Beast (29 page)

“Well, move so that I may kill my next victim!”

He restarted his chant, and his hands began to glow again. Time seemed to move quickly as he approached us.

There was no time to think, but I knew that I needed to do something.

“Please, Lanelin, do not be frightened. Trust me,” I said, turning toward Lanelin.

His eyes were wide, and he did not say a word. I was sure I had startled him because I had jumped out of nowhere, was able to speak, and also knew his name. There was no time for him to answer, so I did the only thing I could do.

I picked him up, holding him as I had held Mirabelle when she had fallen off of the ladder in the library. The creature chanted faster, and his hands glowed more brightly. I started running as fast as I possibly could. There was no way that I was going to let Mirabelle’s brother die!

Because the creature held power only over the forest, it could not do anything to us once we were out of there. While running, I did not want to look behind me to see if it was following us. Also, I was terrified that if it was, I would trip and fall, along with Lanelin; then my efforts to save him would have been in vain.

Never had I had this much adrenaline. It surprised me. Although I was becoming tired and weak, the will to save him was much stronger than the need to rest. I was going to die soon anyway, so it did not matter.

After running for a long time in the direction I hoped was correct, I could see the edge of the forest. While I was running, I glanced at Lanelin. He looked frightened; not once did he say a word.

At the clearing, I slowed down and tried to figure out where we were. Though I had no clue where I was, I began to walk with him still in my arms.

The whole time I walked, he was silent, though I could hear him taking deep breaths.

After walking around for some time, I finally saw the Rose House in the distance. My heart became overjoyed. I had always told myself that one day I would find this house, and I finally had. But I felt mixed emotions; in a few days, I would never be able to see this house, or anyone in it, ever again.

As I walked up toward the house, I decided to tell Lanelin where we were.

“Please do not be afraid of me. My appearance may be hideous, but my heart is not. That creature you saw was trying to kill you, but I stopped it,” I said.

He stayed completely still.

“Okay, Lanelin, I know that you are probably scared out of your mind and utterly confused, but I am only here to help you arrive at your family’s house. They have missed you, especially your wife, Nadine,” I said softly.

At the mention of his wife, his eyes widened once again.

“The house is just up this walkway. I know that you are sick, but they will surely help you overcome it. Your family has a special place in my heart, especially your youngest sister, Mirabelle,” I said, watching the house come closer as I continued to walk.

Once at the door, I put him on his feet.

“Please tell Mirabelle that I love her and that I hope she finds someone wonderful who can take care of her and love her with all his heart. She deserves a good man.”

I placed my hand in my pocket and felt something. Pulling it out, I realized that it was Mirabelle’s necklace.

“Oh, one last thing—please give this to Mirabelle; it is the necklace that your mother gave her before she passed away. When she asks who it is from, just tell her ‘Will you marry me?’ She will understand.”

I placed the necklace in his hand, and then he put it in his pocket.

I pounded on the door hard enough for the whole family to wake up. Once I heard the floor creaking, I ran to hide behind a tree. I was close enough to watch but far enough away to not be seen. I hoped that Mirabelle was the one to open the door, and then I could see her one last time before I died.

“Who is banging on the door at this hour?” I overheard Mirabelle yell.

As the door opened, I saw Mirabelle and Reynard standing in the doorway. The second I saw her, I smiled. My heart was joyful again in that moment.

“Nadine! Come here; there is something I want to show you,” Mirabelle shouted.

The second Nadine saw Lanelin, she threw her arms around him and wept loudly. I was glad that I had been able to save him from that evil thing. Mirabelle had her whole family once again.

She stepped out of the doorway to look around. I quickly hid completely behind the tree, hoping that she would not see me. Then I heard footsteps coming from behind the tree. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them, I was back in the castle with Buttons sleeping in my lap.

At least I was able to see her one last time.

Before I knew it, five days had passed. By then I had become so weak that I had a difficult time walking over to the vase to take out a rose stem after all the petals fell. Buttons did not seem to be affected, as the roses and I were.

I’d had no other visions since the night that I saved Lanelin from the creature. That was the last time that I had seen Mirabelle; I was dying to see her again. It was hard to go from seeing her every day to not seeing her at all.

While I sat on the couch, with Buttons lying on the chair next to me, I glanced over to the vase from time to time to watch the petals fall. As the petals slowly wafted down, my heart broke a little more. It was almost as though I could hear each petal land on the table. The silence was bothering me.

When the sun set that night, there was an overwhelming feeling in my heart. I began to worry about Buttons.
If he is not affected by me dying, how is he going to live?
That is when I decided to tell the Invisibles to keep the wooden doors open so that he would be able to escape.

Then that fateful day finally came. It was the last day that I would be alive. When I watched the first petal fall off the last rose, I began to weep. I wept for my parents, I wept for the loss of my friends, I wept for Buttons, I wept for Mirabelle, and I wept for her family, but I did not weep for myself.

I knew that I was making the right choice by protecting Mirabelle rather than living. If I did an evil thing just to save myself, there would be no way that I could live with myself. Knowing that Mirabelle was home and safe with her family made my heart joyful. Although that awful creature had attempted to corrupt me, I knew that I was better than that. I only hoped that by the end of this day, I would have no regrets.

It was about noon when I tried to stand up for the first time. My legs could not even hold me up. I fell flat on the floor face-first. Since there was no way I could stand up, I rolled onto my back with my eyes closed. Once I opened them, the room’s mood had changed.

