Cassandra Pressman

Cassandra is the student body president student at West Ham High School. She has been admitted to attend Yale University after high school. Cassandra has a congenital heart defect and a pacemaker.

## Early Life

Cassandra's history of health problems means that she has considered her own mortality constantly. She has a congenital heart defect and a pacemaker.

Cassandra attended an admitted students weekend at Yale University in the month before the incident.

## Throughout The Series

### Series 1

#### Episode 1

Cassandra plays Guildenstern in the West Ham High School's version of Tom Stoppard's play Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead.

Cassandra sits behind Allie and Will on the bus. The school buses are waved off by loving parents and the kids chatter excitedly. The group fall asleep on the bus and wake up to hear that they are back home. Cassandra is among the first to think that it is unusual for the town to be deserted.

Cassandra keeps trying to connect with her family before gathering some of the teens to discuss their situation. Cassandra tries to rationalise what has happened and suggests that everyone should go home to wait until the morning. She offers her house as refuge for those who don't want to be alone.

The next morning, Cassandra offers to drive out to Greenwich to find help, but the boys drive out to find the roads are surrounded by trees. The teens discuss what could be happening and Harry snipes constantly at Cassandra. The group decide that Luke and Grizz, who has some survival knowledge, will lead a hunting party into the woods.

Cassandra attempts to break through the metal gates of the pharmacy section of the supermarket, but she is spotted by Gordie. He asks if she has a drug problem, but as Cassandra turns, it is clear that she is, in fact, unwell as her skin is sallow, she is sweating, and her lips are blue. Gordie notices these things and Cassandra admits that she has a congenital heart defect, which is proven by a large scar on her chest. Cassandra asks Gordie to take her home.

Once at home, Cassandra searches for the right pills and reveals that this trip meant she had to miss her usual check up. Cassandra also reveals that she has a pacemaker. Gordie pledges himself to take responsibility for Cassandra's medical needs while they are stuck there.

Still feeling unwell, Cassandra continues to call her mother's phone despite still getting no response. Allie arrives home from the supermarket and seems to have little sympathy for Cassandra feeling under the weather. After Cassandra tells Allie she can't find her medicine, Allie admits that it is in her bag and offers to get it. However, the sympathy doesn't last as Allie tells Cassandra that she must take control of the town. Allie tells her that she needs her to take care of her as her sister.

Later, Cassandra waits at The Church for the return of the expedition group with some other students. The teens speculate about what news the expedition group will bring. While the teens are together, Cassandra announces that they need to start making decisions much to the chagrin of some of the others, including Harry. She asks that the teens be more mindful of their limited resources, which many of the teens acquiesce to, apart from Harry. Cassandra challenges Harry on this and asks if she should flip a coin and use chance to decide if he is so reluctant to democracy. Cassandra continues flipping the coin and it lands on tails every time which is disconcerting for all of the teens. It eventually lands on heads and the teens have a collective sigh of relief. Cassandra suggests that they create their own civilisation and share resources, including food and space. She notes that nobody owns anything anymore. Suddenly, Campbell adds a new layer of tension as he points out that Cassandra has not been elected to make the decisions and proceeds to point the gun at her. Allie runs to protect her sister.

After Campbell claims that he was just doing it to get everyone's attention and begins to leave the church with a few followers, the wood expedition group return carrying Emily's dead body, which they place on the altar of the church. Cassandra is among the students who look on Emily's body with shock and fear as they realise that there is nothing beyond the woods and they are certainly not home. Cassandra tells Allie she is not feeling well and they begin to make their way home.

Episode 2

Allie and Cassandra walk into town and encounter Gretchen sitting on a bench waiting for her mom and dad to pick her up as they were supposed to after the school trip. Despite Allie and Cassandra's nudging away from this idea, Gretchen is stubborn and stays in that spot with her flask and lunch packet all day. The two girls walk further into the town to join Helena looking at several students, including Lexie, chanting in a circle and asking higher powers for answers. The teens look up to see a Solar Eclipse, which some interpret as a response to Lexie and co's chanting. However, Gordie explains what it is.

