Bo and the Beast (Book #1) (Completed)

29. How?

The Beast came to her side as they walked down the winding paths, following the sparkling lights that glowed softly and made Bo think of back home where they relied on lightbulbs to brighten the nights. She hadn't been able to see her family on the screen for a few days, and it worried her that the camp had barely any activity. She wondered if they'd gone out scavenging, leaving only a skeleton crew behind. Whatever the reason, she wasn't sure she liked it. It worried her.

The Beast, unaware of her thoughts, still rode the elation of the stage. He spun and walked backward, facing Bo. He stuck his hands in the pockets of the midnight blue coat, the tails flapping against his legs. It went well with his blue skin, though Bo felt weird thinking it.

"I was looking through the books in the library, and I found one I wanted to give you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin book with a milky cover and words pressed in gold. He handed it to Bo, and she read the title.

"Poems of Robert Frost," she said.

"Poems? What are those?"

"Like a song. But not," Bo said. She barely knew what they were either. If it wasn't for one being in one of her books at home, she'd have no clue.

"Oh. I thought the formatting looked strange," the Beast said, stilling walking backward and grinning at her. "Do you like poems?"

Bo nodded. "They're nice. Thank you."

He finally spun back around and fell back in line with her. An awkward silence developed between them. Bo ran her fingers absently along the spine of the book, looking down at it but not seeing it. She had already started to worry about home, and once she started doing that she knew she wouldn't be able to stop.

The Beast, sensing that the mood had changed, gave her a puzzled look. "What's the matter?"

"I'm just worried about my family," Bo said, sighing and looking at the sky.

"Do you want to see them in the screen?" the Beast said, pointing back to the house.

Bo shook her head. "I wouldn't see anything this late."

The Beast twisted his lips and kicked at a pebble. "I still do not understand this concept of 'family'. Why do you worry so much for them? Are they not capable of taking care of themselves?"

"Yes, of course they are. But it's still... look, it's hard to explain. Everyone worries about their family. That's just how it is."

"Do you think... if you feel sad when thinking about someone, that it means you love them?" he asked.

"I suppose it could mean that. Why?"

The Beast stopped walking. Bo didn't realize until she was a few steps away from him. She turned and he glanced up at her.

"I have a picture of my mother," he replied, simply.

"Really?" Bo asked, raising an eyebrow. It wasn't like aliens to take pictures of themselves. They held no place in their heart for remembrance.

The Beast nodded and reached into his pocket to bring out a slip of paper that was much like the one he had in his study of her in her blue dress. Bo stiffened at the sight, wanting to see but not wanting to ask. She knew that the topic of her own mother was one she locked behind a metal door in her mind, and would never share with anyone. She wasn't sure if the Beast was similar.

"I believe she died soon after I was born. She didn't... she wasn't suited for our kind of life." His hand shook ever so slightly as he held the photo and looked down at it.