"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"
"I do," Austin said as he sat down on the stand. Austin's lawyer stood up first.
"Now, you said that your wife and son were taken away from you?"
"Yes, well actually I thought that he was my son."
"Please explain."
"Well the mother of the child told me that he was mine but we soon found out that he wasn't. And my wife, wasn't really my wife. She was my fianceé until her sister broke up our wedding," Austin said looking at Cassandra who was sitting in the back of the court room. She quickly grinned at him. "The mother of the child, Lucy, planned Isabella's death, and I knew about it. I knew about her plan to kill Isabella."
An hour later, Austin was sitting back down at his table, and the judge was ready to make his decision.
"Austin Novak, I have carefully read over your statement and all of the testimonies and I hereby find you guilty of two attempted murders, and sentence you to thirty five years in prison." There was a huge sigh from the court room. Cassandra and Nick both smiled. The people that were there with them were Kevin, Emalia, Coreene, and Brian smiled, too.
"All rise!" They rose, the judge left and so did the group. Just then, as Cassandra and Nick were following the group out of the court room, Austin called out to her.
"Damn you Cassandra!" he yelled. "Damn you!" He broke free from the officers and charged towards Cassandra.
Nick jumped in front of Cassandra and grabbed Austin. "Give it up, Austin!" Nick yelled. The officers ran and grabbed Austin and dragged him away.
"Nick?" Cassandra asked looking up at him.
"It's over. Let's go home." He put his arm around her waist and they walked out to meet the rest of the group.
"Thank you, Nick," she said. He bent his head down and whispered in her ear.
"Anything for my queen."
That night, Cassandra looked over at Nick who was asleep. She was afraid to close her eyes, in fear of what she would see. She moved over closer to Nick, lifted his arm and put it around her. It made her feel a little better, so she closed her eyes.
Hours later, Cassandra sprang up in bed. She jumped out of her bed and began to pace in her room. The sudden movement woke Nick up, and he sat up to see Cassandra frantically pacing around the room.
"Cassandra?" he asked. "What's going on?"
"Oh I'm sorry, baby, did I wake you up?"
"No it's okay, I always love getting up at five in the morning," he said sarcastically, looking at the clock.
"Oh I'm sorry, it's just that I had this really bad nightmare," she said crawling back into her bed.
"Tell me about it."
"God Nick, it was so real. I was at the police station, and I hung Austin. I just wrapped a rope around his neck, and, and hung him. There was also writing along the cell walls, but I couldn't tell what it said, though. The weird thing is, was that I didn't feel any regret whatsoever. In fact, I was a little happy, but I feel like I was there, like I really did do it. Look my hands! They look like they have rope burn!"
"Oh, but you weren't there. It was just a bad dream," Nick said hugging her. "Now can we go back to sleep?"
She smiled at him. "Yes you can, but I'm awake now and I can't go back to sleep, so I'm going to go downstairs."
"Want me to come with you?"
"No, Sweetie, you stay in bed. Go back to sleep." She kissed his forehead and walked out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen. She got herself a glass of water and went to sit down on the couch.
Cassandra's eyes opened to the sound of the phone. She got up and looked at the clock on her way over to the phone. "Eight thirty, I must have fallen asleep," she said to herself. She shrugged it off, and answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Mrs. Carter, I mean Cassandra?"
"Agent Johnson?" she asked.
"Yeah. I'm down at the police station and I think that you and your husband should get down here right away."
"Why? What is it?"
"I'd rather not say over the phone."
"Okay, we'll be right over." Cassandra hung up the phone, confused. She walked upstairs, and gently shook Nick.
"What?" he said.
"Mr. Johnson just called and said that you and I should get over to the police station right away."
"Why?"
"He said that he couldn't say over the phone. Do you mind driving?"
"No." Nick slowly crawled out of her bed and threw on his clothes. She also threw on some clothes and they headed to his car.
Within ten minutes, they were at the police station. They walked in and Agent Johnson greeted them.
"I'm going to warn you two right now," he said.
"Good morning to you, too," Cassandra said.
"I'm sorry but I don't think that you're going to like what you're about to see. Everything is just how we left it this morning. Nothing has been touched or altered."
"What are you talking about?" Nick asked.
"This way please." He lead Nick and Cassandra down a long hallway of cells, and they stopped in front of one. Cassandra gasped. She saw Austin, hanged in his cell. A rope wrapped around his neck. "Look at the wall." Cassandra looked up at the wall and read it slowly and quietly.
"I will come back and get you Cassandra." It was in huge letters of black written across the entire cell. "I want to leave."
"Come on, Cassie," Nick said pulling her away. He turned around to the Agent. "Was that really necessary?" Nick didn't wait for a reply. He took Cassandra out of the police station and to the car.
On the way back to the house, they didn't say anything to each other. He was just as disturbed by it as she was, but he didn't know what to say to her.
