Chapter 1: Something I Need
Kassandra Anderson scowled pointedly out the window of her family's muddied white Cadillac. It had poured rain for the duration of the trip, and Kassandra was feeling just as broody as the dark clouds that loomed above.
"Brighten up, kiddo. We're nearly there." Kassandra's mother smiled sweetly and carefully over her shoulder in an attempt to reassure Kassandra, who was shrinking into the back seat with a blanket over her lap, bags and boxes stacked precariously around her. Why her parents had chosen to move to Beacon Hills, Kass could not understand. The small town was guarded by dense forests, but to Kass the town was a jail, the forests holding its captives inside. She had been derived guilty by her parents; and sentenced to a new start. Life in this prison.
"Look, here it is! Our new home!" her mother gushed excitedly as they pulled up next to the large, grey house with dirt for a garden and a glossy red door. Moaning, Kass rested her head against the cold window, her breath fogging the glass as she exhaled. So this was what her cell looked like… Kassandra's heart plummeted as she took in the cold exterior of the house and the dead earth surrounding. The bare branches of giant tree in the middle of the yard cast a foreboding shadow across the road, the wind whistling as it cut through the lifeless wood. Kassandra's parents were out of the car, pulling boxes from the trunk and placing them by the front door. Most of their items had been trucked here over the past few weeks, meaning there was a lot of unpacking to do once everyone was inside. Instead, Kass watched the water droplets fall from the tree twigs and form puddles on the ground. She closed her eyes and pictured the house as she was sure it once was, full of life and vigour, with large colourful gardens and a happy family living inside; smiling laughing kids chasing each other through the hallways, sun flooding through the windows and the smell of freshly cut grass in the air. Kassandra opened her eyes to the house's dark demeanour, her parents standing in the doorframe motioning for her to come inside. She quickly got out, and jumped over the numerous puddles as she made her way to the front door. Its deep red colouring oddly reminded Kassandra of blood. She pulled it shut and locked it behind her.
Kassandra traipsed her way upstairs, and came to a stop at the beginning of a low and narrow hallway, with dull lighting and a musty smell. She ran her fingers across the peeling, flaky old wallpaper as she passed the numerous doors. There had to be at least five rooms adjacent to this hallway; far too many to house only Kass and her parents.
"It's a beautiful house, isn't it?" Kass' mother's voice carried through the house as she climbed the winding flight of stairs and entered the hall.
"Just needs some fixing up…" Her mother drew her hand across the walls and crumbled a scrap of wallpaper between her fingers that had peeled off.
"So, there are five bedrooms on this floor, as well as two bathrooms, an office and a powder room. Your father and I have the bedroom at the end of the hall. Whichever bedroom you choose, it's yours." Smiling promptly, Kassandra's mum turned and sauntered down the staircase, calling out to her husband. Kass sighed, and turned the first doorknob.
Fifteen minutes and many exasperated sighs later, Kass was sitting cross-legged on the floor of her new lounge room. She still hadn't found a room. None of them were quite… right. The first bedroom on Kass' right had mould growing from the corner of the ceiling; the second room she visited, Kass saw a fat mouse scurry across the floor and into the wardrobe. The other two bedrooms had a gaping hole in the wall, allowing Kass to see right through to the other room. Every single one of the rooms was disappointingly small, especially when compared to the size of Kassandra's parent's master bedroom. The ceilings were impressively high, however the houses' original designer evidently hated sunlight; as the minuscule windows were so close to the ceiling that Kass couldn't see out of them.
Groaning, Kass allowed her head to slump to the floor, where she nuzzled into the new, plush carpeting of the rug. Her groans were muffled by the deep burgundy warmth of the rug, however were still loud enough to irritate her mother.
"Kassandra, stop that sulking! Our decision to move here was final. You'd better get over it; because we're not going anywhere anytime soon!" Kassandra's mother huffed as she dropped a box of crockery to the house with a loud clatter, making Kass wince. She closed her eyes and let her head sink into the rug once again. Maybe she could just keep falling back, and the rug would swallow her whole. Her mother crossed the room, exhaling theatrically, and knelt down beside Kassandra's inert body.
"Look, Kassandra, I know that this is hard for you. It's been hard for all of us, but the best way to get over your… incident," her mother plucked over the word; "is to have a fresh start, in a new town. You'll make new friends and learn new things. I'll bet you'll start to love it here." She patted Kass' head and returned to her post in the kitchen, overseeing her husband arrange furniture.
No, Kassandra thought, you don't get it. And I won't love it here. I don't want to be here, in this slight, suffocating town encased by woods and darkness. I want to be home, next to the beach, the waves crashing day in, day out; the seagulls crying and the smell of salt and the grainy sand crusted in my hair. Where the sunshine soaks into my veins and the days are so hot you could cook an egg on the sidewalk. Kass smiles, in despite of herself. The memories are so vivid, but they are nothing but memories now.
Her eyes ponder the room, catching on a door cut into the wall by the dusty fireplace. A small brass lock and knob are just visible from her placement in the next room. Precariously walking towards the door, Kass is teaming with curiosity. Where does this door lead? Do my parents know it's there? Are they supposed to know it's there? Why am I tip-toeing in my own house?
She excitedly crossed the remainder of the room in two bounds, jiggling the handle, only to find it locked. But, fortuitously, the shady people who hung out by her old school's dumpsters smoking joints whom Kass had called her friends prepared her for this moment. Bobby pin at the ready, she easily wiggled open the lock and let the door swing open noiselessly, revealing the darkness below. Down the stairs, into the mystery room, Kass was encased by darkness. She ran her hand along the smooth, cold wall and found a switch. Flicking it on, her breath caught.
It was perfect. Everything about the secret basement was absolutely perfect for Kass; this was the sort of place she could call home. The cement flooring was stained from water leaks, and the low ceilings and large floor space was exactly what Kass yearned for. Something about its run-down, beat-up appearance had Kass reminiscent of herself. This neglected area would be her own. It would be her salvation, her comfort, her security. Her new home.