~Beauty~
I decided to go to dinner tonight and when I told Carina she showed me her several shopping bags from Forever 21. All contained beautiful clothes and accessories my size. There were elegant outfits, causal outfits, and sweatpants and big t-shirts for resting. She bought me more clothes than I had at home.
"You didn't have to get me all this..." I said trying to wrap my head around the amount of money she must have spent on me.
"No, I wanted to, dearie. It's the least I can do." She patted my head and pulled out an elegant, navy blue jumpsuit and silver necklace. "I think you should wear this to dinner."
She walked me to the mirror and held the outfit over me. "Beautiful."
I couldn't help but smile. This is what I always wanted from my mother. No, not the expensive clothes. The time she could spend doing girly bonding things with me. "Thank you," I said tearing up. I was wondering how my mom was doing at the moment.
"My pleasure."
Now I stand in the navy blue romper and diamond necklace with my hair in a neat ponytail. This sure isn't what I expected would happen when The Beast kidnapped me, dressing up all fancy to go to dinner.
Part of me wants to see the good in him and thinks he's trying to be nice. That maybe he's just a confused young man, and doesn't realize what he was doing when he kidnapped me. Another part of me is worried, picturing the worst. That maybe he's making Carina doll me up so he can sell me into some slave market or hurt me himself. I try to listen to the more positive side because even if he is planning to hurt me, there is nothing I can really do about it.
Carina bought me makeup but to be honest I've never really touched makeup before. Though to make her feel good I apply the strawberry lip gloss and winged eyeliner, hoping I look alright.
Taking a deep breath, I open the door to my room and begin to go downstairs. But the words coming out of The Beast mouth make me come to a hault. He says them in a hushed tone just downstairs. So I hide behind a wall and listen.
"I want her to like me, Carina. She thinks I want to hurt her and I don't. How do I get her to trust me?" he asks.
"Trust is earned, Gale. You can't get it over one dinner," Carina replies. "You can start by losing your bad temper and not throwing her in the basement when she says something you don't like."
He sighs. "I guess your right. Anything else?"
"Get to know her, ask her about herself. I feel like she has a lot intresting things to say," Carina adds. I hear her shifting the plates she holds in her hands.
"I think so too. You can see it in her eyes. They're like little flames." I smirk at Gale's comment. Grayson said a similar thing to me once.
I decide to reveal myself and step down the stairs. "Good evening."
"Oh!" Carina squeals, almost dropping her plates. "You look absolutely stunning!"
"Indeed," Gale adds with his face filled with awe. I shift under his gaze, feeling uneasy.
"I'm going to finish setting up the table," Carina says. Before she leaves I hear her mumble to Gale,"Stop drooling, you'll scare her."
I smile, pretending I didn't hear. Gale quickly recovers and smiles back. Then he gestures to the dining room and offers his arm. "Be our guest."
"Why thank you." I hesitantly link arms with him and walk into the dinning room. He pulls out my chair for me while I think back on the conversation him and Carina shared. He said he didn't want to hurt me and wanted me to like him. Maybe that part of me was right. He's just a really lost person, not evil. The thought makes me feel more comfortable and confident.
I sit at the head while Gale and Carina sit at my sides.
The chandelier shines like a sea of diamonds, almost too bright to look at. I find there's a giant bowl of mac and cheese with bacon bits inside and I feel my face light up. "Classy."
Gale chuckles. "I hope you don't mind. I just really wanted to eat something simple and...it's the only thing I know how to cook."
He cooked? I thought Carina did all the work for him? I was under the impression she was his maid. Unless he was just being a gentlemen...
"It's fine, actually. This is one of my favorite meals," I say with a shrug.
"Oh, well good," Gale says looking relieved.
Everyone serves themselves some food and a scary thought surfaces in my mind. What if this is a date? What if The Beast is some sicko like in the horror movies that-
"Could you please pass the pitcher of water, dear?" Carina asks, interrupting my thoughts.
"Uh, sure." My hands tremble as I pick it up and next thing I know, the water is splattered on the ground with glass pieces surrounding it. "I'm so sorry!"
I bend down to pick up the pieces but Carina tells me to stop as she walks away. "We have a broom. You'll cut yourself if you do it like that."
And as if she jinxed it, a shard slices the top of my pointer finger. I wince and clutch it tightly as a fat drop of blood rolls down it. "Ow!"
