Cassandra has been Mari’s best friend for as long as either of them can remember, they were neighbours growing up so they always spent a lot of time together.

She was a very active girl who loved sports and any other activity where she could move around, to the point that Mari struggled to keep up at times, but Cassandra would always look out for her and make sure she was okay.

This continued into her school life, where she joined several sporting teams, and was even captain of the school’s volleyball team for a short time. She was also involved in several student groups, helping to keep things running smoothly around the school.

Her reliability and positive attitude, as well as all the work she was doing for the community, led to her being beloved and respected by her peers. It wasn’t uncommon for all kinds of students to confess to her, but she’d always say she was too busy for that kind of thing.

This stands in contrast to Mari’s school life, who mostly kept to herself and just focused on making sure she was passing her classes, alongside a club or two that she wasn’t invested in enough to go to regularly.

Cassandra’s packed schedule meant that the two couldn’t hang out as often as they used to, but when she did get some time away from the various teams and cliques she was involved in, she’d make sure to spend it with her bestie.

While their academic lives had slowly drifted apart over the years, they still bonded over the games and tv shows they’ve always enjoyed together. Most of Cassandra’s friends weren’t very interested in this stuff, and Mari didn’t have many other friends to begin with, so they both cherished these moments.

Cassandra was thriving, but her life took a dramatic turn not long after her 17th birthday, when she was struck with a serious case of influenza. She was in the hospital for almost a month, and it was tough not being able to have visitors, but she stayed strong thanks to all the get well soon cards and gifts she was receiving from her fellow students. The gift she appreciated most of all was Mari’s, who had dug into their savings to buy an expensive figure of her favourite character from one of the shows they both watch, a brave knight who has sworn to fight for the ones she loves.

She was excited to finally get out of hospital and make up for all the time she lost, but she found that she was having difficulties doing some of the things she enjoyed so much before. She couldn’t push herself as hard or for as long when it came to physical activity, and sometimes even just getting through the school day would prove to be difficult.

This worried Cassandra, but she kept a bright outlook, and assumed it was just that she was still recovering, expecting to be back to her old self before too long. Her confidence started wavering after a few weeks however, as it seemed to be getting worse over time, and she was having even more trouble keeping up with everything.

She sought medical advice to try and figure out what’s going on, and the verdict that came back is that she’d developed chronic fatigue as a side effect of the influenza.

Cassandra didn’t take this news well, learning you have a chronic condition would be hard for anyone, let alone one that impacts almost everything you enjoy doing. She talked to a lot of doctors to see if anyone could help, but most of them couldn’t even promise that it wouldn’t get worse, so the possibility of going back to normal seemed less likely with each passing day.

Her life slowly crumbled apart as her condition continued to deteriorate, chipping away at her sunny demeanour day by day. She used to exercise or play sports every day, but before long it became every other day, then only during the weeks she felt okay. Eventually the good days were so far apart from each other that she didn’t even feel like it was worth the effort.

One by one, she started stepping down from the various teams and groups she was taking part in, hoping that the reduced load would be enough to keep her from crashing the next day. When there were no more groups to leave she realised that even just getting to school was proving too much for her at this point.

Her high standing had meant that she was able to work out a system where she could complete her last few subjects from home, at her own pace, and eventually earn a diploma, but by that point she didn’t think it’d do her any good. Her dream of playing sports professionally was long gone, and her condition had worsened so much that she wasn’t even sure if she’d even be able to work anymore.

Cassandra felt like a shadow of her former self, but one of the things that hurt the most was how quickly all the support she was receiving from her peers started to vanish as it became clear that she wasn’t going to get better. The get well soon cards became less and less common, and aside from Mari, she barely had anyone visiting or even just sending a text message to check in on her. By the end of the school year it felt like they had forgotten she ever existed at all.

The school sent her an invitation to her year’s graduation, but even if she was capable of going on the day, she was too bitter about how everyone gave up on her to even think about showing her face. Mari didn’t have any desire to go on her own, so the two of them spent that night together, eating ice cream and trying to forget about their troubles.

About 5 years have passed since then, Cassandra’s condition eventually stabilised but not before impacting her life even further. These days, a good day means she’s able to get out of bed to sit on the couch or be wheeled around in a wheelchair for a few hours, but even that takes a lot out of her.

The last time she travelled more than a few blocks from her house was when she visited Mari in the hospital when she was seriously ill and her lungs were starting to fail, and that was only possible because it could have been the last time they saw each other.

It’s been incredibly hard on her. There are only a few things left in her life that can bring her any semblance of joy, and she’s still grieving the bright future that was cruelly taken away from her.

Cassandra’s father answers the door, and welcomes Mari in, who is hoping that today will be one of Cassandra’s good days.