Okay, so I experimented with 2nd person last chapter, just to try it because we'd been writing in second person during our English lessons, I didn't like it. I'll probably change that chapter and re-upload it at a later date, but for now here's cahpter three. It's not been checked thoroughly but I wanted to get something up before I head off to school. (Which should be now, I'm going to rather late at this rate! :D)

Thank you to Calliope for the reviews - it's nice to know someones reading this so thank you lots and lots! :)

Now I'm going to upload this and run to school. :) Enjoy!

Much love x

Chapter Three

The bus ride home was long, or it felt long, in reality it was probably no longer than fifteen minutes. Cassie's thoughts had plagued her. What would she tell her mother? The truth?

No.

She couldn't tell her mother where she had been today, nor where she'd be going on Friday evening. She definitely couldn't tell her who she'd be going with. Her mother would kill her.

Cassie could see the scene already, behind her closed eyes, playing like her own personal movie. Her mother's golden hair whipping widely around her face, ivory skin glowing under the bright kitchen lights, and her emerald eyes blazing. Her mother would scream at her. Cassie would cry, making her mother shout even more, louder than before, spurred on by Cassie's sign of weakness.

Her mother wasn't cruel to do such a thing. She wasn't a horrible person, in fact she couldn't have wished for a better mother. It was just; she hadn't coped with out Cassie's father. Her husband. Her world.

When they'd been told it was safe for them to come out of police protection, her mother hadn't searched for him. She hadn't let Cassie look either. She said they should just re-adjust to normal life, they could search later, once they had settled down. They never had.

A screeching siren brought Cassie out of her thoughts and back into reality. What was she thinking? She couldn't tell her mother anything! If she was lucky her mother would be going out Friday night. God knows she needed to. She needed time to escape from the constraints of work, looking after Cassie, and the general hassle of day-to-day life. Her mother needed time to have fun.

As the bus rolled over a speed bump Cassie glanced out of the window, instantly recognising her street. Peering through the blanket of dust, which coated the window, she could just make out her bus stop. She pulled herself to her feet whilst pushing the little red button to ring the bell. A small grey haired old lady smiled at her as Cassie paused to allow the little woman to get to her feet and make her way to the front of the bus ahead of her.

The bus lurched as it came to a halt and Cassie was glad that she'd held on tight. If she closed her eyes she could see images of the force from the bus propelling her forward and straight through the windscreen.

She thanked the driver and got off. She paused to let the bus pull away whilst staring at the large house across the road in front of her. The house was huge by everyday standards. The bricks were clean, beige and light brown in colour; the house had a gleaming white border and on the right there were two massive bay windows, one upstairs the other downstairs. There were three other windows on the house, two on the left behind which Cassie knew was the upstairs study and the front reception room, and the third was in the centre just above the door. Behind that window was the library. Cassie has always loved the library and after they had moved into the house she had frequently hidden in there. Simply to escape from everyday life, to go to a world where she could be a princess and she would get a fairytale happy ending. Something Cassie knew was purely fiction and would never happen to her. Not ever.

As Cassie crossed the now quiet road she admired her mothers flower beds. Her mother always told her how keeping the front garden looking immaculate was not just a hobby but also a necessity. She was constantly reminding her how 'people will judge us as they walk up to our door simply based on the content of our front garden'. Cassie found this rather funny, as none of her friends had ever commented on the well kept and colourful garden, she supposed one of their mothers might have, but then again mothers always noticed those sorts of things.

The yellow-cream flagstones were stain free and sanded out the length of the drive way and the path up to the front door. On either side of the flagstones lay green turf, each blade of luscious green grass identical in length. The grass was bordered by beautiful flowers beds each bursting with an array of different colours.

None of them though pleased Cassie as much as the scarlet red front door. Cassie had begged her mother for a bright blood red front door. It had always been her dream since early childhood to own a house with a bright red door. Whenever Cassie returned it always made her smile to see the front door standing bolding in front of her. It was a sign she was home.

Pulling a small silver key front her pocket she unlocked the door, calling out to her mother to let her know she was home.

Placing her bag down by the stairs she pulled off her boots and placed them, along with her thin jacket into the cupboard beneath the stairs. It was the middle of summer and the house was warm so Cassie pulled off her long black cardigan and hung it on the end of the banister at the bottom of the stairs.

It was at this moment that her mother appeared in the hallway, a scowl was painted across her face and her eyes flickered dangerously.

"Where have you been? I was a worried sick!" She screeched.

Cassie rolled her eyes before turning around to face her mother.

She sighed. "I told you I was going into town. I wanted to have a look around."

"Oh did you now." Her mother snapped.

Cassie casually wrapped a stand of blonde hair around her finger but letting it go and flicking it behind her shoulder.

"Yes actually, I did. This morning as I left for school." She replied bluntly.

Her mother's gaze softened as she silently admitted defeat.

"Find anything nice?" She asked, her voice now melodic and full of interest.

"Not really, I was looking at prom dresses but there's nothing that eye catching in the shops…" Cassie lied.

"Well have a look online tonight then and see if you can find the one you pointed out to me last month. If the price is the same, I'll get it you" Her mother smiled at her.

Cassie couldn't help but smile back. She'd shown her mum a dress last month, knowing she was highly unlikely to get it, but she'd shown her mum all the same. It was a beautiful dress and she'd instantly fallen in love with it. It was definitely the dream dress she wanted to wear to her prom.

Leaping up the stairs Cassie locked herself in her room silently thanking a higher power for helping her escape from that tricky situation unscathed. She pulled a pink laptop from off her desk and laid it down on her bed before lifting the lid and turning it on. She was sat crossed legged on top of her cream bed sheets as she logged in and prepared to finish her last essay for English.

She looked at the bedside table and at the photograph that she'd placed upon the very minute they'd moved in. It was a photograph of her aged roughly about seven in a simple white dress; she was in the arms of her father, who was dressed in jeans and a casual t-shirt with, her fathers other arm was wrapped around her mother's waist. Her mother was wearing a beautiful summer dress. It was cream with a red flowers along the hem, she had a pastel pink cardigan thrown across her shoulders. All three of them were beaming at the camera. Life was perfect then.

It was at that moment, staring at the camera that she wondered whether her mother would really deny her to chance to get to know her father now that she had found him. She stood up and walked over to the door, she could always ask her mother hypothetically. Her mother didn't have to know that the situation of which Cassie was asking about was true.

She was stood at the top of the stairs when the front door opened and Steven appeared big and burly as ever with a frown etched across his face. Clearly he wasn't pleased. He took two strides and placed his briefcase down before glancing up the stairs at her, his frown deepened and Cassie swore she thought she heard his grown menacingly towards her.

She was not looking forward to dinner that night.