A/N: First off, I'd just like to say thanks to my first three reviews of this story, by, Madness is me, Mrs. Depp and LunaticaDaliz. They made me very happy! Also, thanks goes out to those of you who have favorited, alerted, or simply read this story. This chapter introduces my OC a lot more. Hope you guys like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Jonathan Crane, Gotham, or anything else related, besides my own characters, of course.
Chapter 2
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"Cassie! You almost ready?"
"Yes, Mom! Give me a few more seconds!"
More like a few more years.
It was Sunday, which meant tomorrow would be Monday, which in turn meant that her mother would be departing on a plane for New York City, the result being that she, Cassie, would be dumped with Mrs. Crane and her son. Cassie understood that her mother and Mrs. Crane had been best friends growing up, so they knew each other very well; but that didn't mean she'd feel any more comfortable around her. To her, these people were utter strangers. And the thought of staying with utter strangers for nearly a month frightened Cassie to no end. It was not a secret that she was ridiculously shy and timid. Her whole family, and what little friends she did have, knew this. She was nothing like her mother in that respect. Tina, her mother, was probably the loudest mouthed person that Cassie had ever met in her entire life. She was bossy, determined, unafraid. She said what was on her mind without the slightest bit of consideration for others.
Cassie sometimes envied this trait of her mother's. She hated always being looked at as the quiet one, or sweet one. Why couldn't people just look at her differently for once?
Turning from her full-to-bursting suitcase on her unmade bed, she retrieved the pineapple-scented deodorant from a shelf inside her untidy closet, and stuffed it away with the other contents of the suitcase. Double-checking for the necessary items, she closed and zipped up the suitcase. With a grunt, she hoisted it from the bed and carried it out of her bedroom, making sure, of course, to turn off the light before leaving.
The drive to the Cranes' house was excruciating - well at least for Cassie anyway. Even with her mother rambling on about her new boyfriend, and the radio blasting with some 80's song that Cassie didn't recognize, all the poor girl could think about was the next three weeks of hell ahead of her. Trying hard to calm her nerves, Cassie forced herself to focus on the world outside the car. The sky was gray, which was to be expected in the first week of October, and the wind was so strong that it kept pushing their little Toyota towards the opposing lane. The leaves on many of the trees were nearing their peak of colors, while some had already been shed completely. Almost every house they passed had some sort of seasonal decoration too, whether it be a simple, smiling scarecrow, or an entire array of gore that looked as if it had come straight out of a horror film.
Those particular set-ups Cassie did not care for.
A moment or so later, when the car began to slow and turn onto yet another street, Cassie pulled her eyes away from the window and looked at the car's radio. The time read 3:54 p.m. She mentally flinched, looking down at her hands gripping her purse. Again the car slowed, but this time it wasn't another street they were turning on.
This was the end of the road.
"Alright, here we are." her mother pressed her foot on the brake, twisting her neck to look at her daughter with a weary expression.
"Yeah." Cassie reached over a shaky hand to unbuckle her seat belt.
"You don't have anything in the trunk, do you?"
"No. It-it's all in the back seat."
Cassie exited the car, closing the door behind her, then opened up the rear right back door and grabbed her suitcase. Shutting the door, she walked around the front of the car, waving goodbye to her mother, who nodded back with a half-hearted smile. She knew her mother loved her dearly, although she rarely expressed it openly to her. Otherwise, she would have just left her alone at home, which scared Cassie almost more than staying with the Cranes. After all, with all the crime here in Gotham, it would not be surprising if someone tried to break in. And, with Cassie's rotten luck, they'd choose to do so just while her mother was gone. So, in a way, she should have been counting her blessings right about now. Mrs. Crane had seemed like a nice woman at least, though her son was a bit odd. Cassie had only seen him a few times at school and once at his house. He was rather reclusive by what she had observed, and only talked to a few select people. A chatty, brunette, Shelby, who'd come to tag Cassie as a friend, or rather, an easy shoulder to cry on, called him stuck-up because he was number one on the honors list and perhaps the smartest kid in the whole school. Cassie respected him in that light, for she herself was an honor student, but she saw no reason for him to be stuck-up. Cassie couldn't fully take Shelby's word on that, however. If he was shy, just as his mother had said, then that was most likely the main reason of his introverted behavior. She also had to remember his bully issues. Stuff like that did no help to the confidence of people like she and he. So judging him would just have to wait until she got to know him better.
