Chapter Two-Voyeur

Wow, more reviews. Thanks so much everyone for the constant guidance. Here's another update as promised. I've taken longer this time because I'm trying to escape the dreaded short chapter syndrome. This chapter was partially inspired by me as I love watching people going about their everyday lives. It's fun til someone notices you staring……..as our Beast is about to discover. Oh whilst I'm at it, can anyone think of a good name for him? I don't want to call him Vincent

Disclaimer- I am not Walt Disney. It would be beyond creepy and gross if I was. The characters and vague plot are not mine but his and his animators. I would like to claim the new Beast as mine though, cos I just want to give him endless hugs.

Silent and still, the man behind the binoculars studied his view. He always found watching people fascinating. Each person had their own walk and their own funny little mannerisms-noticeable to everyone but themselves. On a day like market day, the streets he watched so steadfastly were full of life and character. Everywhere his gaze turned there were colours and shapes-people laughing, skipping, crying. A child pulling a face when his mothers back was turned, a couple so in love they walked down the street arm-in-arm oblivious to everyone around them, a girl on the edge of town watching people like he was………

His binoculars focused on her. She was standing still and by herself, her eyes seemingly fixed on two people arguing further down the street. His eyes quickly flickered back to them; he knew them well, or as well as a voyeur could know them. The taller one spent most of his time strutting round the town like a peacock whilst the smaller one ran after him like a chick looking for its mother. A morbid fascination always made him watch them briefly, but soon their actions bored him, as they were boring him now, and his wandering eye would become fixed on someone else. Like her.

The girl hadn't moved. He wondered why she was watching the other two so attentively. He pressed the zoom button, and wished he hadn't. The girl's eyes seemed glassy, almost like there was a thin veil over them keeping their contents from spilling down her reddening cheek. Her arm, holding a bag, seemed to be quivering slightly as though the bag was becoming too heavy for her to hold. He noticed she was delicately chewing on her bottom lip. Suddenly it struck him-he had never seen anything so beautiful as this girl who stood alone, slightly trembling, on the edge of town. He sensed there was so much more to her than what his binoculars would allow him to see, and this made her so beautiful that he could not stop watching her.

Suddenly, she stared right at him.

He backed up so suddenly he almost tripped over the table behind him. His heart thumped in his chest. Panic ran riot in his brain. What if she saw him? It hadn't occurred to him that somebody could see him seeing them. His head, ignoring the pounding of his heart, interrupted. "It's impossible. No-one would be able to see him, and even if they did, his face would be obscured by the binoculars." Carefully, he walked back to the window, shakily bringing his windows to the world back up to his eyes.

But she was gone.

Slowly, he sat back down on the stool, listening to his breathing slow along with his heart. He cursed himself for being so jumpy. There was no way she could have seen him. After all, he could only see the town through his father's powerful binoculars, and she had only her naked eyes. Maybe she had noticed something in the trees or in the sky that had caught her attention. No-one knew he was there. There would have been nothing to make her look at the tiny attic window engulfed by forest. He felt relief wash over him like a comfort blanket, but was then shocked to also find a twinge of disappointment hiding under the relief. Did a part of him want to be discovered? That moment when he thought he had been seen-his racing heart, his rapid breathing, the adrenaline rush…..he found himself hating the calm that now filled his soul with emptiness. For that briefest of brief moments, he had felt alive.

Contemplation became visible on his brow. Had it been the girl who had had that effect or the fear of being seen? Her face once again played on his vision, her sad, sweet face……

For the first time since he could remember, the voyeur smiled.

Ok, ok, I know, it's still fairly short but if I was anymore descriptive, I'd be in danger of turning into Stephen King. The next chapter will be action-packed, and should therefore be longer. A few shout-outs to my reviewers….

TrudiRose-Good point about the name thing. I want to give the characters more updated names, but for some reason Gaston alluded me. I was going to call him Tristan but wasn't too sure if it suited him. Luckily, there was no need for names in the chapter I just wrote but the next chapter will need them.

Ok, everyone, help me out with the names here. I want something good for our Beast, and opinions on Tristan as the updated Gaston.

Spyderweb13-Thank you! I'm really hoping this is going to work as a modern fairytale. Fingers crossed!

Bellamegs- Yeah, I know. You have every right to kick me for this section also being short, they're slowly getting longer though!

LumBabsFan-Thanks. I'm going to do my best to keep the story in a realistic setting, yet keep some fairytale element to it. Let me know if it stops working.

KatyRose-Yay! It's my favourite Disney movie of all-time too. I just hope I can do it justice.

Virtual hugs and chocolate cake for all my reviewers. It means a lot to me that I have people taking the time to read and review, specially since I'm a newbie.