Disclaimer/claimer: I do not and never will own the story "Beauty and the Beast". "Just a Rose" is mine, though.
Chapter Thirteen
The beast couldn't help but look in on Elliot the following morning. Their conversation last night had filled him with hope and relief. After the witch's threat, he didn't hear from her again. He thought of Elliot's words once again while he stared into the mirror. He wished the witch had not been there. What would he have said if she wasn't there to make him want to hurt Elliot?
The young woman was sleeping. The curtain over the window was open and the sunlight made her hair look red. Her lips were parted and her chest rose and fell slowly. Her skin was golden, except for her cheeks, which were always slightly pink, it seemed. 'She's beautiful…' She rolled over in bed, pulling the covers tighter around her. He put the mirror down when he heard tapping from outside. A mouse was coming up the stairs.
He opened the door for her before she could call for him. Carol didn't look at him, just came in and climbed up the chair in front of his desk. He sat down at his bed and watched her. After a moment he said, "Carol… I am ssso sssory for what I ssaid. You were right. About everything." He sighed and glanced up at her. She still had a hard, cold look in her eyes. "I have been acting horribly. I've been depressssed for far too long, and when you tried to pull me out of it, I took my anger out on you. I didn't mean a word of what I sssaid. I… I'm glad to have you for a friend, Carol."
Carol continued to look at him coolly. It took a while, but her face began to soften. "I forgive you," she said. "Now, tell me what's happened. You look much better today, but… there's something wrong at the same time."
The beast nodded and told her everything that had happened after the mouse had left him. "That's wonderful!" she exclaimed when he finished. She stood up on her hind legs and got back down, clearly very excited. "This is a very good sign. She's beginning to care for you!"
"Carol… thisss isss awful. Now, the misssstresss isss in a hurry to have her killed."
Carol bit her lip and looked away, thinking of Leo. "Yes," she said softly. "That is a problem…"
"Carol… are you hiding sssomething from me?"
Before she could answer, the beast winced and clutched at his heart. "Wake her up," the mistress told him. "I was not jesting when I said you would spend every waking minute with her."
"Sir?" Carol said, leaning forward in the chair. "Are you all right?"
"It'sss her…" he said, sitting up slowly. "Tell Michael to prepare breakfassst for Elliot and me."
"Oh dear… She really is in a hurry, then?" She climbed down from the chair and scurried out of the room. The beast followed her down the stairs. "And don't forget, sir, to be yourself. From what you told me last night, I think she would like to meet that man in there."
He nodded. "I'll try to be…. But what if I make a fool of myssself or break sssomething…. No, no… I can't be myssself! I'm clumsssy and never know what to sssay…"
"And if the curse is meant to be broken, then she'll love you for it. Now go sweep her off her feet! And ignore that awful witch in you." The beast felt the witch grow angry at this comment. She had the urge to stomp on Carol and the beast pushed her aside.
"I'll try…"
"Good! Now go wake her up. But straighten your shirt, first. There, that's better. Now go on!" She crawled through a hole in the wall and he heard her scampering in the walls.
The beast looked down at himself and sighed. He straightened his jacket again and untangled a clump of fur from his wrist and then started pacing.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The beast hissed. The witch's words were cold and harsh. They made his flesh crawl. She was angrier and more impatient than usual.
'Stalling,' he thought.
He felt a pressure on his mind, making him moan and clutch his head. The pressure increased and then it felt as if his mind was being prodded with hot iron rods. He growled and fell to his knees. Images of a beaten, bloody Elliot flashed through his mind. Her body was mutilated and torn to pieces. He tried to scream for her to stop, he slashed the air as if to slash the witch with his claws, but the images wouldn't leave him. In his mind, she was in agony. She was taken to the brink of death time and again in his mind. And then, worst of all the things the witch had shown him, he watched Elliot transform. She turned into a small, furry creature. She was trapped in a small cage and she was talking. But her words began to blur and they didn't make sense until soon, she was merely squeaking.
