The Reincarnated (Book 2A of Wolfcreek Series)

Chapter 73

"Good, good," Ms. Grey said and nodded when we were finished with the lines. "Now, are you ready to sing?" she asked, and I stayed silent and nodded in confirmation. "Ok." She nodded again before she looked at Bryson. "Are you ready, Bryson?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Give me one second," Bryson said and cleared his throat while he started to get the chords up for the song I wanted to sing. "Are you sure that you don't want to do anything from Waitress, Cass?" he asked and looked at me with a raised eyebrow, and I held back an eye roll and scowled.

"No, thank you," I said and shook my head. "Thank you, though, but I do think I can work with Lost in the Brass to show what I can do."

"Hmph," Ms. Grey said, looking unamused for some reason. She cleared her throat and took off her glasses before she looked at me from the corner of her eye. "If it is possible, can you sing this song and then She Used to be Mine?" she asked, and I looked at her while I raised an eyebrow in question.

"May I ask why?" I asked, trying to decide if I had then energy to do it or not.

"Because, I would like to hear your rendition of it," she replied and put her glasses on again. "I think it would sound amazing."

I set my jaw and narrowed my eyes, silently debating on whether or not I should do it.

Did I have enough energy to sing that song after this? I silently wondered while I looked between the two of them. I am running on fumes as it is...

"I'd love to hear it, M- Cass," Bryson said, and I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He gave me a small smile and shifted on the bench, his cheeks turning slightly red. "Please, for me?"

Goddess, damn it, I thought while I mentally groaned, my heart aching and longing for him to call me "Mom" and not just cutting himself off every time he tried. Why are you like this?

Feeling defeated, I sighed and slowly nodded. "Ok," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "I will sing She Used to be Mine if we have time."

"Oh, we will," Ms. Grey said and nodded. She smiled and gestured for me to start, and I bit back a small smile before I looked at Bryson and nodded, indicating that he could start playing the piece.

Bryson nodded as well and started to play the piece, and I sang my heart out with that song, even though a part of me wasn't in it because I couldn't help but think about singing She Used to be Mine and how I should sing it without getting the part.

I just have to sing it normally, I thought while I finished Lost in the Brass. It'd be up to them if they like it or not.

Ms. Grey slowly nodded when I finished the song. "Good, good," she said before she cleared her throat. "Now, do you want to take a drink of water before you sing She Used to be Mine?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

I hesitated before I nodded. "Yes, Ma'am," I said before I cleared my throat and gestured to my bag. "I have some water in my bag if I can get it."

"Of course," she said and nodded. "You can take a few minutes before we start. Bryson, why don't you get something to drink too."

"Yes, Ma'am, thank you," Bryson said. He stood from the piano before he stretched and yawned, and I held back an eye roll while I smiled and started to walk to my bag. "Do you need a ride home after this, Cass?" he asked while he walked over to his bag to get some water.

I shook my head no. "No, thank you," I said while I continued to walk over to my bag. "I am good. Thank you, though."

Bryson shrugged and didn't say a word, but I could tell that he was a little downfallen that I said no again.

I held back an eye roll and made it to my bag. I stayed silent and grabbed my bottle of water.

My drama teacher looked between us but didn't say a word. She was confused as to why Bryson offered me a ride and why I wouldn't take it, but I didn't care and didn't try to ease her mind.

Maybe I should not go to dance tonight and go straight to bed after this, I thought, my heart sinking slightly while I stood there. I don't want Xavier to see me like this, so I still will not take that ride.

I closed my eyes a little before I opened them, biting back a small sigh before I started to drink some of the water.

Ms. Grey and Stacey started to talk about something, their voice barely above a whisper, going over some paperwork.

I knew that I could listen to them if I wanted to, but for some reason, I didn't care and only wanted to get done with this.

I finished drinking my water and started to make my way back to the stage, and Bryson started to make his way back to the piano.

Ms. Grey and Stacey pulled apart and looked at me when I made it to the stage with Bryson at the piano, and Ms. Grey gave me a hesitant smile. "Are you ready?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yes, Ma'am," I said and nodded. "I am ready." I placed my hands behind my back and cleared my throat.

"Good," Ms. Grey said and nodded. She gestured for Bryson to start playing the song, and I took a deep breath and released it with a small whoosh, waiting for when I needed to start singing.

"It's not simple to say," I sang softly, putting some of my emotions in it. "Most days I don't recognize me." I gestured toward myself and grimaced, feeling the pain that I felt not only as the character but also as Cassandra.

All of my feelings became mixed between the two of us while I sang this song, confused and not knowing how I felt or who I should be.

I couldn't help but feel as if I was losing a part of myself, a part of who I used to be and who I wanted to become. I didn't know what the future held for me, but I knew that it was going to be different, especially since I was learning about a past that was slowly becoming my present and my future.

"She's imperfect but she tries," I sang, my voice shaking slightly but not enough for it to harm my singing. "She is good but she lies."

Ms. Grey and Stacey moved forward a little and watched me sing. They stayed silent and didn't stop me, and I could feel Bryson's concern, but he never let up nor stopped playing the piano.

I sang out my pain, my anguish because I knew how this character felt. I knew what it meant to be losing a part of myself and not knowing if I was the same person that I was a long time ago. I knew the pain of having my identity changed and looking at myself in the mirror and not knowing who I was looking at.

Was I slowly starting to see Cassandra and not Cassidy, or was Cassidy still there? Who was Cassidy now, or who was she meant to be?

I moved a bit around the stage and acted out the piece, even though I knew that I didn't have to. I hit all the notes, had all the feelings that this piece had, showing the brokenness and bruised pieces of a girl stuck and not knowing what the future would hold.

"She is gone, but she used to be mine," I sang the last part, making sure to keep the same energy I had with the whole thing, clutching my stomach while a single tear fell from my left eye.

And as soon as the last part was done, I covered my mouth, trying to quieten the sobs because I had done my part and sang the song, using all of the real emotions that I felt because Cassandra was gone and a part of me was gone too.

Maybe, just maybe, this new me would make the world a better place for us to live in, but I had no idea how...