Aftermath

The alarm chimed softly on the cabinet beside the big white bed, the overhead lights slowly brightening to illuminate the room with a pale, ghostly grey luminescence
Cass let out a low groan and, stirring slowly, stretched her arms up over her head, her hands, in her sleepy daze, automatically moving to try pulling her now non-existent long hair, back and away from her face
The gently insistent chime sounded once again
“Off” Cass croaked, muzzily rolling over onto one side and propping herself up on an elbow to arrange a collection of Egyptian cotton pillows behind her, which she sank back into with a contented sigh

It had been a long time since she had been in a bed as nice as this, she reflected; back on the Dwarf, the dodgy life-support system and the all-pervasive chill of the place, meant that the beds were generally damp and cold until you got them warmed up, and it was hardly ever warm enough to sleep naked; so a clean, warm and dry bed like this was an entirely blissful rarity
Moving languidly between the sheets and enjoying the feeling of fresh, clean linen against her skin, Cass tried to recall the last time she had been anywhere this self-indulgently luxuriant; maybe that time when they had been on Legion’s space station?
When her and Jay had...
Her eyes flicked across at the empty expanse next her, the corners of her mouth twitching into a sad kind of grimace
Some company would be nice...
For a moment, she wondered how Jay was, and found herself idly wishing that he were with her, but she angrily pushed the thoughts away with a start – She had to stop thinking about him like that!
He didn’t want her, he didn’t care for her, and nor was he a part of her life any more – and that was something she had better get used to!

Sighing heavily, Cass sat up in bed, the duvet pooling around her hips before she pulled her legs up in front of her to lean forward on her knees
“Blinds” she grated; the jet black windows shifting their opacity down towards transparency to admit a view of the misty grey rain over Tokyo bay, the multi-coloured lights of the New Rainbow Bridge twinkling comfortingly in the distance, in the wet, early evening gloom
The view on a clear day was spectacular – Cass remembered the last time she had been here in the New Imperial Hotel with Yori; and while they’d only had money for cocktails in the Sky Bar that time, up until her having to skip town, she had been saving up for an extravagant night for the two of them in one of the suites for their anniversary
Her lip curled at the thought of another failed relationship
Not that she had ever even met Yori, of course – He was just another of the memories she shared with Brittany – Not really her
Jay had been her first...
Abruptly slipping her legs out over the side of the bed, she pushed herself up onto her feet and padded across the room towards the bathroom, the deep pile of the carpet, squidging between her toes
After the weeks she had spent focussed solely on obtaining a cure for Jay, now she finally had a little time to herself, she found she was wholly unprepared, both mentally and emotionally, for the aftermath
One thing she did know, was that given her propensity for dwelling on things, she really didn’t need to be thinking about Jay, or the home she had left behind and the friends she had lost just, or what had been done to her
Whether she liked it or not, she had a new life now; and while it was going to be lonely and a hell of a lot more difficult for her just to be her, and not Brittany, for now she had to accept her lot and just get on with it
Catching sight of herself in the mirrored wall of one of the wardrobe doors as she stalked past, Cass scowled unhappily at her naked reflection and uncomfortably folded and refolded her arms in front of her as she surveyed herself: Whip thin, with jutting hip bones and hollow-looking cheeks – She hadn’t been eating properly or looking after herself while Jay had been ill, and boy did it show
“Bollocks” she muttered, shaking her head and, unwilling to confront herself in the mirror any longer, turned on her heel to continue towards the bathroom
She looked, very nearly, as shit as she felt
Still, she shook herself as she activated the shower and dialled the temperature up, she did not need to be dwelling on things; Brittany was meeting her in the Sky Bar in an hour, so for better or for worse, she needed to get ready for a night out
She and Jade never did get that night out they had repeatedly threatened
Wondering how her... friend (damn it!) was doing, Cass busied herself for a moment or two, organising a few things for the shower, as well as moisturisers, a razor and some shaving cream, before she finally stepped into the steaming water

She lasted about three minutes before she slowly curled down into the bottom of shower basin, her tears sluiced from her cheeks by the falling water