Welcome to chapter two. I changed it so Cassandra is 16 when she came to the Island. If you have any comments please feel free
I closed the door behind me and followed Lydia in to the kitchen. It was on the small side but had enough room for the usual kitchen essentials and a four person dining table. There was a pink note on the door of the refrigerator. Lydia took it off and read it.
"We stocked you up on the usual food. Let the cafeteria know if you need, or don't need, any food." Lydia read. Opening the refrigerator up we both look around at the food filling it, "Are you hungry?" Lydia asked grabbing a can of soda out of the refrigerator.
"Not really," I reply and she nod in reply.
"Well then let's go look at the rest of our new home." She smiles at me reassuringly in a worried over protective way. I feign enthusiasm and follow her in to the hall. The bathroom is larger than I imagined with a shower, bathtub, sink, and toilet. It will be easy enough to share it with Lydia as it is the only one in the house. Next to the bathroom is the larger bedroom, Lydia's, and across from that is mine. A full bed with white sheets and blue pillows sits in the middle of the room. Other than that there is a desk, a dresser, boxes, more boxes, a bookshelf, and vanity. "Looks like we'll be unpacking for a while," Lydia says and I look over my shoulder to her. I laugh and smile back at her worried face only to reassure her worried face.
"Yeah. Better get started. Do you need help unpacking?" I ask nicely. She smiles back and shakes her head no and enters her room. I retreat in to mine closing the door behind me. Sighing I open the closest box to me labeled, "clothes." You might be wondering why Lydia is acting like I might break down at any moment. Well before we came here, to this Island, we lived in Arlington, Virginia. However we didn't live together. I lived with my mom and Lydia lived a couple blocks away. My mom, Amara Kendrick, and her sister had always been really close so you can imagine how sad she was when Lydia came over to tell us she had gotten a great research job in Portland. Lydia is a botanist specializing in medical aspects of wildlife and how plant life can affect human life. She was a teaching and conducting research on noxious effects of plant life at Marymount University. She said the institute in Portland would enable her to get back in to the field. My mom thought it was a great opportunity but was sad to see Lydia go; I was as well but we could visit her on the west coast, which could be fun.
After finishing with the first box, which contained mostly jeans, shorts, and trousers, I started on shirts in the next box. A week before Lydia was to take off for Portland my mom had an aneurysm in a completely unexpected manner. I was sitting in algebra when I was sent to the principal's office and found my aunt crying.
"Cassandra, do you have any hangers?" Lydia asks though my door.
"Yeah," I say grabbing a handful and opening the door.
"Thanks, I ran out," she smiles and turns back in to her room. Lydia never told me but I heard her talking on the phone with her new employer. It took her a while but she was able to convince them to let me come to Portland. Later that night she sat me down in her kitchen. She told me that we would not being going to Portland. In fact the people who had hired her lived on a tropical secret-like island. She was going to help Dr. Juliet Burke who was studying pregnancy on the island. Juliet wanted her to study the botany on the Island to see if any of the plant life was negatively affecting pregnancy on the island. Lydia said that she had become suspicious when they informed her that they would not be journeying to Portland but the opportunity of field research and discovering new plants was too good to pass up. If I was uncomfortable with these deceitful travel plans we would stay in Arlington. Needless to say I had no problem with the skullduggery.
Later that night, after Lydia had forced herself to go to bed to avoid jetlag, I couldn't fall asleep. Looking around my mostly unpacked room I found nothing to hold my interest. I had organized my books, made my bed, and unpacked all essential stuff including my clothes. Looking into my closet I notice an indentation on the back of it. Crawling off my bed I look at the square indentation. Pushing against it I feel it give way and I slide it off to the side revealing a ladder. Looking behind me I make a decision to explore this new development.
The dust in the secret room is copious but I hold my breath as I climb up the ladder. When I get to the top I feel a hatch above my head and open it. Climbing out of the passage way I find myself on a landing near the top of the roof. From here I can see the courtyard and the houses but I doubt that anyone could see me because I am located on the back side of the roof. This could be a great help.
The next morning I woke up around 10am to the smell of bacon and French toast. Waking up took me from my unconscious but memories from my dreams remained.
My hands were grasped in his hands held tightly above my head as his body pressed mine against the wall of my new bedroom.
"Say it," he demands lips inches from my own.
"I want you," I answer and his lips come crashing down on mine.
