Kimberly and Nick walked down the road. Everytime that Nick would move away from Kimberly, she would move back closer to him. "Kim, what do you want from me?"
"Nick, I only want you."
Nick was disgusted. This psycho-bitch would not let him go or accept the fact that he didn't want her. But in the back of his mind, he knew that A.J. was right about Kimberly knowing something about Cassandra's whereabouts. He decided that he should just play into Kimberly, like A.J. said, and try to get some information.
Cassandra rolled her head to the left when she heard voices. She groaned through the cloth in her mouth but figured that it wouldn't do her any good because they wouldn't be able to hear someone that was dead. She couldn't understand what they were saying until they got closer and she realized that it was Kimberly and she was talking to Nick. She strained her ears and could just barely make out their words.
"Nick, I still love you. Truthfully, do you ever think that you could learn to love me?"
Nick bit the inside of his mouth and nodded his head. "Y-Yes, I think that I c...could."
"Oh, Nicky!" she screeched. "Can I call you Nicky now?"
"I suppose so."
Cassandra cringed as she heard this. It can't be true, she thought. She started to scream and kick. When she did, a large board began to fall from above her. A sharp nail stuck out of the board as it fell through her. Even though it passed right through her legs, it hurt like nothing she had ever felt before. Her lower legs were left with a terrible burning and stinging sensation and an acute pain where the nail had passed through.
Isabella and A.J. were walking up from the living room, when Isabella collapsed to the ground. "Isabella?" A.J. asked. "What? What is it?"
"Oh my God! My legs! They...oh my God! They're burning!"
"What?" A.J. dropped to the ground next to her. "Oh, ow, I feel something, too."
"No! Nothing like this! Oh, fuck, it kills!"
"It must be Cassie."
"Jeez, if it is, she is in so much trouble, and so much of pain."
Cassandra stopped moving and a tear fell from her face, not only at the pain of the nail and the board but what she heard from Nick. I'm never going to get out of here. Maybe Kim has won. What happened? How did I get here? Cassandra closed her eyes, as the voices faded, and thought hard about yesterday. All of a sudden, the memories came flooding back to her.
**Flashback**
Cassandra walked into the kitchen and saw Kimberly pouring drinks. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm waiting for Nick," Kimberly replied.
"Oh no you're not."
"Actually, I am. Chill out girl. Here, have a drink."
Cassandra eyed her and took a glass of soda.
"Sit with me." They sat down at the table. "I really want to be your friend."
"Sure," Cassandra said, "whatever."
"Admit it. You want to be my friend, too."
"Only if you were a little nicer. I know that you're in love with my husband and that you want him badly, and we can only be friends when you get off of it. He is mine. Accept it. You had, how many chances to get him? That was your chance. Your many chances and now even in death, he's still...um...he's mine." Cassandra shook her head.
"It something wrong Cassandra?"
"Um, n-no, it's just I, uh-" Suddenly, the room started to spin and things were getting darker. I can't be dying again, she thought. She felt herself slide out of the chair and hit the ground. She looked up and just before things went black, she felt Kimberly smack her hard across her face.
Cassandra moved the side of her face. Yeah, she thought, that's where she hit me. Well, now what? I remember what happened. That superficial bitch drugged me. What am I going to do about it? I guess all I can do is pray that my knight really lives up to what he says and comes to save his queen.
Kimberly and Nick continued to walk down the street. They weren't talking about anything. She quickly moved closer to him and grabbed his hand and entwined her fingers with his. Nick was disgusted. He wanted his wife back and the only way he could find out where she was, was to play this stupid sharade. He didn't know exactly how he was going to go about getting this information, though. He couldn't believe that any of this was happening. "Nick?" she said.
"Hmm?" he said, not looking towards her.
"I love you."
Nick grimaced but didn't look back at her. "Hmm," was all he said.
"Nick? Aren't you going to say it back?"
"Are you expecting me to?"
"Actually I am."
"Well..." Nick let his sentence trail.
Her grip tightened on his hand. "I bet that you wouldn't hesitate to say it back to Cassandra."
Nick's heart leapt when he heard her speak Cassandra's name. She was right. He wouldn't have hesitated and when he found her, he wouldn't hesitate to say it over and over again. He figured that, for now, he would have to play into her game. He took a deep breath. "I-I, uh, love you, too."
