Cassie White: Pilot

 The thing about teen sleuths is that they always have a way to everything.

Veronica Mars and her wits.

Nancy Drew and her brain.

But it all comes down to one thing:

If you solve the mystery or not.

Hi. Cassandra White. You can call me Cassie. I know, It sounds like Carrie White, and jokes have been pulled before, but I'm just another teenager with a knack for adventure. Or something like that.

Right now, I'm inside a walk in fridge trying not to freeze myself.

To understand this situation, I'll bring you back to about 72 hours ago.

Three days ago I was just another normal teenage girl. Surviving high school, staying out of the powerful people's hairs, yada yada yada. The works.

But when your little brother starts to go missing for no apparent reason, you start to worry. The police is too stupid to see between filters.

"Teenagers. Probably just their raging hormones kicking in. Just wait it out for a week. He'll come running back." says officer Trent.

My family is middle class.My father works for a medium sized company. My mother owns her own cafe. Yup. Just another regular family.

But regular people don't exactly reel in attention from the cops. Maybe I could, but I was too overconfident of my beauty to ask for help.

"Look, Cassie. The police just don't buy it. Your little brother, Darrel, has gone out without returning for a while before. Wouldn't you say you're used to it too by now?"

"Not without saying so!" I say to him.

He sighs and faces his computer.

"Look, I'll see what I can find. You go run off and...Cheer for something."

He's assuming every teenage girl with blonde hair is a cheerleader? Thanks for the consideration. Besides I doubt he'd see what he can do. The way I see it, he's just gawking at another prostitute on the internet, not checking where my little brother could be.

Terra. A small, quaint town. It has it's shares of dark mysteries like any other town. You can count on disappearances on the list. When a teenage boy wants to make a point and runs away from home, he'd be sure to call in on people they care about other than their parents.
If he were to call me, I'd hide it from my parents in a heartbeat cause while we both have had our share of fights, we always stick together.
But leaving without a trace? No, no, no. Darrel leaves notes all the time before he'd disappear into whatever abyss he decides to hole himself in. Literally. There's a sticky note in our fridge every time he leaves. He's the sticky note guy.
Weirdo.

Mom and Dad are still in a frantic search for my little brother and decided to check other towns. I'm on my own for this week.
Despite looks of a preppy teenager, I've learned to cook in a melancholic state of mind. Just take some things out of the fridge, cut em up, mix things and throw them into a pan or fire and wait until the color is satisfactorily cooked like.
I'm usually successful, but the pasta I tried to make today turned into cat food when I left it for like 8 minutes too long.
"Patch!" My adorable, little kitten walks in. That tiny bell I put in him is really cute. I named him after Patch from Hush, Hush cause he's black and white.

At least someone's eating dinner tonight. I blew a sigh and checked the fridge for something I'll try NOT to burn.
Nope, nothing. I shut the fridge. Then, before I decided to drive to a restaurant, a flyer on the fridge catches my attention.
"Steam Pack. Delivers like there's no tomorrow." Oh right, Darrel works there. Maybe I'll call in for some Fast Food and... Darrel works there.

555-0936
"You've reached Steam Pack, How can I help you?" Terrence Walden. The takeout guy. Darrel's friend.
"Terrence?"
"Cassie" A small crash on the background. "W-What can I do for you?"
It didn't really take too much for me to find out that he has a crush on me. Unlike the makeup barraged girls in school, I wasn't dense.
"Hey...Um. My little brother's missing. Do you know where he is?"
"Darrel? Sorry, no. He didn't come in for his shift yesterday. Have you called the police?"
"Unfortunately, they think he's just out, rebelling or partying somewhere out of town."
"Sorry. Hey, but I did see him the day before yesterday. He was at work with me. I went to deliver some food and when I got back, the boss told me he already left his shift."
Hmmm. So the last place anyone saw him was at Steam Pack. The restaurant's not exactly a 5 star delight, but it passes for food.
"Ok, thanks. Oh, and about Delivering like there's no tomorrow..."

