┊┊┊┊ ➶ CASSIE 🛩⌇ ｡˚ ✧ ﹐

APRIL 7TH, 2013

Cassie looked through the window, her mascara, which she had spent five minutes getting perfect in the morning had run down her face. Streaks of mascara stained her face, revealing to the world that she had been crying for the last hour.

Cassie grabbed her sleeve and rubbed her face, hopelessly she tried to remove the stains. "Do you need wipes?" Cassie's mother asked as she held out a packet of face wipes, Cassie smiled half-heartedly as she grabbed the wipes.

"Thanks."

"We're here."

Steve turned the car off as he looked at Cassie, "I know we all are worried about Cal and your siblings but we need to keep it together. Olive and Grace are going to need us to be strong."

The blonde-haired girl wiped her face with the wipes before she nodded, "No more crying, got it."

Karen gasped, she placed a hand over her mouth trying to prevent her sobs. Steve hugged his wife, "Everything will be okay," Steve told them, although he sounded just as unsure as Cassie's thoughts.

The airport was packed with people running around and some sleeping in the waiting chairs. She looked around for her family when a woman yelling caught her attention, "What do you mean the plane is missing?!"

Karen and Steve looked at each other, realising the voice was coming from their daughter-in-law, they followed Grace's voice until they saw the ticket desk and a group of people huddling around it. "We're doing all that we can at the moment," a man told the group of people.

"What are you doing? Who's looking for my family?!" Grace yelled at the man, Grace was hugging her mother's side as she watched her yell at the airport worker:

"Ma'ma you need to calm down

"The hell I do, my family is on that plane. My son, he's 10, sick! My husband and his sister, there is no way I can calm down when you tell me you lost my family!"

"Olive shouldn't be watching this," a voice said as Cassie recognised a few familiar faces in the crowd, Michaela's boyfriend Jared and her best friend Dolores.

"I got it," Cassie said as she stepped in front of Dolores, the older girl surprised by Cassie's presence, the last time they had seen each other Cassie was leaving for college. Cassie walked up to Olive, placing a hand softly on her shoulder, "Ollie, I'm feeling a bit hungry, would you mind showing me where the vending machines are?"

The ten-year-old looked at her aunt, her eyes widened, "Aunt Cass?" Cassie's heart broke as Olive stared at Cassie as if she were a stranger, somebody she sees twice a year like a dentist. Olive ran into Cassie, wrapping her small arms around her, "I missed you."

"I know, I'm sorry," Cassie ran a hand through Olive's curls, her braids were messy and strands of her hair were falling in her face.

The child grabbed Cassie's hand, "The vending machine is over here."

When they got to the vending machine Cassie looked inside her bag, shit, she had no change. "I want the Reese's," Olive pointed at the orange wrapped, Cassie bit her lip.

She looked at her niece, the girl was biting the sleeve of her rainbow shirt as she impatiently waited for the chocolate bar. On the other side of the room, Grace yelled at the Airport worker, demanding to find out where their family was. "I have a secret, Ol. Do you wanna see it?"

Olive nodded keenly.

"Okay..." Cassie looked around, double-checking no security guards are workers were around, once she was in the clear Cassie shook the machine and the chocolates started to wobble. Olive gasped as Cassie continued to do it until a Milky Way fell off the shelf. "There you go, it's not a Reese's but it's still chocolate."

Olive gasped, she took the chocolate before whispering, "This is stealing," her voice horrified.

"Stealing is bad but this is a unique occasion. So eat your chocolate, okay?"

Olive nodded, she took a bite of her chocolate, "Milky Ways are Cal's favourite."

┊┊┊┊ ➶ ❁ 🛩⌇ ｡˚ ✧ ﹐

PRESENT DAY

Cassie sat in her classroom and looked at the time 3:42, this week was Cassie's turn to supervise after-school detention, a job she hates. Cassie jumped as her phone rang, on the screen a picture of Olive and Kayla hugging appeared. "I'm just going to take this call, don't talk, don't do anything you know you're not allowed to do," she told the group as she stepped out of the classroom. Cassie accepted the call, "Hey Ol-"

Cassie froze as she heard Olive crying through the phone, "Aunt Cass, I screwed up."

