Chapter 20: I love Specters (Cassandra)

“Did you hear me? I said, ‘who is the Admiral?’ Are you even going to answer me?”

Something inside me snapped. I don’t know what finally caused me to snap but I could hold it back any longer even if it wasn’t proper etiquette.

I don’t know if it was Don tying me up and forcing me to wear my mother’s dress or if it was when Aladdin and this Admiral person kidnapped me, “For heaven’s sake Aladdin you can’t even tell me, can you? And to think I was beginning to have amorous feelings towards you. I cannot even conceive the notion as to why you would do this heinous act. I want to know who the admiral is, are you working with Donald?”

As I berated Aladdin, I finally noticed the look of pity upon his face. I also started to notice the bruises riddled across his face. Instinctively, without thinking, I stretched out a hand to touch his bruises and hold his face in my hand. I leaned in closer to take in the damage. I must have lent in to close because I could feel his breath upon my lips.

“Are you hurt?”, a soft whisper escaped my lips, but didn’t go unheard as he replied. “Yes”

I suddenly recalled my disdain towards being kidnapped and pulled back, “Good. Serves you right”

He reached out and grabbed my hands. “Cassandra. I don’t know what you think happened but …”

Again, I pulled back, “Of course you do not know what I am thinking, you never bothered to ask me. Donald and my father never bothered to ask either, therefore I must conclude that all men are the same. So, I am sorry but Aladdin we must part ways immediately.”

“What? No Cassandra,” he pleaded, “You’re right, that was stupid of me. How are you feeling?”

“I am not sure. How does one feel in this situation?” A tear crept down my cheek.

“Pissed! Fucking pissed!” Aladdin blurted; his sudden coarse language caught me of guard. Then I noticed that his whole body was trembling, with anger. “At least, I am. Cassandra I’m pissed to see you like this, pissed to see what that fucking asshole did to you, and I’m pissed at myself the most for letting it happen. I Love… lost you. I can’t believe I almost lost you. Please believe me when I say I had nothing to do with Donald doing that to you.”

“I apologise Aladdin, I shouldn’t have doubted you. I know you wouldn’t do anything like that, and I can’t believe that I almost lost you too, but you still haven’t answered my question, who is this Admiral person?”

“I’m sorry Cassandra, but I can’t tell you that. The admiral he … well it’s really hard to explain and I can’t tell you know but please trust me, he isn’t bad, he even helped us escape. I promise I’ll reveal the truth one day, just not today.”

“I believe you”, A pit in my stomach began to sink. I believed that this Admiral person helped but do I trust Aladdin? I wasn’t convinced that was something I could do again.

“I think I know where we are, this looks like the town I lived in as a child, Strangetown. I think I know someone who could help us. Should we go to them and get help?”

I didn’t utter a single word but chose instead to nod my head. Maybe this friend of his could actually help, and right now we could do with any help.

I followed him down the street, but a figure walking on the other side of the road caught the corner of my eye. “Mother?”

It was her was it not? “Aladdin wait, I think I saw my mother”, but he hadn’t heard me and continued to walk in the direction of his friend’s abode.

I considered chasing after him and telling him I saw my mother, but I couldn’t risk losing her if I did that, so I turned on my heel and walked in the direction of where I saw my mother going. I saw her turn the corner, so I increased my pace.

Where did she go? Would she go into that drinking establishment? As I got closer, I saw someone wearing a red dress inside, so I headed in. I looked around but couldn’t see my mother or anyone that looked like her. Then I spotted her sitting in a corner talking to some boy, she was just a teenager, but she was wearing a red dress, had she been who I had seen outside? Was my mind deceiving me?

I took a seat at a different table and contemplated what to do next. I had been foolish to not call for Aladdin. I had no idea where he was heading and knew no one who could help me.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that barely noticed what was going on around me. I hadn’t even noticed when an older lady walked into the pub and headed over to the teens, nor did I hear her yell at them.

I was only pulled completely from my thoughts when I heard a voice say, “Erm, hello, my aunt wants to know if you’re ok?”

I looked up to see that the voice belonged to the girl in the red dress. Assuming that I hadn’t heard what she said, she went on to repeat herself, “Hello, my aunt wants to know if you’re ok? She said you’ve been upset the whole times she’s been here.”

“I’m fine thanks”, I replied trying to compose myself.

“She also wants to know if you’d join our table?”

I contemplated her question, I decided to agree to the offer, it’s not as if ~I had any other real options. So, I left my seat and joined them at their table.

As I sat down, I realised that the boy had disappeared, upon seeing how the girl glared at her aunt I assume she had something to do with it.

“Hello Dear”, the old lady said introducing herself, “My name is Olive, and this is my niece Ophelia, it’s nice to meet you”.

“Thank you, it’s nice to meet you too. My name is Cassandra. It’s very nice of you to invite me to join you.”

“What a beautiful name. Cassandra, we are about to head home. Would you like to join us? I don’t mean to sound presumptuous, but you seem to not know anyone and are lost. Maybe we can help you?”

She spoke the truth, I didn’t know anyone, and I was lost, so what did I have to lose? “Ok. That would be nice, thank you for your hospitality”

We stood up from our seats and headed out the front door.

I followed them to around the back of the pub. “Isn’t this just the alleyway behind this pub? Do you live here than?”

Olive stopped to face me.

“No darling we don’t live at the pub. Just go through that door and you’ll see for yourself”

I watched as Ophelia walked through the door. I took a deep breath and went towards the door and followed her through.

I exhaled as I walked through the door, “What? This doesn’t make any sense; how did we get here?”

I stood in shock. I walked through the back entrance of a pub, so how did I end up in someone’s house?

