The Other Side of the Door

Chapter 9

The beast looked down at his lap sullenly. "I don't know how."

"You don't know how to read?" I stared at him in shock. He looked incredibly ashamed, which made me feel a little bit guilty.

"No, I'm afraid not."

"I could teach you!" I kind of squealed, then realized who I was talking to. I bit my lip to get myself to shut up. There was no way the beast would even want to learn how to read, and he sure as heck didn't want to spend time with me, or anyone. He liked to sulk on his own. 

"I would like that," he looked up at me. 

I was really taken aback. This was one of the first proper conversations I was having with the beast, and I agreed to teach him to read? What was wrong with me? And what was wrong with him? Why would he accept my offer? He hated me, and I hated him!

"That's wonderful. When would you like to start your lessons?" I inquired, ignoring my better judgment. I had no idea what I was doing. 

The beat was quiet for a second. "Next week." 

"Of course. Please excuse me. I need to finish cleaning," I stood up, taking the dishes to the kitchen. I honestly didn't have any cleaning left, but I just wanted to get out of the dining room before I volunteered to do something else for the beast. 

"How was dinner, dear?" Mrs. Potts asked me, helping one of the teacups clean up. 

"It was... interesting. I'm going to teach him to read," I replied, tightening the apron on my dress. 

"That's wonderful, dear! It's about time he learns," Mrs. Potts chuckled. 

"I suppose. I sort of... accidentally... volunteered," I tied my hair back, feeling hot suddenly. 

"But you still did it, and that's very honorable of you," she smiled at me. 

"Thank you," I sighed. 

"Do you start tomorrow?" 

I bit my lip. "No, we start next week."

Mrs. Potts made a face at this. "Next week? Neither of you do very much. There's no reason you shouldn't start tomorrow."

She had a very good point. There was no reason we couldn't start the next day. "Perhaps he is busy this week."

Suddenly, my lip was bleeding from all of the biting it had gone through. 

"Oh, dear, are you nervous?" 

I was, and the whole world probably knew it. The beast wasn't exactly known for being compliant. However, he had shown progress over the course of the week. That made me slightly more comfortable with the situation, but somehow made me even more nervous. 

What if I enjoyed his company? It was far easier to hate him than to enjoy his company and actually like him. 

"I will admit, I am a little nervous. I've never taught someone to read before," I chuckled at the last bit. 

"This will be a good opportunity for you! You can get to know the master and learn how to teach someone," Mrs. Potts smiled. 

I supposed it would be a good experience. I just wasn't fully prepared for what could happen. For all I knew, it would make the dynamic at the castle shift even worse. 

"My dear, may I escort you to your room?" Lumiere offered. I left Mrs. Potts with a wave, and off we went. 

"Lumiere, do you read?" I asked. 

"I used to, on occasion. Lately not very much," he answered, a bit of sadness tinting his voice. 

"What were your favorite books to read?" I felt bad for opening the wound a bit, but I really wanted a male perspective on which books were best to read. 

Lumiere seemed to be in deep thought. "Utopia was quite good. Shakespeare's plays are classic, as well. It has been so long since I've seen a play." 

He then started to list off all the plays he had seen, and how wonderful they had been. I was hardly listening, however, as I was preoccupied with picking out a book to read with the Beast. 

It broke my heart to think of all the things the people in this castle were missing out on. Yes, the beast had made a mistake, but surely they didn't deserve all of this sadness. 

Days passed, and I was growing increasingly impatient. Mrs. Potts had been very correct in saying that I didn't do much. I wasn't really allowed on the castle grounds yet, so I spent all of my time in the ballroom, kitchen, or my bedroom. The servants were great company, but there was very little to talk to them about after a while. 

"Why don't you just go up to him and ask him to join you for lessons, Dear?" Mrs. Potts suggested one day as I helped wash all of the dishes. 

"I fear he would't like that very much. He runs on his own schedule, and I must sync mine with his," I sighed. 

Mrs. Potts frowned. "I disagree with that statement. I think he would be very pleased you are showing an interest in spending time with him. He craves human interaction, that I wish we could offer, but we can't."

I frowned at that comment. I really wanted to disagree with her, but she was probably right. The beast was incredibly lonely. He was wasting away, as all the servants were. 

"You're right, Mrs. Potts," I sigh. "I'll go to him after we finish the dishes." 

Mrs. Potts gave me a look, one that screamed "go now". 

I turned and left the room, walking to where I believed the beast's study was. The halls were very confusing, as always, and I got turned around. 

This was why they usually had a servant with me at all times, because otherwise I'd end up where I shouldn't. I walked around aimlessly for a while, hoping to see something I recognized, that could point me in the right direction. 

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the only thing I ran into was the beast himself. He seemed more shocked than I was. He stumbled back, letting out a breath. 

"A-are you alright?" he asked me, although, truthfully, I probably should have asked him first. 

"I am quite alright, thank you. Are you alright, as well?" I looked into his eyes. I hadn't really done that since I had arrived here. 

If they said that eyes were the window to the soul, then the beast was an incredibly broken soul. He looked as if he were pleading for help, of any kind. He looked a mixture of sad, angry, disappointed, and completely shattered. 

"I am alright, as well, thank you. Are you lost?" 

i thought for a moment. This was my chance to escape the lessons, at least for a little while longer. It was also my chance to begin them, or at least let the beast know I wanted to begin them. 

"A-actually, I was looking for you. Would you like to begin our reading lessons today?" I made my decision. 

The beast looked physically taken aback. His eyes flashed  to an emotion I couldn't register, but it made me happy that he wasn't completely disgusted by my offer. 

The beast actually smiled. I had never seen him smile, but he did. His smile filled the whole castle. "I would love to start today. May I escort you to the library?" 

I took his arm, and he led me down the halls and down a few flights of stairs. His smile hadn't left his face, and it was contagious. I was positive a smile was gracing my own face. 

The beast was determined to make the library a surprise for me. He covered my eyes with one of his hands and opened the door with the other. We walked through, and he took his hand off my eyes. The sight I was greeted with began to make me cry. 

It was magnificent.