Cassandra

"Oh god, yes, right there!" Erin said.

Cassandra pressed her fingers at the oiled skin of Erin's exposed backside. The soft crackle of the fire that was heating the small cabin they had rented was echoing in the room around them. Erin had volunteered herself to Cassandra as a "practice" course for her masseuse license that she had been studying for. Cassandra was all too happy to take advantage of the offer and had laid out a few towels for Erin to lay upon to make the experience more enjoyable for her.

"Mmhh." Erin moaned.

"You'll let me know if it's too hard, right?" Cassandra asked.

"Of course but trust me, you're hitting ALL the right spots." Erin said.

Erin rested her head on her arm and looked at the dancing fire in the pit in front of them. Cassandra looked over to the flames as she noted that was where Erin had been staring.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Cassandra asked.

Erin breathed in deep at the request before answering her.

"Honestly? There's not much going on up here. I was just thinking that this weekend has been really nice. It feels like forever since we've been able to get away together." she said.

"I know. When I saw the posting I just knew it was going to be perfect for us and you're right. It has been awhile since we could spend some time together without your parents checking on us every day. I know it saves us money but staying in their duplex feels like we lost a lot of our privacy."

Erin moaned in response to both the statement and the long, slow pass of the small thumbs that trailed up her spine and into her scalp. Cassandra spread her fingers into the thin blonde strands of Erin's hair and rubbed in small circles to relieve the tensions of the ponytailed hair that had become a staple for Erin's look. Erin pressed and rolled her head at the small fingers in her hair. As Cassandra drew her fingers back, she traced them down and into the towel that was covering Erin's rear.

"Excuse me miss. I don't think your clients would appreciate this kind of advance on them!" Erin said playfully.

Cassandra smiled as Erin rotated on the towels beneath her and held one against her small breasts.

"Well, I just want to take care of my best customer." Cassandra whispered.

She lowered herself down to Erin to press a kiss at her lips. The scent of flowers and honey permeating from her skin from the oil she had used was adding to the romantic and inviting setting that had been enjoyed by the young couple. The drape of her curled ginger hair brushed at Erin's cheek as she felt the soft touch of her lips with her own.

"Ding!"

Erin's phone chimed on the table and Cassandra grunted in frustration as another set of similar tones blared against the near perfect night. Below her, Erin sighed at the sounds with equal annoyance and pressed herself up and away from Cassandra. Standing and approaching the table she lifted the phone and a sudden smile breached her lips.

"What is it?" Cassandra asked.

"Um...there are some issues with the project I turned in before we left. Chris wants me to send in some documents before the morning to try to get ahead of the problem." Erin said.

The dull sound of her fingers tapping at the screen could be heard with precise speed before the familiar "click" of the locking function of her phone was made. She turned to Cassandra who was still on the floor, hoping that Erin would return to her hopeful and wanting eyes. Erin smiled with little effort towards her and knelt down to kiss her quickly.

"I just need a few minutes baby. Why don't you clean this up and then come join me in the bedroom?" Erin said.

Cassandra smiled widely at the suggestion as Erin stood in front of her and turned to walk towards to the staircase of the small cabin. As she approached the stairs she dropped the towel at the floor of the stairs as a means of enticing Cassandra to hurry and walked up to the bedroom that her laptop was in.

The excited flutter of her lustrous heart saw Cassandra pounced to her feet and gathering the lightly dampened towels that had collected the oil she had been using. In the back of the kitchen was a small laundry room with a stacked washer and dryer. She placed the towels into the washer and walked into the kitchen to pull out the bottle of water she had filled earlier in the day. Taking a quick swig of the cool liquid, she felt the moisture relieve the dry feeling that had filled her throat.

"Ding!"

The phone went off again and Cassandra approached it to message Chris that he should be expecting the documents momentarily. The phone lit up at her presence, displaying the last message that had been sent.

What about this one? The message read.

Cassandra pressed her finger to the reader and the phone unlocked at her command. She had entered her print in to the phone over a year ago without Erin being aware. She checked Erin's phone some nights after she would fall asleep but never saw anything like this. She tapped at the message app and opened up the most recent. To Cassandra's surprise she was met with the image of a small apartment listing that was in the next city over from where they were staying currently.

"Ding!"

The phone chimed once more and Cassandra flipped the switch to mute the sounds from the device. Another message from "Chris" had come across with a more intended meaning.

Did you tell her yet?

Cassandra's brow crossed with concern at what he meant. Her heart beat with a fire and rage that was familiar and frightening. Her head raced with angry thoughts of her past relationships and began suspecting that Erin had a hidden agenda at play.

"Cassie? What's taking so long down there?" Erin called out from their room.

Cassandra turned to the stairs and ascended them slowly as she tried to clear her head of the panic and rage that were fighting with one another in her head. As she neared the doorway of the room she saw the harsh shadows dance and shift from the flick of the small candle in the window. The thick, light blocking curtains were shifted to the sides to prevent them from catching fire on the small candle. Erin was all too familiar with the dangers of fire as she had lost her parents to a fire when they had lived in an apartment when she was a child.

Cassandra remembered their meeting at the grief support group they both attended. Erin had been wearing a black hoodie and torn blue jeans. She hadn't really been taking care of herself all that well but when Cassandra saw her she was determined to help her return to the happy and carefree woman that she was meant to be. They spent over five years together and eventually fell in love. Cassandra thought it would last forever but tonight seemed to be contradicting that idea.

Erin was lying in the bed, a pair of tomboy shorts with her favorite band t-shirt loosely covering her. Cassandra felt the excited heat of her body in response to the image she had been gifted. She moved into the room and waited for the question that was about to come.

"What's wrong baby?" Erin asked.