The door rang 10 minutes after I placed an order. I guess they really meant it when they say 'Delivers like there's no tomorrow'. That, or my house is just 2 blocks away from the restaurant.
Jason Cole stands in front of my door. He's in my class.

"Jason. I'm surprised to see you here." Delivering food that is. The way he talked and dressed at school, you'd think he patronizes every fast food worker. What are the odds.

"A teenager working a job after school is a surprise? It's a small world Cassie." He places the delivery bag at the table.
"One order of Le Fried Chicken with some fries and a Strawberry Smoothie. How are you not worried about your weight?"
"Fast metabolism? Walking to school sometimes? I'm apparently a cheerleader too says Officer Trent."
Jason gives a quiet laugh and takes out a receipt.
"Well Ms. Preppy, That'll be Twenty Six dollars."
"Do you have change for a Fifty?" 

Before Jason could take 5 steps back to his motorcycle, I was barely tripping on my heels running after him.
"Wait. Wait. I have to talk to you." I was catching my breath. "Have... Have you seen my brother? He's missing." He frowns.
"Oh right, you're Darrel's sister." Hostile much?
"The day before yesterday. He left his shift early. I was stuck with an extra hour cause of him." The same as Terrence with a more unhappy reception.
"Did he... Talk about anything that may tell you why he was missing?"
"Well... The kid was talking to this girl, Alison Monlee I think. He was talking about seeing something big. Nothing more."
Alison Monlee. Very famous in our school. She publicly exploited her ex's infidelity and assaulted her ex's skank the very same day, same time. She's going out with a guy I only know as Josh. She was the talk of the school for like 2 weeks, but everyone got over that.

Looks like I'm going on an interrogation tomorrow.

Terra High. A school like any other. Big, concentrated, and the epicentre of teenage hell. Lets not forget the people here. And again, like any school, our students in our very fine school are divided by status, class, and occupation.
Luckily, I’m part of the pay no attention class. I can sleep steady without any of the bitchy teenagers trying to ruin me or the dumb jocks making my life hell.

I’ve made no enemies in my stay here. Or so I hope.

Alison Monlee, a junior like me. I wonder why she was talking to my brother, a freshmen? Maybe it’s cause Darrel was friends with her younger sister, Jenna. She was making an effort to be glued to her boyfriend, Josh.
“Um, sorry to interrupt your little 7 minutes in heaven, but can I talk to you Alison?”

She pulls away from Josh, smiling. They both seem to be in true love. I envy them.

“What’s up?” she asks.
“Um... It’s my little brother. Darrel.” her face contorts to worry.
“Playing god.” She whispers.
“Excuse me? Playing God? What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask

“T-The song. By Paramore.” She tries to remove her face of worry. It doesn’t work. She faces Josh, who starts to look worried too. He nods and walks away.
“Is he missing?” How did she know? Is she the prime suspect of his disappearance?

...Next time you point a finger

...I might have to bend it back or break it, break it off.

Oh, that song. The one with a music video. Huh. Wonder why that popped up into my head?

“Alison, is there something you’re not telling me? I haven’t told you anything yet.”
“Well...” She pulls me into the bio lab. “Just 2 days ago, he told me something.”
“I’m listening.”
“Well, I was eating at Steam Pack, he approached me. He said it was his break. He asked me how Jenna was. Jenna worked with Darrel at Steam Pack, but she stopped going after school and confined herself at home. She wouldn’t talk to me about it. I told him the same thing Jenna told me to say, that she was sick.” She opens the door slowly and points to Jenna Monlee just across the hall.
“Does that look like someone who’s sick?” I shake my head.
“Anyways, Darrel told me he saw a small cellar door at work. He said he heard moaning and pounding just below. I’m willing to guess that there’s something not so good going on down there.” She pulls out her phone.
“If you find out something though, give me a call. And be careful.”
“I will.” I assure her, I will. But I’m starting to have doubts about Darrel. If there was something that the restaurant wasn’t to surface into the real world, I fear that someone had taken cared of Darrel. I have to move faster before something bad really happens to him.

