"You're not allowed to tell anyone about this Casey, if you do Allen will have to die." That voice it vibrated in her tiny eardrums. "Why? I think this is wrong." His breath was murky and stale, and he grabbed her small wrists roughly. "You're the one who is wrong Casey, you're just too young to understand it right now." His big, calloused hands were on her thighs, tugging her skirt down. He reached into her Little Mermaid panties. She cried, and when her tear filled eyes opened again the man's face was gone, and was replaced by Derek's. His fingers stopped moving on her, his own eyes filling with concern. "What's wrong?" She looked around her, no longer in a cobweb infested boiler room, but in a luxurious hotel suite. Derek's tuxedo was halfway open, his hair touseled. Casey took a look at herself finding she was wearing a silk peignoir. And noticing a wedding dress hanging up. "I don't know, I don't even know where I am." "I think you've had way too much wine baby, let's just wait til tomorrow night." He kissed her tenderly, but passionately on the lips. And Derek took her in his arms.
Casey woke up feeling hot, her sheets entwined in her legs. Her hair stuck to the sides of her face from the sweat. She stood up, nearly tripping over the covers. She stumbled into the bathroom, not looking into the mirror. Something was wrong, she could barely remember the beginning of the nightmare, but knew it was horrible in some way. The bathroom was decorated to look like a fall day in the park. The soaps and shampoos were lined as her favorites: lavender/vanilla and strawberry/kiwi. Casey stepped into the shower, nothing but scalding water to soothe her. 'Dirty, why do I feel so dirty?' She scrubbed until sores popped up on her skin, not even a second passed after that when she had to double over. She looked down, and saw she had vomited a massive pool of blood. She wanted to cry so badly, maybe she was she couldn't tell with the water mingling in her eyes.
She tried to forget the blood, the disturbing images that flashed whenever she closed her eyes. And tried to go on with her regular routine. She dressed in her favorite spaghetti strap top with butterflies embroidering it, with her tennis shorts with her graduation date on them. 'Eighteen and out,' she thought to herself. She looked into the mirror feeling sexy and comfy at the same time. Always a hit combination. She stepped into the dining room where Sandra handed her a glass of juice. Casey sipped it slowly savoring the taste. "What are you going to do today Casey?" asked her father, not bothering to look over his newspaper.
"I don't know yet, Charlie has to take me to a doctor's appointment when he gets out of his classes. But that's a good while away. I might try to draw the back-drop of the woods. I haven't sketched since mom married George." "That's a shame, you've always had a knack for drawing. I bet you could get a scholarship from it," said Sandra. "Maybe, but I'd kind of like to become a pastry chef." "That still takes a great deal of art knowledge to do dear." Casey nodded in agreement, losing herself in the golden orange liquid.
'That could be the color of happiness,' she thought. A jerk from the back of her chair, and a cultivating 'Hey' brought her out of her trance. Casey turned to see Mary, Charlie's fiancée, smiling down at her. "Why aren't you in class?" "I could ask you the same thing girlie." "I'm settling in before the break starts, besides it's only four days. Won't cut that much into my record." "What are you doing today?" "Damn you are the second person to ask me that in under a half an hour. Why don't you just tell me what you're doing so I can mimick it." "God, you don't have to be so snippy about it. I was just asking to see if you wanted to go into town and shop a bit and go to lunch before you went to the doctor. But seeing as you're going to be that way forget it." Casey could tell she was joking, but took the threat to heart anyways. "Then I'll just have to hide away in your trunk won't I?" Mary laughed, her amber eyes twinkling. "Grab your jacket, and come on." Casey was smart enough not to be told twice. She kissed her father, and Sandra on the cheek. Ran outside, and jumped into Mary's Vette zooming out of the driveway.