"What? What's wrong?"

"I need you to come get me."

"Where are you?"

"..." Olive took a deep breath, "Bluemercury."

Cassie sighed as she heard the name of the store, a feeling of relief washing over her, she's not in any danger. Bluemercury is a makeup store, one that is way out of Olive's weekly chore money. Cassie took a deep breath, preparing herself to hear what she suspected Olive was in trouble for, "Olive... What did you do!?"

"I'm so sorry," she cried into the phone, "I stole lipstick, I don't know why, I thought it would be fun but I got caught and they need a parent or guardian to pick me up!"

"Ol, I'm at work, I'll call your dad, see if he-"

"No!"

"What?"

"Never mind, I- I'll call him. Please don't call him, Aunt Cass. He should hear it from me."

"Okay..." Cassie didn't like how Olive quickly dismissed her, she couldn't help but feel like Olive was lying to her. "Are you sure? I mean, I could explain it to him-"

"It's fine, Aunt Cass. I gotta go, please, just leave it to me."

"Okay, bye Ollie-" Olive hung up the phone before she finished speaking. Cassie stared at her phone, hesitant about what she was meant to do. Cassie looked at her contacts and saw Ben's number, that was weird, right? She asked herself.

Cassie opened her messages with Ben and sent a text:

          message olive, she just called me.

Cassie turned off her phone and glanced inside her classroom, only another hour, she'll talk to Olive when she gets home.

┊┊┊┊ ➶ ❁ 🛩⌇ ｡˚ ✧ ﹐

NOVEMBER 26th, 2014

Kayla won't stop crying. No matter what Cassie tries to do, it doesn't help. Cassie had already fed Kayla a bottle, burped her and checked her nappy twice, whatever is wrong with Kayla, Cassie can't figure it out and it's driving Olive and Cassie crazy. The twelve-year-old covered her ears as she tried to block out the sound of her cousin's cries.

"Shh, shh," Cassie pushed the trolley back and forth, "C'mon Kay, please."

Kayla cried.

Cassie's heart skipped a beat, every time Cassie heard Kayla cry, she forgot to breathe, Cassie knew that Kayla was safe, that babies cry but hearing her daughter cry, even over something as small as a bottle made Cassie ready to fight someone to protect her baby.

Olive kept her hands over her ears, "Why won't she stop crying?!"

"I think she's teething-" Cassie said as looked at the teething gels on the shelf. They were all expensive, a lot more than the 82 cents she had left in the bank. Cassie smacked her, in her teen years, Cassie would go shoplifting with her friends, she never liked doing it but she did it to fit in with her friends. Cassie always had money, her parents weren't rich but they certainly weren't poor either, if Cassie needed something, they always had enough to get it, what type of parent is Cassie now that she can't soothe her daughter?

Cassie grabbed the gell and a couple of other things, she tried to make it inconspicuous as she placed the objects in her handbag.

"Aunt Cass," Olive gasped as she watched her aunt shoplift, "That's stealing!"

"I know, I know but Ollie, please, shh!!" Cassie placed a finger covering her mouth as she pleaded with her niece. "Stealing is bad but we're in a tough spot and Kayla really needs this gell."

Olive bit her lip, "What if you get in trouble?"

"I won't, I promise. I know what I'm doing." Cassie tried to treasure her.

Olive shook her head, "I don't want to lose you too."

Cassie grabbed Olive's hands. "You're not going to lose me, I promise. I'm not going anywhere. You and Kayla are stuck with me." Cassie kissed Olive's forehead.

Cassie pushed the empty trolley towards the exit, her palms were sweaty as her mind raced, 'what is she going to do if they ask to check her bag?' Cassie zipped up her bag as she looked at the guard near the door, he was on the phone, so hopefully, Cassie would be able to walk straight past.

