Cassie's head shot up from the computer screen as the doorbell went. Her eyes narrowed. She hadn't been expecting anyone today, and she hated surprises. She needed to process things and if someone wanted to do something with her, they'd have to bump it back two days so that it didn't mess up her comfortably set schedule. Today was devoted to the Lyle story and she was on a roll.
Sighing, she saved her document and got up to answer it. If it wasn't a guy with a check about as big as him, congratulating her on being the randomly selected winner of a million (billion, Cassie decided - better to aim bigger) dollars, Cassie wasn't going to be happy.
When she opened the door, there wasn't a check (of any size) in sight and it sure wasn't a guy. Even though she hadn't been expecting anyone today, it was the last person in the world she would've imagined.
"Hello, Cassie," Anna said. She was smiling as she usually did, but her eyes were dull and lifeless. The hairs on Cassie's arms stood up. It looked like Anna, but Cassie couldn't shake the feeling she was looking at a stranger.
She pulled it together, trying to force the shock off her face. "Anna, hey! It's been…" How long had it been? It felt longer than it had. She got mad at herself for bringing it up. She didn't know how sensitive Anna might be about it. "It's been awhile," she finished, kinda lamely.
"Awhile," Anna echoed, her gaze drifting. "Yeah. You could say that."
Even though her tone wasn't accusing - it felt like she wasn't even looking at Cassie, like she was staring straight into nothing - Cassie felt a stab of guilt. It had only been a week or so since she last saw her in the hospital, but she'd be the first to admit that what she'd seen and heard there had scared the hell out of her. She hated seeing what had become of her friend. And the things she'd said…
She surveyed the girl in front of her again, trying to find what she was looking for. Anna didn't look too different. The clothes were new and she seemed maybe a touch paler than usual (Cassie wouldn't have thought that possible, but there you go), but she seemed clean and didn't look too skinny. At least she seemed less doped up, sharper than she had since Cassie's last visit. Cassie couldn't see a patient bracelet on her wrist, but maybe it was covered by the sleeve of her coat.
It was that look in her eye that gnawed at Cassie. Cassie looked away from it, over Anna's shoulder. She frowned when she noticed the lack of any car besides hers in the driveway. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, Anna, but… do the doctors know that you're here? Or your parents? Did you... come down from Ohio by yourself?" she asked, trying to keep calm.
Anna frowned. Like her smile, it didn't change her eyes. Like her face and her brain were processing independent of each other. "It's a long story," she finally said. "A really long story."
That wasn't an answer Cassie hoped to hear. It really, really wasn't. She wanted to tell Anna to just give her the short version. With the old Anna, she would've, and Anna would've done it with a grin at Cassie's impatience. But the old Anna wasn't here right now. If she ever would be again. Cassie wanted to call somebody to make sure it was okay that Anna was here, but would that upset Anna? She didn't know what she was and wasn't allowed to do here.
"Okay," Cassie said, surprising herself, crossing her arms to rub at the sudden chill on them. "That's fine. I'm listening."
