Chapter 2
"Cassi!" Leo shouted in joy as he ran over to her. "But, how?" Leo asked in disbelief after hugging her.
"I'll explain later." She grinned. "By the way, nice performance."
"Performance?" he asked.
"Well, you know, pretending you thought I was dead." She studied his expression. "You didn't know I was alive?" She asked slowly as it dawned on her.
"No!"
"But, I left you that message." Leo looked like Cassi was speaking another language. "Can I see my necklace?" He handed it to her, and she read the message aloud.
"Until next we meet, it won't be long. I'll always be with you. I'm not really gone," Cassi chuckled a bit, but her heart wasn't in it. "I guess I was a little cryptic."
"I'll say you were. Why'd you wait so long to come back? Why did you leave at all?"
Cassi looked away. "You have perfect right to be mad at me, and I don't blame you if you are. The truth is, I wasn't going to come back until we were about nineteen. Then, about a month ago, I started having nightmares about that night…the accident. It was about then I realized how much I missed you. Today I decided to come and see you. I wish I could tell you why I left right now, but I can't." Hot tears welled up in her eyes and one rolled down her face.
"Hey, don't cry, Cassi. I've missed you too." Leo replied, gently wiping her eyes.
"Aren't you mad? I've basically lied for an entire year and I tore you apart!" she protested. "You should be upset with me."
"I'm not."
"Really? Honestly, Leo? I can find out if you're lying."
"Honestly Cassi. I'm just glad you're okay. Do you want me to get a crystal for your necklace?"
She shook her head sadly. "No. I'm going to stay a human as I originally planned. They can't know I'm alive yet, Leo." He knew that she meant his brothers. Keeping a small, fake smile plastered on, Leo nodded. "I have something I'm working on. Don't worry, it involves the four of you. If I succeed, our lives will be changed so much, but that should be for the better."
"You're being cryptic again." Leo said smiling, trying to hide how he felt inside. In other words, Cassi was basically telling him that she'd be gone another year.
"I know, I can't help it." She said smiling too. "Remember, I'm dead." She told him, sounding more serious. When he nodded, she turned to go. "Bye Leo." She whispered, and then left. After glancing around, she leapt down to the main floor. Quietly, she pulled open her old secret access to the sewers and ran out. The door closed automatically behind her.
Cassi couldn't help but stop and stare at the tunnel. It was the tunnel that she had built for surfing. There was an access to the surface from it, but she had to stop for a moment. This tunnel brought back many old memories, like on their sixteenth birthday, when she took Mikey surfing here. Cassi would give anything for things to be as they were, but they would never be the same again. One more year, Cassiopeia, one more year and we can be together again. I just hope they'll forgive me.
----
Cassi turned the corner heading towards her dorm at the university, which she shared with her friend Christina. She saw someone knocking at their door. When she realized who it was, Cassi turned and headed another direction, away from there. Her pace quickened to a run and she left the building.
Quickly, she made her way to a small bench just outside the building. Luckily, there was a newspaper sitting on top. The headline screamed, "Where has 'Sweet Pea' gone?" If she hadn't have been so worried about been seen, Cassi would have probably laughed. Instead, her mind was busy with other things. What was April doing there? April thought she was dead, didn't she?
---
April took a deep breath in. It had been a year, just as Cassi had wanted. The redhead hesitated a moment, then knocked on the door before she could stop herself. A tall blond haired girl answered the door. She looked about 18, maybe 19.
"Are you Christina?" April asked, and the girl nodded. "I'm April, Cassi's…aunt."
"Oh, hi! Come in." She smiled opening the door more.
April shook her head. "I can't stay, I just came to bring you some bad news, I'm afraid. Cassi…" April's voice broke slightly, but she continued, "Cassi died on a trip she took to Europe." She was expecting a horrified expression or an upset expression. Instead, Christina looked like April was insane.
"What kind of sick joke is this? Cassi hasn't been to Europe recently!" She shut the door, but as she did, April heard the girl mutter, "Crazy fan girls." April couldn't believe what she had just heard. Maybe that was the wrong Christina. No, she knew April as Cassi's aunt, so it had to be the right girl. She walked out of the building to her car. Thoughts were swimming around in her head, and she couldn't help wondering, could Cassi be alive?
Cassi looked up from the paper she was pretending to read as April walked by her. Hopefully, April hadn't seen her. The red head walked by without stopping or without showing any signs of recognizing her, so Cassi assumed she hadn't. She folded the paper and headed back to the dorm.
"The fan girls are getting worse all the time!" Christy told her friend when Cassi got in.
"How so?" Cassi asked, trying to look clueless, which in a way she was.
"One was just here. Somehow, she found out your real name along with your aunts name. She claimed you had died!" So that's why April was here, Cassi thought.
"Probably someone from high school. If they had a yearbook, they might've recognized my photo." Cassi suggested.
Christy took her purse of her desk. "Oh well, I just hope the press doesn't find out. See you later, Cassi."
Cassi said good-bye to her friend and then looked around. Finally, she had the place to herself. She went into her dresser and pulled out the CD that she had recorded her voice on to. The song she used was the one she had sung on her last date with Leo. After kissing it for good luck, she slid it into an envelope and wrote a short letter. Cassi quickly addressed the envelope and stuck a stamp on.
Cassi grabbed her car keys off her tiny, wooden desk and headed out. After double-checking that her door was securely locked, she hurried down the hall. Just outside the dormitory building was a mailbox, and Cassi dropped her letter in as she went by. Now all she could do was wait, and hope.
----
"It's official, we're adults." Mike stated. Somehow, he thought he would be more excited.
"It's also been a year since we killed Cassi." Raph pointed out.
"Raph please." Don put a hand on his brother's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Not today, for Leo's sake." Raph just shrugged as he pulled away. Recently, he had been a bit more moody. Desperately, Raph wanted to return to the Battle Nexus and to see if the Daimyo could help him see Celveliare.
"Do you think he'll even leave his room?" Mikey asked, flopping down on the couch.
"Happy birthday guys!" Leo exclaimed.
"Leo? But, you're smiling!" Mike was shocked.
Leo grinned. "It's our birthday. Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"
"But, you're talking!" Mikey still couldn't believe it. None of them could believe it.
"Cassi is gone, and we can't bring her back. I guess I finally realized that." He explained. The others looked from one to another.
"Who are you and where is Leonardo?" Don teased, but they were all glad Leo was back to his old self.
A/N: Hey everyone! I tried to have this up yesterday but for some reason it wouldn't upload. Oh well, it works now! If you read this, please review! It would mean so much to me.