Cassandra leaned against the small desk across from the bed, Erin's phone clasped in her tight grip. Erin saw the device and her face went to a white complexion. A clear sign that she had been caught hiding something from Cassandra.

"Cassie, you could have just left my phone downstairs. You didn't need to bring it to me." Erin said.

"I wasn't bringing it to you. It was going off and I thought you'd need to answer Chris... but it isn't "Chris" that's been messaging you, is it?" Cassandra said.

"Of course it is Cassie. Who else would it be?" she said.

"Someone that's sending you apartment listings. I thought you said we couldn't afford to move out right now?" Cassandra said.

"I...I wanted...to...surprise you! I know it's been cramped up with my folks so I thought it wouldn't hurt to look around." Erin replied.

Cassandra was breathing hard and felt the grip tighten around the phone in her hand. She knew she was lying but she needed to know for how long she had been planning this. She watched Erin and saw her nails clicking at one another as she did when she was nervous.

"You're lying Erin. I can tell when you're lying to me. You always roll your nails together when you're nervous, just like you are now!" Cassandra barked at her.

"Why would you look at apartments without me? If it's someplace we are supposed to live in together then shouldn't I get a say in where we are going?" she added.

Erin slid herself off the bed and stood at a distance from Cassandra, sensing her anger was starting to show in a level she hadn't seen before.

"Okay, you're right. I'm sorry Cassie. I was...I was planning on leaving you and you're right, it's not Chris. Her name is Laura and we've been seeing one another for a while." Erin said.

Cassandra felt the sinking of her heart into the core of her chest. A cold and weakening tremor filled her body and showed itself in her hands and legs. Her eyes daggered and focused on Erin with a degree of malice. She felt the phone and on instinct, threw it at Erin's head. The phone shattered against the wall as Erin shot to the side and missed her, if only barely.

"Jesus Cassandra! What the hell were you thinking? You could have hurt me!" Erin yelled.

"I know." Cassandra muttered.

Erin looked into the dark and hateful eyes of Cassandra and realized that she wasn't safe yet. A fear filled her realizing that Cassandra might have far more sinister plans in her head at this moment. She scanned the room for an exit. She wouldn't have time to get out the window and the only door in the room was that of the bathroom. She knew she had to get past Cassandra by any means and she waited for her moment. Pressed into the corner like a young fox, she watched as Cassandra approached her slowly.

Cassandra outstretched her hand to grasp at Erin. In her chest, Erin felt the weight of her heart thrashing against her chest in fear. She waited a moment longer until Cassandra was just in reach to make her move. Erin grappled her wrist and pulled it back so she could deliver a punch into her face. The crack of a fractured nose was heard in the softened room. Erin then swept the front leg of Cassandra and threw her to the ground. As Cassandra fell she reached out to grasp at anything to keep her balance. Her hand found the fabric of the curtains and clutched tightly but with had no safety from it.

Her body slammed to the ground with a loud "thunk" and the rip of fabric and metal followed her as the curtains tore from the rod in the wall. A subtle "whif" of noise saw the curtains catch fire as they snagged the candle on their way to the floor. Erin watched the fire spread at the fabric and cloth of the bedroom. The panic of the waving heat sent a shocking fear into Erin's body and for a moment she stood, paralyzed by the fear of what she was watching.

As she looked at the dancing flames with their orange and red colors she noticed a figure in the background that motivated her far more than the fear of the fire. Cassandra stood, peering through to her without concern or worry of the flames that spread around her. Erin spun towards the door and darted for the staircase. She raced to the edge of the railing and hurried for the ground floor. Turning behind her as she reached the floor she saw Cassandra walk through the doorway. She stretched out for the doorknob to get outside. She only needed to grab the jacket next to the door that had the car keys in it to get out of here safely.

Erin felt the cold metal of the autumn chilled knob at her fingertips. As her hand wrapped around its small shape a sudden "crack" was heard and she felt her fingers go numb and release the door knob. The sudden weight of her light figure became unsustainable against the gravity that pulled on her and she fell to the floor without a sound. Her head slammed hard against the wooden floor below her and a well of pain surged her skull as she looked to her side helplessly.

The flickering and shattered screen of her laptop was broken apart and laid in pieces at her side. Erin realized at once that the small device had been hurled towards her as she was escaping. It had managed to hit her spine in just the right way and she felt her body go numb. The screen flashed the happy and hidden images of Laura and her before eventually losing the power it had left.

Approaching her slowly, she could hear the footsteps of Cassandra coming towards her.

"Discus champion. I was always really good at throwing things." Cassandra whispered.

Grabbing the mane of Erin's hair, she dragged her across the floor like a deer that had just been shot and killed. Erin searched for any strength she could to fight off Cassandra but her arms were limp and weightless at her commands. The struggling moans and grunts of Cassandra were slowly being drowned out by the spread of the fire above them. Cassandra pressed Erin onto the couch and knelt down in front of her.

"Now, I'm not an expert on this but I would say your spine has suffered severe trauma and as a result, you can't move anymore. I wish I could give you some comfort here but it seems like you have been unappreciative of my kindness over the past few years." Cassandra said.

"I just want you to know that I'll be there for Laura; just like I was there for you. I'll take care of her just as I had been for you. I'll be her rock when she's ready to face the grief of this moment."

Erin's eyes went wide with fear at the reality of what Cassandra was saying to her. She watched as Cassandra stood and approached the door, grabbed the jacket, and walked out without another word or glance towards her. The scent of choking smoke crept into her lungs and as she felt the touch of the flames around her grow closer, Erin closed her eyes and thought one last time of Laura and hoped she would be smarter than she was to see the kind of monster that Cassandra was.