A/N: everyone's been so great. thank you for all your positive comments... i've honestly gotten into a way better writing mood because of all of you! i've been hesitant in posting all the new chapters one by one, so please bear with me and my lateness. i've decided to post a whole load of chapters, hoping it'll be suffice for the next four weeks that i'll be away on vacation. mmm... sunshine and tropical beaches.. i'm all set to go!! thanks again to all you wonderful people who've taken time out of their day to read my not-so-wonderful fan fic. heh. =) enjoy!

CHAPTER FOUR – Horizon of Blue

I stood there like an idiot, searching my head for something half decent to say. The awkward silence was unsettling.

"Geez, not the greatest thing to say to a complete stranger, is it?" Craig said, chuckling uncertainly. He ran his hand haphazardly through his brown locks.

"Well, I'm -- I'm not exactly as much of a stranger as you think I am," I replied, swallowing a lump in my throat. There they were. The first fifteen words I had said to my father. I stared into his eyes as he gave me a inquiring look.

Then it happened. Out of nowhere, all the uncertainties I was trying so desperately to suppress came rushing at me. What was I doing here? Why was I about to drop this huge burden onto someone else's shoulders? What was I thinking? That they'd open their arms to me and welcome me instantly into their already perfect lives? This wasn't some fairy tale – so why was I expecting it to end like one?

My hands started shaking as I faced the reality of what I was about to do. I was going to abruptly change their lives forever. The uncertainty of it all filled me with complete dread.

Why was I feeling all these things right at this moment? Why now, when I was face to face with him?

"You know what? Nevermind." I said in a rush, on the brink of tears. "You seem like you're busy.. I'm sorry for interrupting." I hastily turned around so that they wouldn't see me crying and headed back for the stairs, roughly wiping away my tears.

"Cassie!" Pete cried out to me desperately.

"Wait! Your name's Cassie?" I heard Craig's confused voice a second later, calling out to me.

This wasn't how I planned it out. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen -- I wasn't supposed to be a blubbering mess.

I knew that I couldn't face him anymore. Not like this.

I ran down the stairs and accidentally bumped into George, making him spill papers everywhere. I mumbled a tearful sorry and ran straight outside, heading for who knows where. I honestly didn't care. I just wanted to run away, to escape from the mess I had created.

I didn't give a shit to the people on the busy sidewalk who gave me rude stares as I bumped into them. I didn't give a shit to the people who looked at me with pity in their eyes. God, it was as if they'd never seen anyone cry before.

I don't know how long I ran for. It seemed like forever.

I stopped, heaving and out of breath, when I had no where else to run. I stood on the shoreline of Lake Ontario. In front me was this horizon of blue, behind me, was the problem I was running from.

I plopped myself on the ground, buried my head in my hands and quietly cried.