Chapter 3

(Cassie's POV)

I closed the door behind me and leaned against it for a while.

Today was the worst day.

I pulled myself inside and slowly settled into the couch.

“Is that you Cassandra?” I heard my grandmother ask.

“Yes Abuela” I answered. “I have a lot of homework so I'll be in my room okay?” I added and locked the front door before heading upstairs.

I locked my bedroom door and flung myself down on the bed. I eyed my sewing machine and sighed.

I had to find a day to clean up my room. My closet wasn't big enough to fit all the new clothes I was making.

I felt a pee sting and began to slip off my shoes when my phone began to ring. I answered it.

“Unlock the door,” she said.

“I'm not going, Isabel. That wasn't the deal.”

She's quiet for a while.

“Fine!”

Then she hung up. I rolled my eyes and made my way to the bathroom to pee. Walking back out, I found her going through my clothes.

“Black or yellow?” she asked, holding out two dresses.

“How'd you get in?” I asked.

“The window. Now pick a dress because you are coming with me to that party.”

“That wasn't the deal Isabel. I gave you a dress. Now please leave me out of this suicide mission” I pleaded.

“Cassandra!” she whined. “You have to come with me.”

“But I don't wanna!” I whined back.

“Hey, I moved to Florida just for you. So the least you can do for me is come to this party with me. I thought you were my best friend.”

“I am your best friend Isa. And I can't thank you enough for moving all the way here just for me. But that doesn't mean I have to come to a party with you.”

She sighed and put the dresses away.

“Fine. Then I'm not going. And this is one you” she announced, pointing at me.

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no. You're going to that party.”

“Not without you” she retorted.

I groaned in annoyance.

“Okay fine” I agreed. “But if I don't hear one Tony Reeves song, I am out of that place.”

Isabel perked up and squealed before giving me a quick hug.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

I chuckled at her enthusiasm.

“So, yellow or black?” she returned to the question.

“Neither” I replied bluntly.

Instead, I grabbed a pair of dark blue high-waisted jeans and matched them with a gray tank top. I picked sky blue flats and slung my Miss Selfridge bucket bag across my shoulder.

When we got there, Jace's house was teeming with energetic teenagers.

“I can't believe you came!” Forrest greeted me with a hug

“I was blackmailed” I replied, looking at Isabel.

She had her eyes fixed in a direction. We followed her gaze and we all frowned. Helen was gambling again. I groaned.

“I'll be right back,” Isabel said, walking towards her direction.

“Hey, wait up!” Jay called out, going with her.

Forrest sighed.

“What is wrong with her?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“I'll go get us some drinks okay?” she said to me and disappeared through the crowd.

“Hey wait! Don't leave me alone! Forrest!” I called after her.

I pushed my way through the crowd only to find myself in a deserted part of the house. I tried to go back but I didn't know how. The music from the party sounded distant. Then I heard voices approaching. One I hadn't heard before; but the other one, belonged to Jace.

Shit!

I quickly pushed through the first door I saw and closed the door quietly. Then loud moans filled my ears.

How horny are these people?

I swallowed hard and slowly turned around. My eyes widened and I slapped my hand across my mouth before a sound came out.

The boy noticed someone's presence in the room and sat up.

“What is it, babe?” I heard the girl ask, out of breath.

I spun around and ran out the door only to bump into someone. It was a man. A big man. He had brown hair and blue eyes and it felt as if I had seen him somewhere before.

“Careful sweetheart, don't hurt yourself” he said sweetly.

“Who's out there?” the boy called from inside his room.

“I knew this party was a bad idea” I whispered, shaking my head.

The man pointed me to another door.

“In there” he said.

I hurried through the door and from the interior design, I could tell it belonged to a little girl.

“Hello!” a little voice called out, startling me.

I looked down and saw a brown-haired little girl with a tiara on her head.

“Are those real diamonds?” I heard myself ask.

She nodded and smiled.

“Are you the new nanny?” she asked.

Nanny?

“Would you read me a story?” I heard another little voice ask.

I turned in the direction of the other voice to see a blonde little girl, with the same face as the first girl.

“There's two of you?”

The first girl giggled.

“That's what happens when you have twins” she answered me. “I'm Ruby by the way” she answered.

“Rose” the blonde one added. “We're the Graham twins.”

Graham?

“Graham? As in like Jace's sisters?” I asked.

They exchanged looks.

“You're not the new nanny are you?”

I chuckled.

“No. I got lost trying to find my friend.”

“Then you shouldn't be in here,” Ruby said.

I frowned. Raised voices came from outside the door.

“Why should we have to share a hallway with Chris?” Rose asked reaching for the door.

My eyes widened.

“Rose wait!” I called out.

But she'd already opened the door and the Chris boy stopped talking and narrowed his eyes at me.

Shit!

He kept looking at me. The man from earlier was still there.

“Oh hi, Uncle Fred” the girls greeted him.

He smiled at them and gave me a reassuring look before walking off. The boy kept staring at me.

“Was it you?” he asked, stepping forward.

I took a step back.

“Was it her what?” I heard Jace ask.

“Great, just the person I was trying to avoid” I murmured under my breath.

He caught my eye and frowned.

“I asked a question,” Chris said again.

Jace turned to him.

“Lay off her Chris.”

The boy frowned at me and walked back into his room. I let out a sigh of relief. Then Jace turned his attention to me and glared.

“You shouldn't be back here. No stranger is allowed in this part of the house so leave” his voice grew threatening.

“I was just trying to find my friend” I replied, almost inaudibly.

“Jace, why don't you ask her to be our nanny?” Rose asked.

He turned his attention to his sister.

“I don't think that's how it works Ro,” he said calmly.

“Well okay. Bye Cassandra” She waved and pulled her sister back inside.

I smiled after them till I felt eyes burning into my soul. I turned and his face was inches away from mine.

“Leave, and don't think of ever coming back here” A low growl engulfed the last few words.

His eyes slowly changed color. I blinked and stared into them and they were back to their normal color.

“Go!” he ordered and I ran down the hallway.

I took a turn and I was back at the party. My heart was thumping and the loud music wasn't helping. I leaned against a wall and took deep breaths. Then I paused.

I never mentioned my name to those girls. So how did they know?

I let out a frustrated groan. This party was definitely a bad idea.