Woo, another update. And another one later tonight. And two more tomorrow and then next day and the next day. In theory.
Muchas gracias to MuseHere for being a super awesome beta.
•6•
Beautiful.
The school seemed empty. No security. No people. Could there be any better circumstances?
A bigger crowd would make it easier to pluck someone out without notice. You don't even know anybody's here.
Somebody had to be here. Surely the school wasn't abandoned? It certainly looked to be well kept.
Maybe it isn't a school anymore.
Fuck it, he wanted somebody. He needed somebody. He couldn't wait any longer.
The sound of footsteps and panting caught his attention just off to the left. A swish of a skirt sprinted down the stairs and around the corner.
Oh, a chase too. Perfect.
"Anybody here?" He tried to play innocent.
Hell, it worked.
The footsteps stopped for a moment, the skirt still panting. He could almost smell the fear coming off of her. Then the footsteps picked up again, faster but softer.
"Oh silly girl. I can hear you," he teased, smirking at the little show he got.
Let the fun begin.
The footsteps disappeared for a moment but he rounded the corner just in time to see her run through a door.
"Pretty girl, where did you go? Playing games isn't nice," he cooed.
He pushed open the door, curious as to what he'd see.
A cafeteria?
He shrugged. He picked his girls for their looks and the pleasure he thought they'd bring. What did their intelligence matter if they were dead? He could deal with a cliché easily.
He crouched on the floor to check under tables, but only found the remains from a former meal. He stood up, brushed himself off, and headed for the only other door available. He pushed it open, managing to see a cabinet door close as he entered.
"Why are you hiding from me?" He held his breath and managed to hear a soft clapping noise from the cabinet. "I know where you are. If you come out, it'll be less painful." He tried to play nice. Nothing. "Fine then. Do it your way."
He wrenched open the cabinet doors and grabbed her arm, prying her out of the cabinet. Her hands dropped and her mouth opened into a blood curdling scream. Without thinking, a hand reached up and slapped her pale cheek, turning it a rosy color.
"Do. Not. Scream," he sneered in her ear. "Follow me. Quietly or else." He pulled on her arm, quickly leading her to the door.
"Please don't hurt me," she murmured. For a moment, he was taken by surprise. She had such an angelic, soft voice. For a moment, he regretted doing this to her.
"I make no promises, beautiful."
Her breath hitched. "Why me?"
"You were here. Nobody else was." He shrugged as if they were discussing the weather and not her life. He pushed her head down and her body into the car, closing the door and thanking whoever was up there for child locks. He could hear her trying the locks and banging on the window. "Not going to work, sweetie." He chided her gently as he got in.
"Why are you even doing this? Does God just hate me or something? First Jessica's dead in the bathroom, and then Lauren goes missing, and now this?" she rambled furiously.
"Would you shut up?" Her voice was gorgeous, she was gorgeous, but he didn't want to hear this. "And Jessica? That was her name? Thanks for solving the mystery. I'd been wondering about that."
"You killed her?" Her voice filled with disdain and her face showed her shock.
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?"
"Like hell I will, you bastard! You killed my roommate." she spat back.
He slammed on the breaks, turning and slapping her cheek again.
"Knock it off, bitch," he growled.
"Why bother? If I'm going to die, might as well go down fighting, right?" she hissed.
He glared at her for a moment. His glare was intimidating and he knew it, yet she continued to hold her head high and glower back.
"What's your name?" He demanded.
"You can call me, Miss Swan," she sniffed.
"Cute, but I'm not in school anymore and you aren't my teacher. What's your first name?" He repeated.
"What's yours?" She countered.
What is my name?
"You can call me Beast," he said dryly.
"If I'm calling you Beast, surely Miss Swan will be more than adequate for you, no? At least I gave you a part of my name while you, you made up a name for me to call you."
He found himself smiling, actually smiling, at the young girl's wit.
"Well, Miss Swan, I would tell you my name if I knew it. Sadly, I don't. I assumed Beast would be a fitting name in your eyes." He replied, playing her game.