"There are worse things than death," the witch reminded him. "I will beat her, tear her limb from limb, but I will not kill her. Or, I could turn her into an animal. A mindless, stupid animal. Would you wish either of those fates on her."
'I'll kill you! I'll kill you before you can touch her!'
The witch laughed. "Kill me? How?"
The beast put the claws of his right paw to his left wrist. 'You live in me. I am your vessel. If I am destroyed, then you will vanish. And if you are gone, the curse will be lifted from everyone here. It's so simply… why have I not thought of it before?'
"You wouldn't dare!"
'Without me… you're nothing.' He increased the pressure. His scales were tough, but his claws were even more so.
The witch took control of his mind. It had been years since she had been in complete control. He screamed. Everything in him, his mind, his organs, his bones, felt as though they were twisting and breaking and reforming and twisting and breaking once again. He gripped the ground and his claws tore at the floor. His body was shaking and he was still screaming. It was a horrible sound, more of an unearthly shriek than a scream.
When it was over, he felt weak. He couldn't move anything. He was detached from his own body, and it was as if he were looking through the eyes of a stranger.
The witch, no doubt, had probably never felt better. She had his strength, and was in control of his body. The beast knew that this situation would not last long. The witch's magic wasn't strong enough to let this go on for more than an hour or two. But she could do so much damage in that time…
The witch, in the body of the beast, stood and ran down the hall. Her eyes were dark and furious. She stormed down the stairs and rushed down the hall. When she reached Elliot's room, she threw the door open.
The beast could only watch helplessly as the witch went into the room. Elliot had been lying in bed, staring at the roses on her desk, but when the door opened, she jumped up in surprise. "You scared me to death!" she said with a smile as she looked at the witch, thinking her to be the beast. Her smile fell when she saw the look in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
The witch went forward and pulled Elliot to her, wrapping her arms around her. Elliot froze, startled. Inside, the true beast cried out as he felt strength returning to him. It was Elliot who made him feel this way. But even with his newfound strength, he could not take back his body and free Elliot.
"S-sir! What are you doing?"
"Ha!" the witch laughed, stepping back. Though the witch was in control, the body and voice remained the same. "Ssshe callsss me Sssir! Girl, call me Beassst! For that issss what I am."
Elliot narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not a beast…. Last night…"
"Lassst night I wasss a fool!" she snarled. "Thiss isss what I truly am!"
'Stop it!' the beast screamed. 'Stop it now!'
'Don't you feel the strength returning to you?' the witch thought. 'It feels amazing, doesn't it? For centuries I have been waiting for the girl who would make me feel strong again. And I won't let you take that away from me! Once this little spell is over with, I will have the strength you feel now. If you want a job done right, do it yourself, correct?'
The witch grabbed Elliot's arm tightly and the girl tried to pull away. "You're going to eat breakfassst with me!" she said, pulling her towards the door.
"No!" Elliot screamed and stomped on the witch's foot. Surprised, she let her go and Elliot stumbled back. "I would rather dine with a fool than a beast."
The witch laughed. "You're ssso ssstrong and sstubborn. It isss why I need you. It isss why I love you." The girl's eyes widened and she shook her head.
'What have you done?' the beast screamed. 'I don't… I mean… I think I may… but I…'
'I love her, you fool! She is everything I need. I love her for giving me strength, for being the fire that I need. And I will love her more when I kill her and end this curse!'
"Come with me, girl!" he snarled.
"No! Get out! Get out!" She threw the roses at him, and then the other bouquet hit the witch. "Get out!" she screamed again.
The beast had stopped yelling and was watching Elliot scream and yell at him. Last night she had understood him, and now… well, now they were back at the beginning. He couldn't have felt more miserable.
He heard a familiar voice and the witch turned and looked down. "Sir! What on Earth are you doing?"
The beast tried to use his strength to get control again. 'Carol!' he screamed. He was trapped in the back of his own mind, and she could not hear him. 'Carol! Please see that it isn't me! I'm not the one in control!'