Struggling up the porch steps with the heavy load in her left hand, Cassie waddled up to the front door and knocked lightly. Her ears picked up the sound of car wheels moving, and she looked over her shoulder and saw that her mother was backing out of the driveway. She gave a last wave to her, then within a few seconds the car was down the street and around the corner. Cassie started when the door popped open and found that it was none other than Jonathan Crane who'd answered. His icy blue eyes grew wide when he saw her. Cassie swallowed thickly, averting her own darker, hazel ones.
Well, you can't just stand here and stare at your feet, Cassie! Say something!
"Urm!" her head snapped back up, an awkward smile planted on her face. "Hi."
He gave her a look, something mixed between uncertainty and agitation, then licked his full lips.
"Hi."
Cassie involuntarily shivered, tiny goose bumps crawling over her skin. His voice was unexpected. It was so mature, and did not match his body at all. He was short, she noticed at that moment. Shorter than her, and terribly thin. His raven locks were cropped short, and light acne graced his forehead and cheeks. The thick-framed spectacles he wore were far too big for him, and caused his already large eyes to appear larger, giving him a bug-eyed impression. Too bad too, as they were his best attribute.
As she was fully scrutinizing the rest of his features, she did not stop to think that he might have been doing the same to her.
Jonathan had only got to look at her a couple of times beforehand at a distance, and those times had been fleeting. He was up close to her now, and he could see that even though she was pretty, she was, by no means, perfect. Standing at least four inches taller than himself, Cassie was one gangly girl. In fact, Jonathan was shocked that such knobby knees could afford enough strength to keep her standing. He suspected that she considered her outfit to be trendy, when in all actuality, it came off to be quite goofy, with her bell-bottom jeans, red and orange polka dot shirt, white sneakers with printed purple butterflies on them, and a green derby cap. Her red hair hung limp about her bony shoulders, and a trail of freckles crossed the bridge of her nose to each cheek. Seeing the painful, fake smile on her face made him want to laugh out loud, but he held it in. He knew what she was thinking. He was a geek. A nerd.
Little did she know, that she was only a step or two behind him.
"Um, could I…?" she made to go forward.
"Oh, of course." Jonathan moved aside for her.
He watched in amusement her pick up the huge suitcase and lug it into the house with difficulty, her stick legs shaking under the excess weight. He didn't bother offering to help her. She made it this far, what was the difference now?
"Uff!" she dropped it on the floor near the door, breathing heavily. "What a load."
Jonathan smirked, closing and locking the front door. He turned back to face her, but she wasn't looking at him. Instead, she was intently studying her fingernails. Jonathan lowered his brow at her. Was she just going to stand there and say nothing? It was rude, though perfectly fine by him. He would prefer if they avoided each other. With no comment that he wished to waste on her, Jonathan brushed past her and headed back upstairs to his bedroom, from whence he came. Cassie, seeing him leave, jumped around, holding her hands together.
"Where is m-my room?" she called after him feebly, anxiety evident in her voice.
Half-way up the stairs, Jonathan halted on the fifth step, sighing inwardly.
"Up here."
There was silence, then he could hear her padding across the dining room. He looked down under his arm at her when she got to the stairs. She goggled back up at him, her mouth hanging open.
"Up there?" she sounded distressed.
Jonathan nodded. "Mhm."
"Oh…"
"Is something wrong?"
"Well, it's just…" she seemed embarrassed to continue. "I don't think I can carry the suitcase all the way up."
