A family spiralling out of control.
A child forced to grow up too fast.
Is there any room left for a young girl to find herself?


Book One - ‘Survival’
Chapter 7 - Escape Velocity

 

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Author's Note: This chapter marks the completion of 'Survival’, Part One of Cassandra’s story. Her life, and her world, is about to change dramatically, perhaps giving her a chance to find herself in Part Two of her journey, ‘Childhood’.

As ever please be tolerant of my failings, and forthright with your criticism. ~Persephone

Current Score: US Readers 8 – 2 UK Author

Photo by  Christopher Campbell on Unsplash
© Persephone 2019

~o~O~o~

After the cathartic release of that evening, Carl found it increasingly hard to keep Cassandra hidden and his mask in place. Hiding it from his father and brothers was simple. He just continued to avoid speaking to them a word more than he had to. It was Kath and Aunt Megan who had started to give him the occasional odd glance when Cassandra’s happiness bubbled past his defenses. Fortunately, Aunt Megan now only came around every other weekend, and Carl was busy enough with school and swimming that he could keep a tight enough hold on his emotions so that questions weren’t, yet, being asked.

Carl did think very hard about telling Aunt Megan everything, and seeing if he and Kath could go live with her, but he realized that Dad would almost certainly fight that. Dad wouldn’t be able to sit back and let two of his children walk out, telling the world what a lousy father he was, no matter the truth of it. Carl couldn’t allow Aunt Megan or Kath be exposed to that sort of fight.

Over the Spring Break Carl also found the time to research Kenneport Mineral and Mining; and what he discovered was ‘interesting’.

Whilst the Oregon site wasn’t yet up and running, KM&M had a number of similar operations in Alaska, Canada and New Mexico. The chat rooms that Carl was able to find and join yielded a trove of information from disgruntled former workers. The company might pay well, but they clawed as much back through the concessions and on site facilities as humanly possible. If a worker ate in the cafeteria, enjoyed a few beers at the weekend and let the company accountants do their tax filing, then they’d be lucky to clear twenty two or twenty three thousand dollars a year. The other big issue was the bunkhouses. Whilst they were large, well built and sturdy, the interiors were spartan to say the least. The sleeping accommodation was a single dormitory upstairs with an open shower and toilet area at the end. A number of former workers even went so far as to recommend that any new team turn up a month early and spend the time putting in partition walls, decent floor coverings, curtains and the like.

‘It may cost a bit up front son,’ one former team boss advised Carl, ‘but you’ll truly regret not doing it when you’re two years into a three year contract, and ready to tear the throats out of guys who had been your best buds all the way through High School.’

Carl didn’t stop there. After finding the location of the new facility he worked out the nearby towns and shopping facilities and calculated budgets if the guys did their own catering, rather than eat in the facilities.

The next time Michael came home on a weekend pass he was hit with an inch-thick folder of research and suggestions.

“…so you could each save an extra seven to eight thousand dollars a year, leaving you with as much as a hundred thousand towards your college fund at the end of three years.” Carl concluded the presentation.

“Hoo..wee! Li’l Cass does it again!” Peter chortled as Michael closed his mouth with an audible click. The guys had agreed on ‘Cass’ as a safe compromise between Carl and Cassandra, which could also be easily explained away as a nickname.

“Some of the older team bosses bring their wives along to do the cooking and all, for a slice of the contract. So I’ve built in a budget of a thousand a month for the team to hire someone to come round at the weekends, clean up and such.” Cassie added, “I don’t know if you’d find anyone local though. The site is nearly an hour from the nearest town.”

Eventually Michael got himself together as he leafed through the folder. “You’ve seriously outdone yourself here Cass. Budgets, nearest shopping facilities, set up costs. You’ve even included the chat logs with those old timers.” He added in amazement.

Cassie shrugged, embarrassed. “I just wanted to help.”

“So, any other news?” Charlie changed the subject as he could see Cassie was uncomfortable with the praise.

