Chapter 9
Cassie POV
I didn't think I was going to get away from Fredrick this time, especially after the demands he kept giving. I wasn't about to let him have his way yet, so I just ditched him and ran off to find Zane last night. He and I have started to become good friends in the past week or so. The thing that worried me the most was that Erica and Wendy have been giving me worried glances all through Transfiguration. I was growing irritated. Fredrick seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth, but I knew he was here somewhere…lurking, waiting for just the right moment. I made sure I was never alone. But now, getting jumped seemed like a good idea to me.
"What is it, guys?" I demanded after class was over.
"We're worried Fredrick may be…" Erica started.
"Stalking you," Wendy finished. "And hurting you,"
"Remember the bruise you showed me on the first day, Cass?" Erica asked. "I don't forget these things easily,"
"What gives you the right to be so nosy? You two sure have been chummy since things have gone back to 'normal,'" I made sure that the verbal air quotes were obvious. Zane ignored us, heading off to his next class in total silence. Erica and Wendy exchanged a glance.
"There you go again!" I fumed. "Everything's fine. I think the major concern here is why neither of you will tell me anything. Erica, you disappear for hours and tell no one where you've been and hardly speak to anyone. Wendy, I know you are still coming to terms with your issues, but shouldn't you talk to someone about it?"
"Cass, it's not that-" Wendy started, but I cut her off at once.
"And more than that, I don't think I know either of you as well as I thought I did. I wrote to both of your families, and I'm going to the Owlery right now to see what they had to say about your past," I stormed off in a huff.
Erica POV
"What a bitch," I muttered. "Not even the slightest bit of sympathy," Wendy rolled her eyes.
"Come on," she declared. "We don't need her as a friend anymore," I stared at her in shock.
"What do you mean?" I blurted.
"Don't you see? She doesn't care about us. So…we'll go to someone else about this," I shook my head furiously, my dirty blonde hair swinging wildly about.
"No, she does care" I protested. "She just doesn't trust us," Wendy continued down the corridor.
"Exactly," she called back. "We can't trust her either. Just forget Cassie ever existed," I halted. Not trust her was something I could do. But forget she ever existed…instantly, I felt a twist of pain. There was no way I could just bury six years of friendship as if they never happened.
"But don't you trust me?" I asked her, causing Wendy to turn back at me.
"Of course I do, Erica. I trust you to be on my side,"
"Side? This isn't a war,"
"It is now," she sang mysteriously. As I reluctantly followed her down the corridor, I wondered why the two of us looked so similar, if we weren't even related. Wendy didn't dwell on things like this, so I wouldn't be able to ask her. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she came to a stop.
"I have a secret to tell you…" she said, looking around for eavesdropping first years. When she was sure the coast was clear, she dragged me into an empty classroom and shut the door.
"What is it?" I asked. Her face was strangely unreadable.
"I'm your half sister,"
Cassie POV
Of course, how predictable, Erica and Wendy were skipping their next class. I felt an increasing annoyance that slowly boiled to a furious anger throughout Potions. How could they do this to me? They were the two people I trusted the most, about as much as Fredrick, until that is, he started to change and become totally unpredictable. But he was hardly my concern at the moment. I concentrated on setting up my cauldron and getting out the necessary ingredients for Shrinking Solution. As I took out a vial that I would use to collect a sample to turn in, the door opened and Erica burst into the room.
"Sorry I'm late," she stammered to Professor Camelot.
"It's fine, Miss Wutherheimer, just take a seat there next to…oh dear," He looked around the room. The only available seat was next to me. Just my luck. "Why don't you sit here for now?" Erica nodded, still breathless, and wordlessly took the seat next to me. I did my best to ignore her and looked up at the board to see the instructions. Neither of us spoke for the remainder of class. At the sound of the bell, Erica stopped me in the doorway.
"I have something to tell you," she said.
"Why should I listen?" I shot back coolly. "You betrayed me,"
"No. Wendy betrayed you. I just followed her, thinking I had no choice. But she has more secrets than she has been willing to tell us, and not just the anorexia she is recovering from,"
"Go on," I said slowly, walking with her to the place we usually meet up with Zane.
"Wendy and I are half siblings…in case you never caught the resemblance. More than that, I know why she was upset when you first met her,"
"Really?" I asked. "That question never occurred to me,"
"Me neither, until she told me. Her father was murdered,"
"By who?"
"No idea…she did see the killer…that night before she started Hogwarts,"
"Who?" I repeated.
"Oh…I doubt she remembers all the details. She was able to describe him, though. He was tall, with dark hair and angry eyes. He was very muscular and well-built. He had a knife on him, but no wand. And he was hardly much older than she was,"
Dark hair…strong…
"Oh God," I whispered in a strangled voice. "The killer was Fredrick," As if on cue, Fredrick appeared just down the corridor, staring at me.
A/N: Oh would you look at that….a cliffhanger. I had a mind-numblingly average day. So, if you don't mind, a review or two would make it all better, like kissing a paper cut. But don't kiss my paper cuts. That's just weird. I'm not five anymore, okay? I suck it up like the rest of you people. At least I hope you do. Paper cuts aren't that big of a deal…jeez.