Jonathan raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
Cassie fiddled with a strand of her hair. "That's it."
He gave her a false pitying look. "I'm sorry."
Shrugging in a careless fashion, he climbed the remaining steps. Cassie just gaped up at where he had been standing. So much for assistance from the host. Of course, she doubted he could lift the suitcase more than an inch off of the floor, let alone up a staircase.
After she had completed the feat on her own, Cassie laid the suitcase on the floor in the hallway, and tentatively peeked inside the first room on her right. It was small, containing only a twin-sized bed, bookcase, and desk with a lamp and a computer. The color theme of the room was blue, including the carpeting.
"Ew." Cassie disliked the color.
She assumed this was the guest room she'd be staying in for the time, so she proceeded to drag her suitcase in. Shutting the door, she went to turn on the lamp. It was surprisingly bright for its size. She knelt next to her suitcase, unzipped it and began to unpack. By the time she was done adjusting her temporary bedroom, the sky outside the window had become very dark. She took a glimpse at the clock on the wall diagonal from the bed. The big hand rested on the five, while the little hand rested in between the six and seven.
"I've been here for over an hour."
Cassie wondered where Mrs. Crane was. She was not brave enough to go and ask Jonathan, so she stayed put in her room, pondering. While she pondered, Cassie walked over to the bookcase and absentmindedly fingered through it. Most, if not all of the books she was familiar with, although she had not read the majority of them. Cassie loved to read, but her mother favored that the money they had be spent on other things, like clothing and electronics. She possessed only five novels, all of which were gifts to her from past birthdays and Christmases, and, when she could, borrowed her English teacher's books. No longer having the same teacher, Cassie was stumped.
Still pondering, her fingers came to a stop on the worn spine of one of her particular favorites, Wuthering Heights. Cassie had only had the chance to read the classic once, so it was awfully tempting to have it sit there in front of her.
As she was about to pull it out, the sudden sound of the doorbell chime downstairs made her jump.
"Jonathan! Jonathan, I'm home!"
Sarah hung up her jacket, and slipped off her tennis shoes. Locking up the door, she carried the pile of paper bags filled with groceries into the kitchen. She sat them down on the island and immediately commenced rummaging through them.
"Jonathan! We have groceries! I need help!" she shouted again, withdrawing a half of gallon of skim milk from one of the bags.
There came a creak from the stairs, and she knew that he was coming down. Not a moment later, and he rounded the corner. Sarah smiled at him, taking out a pack of chocolate pudding from another bag.
"Hey! Come over here and give me a hand."
"She's here." Jonathan started to unload the rest of the bags for her.
Sarah opened the refrigerator and put away the milk and orange juice.
"Huh?"
"Your friend's daughter."
"Ahem."
Both he and his mother looked around. Cassie stood in the doorframe leading to the kitchen, looking more than a little lost.
"Cassie! When did you get here?" Sarah beamed, handing two boxes of cereal to Jonathan.
"Ah, about an hour ago." Cassie took a step, feeling a whole lot more at ease with Mrs. Crane.
"Really? Did Jonathan show you your room?"
Cassie's eyes flitted to Jonathan, then back to his mother, and she nodded.
Sarah seemed pleased by this, her smile widening.
"Good. Say, Cassie, are you hungry? I'm going to be making some baked mac'n'cheese for Jonathan and I for dinner."
Cassie's mouth instantly began to water at the very thought of such a delicious meal. She could never turn down the offer of food, that was for sure.
"Yeah. That sounds great."
The dinner turned out to be superb. Cassie had honestly never tasted such rich, good macaroni and cheese before in her life. She was a tad bit jealous that Jonathan got to enjoy amazing cooking like this everyday, while she was stuck with hideous frozen food. Mrs. Crane was kinder than she had originally thought, as well. She didn't mind her reading or borrowing any of her books, and even was generous enough to allow access to her computer for playing games. Cassie was thrilled by this.
Perhaps her stay here wouldn't be so bad…