"What do you want, rat?"
Carol stiffened. Even when he was angry, she had never heard the beast sound that cruel and cold. And he had never called her a rat before. "Sir? Is everything all right?" she asked, fear in her voice.
The witch was still growling at her. "Why are you here?"
Carol glanced at Elliot and then looked up at the witch. "Sir… is that you?"
The beast hissed loudly and crouched down, close to the ground, poised to strike. 'No! Don't hurt her!'
'I always thought that this one was rather annoying… and now she knows and will tell the girl of my plan.'
'No! Stop!' he cried. The power and strength she was feeling was getting to her head. He could sense her emotions and hear almost all of her thoughts. She wanted to know how fast she could kill a mouse in this body.
She bared her fangs and her claws dug into the carpet. Her dark eyes were staring intently at Carol. The mouse squeaked and began to turn and run out when the witch hissed once again and lunged forward. Before she could snap her teeth around Carol, Elliot jumped forward and scooped the mouse up into her hands, stepping on the witch's head as she did so, and ran out the door.
"Carol, what's going on?" she yelled as she ran down the hallway.
"No time to explain!" the mouse yelled back. "Quick, go out the front door!"
"What? I thought it was locked!"
"Just go!"
Elliot did as she was told and ran down the hall. Her heart was pounding and her stomach was knotted up with fear. She didn't pause or think as she ran. She just wanted to get away. She opened the front door and slammed it behind her. She leaned against the door and pressed her thumb and index finger against her eyes, her free hand holding Carol.
"Ellie, Dearie, we should get out of the way. We can hide behind those bushes there." Carol's voice was soothing and the young woman nodded and walked down the steps and hid behind the bushes on the side of the house. She sat down on the ground and leaned against the wall of the house behind her. Carol climbed down from her hand and walked forward. Leo was in the bushes as well, and so was a cat Elliot hadn't met.
"What's wrong with her?" Leo asked quietly.
"It's the master…" Carol paused. "Well, sort of. It's really the mistress."
Elliot had been trying very hard not to cry when Carol said that. "Who is she?" she asked. "Everyone speaks of her, but I've never met her."
Carol sighed. "Dearie… you just did. The master would never act that way towards you, nor would he ever try to attack me."
"What?! She tried to attack you?" Leo yelled.
The cat hissed. "Keep it down! They'll be here any minute. And you shouldn't be telling her such things."
"She has a right to know!" She whispered so only Leo and Stuart could hear, "Her life is on the line. It would be wrong of us not to tell her!" Carol said to Elliot, "The witch, as we call her, doesn't have a body of her own." Stuart groaned and rolled his eyes, but Carol only glared at him. "None of us are sure of what she really is. But when she cursed us, she also went inside the master. She… possessed him, so to speak. She's been a part of him for over a hundred years now. Sometimes, when she finds it necessary, she will take complete control of his body. She always has a little bit of power over him, but when she has completely taken over, there will be no resistance. The master cannot control it or fight it. He must not have been obeying her… only when he is being especially stubborn and resistant does she take control."
"But… when he… she came in she didn't seem to want to do anything out of the ordinary. Why would he disobey having breakfast with me?"
Before Carol could answer, the cat sat up straighter and his tail flicked. "They're coming."
Elliot tensed. "The witch?"
Stuart cast an annoyed glance in her direction. "No, not them. Her and the beast will come later, I suspect."
"Shouldn't we be leaving then?"
"And miss the show?" Stuart said, laying down and peering at the yard from under the branches. "Hardly."
The animals fell silent and Elliot tried to relax. Her heart was still pounding and her whole body was tense. The mice were as tense as she, especially Leo, who was standing close to the cat and was trying to inch away. Elliot could hear the mistress inside. She was yelling something and running through the halls.
"Relax," the cat told her. "Once the witch sees what we have in store for her, she'll completely forget about you."
"What do you have in store for her?" Elliot asked.
