Savage Cinderella

Chapters 19-20 Return From the Grave, and Truth Be Told

Chapter 19

Return from the Grave

"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, NOOO!" Roy Stockman glared at the magazine rack, his rage barely contained. He had seen the news and her father's press conference but wasn’t certain until now. He grabbed the magazine off the rack and gaped at the cover picture, a slender girl of about eighteen with long black hair and sharp blue eyes. "It can't be." He swore and mumbled under his breath, drawing unwanted attention from onlookers and store clerks.

He purchased the magazine, left the store, and drove home to an old farmhouse on the outskirts of town, away from inquisitive eyes and nosy neighbors. The place was falling apart but he didn't care; it suited his needs. How in hell had the girl survived? He didn't really have to ask. She was different from the others. She’d never been completely broken. 

Now she was back and he couldn't let her start talking. If she talked to the cops about him and what he'd done, it would cost him everything. Batting a fly from in front of his face, he settled onto a hard kitchen chair and lit a cigarette. The smoke snaked through the dimly lit room, streaks of afternoon sunlight streaming in thin strips through the dusty blinds. 

He thumbed through the article in Real Life Magazine. The girl had survived the elements in the Northwest High Country eating plants and catching fish bare-handed. He laughed out loud; entertained by a sense of pride in the one he'd called his own so long ago. I made her strong, he mused. She never would have survived if I hadn't thickened her skin. 

There was nothing in the article about how the girl had come to be on the mountain. Could it be that she’d forced herself to forget him? More likely, she was just waiting to betray him. Either way, she had to die. 

He exhaled a stream of smoke that clouded the lovely face of the young girl sitting on top of a large boulder, cross-legged and smiling. He closed the magazine and studied the front cover. Her blue eyes glared triumphantly back at him. A chilling rage crept through him.

She had run, and that was not allowed. He would find her and she would be punished. A niggle of excitement curled into his gut at the thought of a hunt. His fingers itched with the idea of taking her again. 

He noted the credit for the story went to a Justin Spencer, who promised weekly installments of the girl's experiences. He could use that to track her movements. Yes, he would watch and wait, and when the time was right, he would have her again. He'd never taken one this old, but she was just a stick of a girl. It will be easy, he concluded, as he traced the outline of her face on the page.

A soft whimper from down the hall drew his attention. A smile slid into place. He’d have to make room for another houseguest. 

Chapter 20

Truth Be Told

Despite the steamy heat of June in the South, the large house was constantly kept cool by the air-conditioning—an amenity Brinn wasn’t sure she could fully appreciate. The chill that resided deep in her bones seemed impossible to escape.  

The only relief seemed to come when she’d found the blessing of a hot shower. Each time she stepped under the torrents of prickling hot water that turned her skin rosy pink, and then as red as an azalea blossom, she basked in the feeling of warmth that seeped into her body—standing there long after any possible speck of dirt could remain. The smell of grime and the feel of dirtiness she’d carried for so long sank in swirls down the drain beneath her feet. She was left with a feeling of freshness that brought soothing relief to her soul.