I keep my eyes closed as I relive the dream starring Ben Linus. I calm my breathing as I consider it. I've never had a dream with that level of lasciviousness and I could feel it's effect on me. Rolling over I planned on going back to sleep until my stomach informed me that food would be better option. Sighing I get out of bed and make my way to the kitchen in my nightgown and pajama pants expecting to find only Lydia. Instead I see Lydia and a blond woman.
"Good morning Cassandra," Lydia says. "This is Dr. Burke," she says indicating the blond woman who was standing up.
"Juliet, please," Juliet says shaking my hand.
"It's nice to meet you," I reply and take over the job of flipping the French toast.
"So I was just telling your aunt that I would love to show you around the compound if you'd like?" Juliet says.
"Really? Yeah that would be great," I say excited about see all the Island has to offer. "Would you like some French toast?" I say as the first batch is ready. She nods and I place some on her and Lydia's plates. There is a knock on the door and I am about to answer it when Lydia beats me to it. I turn back to the French toast only to stiffen when I hear Lydia's voice from the hallway.
"Mr. Linus. Come in come in. How are you this morning?" Lydia asks. The dream invades my mind only to replay itself on my consciousness. Taking a deep breath I attempt to rid myself of the blush I feel on my face and chest. I've gotten myself more of less under control before I hear Lydia and Ben enter the kitchen. Turning around I catch his eye and smile. His attention however soon turns to Juliet.
"Good morning Juliet," he says and pauses before adding, "Cassandra."
"Good morning," Juliet says not moving her attention from her breakfast, which she hasn't eaten much of.
"I thought I would come over and give you a tour of the Barracks," Ben says.
"Oh thank you Ben," Lydia says. "But actually Juliet has offered already and she was going to give me a tour of the labs."
"Thank you Juliet that is probably the most time efficient path," Ben says sitting down next to Juliet.
"Best to get to know each other earlier if we will be working together," Juliet says as she stands and places her plate in the sink. "Well I better go get ready. How about we meet outside in an hour?" Juliet asks Lydia who nods in the affirmative. "Bye, Ben, Cassandra."
When I notice her cold behavior directed solely at Ben I couldn't help but glare at her retreating back. Turning my attention back to the table I see Ben watching me. The look he is giving me is of a similar intensity from my dream, lacking of course the lust that was in the dream, and it takes me a moment to ask, "Would you like any breakfast, Mr. Linus?"
"No thank you," he replies. "Although I should go over some regulations of the community that you will need to know. The Pylons that mark the boundaries of this station are a defense mechanism so walking though them is lethal unless they are deactivated. Leaving the station requires the permission from the security team or me, who hold the deactivation codes, for safety purposes. The Island is expansive and contain animals that prove a threat so to prevent someone getting lost or harmed we limit the number of excursions."
"So I couldn't get a tour of the Island?" I ask sadly. His eyes turn from Lydia to me and he takes a moment before answering.
"Unfortunately not, it is too dangerous. Excursions are for the most part limited to adults," he says. "However all parts of the Barracks are open to you and you as well Lydia. Well I am sure Juliet will go over the rest with you. I'll let you get ready to meet her. Have a good day. Enjoy the Island."
Juliet had started the tour at the courtyard pointing our people's houses and then led us to the welcome center and the recreation center which contained a game room and quasi-library. Next were the security office and the former motor pool which was now the laboratories. As we neared the school and the cafeteria I saw about 10 people my age leaving the school.
"Alex," Juliet calls and a pretty girl my age with dark hair leaves the group and approaches. When Alex gets to us Juliet introduces us. "Alex is Ben's daughter," Juliet says.
"Nice to meet you Alex. You must love living here. It's amazing, although I would love to explore the Island what I've seen in incredible," I say honestly. Though out the tour the pull to visit the rest of the island remained but what I saw of the barracks I had enjoyed.
"Sure," she says. Her once in place smile is gone and I get the urge that she is trying not to roll her eyes.
"Well I better get home," Alex says and walks off in the opposite direction of the courtyard. Juliet steers us back to the courtyard.
"Forgive her," Juliet says. "Growing up with someone like Ben would be hard on anyone." Now I am the one resisting the urge to roll eyes. I couldn't understand why she didn't like Ben. I lagged behind as Lydia and Juliet walk back to the houses. All and all I was looking forward to living here.
I hope you enjoyed it. Comments are welcome.