So, when Cass came home to us middle of May everything was happening smoothly. We stayed in the house for a week and we just had lots of fun as usual.
Cass loves visiting our house in England. She loves Dad's home. She loves its design. She said that when she goes to college she might take up architectural design. She sketches landscapes and faces during her free time.
How do I say it? Cass can almost do anything she puts her mind to and she excels in it. When I said she sketches, it's not some simple fiddling with the pencil on paper; she draws them with great style and flourish like a gifted hand is. She's great like a pro.
I totally admire my elder twin sister. I see her as the rainbow of colors to my ordinary drudging world. While she is the rainbow and sunshine in the sky, I'm like the gray clouds that float by. Dull, ordinary, plain, and regular. The invisible existence who watches her glide and glamour.
But despite that, despite our end pole opposite differences for being identical twins where our only similarities are our physical appearances, auburn hair, hazel eyes, tall, lanky figure, we are night and day.
She can wow the world not only with her dress and style but also with her acting prowess. She's doted and loved by millions of people. Even mom and dad give her more attention.
Of course, I don't envy my sister. I'd kill myself if I do. And she knows it as well. Among all the people in the world who love me, Cass is the one who loves to dote on me. Maybe because she knows that she has Mom. She's living with her. Dad showers her more affection when she's around because she's only ever around for a month and a half in our place.
So, when she comes home to England, she always plays the big sister on me. This is kind of funny because she's only four minutes older than me not four years older, but sometimes that's how she acts. I don't wanna be irritated about it but sometimes she has a way of overdoing it.
And her favorite way of playing the big sister act on me was with how I dress.
"Don't you think it's high time you change your style of clothing, Cassidy?" she asked me while looking at my closet full of sweatshirts, t-shirts, hoodies, jogging pants, jeans, sweaters, and jackets.
"I don't see any skirt here." She complained in her unbelievable tone.
"My God, girl, don't you ever wanna see yourself as a woman?" she asked while rummaging through my clothes. "I can almost say a man is living here."
"How do you even say that?" I asked her. I was sitting on my bed reading a book on Kindle. "Don't tell me you've already found a boyfriend so you're comparing my clothes to them?"
She just raised her brows at me.
"Don't you have a boyfriend yet, Cassidy?" she asked instead. She was still looking at my clothes, passing them with her hand.
"I have a best friend, Cass," I said glancing briefly at her before returning my attention on the screen. "Not a boyfriend."
"A guy best friend, you mean?" She asked hiding a smile on her face.
"I saw that," I said to her, giggling. "We are only best friends. Jake is a normal guy who will never see me in that way you mean."
"Ah… Jake…" said Cass, her voice trailing after the name. "You're still friends with that dweeb?"
She asked looking at me. She stopped fiddling through my clothes and sat at the edge of my bed.
"He's a nice guy, Cass, if you aren't so mean to him."
I said without looking at her. I continued reading.
"Well, yeah, he's dowdy like you, so I won't wonder why you two are such great friends."
"Do you hate nerds, Cass?" I asked her, putting my tablet beside me. Cassandra entered my room flipping through my things because she must feel bored at the moment. I was reading a new novel by my favorite author when she appeared. Now, she's distracted me from reading.
"I'm a nerd, too, Cassie," she said looking at my face. "But, I am not dowdy."
"Like Gabriella Montez nerdism?" I twitched my eye at her.
"It won't hurt you to wear a skirt, Cassie."
She said looking at me.
"But skirts aren't a comfortable article of clothing," I told her. "I don't dream of becoming a lady."
"Yeah, right, Cassidy Arianne, you are never Lady Daphne Bridgerton to worry about your season in the society or your dress."
She said expelling a sigh.
"I've always wanted us to wear skirts and dresses together at least once in a while I stay here and all I've ever seen you are wearing a plain t-shirt and shorts, if not jeans on your legs, sister."
"Well, it's not gonna happen me wearing a skirt just to placate you, Cassandra."
I said, hiding my irritation.
"Don't you think it would be fun to wear skirts, long skirts that is, while we wander around the streets in Ditchling?"