"I know, I was just on the phone with Isa, it doesn't sound—" Cassie walked straight past the man as he spoke on the phone, "Excuse me! I need to check your bag."

shit! Cassie cursed as she turned around, Olive gripping her hand with unimaginable strength for a twelve-year-old. "Sorry, I didn't get anything." Cassie looked at the man's name tag, Cassie looked at the man's name tag, Miguel.

Miguel looked at Olive, the preteen was clinging to her aunt as if she was the last person on earth, he sighed. "Just one look, miss."

Cassie nodded, and she opened up her bag. On top of her bag was the gell and a bunch of other infant medicines as well as a bag of chips for Olive to snack on. Cassie knew she was done for.

Miguel looked inside the bag, his eyes widening. "You're related to Michaela, Cal and Ben Stone?" he asked.

"Yeah—how?" Cassie looked inside her bag and saw the last family photo her family ever took, one that took place in Jamaica.

"My daughter was on the plane," Miguel's voice turned quiet, "You're good to go."

Olive hugged the man, "I'm sorry about you're daughter."

Miguel laughed bittersweetly, "Thank you, I'm sorry about your family."

Cassie nodded, "Thank you."

┊┊┊┊ ➶ ❁ 🛩⌇ ｡˚ ✧ ﹐

PRESENT DAY

"Ben?" Cassie wind-down her car window as she saw her older brother leave the house. "What are you doing?"

"I'm-" Ben looked at the house and then to Cassie, he wiped his face, "Get some air."

Cassie unlocked the passenger door, "Hop in."

Ben opened the passenger door and hoped in the car, he looked around, he's never been in Cassie's car before. Ben opened the sun visor, his expression hardening as he saw a family photo of Cassie, Grace, Steve, Kayla and Olive. "Thank you-" he starts as he continues to look at the picture.

Cassie reversed out of the driveway, she didn't know where she was going but didn't want to pass up this opportunity to bond with her brother, "You're welcome, I mean- if Kayla ever told you something important, I would hope you'd tell me."

Ben remained silent, Cassie looked at her brother but his expression was unreadable. She sighed, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I got in an argument with Grace."

Cassie bit her lip, when it comes to Grace and Ben she doesn't know whose side to be on. Ben is her brother but for
the last five years Grace has been her best friend, they raised two kids together. "What about?"

"I think you know," Ben looked at Cassie, his eyes meeting hers for the first time since he's been in her car. He was right, she knew exactly who they fought about.

"Danny."

"Danny," Ben nodded, his voice dark. "Olive called Danny."

"Ben, Danny has been a really important part of Olive's life. He's been there for the last three years— I know you didn't leave, and that you never would've been gone if you had any choice but it doesn't change the fact that Danny was there."

"So, what? I should just stand on the side, watch my daughter be raised by another man?"

Cassie frowned, "Do you seriously think that Olive would do that?"

Ben shook his head.

"Olive loves you, Ben, I can't tell you how many nights I spent listening to her cry about how much she missed you, same with Grace. Did Grace tell you how much she struggled without you?"

"No, but I assumed-"

"She was a wreck, she never left the house and most nights she couldn't get out of bed. Grace tried Ben but she lost her husband and son, to her the world ended. Meeting Danny really helped her turn things around, for both her and Olive."

"I didn't know."

"I know because Grace is too proud to talk about it. I love her but she isn't the best at accepting help." Ben laughed, making Cassie smile, "What?"

"Nothing," he said between laughs, his expression so different from how it was only moments before. "You saying that you love Grace," he shook his head, "I remember when you were only 8, how Grace used to babysit you and how much you hated it."

"Hey! In my defence, Grace was a HORRIBLE babysitter! She would only babysit so that you two could make out without Mum and Dad knowing."

Ben gasped, "I didn't know you knew about that!"

"Mick and I knew about everything."

Ben's face turned red.

Suddenly the car stopped, Ben looked out the window and saw that they were back in his driveway. "You think you're ready to talk to her now?"

Ben grimaced, "Yeah. Thanks, Cass."