Cassandra Mitchells-Prolougue

    Hello, I am Cassandra Mitchells, otherwise known as Sailor Cosmic Star. I didn't know anything about my past or the Crystal Millennium until I met Serena and
moved here, to Golden Springs, California. Maybe I should explain myself. My full name is Cassandra Adrean Mitchells. Everyone just calls me Cassandra or
Cassie. I'm eighteen and am a senior in high school. I have wavy brown hair and big blue eyes. I have no brother and sisters, but, well my family is a little hard to
explain. But I'll try my best.

    You see, I started out like all other children with a Mom and Dad. I was born on June 17th to Mary Anne and Michael Mitchells. I lived with them in Tokyo until I was five. We moved to California in the U.S.A. when I was about five and a half.
    We lived happily ever after for about seven and a half years. We lived in Napa, in northern California in a beautiful ranch like house. Dad owned a vineyard and Mom made computer designs. We owned stables and I had my very own horse which I called Duchess. Dad owned Lightning and Mom owned Black Beauty.
    When I was about six, Mom invited her best friend in high school, Chessy to live with us. Chessy was very pretty with amazing blue eyes and shoulder length red hair. She dressed in very casual clothes. I knew I was going to love her the minute I met her. Mom was usually very busy and didn't have time to cook or clean. Dad didn't know a thing about either. Chessy took care of it all for us. She was kind of like my best friend. She even bought me my first pet, a golden retriever puppy whom I named Sandy.
    Then Dad decided to get divorced. They were divorced for about a month and a half when Daddy remarried a woman named Olivia. Two days later, Daddy got a heart attack and died. Chessy says it was because his conscience would never forgive him for not telling me he and mom were divorced and that he had remarried. Yup, you heard that right. No, I was not a stupid child for not noticing. I stayed with Chessy, while Mom had a "business vacation" while Daddy was away on a "business trip." Little did I know Mom had gone to Maryland to cry to her family while Dad moved out, met someone else, eloped with her, had a heart attack, and died in two weeks.
    I had no idea Dad was sick. Neither did anyone else. Before the divorce, Dad was perfectly healthy, although he and Mom were often fighting. Once he had remarried Olivia, everyone said he seemed like a happy teenager, playing tennis, basketball and doing everything he could with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. No one suspected he would ever die like that so soon. Chessy claims his conscience made him suffer like I suffered when I found out what had happened the day of his funeral. Mom says he overdid it. I say his conscience will never forgive him for marrying someone so wrong for him. So he liked women with exotic names (which explains mine). His conscience would never forgive him and neither will I.
~~~~~~~~~~
    I was standing over his grave, my hair blowing in the wind. A hand touched my shoulder. "Cassandra, I'm so sorry I have to tell you this today." I turned around and found myself looking into the face of some lady. She had dark, black hair wrapped into a bun), long lashes that fluttered and covered her eyes, and high cheekbones. She had a expression that said ever so plainly ' I'm so sorry'. "I'm your mom." She looked me in the eye. I wrinkled my nose and stuttered, "My m-mom?"
    "Your step mom, I mean." She smiled at me. BOOM! Something hit home inside of me. My step mom? A world of feelings unraveled inside of me. Confusion, lonliness.....betrayal.
    "What step mom? My parents aren't divorced or anything....are they?" I stared at her and my vision blurred with tears as I confirmed the answer I dreaded. "You mean you haven't told her?" The woman looked up, right into the eyes of my mom. "We were going to tell her today. But he..he.." Mom turned and ran. The woman ran after her. My mind was a whirl. Who..What.... How... Why... I had so many unanswered questions. I had half a mind to turn and run, fast as the wind, as far away as I could possibly run.
    "Cass? You okay, girl?" Chessy appeared at my side. "And who was that woman you were talking to?" I took a deep breath and my feeling of betrayal washed over me as I realized that someone else might have known and not have told me. "Chessy, do you know anything about Dad remarrying?" Chessy's face turned crimson and her eyes narrowed. "How'd you know about that?"
    "We told her." The woman said, as she kneeled next to me.
    "Oh, well I'll leave you two alone." Chessy turned and ran off, calling over her shoulder that she was going to go find Mom. I wanted to shout after her not to leave me, but Chessy seemed to have taken my voice with her when she left.
    "Cassandra, could I talk to you?" The woman smiled at me. "Your mother gave me permission to take you to lunch and talk." I followed her into her car and sat quietly all the way through lunch.
    She told me all about herself. When I was done, I knew that she was a doctor and her name was Victoria Anderson, but I could call her Vicki. She said she understood what I was going though because she went though it when she was just about my age. She said she looked young, but she was really only about my father's age. She said she had no other children but was involved in a marriage a while ago that ended in a ugly divorce. She smiled a lot and said she was just like me when she was younger. So vibrant, full of wonder and mystery.