“You walked through the front door silly”

“But, but how did you get changed so quickly? You walked in moments before me and now you’ve changed clothing and eating freshly baked pancakes. This makes no sense!”

“Bahahaha” I turned around when I heard someone cackling from behind me.

“We walked here remember, then we all changed clothes, even you. Don’t you remember? You said that they were your mother’s and you couldn’t stand to wear them anymore.”

“Erm Yes. I remember. Apologies everything feels a little fuzzy” I tried to remember walking here and getting changed but my head just felt weird and hurt.

“Why don’t we head through to the living quarters and talk about your predicament, I could read your future too if you want me to”.

I nodded and followed Olive to another part of her home.

Once we were seated Olive called for Ophelia to make some soothing camomile tea, then asked me what I’d like to know.

“Everything” I replied, “I don’t know what I am supposed to do. Could you tell me what to do next?”

“Why don’t you tell me everything that has happened until this point?”

I nodded, but before I could reply Ophelia reappeared with the tea.

“Here’s your tea. I’m off to school now. See ya later”

“Ok Ophelia, behave yourself and remember you’re special so try to remember that when interacting with the others”.

“Aww that’s sweet. I remember when my mother would tell me I’m special before going to school” I blurted interrupting their goodbye. They exchanged a look, but I couldn’t tell what it meant.

Once Ophelia left Olive asked me about my life growing up and about what it was like living with my father and then with Donald, she also asked me about Aladdin and my feelings for him.

“…and then I thought I saw my mother, so I followed her, and it led me to the pub, and I think you know the rest”.

“My Dear, that is quite the story you have. Can I ask you a question? Why didn’t you ever say no? Why did you go along with it all?”

“Erm…” I didn’t have an answer, “what do you mean?”

“It seems to me that you’re whole life you’ve just done what other people want, look at when you tried to leave home, you said the butler saw you crossed his arms and walked you home, but why didn’t you run? You might have been able to escape. I think you have an underlying need to do whatever you’re told. I mean you even moved in and got engaged with a man because your father told you to.”

How dare she! How dare she tell me this! I felt anger bubble up inside me. “Yes, well than why am I here?”

“Because two strangers asked you to.”

Oh my! Was she right? Did I just do whatever anyone told me to?

“I have another question. What do you want to do? What do you want?”

“Aladdin.”

“You want to do Aladdin. My, oh my. I got married five times, so I understand wanting to do him.”

Olive chuckled but it made me blush, “You think I’m being silly?”

“I think you need to decide for yourself if that’s silly, pick your own future, and while we’re on that subject Pass me your drink.”

I passed her my drink and she started to examine the inside of it.

“I see two possible futures for you. One is the return of a lost love and the other is the gain a new love, hold on there is something else. I see now, if you don’t decide before the time is right you could lose both endings, but the choice has already happened and will happen soon.”

“But how can I have already made the choice if I still have to make it?”

Before Olive answered Ophelia reappeared. “I’m back from school”

“Oh, you weren’t gone very long, did you forget something?”

Ophelia raised an eyebrow and looked at me, “I’ve been gone for eight hours”

I looked confused. Eight hours? Could I have spoken with Olive for eight hours?

Olive picked up on my confusion, “No we haven’t been talking that long, but I find that time runs differently in this house. Ophelia could you prepare dinner please. And I know you like to relax in your pyjamas when you get home from school, but could you put on something nice we have a guest tonight for dinner.”

Ophelia nodded and walked out of the room and no more than one minute later she called to let us know dinner was ready.

I followed Olive back to the entrance way where the table had been rearranged for dinner. A fully roasted turkey and all the trimmings awaited us on the table, but how?

“Ophelia how did you do all this? You were only gone for two minutes”

“It’s like Auntie O said”, she replied smiling at me, “time runs differently in this house”

I took a seat and was told to help myself to whatever I wanted, no matter how much it took it looked as if the turkey was untouched.

“Why Ophelia, this is very good. It seems that you matter manipulation class went well today. Is there anything you have to report back?”

“Yeah classes were alright today. Johnny says sorry for last night. Oh, and Miss Simbledore said that there was a dark cloud settling over the town so all families who are able to help keep the balance right should do all they can.”

“Wow”, I blurted, “School sounds even more confusing than when I went”

Olive almost choked on her food, “I almost forgot that we have a guest tonight, maybe we should save this conversation for after she’s gone back to …” Olive turned to me, “where are you going back to? You can use the door to go wherever you want”

She must have meant figurately it’s not like the door was magical and could teleport wherever I wanted to go, besides I didn’t know where I wanted to go anyway. This conversation was too confusing so I opted to focus on eating my food.

“Can I use the door to see Johnny?”

“I’ve told you Ophelia I don’t like you see that Johnathan boy”

“You’re such a xenophobe”

Olive ignored her and continued to speak to me, “Use the door, do wherever you want. I’m sure you will know the right answer. Now, if we are all finished, I’m going to put the leftovers aside and clean these plates. Cassandra dear, don’t forget what Ophelia said about school. A dark cloud is coming to Strangetown, it must be truly evil, so look after yourself”

Olive then procceded to collect the plates from the table and head toawrds the kitchen.

Ophelia stood up and walked me towards the door. “Just say the name of the person or place you want to go to and then walk through the door”

“You can’t be serious? Do you really do this every time you go out?” Maybe this was some sort of ritual they did before calling a taxi or walking somewhere?

I turned and looked out the door, there was a front garden and some graves and nothing but sand for as long as I could see. Just great where would I go now?

It could hurt to give their silly ritual a try could it, I lowered my voice and whispered, “Aladdin, Aladdin, Aladdin”. Then walked through the door.