AN: Hello again! Sorry I have updated in awhile. Right now I'm focused on my Pride and Prejudice fan fiction (yes this is a blatant and manipulative form of advertising. Don't judge but please read!) so this isn't really priority. I promise I will finish it though. Thanks to VikingsGurl1234 who prodded me into posting this. Let's see if we can't get a few more reviews just because I love hearing from you. I've mentioned this in my other story but if anyone of you guys have suggestions, questions, or want a reply to your review drop me a line. I'd love it. Enjoy!
Chapter Three
Beast meets Beauty
Preparing for a trip in secret is not the easiest thing. Every minute I felt my family was checking over my shoulder to make sure that I wasn't packing to leave. Beth was the only one that didn't watch my every waking moment. She seemed to look at me with sad resignation and I hoped she didn't guess my plan.
That hope was shattered the morning I was going to leave. I was standing in my meadow with a backpack full clothes and books, and my violin case, which was also filled with not only my instrument but more clothes and books. The ring was on my finger but I couldn't bring myself to twist it. Maybe he wouldn't come looking for me. I quickly dismissed the thought; of course he'd come. He was a Beast after all, albeit a mildly tame one. Perhaps I could convince him to let me go once I got there. I was pondering all this, while fiddling with the roses velvety petals, when a voice startled me.
"I thought I'd find you here," Beth said, walking toward me. "Ronnie and Dad aren't up yet so I figured I'd come say goodbye when they wouldn't be suspicious." She sat down by me in the grass and put her arm around me.
"I don't know what to do, Beth," I muttered and buried my face in her shoulder. I felt her chuckle.
"Isabelle, you've know what you were going to do the minute that rose opened and you grabbed the ring," she said and I stared at her.
"You saw that?" I asked and she laughed again.
"Yeah," she grinned. "Ronnie did too but she didn't see the ring." She sobered suddenly. "You know what you need to do, Belle. Just do it." I started a little at the name but nodded.
"Tell Ronnie and Dad that I love them," I said, standing up. "Thanks, Beth. And don't worry. Jimmy is coming back." Her boyfriend, Jimmy Anderson, was in the Army and was currently missing in action. It had broken her heart but I always believed he was alive and coming home.
"I love you, Isabelle," Beth said with tears in her eyes. "Come home. Do what you have to but then come home."
"I promise, Beth," I replied, my eyes getting misty. I put on my backpack and picked up my violin. When I tried to smile at Beth, it came out as a grimace and she laughed wetly. I heaved a breath and turned the ring three times. Then I was thrown into a world of shimmering colors. All around me, images flew past. A monster with sharp fangs reached out towards me and a blue rose twined itself around me. Its petals stroked my cheek but I could feel the lies beneath their whispers. A bright light flashed, forcing me to close my eyes, and suddenly I came to standstill. Air was no longer rushing around me and my feet were planted on the hard ground. My knees gave out and then my face was planted on the hard ground.
"Never again," I muttered into the wet grass and struggled to sit up. When I opened my eyes all I saw was a wall of glowing mist just like my father described. The note said the Beast would be here to meet me but I was here, all alone.
"Where are you!" I shouted and then the rain started. I looked up into the sky as it rained and growled.
"Very funny!" I yelled to the sky. "Even Mother Nature is trying her best to make my day horrible. I didn't even mention that it couldn't get any worse yet!"
"Are you in the habit of shouting at the sky?" a deep, rumbling voice asked from behind me. I jumped and whirled around. A bulky shape stood in the shadows and I could see its shoulders moving in a silent laugh.
"Maybe I am," I snapped but instantly regretted it. "I'm sorry. That was rude. Not usually but sometimes you just need let your frustration out on something that hopefully won't speak back."
"Polite and witty," the deep voice growled. "A very rare combination. Welcome to the edge of my property."
"Are we going through the mist?" I asked as the rain poured. I'm sure that by then that I looked a little like a drowned rat.
"Yes we are," he replied, "but first you must answer my questions with complete honesty. May I please have the rose that I sent to you?"
"Okay," I said warily and handed it to him.
"Did you come here of your own free will?" he inquired. I nodded and the rose glowed bright. That's when I saw him. He stood on two legs like a man but he was just as my father described. His bright eyes were most definitely human and exactly the same color of the rose.
"Do I frighten you?" he asked seriously. I contemplated the question for a little before answering.
"Yes and no," I replied. "Anyone is afraid of the unknown and the strange but I don't believe that you wish to harm me."
"A sensible answer," he said. "Do you promise to stay on this property until I give you permission to leave?"
"Are you going to make me stay if I don't?" I inquired. He bared his teeth and I couldn't tell whether he was smiling or trying to be intimidating.
