Cassidy Mitchell-Love in decaying hearts

*This origin story is underneath my folder titled “Love in decaying hearts.” Gacha Club character designs are under my forum titled “My character designs<33”. Enjoy!*

Once, in the 1800s, there was a young woman who lived in a pretty little cottage entwined in blooming vibrant flower vines named Cassidy Mitchell.

Cassidy lived in a town just as lovely as her house called “Apple Blossom Lane”, named after the apple blossom trees that grew abundantly throughout the town. People either moved there for the flowers or they were like Cassidy, people who lived there their whole lives and could not bear to move anywhere else in the world, for that little town was paradise to them.

She felt magical not only with living amongst the flowers in Apple Blossom Lane, but from her own blood as well. Magic was in the blood of her parents and the blood of her ancestors, for they were all witches and had taken care to hide that ability. From spells to potions, Cassidy knew a lot when it came to magic.

But Apple Blossom Lane wasn’t all cheery bright flowers and the solitude of her own home. Right in Cassidy’s backyard was the woods that was covered in an odd blue mist, the woods she didn’t dare step foot into, the woods she believed to be cursed and right next door in a mansion, there was a family of three.

Callista and Demetrius Williams lived next door with their six year old son, Azrail Williams. Cassidy wouldn’t have minded them as her neighbors if it weren’t for the fact that Azrail loved to talk to the ravens and claimed to see ghosts at the local cemetery. The whole town was afraid and angry at him because of it, his parents loved him despite it, but Cassidy…

Cassidy was just irritated. Immensely so. Why did a little boy who knew absolutely nothing about magic parade with the darker aspects of life as though he had some kind of special understanding? Sure, he was just a little boy, but being with the ravens and seeing ghosts was something that only she and others like her were allowed to do, because she came from magic, she knew magic and she would have a better bond with the darkness than Azrail could ever imagine.

So while the whole town was vocal about their distaste with Azrail, Cassidy was quiet. She silently loathed Azrail for his foolishness and the parents for not correcting his foolishness, all the while trying to think of a plan to fix his attitude.

Killing him wouldn’t be enough, he had to suffer much, much more and much deeper than murder. Something darker than the ravens and crows he loved so much…

But what? What would she do to teach that little rat?

A curse sounded nice, but what kind of curse? It had to be special, it had to be perfect, something that could not be cured.

Whatever would she do?

…………………………………………………………

It was late into the night when it happened. Cassidy was awakened from a dreamless sleep by the smell of smoke circling the air.

Her eyes opened, stung by the curling black steam clouds wafting in through her open window. She opened in the night to let the cool air in, not minding that anybody could come in, for as a witch, she had nothing to fear.

But even as a witch, she still felt a sense of shock within her at the fire coming from next door, at the shouts she heard…shouts? Shouts? What was going on?

After Cassidy finished rubbing her eyes, she peeked out her window to take a look at the chaos outside.

Her eyes widened, her jaw dropped, for right outside her door, the town was screaming and shouting obscenities at the Williams manor, throwing flaming torches at the estate all the while waving pitchforks. She knew that the town didn’t like Azrail, but goodness, she didn’t think that the people who liked living there for the apple blossoms would be violent enough to kill the Williams family.

No matter. At least she was smart enough to hide her witch powers from them. At least she wasn’t the one burning in flames. Maybe she wouldn’t have to curse Azrail. Maybe she wouldn’t have to worry about him an-

Was that him? Running away from the mansion? How…how did he survive long enough to escape? How did nobody notice him? Were they too caught up in their violence to notice that their desired target was slipping from their fingers?

Cassidy gritted her teeth. She woke up from her lovely dreamless sleep all because the townspeople didn’t know how to properly finish things.

Well, she’d teach Azrail a lesson. She’d think of the perfect curse to use on him.

She just had to get up.

…………………………………………………………

Cassidy stormed towards Azrail as the townspeople were too enraged to notice her, her head swimming with different curses to use on him. She could curse him to not be able to have children, give him an additional head or…

She could make him a vampire. A creature of the shadows who would have to feed off the blood of living creatures to survive, who would age until he turned sixteen. Then, he would be frozen in time, tormented by his past. He’d be a product of darkness, just like all that he loved.

Cassidy’s lips curled into a smile. With that plan, Azrail would never bother to try and converse with the odd ever again. He’d be ashamed of himself and might even run off to that wretched woods like the frightened person he was, deep down beneath his supposed “connection” with the morbid and macabre forces.

It was quite the walk, but she had made it to Azrail, who sat slumped on the ground, exhausted and terrified. She stood right behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder, offering words of consolation to his shaken soul.

The words came out of her in rambles, they meant nothing to her, but he swallowed back his tears and smiled, taking a hold of her extended hand.

Anybody would follow anybody when they’re beaten down.

…………………………………………………………

After the walk back to her house, Cassidy took him to the kitchen and placed Azrail on her countertop, telling him that she was going to make him drink something special, something that would never let him feel pain again. She had told him earlier on that she was a witch and that she only wanted to help him. Azrail nodded, wiping at his teary eyes, prepared to do whatever she asked.

Cassidy would almost feel bad for him if it weren’t for the fact that he was living in a way only enlightened people like her were allowed to live in. The thought of him deserving the curse for doing the wrong thing propelled her to keep searching the cabinets for the right potion, the thing that would do just the trick…

Her parents had made all sorts of concoctions, taught her all kinds of spells, but there was too much for her to remember every single one…she had to rummage through the shelves, push aside potions and flowers…there! With violet liquid so dark that it looked black if one didn’t look hard enough, a paper label was glued onto the bottle titled Vampiric Elixir. Her parents made a habit of labeling all the potions and so, Cassidy was ever so grateful for that.

When she grabbed the bottle, she made sure to cover every bit of it with her hand, so that Azrail wouldn’t have time to read the label. She wasn’t sure if that was something he would do, but she didn’t want to risk it.

Cassidy then walked up to Azrail on the counter and advised that he drink the whole bottle, that he leave no drop of liquid inside. He must have been greatly horror-stricken or perhaps taught to trust whoever helped him, because he drank the entirety of the bottle without any questions, without any protest.

Azrail placed the empty bottle next to him on the counter and looked up at Cassidy with wide brown eyes that would have melted the hearts of his parents, but not her. She wasn’t smooth-brained like the Williams family, she knew more secrets of the world than they did, she was better equipped for the darkness than them.

And when Azrail finally held his chest in pain, his eyes wide with shock, tears threatening to spill out again, she cried out:

“You don’t deserve to talk to the ravens and the crows. You’re not magical like me. You’re not special like me. You’re just a little boy. You’re going to live as a vampire, just as you deserve. You’re going to grow up until you’re sixteen. Nobody will ever love you. You’re going to be lost forever. Go! Go! GO!”

Cassidy pointed towards the door, her body shaking with lividity. Azrail jumped off the counter and ran, shocked by her reaction, trying to grasp what was happening to him.

Perhaps he’d hide in the misty blue woods that was rumored to be cursed. He’d finally know what it would really be like to live in the shadows and then, he’d see how horrible he was for doing what he did in the first place! He’d never survive long enough to be sixteen, he was weak, just like everyone else!

As Cassidy watched Azrail run to the woods from her window, she smiled wider than she did before. She’d still have the rest of the town to worry about, but she hid her witch abilities well. She wouldn’t have to worry about them finding out the truth.

At least the bothersome Williams were gone forever.