The Mermaid

Episode 11

Cassandra stared at the boy in front of her for a long while before she lowered her eyes.

His eyes seemed to penetrate more into hers. She decided to hide this feeling,in the best way she
could.

“Who are you?” She asked him too and he stared at her, looking at her somehow.
“Guess I asked that question first.” He replied and Cassandra looked up at him again. She could not help it.
“Why must I tell you who I am?” She threw back, clenching her fists.

There was something definitely strange about him too.

“Immediately you walked into this class,the air changed. The atmosphere became troubled.

That was why I cane to ask you who you are. I saw deep within you….a tormented soul… seeking for help.” The boy said and Cassandra glared up at him.

She? Seeking for help? How?
Before she could start to say anything,the boy stretched out his hand,and flashed her a smile.

“Let me say hi first. Hi….my name is Johnny.” He said,his hand still outstretched.
Cassandra glanced down at his hand with the perfect long nails and before she could stop herself,her hand were already inside his and he covered it with his.

It felt so smooth and soft against hers and Cassandra found herself gazing back at him,the fire she felt in his eyes reducing to smoke.

This was her first time doing this, shaking hands with human.

She took her hand away and turned abruptly daring not to believe that she was even blushing at his smiles.

Johnny laughed silently at her action and left for his seat and just then,the teacher for the first class came in.

---

During lunchtime, Cassandra sat alone in class,her though filled with the strange guy she met.
She tried to fight against the feeling bringing down her powers but she couldn’t. What was happening to her?

She tried to dismiss his image I her head but the more she thought about the lightening that took over her body when he touched her,the more she thought about him.

She could hardly keep up with her real personality and make up evil plans.
She looked around. The class was almost empty as everyone was going out for lunch.

The thought of food stirred her anger.

Cassandra thought she was going to go crazy.

She was becoming vulnerable. She was about to stand up,to storm out of this class when Johnny entered and her heart did a double flip. She dropped back to her seat, and stare at him as he approached.

Johnny day next to her on the next seat.”You look so troubled. What’s the matter?” He asked as Cassandra looked away.
“Talk to me. I can help out, really. And wait,you did not even tell me your name. What’s your name?” Johnny asked and instead of answering, Cassandra stood up and rushed out of the class.

Johnny was startled. He looked thoughtfully for a minute. “There is something with her and I must find out. She seems do afraid to even talk with me.

She’s afraid even now that I sat close to her. And my heart bleeds to find out that thing which causes her fright whenever she sees me. God, please,help me.”

---

Cassandra ran to the girls Loo and locked herself in, coughing and throwing up. She felt feverish and strange. She sat on the water closet,resting her head on her palm.
A knock sounded on the door. Cassandra washed her face severally and stood up.
She walked to the door and opened it ready to go out to let the intruder in but she stopped when she noticed who it was.

Johnny.
He had followed her. Cassandra felt more weak as she stared up at him.

Her eyes lashes fluttered down and she collapsed against him……

---

Cassandra woke up with a start and stared around the bedroom she was in.
She was also on a bed. She sat up, confused. She even had an headache.

So many strange feelings filled her body and she felt like fainting again.
“Oh, you are up already.”A voice said from behind and she saw Johnny coming in,still in his uniform.
“Where is this place?, How did I get here?” Cassandra asked, trying to track down where she was but her brain failed her this time.
She was alarmed as she looked around.
“You don’t need to be scared. You are on save hands.” Johnny said and put a ass of water for her on the drawer.
“I want to go home right now.” Cassandra said in a shaky voice.
“You still need rest. What if you collapse again?”
“It’s none of your business.” Carrisa said, losing her temper. Her voice became hard but not as hard as she wanted.
“Okay. Let me take you home. Let’s go.” Johnny said.

That was how Cassandra found herself walking home with him.
Johnny said a lot of things on the way. He made jokes,told her how beautiful she was and also mentioned a name.
When she got into the compound,she tried to remember the strange name he had called.

The name started with the letter,G …she tried to pronounce it..to remember but could not.
She was still trying to remember when she entered the living room and saw Osmond, laying down on the chair,drunk as usual.
She glared at him, disgustedly.

