Cassy

I startle awake to a knock on my bedroom door. With hazy eyes I slowly sit up in bed and stare at it. There is a slight pause before the next round of light taps, almost as light as a feather. I glance at the window. The silver mist of the moon’s gleam seep through the blinds and stripes the floor. The door handle starts to jiggle. Back and forth, back and forth. My heart begins to beat faster. The door handle stops moving. A pause. Three more light taps.

“What?” I hiss.

The door handle jiggles again, and the door swings open slowly, creaking as it moves. Shadowed against the darkness is a figure, short in stature. The figure stands in the doorway for a few seconds before entering.

“Oh, my g- Cassy. You scared me! What are you doing here?” I hiss through my teeth. Cassy almost floats into the room, a huge grin on her face. The stripes from the floor elevate up her legs and then her torso onto her face until only her eyes and mouth are illuminated from the moon’s glow.

“I was just checking in on you,” she gleams. “I could feel you getting lost in your dreams.” Cassy walks over to the bed and begins to crawl under the covers.

“You should be…sleeping,” I say slowly. Cassy puts out her hand and touches my face with her fingers. “I was, but, like I said, I could feel you getting lost. I could hear you calling out.” I wrap the blankets tighter around my legs and stare at the door.

“How did you even get in here?” I ask, not allowing my eyes to avert from the shadowed hallway. Cassy leans back against the headrest and sighs. “Sarah, you should know by now that I always find my way back, no matter how many times you try and get away from me.” She giggles. “I’m your best friend, remember?”

“Yeah, I-I know. I just haven’t seen you in a while. You’ve been away, but I’m glad you’re back. I’ve missed you so much.” I turn to look at Cassy. Her curly black hair is matted against her head. Her skin looks pale in the light. Her eyes, still a sparkling blue, shine like stars. Cassy smiles again, her teeth looking coffee stained, as per usual.

After a moment, Cassy speaks again. “Wasn’t last night so much fun? With Stephen and John? My mom would kill me if she found out we had snuck out.” I draw my legs closer to my chest, feeling a little more relaxed.

“Yeah, that night was crazy. I can’t believe we got away with it, too. I mean, we were out until like three in the morning. I barely made it back alive.” I glance at her face. Cassy’s expression changes. She looks down at her fingers twirling her curls into knots.

“What did you and Stephen get in a fight about?” she asks after a moment.

“Uh, well…we fought about you, Cassy,” I respond. Cassy lifts her eyes to meet mine, still twirling her hair.

“Why?”

“I just didn’t like how close you and Stephen were getting. I mean, Stephen is my boyfriend, Cassy, and you were kind of all over him. I mean, I know we were all a little drunk, but still. You were touching his arms and running your hands through his hair. You were obviously flirting with him, and I didn’t like it. Stephen didn’t recognize it, but I did. That’s what the fight was about.”

Cassy pulls the blankets over her chest and stares down at her fingers.

“I didn’t even realize what I was doing, Sarah. I’m really sorry. I guess it’s too late for ‘sorry’ now though, huh.”

I look at her, confused.

“What do you mean ‘too late for sorry’?”

“Sarah!”

My mom bursts through my door and switches on the lights. I shield my eyes from the sudden brightness.

“Mom? Mom, what is it?”

“Sarah, who are you talking to?” She looks around. “Why are you and everything else soaking wet?”

My breath catches in my throat. I look around frantically. My skin suddenly feels cold and clammy. Cassy is gone, but in her place is a giant wet spot. I look at the floor. A wet trail leads from my door to my bed. I pat the blankets, they are soaked. Water drips from the bedding onto the floor. My body freezes. No.

“Mom...” I start. She interrupts me.

“They found Cassy,” she says somberly.

“They found…but…no, because Cassy…where?”

Mom opens the blinds to my window. In the distance I hear the faint sound of police sirens. The blue and red lights flashing through the trees as they approach. I get out of bed, my clothes dripping water onto the floor. Out in the distance I see the edge of the lake. A man in a dark hood is standing on the beach, speaking into a cellphone. There, where the water meets the sand, is the beginning of a hand with a clump of curly black hair twisted around the fingers.