Author's note: Basically English is not my native tongue, and I grew up with Chinese-cultural upbringing. Please forgive me for any typo or grammar errors.
To kittyhawk09, thanks for the review.
Summary: The whispers were everywhere, among the rose bushes of many colors, around me when the winds blew, and inside my head. I rubbed my tired eyelids and blinked harder. "Oh great! I'm making this a habit now!" I sighed in annoyance.
Disclaimer: All Beauty and the Beast characters belong to Disney. Only the original characters belong to me. The story is purely fictional. Any resemblance to actual individuals or events are coincidental.
Beauty and the Beast: The Story Writer
By beautyding
Chapter 2: Rose bushes of many colors
When I reached home after school, I always checked around the apartment first. "Grandma, I'm home." That was the first thing I'm being taught. "It is a must to show your respect to your elders" My mother always reminded me this, even till today, it is the number one rule in most Asian cultural upbringings.
Before my grandma had a chance to respond, I quickly ran away towards the bedroom. While passing through the doorway, I gave the spring cradle which was hanging from the grate wire lintel a few pulls, proceeded into the bedroom, putting away my school bag and changed myself into a white cotton round neck shirt and a black color shorts. The first chore after school will always be looking after my baby brother before I could have something to eat and bathe.
Growing up in a traditional Chinese family was not easy. It was harder for the women, especially those who were being assumed to be cursed. Ever since I was four, I'm always confused and self-abased. No matter what I did, people were constantly degrading me, with physical and verbal abuses. As the degradation years continued, things get worse when I turned eight. I become more depressed upon knowing why I was being treated unfairly. I kept having suicidal thoughts and actually did somethings, like, crossing a busy road with my eyes closed, turning off switches with wet hands. Even when I told someone, or trying to ask for helps, no one could understand, they would constantly accusing me for trying to get attention without asking the reasons behind. "You are justing acting up to get attention!"
I always wondered how did I managed to survive? Even till this day, I could only say, it is a miracle to be alive.
Soon it will be night time. I had to complete the rests of my stuffs before nine o-clock. Double checking my homeworks, packing my school bag for the next school day, ironing my two-pieces school uniform which consisted of a short sleeved button-up white blouse and a dark navy square neck dress, and make sure my white shoes were dried from the afternoon whitening before I brought them indoor. All these could only be done after I had completed the same for my other brother who is a year younger than me. "It is so unfair. I'm only ten." I mumbled before dragging myself to wash up and brushed my teeth before bed.
Once gotten in the share king-sized bed, being tired, I fell into slumber immediately. However, I was disturbed by some distant whispers. "Belle means beauty and beste means beast... Belle means beauty and beste means beast..." I opened my eyes instantly and turned my head right and left, and found I'm the only one in bed. "Huh? Where is my brother?" I rubbed my tired eyelids and blinked at the sound of the whispers. "Belle means beauty and beste means beast..."
Pulling myself up into sitting positions, I surveyed the unlit room with the help from the streetlights outside the windows."Who is it? I'm trying to sleep... Please stop disturbing me." No one answered. I kept looking around the room and it was way too quiet as if sound was absent. Not even my breathing or heart beats could be heard.
Panicking I got off the bed and ran past the doorway towards the archway which lead to the living room. To my surprise, my baby brother was also missing from the spring cradle and after existing the archway, the living room was gone and it turned into a garden full of rose bushes of many colors. I turned around in the archway direction and to my horror, it was no longer there. I rubbed my tired eyelids and blinked at the waterfall. Dumbfounded, I was breathless, confused, floored and afraid.
"Belle means beauty and beste means beast..." I startled and turned around to determine where the whispers were coming from. "Belle means beauty and beste means beast..." The whispers were everywhere, among the rose bushes of many colors, around me when the winds blew, and inside my head. I rubbed my tired eyelids and blinked harder. "Oh great! I'm making this a habit now!" I sighed in annoyance. "You seem to enjoy talking to yourself?" I rubbed my tired eyelids and blinked at the voice.
When I lifted up my chin, I noticed standing on a stone pathway ( which I did not noticed in the first place ) was a young lady. She had a small frame, glowing pale skin, a small button nose, a pair of thin pinkish lips, straight and black long hairs, a pair of perfectly big and round eyes with dark brown pupils. She was wearing a black sweatshirt underneath a dark navy vest, black long pants and black hooded boots. She was not a great beauty, but the way she presented herself with confidence, there was no doubt, she was beautiful. "Have I saw her before? She look familiar..." I mused.
Before I could asked the young lady anything, I felt sharp pains on my arms and shoulders. Immediately, I woke up clenching my fists and teeth tearfully. "You! Lazy girl! You have overslept! Get out of bed now!" I jumped right away off the bed in fear. No point arguing back since I did overslept. I took a last glance towards the king-sized bed. My brother and my parents were still sleeping. "This is so unfair..." I sobbed in silence heading for the kitchen.
End of chapter 2