I’m going to have to give Steam Pack a little visit after school.

“Cass!” I turned around. My practically a sister, Hannah Jones was running towards me.

“Did you find your brother?” If there’s one person who’d believe me with no hesitation, it’s Hannah.

“No. But I have some leads I could follow.”
“Cool! You can be Veronica Mars and I could be Mac!” she was enthusiastic about everything.
“Seriously Hannah? I don’t have a detective father or any sleuthing abilities and you aren’t exactly Ms. Computer Expert. So, you bumming a ride today?”
“You know me! Bumming rides since birth!” It was literal. Our parents were also friends and we had also shared strollers before.
“Oh, we’re stopping at Steam Pack. That’s our lead.”
“Exciting! Exploiting a restaurant are we?”

I parked my car just across the restaurant. Damn place never seems to run out of customers.
Or maybe cars. There weren’t as many people inside as there were as many cars outside. We took a window booth

“We’re going to have to order something or we’ll get kicked out.” I tell Hannah.
“You watch our things, I’ll go buy some food. We’re going to stick around to do our homework to kill time and investigate when the other customers have left. Do you want anything?” She hands me 20 dollars.
“Get me a strawberry smoothie.”

Jason stood in front of the cashier with a lazy smile.
“Cassie. Found your brother yet? I could really use a break from covering from him.”
“No. Sorry.” I take out some cash. “Anyways...”
I placed an order and he gave me a sarcastic smile, obviously holding back from commenting on how much I eat Fast Food.

8 minutes flew by and Terrence approached our table.
“Here’s the fries. Sorry it took long.”
“Thanks.” Then, I realised how Terrence could help us.
“Hey, um. Alison told me about a cellar here at Steam Pack. I can’t go in, but maybe you could check it out.”
“Alright. I’ll see what I can do.” He left and just an hour flew by, we were running out of homework to do. It was 6:00. There was barely anyone around.

“Where IS Terrence?” I said impatiently. Then, the boss approached us. This was Mr. Vanford. Darrel has said nice and bad things about him. He seemed a bit... bloated. Redish, puffy face. Slowly balding hair.
“Excuse me, we’re going to have to ask you to leave. There’s been a roach infestation and we have to close early.” Roach? I didn’t see one cockroach in this spotless place. The janitor was dead serious about his job. Our food even smelled nice.
“Um, before we leave, can we see Terrence?” I ask. “He’s got something of ours.”
The boss wipes his head with a handkerchief and says. “He left his shift.” Just as expected.
“That’s too bad.” I say. “We’re sorry for disturbing.” 
 I pulled Hannah out the door and made our way behind a car.
“Cass, What’s-“ I shushed her.
“Remember Gertrude Banks?” I ask.
“Yeah, she was really nice.” She tells me.
“And?” I ask her again and an oh forms in her mouth.
Gertrude Banks younger sister also worked at Steam Pack and went missing a month ago. And when police asked the boss of her whereabouts, the boss just said she left her shift early.
“Terrence’s car is still here. He never left the building. So did Darrel. Everyone who discovers the cellar allegedly left their shift early when in truth? They never really left. The problem is, how do we get back in? The boss shut the lights off and already closed the place.” Hannah smiled at me and dug into her bag. She pulled a ring of shiny keychains. No, keys. She handed me one labelled Back Door.
“I’m no Mac, but I’m certainly no amateur.” We quietly crept to the back door. I opened the door to the kitchen.
The kitchen was too clean for a roach infestation. Mr. Fatso was a really bad liar. Even I can make a better excuse than roach infestation.
I grabbed my phone and opened up the flashlight app. Darrel worked the kitchen so it must be around here. How big is this place? I mean, this is just a fast food place and I’m pretty sure kitchens aren’t supposed to have a bigger space than the dining hall itself.

