Dead

Cass let out a huff as she placed a heavy box labeled 'art stuff' with a group of others like it. As she glanced around the furnished basement, she brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. This room was going to be perfect for her studio, this thought alone cracked a smile on her face. Finding this apartment was a steal, there wasn't anywhere else you could find a two bedroom apartment with a furnished basement at this price. It made her wonder why the landlord had put the rent down so low, perhaps there was a murder here. That thought sent shivers up her spine and she shook the idea from her head. He most likely just need a tenant so he could get some income.

"Cass, a little help up here." Marshall shouted down to her, strain obvious in his voice.

"Yeah, coming." She said climbing back up the basement stairs to find Marshall struggling with an old vintage grandfather clock she had found at a yard sale. "Hey! Careful with that." She scolded him and caught hold of the top before it could collide with the door frame.

"This thing is a lot heavier than it looks." He breathed out as they placed it at the end of the short hallway.

Cass grinned, placing her hands on her hips. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Marshall raised a brow and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess." He wasn't really one for the vintage look. Cassandra rolled her eyes playfully at her friend. They weren't likely friends but something about the blond haired boy had won her over.

Carson, Cassandra's younger brother, came stumbling into the house carrying two boxes at a time, his face completely invisible behind the brown cardboard. He was eager to get this over with, he wanted to get back home and play video games. Marshall rushed over to him and lifted one of the boxes setting in down and Carson did the same.

"That's the last of it." Carson announced, brushing his hands off on his jeans.

Cass joined them in the living room, "Thanks for the help guys."

"Anytime." Marshall assured her and Car just gave her a shrug, he had been forced to help by their parents. "But we should get the moving truck back before it gets too late."

"Yeah, you guys do that." Cass gave them a nod, she wasn't really one for hugs, thanking them again as they left out the front door. She waved as the moving truck pulled away from the curb and sped off down the street.

The sun was beginning to set, casting pinks and oranges across the sky, a cool breeze blew in from the east. Cass took a deep breath of fresh air as she looked around the neighborhood. It wasn't the most posh in Jersey, perhaps it might have even been called slums but it most certainly wasn't the worst she had seen. It didn't matter to her though, it was in close proximity to her school and work and that's all that mattered. She closed the door with a sigh, locking it for good measure, it was always better to be safe than sorry.

She looked around the apartment full of boxes, it's contents just waiting to be given a specific home. There was so much to do! She decided a warm cup of tea would be a good start as any. Rummaging through a box that was labeled kitchen she found the tea kettle and filled it with water, setting it on the stove to boil. As she waited for her tea she headed down to the basement, flicking on the florescent over head light as she went.

Cass was excited to finally have her own place, mainly for the fact that now she had a nice quiet place to work. She yanked a hair elastic from her wrist and tossed up her hair into a messy bun before she began opening boxes. She already had an idea of how she wanted her studio to be set up and with that she set to work.

It wasn't long before her drawing desk was all set up, all of her sketch pads placed neatly in the drawer. While the one she had been using most recently was placed on top of the desk, along with all her supplies. Once it was all arranged exactly how she liked it she stepped back, a small grin on her face.

Next she moved on to her painting things. As she opened a box full of various kinds of paints a shiver ran up her spine and her hairs stood on end. It suddenly felt as if someone was watching her. She raised a brow and stood looking towards the stairs, a frown placed on her lips. If she didn't know any better she would have thought someone was standing at the bottom of the stairs. She gazed at the spot for a moment before she chuckled softly to herself. Shaking her head she tried to ignore the feeling. "Alone for an hour and I'm already paranoid." She muttered to herself, turning back to the box.

As she sorted though her paints, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched and a chill ran through her. Quickly she turned around, looking around the room, her brown eyes falling on the darkest corner of the basement. For the first time she noticed a closet in the corner, her brows knitted together in confusion. She didn't remember seeing it there earlier, or even when the landlord gave her a tour.

She chewed at her lip a moment before slowly making her way towards the door. Her heart rate seemed to increase with each step she took. It didn't make any sense to her why she was so on edge. When Cass reached the door she placed a hand on the handle, nearly jumping out of her skin as the tea kettle began screaming from upstairs. She placed a hand against her chest, her heart hammering behind her sternum, and took a deep breath. She glanced at the door once last time before she retreated upstairs, hurriedly turning off the stove.

A cup of tea should calm my nerves. She thought to herself as she prepared a cup of green tea. Blowing on the hot liquid before she sipped it, Cass took a seat on the old sofa she had bought at a second hand store a few days ago. She curled her feet under herself and turned on the tv, finding an old episode of The Munsters. Content she drank her tea and watched television for a while, before long she had fallen asleep to the drone of voices, completely forgetting about the incident in the basement.