It would be so easy to kill him now,to take his life but her mind wasn’t free for it. It was filled with the thought of Johnny.
“Come back here, little witch! Don’t you even know how to greet? Or don’t you greet your miserable father when he was alive?” Osmond said, staggering up as Cassandra turned to go.

Cassandra stopped and looked at him as he got up.

He was pushing her to the wall.
“Are you deaf? Can’t you greet? En? Ever since you cane into this house,my wife no longer cares about me. Look at me…see how old and tattered l look! You little wrench!”
Osmond barked staggering towards Cassandra.

He raised his hand to slap her,but Cassandra held it.

She held it more tightly and twisted.
Osmond yelped out in pain, falling to his knees.

The drunkenness was gradually leaving him at what he was experiencing.

How..how could a girl do this to him? With which strength. He tried to get up but Cassandra held him down.

Kill him…..kill him….kill him!!

The voice rang in her ear and she sat on top of him, raising her hand to grab his neck but
all she could see as she stared down at Osmond’s confused and dumbfounded face was something else entirely.

Cassandra stopped,her hand still raised up,unable to bring it down…to do the work.

Johnny’s face appeared, disappeared and reappeared, making her shook her head, confusion written all over her face.

What are you waiting for, Cassandra? What are you still waiting for! Do it and get out of there! Someone is coming!!

Queen mother’s voice screamed at her but Cassandra’s eyes filled with tears, shaking her head. She cold not do it this time…she couldn’t.

Cassandra! What are you waiting for! Do it! Right now!!

“No…..no…..no….. I can’t!…………” Cassandra cried, rushing up and fled out of the house.

As she ran,it seemed her heart had stopped breathing or perhaps, queen mother would want to take her life now fir disappointing her for the first time in years.

She found an empty house and creeped in,to hide herself entirely if possible from queen mother. But she knew that would never be possible.

No matter where she hid herself, queen mother would always find her.

Cassandra touched her face and realized she was actually in tears.

She sat down there for hours, afraid to go back home.

She could not understand herself anymore.
Recently,she had started becoming scared of things.

She wasn’t like that before, Cassandra though to herself as she awaited what was in store for her,from queen mother.

Now she needed help,to shield away from her but who do she run to?

Johnny….yes. Johnny came to her mind. Maybe if she was with him, queen mother would not be able to find her.

She desperately wanted to know who Johnny is…where he came from and why his face kept appearing when she had wanted to kill Osmond.

But as she stood up to go,a girl came into the building,staring at her.

Cassandra’s mouth moved to say something but nothing came out.

“Almighty you? What happened to your high ranking boldness?” The girl asked and Cassandra looked away,breathing angrily.
“Don’t insult me,Aquaria. You never can tell if I might just kill you here right now.
You’ve always been on my neck ever since we were kids in the water.

You’re always jealous, gossiping about me. Don’t you think I could kill you here?”Cassandra asked, furiously with clenched teeth.

Aquaria laughed and stretched out a jewelry box to her.”I’m not here to fight you,Anna.
I’m here because queen mother sent me. She said someone is about to cause your downfall.

She said that must not happen and you must fulfill your mission here in the human world.
She said to give you this.”Aquaria said and Cassandra glanced down at the jewelry box,then looked up back at her.
“What I’m I supposed to do with this?” Cassandra asked, taking it from her. She opened the little box and saw a golden ring inside it.
“That,you know very well contains poison from the bottom of the ocean.

And you know what it can do and how powerful it can be.

Get closer to the person who is about to cause your downfall….and poison him with this. You surely know who we are talking about…the boy named Johnny. His power his pressing on yours and even gradually in the ocean.”Aquaria said and Cassandra looked up sharply at her.

Johnny?? How could she…kill him?
“Yes,you must! If you must survive. This is queen mother’s order! You must kill him!!”
Cassandra began to move back, shaking her head,the jewelry box almost dropping from her hands.

How could she kill Johnny? How could she? The only person whom she had wanted to run to,for help?

How….just how could she??…….