A Graduation Gift

Chapter 261 Past Memories (Part Two)

Whitney's words came as a tight slap to Edith who sat still for a few moments. She was suddenly at a loss for words. Quickly, she glanced at Cassandra. She secretly hoped that Cassandra hadn't paid attention to Whitney's words.

"I did what I thought was the best for them. I figured it would be good for them to be apart from each other for a while,"

Edith answered in a nonchalant tone. She prayed no further questions would be asked. Even though she tried to sound confident, there was a guilty expression on her face. Mentioning their past had indeed made her feel apprehensive.

"Edith, I need you to come in terms with the truth. You need to know you've made a mistake. And yes, I was wrong too. Years ago, we made a big mistake. Courtney and Cassandra have suffered because of our mistake. See, I don't want to bring the past back. All I need is an apology. This one apology may make Courtney feel better. That's all. Please stop acting like this is too much to ask."

By now, Whitney was sobbing miserably. She stared at Edith with her melancholic eyes. With the tip of her finger, she tried to stop the flow of her tears. Clearly, her daughter's illness was driving her insane.

"Mistake? What mistake are you talking about?"

Obviously, Edith didn't see this coming. Her mouth was agape in surprise as she eagerly waited for the response.

Whitney grabbed the diary that was lying on the desk. She keenly scanned through it and came to a halt when reached a certain page. She passed the diary to Edith, gesturing for her to read it herself.

"Just read it. It will give you an idea about what I am talking about. You will find out the mistake that was made years ago!"

As she spoke, there was a pained look on Whitney's face. Stifled cries were being let out by her. After handing over the diary to Edith, she promptly turned her face to a different direction. She avoided looking at that diary. Just the thought of her daughter's suffering made her whimper.

Edith suspiciously eyed the diary. After a while, she finally took it and began to read. Cassandra, who was sitting beside her, leaned forward and commenced reading with her mother.

"Today, mom beat me up pretty badly. She told me I was a bad kid. But I didn't do anything! It was Cloris who threw rocks at the bunny. Cassandra tried to save it, but Cloris wouldn't let her.

As soon as my mom and their mom came, Cloris began crying. They assumed Cassandra and I did it. Because of this, we were beaten badly. It hurts so much..."

Edith turned to another page.

"I wanted to go out and play with Cassandra, but mom didn't allow me. She told me I had to stay at home and think about the mistake I made. I can't stop thinking about my bunny. She was given to me by dad. I love her so much. She is white and cute. Thinking about her makes me cry..."

By now, the diary's impact was seen on Edith. Her hands began to shake involuntarily. She just couldn't believe what she was reading. Yet she mustered up courage and continued reading.

"Last night I dreamed about my cute bunny. In my dreams, her eyes were still red. But suddenly her whole body turned red. That was exactly how she looked while she was being beaten with rocks by Cloris..."

"Dad came back from his business trip. When he came to know that the bunny was gone, he was very angry. He warned me against being friends with Cassandra. But I don't want to be friends with Cloris. She likes to steal my things when I am not looking. I don't like her at all..."

"I hurt my hand today and it turned red. It looked like the bunny I saw last time. I am so scared and I can't even sleep..."

"I don't want white bunny anymore. What's the use? They are going to die anyway..."

"Today mom took me to Cassandra's house. But she wasn't there. Instead, I had to play with Cloris. She came and grabbed my hand. But I didn't want to play with her. Angrily, I threw her hand off me. Seeing this, my mom got angry and beat me up..."

"I told mom that the rabbit was killed by Cloris. But she didn't believe me. She called me a bad and lying kid. I want to be a good kid. I want to be a kid that mom loves..."

...

Cassandra and Edith had their eyes glued to this diary. They sat in silence for what felt like years. They were too stunned to speak. Words failed them.

Seeing their horrified look, Whitney decided to break the silence. "My Courtney has been smart ever since she was a little girl. Some kids didn't write at this age, but my girl was quick to learn. In fact, she was very passionate about it. At a very young age, I taught her to read books. Anyway, I don't think she made up these stories. I was aware she enjoyed writing, but she kept this diary hidden from me. Hence I was perplexed when I discovered it lying scattered among her toys. I am glad she did it because otherwise we would have never realized our mistake."

Edith's hands were shaking incessantly. As the words began to flow from Whitney's mouth, her quivering became more violent. She couldn't even firmly hold onto the diary. With a jolt, the diary dropped to the ground. Edith looked up and stared at Whitney with a complicated look on her face. Her eyes were unreadable. She opened her mouth like she was about to speak. But in the end, she just closed her mouth and stared at her own knees.

"Edith, now will you admit your mistake? We have both made mistakes. My mistake affected Courtney whereas yours affected Cassandra. We are both equally accountable for what happened to our daughters. We are the sole reason for the tragedy that is happening now!"

Whitney hollered in a high pitched voice. She was getting more and more agitated.

Meanwhile, Cassandra sat rooted on her seat. Everything around her was just a blur. Whitney's blares went unnoticed by her. Her mind replayed the diary entries written in Courtney's childish handwriting. Those words kept reverberating in her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't dispel it. All of a sudden, she felt dizzy and thought the ground beneath her was shaking.

Cassandra's heart ached from the new information she had digested. Her instinct told her something big was about to happen. Her lost memories were yelling and calling out for her.

Her thoughts were perturbed by a sudden screech. "Shut up! All of you need to stop this right now! It was just a bunny for God's sake. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. I killed the bunny, so what? I don't see what is the big deal about it. If anyone should be blamed then it would be Courtney. She is too petty to be holding a grudge for something that happened a lifetime ago. I didn't like the bunny so I killed it...It is as simple as that!" Cloris retorted back in her high-pitched voice. Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

Her voice was venomous and the look on her face was equally frightening. The conversation that was happening outraged her. In fact, she couldn't fathom why anyone would make it an issue. She believed Courtney was just too fragile. Otherwise nobody would have taken this petty issue to their heart.

Hearing her sister's words, Cassandra suddenly felt something break loose in her head. Some hidden memories of their childhood came gushing back. Feeling overwhelmed, she didn't know what to do. When it finally registered, she prayed it was her imagination. 'Oh no! This can't be true. My mind is playing tricks on me, ' she told herself, trying to redeem herself. But deep down she knew that wasn't the case.