CONTINUATION OF LAST CHAPTER BC IT WOULDN'T ALL FIT. T^T <><><><><><><><><><> “Sounds great!” Audrey agreed. "Cass, which piece do you want?" Mrs. Jones asked. "A corner or a middle piece?" Cass just shrugged. "I don't really care." "What kind of frosting is it?" Audrey asked. "Is it the fluffy whipped kind or the dryer kind?" "It probably depends on your personal frosting standards, Audrey," Cass teased. "Well, some frostings are much better and fluffier than others," she told him, folding her arms. "Well, hopefully, it'll be up to your frosting standards, Audrey," Mrs. Jones teased, setting a piece of cake in front of each of them. Audrey took a bite and gave her a thumbs up. Audrey devoured her cake, but Cass ate a little slower. "I might not be able to finish all this; I'm not used to this much sugar," Cass apologized, setting down his fork. "That's alright. Rob can't handle much sugar either," Mrs. Laura assured him. Mr. Jones nodded. "Sugar never did agree with me. Too many sweets when I was younger, I suppose." Audrey gave Laura a look that said, "Time for presents." Laura smiled and brought out a box covered in wrapping paper. Audrey grabbed the one she wrapped, which was considerably messier. "This one's from me," Audrey told Cass, handing him the box. Cass just looked puzzled. "What do I do with the pretty box, Lady Audrey?" Audrey grinned. "You tear the paper to open it and get whatever is inside," she explained. "Is it like a game of luck or something? Is there a chance there won't be something in the box?" he inquired further. "Just open it!" Audrey told him, practically shaking with excitement. She hoped he liked it; it wasn't your everyday birthday present...but then, Cass wasn't your everyday human being either. Cass found the ends of the erratically placed tape strips and carefully started pulling them away, cautious not to rip the paper. After what seemed like an eternity, he had finally gotten all the paper off. He opened the box, and pulled out a green basketball-sized fabric lump. Further inspection revealed that it had eyes and a funny face. Cass held it up in front of him, his eyes shining with wonder. “It’s a frog! Like the one from the park!” Audrey nodded, a smile spreading across her face. “Do you like it?” “Yiissssss!” Cass emphatically replied. “I shall name him Sir Walter Fliesworth lll and he shall rule over his kingdom with benevolence and justice!” “Indeed! He will be an excellent ruler!” Audrey agreed. “Perhaps I can make him a crown, befitting his position!” Cass gasped. "You can do that?!" "Sure can! Maybe I can put some little gems on it, too. Sir Walter must be fabulous!" The rest of the night passed in a blur of laughter and smiles. Cass received a few other small gifts from the Jones’ including a telescope, a star-recording book, and a paint set so he could draw the things he saw in the night sky. Finally, the night came to an exhausted close. Cass smiled. “Thank you, everyone. This has been the best birthday anyone could ask for.” They all said their goodnights and retired to their rooms. <><><><><><><> The next morning, Cass snuck out before everyone else woke up. He strolled over to Audrey's house, attempting to not look suspicious. He usually didn't support breaking and entering but desperate times call for desperate measures, he supposed. He found the spare key under the third flower box on the porch railing where he had seen Audrey place it the day before. He unlocked the door and snuck inside the house. He could still catch a faint whiff of the sedative, so he covered his nose and mouth just in case. He searched everywhere but couldn't find anything that looked like it would be from Etrion. It would've been obvious compared to earth technology but nothing showed itself. Just as he was ready to quit, he caught a flash of light in his peripheral vision. Sure enough, the room where he had found Audrey was illuminated by a blueish glow. In the center of the room sat a small round device that he was certain hadn't been there a moment ago. The light condensed into a hologram of the cloaked figure that had kept appearing. The figure's face was strategically cast in shadow to prevent anyone recognizing them. Cass stepped back out of instinct. "Cassian, son of Griffin," the hologram greeted. It was a gruff voice, the sound slightly distorted by static and possibly a Coder so even their voice wouldn't be able to be traced back to them. "How do you-" Cass stuttered. "Know who you are?" the man finished, leaving a shocked Cass nodding. "Let's just say I'm...an old acquaintance. Your father and I have been on...opposite sides lately. I desire your return to Etrion so that I might finish some unfinished business." Cass was immediately on his guard. "Yeah, nope. That is definitely not happening. I'm not interested in your evil little intergalactic space shenanigans."
The man let out a chilling laugh. One full of hatred and cruelty. "If you knew your current predicament, I believe you'd change your mind. You'll come back. It's the only way to save your little earth friend! You wouldn't want anything to happen to her, would you?" "Do NOT bring Audrey into this!!" Cass shouted. "I'm afraid it's too late for that! That sedative; it was also a slow acting poison. If it weren't for that girl's heritage, she'd be dead already!" Cass' breath caught in his throat. "What are you talking about?! How long does she have?!" The man chuckled. "She has three days before the poison begins to take effect. You have everything you need in this house to figure out the heritage bit." "Who the freak are you? What do you have against me and Audrey?!" "You'll remember me eventually, naive child. I Intend to have my revenge for the wrongs that have been done against me." The hologram began to fade. "Communications are blocked; coming to Etrion is your only option." <><><><><><><><><><> Writing by Rena Gale and Calla Tolliver Cover designed by Calla on Canva Music from the public domain