It was still afternoon, but a darkness was setting in. I managed to sit up and climb my way back onto the couch. Somehow I positioned myself on it so that I could look over the back and scan the room.

The six rose stems lying next to the vase had turned completely black. I turned my head toward the window. I could see giant black clouds rolling in. A storm was making its way over to the castle. There had not been a huge storm around the castle since before the curse. I knew that the storm had something to do with my impending death.

As I slowly sank back onto the couch, Buttons woke up; he crawled into my lap. My hand was near his face, so he began to lick it. He must have known that something was going to happen, because he would not stop licking me or leave my side. All I could do was enjoy the last moments that I had left with him.

As I looked at him, tears came into my eyes. I was more worried about him than I was about myself. He sat in my lap and purred, trying to comfort me as tears rolled off my cheeks and onto his fur.

When I turned my head to the left, the Rose House caught my attention. I grabbed the painting and brought it closer to me. I started to speak to Mirabelle, but it was also a prayer.

“Mirabelle,” I began, “I hope that your brother is healed soon and that he will be able to help your family out in whatever way is needed. I hope that Nadine is always there for your family and sees you as her own. Also, I hope that Evaline lives life to the fullest and puts herself out there for love to find her, along with your family’s love for her. Also, I hope that your father rejoices in your family every chance he has.

“And you, my wondrous beauty, the love of my life, Mirabelle, do not let any moment pass you by without cherishing it. Life is never how we think it should be. It is my deepest hope and desire that you find a gentleman who will love you with all his heart. A gentleman who will treat you like the princess you are and never forget what an incredible woman he has. Along with that, I hope that all of your dreams and hopes come to you, that your life is all that you want it to be.”

Tears streamed down my face and fell on the painting as I spoke.

My heart was broken—both because she had left and because I would never see her again. My breaths were short and shallow, making it difficult to breathe, let alone speak.

As the day went on, the darkness became more apparent. Around the time that the sun normally set, the Invisibles lit all the torches and candles on the walls.

I turned to glance at the vase and saw another petal slowly fall off the stem and onto the table.

I felt as if the petal were being plucked out of my heart. It was painful to watch. I had to turn my head back toward the fire.

A few hours later, it became difficult for me to breathe; I knew my death was imminent. Buttons was lying on the top of the couch, by my head.

My legs began to ache in a way that I had never felt before. I placed my right hand on my chest, attempting to control my breathing. Then my heart began to flutter, and my eyes filled with tears. Any minute now, I was going to be taken away forever. The only good part was that I would no longer be the Beast.

I slowly and painfully stood up. By holding on to the couch and chair, I attempted to walk over to the table. Suddenly my body plummeted to the ground with a loud thud. I landed on my face, but my body rolled itself over onto my back. Before I fell, I noticed that there were two or three petals left on the last rose stem.

The darkness was filling the room more, or my eyesight was leaving me. I heard a little thud, and then tiny paws were on my right arm. Buttons was standing near me, licking me. He was trying his hardest to wake me up.

My body began to convulse; this was it. Suddenly I saw Mirabelle’s beautiful face. Then I faintly heard her voice.

“Beast, wake up! Please wake up!” she said.

I felt as if something were grabbing on to my arms. Then I felt water dripping on my face. All I could see was Mirabelle’s face directly in front of mine; the rest of the room began to disappear. But I was fading so quickly that I did not know what was real and what was fantasy anymore.

“Please, Beast, do not die! I need you!” She hesitated and then shouted, “I love you, Beast! I want to marry you!”

Her face began to fade, and a bright white light appeared in her place.

“I love you, Mirabelle,” I was able to stammer before the light engulfed me.

In that moment, my pain, anxiety, and difficulty breathing disappeared. I was at peace.

Suddenly I was gasping for air. I opened my eyes. I was lying on the floor in the dining room of the castle, staring at a ceiling. I did not know where I was and kept blinking my eyes. I had no idea what was going on.

Something was different; I felt different. No longer was it difficult to breathe; I was no longer convulsing, and I felt no cramping in my legs. As I lay there, my whole body seemed strange.

Finally, I positioned my arm to allow me to sit up. As I did this, I could not believe what my eyes saw.

Mirabelle was maybe ten feet away from me, holding on to Buttons. She had an interesting look upon her face. She looked frightened and confused; her eyes seemed to search the room for something.

“Mirabelle!” I shouted excitedly.

Her eyes were wide open, but she did not say a single word. She just stared at me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked her.

When I spoke, I realized that my voice was different; it was no longer booming, extremely deep, or animal-like.

I placed my hand on my throat. When my hand came in contact with my neck, I did not feel what I had expected to feel. There was no hair on my neck any longer—only skin!

Then I proceeded to examine my body. My clothes were loose as I grabbed them. I felt my arms, grabbed my legs, stared at my fingers, wiggled my toes, and touched my back, expecting to feel a tail. To my surprise, I was no longer a beast but a man!

“Oh my goodness! I am a man again!” I shouted to the heavens.

Mirabelle was still far from me. She squinted and tilted her head to the right as she studied me.

“Mirabelle, it is me!”

Buttons wiggled his way out of her arms and ran over to me. He rubbed up against me while purring and meowing. After he did this, the look on Mirabelle’s face softened.

“B-Beast? Is that really you?” she said quietly.

“Yes, my love, it is me! Why are you here? I did not expect to ever see you again.”