“Cass! Over here.” Eureka. A small, intricate square enough for 5 people to climb down on just besides the pantry. I opened it slowly and could see eyes staring back at me. The workers.
“What are you doing in there?!” Crap. The cellar door falls back down.
“You pesky bitches don’t learn, do you?! I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t ever forget!” For a fat person, he runs fast. I trip him over with my heel and jump sideways. Before he could stand back up, I sprayed him with pepper spray that Darrel got me for Christmas.
“Hannah! Go get help! I’ll handle him!” She bolted out the door, frantically dialling on her phone. Before I could turn and run as well, Fatso got a hold of my foot and dropped me hard. Ouch! My phone skidded 3 feet away and the bottle of Pepper spray 8 feet. I started crawling for the phone, but the guy grabs me by my hair. I wasn’t repunzel so this hurt a lot.
“It’s meddling kids like you that could ruin my business. Well, you look like you could use some softening up.” He started unzipping his pants. Shit! He’s gonna rape me! I had to do something. As I tossed and turned my feet at him, it only made my hair feel more painful. Then I remembered something.
“You’re going to have a whirlwind of-“ He lets go of my hair as the zap ends. My father got me a stun gun to go with the pepper spray. I didn’t have enough time to caress my poor hair and run for a way out. The front doors were locked and the backdoor was way beyond my reach. 
Now we’re back to where I was. In the walk in fridge, trying not to freeze. God this is cold. I held up the stun gun.
“There you are.” I muffled a scream. He was approaching fast as I backed away. Nowhere left to run. I activated the stun gun in a futile attempt to scare him.
He slaps it out of my hand.
“Now...” Did rapists all look like psychotic maniacs? “...Lets do this right.” He begins to grab for my arms but falls unconscious. Jason stands in front of me holding a pipe.
“Cassie. Are you alright?” Like hell no! I almost got raped by a psychopath that kidnapped kids! I grabbed the stun gun from the floor and zapped him for a few minutes. Tears started flowing down my eyes and Jason pulls me in for a hug.

The cops arrived 10 minutes later with Hannah. They gave me a towel as I sat by the steps.
“Cassie?” Darrel was haggard with his clothes torn. The police found every missing teenager from the past 3 months. The cellar was a slave room where the boss put children who found double dead meat in it and forced them to work on cutting and pounding and whatever. I hugged my brother. Jenna found out and ran away in fear. She tried to warn Darrel with hints, but he didn’t get it. Officer Trent cuffs Mr. Vanford.
“Ulric Yishta, alias Yan Vanford, You are under arrest for kidnapping and aggravated assault. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be assigned to you.” He shuts him at the door and approaches us.
“Look. Sorry...for not believing you. I was just-” I stop him there.
“It’s ok. I’m sure my parents will be very happy to know he was found.” He walks away with a smile. Jason approaches me.
“So...Tough night, huh?”
“Tough is an understatement. How did you find me here?”
“I was working late. Traffic jam got me. When I got back, the kitchen was ransacked and I saw the boss coming into the fridge. I saw your phone and grabbed a pipe. That’s it.” I didn’t think the patronizing fast food worker could be so cool.
“Well, thanks.” He grins.
“I’ll be seeing you, then.” He stands up and leaves.
Was that a sign? Or was he just flirting? Hahaha... Well, that’s one dangerous day behind me. I could really use some rest.
“Hannah. Thanks for the help.” I hugged her and turned to Darrel. “Lets go home."
As we entered our car, a small envelope falls from door.
"The Choice is Yours to Make." What the hell is this? Before I could turn the ignition on, my phone rang.

"Hello?"
"Hello? Is this Cassie White?"
"Speaking."

"It's about your parents. They got into an accident." My phone dropped to the floor with the caller shouting hello at me. This can't be happening.

-I was inspired by Veronica Mars, but I felt Cassie fell a bit flat. Well, this is just the beginning. Cassie is sure to appear again here. Hope you enjoyed!
~Thanos Venge