"Lucifer would be more fitting, in my opinion." She quipped.
He chuckled. "Fair enough, Miss Swan. But I don't think I can continue calling you Miss Swan. Surely you can give me something?"
"Bella. I can give you Bella. But only my friends can call me that," she stated primly, looking out the window.
"Bella means beautiful in Italian, but surely you knew that." If force wouldn't work with the girl owning an angel's voice, charm was his only other means and he knew that. "It's quite the fitting name if you ask me."
She said nothing, deciding to cross her arms over her chest. He could see the fire in her eyes that showed she was ready for a fight if it was needed.
"Since I'm not your friend yet and only your friends can call you Bella, perhaps I can call you Beauty?"
"Whatever. Can we just go? The anticipation of my death isn't exactly fun for me." She rolled her eyes.
He sighed, realizing this would be tougher than he thought. "Whatever Beauty wants."
"Beauty wants to go home," she mumbled sullenly. He glanced back in the rearview mirror and noticed she had slumped forward, a slight pout to her lips. The fire in her eyes was gone and a look of resignation had taken its place. Yet she was still exquisite.
She'd lost her will to fight when he wasn't looking. It was all just a mask. She was just a teenage girl after all, one that probably lived a fairly sheltered life.
She doesn't want me to see how scared and weak she really is.
For some reason, he found the girl's bravery endearing. She probably only put on the front to show she wouldn't be pushed around so easily, but he liked to think it was to protect herself and to make him think she was strong. He liked to think it was for him. He didn't know why, but he did. It made him feel…better about himself.
The more he observed her, the more curious he became.
Curiosity killed the cat, stupid.
Yet, he couldn't help it. The girl had this soft, elegant beauty about her. She would've done well with his family. She would look so in place at his castle. Especially if he could get her in one of the gown's his mother used to wear.
Stop it! She's a source to clear your mind. And you don't think about them.
He exhaled sharply, pressing harder on the gas. Her eyes flickered briefly in his direction, and then out the window. She released a sigh of boredom and he couldn't help himself.
She looked quite delicate, though she was anything but from what he'd seen. She was smart and sarcastic, witty and amusing. A beauty for sure, not to mention fast as hell. Her roommate was a whore, but he supposed she really couldn't help that. He decided she was sixteen or seventeen by the looks of her. Probably promised to some lucky man.
Such a shame to kill her.
"Beast?" she called softly. He hummed slightly to show he was listening. "If I…if I behave myself, would you let me live?"
"I'm not quite sure what you mean."
She huffed. "You know exactly what I mean."
"Don't get testy with me, dear Beauty. I simply want you to elaborate what you mean by 'behave.'"
"Well, don't treat me like a child," she ground out. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "If I do what you ask me to and I cooperate, would you let me live?"
"I'm not sure, dearest."
She growled, but otherwise kept silent.
"You see, usually my girls come peacefully and willingly. They don't have the faintest idea what they're in for. You are a very special case, so I have to treat it differently," he explained carefully.
"Are you fucking serious? You seduce women while you capture me? Surely you could've at least tried to charm me!"
"I'm trying to now, seeing as force and fear won't work with you. But you are quite the stubborn creature."
She scowled. "I am not stubborn."
"You certainly aren't helping me charm you. Not flirting back or anything."
"Well, pardon me for not flirting with the man who murdered my roommate, probably her friend as well, and captured me so he can eventually kill me on top of everything."
"I suppose you're right, there," he mused whimsically.
"Are we almost there? I'm getting sick of this car."
"Beauty wants out of the car? Then I'll have to speed up. Hope my speed doesn't scare you, my dear Beauty." He pulled his foot off the gas and Bella raised an eyebrow before he slammed his foot down, sending her back into the seat.
"A murderer doesn't scare me much. So why should speed? Though perhaps a little warning would be handy next time?"
He smiled, one side raising higher than the other in a sly and mysterious fashion. "Whatever Beauty wants."
Pretty much everything from my last author's note applies here as well.
REVIEWS are wonderful.