"Perhaps," he said, "but it'll be easier if you just promise."
"I promise," I said and a bright light flashed. I felt my head hit the ground but then the world went black.
I tried to open my eyes when I regained consciousness but soon discovered that was a bad idea. I groaned softly.
"Is she awake?" I heard someone whisper. "I hope she is. It's going to be so nice to have another person in the house again." I opened my eyes slightly and flinched at the sunlight coming through the bed curtains. Bed curtains? Last time I checked, I was hitting the wet ground. Not lying on an extremely comfortable, extremely big bed.
"Hush please, Jackie," another voice whispered. "If he finds out we woke her up, he'll be extremely angry.
"Hello," I called. "Is there someone there?" I pulled aside the fabric but saw no one. When I checked the other side, it was also strangely empty. I cautiously got out of the big bed. As I looked around the room, I gasped. The room was almost as big as my house. The walls were a mural of my meadow and the carpet was as soft as grass. The bed's canopy was green with splotches of white that were supposed to be daisies. Tears came to my eyes.
"Do you like it?" the first voice asked excitedly. I gave a small scream and jumped back onto the bed.
"Jackie," the second voice scolded. Suddenly an older woman with graying hair appeared. "Hello, Miss Hessiton. I'm Mrs. White, the housekeeper."
"Housekeeper?" I repeated. "What is this place?"
"I'm afraid I can't say," Mrs. White said. "Kanon is calling me. Miss Hessiton, do you prefer chicken or beef?"
"E Either is fine," I stammered. She nodded and left the room.
"Well, I'm glad that she's gone," the first voice huffed. "She never lets me have any fun."
"Um, who are you?" I asked the empty room because I couldn't see her. A distinct feminine giggle filled the air.
"Sorry, I'm not used to new people," the voice said. "I'm an invisible servant. I'll be the one helping you dress."
"Can you turn uninvisible?" I asked. It was strange talking to no one.
"Of course," she said, "but, as I said, I'm not used to it." All of a sudden a girl appeared in front of me. She couldn't have been more than fifteen with innocent hazel eyes and braided blonde hair. When she materialized, I gave another little scream and held a hand to my heart. She giggled again.
"What's your name?" I inquired, trying to catch my breath. "And tell me a little about yourself please."
"My name is Jackie and I'm going to be the one helping you dress every day," she told me.
"Jackie I can dress myself," I said. She looked me over and snorted.
"You call that dressing. You look like a man in those trousers. Just wait until you see yourself in a beautiful forest green gown with gold trimmings. I have one just perfect for dinner tonight."
"Whoa hold the phone," I exclaimed. "A dress? Nope no way. I don't do dresses."
"The Master won't like you wearing those to a fancy dinner," she retorted, "and I'm your dresser. You have to wear what I want you to or you go naked." I growled under my breath and decided that I didn't need enemies in my new home.
"Fine," I grumbled and Jackie clapped her hands together.
"Excellent," she grinned. "Now let's get you dressed for dinner."
It took Jackie a good thirty minutes to wrestle me into that dress. She wanted to stuff me into a corset but I warned her that I would walk around in a sheet if she forced me into it.
"What century do you think we're in?" I asked as I saw my reflection. I looked like someone from renaissance England.
Jackie shrugged. "It's the eighteenth century last time I checked."
"Eighteenth?" I exclaimed. "Jackie, it's the twenty-first century." What the heck is going on here?
"I suppose it has been a long time since I've been out of the castle," she said.
I put my hand on her shoulder. "If the Beast ever lets me leave the castle, we'll go shopping for some modern clothes."
"Oh no," Jackie said eyes huge, "you can't ever leave. Then we'd be stuck here forever."
"What are you talking about?" I inquired. She clapped her hands over her mouth.
"I'm such a blabber mouth," she gasped. Huge tears filled her eyes.
"Hey it's okay," I said soothingly. "Just forget I asked." A knock sounded on the door and Jackie's reply was cut off.
"Miss Hessiton," a black haired man said as he opened the door, "Dinner is ready. Please allow me to escort you down to the dining hall."
"That'd be great," I replied and smiled reassuringly back at Jackie. The man led me down the many twisting and turning halls until we stopped at an ornate mahogany door.
"Miss Hessiton." The man bowed and walked away. I gathered my courage and opened the doors. The beast sat at the end of a long table. When I entered, he stood up.
"Welcome, Miss Hessiton," he greeted me. "Please sit down and eat something." I did as he said. The chicken was excellent and I soon realized how hungry I was.