“The jocks aren’t mouthing off as much around Kath and I, since I had that go at my dad.” Cassie wasn’t going to mention her hidden surveillance system and, to be truthful, she really didn’t have the time to monitor it much nowadays. “Sean is becoming a pain again, now his rehab and counselling is over. He’s spending all his time hanging with Jimmy and sucking up to the team, but he still likes getting the odd jab in.”

Michael frowned. “How do you mean?”

“Just little stuff you know? Comments about being a runt, or how my hair is nice and silky. Thanking ‘the girls’ for cooking a nice dinner. He doesn’t push it too far nowadays since Dad made him come to my last grading exam at the dojo.” Cassie smirked.

“Oooh! There’s a story here!” Peter called out. “Out with it!”

“Uhh, it was kind of funny really. I was up against this big guy, must have been a Sophomore or Junior from a dojo over in Long Beach. The klutz was so hyped up he forgot his footwork, so I took him down with a leg sweep,” Cassie grinned wolfishly, “then finished him off with a heel strike to the groin as he bounced on the mat. Must have taken me all of, oh… four, five seconds.”

“Respect Chica!” Peter laughed as he offered a fist bump, although, for some reason, all three of the guys decided to cross their legs.

~o~O~o~

As in previous years, Carl and Kath’s schools finished a week before Oak Vale High School, so Aunt Megan had invited the two of them to come and spend a few days with her.

“Brian, do you really want these two alone in the house, and possibly getting up to mischief, while you’re at work and the two older boys are still in school?” She’d asked Dad. “It will be nice for me to have some company during the week for a change, and it will be a bit of a treat for them. We’ll go on Saturday after these two get back from Kung Fu. And I’ll have them home the following Thursday evening.”

Dad had wavered for a bit until she added, “and of course we’ll leave some pot roasts and pies in the freezer. All you’ll have to do is get them out to defrost in the morning, then pop them in the oven for an hour when you’re ready to eat.”

‘Jeez, way to go Dad!’ Cassie thought to herself bitterly when her father finally agreed. ‘Your stomach is more important than Kath and I.’

The last week of Middle School rushed up on Cassie. She had enjoyed her final year there without Sean or Jimmy. She guessed it would be back to being ‘one of those McCarricks’ again as soon as she arrived at Oak Vale High.

Gail had also pulled Carl to one side as they headed for the cafeteria during the last week of the semester.

“Carl, I’m so sorry!” She blubbed into Carl’s shoulder as soon as they got outside. “I didn’t know until Dad told me last night.”

“It’s okay Gail. We’ll make it okay.” Cassie hugged her until the initial flood of tears had abated. “So what did your Dad tell you last night?”

“I’ve got to go to a Lutheran school over in Long Beach. He’s got me registered for next semester. I won’t be at Oak Vale!” The tears returned in a torrent and Cassie spent the rest of lunch break comforting a distraught Gail.

When she got back to the house that afternoon Cassie was in a melancholy mood and wasn’t prepared to take any bull from anyone.

“Hey son. What’s with the long face?” Dad poked his head round the door as Cassie was putting chops onto the broiler.

“Gail’s going to a different High School next year.”

Dad immediately managed to demonstrate just how insensitive a guy could be. “Don’t worry son, there’s plenty more fish in the sea.” He boomed cheerily, just as Sean wandered in to grab a soda.

“The Runt got dumped!” He chortled. “Always knew she was only hanging with him for help with her homework. Couldn’t have been for his looks or scrawny little carcass. Hell, she’s probably already found herself a real guy, and moved schools to get away from the Runt.”

If Dad and Kath hadn’t been there Sean would have been wearing the chops. As it was Cassie reined herself back with difficulty. It didn’t stop her tongue though.

“So Dog breath, you still not found a girlfriend yet? Or are you still too busy hanging around the boy’s locker room?” She sneered.

Suddenly Sean was incandescent with rage and lunged for Cassie. “I’ll fuckin’ kill you, you hairless little freak. No one calls me a fag. I’m gonna cut your balls off!” He screamed.

Dad was caught off guard and only managed to get a hold of Sean’s collar as the boy snatched up a fork from the table, stabbing it at Cassie’s face. Cassie skipped back out of range while Dad wrestled desperately to subdue his middle son.

