Chapter 1: An Unwelcome Visitor

Nathaniel Newport sat at his desk, clicking through photos of himself on Facebook, untagging any that were unattractive. Not that there were very many, he thought, opening Photo Booth on his Macbook Pro to get a better look at himself. 26 years old with jet-black hair, strong jaw lines, slate-grey eyes and a killer smile, Nathaniel was a very handsome individual, especially in his own eyes. He was just returning to Facebook so continue his scrutiny of his profile, he heard a beep from his office phone. Pressing the speaker button, he responded with a tone dripping with impatience and disdain.

"Yes?"

"There's a… lady here to see you sir. Shall I send her in?" The voice of his secretary replied. He just loved it when people called him 'sir.' It made him feel that much more important.

"Very well," he replied. It was Christmas Eve, and while Nathaniel had no time for celebrating in the traditional way, he knew the majority of the country was eating a large feast, or praying in a church. What does this woman want? He thought, as he closed his laptop and opened the file on the desk that his secretary had placed there specifically for this purpose. He began skimming the document, not really absorbing any of the material, as the door opened softly. Nathaniel's eyes remained trained on the document, even as he felt the woman come to stand a few feet from his desk.

"Well? What do you want? A job? A pamphlet? Perhaps an ad for your local newspaper." he began wearily, still not looking up. When she did not respond right away, he snapped "Hurry up! I don't have all day!" He heard her draw a ragged breath, before beginning softly,

"Nothing, sir. Nothing of that nature, sir."

Nathaniel's head shot up, his cold grey eyes shocked and accusatory as he took in her disfigured appearance that matched her hideous voice. Her back was humped, and her left shoulder sank into her side. Her right hip jutted out in a gnarled bump and a lumpy brown cloak covered her body. Her face was melted like wax, and her nose stuck out in a hook. A large mole graced her cheek, and her beady black eyes were sunk into her head. Nathaniel had always been afraid of ugliness, ever since his grandmother—a rare specimen of spitefulness—told him that while his good looks were a blessing, he should stay away from the ugly lest he become ugly himself. Granted, he did not believe in ugliness by osmosis anymore, but his flawless features trained his mind to feel superior to others in every way, and he always shied away from those who did not live up to his (very high) standards. Thus, upon seeing the woman before him, he stood up quickly, his chair flying against the wall with a loud bang, as his backed from the hag before him.

"Get out!" he whispered harshly, his mind in turmoil. What if one of his clients saw her in his office? He would be the laughing stock of the whole town!

"Please sir, give me only five minutes of your time, dear sir! My children and I have nowhere to go, no food to eat, and it is Christmas Eve! All I ask is that you give me five minutes of your time, and then I will leave! Is that too much to ask?" she begged, coming around the side of the desk. Nathaniel continued to cower away from her. He stopped as his back met the cold of the windowpane behind him.

"You have already taken too much of my time!" he cried, his eyes flashing, all attempts at discretion abandoned. She continued to advance, at the same time pulling from her cloak a single red rose.

"Please, I will give you this rose in payment. I would give more, but I have nothing else to give," she pleaded, her hooked nose mere inches from his face.

"What would I want with your puny rose?" he scoffed flapping his hands in her face to try to keep her away. When that did not work, he cried, "Get away from me, you wretch!" At that, she withdrew, just as the window behind Nathaniel flew open, blowing leaves and dirt from the roof into his office. Nathaniel wheeled around, and slammed the window shut once more, ending the onslaught of airborne debris. He turned around, muttering about sporadic windows, when he suddenly stopped. Standing before him was the most beautiful woman Nathaniel had ever seen. Her chocolate brown hair cascaded down her back past her waist, and her skin was radiant with a warm pink glow. Her form was full and curvy and the tight fitting gown molded to her like a glove, accenting her hourglass figure. However, it was her eyes that rendered Nathaniel speechless, though he was rarely a man who went for a woman based on her eyes. The lady's eyes were almost iridescent green, gleaming with a dangerous light that forced Nathaniel to look away.

"My L-Lady!" He stammered, "What—, Where—?" He trailed off in confusion. After a moment of silence, the Lady spoke.

"You are a cruel and selfish man, Nathaniel James Newport." Her voice was regal and commanding, and Nathaniel could not help cowering away from her. "You care not for the feelings of anyone but yourself; you seek to better yourself at the cost of others." With every word, the Lady became more majestic, glowing with an otherworldly aura. "As you have failed to look past the exterior of others to see their true personality within, let your true personality be known to all. You shall have but one chance to redeem yourself. If by your thirtieth birthday, you find a maiden to love who loves you in return, you shall be restored to your human form. However, if you should fail, you shall remain a beast forever!" With that proclamation, she began to fade as the curse sank into Nathaniel's mind. Desperately, he cried out,

"Wait! How shall I find this girl?" But the majestic Lady had turned to dust and blown from his room…

Hope you all liked it! I realize now that I left out a crucial point in the prologue, but hopefully I will make sure everything's clear by the time it comes into play...I don't think i will be all that confusing, but if you are confused, don't hesitate to let me know. Hehe, yes, I am trying to be sneaky. What I am trying to say is please please please review! Even if you're only saying that you're reading it, that's great. please, if you want more, TELL ME! otherwise, i don't know how I'll stay motivated. So please review, and I promise, the number of reviews and the time it takes me to write a chapter is directly proportional...

Lauren: Hope you liked the changes. There weren't really all that many, but as I read over it, I realized that I wanted to keep this PG for my audience, so I have toned it down, as you requested. thanks again =]

as I said, directly proportional, cough cough...=]

A-N