Kimberly stopped and turned to him. "You do?"
"Yes, I do, Ca...Kimberly."
"Oh Nick!" she screeched and jumped up and hugged him. "Do you know how long I've waited to hear you say that? I've wanted you since the day we became best friends. I don't know why you never realized it before."
"I don't know why either. I'm just slow, I guess."
She laughed and took his hand. "Let's head back to the house."
Nick nodded in agreement and Kimberly grabbed his hand and they headed back towards the house.
Cassandra laid there in the darkness, not daring to move in case another board should fall. Nick entered her mind and tears welled up in her eyes. She needed him now more than ever. Of course, she had said that many times before, but this time she meant it. She needed him. Another tear fell down her face. As she looked around the basement, at the destruction of the fire, she felt her sanity begin to slip. Her thoughts were spuratic and choppy and her mind felt cluttered. She knew that if she stayed in this hell hole an hour more, she would go completely and utterly insane. She knew that Kimberly knew she would go insane, and that was exactly what she was doing.
Emalia and Kevin had moved into the girls' living room later on that night. They had no idea what had been going on at the other house and Mercedes and Brian were still up at the other house. They had no idea where Coreene was and they assumed that Nicole and Jonathan were together at his house. "So," Emalia said.
"Yeah, so," Kevin replied.
"We're boring."
"Yes we are. What do you suggest we do?"
"I dunno, how about...set a date for our wedding?"
Kevin looked over at her and laughed. "That's a funny one, Emalia."
"What's so funny?"
"Emalia, we've barely scratched the surface of our problems. And you just confessed something major to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that you said something just don't joke around like that."
"I'm sorry, Honey. I was just trying to be funny." She leaned her head down on his shoulder to hide her face that would show that she wasn't joking around and the hurt that she was feeling at what he had said. "I wonder who's going to be next?"
"What are you talking about?" Kevin said.
"I mean, everyone is basically, dead. I wonder who is going to be next. It could be you or me."
"Don't you dare talk like that!" Kevin shook her head off of his shoulder and made her look at him. "Stop that. What would make you say such a thing?"
"I don't know. I guess that I just...I don't know."
"Emalia, Sweetie, don't worry about it." He turned her face so her eyes met his. "I'd never let anything happen to you. As long as you stay true to me, and I to you, nothing can come between us. I mean, yes Cassandra just died, and fucking I can't believe it. But I am sure, deep down in my heart, that she is with Nick right now as we speak, acting like they usually did, with Isabella and A.J. We will be together forever just like them."
"Kevin, that's sweet but-"
"Don't say it. Just take what I said as what I mean. Because I do mean it. I love you, Emalia. I always will love you."
"Kevin, I feel the same way about you. I truly believe that we will be together for the rest of eternity. It's just the way it's meant to be."
"You got it. You're stuck with me for a long time!"
"Damn," Emalia said and rolled her eyes. He laughed and leaned over to kiss her passionately. A kiss that told her that he meant every word that he had said and that it was exactly what she wanted.
Kimberly and Nick walked through the door, hand in hand, and found Isabella and A.J. still talking at the table. When they walked in, Isabella and A.J. immediately stopped talking. Isabella had her legs propped up on a chair and the pain was just now subsiding.
"Hey guys," A.J. said.
"Hey," Kimberly said. "Any word from Cassandra yet?"
"No. I don't suppose you heard anything?"
"No, but I'm sure that wherever she is, she must be tortured by her memories." She sighed and tugged on Nick's arm. "I'm going to get something to drink. You want something?"
"No."
Kimberly smiled at him, kissed his cheek and then walked off.
"We have to find Cassie!" Isabella yelled as they sat at the kitchen table. She had her legs propped up on a chair and the pain was just now subsiding. "Where is she?"
Nick sat down next to A.J. "She can't be too far away. Wait, I got it. Kim had said something about wherever Cass is she must be tortured by her memories."
"So? She was just babbling," Isabella said.
"No she wasn't. Damn it, I think I know where she is."
"Where?"
Nick grabbed her hand. "Come on. I know what Kim is planning. Please. Come on guys. We don't have much time."