“Enough!” He bellowed, shaking Sean by the collar while Cassie moved to shield Kath. “There’s no queers in this house! If there were I’d kill them myself!” He yelled.

At that Sean went limp in his father’s grip.

“Carl! Don’t ever let me catch you baiting your brother like that again! You hear me?”

Shocked by her father’s anger, Cassie could only nod.

“Answer me!” He demanded.

“Uh, yes Dad.”

“Sean, you looking for a trip to Juvie? ‘Cause if you are I’ll throw you in there myself. I’ve had enough with you being a junkie already. You touch your brother and I’ll drag you down the station so fast your feet won’t touch the ground.” He gave Sean a final shake. “Now both of you, apologize.”

Cassie clenched her teeth before squeezing out. “Sorry Dad, sorry Sean.”

“Yeah, sorry Dad.”

Dad waited for a moment before giving another shake. “And?”

“Sorry Carl.”

Dad glared at Carl and Kath. “You two, finish up getting dinner fixed.” He then released Sean with a final shake. “You, get out of my sight ’til dinner.”

When the kitchen door swung closed Cassie let out a sigh of relief before turning to hug a stunned Kath. “I’m so sorry Munchkin. I should have kept my temper rather than let him get to me.”

“Was he really going to try and hurt you?”

Cassie gave a weak chuckle. “Well, he’d have tried.”

“Carl, I think it’s getting real close to Aunt Megan’s ‘not straightening out’ now.”

“Don’t worry Munchkin. I’m watching it. In two days we’ll be staying with her for a week. Give everyone a chance to calm down.”

After a strained and silent dinner, Cassie went down into the cellar work room for the rest of the evening. Despite what she had said to Kath, she could sense that things were coming to a head and wanted to be prepared. The end of school, and Saturday afternoon, couldn’t come quickly enough.

~o~O~o~

“You two got everything?” Aunt Megan asked, as she bundled the two of them into her compact.

“Yep. Loaded and ready to roll Aunty!” Kath bounced in the front seat.

“Carl?”

“More than ready Aunty. I’ll be seriously glad to see the back of this place for a few days.”

“Me too,” chimed in Kath. “If it wasn’t Sean being an obnoxious toad after Thursday, it was Jimmy and the Neanderthals huddled round and plotting something.”

Cassie’s ears perked at that. “Huh? I missed that. What did you hear Munchkin?”

Kath pouted. “I’m not sure. They kept on looking around and whispering whenever I was in the room. All I heard was something about a last chance to get a lesson in before the vacation. I thought those doofuses wanted to get out of lessons, not do more.” She complained.

Cassie was already pulling her phone out. Michael’s phone went to voice mail. “Michael, it’s Ca..rl. The squad may be setting something up for Charlie before the vacation. They need to be super careful. Kath and I are away ’til Thursday night, so won’t find anything new ’til then.” She repeated the message to both Charlie and Peter’s ‘phones before sitting back with a huff.

“Are you going to tell me what that’s all about young man?” Aunt Megan asked.

It was Kath who explained however. “Aunty, you know about all the football players camping out at our place all the time? Well, they’ve got a serious thing against Charlie. So, sometimes they talk about getting him. Anyway, Carl and I sort of listen in when we can, and tip off Charlie and Peter with what we hear. The doofuses are getting real frustrated that they never catch Charlie, and have no idea why.” She giggled.

Aunt Megan frowned. “That’s a dangerous game you two are playing. If they even suspect…”

“You’re right Aunty, even though we are super careful.” Cassie agreed, then paused for a moment. “I think we are getting real close to your ‘not straightened out’ rules. Especially after last Thursday.”

“Well let’s talk about it over dinner.” Aunt Megan decided. “I still owe you two a return trip to Lupita’s.”

For the first time in months Cassie truly relaxed. She knew that the respite was temporary, and that she still had to be careful around Kath and Aunt Megan, but the oppressive fear was gone. On one of the few times Michael had really talked about his experiences in the Sandbox, he had mentioned how mentally and emotionally draining being on the alert all the time had been. Always watching, constantly checking out for anything different; aware that, at any moment, the situation could explode into violence. Now that she was away from the house, Cassie realized that was exactly how she had been feeling.