"See I told you!" she said breaking the silence.
"That doesn't prove anything-"
"What doesn't it prove? Wasn't everything exactly how I told you it was in my dream? It wasn't a dream! How could I have known? Even the writing on the walls!"
"You said yourself that you didn't know what it said-"
"But-"
"Let it go! You didn't do anything! You were with me last night, asleep. You weren't there. Why would you write that you were going to come back and kill yourself?" Cassandra bit her lip, and gave up.
That night, Nick and Cassandra lay awake in her bed.
"Nick, I really have nothing left to live for, except you," she said to him.
"What are you talking about?"
She rolled over and looked at him. "You know that I love you, so much, but my best friend's gone, and....." she took a deep breath. "And my sister's gone." Her voice began to tremble. "Other than you, I shouldn't, I wouldn't be here." She paused. "I can't take everyday knowing that my sister is gone. I just can't."
"Honey, you know it breaks my heart when you say things like that. I know that things are hard, but you're going to get through it, we're going to get through it together."
"Yes I know and I don't want to break your heart, but I'm serious."
"Yeah? So am I."
"Yeah, well-"
"You feel like no one cares, but they do. When you try your best, but you get no where, don't give in, because good times will come again. When you feel like you're being criticized for every move that you make, and I know that you feel like you've had as much as you can handle, don't worry. Soon enough, things will change. And it seems as though nobody understands you, and you think you can't find someone to trust, you know you can always turn to me. I understand you and you can trust me."
"God, Nick."
"You're my baby, my sweet honey. You have nothing to fear."
That morning, Nick shot up from the bed in a cold sweat.
"Nick? What's wrong?"
"Oh, a nightmare."
"Tell me about it," she said running her fingers through his hair.
"Well, you were saying good bye to me. We had a simple argument. You thought that I was selfish, and I couldn't convince you that everything I did, I did for us."
"What did you do?"
"I killed Austin and Adrian-James....."
"Oh Nick, don't say anymore. That didn't happen." She wrapped her arms around him and held him. "That must have been so real, you're shaking."
"But it was so real. It was like I really did it, like your dream was."
She pulled away and looked him deep in the eyes. "Don't think about it anymore. I'm going downstairs to find something to eat. You coming?"
"Oh yeah. I'll be down in a second." Cassandra smiled at him and walked out of the room. Nick got up and closed the door, then went and got Cassandra's cell phone off of her dresser. He dialed a number.
"Hello?"
"Yes, it's Nick."
"Hey Nick, what's up?"
"I need your help. I know that I may come off sounding like an insecure bastard, but I need a favor."
"Anything, what?"
"I've thought about this carefully and I need you to follow my wife for a while."
"Why?"
"She just confessed to me last night that she has no reason to live except for me."
"Aww, how sweet."
"No, it's not! I'm really afraid that's going to go over the edge on of these days and kill herself."
"Oh, that's not sweet."
"Yeah, she's already lost her best friend, her other best friend, and her sister and two of her enemies and their son."
"Okay, that's heavy stuff!"
"Hold on a second, I think she's coming." Nick hid the phone behind his back.
"Honey, what are you doing up here?" Cassandra asked walking into her room.
"I, uh, I'm getting dressed," Nick quickly answered.
"Yeah it looks like it," she said sarcastically. "Anyway, Angel, Emalia, Nicole, Mercedes, and I are all going to the mall for a long needed girls day out. Is that okay?"
"Of course, Sweetie," he smiled and she walked into her closed to get dressed. He walked out, closed the door and whispered into the phone. "Did you hear all of that?"
"Yeah. She doesn't sound suicidal."
"Well, I'm praying that she isn't. I just want to be on the safe side."
"All right, all right. I'll call you later. Keep your cell phone close."
"Okay, thanks again."
"Anything for my cousin."
"Hey, who are you talking to?" Cassandra asked walking out of the room. Nick held the phone behind his back, and silently shut it off.
"Oh, no one. They're waiting for you!"
"Okay, okay, I'm leaving! I'll see you later, okay?" He gave her a kiss and she ran down the stairs.
After he heard them leave, he put her phone on the kitchen table and ran to his house and up to his room. He pulled his cell phone out of his nightstand drawer and pulled out a book. He started reading, awaiting a call.
"Where to?" Cassandra asked as soon as they all got to the mall.
"Let's go to Spencer's first," Angel said, and they all agreed. As they walked towards Spencer's, Cassandra looked at a man that seemed to be staring at her, but as soon as she looked at him, he looked away, so she shrugged it off. They walked into Spencer's.
"Ooh, Southpark!" said Cassandra.
"Get over it," Emalia said.
"Please, Emalia," said Cassandra, "you know that you're just as obsessed with it as I am."
"Well-"
"That's what I thought!"
"You guys gotta see this!" Angel said as she and Nicole laughed. Cassandra, Mercedes, and Emalia walked over to the key chains where Angel and Nicole was.
