Awoken: COMPLETED

Chapter Two: Meet the Family

Cassie Winters

On the third last Friday before winter break, I woke up at four in the morning. It was still dark outside, so dark that I couldn't see the newly fallen snow decorating the rooftops and trees. I stumbled wearily to my bookshelf, picking examining the plethora of books jammed into the bookshelf and in boxes nearby it, separated into two categories.

On my bookshelf were classics, biographies and books in French, the books I brought to school and when I went out to give a good impression, and read to improve my mind. In the boxes were the books I truly loved to read, the ones that were a little worn and hid from the world. My guilty pleasures. They never left my bedroom.

The rest of my bedroom consisted of my desk, a small closet, and my bed, a twin shoved hastily into the corner to make way for more books. I rose from the bed then, selecting a book from the latter category and opening it. A couple of minutes later, I was immersed in a world of demons and angels, of magic and war. A couple of hours later, a finished copy of Clockwork Angel sat on my lap as I was double-checking my math homework and making cue cards for a Geography test.

Around six, I finally headed downstairs, moving as slowly and quietly as possible as to not disturb anyone. I passed the bedrooms and made my way down the stairwell, feeling the tiniest bit like a ninja. Once I made my way downstairs, I noticed that the TV was on, and saw a slim figure sitting in front of it, her dark brown hair swept up into a perfect ponytail. My mother.

"Hi, Mom," I spoke quietly, not wanting to wake anyone else up this early. She was already dressed for work, her police badge gleaming proudly on her chest. My mother was a detective in the Toronto Police Department, and she could be more than a little intimidating. She returned home from work every day with the same cool and calculating look in her eyes, that spark the dared any criminal to mess with her and pay the price.

She was serious and organized – something you could tell just by looking at the chore chart hanging from our kitchen fridge. It is colour coded and updated every week. That's just how organized she is.

"Good morning, Cass. Want to watch last night's Brooklyn Nine-Nine?" Mom asked me, turning to look at me.

"For sure," I said quickly – mom and dad were both always busy with work, so I had to take every chance I could get to spend time with them.

"So, how's school been the last few days?"
I spoke briefly about each of my classes, talking about the few tests and assignment I completed and got back. "And, that's pretty much it," I concluded. "Oh, and we started the Odyssey in English class. We're finally done with Shakespeare, thank god."
"Just you wait." Mom laughed. "You're only in grade nine, so you'll have plenty more Shakespeare in your future.

I groaned. "I'm sure glad it's Friday though. I can't take any more school."

"Cassie." Mom's voice grew a little sterner. "Remember, school is extremely important. It's vital for University, vital for your future."

"Yes, I know. And I do like school, but I'm just so burned out. I haven't been sleeping well lately."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry." Mom said. "I know sometimes it seems like your father and I put too much pressure on you, but we just want what's best for you."

While I knew that my parents were pushing me hard, I wasn't especially bothered. I wasn't the type to crack from academic pressure, and besides, with Angie unlikely to get into University, and Mark's grades taking a backseat to his video gaming as of late, I knew that I had to be the academic child with a bright future. My parents had worked so hard. They deserved that much.

And even if Ashlyn were still here, I don't think she would have been that child. She had always been more artistic, and well she was exceptional at music and drawing, she never belonged in a classroom. I wondered, not for the first time, where she was and what she was doing. She was alive, I knew that much from the files I had stolen from mom. Where Lark was, why she had left, was another story entirely.