So it was with a light heart that she, Kath and Aunt Megan discussed outings for the next few days; putting from their minds how they were going to cope with the rest of the summer vacation. There was time enough for that when they returned to Harbor City.

On Wednesday, Cassie’s ‘phone rang.

All three of them were busy in the kitchen getting lunch when the awful Japanese McDonald ad music started playing.

“Caarrrl.” Kath complained. “When are you going to change that ring tone? It’s hideous!”

She snickered. “When it stops annoying Sean.”

“Well he’s not here, so make it stop!”

Cassie finished wiping her hands and grabbed the offending item. “Hi, this is Carl.” She chirped.

“Cass? They got him.”

“Michael? What? Who? Who got him? What happened?” She asked, heading for the quiet of the living room.

“Charlie. The bastards got Charlie. Last night he was waiting to meet up with Peter uptown when they jumped him.”

Cassie collapsed onto the couch. “Oh My God Michael! When did this happen? Is he…? Is…?”

“He’s in hospital. The doctors had to put him into an induced coma. The fuckers took a baseball bat to him!” Michael swore. “Mom and Dad are with him. I’m driving up from Camp Pendleton right now. I would have come home last night as soon as I heard, but I had to hang around for my discharge to be finalized.”

“How’s Peter coping?”

“A complete wreck according to Mom. When she got to the hospital she called his mom to come get him. He was in serious shock.”

“Do they know who did it? Are the police taking it seriously?”

“No one’s saying anything, but I think you and I have a pretty good idea who the scumbags are.”

“Oh Michael,” Cassandra wailed. “I promised I’d keep Charlie safe. It’s my fault. I should have stayed home so I could have warned you all. Oh god, I’m so sorry…”

“STOP RIGHT THERE!” Michael ordered. “The ONLY people at fault are those fu..scumbags who attacked him. No one else. Not you, not me, no one. You and Kath have been keeping him one step ahead of those … ‘individuals’ for months. And now I think about it, probably putting yourselves at risk while doing so. Don’t you DARE start stealing blame from where it belongs. You get me li’l sis?”

Cassie snivelled for a moment. “I get you. I’ll ask Aunt Megan to run us home this afternoon.”

“No you won’t. First, Charlie is still in a coma and you won’t be able to come and see him. It’s only immediate family allowed at the moment anyway. Second, if you come running back to Harbor City someone is going to smell a rat. Like ‘How did you know that Charlie was injured?’ and ‘Why are you so worried about him?’. I guess your Dad hasn’t been on the ‘phone, has he?”

“No, but we could…”

“NO.” Michael overrode her again. “No buts, li’l sis. Right now they are going to be hyped up, super nervous and paranoid. The best thing you can do to keep yourself and Kath safe is to stay away. Understand? Do NOT draw attention. Stick to your original plan. Say nothing. Don’t try and snoop. Keep yourself and Kath out of the way as much as possible, got it? I want your solemn promise on this Cassie.” He demanded.

Reluctantly Cassie ducked her head. Much as she disliked it, what Michael had said made sense. “I promise.”

“Good girl. Now I need to make a few more calls. I guess you have to break the news to Kath and your Aunt. As soon as I get any more news I’ll call you okay?”

“Okay Michael. Could you please let your Mom and Dad know? That we’ll be praying for Charlie?”

Michael sniffed. “Yeah, I’ll do that. Take care.” Then he rang off.

After a very quiet lunch Aunt Megan called for a conference.

“Michael’s right. You do not want to draw any attention. No more spying. Don’t get into arguments. Keep out of the way as much as possible. Agreed?” She waited until she had got two nodding heads.

“I’ll drop you off tomorrow night as planned, but first thing Friday morning I’m going to see my lawyer about getting custody for you two. We don’t know for sure that it was the same guys who attacked Charlie, but I don’t think anyone will be taking bets against it. When the cops start sniffing around, and they will, Children’s Services will not be far behind them. I’d like to be ready for when that happens. If I can, I’m going to get you two back here for the rest of the summer. Will that cause either of you any problems?”