"What?" Emalia asked.
"That's gross," Mercedes said.
"All it says is, nice people swallow," said Angel.
"Stop laughing Nicole," said Emalia. "I bet that you don't even understand it!" Cassandra looked over at Nicole, and the two of them broke into laughter. "I don't want to know what you two are laughing about."
"You're right," said Cassandra. "You don't!"
"Nicole," said Mercedes, "we're going to get you a virgin alarm."
"Yeah? And what are you going to do with it?" Nicole asked.
"What are you talking about?" Mercedes asked her. "You are still.....aren't you?" Nicole bit her lip and grinned. "Oh Nicole!"
"What?" Cassandra said trying to defend her cousin.
"You knew about this?" Emalia asked.
"Well, um, yeah. When Nick and I-"
"Do I want to hear the rest of this sentence?" Emalia asked.
"Oh shut up. Like I was saying, when Nick and I were trying to get Jonathan and Nicole back together, our plan worked a little too well," explained Cassandra.
"Let's stop right there," said Mercedes.
"Oh come on," said Angel. "Like you haven't done it before. What's the problem with talking about it?"
"Uh-"
"Hey Angel," said Cassandra. "You've got to come see this!"
"What?" Angel walked to where Cassandra was, away from the rest of the group.
"I got an idea," Cassandra said grinning.
"What? Tell me!"
"Okay, let's gross out Mercedes."
"Okay!"
Angel and Cassandra started back towards the group, when Cassandra saw that man again, but she didn't think anything of it. "So Cassandra," Angel asked looking at the key chains again. "How's Nick? You know, in bed." Cassandra could see Mercedes cringe a little, so she took this as far as she dared.
"What can I say? He's incredible. He can work his magic."
"So what would you call him?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, is he a pistol, or a rifle?"
"Okay guys! Stop!" said Mercedes. Cassandra and Angel burst out laughing.
"I'm sorry," Cassandra said laughing.
"Yeah, sure you are!"
"Come on guys," said Emalia, "let's go to another store." Still laughing, Angel and Cassandra led the group out of the store.
About an hour into shopping, Cassandra kept noticing that man following them.
"Who is that?" Cassandra thought to herself. She needed to lose him. "Hey guys, let's go in here." They all walked into Victoria's Secret, a place that Cassandra knew that guy wouldn't follow, and she was right. "Hey guys, I think someone's following us."
"What are you talking about?" Angel asked.
"That's why I took you guys in here. I think he's still out there though."
"Cassandra, you're paranoid. Besides, as long as we're in here, I wanna get something for Howie."
"I didn't know Howie like to shop in this store!" Nicole said.
"You know what I mean!" said Angel.
"Yes I do, and I'm gonna get something for Jonathan. Emalia?"
"Yeah, I'll get something for Kevin," said Emalia. "Cassandra?"
"You better believe I'm going to get something for Nick!"
"Hey Nick.....yeah it's me.....She seems fine.....she's in Victoria's Secret right now.....yes really!.....No, I'm not kidding.....I don't know what she's getting!.....Yeah I'll keep following her.....yeah bye."
The girls walked out of the store with their new nightgowns, and started down the mall again. Cassandra noticed the guy again.
"You guys, that guy is following us again!"
"I noticed it, too," said Angel. "What do we do?"
"See that guard? Let me handle this," said Cassandra. They all followed her lead, and walked up to the guard.
The guy saw Cassandra talking to a guard and got a little nervous, but didn't think anything of it. Just then, he saw the guard walking towards him. He tried to turn and walk away casually, but the guard grabbed him from behind.
"Let's go."
They were all down at the police station, and had just begun to question the guy.
"Why were you following us?" Angel asked.
"I wasn't following all of you, just you Cassandra," the man said.
"What?" Cassandra asked. "Well, what's your name so I can yell at you?"
"Andre. And I was hired to follow you."
"What? By who?"
"I can't tell you that."
"That's it! I want my husband here. Excuse me." Cassandra walked out of the room and dialed Nick's cell phone.
"Andre?" Nick said.
"No, Nick, it's me. And how do you know Andre? He was following me."
"Oh great, where are you?"
"I'm down at the police station. Nick, what's going on?"
"Cassandra, I'll explain when I get there, but until then, don't have them press charges." With that, Nick hung up the phone and ran out to his car.
Cassandra was thoroughly confused. She shrugged and walked back into the room.
"Hey, where's that Andre guy?" she asked.
"I had him put in a cell," said Angel. "He was getting really weird on us. So, what'd Nick say?"
"Well, that's what's strange," said Cassandra. "He said that he was on his way over and that'd he'd explain when he got here but that we shouldn't press charges."
"That is weird," said Emalia.
- Tp Chapter 15
- Send Mail To Stephanie BSBbreeze@aol.com
- Back To Faith In Illusion Main