"You should get that under a sink," Gale recommends while walking around the table to me. He helps me up and I follow him upstairs to the kitchen sink. He turns on the faucet and places my finger under it. I stand there staring at his hideous hand holding mine. It's not even his looks that frighten me the most, it's his intentions.
"You...You know it's just dinner and that was just a pitcher, right? It's no big deal," he says, his blue eyes wandering my face. A tear rolling down my cheek startles me. I didn't realize I was crying.
"I know. I'm sorry," I apologize with a sniffle.
"Don't be. It's okay," he...comforts? Why is he comforting me? He's sending so many mixed signals! Is he an ill tempered killer or is he a regular person? You can't be both!
"Yea...You're right," I mumble averting my gaze. "Do you have a bandage? So we can get back to dinner?"
"Sure," he says reaching into a high shelf in the kitchen. He opens a bandage box and hands me a bandage. "I'm gonna be downstairs. You can come back down when you're ready."
I watch him as he leaves. Part of me wants to find a sharp knife, try to stab him, and escape but of course it won't work. He explained last night how the spell had the affect of curing any injury he obtained. I sigh and let my hair loose, combing it with my fingers to calm myself.
"Pull it together, Belle. You'll be okay. He's not going to hurt you..." Even if it's a lie, I need to believe it to keep myself together. With a final deep breath I begin to walk towards the stairs. Carina walks by and catches my arm.
"Hold on!" she says. "Your eyeliner is running." She pulls out a tissue and hands it to me.
"Thanks..." I begin to wipe my eyes and Carina gives me a thumbs up, signalling I got all the makeup. Then taking a deep breath, I walk downstairs with my brave face on, ready to have dinner with my kidnapper.
~The Beast~
Belle enters the dining room with Carina behind. She takes her seat with the glass mess gone. Her hair is loose and her makeup is gone. She seems calmer and relaxed and I'm glad. It made me feel guilty all over to watch her freak out over something as simple as a broken pitcher.
"So, Belle," I say attempting to start conversation. "Are you still in high school?"
As soon as the words come out Carina shakes her head at me and brings her hand across her neck. Uh oh, I said the wrong thing, didn't I? I knew I'd mess this up...
"Yeah, it was my senior year at Ellington. Education wise it was great but the people weren't the kindest," she answers matter of factly.
"I'm sorry to hear that." I give Carina a pointed look, trying to silently point out I didn't ask anything wrong. Belle doesn't notice though.
"Can I ask what school you went to?"
My eyes widen. I'd be an idiot to tell her the name of the school, I mean, I'm a wanted criminal. But at the same time I don't want to kill the casual vibe we are finally obtaining.
"I...I don't remember the name but I wasn't big on academics. I wasn't any good. All I remember is the football team." I take a bite and look up to find Belle's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"
"Nothing... It's just my best friend plays." Belle looks down, tears lining the rims of her eyes. But in a second her whole mascarade is back. She gives a lopsided smile and goes back to eating.
There it goes. Carina warned me about saying something that would make her upset. Apparently politics and religion aren't the only touchy subjects.
"I'm sorry..." I search my mind for something else to say but to no avail. Belle just shakes her head and continues eating. After that, dinner is pretty much quite with the rare exchange of a few awkward sentences.
"Well, I'll get to cleaning up," Carina says putting an end to the failed attempt at dinner.
"I can help if you'd like," Belle offers.
"No, no. Don't worry about it love." Carina continues to gather plates and heads up to the kitchen leaving me and Belle alone.
"I should-"
"I can-"
We both chuckle awkwardly at the way we cut each other off. I try again,"I was going to ask if you wanted me to walk you to your room."
"Uh...Sure. Why not?" Belle says clasping her hands together. We walk side by side until we reach the stairs, where I head in front of her.
"Can I ask you something?" I hear her ask.
What could she possibly want to ask me?
The thuds of our feet hitting the metal steps seems louder in the silence of my anticipation.
"Yeah...Go ahead," I reply.
"When I snuck out into your car the other day..." she trails off sounding unsure.
I bite my lip. "Yea?"
We reach her floor and stop at her door. Her eyes hold a glint of hesitation but she says it anyways.
"I saw that there was more to this castle than I thought there was. I saw a bridge connecting this section to another one. Where does-"
"That is none of your business and you will never ask about it again. Do you understand me?"
Belle jumps back at my sudden change in mood and then huffs. "Fine." She shoves her door open and I try to follow.
"Wait, I'm sorry. That came out-" She stops me by slamming the door in my face. I rest my head on the door in defeat. "Great job, Gale...Just great."