    She was kind of like me. And she was very nice. Still, I felt like I supposed to hate her. I mean, I'd seen Cinderella a bazillion times and I'd rather not end up scrubbing floors while she was having breakfast in bed. But, I couldn't help feeling like she was someone I could really trust.
    When she had finished her little speech, she asked me "Do you have any questions?" I looked up at her and blinked back tears as memories with my parents flooded back. 'Yes,' I thought, 'When will this nightmare ever end?'
~~~~~~~~~~
    I missed my father dearly. I grieved for about a month, then went on with my life. But I had no idea how bad Mom felt. You see, Mom felt guilty for his death. She covered up her sadness whenever I was around but cried for most of the day, while I was at school. Chessy knew something was wrong but never said anything because she didn't want to worry me. She practically kept the house from falling apart. I began to suspect things a little when Mom suddenly stopped not going to work. It turned out she got fired because she didn't finish any of her work. She never went on with their life and never got over it. One day I went home and found police in front of house and squad cars parked in the street and driveway. Police tape marked off all the entrances.
    I was astounded. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Cassandra?" A voice asked uncertainly. "Yes?" I whirled around. There stood a police officer. " My name is Officer Bentley. Cassandra, darling-" He began uncomfortably and was cut off. "My baby!" My grandmother and grandfather hurried to me. "Cassandra! Cassandra!" Chessy ran to me. Everyone began talking at once. Chessy let out a loud whistle and asked as sweetly as she could, "Could I please explain this to her? I know her best." Everyone nodded. "Cassandra, honey, come with me." Chessy took my hand. "You can talk in my house." A neighbor offered generously. I followed Chessy inside the house and she sat me on her lap. "What is it, Chessy?" I asked. "Cassandra-" she looked me in the eye. "What?" I whispered. I was terrified.
    "Your mother. She..she-"
    "Mommy?"
    "She..she-"
    "What happened?"
    "The house. Fire."
    I gasped. "Mommy!" I jumped off her lap and scrambled toward the door, but she held me back. "She was killed, Cassandra!" I sat down, right on the cold hard floor. "She's been so upset about your father's death. She couldn't handle it. She wasn't being careful today, and she knocked over a candle and-" Chessy stopped as she wrapped me in her arms and let me sob into her shoulder. "Can I see her?" I choked out.
    "Yes, but honey, if you ever need me-"
    "I know. "
    I went inside. There stood Grandma, crying into Grandpa's shoulder. Grandpa moved aside to let me see. The house was a mess. A absolute mess. Mom's things were all scattered around the room. The vases were smashed. The dishes and Mom's antique classics were broken. I stepped forward. Just as I did, the floorboard gave away. I fell a thousand feet, or so it seemed. (I probably only fell about nine or eleven feet.) Soon, I found myself on the cold hard ground. I felt a sharp pain in my ankle and couldn't quite feel my leg.
    "Cassandra!" Chessy called me. "Are you OK?"
    "Oh, sure. I'm fine. I can't feel my leg and I think my ankles broken." I replied, sarcastically. "I'm having a swell time, Chessy."
    Even though my leg felt as though it wasn't even attached any more, I didn't want to make my situation any more uncomfortable than it had to be, so I tried to crack a few jokes. "Cassandra, this is no time to be sarcastic." Even though I couldn't see Chessy, I knew, I just knew she was feeling uncomfortable right about now. "I can't reach you Cassandra! You're going to have to climb out yourself!"
    "Yeah, Chessy, like that's going to happen!" I shouted upward, not even trying to get up.
     "I'll go get help!" Chessy ran off. "No! Wait, Chessy!" I tried to reach for her but couldn't get up. "Don't leave me!"
    "Leave me, leave me, leave me, leave me." My voice echoed in the absolute silence. Tears rolled down my cheeks. First my mother and now me.....My Mom! I was I ever supposed to reach her! I'd have to climb up, that's what.
    "Ugh. Oh, man, I don't know if I can do this." I said as I lifted myself up to a sitting position. I reached up and felt around. I felt....a wooden beam. It went higher and higher until....A ladder! Just what I needed.
    "Thank goodness." I muttered as I pulled myself up. Soon, I could see the ceiling and some of the furniture. "I don't know if I can do thi-Auuugggghhhh!!!!" My hand had slipped and I was now falling. "Cassandra!" A hand stuck out and grabbed my hand. It was Officer Bentley. I was now dangling in air, right in the middle of the hole. "Don't drop me! Please, help me!"
    "Cassandra, hold on! I won't drop you!" The officer cried, as he struggled to reach my other hand. "Grab my hand!" I reached up and just as I did, my other hand slipped.
    "Help!" I cried. Suddenly, a light appeared at the bottom of the hole and practically lifted me back up. Then the lights just went out.
    "Cassandra!" A voice cried. I sat up. I was lying on the floor in my living room. "What happened?" I asked, my voice almost a whisper.