She looked at me, hopefully.
I picked back the tablet beside me and switched it to open.
"When pigs fly, Cass," I said with a final tone.
Cass expelled another frustrated breath, looked at me, and rose from my bed.
"You are hopeless."
She said with an irritated sigh.
"And you are impossible."
I said looking at her with my impassive face.
Tension swam between us as she returned my gaze. She shifted her eyes off me and walked by the door before turning back.
"Pack your bags, Cassie. We live for Hopperhill in an hour."
She said looking fully at my face again.
"You should have told me about it earlier."
I complained to her.
"But you were reading."
She said looking at my tablet.
"Get out, Cass."
I told her.
"Whatever, Cassidy. Don't make me and dad wait for you. Or we leave for Hopperhill."
She said with mild threat and then left.
We left after an hour she came into the room and drove a good hour until we reached the village of Ditchling where our house, Hopperhill, is located.
Cass adores this house. Just like me. It's still our favorite home in the world. And while we no longer live here, I'm glad Dad didn't sell this house.
Hopperhill is our farmhouse. Maybe it was out of sentiment that Dad chose to keep this place. He hires someone to look after the place. Mr. and Mrs. Dodger. They're an old couple who takes care of the place. Across the street is where Gran and Gramps live.
So, yes. More than the reason that I always want to visit Hopperhill aside from the sentiment of our old house, Gran and Gramps live across from us. And Cass and I love to be around them every opportunity we get.
Gran and Gramps have two dogs at home. Kicker and Snoopy. Kicker is a black spaniel while Snoopy is a beagle. And yeah, I was the one who named the beagle Snoopy after Snoopy the famous dog from Peanuts.
So the next full month and a half, dad, Cass and I stayed in Hopperhill. We helped Mr. and Mrs. Dodger in taking care of the chickens and the pigs and a few cows. And Cass and I took Babe and Piggy into the house and treated them like real pets bathing them every morning to keep them clean. We also brought them to Gran and Gramps' house.
We visited a fair and enjoyed cotton candies and watched a local circus. Of course, I didn't have to wear skirts even when Cass persuaded me but she did manage to persuade me to wear a rather baggy jumper where the shorts almost felt like skirts but I acceded so we didn't have to argue.
We also visited the next village while we were having fun.
Cass was driving the car while I sat beside her. We were singing along the road. It was a bright and sunny day. It usually is but when we were on the way home the weather changed. We were driving along the when the rain suddenly poured and the road became wet.
Everything was still okay until we were driving along Beacon Road and then a deer was standing ahead of us. It was stuck on the road. We saw that it was injured on its left hind leg.
Then Cass had to swerve to the right side of the road where a huge truck was driving in front of us and she had to steer back to the left with accelerated speed. I don't know if it was bad luck then after the deer appeared on the road because the break of the car just suddenly stopped working and before we knew it, another huge truck was driving towards us and it overtook a car so it was driving towards us, so Cass had to accelerate her speed, we were able to get past it but when she couldn't press the break she just decided to hit it on a tree and sadly the impact of doing it caused us a collision and the next thing I saw Cass had blood seeping on her head and I had to call 999 for an emergency.
She was brought to the hospital and since then hasn't regained consciousness.
Dad immediately came to the hospital and I never saw him neither so wan nor so pale until that fateful day. Cass was still unconscious until the third day, so Dad decided to transfer her to London where Aunt Astoria could monitor her progress.
He called her manager telling him about what happened and his manager agreed to never reveal the accident. The farce was agreed that Cass simply needed to extend her vacation because she had a busy year, so for the next three months that's what happened.
No one must know that she had an accident and worst of all that she remained unconscious from the world. But, when the third month was ending, Paul Daniels, her manager called again telling us that she must show for an appearance.
His reason was this. Cass just finished shooting for a film. And she was asked to return to the States to promote her movie. She had a full schedule for the next three months. Dad got angry because it would be impossible. But, Paul created an impossible concoction upon her accident that will appear that she was alright.
He knew of my existence. But the world doesn't.
And that's when my gray world tumbled after.