“Uh, Aunty, what about Carl’s and my business? Will we have to stop it?”

Cassie jumped in to answer. “If Aunt Megan doesn’t mind piles of boxes around, there’s no reason it can’t be run from here.” She turned to her Aunt. “Last year we made twelve thousand dollars after expenses and taxes. It’s not a massive amount, but I think it would cover the cost of having us. We wouldn’t be a burden.”

Aunt Megan smiled. “You two would never be a burden, and I have more than enough to feed two more mouths I assure you. However, I can see how much the business means to you. Of course you can run it from here.”

“Aunty, I’ve got an idea. We could go out this afternoon and buy Kath her own laptop to keep here. That way we could be up and running right from the start. And she’s going to need her own computer for school next year anyway.” Cassie suggested. “C’mon Sis. If we do it now I can get it all set up for you before we head back to Harbor City tomorrow afternoon.”

Once Kath had been persuaded, the three of them set out for the nearest Target store with Carl already explaining what he thought Kath would need. Aunt Megan smiled sadly to herself. Despite everything that was going on, the two of them still managed to stay positive and caring. Getting them away from their Dad was probably going to be the best thing that could happen. She hadn’t missed Carl’s comment about heading back tomorrow. He’d said Harbor City, not Home.

Aunt Megan fought back a tear as she drove. ‘Oh Marie, if only you hadn’t been taken from us.’

~o~O~o~

It was gone nine by the time they got back to Harbor City on Thursday. Aunt Megan had stopped on the way for dinner, wanting to minimize the time the two youngsters spent near their father. As she drove the last few miles she briefed the two of them again.

“Remember, you haven’t heard anything. You have to treat your father and brothers exactly the same as before you went away. You absolutely don’t ask any questions about what they’ve been up to. You think you can manage that?” She checked.

“Sure Aunty Meg. Run up, give Daddy a hug and smile, then gush about the Norton Simon museum until his ears bleed.” Kath offered.

“Then I step in, grunt hi, and try and tell him about the Jet Propulsion Laboratory until the commercials finish, when he’ll tune me out for the football.”

Aunt Megan laughed. “Possibly a little less gushing. And if he asks if you’ve heard from Michael?”

“Shrug and say I was going to give him a call this weekend if I didn’t see him in church. Last I heard he had a job lined up out of state.”

“Okay, it sounds like you two are ready, and… its show time.” Aunt Megan pulled the car over and popped the trunk.

“Hi Dad, we’re home.” Carl called out from the front door.

Dad didn’t even bother getting up from the lay-z-boy. “Hi kids, good time?”

“Yeah, we got to see this really cool NASA place…”

“That’s nice son. We can hear all about it over dinner tomorrow.”

“We had a lot of fun didn’t we kids?” Aunt Megan filled the sudden silence as Kath and Carl looked dumbfounded at their father’s lack of interest.

“Brian, It’s late and I need to head on back, so I’ll call you at the weekend okay?” She gave a telling glance at her charges. “You two need to unpack and sort out your laundry before getting ready for bed. You’ve had a long day. Off you go now.”

Kath caught on just before Cassie. “Uh, okay Aunty Meg. ‘Night Daddy, ‘night guys.”

“Safe drive back Aunt Megan. ‘Night everyone.”

Cassie quickly sorted her and Kath’s laundry out and was tucked up with a book when Sean came up to bed. For once he didn’t say anything, no taunts or sarcastic comments. He just grunted, climbed into his bunk and hit the light switch.

The next morning was no better. Kath and Cassie had agreed that they’d do pancakes and bacon for breakfast. It would distract the guys and keep the cooks too busy to talk to. If asked, they’d say that Kath had wanted to do something nice for them while they were off school and the others were still working. Surprisingly they got a thank you from all three. Well, a sort of grunt from Sean, but Cassie decided to take it as a thank you.

Half an hour later the kitchen was clean and tidy, despite the state the guys had left it the previous night, and Kath and Cassie were finally alone.

“Kath can you make a start on the laundry please? I’ll come and help in a bit and do our ironing, but I want to see if there’s anything on the surveillance footage from the last couple of days.” Cassie asked her sister.

