... Months earlier...

If Cassidy knew what was to come- she would have stayed in Maitland. Surely she would, but then again, that was an unknown shadow on her future... One that she could never have seen coming.

Not ever.

The open window shone over the bedroom's flaws. The knitted blanket under the chair legs, Lego pieces stuck in the fluffy pink carpet, and a small rubber duck inside a slipper by the wardrobe.

She crammed everything on the desk, grabbing her bag and wrapping it around her before the thought could stop itself from emerging.

Why are you going? It's not like you're going to get anywhere this time...

It slowed her to a stop.

No, it would be different. It had to be!

"Magic 107.7 is sponsored by Enid and Levigne Attorneys; call 1-800..."

Cassidy switched off the radio in a huff, leaving the room.

Beyond the bungalow door, the neighbor's ginger cat stretched out on the porch.

Cassidy tilted her head.

"Hey Leo"

She knelt, scratching his fluffy belly as he purred- only for him to get up a minute later and head over to the next garden on the street. Leo wasn't the committed type.

Cassidy watched him leave and checked her phone:

'09:20

New Message:

Dad: Good luck! Meet you by the lake at 4, will bring coffee'

Cassidy replied with a love heart, dusting herself off as she stood up.

She avoided the stares and innocent glances of those she passed, only keeping track of the streets. The other bungalows were identical to hers, except the doors weren't green, and no one's paint was chipped.

She got to the bus stop, posters advertising around the windows here and there. 'Maitland Community Cleanup Days - Lake Lily Park', 'Street Party Downtown', and '42nd Rotary Art Festival'. She tried looking at the posters, but the old man next to them kept staring her way. He didn't intend to stop, even when she ducked down, her hair covering half of her face. It was something she was all too used to.

Finally, on the bus, she kept her eyes on the floor and rushed to a window seat.

She stared at the outside world, headphones on, as the bus drove past more parks, hedges, and lakes. The streets were quiet and few people were walking, only more nature to be found.

Cassidy slumped her arm against the window, lethargic.

She got off at the next street, walking the opposite way from the families and couples, and toward the quiet.

The building ahead cast shadows through the overgrown trees and cloudless sky.

'Bright Futures

Day Care and Education Centre'

The roof sign was haphazard and the sun logo was a mess- like it had been painted by a three-year-old. But Cassidy remained as intimidated as if she had been standing outside the president's office.

She didn't move for a few more moments, gawping at the sign with anxiety.

///

Cassidy stood in the building's bathroom, grasping the sink, her chest heaving.

She ran the tap, pulled off her headphones, and shoved them in her bag. Cold water splashed on her face, dripping from her forehead to her neck.

She kept her head low.

"You can do this..." Cassidy whispered to herself.

Lifting her fringe, she met her gaze in the bathroom mirror.

She was young, 22, and if her skin had allowed it- she might have considered herself pretty.

But that was a lost cause.

Her burn scars were in view; rubbery, 3rd degree, stretched across the top half of her body. Cassidy's suit hid most of it, save for the lumps on her neck. Her right eye had melted, leaving a small black hole where it once was. Her bottom lip, or if she could even call it that, drooped toward the corner of her chin.

It would be easy to say that looking at her reflection had gotten easier- but the truth was... Cassidy hardly looked at herself at all. She couldn't.

She smoothed her blazer, checking for stains, pleased when there were none. The water on her face dried off.

Breathing calmed.

Cassidy tidied her auburn hair and looked at herself.

She didn't want to show her face- but it had to make do.

The waiting room should have been a bright sight, filled with orange walls and a checkered floor. But Cassidy only noticed the five women sitting near the reception desk; fair-haired, pretty, all staring right at her. Even the receptionist, who had been delaying ending her phone call just so she could look busy.

Cassidy sat, a few seats away.

Two of the women turned away as soon as she made eye contact with them. One gave her a sympathetic smile. The other two gossiped, glancing in her direction. Cassidy lowered her head to the floor. Uncomfortable.

She rustled through the wrappers in her bag and bit into two strips of chewing gum as a distraction.

Bu-bump. Bu-bump.

Her heartbeat jumped as the sights and sounds around her became intense.

Bu-bump. Bu-bump. Bu-bump.

The two women whispered. Louder. The receptionist's phone call. Louder and louder. The orange walls and checkered floor, nauseating.

Cassidy clutched her bag.

Bu-bump bu-bump bu-bump-

No. Stop. Stop looking. Don't look. Leave me alone. Need-

All sound became static noise.

"Cassidy Price?"

The manager stood by the hallway door in a flowing summer dress. But Cassidy was no longer there. She fled outside. To the calm and the shade of the trees.

No one knew she was out there, gasping through tears. It didn't matter.

It was another opportunity.

Wasted.

///

"Cass!"

Cassidy stood on the bridge at Lake Lily Park as her father approached with two coffees.

Henry Price. A burly man, his set of janitor overalls stinking of chlorine- as if he had been swimming in a public pool. It was always hard to tell if the dark shadows on his neck were stubble, or soot.

"Sorry about the wait-" Henry apologized, his tone gruff. "- The coffee line was never-ending."

Cassidy took one of the drinks from his hand without even saying "hello." Henry was oblivious.

"So, how was the interview?" Henry asked, taking small sips from his cup.

Cassidy kept her gaze on the park fountain, twinkling with every splash and ripple in the lake.

She couldn't tell him.

"That bad?" Henry frowned. "Did anyone- I mean, did-"

"Dad-" Cassidy interrupted with a fake laugh "C'mon. Look at me..."

Cassidy huffed, slumping her arms over the bridge.

"It's not like I would've got picked anyway..."

Henry sighed.

He had tried the same conversation with her so many times, but none of them seemed to help.

Or maybe he was running out of things to say.

"Cass..." Henry said, moving closer to her "... Don't let it get you down, ok? You're amazing- believe me. Something else will come along"

Looking out at the view, Henry squeezed her shoulder as she leaned against him.

Nothing more was said.

A/N: Ever been in a bad job interview? I have *nervous laughter*