"I'm sorry to do this to you," the Beast said. "I know it must be hard. I've been away from my family for a very long time as well."
"Well I appreciate your concern," I said, "but I did come here of my own free will."
"Indeed you did," the Beast mused.
"I do have a question though," I told him.
"What is that?"
"What is your name?" I asked him. "I need something to call you."
"Unfortunately I cannot tell you my name," he answered. "For now, you may just call me Beast."
"Why can't you tell me your name?" I inquired.
"I will explain that in time," he said. "But first, there are some rules to this castle. During the full moon, the forest and grounds are off limits at night. No matter what you hear, there will be no leaving the castle. Do you understand, Miss Hessiton?"
I nodded. "But my name is Isabelle." He studied me for a moment.
"I believe I will call you Belle," he said.
"I'd rather you didn't," I replied. "I've always gone by Isabelle and I'd like to keep it that way."
"Your father always referred to you as Belle." I made a face.
"I knew they called me that behind my back," I muttered.
"Perhaps we can compromise," Beast suggested. "I'll call you Issie instead."
"Do you just have a thing for nicknames?" I asked. "Or is Isabelle too hard to say." He made a sort of wheezing sound that must have been a laugh.
"I just enjoy nicknames," he said. "Now is there anything you need? I would like you to be as comfortable as possible."
"Actually yes," I replied. "Jackie seems to think it's still the renaissance. Although I love this dress, it's not really my style. Jackie obviously hasn't been out in a while and I would love to take her shopping." At the mention of leaving, his jaw clenched.
"Shopping will not be necessary," he said. "I will be able to get you more comfortable clothes."
"Thank you," I told him. "I promise to stay in the castle during the full moons but can I walk the grounds any other times?"
"Of course," he said. Then he asked about my interests and how I spent my time. We got into a lively discussion about books.
"Have you ever read Romeo and Juliet?" I asked him. He snorted slightly.
"Of all of Shakespeare's plays, that one was the most pointless," he said. "There were never two more idiotic people in the world. They call it a tragedy but when they're both finally dead, I believe I yelled for joy."
"Finally someone gets it," I exclaimed. "My sisters both think it's the most romantic thing they've ever read but it's just plain foolish." This led us into the topic of my family and at around nine o'clock I started to yawn.
"You must be tired," Beast said. "It's been a long day. Tomorrow I will show you the library. Good night Issie."
"Good night," I said and trudged out of the dining area. Then I realized I was hopelessly lost.
"Would you like some help?" Mrs. White suddenly appeared.
"You wouldn't happen to have a map of the castle would you?" I asked hopefully. Mrs. White smiled and shook her head. I sighed. "Oh well. I supposed I'll figure it out eventually."
"Come on," she said. "I'll show you back to your room." It took a while but I did get back to my room. Jackie was there; ready to help me out of the torture device she had put me in.
"How was dinner?" she asked. I yawned and gazed sleepily at myself in the mirror as Jackie brushed my hair. I was too tired to protest.
"It wasn't bad," I said. "The food was good and Beast was kind. I'm just a little homesick."
"This is your home now," Jackie said. "The master is trying really hard to make this place more comfortable for you. He had the servants redo this entire room so it'd be ready for you."
"Jackie, home isn't where you currently are," I told her. "Home is where there are people who love you. This is a house full of strangers." Jackie didn't say anything but her fingers began to braid my long tresses. When she was done, I practically jumped into bed. I was so exhausted but I mostly just wanted to be alone to cry.
"Do you need anything else?" Jackie asked.
"No, thank you," I muttered into my pillow as the tears started. "Good night Jackie."
"Good night, Miss," she said and I heard the door open and close. Then I couldn't hold it together. The tears flowed freely as I sobbed. It took me almost ten minutes to calm down. When I did, I found that I wasn't tired. Well my body was but my mind was wide awake. I sighed to myself. There was only one thing to. Jackie had forced me into a simple nightgown and I desperately wanted my pajama pants or shorts. The soft fabric swished as I walked but I ignored it and opened my violin case.
"Hello Gusto," I greeted my French made fiddle. I picked him up and made sure he was in tune. After tightening and rosining my bow, I place it on Gusto's strings and played. The music washed over me. I wasn't actually playing a piece but from my own imagination. At around midnight, a wave of exhaustion hit me. My bow fell to the floor and I almost dropped Gusto as well. I staggered to my bed and literally fell into it. Then I fell asleep with Gusto still clutched in my hand.
I forgot to tell you. The nickname Beast uses isn't pronounce "Izzie" it pronounced, "Is see". I thought that a (sort of) unique character needed an equally unique nickname. Thanks for reading. review review review review! I'd love you forever if you did.