“Sure, no problem three-bee.” Kath grabbed a quick hug and started to bounce off to empty the laundry baskets round the house.

Suddenly Cassie had a thought. “Whoah, hold on a moment Munchkin, I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t I do that, and you show me how to check for orders for the business?”

Kath frowned for a moment, then shrugged. “Sure, no problem.” She agreed.

Whilst Kath got set up in the work room, Cassie grabbed a couple of pairs of disposable gloves, her phone and three garbage sacks before heading upstairs.

“There’s three orders partner. I’ve already printed out the labels and lists. Do you want me to make them up?” Kath called out as she heard the washing machine being loaded.

“Sure, Munchkin, go ahead.” Cassie did her best to sound cheerful despite what she had just discovered. “I’ll make a start on the footage. I can load the rest of the laundry while I’m down here anyway.”

Kath had an efficient system and she had all three boxes ready for the mail in under twenty minutes.

“‘Kay partner, all done, anything else I can help with?”

It took moment for Cassie to realize Kath had asked a question. “Uh, I don’t think so. I’ll give you a call when it’s time for lunch okay?”

Kath beamed and headed up to her room. She hadn’t spoken to Suzie since last week and wanted to have a good catch up. As a result she missed Cassie rushing to be sick in the downstairs cloakroom ten minutes later.

It was all there on the video, backed up by the laundry baskets. They’d all been involved. They’d even fucking gloated about it!

Cassie pulled herself to her feet and washed the foul taste from her mouth. She stumbled upstairs and rinsed again with mouthwash, thinking that no amount of mouthwash would clean away the filth she had just witnessed. Back downstairs she went out to the garbage cans and checked. There it was, buried under the empty pizza boxes.

Finally, she went back down to the work room, grabbed a handful of the biggest capacity USB sticks she had, and started copying files.

Here was the video of the Neanderthals whooping when they found out where Charlie was going to be on Tuesday. One of them had snatched his phone when he wasn’t looking and checked his calendar.

Here was the video of Dad agreeing to drive them to ‘catch a show’ that night as he winked and grinned at the guys.

Here was Jimmy coming into the living room, shoving an old junior baseball bat up his sleeve and then following Dad and Sean out the door.

Here was Dad giving orders to get changed and dump their stuff in the laundry, and the bat deep in the garbage.

And, oh god, here was the entire crew boasting about what each of them had done to Charlie. Jimmy replaying his attack with the bat to a rousing cheer. Even Sean got a shout when, with a feral grin, he told how he’d kicked the fucking fag in the head.

Cassie was numb as she copied the files to the memory sticks, added the photos from her phone, wrapped the items of blood spattered clothing in plastic bags, then shoved them down the back of the dryer.

Still in a daze she went up to the kitchen and got a glass of water. She sat for a long time, staring out the window, as she decided what to do.

Eventually she called Kath down.

“Kathleen, we need to talk.”

Kath’s eyes snapped to her big bro. That phrase had only ever been used by Mom when something was serious. As she stared she noticed the pain in her sibling’s eyes and an awful realization crept over her.

“They did it.” It was a statement, not a question. Cassie nodded.

“All of them?”

“Yes.” Came the strangled whisper.

“You have proof.” Again Cassie nodded.

Kath reached out for her sibling as she closed her eyes in pain. “Mom would have stopped them.” She snivelled as she clung on to Cassie’s front.

They sat like that for almost an hour until Cassie roused herself. “They’ll be back soon. We need to get ready.”

“To Aunt Megan? Now?”

Cassie shook her head. “We haven’t got time now. Tomorrow, when we go to the Dojo. Pack your gym bag with stuff you absolutely can’t leave behind, including your debit card. We’ll go a stop down the line and get a cab from there to Pasadena. Can you hold it together ’til then? Act like you did last night?”

“I think so. Can you?”

“I’ll have to, both of us will.”