"Can't you hear them?" Elliot shook her head. The cat groaned. "I forget humans can't hear that well. You'll see them soon."
They all stood still and listened. Carol's eyes widened when she heard them. "Leo! This is your brilliant plan?" she yelled, rounding on Leo.
"It'll work!" he said, backing away from her. "It has to work…"
Elliot heard it too. It was faint and she had trouble telling what it was at first. But then she caught a laugh, and she could pick out footsteps in the noise. A thrumming bum bum boom sound came from the road past the yard, which she suspected was music being played too loud. They were getting louder and louder. She could hear voices yelling and the music was beginning to form itself into a song instead the deep thrumming.
They rounded the corner and Elliot's jaw dropped. There were at least a hundred men and women coming up the path. They were rowdy, laughing, cracking jokes, shaking beer cans and opening them on their friends. Two carried a large boom box over their heads and many others carried beer kegs, cans or bottles. Some carried boxes full of snacks and who knew what else. They were loud and obnoxious… but they were humans. And they were coming here.
She started to stand. She could get lost in that crowd. There were still more pouring down the path. The people at the front of the crowd pushed the gates open and walked towards the house. She could go home, see her father. She could leave this strange place behind and she would never have to worry about a mistress or a beast ever again.
Stuart pounced on her lap and Elliot fell down, surprised. "What are you doing?" he hissed. "You don't want to be out there when she comes out."
"Why not?" she asked. "I could go home!"
The cat glared at Leo. "So much for your plan…" To Elliot, he said, "It isn't safe."
Elliot was about to push the cat off of her when the front door opened and the witch stormed out.
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Trapped and detached as he was, the beast could still feel the headache Elliot's foot gave him. The witch had it worse. She brought the beast claws up to her head and stood up slowly. "Where issss ssshe?" she hissed. She stood and ran down the hall. She searched every room she came across, but there was no sign of her. "Where iss ssshe?"
The beast was still trying to regain control of his body, but now that Elliot was gone, he could no longer feel the strength returning to him. The witch had searched the library, the ballroom and every room in between and still hadn't found Elliot. In the kitchen, she screamed at Michael, "Where did ssshe go? Where isss that girl?" Everyone in the kitchen stared at her, wide eyed and frightened. She got no response and so she left and ran back into the foyer. Here, she stopped and looked around.
The beast felt his strength returning to him. It was slow and weak, but he could still feel it. He tried not to think of the reason, but the witch knew. "You're getting sssstronger… sssshe issss near…"
'No sh…'The beast stopped and the witch stood up straighter. There were odd noises coming from outside. For a few minutes, she just stood there, uncertain and confused. The beast asked, 'You're not scared, are you?'
The witch hissed and went to the door. She turned the knob and a growl escaped her throat. "Why isssn't it locked?" The beast had no answer and she threw the door open and went outside.
A crowd of humans greeted her. They were coming towards the steps, and she heard one going on about a party. She stared, frozen on the steps. There were so many of them…
A woman noticed the witch first and screamed. She was pointing at her and she wouldn't stop screaming. More people began to notice and some screamed as well. "It's a monster!" one yelled.
"It's hideous!"
"This was a trap!"
"What is that thing?"
The witch growled and the people closest to her stepped back.
The beast inside was terrified and was trying to find Elliot in the crowd. He could feel the witch's anger and bloodlust coming back. Everyone was in the yard by now and most knew about the reptilian witch on the steps. They had, for the most part, stopped screaming and were staring at the witch with wide eyes. The witch hissed and began to go down the steps. The crowd began to scream again and they fought and shoved their way back down the path. The witch roared and the gates at the end of the path closed. "They won't open!" someone in the back of the crowd yelled. "We're trapped! It's going to kill us!"
A few at the front of the crowd got over their fear and tossed food at the witch. "Let us out!"