In the kitchen of The Pressman Residence, Cassandra eats with Becca, Sam, Bean, Gordie, and Allie. The group discuss strategies to find how they could come to be where they are and Willjoins them. After h tells them about his morning scoping out new potential residences and showing off his new trainers. Cassandra objects to him taking the house and belongings of others. The group agree that they need to check out the water and power supply as well as creating a food inventory. Becca suggests that they should take pains to avoid the teens becoming alarmed at the measures the group hope to put in place. Cassandra acknowledges that she is the problem and vows to stay at a distance from it.

Cassandra attends Helena's first sermon in The Church and is accosted by Campbell on her way out. Campbell concedes that there needs to be rules and order, but ponders who should get the responsibility of deciding them. He suggests coming over to The Pressman Residence to visit his brother and 'all the cousins,' but Cassandra just taps him on the chest and walks away.

Later, Gordie knocks on Cassandra's bedroom door with a stethoscope around his neck. He had been researching alternative universes with Bean, but he now turns his attention to Cassandra's heart condition by researching in the West Ham Hospital library. Gordie also mentions that he picked up the stethoscope when he stopped by Cassandra's doctor's office. While he tries to listen to her heart over her shirt, Gordie requires access to Cassandra's skin to hear properly so she undoes her top for him. Here, we see Cassandra's scar for the first time. There is some tension in the air and the two are soon interrupted by Allie getting a cup of tea. Gordie leaves soon after.

Cassandra enters the kitchen to speak to Allie, who accuses her of manipulating Gordie. Allie talks about how she hasn't told Gordie about being admitted to Yale, to which Cassandra replies, "There is no Yale."

Later, Cassandra meets Gordie in the Doctor's Office to go over Cassandra's medical notes. Gordie reveals that Cassandra is up to date on her vaccinations and takes Loestrin, which Cassandra tells him is contraception just in case. Conscious of Allie's accusation, Cassandra tells Gordie that he doesn't have to work so hard to treat her and maybe his time would be better spent figuring out how to get everyone home. Gordie suggests that if he saves Cassandra, she can save everyone else, especially him. The dynamic between the two intensifies.

On the way back home, Cassandra runs into Harry, who accuses her of being involved in the food inventory. She denies all knowledge of it, but it appears that she is fooling no one.

Back in her kitchen, Cassandra offers Gordie some food, but he is more interested in talking about her sexual history. She admits that she was sleeping with someone who she met at Yale twice, but that she probably won't see him again.

### Illness

Cassandra has many symptoms of her illness throughout the series including blue lips, lethargy, sweating, and fever.

## Relationships

### Family

Allie

Cassandra and Allie have a close sisterly bond. Although there is some tension between them, they are always trying to protect one another. Allie runs to cover Cassandra when Campbell points a gun at her. Cassandra, likewise, tries to protect her sister and makes Allie stand back.

Amanda Pressman and Jim Pressman

Allie's parents see her off onto the bus.

Doug and Lynette Eliot

Doug and Lynetter are Cassandra's maternal uncle and aunt-in-law.

Campbell and Sam Eliot

Campbell and Sam are Cassandra's cousins. There is a definite tension between Cassandra and Campbell, which results in Campbell pointing a gun at Cassandra.

### Friends

Will LeClair

Will seems to be a closer friend of Allie's, but also a family friend to Cassandra.

Becca Gleb

Becca took pictures of Cassandra on the bus.

### Enemies

Harry Bingham

Harry snipes at Cassandra constantly and the two appear to be at odds with each other.

Campbell Eliot

Cassandra is always at odds with her cousin, who loves to create chaos and watch it unfold. Campbell points a gun at Cassandra and threatens her.

Significant Others

Gordie

Gordie has a crush on Cassandra. Allie suggests that Cassandra uses and manipulates him for her own benefit. She hasn't told him about Yale.

Cassandra's Guy

Cassandra admits to Gordie that she was sleeping with a guy that she met while visiting Yale, but that she probably will never see them again. She admits that she wasn't in love with him.

## Trivia

* Food
	+ Spaghetti (1.02- cooks)
	+ Grapes (1.02)
* Had chicken pox at age 4 (1.02).
* Takes Loestrin contraception (1.02).
* Cassandra can use American Sign Language to speak with Sam (1.02).
* Able to drive (1.01).