The next twenty hours were torture for Cassie. She was terrified Dad or her brothers would go looking for the blood spattered clothes, that she would say something or do something that would give them all away, that they’d find her copies of the damning videos. She watched Kath enviously as her little sister breezed through the afternoon and evening, dominating the talk at dinner that night with stories of what they had seen and done in Pasadena. Kath had even managed to hug and kiss ‘Daddy’ goodnight with a smile on her face.

The next morning Cassie got Kath to keep watch as she opened up her hiding place in the work room and retrieved her treasures, a handful of USB memory sticks and a healthy bundle of cash. They stayed down there, apparently working, until lunchtime. What Cassie was actually doing was transferring the last of the funds to their cards and suspending all her accounts. The last items she packed were her laptop, the broadband dongle and the cheap burner phone she’d bought over two years ago.

For lunch Kath and Cassie put together some quick and easy open sandwiches for everyone, although Cassie herself could barely eat. Then it was time to go.

They headed for the door, bags over their shoulders.

“See you Dad, we’re off now.” Cassie called out as she reached for the latch.

“What time are you back?” Echoed from the living room.

‘Never’ went through her mind. “About five, five thirty I think.”

“So what time will you have dinner ready?”

‘See above’ she thought. “Probably about seven. You okay with lasagne?”

“Okay, have fun.”

Then they were out.

Cassie’s mind was now running like a clock. Three minutes to walk to the stop. The bus was due in five. About five minutes ride to the next stop. Call a cab now, while we’re waiting. Arrange the pick-up for round the corner from the stop in fifteen minutes. Make that one fifteen. Agree a fare with the driver out to Pasadena, probably sixty or seventy bucks. Plan an even hundred with the tip. Should be a one hour drive. Call Aunt Megan on the way, no, get Kath to call Aunt Megan. Another call to Michael. Make sure to use the disposable phone for that one.

Her mind whirled on, as she walked quickly to the stop, Kath silent and grim at her side.

Cassandra knew she had to get Kath to safety with Aunt Megan. She also knew that, once her family, worked out that the evidence came from ‘Carl’, neither Kath nor Aunt Megan would be safe anywhere near her. It would rip her heart to shreds, but in two hours she would say goodbye to her sister and Aunt, take her evidence to the police, and start running for cover.

~o~O~o~

Once they were on the bus Kath let out a whoosh of relief. “Are we safe now?” She murmured to Cassie.

“For the next five hours. Then they’ll start calling and looking.” Cassie snorted quietly. “They’ll be wanting that lasagne.”

“So, what’s the plan?”

“Off at the next stop. We have a yellow cab waiting at 248th and Eshelman in…” Cassie peeked at her ‘phone, “eight minutes. Then straight up to Pasadena to Aunt Megan. You’ll call Aunty Meg on the way and say you are in a cab and that you’ll tell her everything on arrival. To be safe ask to meet on foot at the gate at the southern end of the Memorial Gardens in Pasadena.”

Kath let out a nervous giggle. “You make it sound like a spy movie.”

“Isn’t that exactly what we did? And right now we’re running with the evidence that will put Sean, Jimmy and Dad behind bars for a long time. They are looking at least four to ten years in jail, each. If they suspected what we are doing, how far do you think they would go to stop us Sis?” Cassie looked up before her sister had a chance to reply. “Come on, this is our stop.”

Ten minutes later they were in the cab heading north. Cassie made a quick call to the dojo pleading an upset stomach and apologizing for them missing class. Then she turned to her sister.

“Ready to do this Munchkin? Remember, don’t mention me. Make it sound as if you’re alone.”

“Why?”

“Because it’ll be me they want. This way, you and Aunt Megan have deniability. Trust me.”

Still unsure, Kath tapped her speed dial. “Hi Aunty Meg… I’m in a cab coming to see you, I’ve got an overnight bag … uh, things ‘didn’t straighten out’ … no I can’t, I’m in a cab right now. I will when I get there… he’s not available right now… no, I’m perfectly safe, really!… Can we meet at the south end of Memorial Park?… About three quarters of an hour okay? … Love you too, Byee!”

Once Kath ended the call Cassie took her ‘phone from her, powered it down, and pulled the SIM card before handing it back. “Put it back together once you’re safe in Aunt Megan’s apartment okay? Not before. Promise?” As she spoke she did the same with her own ‘phone.