"Open the gates, you freak!" one yelled, throwing the boom box at the witch's feet. It broke and the music stopped, but more people were beginning to yell and throw what they had with them. "Open the gates!" Someone came forward with an acoustic guitar and swung it at the witch. She grabbed it and snarled at the man holding the other end. She pulled it closer and the man was pulled towards her. He was no longer angry and brave. He was pale and shaking with fear.
'Stop!' the beast yelled. 'Don't hurt anyone!'
The guitar broke in the witch's claws and she lashed out at the man, cutting his arm and chest. He screamed and fell down onto the steps. Everyone began to scream and scatter. The witch rushed into the crowd, attacking anyone and everyone, slashing out and biting. The screams were getting louder and the smell of blood was strong. Someone jumped onto her back before she could grab a woman's neck. She growled and ran quickly through the crowds. She was faster than any human, and the speed surprised the man and he fell off. She whirled on him and pressed her foot on his chest. He screamed and thrashed around, hitting her leg.
'Stop it! All of these bodies will be noticed and then you'll never break this curse!'
"What would you have me do?" she asked aloud, pressing harder on the man's chest. Around her, the people were still screaming and trying to find places to hide. They began to pour inside the house. "Would you want me to let them live?"
'Do what you did to Lila's family. Make them forget and then send them back!'"There are too many…"
"Let me go!" the man beneath her yelled. She increased pressure and his struggles became weaker and she started choking.
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Everything had been silent, the humans and the witch too surprised and scared to do anything. But when the fight started, nothing could stop it. The witch, despite the stiff, scaly body she was in, moved swiftly and with grace that surprised Elliot. She would slash someone with her claws, then whirl around and bite someone else. She was careful not to kill anyone, and Elliot could only stare.
"Why is he… she not killing them?" she whispered.
"A dead man is harder to hide than a stupid one," Stuart said. Elliot didn't understand but continued to watch the fight. It was almost surreal, watching everyone screaming and fleeing. It all seemed quiet to her, as if she were watching it all happen from far away. She was detached from it all, and couldn't look away. It was horrible and fascinating. Like watching a train wreck. You knew that people were getting hurt, but you have never seen anything like it before and couldn't look away. And it always made you feel relieved to know that you weren't in that train. But she was terrified as well.
"What have you done?" Carol whispered, bringing Elliot back to the real world. The screams were loud in her ears once more. "Leo… why?"
"Don't you see?" he asked. "She'll wipe their memories and send them back like what she did six years ago. She's still weak from that! If she does it again, then it will give the master enough time to…" he suddenly stopped and then went back to watching. Stuart was purring, his tail swishing slowly in contentment.
"We have to stop this," Elliot said. "What if she doesn't wipe their minds and send them back? What if she does kill someone?" No one answered her and she felt alone and at a loss. She was terrified to leave the safety of the bushes, but the more she watched, the more horrible and sickening the whole scene was. Those who were injured were screaming and sobbing as they bled on the lawn. "We can't just keep watching as if this were some movie!"
"The mice don't know what movies are, girl," Stuart said. "And we can just watch. It's easy. Just sit back and keep your eyes on the action."
"That's sick!"
"It's life."
The witch had a man pinned under her foot. Everyone was trying to get away and no one tried to help. "She's going to kill him!"
"She's talking to the master," Leo said when he noticed the mouth of the reptile move.
The witch pressed harder on the man's chest. "Don't you care that she's about to kill that man?"
"The master will talk some sense into her…" Carol said, sounding uncertain. "He'll make her see that she has to fix this mess…"
The witch didn't move. The man under her was beginning to choke and lose the fight in him. "She isn't doing anything!" Elliot nearly yelled. She got no response and with an angry yell she shoved the cat off of her and leapt from the bushes, running towards the witch. She ran into her from the side, causing her to lose balance and fall over. Elliot fell with her and the man scrambled to his feet and ran off. The witch rolled and pinned Elliot under her. Elliot struggled under her and tried not to look into her eyes. Only last night did she see them looking so calm and caring. But now they were cold and full of hate. The witch wrapped her claws around Elliot's neck and began to squeeze. She gasped and grabbed at the claws around her neck and tried to pull them free.
