La Bella y la Bestia

chapter 2

Adelina turned around to see who exactly had taken her book and map, only to see that it was none other than Lord Piggot-Dunceby.

"Hello, Adelina," the older man greeted her.

"Good day, Dunceby," she returned the greeting, although there was a hint of annoyance in her tone as she kept focus on the map and book. "Could you please give me back my book and map?" She reached her hand out to grab them, but he moved them away from her reach and flipped through some pages.

"How on earth can you read through this rubbish?" he asked, glancing between the map and the page he'd landed on. "Half of it is mostly words, and the images that are there are such bizarre and grotesque drawings- scribblings straight from a delusional maniac."

"Maybe to you, it's rubbish," Adelina spoke, trying to hold back the urge to shout at him. She had disliked the man ever since she'd met him with how arrogant, snobbish, ignorant and borish he was. He was so rude, that she could not for the life of her understand how he even managed to become the head of a society for great man when he was anything but great. "But I think it's quite imaginative."

"Adeline, I believe it's time you stop this unhealthy obsession over maps and books and begin to pay attention to something worthwhile," Piggot-Dunceby stated, crumbling the map up and tossing it along with the book into a puddle of mud. "Such as finding a job more befitting of a woman like yourself."

Adelina shot a glare at him, before going over to pick her things. She tried not to pay too much mind to what he was saying since he couldn't even be bothered to say her name correctly, though anger boiled within her at the words unhealthy obsession and more befitting of a woman like yourself. What did the old mamón know about what was good for her?

"The whole town's talking about your behavior," Piggot-Dunceby kept going on. "How it just isn't write for a woman to be so invested in adventure... soon, she'll start trying to assert herself in all the wrong places, and–"

"Might I say, Dunceby, that you are completely backwards," Adelina cut him off, just as she had picked up both her map and book, cleaning the mud off of both items.

"Is that so?" Lord Piggot-Dunceby's eyes narrowed slightly, before he went on with another approach: "Say, would you be interested in a new job? I could arrange something for you and have it so that the townspeople no longer speak behind your back, all for just one little favor..."

"No gracias," Adelina refused, trying to sound polite even though she knew exactly what Dunceby had planned. She wasn't some naive, foolish girl– she knew what he wanted and wouldn't give it to him, no matter how much he'd bribe from her.

"What is wrong with that girl?" Mr. Collick whispered to Stenk. "Has she gone mad?"

"I'm afraid I must be leaving now," Adelina announced, turning around and heading for her home. "I have to go help my father with his inventions. Adiós."

"HAH!" Stenk laughed loudly. "That old lunatic? I think he needs more than help with his inventions!"

Lord Piggot-Dunceby and Mr. Collick both laughed at this remark, while Adelina was fuming. "¡OYE! Don't you ever speak of my papá in such a manner!" she shouted at the three. "How would you like it if I called your mother a loca vieja moza, huh? You wouldn't, so if I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut."

In an attempt to look better in her eyes, Dunceby smacked both Stenk and Collick upside their heads. "You heard the girl! Don't talk about her father that way!"

"My papá is not a lunatic," Adelina said firmly, hands on her hips. "He's more of a genius than any of you three could ever hope to be."

At that second, an explosion rocked the streets. She whirled around, seeing smoke rise up from the roof of her house. Hearing the three men laugh behind her, she shot them one final glare before putting her things in her basket and running back home.