someone else and sacrifice someone so close to you… if that’s not bravery, I don’t know what else is. And for that, Cassandra,” The man goes on his knees as he lays on her thighs.
“Thank you.” He sobs, the words choking out of him.
“Thank you for choosing to keep my uncle alive a-and sacrificing… him.” Cassandra puts her hands against her mouth as she sobs. She squeezes the painful tears out of her eyes. She didn’t want Louis to disappear.
The worst part was… she couldn’t say goodbye to him. She was thankful for all the happy memories she had with her brother.
Her lovely brother.
“I don’t want him to go…” she prays to God. But it cannot be chosen that way. It was the hardest decision.
But… The world needs a businessman like Louis Johnson.
Framton Johnson had a son who was much more diligent and diplomatic than he was in his prime. Louis grew up in a way that no one else had ever grown up. He didn’t know who his real family was, nor did he care. All of his worlds were made up of Framton, his adoptive father and his sweet younger siblings.
It was the power of love that nurtured Louis into becoming the man he is at the moment.
Every day, he became more diplomatic and loved his siblings more than he did the previous day.
Framton couldn’t ask for a better child than Louis. In his eyes, all of his children had a special trait to them which he loved dearly.
“This is our dark mission, Cassandra. We have to save him.” Zayn says. Cassandra nods willingly.
“If it benefits a thousand people, then I’m willing to sacrifice my brother’s existence for it. I’m sorry, Louis. I’m fucking sorry…”