The day had ended slowly, all the while he dreamed in classes. He was about to turn in for the night when he noticed his satchel felt oddly empty. He reached to touch it and his book was nowhere to be found.
He started panicking immediately. For one, the book didn't even belong to him, it was a family book in his father's library, so if anything happened his father would do more than just kill him.
Master Cato was aware that Cassian borrowed the book and read it most of the time but he was warned about it that day his father saw him taking it. He sat in his dorm on the floor with his head in his hands, as he was taken back to that memory…
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The little boy ran around in his room, pretending the table and the bed were mountains. He jumped on each one playfully, as his mother watched him with slight amusement.
She beckoned him to come to her and he walked towards her with a light skip on his feet. She presented him with a book and told him,
"Cassian, this is a storybook. Boys your age are allowed to play around but you know father is strict no? So please just use your time to read instead of playing ok?"
He looked at his mother sadly and nodded taking the storybook off of her hands. He didn't need to question her because he understood how his father was. His brothers were allowed to play but since he was a descendant, his father kept a strict leash on him. He was trained from early on. He learned to combat, agility, deduction, and much more from the ripe age of seven.
His mother left him in his sorrow. He opened the big, dusty book and began to read.
After that day his visits to the library were frequent. He now spent most of his days sitting in one spot in the library, reading books left and right.
One day his father visited the library, which surprised him since his father was busy most of the time. He was reading the history book at the time when his father walked through the doors.
He got up to greet him but was stopped. His father held his hand up to indicate it was ok. He walked towards him and said,
"What book have you there, Cassian?"
"It's a h-history book father…" he squeaked.
"Alright, may I see it?"
Cassian nodded and handed the book to his father.
Master Catos' expression changed when he saw the title of the book. He had a grim expression on his face as memories flashed through his eyes.
Suddenly the atmosphere started feeling tight and it was getting harder to breathe.
A red light danced its way towards Cassian's neck, where it enveloped him into a chokehold. He was lifted above the ground. His little neck was getting squeezed and he would stop breathing in a few moments. His father made his way toward him and spoke in a cold voice filled with malice
"Do not. Ever. Let this book get destroyed. Do you understand me?"
When Cassian didn't respond as he was being choked his father yelled,
"Do you understand me!"
He was dropped to the ground, his little voice was strained as he spoke,
"Y-yes s-sir…"
His father left after that. He touched his neck and felt a bruise forming around his neck. He lay on the cold, stone ground of the library. He closed his eyes and fell silent thinking about what had just happened.
_______________
He opened his blue eyes and sighed heavily, touching his neck where the bruise once had been.
The book was important because he didn't want to die but also he was personally attached to it.
Whenever he thought too much he would read the book, from front to back. He loved thinking that whenever he read that book he was not here but in the past. At least the past was better than the present he was experiencing…
He got up and walked to his closet. He then heard footsteps and laughter outside his door. He saw a note slipping into his room from the little space in the door.
The note fell onto his floor and the noises disappeared into the distance.
He walked up to the note and picked it up. He read it quickly and when he finished he was filled with rage. The paper crumpled in his hands as he made his way to the door and walked through. Ready to go right away.
The note had read that the bullies had somehow gotten their hands on his history book and if he wanted it back he had to come to the back of the academy at the peak of midnight.
It was now 9:00 pm and he was sitting on the concrete floor, resting his head against the big green garbage bin. He would wait until they came. Even if it took him all day. Even if they didn't show. He would get the book back. He shivered as his hands became as cold as ice.
He waited for a few hours, falling asleep in the process. He heard noises so he opened his eyes, only to see the disgusting face of his prime bully. He revolted at the sight of him.
He was ready. Now the only question was were they?