Slightly scared now, Kath nodded.

‘Good’ thought Cassie, a little guiltily. ’She ought to be scared. I am.’

Cassie pulled out her disposable ‘phone and quickly sent Michael an SMS message.

‘C n K running 2 safety. Pickup C 1630 Chntwn Metro. No calls til thn. Tell nobdy. Del msg’.

That done, Cassie turned off her disposable ‘phone as well.

“Right Munchkin. I’ve got some presents for you.” Cassie grinned at her sister and pulled a bulky envelope from her gym bag. “Don’t look now but treat it really gently, and wait ’til you get to Aunty Meg’s to open it. All the details about what to do are on the blue USB stick. There’s also a separate sealed envelope with what we found, and a green USB with a copy of it that Aunty Meg can look at.”

Kath looked up from the envelope suspiciously. “You make it sound like you won’t be with me.”

Inside Cassie wailed in anguish, knowing what was to come. Instead she grinned. “Back ups and duplicates Sis. See?” She opened her own bag to reveal two similar envelopes. “You know me, super careful and always with a plan. Now, how do you feel about moving schools to Pasadena?”

They arrived in Pasadena right on time. As they pulled up Kath spotted Aunt Megan a few hundred yards away at the entrance to the park.

“Hey Munchkin why don’t you head over to her while I settle up with the driver? Find somewhere to sit so we can talk? If I remember, there’s an ice cream place just inside the park with tables and shades.”

Kath happily headed off and ambushed their aunt with a massive hug.

“Oh honey! I was so worried when I got your call. What’s happened?”

“Carl will tell you. He’s just paying off the cab. He’s…” Kath looked around to find that both Carl and the cab had vanished. Just then Aunt Megan’s ‘phone rang. She looked down to see Carl’s user ID flash on screen.

“Carl? Where are you? We’re just waiting for you. Where did you go?”

“Aunt Megan, trust me. This is life and death important. You must NOT see me. Take Kath into the park and find a seat right now!”

“But Carl..”

“DO IT! RIGHT NOW. You’ve GOT to keep Kath safe. I’ll call again in five.”

Aunt Megan recoiled from the suppressed fury and terror in the teen’s voice as the connection cut off.

“What’s wrong Aunty?”

“Nothing sweetie. Carl is just dealing with something, so let’s go and find a seat.”

Exactly five minutes later Aunt Megan’s ‘phone rang again.

“Carl?”

“Aunt Megan, I’m so sorry for this, but when the police or my father come, you MUST be able to say you haven’t seen me. In Kath’s bag is an envelope with an evidence pack for the police. In it is proof that my father, Jimmy and Sean were all equally involved in planning and carrying out the attack on Charlie. That’s a felony offense of battery with great bodily injury. As it’s also a provable hate crime they’re each looking at up to thirteen years jail time. Kath hasn’t seen any of the evidence; I’ve tried to keep her out of it so she couldn’t be called as a witness and she’s not a threat to anyone. It’s all on me understand?”

“But Carl, we can work all this out together. Come here right now!”

“I’m so sorry Aunt Megan. I swore to Mom that I’d keep Kath safe. If she’s near me she’s in danger; you are in danger. I can’t let that happen. Those scumbags will probably get bail and come hunting. I have to keep you safe. In the outer envelope there’s also letters for both you and the munchkin.” Aunt Megan heard a catch in the youngster’s voice. “There’s also a carefully wrapped comic. Treat it as if it’s worth ten times it’s weight in gold… because it is. Last time I looked, similar copies were selling for nineteen thousand dollars. That should be enough to pay for lawyers and cover Kath’s costs until you two get the business back up and running. Tell her… tell her I want her to keep doing Kung Fu and Ballet, and I love you both so much.”

“Carl, you’re not old enough to look after yourself. Whatever it takes I’ll protect you.” She pleaded.

Aunt Megan was confused by her nephew’s parting comment. “Carl may not be Aunty, but Cassandra is. It’s all in the letter. Don’t call anyone until after five thirty, and take care of Kath for me.” Then the call hung up.