The Reincarnated (Book 2A of Wolfcreek Series)

Chapter 29

I walked around to the back of the building, ignoring the curious glances of the few patrons that were located throughout the building.

No one stopped me while I walked around, and I stopped myself in front of a large wall filled with pictures of people that had completed different food challenges, and most of them were the same girl that everyone seemed to know.

Cassandra Kristen...

A name that sent a shiver down my spine with another one following close behind while I looked at the girl in the picture, for she looked a lot like me...

Her gray eyes had this haunting beauty look to them, her eyes sparkling with mischief and a beast, so few saw, and those who saw the beast didn't live to tell the tale.

Her brown hair was pulled back onto a braid in most pictures, the same braid that I loved to wear, too, if I didn't have it in a ponytail or hanging around my face like a curtain blocking me from the outside world.

She had the same hesitant smile in most of them, unsure of how to smile, making her face look dull and lifeless until it changed into a beaming smile, full of life and joy while someone off camera made her laugh and appear young again, even though the haunting eyes were still there.

"She had some good crew with her," someone said from behind me, his voice deep and soft. There was a small crack in it, and I had a feeling that he missed this strong female that had passed away before her time. "She didn't like smiling at me at all for a picture until they wanted to act like children."

"She looks so young," I said, and he hummed and nodded. I looked over my shoulder to see a male standing about 6'7 with dark blonde hair that almost looked brown and a full beard, which wasn't that familiar to me.

He had dark brown eyes that were filled with tears while he stared at the photo of this young girl, who had meant so much to him. There was a trace of anger in them, and I had a feeling that whatever she had been through wasn't all what he expected it to be. "She was," he said. He cleared his throat when it cracked. "I have known her since she was about ten years old, maybe eleven."

I slowly nodded and stayed silent while I looked at her again, letting her details sink into my brain, even though I already knew what she looked like because I saw the same face each day.

The male took a deep, shuddering breath, and a wave of pain and sorrow washed over him while he cleared his throat. "She was very fiery and one of the sweetest girls I knew," he said, his voice shaking a little. "She didn't deserve what life had dealt her at an age so young, too." He cleared his throat and grew serious. "She grew up too fast and didn't have a "normal" childhood like her parents would have wanted her to have."

"You cared about her." I looked at him again.

The male chuckled and wiped his eyes, wiping away the tears that wanted to fall. "Still do, actually," he said. He cleared his throat and looked at me with a soft smile on his face. "The names Bill," he said and held out his hand. "Bill Collier."

I smiled at him, took his hand in mine, and shook it, liking how warm and comforting his grasp was. "Cassidy," I replied. "Cassidy Lanchester."

Bill smiled and dipped his head. "It's nice to meet you, Cassidy," he said. He cleared his throat and squeezed my hand before he let go. "I have worked with your father for a while now, and I am happy to meet you finally."

"My dad hasn't spoken of you," I said bluntly, and Bill raised an eyebrow in question with a small smirk. I wrinkled my nose and pursed my lips. "Then again, he doesn't talk about anyone that he "works" with."