The beast was doing everything he could to get control again. 'Elliot!' he screamed. He was growing stronger, but it wasn't enough. The witch had barriers around his mind and he couldn't get through them and take control of his body again. 'Stop!' he cried, watching Elliot choke. He roared and thrashed, trying to hurt the witch any way he could. 'You're killing her!'
"I won't kill her yet," the witch said. "I'll break her, tear her apart and make her sssuffer before I let her die."
The witch roared and let go of Elliot. She gasped for breath and crawled out from under the witch. Carol and Leo were biting the witch's ankles, chomping into the scales. The witch kicked and the mice went flying off the ankle and rolled in the grass.
Elliot scrambled to her feet and backed away as the witch got up. She started to go forward but stopped and clutched her head. The beast inside was screaming and fighting against the spell, and it was beginning to weaken. 'You have to end this before it's too late!'
The witch glared at Elliot and the girl froze. In that gaze she saw hatred, longing and something else that said, "Until next time." A strange sort of light began to appear at the reptilian feet. It climbed up the witch slowly and the wind began to pick up.
"Elliot!" Carol screamed. "Run!"
She did. She ran to Carol and Leo, picked them up and ran to the bushes. She knelt down and watched the witch from a distance. "What's happening?" she asked. The wind was only around the witch. It was spinning around her madly and the light was getting brighter.
Carol didn't seem to have heard her. "Are you all right? Oh, that was a brave thing you did. Is your neck okay?"
"Will you two be quiet? The show is getting good!" Stuart snapped.
They did fall silent and watched. She was terrified and didn't know how to react to what was going on. Earlier, it was easy to want to help. Everyone understood a fight when they saw one. But this… she didn't know what this was. The light was getting brighter and brighter. She had to shield her eyes and was about to ask once again what was going on when there was an explosion of light and wind. The light nearly blinded her and the wind pushed at her. It was strong enough to send Carol and Leo back, pressing them against the wall behind them. Elliot's eyes were watering and she could hardly move, the wind was so strong.
When it stopped, they all tried to catch their breaths and recollect themselves. Elliot blinked and stood up. The humans were coming out of their hiding places and were beginning to gather their things and leave. They came out of the house slowly and then began to leave. They moved slowly and mechanically, as if they were zombies. Wounds were being repaired and their expressions were blank. "She's making them forget…" Carol said slowly. The gate opened and they all began to leave.
Elliot stepped out from behind the bush and watched with a frown on her face. She waved her hand in front of a passing man's face, but she got no response. Not even the witch noticed her. She followed them to the gate and watched them walk down the path and turn onto the road. Her heart began to beat faster. 'I can follow them…' The last man left and she heard someone groan behind her. She whirled around and saw the reptile take a step towards her.
"Elliot…. You're ssssafe…" There was relief in his eyes and she knew that it wasn't the witch. The beast groaned again before falling forward. Elliot started to go forward but then she looked over her shoulder. The gate was wide open. She could just leave right now and go home. She looked back at the beast, lying helpless on the ground, and her lips curved up in a small smile. She couldn't leave him there alone.
She stepped forward and started to pull him up. He was heavy and she groaned under his weight and had to put him back down. She rolled him onto his back and hesitated before feeling his forehead. The scales were very hot. "Someone go get Michael. I need help getting him inside."
A.N. Finally! An update! Well, I hope you all liked it. Lots o' actiony stuff in this chapter. Anyway, thank you very much for your criticisms, Answer! I'm glad someone finally called me on my long windedness. XD I have a horrible habit of making thins move too slowly. Then again, I'm afraid this chapter moved too fast. I have a hard time finding the happy medium. Thanks again, everyone! Oh! And you should all check out my new story. It's based very roughly on The Little Mermaid. I'm still working on the next chapter, but I'm curious to see what people think of it so far. Thanks!