    "You slipped and this kitten caught your sleeve. I managed to get you before you fell but you had hit your head and were unconscious. We thought we had lost you." The officer picked up the kitten.
    It was a very pretty kitten as white as the moonlight. It had eyes as big as saucers. Its little pink nose was so tiny you could barely see it. The kitten meowed loudly and nudged the officer's hand.
    "Look here. It says her name is Diana. What a pretty name." I picked her up and cuddled her and she purred. Then I saw something that made me gasp.
"    Oh, wow." I whispered as I put Diana on the floor. I looked at her again. Sure enough, on her little forehead was a crescent moon. It was no bigger than my
thumb and was golden. I looked into the kitten's eyes.
    'If only you could talk. Then I know why that was on your forehead', I thought. "Cassandra?" A voice said.
    "Huh?" I looked up. There stood a woman. She looked like Vicki only younger and with blonde hair. She was dressed in a very pretty sun dress, with flowers and
teacups on it. She was also wearing a tag that read, Hi, I'm Patrica Stanton-Cha, but you can call me Pat. I'm the divorce kid specialist.
    As soon as I read those words 'divorce kid specialist' I thought, Since when did Mom hire a divorce kid specialist? Pat smiled at me.
    "Hi," she said. "I'm Patrica. Here let me help you up." She held out her hand. "Uh, no, I just think I'll sit." I said. But as soon as she saw my swollen ankle, she made me sit on a chair, while another officer called a doctor. I brushed myself off. "That's a very pretty kitten you have there. What's his name?" she asked me.
    "Diana. And she's a girl." I crouched down and picked up Diana. "Oh, she's so cute!" Pat exclaimed as she scratched Diana's little chin. Diana purred. "And look at that little cute crescent moon!"
    I hugged Diana close. I didn't want this strange lady touching Diana. I didn't know why, but I felt weird around her.
    But Diana kept on purring. I didn't think she minded at all. But I did. Still... "I think she likes you." I blurted out. "She normally doesn't act this way. She's kind of shy and usually hides when strangers are around."
    I had no idea about these things. Yet, I felt like I knew everything about this cute kitten and she knew everything about me. It was very strange yet somehow comforting.
    Then the door burst open and in showered people. "Cassandra!" I saw my grandparents, friends, Vicki and lots more. I had no idea who some of them were. They all showered me with hugs and kisses and soon I felt like I was trapped in a small cave with nowhere else to go and no where to hide. It was an awful feeling.
    "STOO-OOP!!" I yelled with all my breath. Everyone froze. "Thank you. " I gasped. "Look, I glad you were all thinking of me and came here, but the main reason I came here was to see my mother." I glanced at my watch.
    "It's been a hour and I haven't even seen her. We'll arrange some time for each of you to see me later but right no all I want to do is..." I paused.
    "Everybody OUT!" yelled the officer. And miraculously everyone filed out without a single word. "This way, sweetie." The officer led me into his car. He told me that while he was getting me out of the hole, my mother had been taken to the hospital. Silently he drove me there, while I cuddled Diana. He showed me the way
    through several corridors to a room towards the back of the hospital.
    My mom was lying on the bed unconscious and really did look dead. "Mommy?" I whispered. "Is she really dead?" I asked the police officer. Uncomfortable, he looked over to Chessy who had followed us in her car to the hospital. Chessy kneeled down and wrapped me in a hug, and whispered, "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. She didn't make it."
    I burst into tears. Chessy hugged me harder. "You'll be okay, Cassandra." Diana rubbed against my ankle. "You'll be okay."
~~~~~~~~
    And I was. But you never quite get over things like that. I was a orphan at thirteen. With both my father and mother gone, Chessy became my official guardian. Olivia wanted to get to know me better and invited me and Chessy to live with her in Golden Springs, California.
    I was only about fourteen when I met Darien. We hit it off right away because I was good friends with his younger sister, Andrea, who I had met in school.
    Years passed and when my eighteenth birthday rolled around, Andrea and Darien felt like it was a special occasion so they immediately decided to make a party. Since they felt I had been through enough traumatizing stuff in my life, they decided to tell me about the party so I wouldn't be overwhelmed. Darien asked me if he minded if he brought a few friends to the party he was planning for me. I insisted I didn't. Darien's apartment wasn't nearly big enough and they were planning a few surprises, as I was told so they couldn't have it at my house. Luckily, Andrea said her apartment would probably be perfect, if we didn't mind being cramped a little. So we held the party there. I was so nervous. Darien said his he invited his girlfriend and her friends to come. He said his girlfriend's name was Serena and thought we would hit it off right away. He asked me if I knew anything about the Silver Millennium or the Moon Kingdom. I had no idea what he was talking about. When I asked about it, he simply smiled and said he explain later. And he did. But by then it was too late.
To be continued....
If you're curious about what happens next, you'll just have to read on in the first chapter of Cassandra Mitchells: Sailor Star

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